Winter running can be enjoyable, but take precautionsBy LAURA HERRING COLUMBIA — Linda LaFontaine isn't the president of the Columbia Track Club for nothing. She'll run in any kind of weather. When the winter wind is too much or the cold too extreme, she can be seen running 'round and 'round in MU's parking garages. She'll run anywhere except for inside on what she calls the "dread-mill treadmill," which, for her, is beyond a last resort. She's not alone. The Columbia Track Club leads a running group every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 5:30 a.m. Despite the cold, 20 to 30 runners gather at the Forum Boulevard entrance to the MKT Trail for a roughly 2 1/2-mile run during the winter months. They are Columbia's avid runners who would rather run in the extreme cold of winter than the extreme heat of summer. The trick is to take extra precautions, runners say. Most important, they say, is taking care not to slip. That's the right top priority, said Dr. Richard A. White, assistant professor of Clinical Orthopedic Surgery for MU, who had just finished surgery on a patient with a broken ankle, the result of a fall on the ice. White said winter runners must heed surface conditions, especially when it’s wet or freezing because "black ice can form on the sidewalks for runners just like on the streets for cars.” Matt Dreier, a competitive runner and sales associate at Tryathletics, a store for runners, cyclists and swimmers, has another warning for runners about slick surface conditions: Ice and snow buildup on sidewalks can force runners into the streets and into the path of cars. “If the footing is bad, especially if the sidewalks are bad and I’d have to run on icy roads and dodge cars, it’s probably just unsafe,” Dreier said. Reflective clothing should be worn by all runners to ensure passing cars will see them. “Pretty much everything now has visibility strips or patterns on it,” said Nate Smith, also an avid runner and sales associate at Tryathletics. Taking the right precautions is the key to making running in adverse conditions fun, or pure misery. “Being aware is very important,” Smith said. “The wind can be a lot colder than you think.” Still, Smith finds running in winter more enjoyable than in summer. “You can always add more layers (in the cold); summertime is just miserable,” he said. It's important to dress in smart layers and not overdress. “You want something (on bottom) to wick away the moisture, some sort of synthetic blend,” Dreier said. “The most important thing to worry about is heat loss," White said. "Be sure to cover the head and hands." Wearing proper protection for the hands and feet is important to protect from frostbite, which is most common in the extremities because of reduced blood flow. If it’s extremely cold, there's also a risk of hypothermia, a condition in which body temperature becomes abnormally low. Symptoms may include a general feeling of being unwell or faintness. Dr. White also advises runners to keep in mind that subtle changes in the weather can mean big changes in running conditions. Strong winds can dry out the eyes and skin and make breathing uncomfortable. “My eyes get really dry and cold so I use moisture drops to help protect them. I also use Vaseline on my face and wear a face mask with a neck gator over my nose … to warm the air a little before I breathe it into my lungs,” LaFontaine said. When extreme conditions make running on most city streets and sidewalks uncertain or when the wind is just too much to deal with, these avid runners have different ways of getting in their daily run. Dreier runs on the MU campus or downtown, where the sidewalks are usually “cleared pretty well, pretty quickly.” He's one of those people for whom running is just a part of life that cannot be set aside just because of the time of year. For him, “(running) is a good way to start the day, your mind is clearer … and you spend the rest of the day feeling more energetic,” no matter the season. “There’s a corps of people in Columbia that, for whatever reason, get out there and go," he said. "The numbers are definitely lower (in the winter) … but some people have to get out there. Columbia is an active town." Dr. White agrees that, “runners are a very energetic group. Often they’ve built a routine and don’t want to stray from it; they don’t like to give up on things.” He also warns: “The public needs to be aware that running in the winter, just like running in the summer, is different and there are risks associated with it. If runners take precautions and are aware of the risks, then they can reduce them.” |
Kevin Roberts /Missourian
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