How do I exercise safely in the cold and dark?

Winter exercise fails for practical reasons rather than motivational ones: too cold at the start, too hot after fifteen minutes, and not being able to see or be seen. Each of those has a straightforward answer.

Safety

Step by step

1. Dress for ten minutes in, not for the doorstep.You should feel slightly cold when you set off. Dressing to feel comfortable standing outside means overheating and sweating heavily within a mile.
2. Layer rather than wearing one thick thing.A thin base layer that moves moisture away, a light insulating layer, and a windproof outer. Layers can be adjusted; a single heavy coat cannot.
3. Avoid cotton next to the skin.Cotton holds sweat and then chills you badly the moment you slow down. Synthetic or merino base layers are the single most useful winter purchase.
4. Cover the extremities.Hands, ears and head lose heat quickly and are the parts that actually make you feel cold. Thin gloves and a hat weigh almost nothing and can come off.
5. Be visible from every angle.Reflective material front, back and on moving parts such as ankles, plus a front and rear light. Dark clothing on an unlit road is effectively invisible until very close.
6. Carry a light to see with as well as be seen.A head torch shows you uneven ground, kerbs and ice. Most winter falls are things not seen rather than surfaces that could not be handled.
7. Take ice seriously.Ordinary trainers have essentially no grip on ice. Shorten your stride, stay on gritted routes, and change the plan on genuinely icy days rather than running the usual one carefully.
8. Warm up for longer.Muscles take longer to become ready in the cold. A few extra minutes of easy movement at the start reduces the risk of pulling something.
9. Change out of wet kit immediately.The dangerous chill comes after stopping, when you are wet and no longer generating heat. Dry clothes straight away, before anything else.
10. Adjust the goal for the season.Maintaining through the winter is a reasonable aim. Expecting the same progress as in summer is what leads to abandoning it entirely in January.
11. Have an indoor alternative ready.A short home routine for the days when it is genuinely unsafe. Having a decided alternative is what stops a cancelled session becoming a cancelled month.

Tips

• Tell someone your route and expected time when it is dark. It costs nothing and matters more in winter than at any other time.
• Lay kit out the night before. In winter, the decision is made at the point of getting dressed, and removing that friction is worth more than motivation.
• Exercising in daylight where you can, even at lunchtime, helps considerably with how the dark months feel generally.

Questions people ask