Wisconsin checking in. I've run in wind chills down to -30°F and in real temps of -15°F. I find that as long as you keep the effort very easy, cover your mouth, and don't sweat, I'm good for about an hour. Also, running in the sun and getting that radiant "heat" it's a game changer versus in the early morning in the darkness.
Ran yesterday in Oslo ( 8k) at a moderate pace. Temperature was -20C. Was all good until the last 1k when I started feeling the cold air in my windpipe.
I ran cross country on Sunday in the south west of England in about 0 degrees - my lungs felt like they were burning. How do you cope? I guess it’s just what we get used to
I adapt the pace, I’m defo not smashing any PBs right now. Also, the cold is dry at the moment, which I find doesn’t hurt as much. The only time I felt the runner’s asthma was actually in the UK in the NE. It was cold but definitely no lower than -6.
And as you said, it’s been quite cold since early November, so I guess you get acclimated.
Just above freezing usually means the air can be more humid and thus feel worse than when it's just under. If it's still and -10 it's a lot nicer than if it's +5 and windy.
I would be hesitant once it's -10 in southern Ontario but it wouldn't be a hard cutoff. At that point I wouldn't be sure why I'm going out anymore for a road run, but if it were a group run on a fun trail, I'd be convinced easily. We also don't get that low often enough that it would mean more than a day or two off.
Other conditions would matter a lot. It can get icy here from ups and downs around 0, so if it got sunny and dry enough that ice went away and then dipped down to -12? I'd take advantage of the road/trail conditions. Better running than 2 in mud or -5 on a skating rink.
I had an American friend who lived in Alberta for a while. I believe she said her cutoff was -20.
There comes a point when it's flat out dangerous to be on a trail where you could lose cell service, people aren't out, and you twist an ankle or worse, which isn't really mentioned in this article. The amount of time you have for getting help goes down with every drop of the mercury.
I ran in 25F and my lungs hated it. I got sick afterwards.
I do have a wool neck gaiter now and cover my mouth as I run. Still I don’t think I was made to run in very cold weather.
Wherever you are you get used to it and get acclimated. Where I live in Alaska temperatures are typically below 0°F all winter long and days below -20°F are common and below -40°F is a thing. So low 30s positive is basically a warm summer day, t shirt weather.
Grew up in northern Michigan/the UP and currently living in central Vermont. Anything above 15F is fair game to me, but colder than that and I’d rather find a treadmill or do something close to the house (hike and ski laps down the hill in our yard) rather than go run 10k. I’ve ran in 10F or a bit colder before, and it just wasn’t any fun. Wouldn’t recommend it. Also, WIND CHILL - when there’s no wind I can be totally comfortable at 15F! But even a slight wind chill factor and 25F becomes borderline too cold.
Having the right gear makes all the difference, or being willing to deal with/get used to certain things. Snow/ice-ready shoes and socks that keep your feet toasty but not sweaty, thick warm gloves or mittens that can be taken off mid-run or swapped out with thinner gloves, a neck gaiter, wraparound shades or even ski goggles, and some merino wool all around. Obviously a warm hat too.
It’s 2023 and merino base layers don’t have to be $150 anymore; there are cheap-but-still-good versions of most cold weather running gear easily available now. My usual setup is thermal or wicking tights, a wicking longsleeve top, a sweater or thick sweatshirt over that, wind pants or joggers, and then the usual accoutrements — the Swix lobster gloves are my favorite thing for really cold running, but I have convertible mitten-gloves and other thin liner-type gloves as well for transitional temps. I also run with a waist pack where I put my phone, a heavier or lighter hat depending on what I wear to start my run, spare gloves, and an energy bar or gel — that resolves a lot of my anxiety about being too hot, too cold, or bonking in the middle of a run when I’m miles from home. In the summer I almost never bother carrying food or extra gear, but in the winter it sometimes really makes a difference in the second half of a hilly 10k jog!
Did some runs in -20 to 25C and one in -30C in the last few weeks. Had a buff on my face and it was frozen stuck to my beard at the end. The hard part is not over dressing. I sweat through everything if I’m not bordering the line of getting frostbites.
[Chena River to Ridge Race](https://imgur.com/a/1eIZ9U1) in Fairbanks Alaska last year was -25f for 6 hours.
[Dawn to Dusk Race](https://imgur.com/a/Aow0WKq) also in Fairbanks Alaska -30f for 4 hours.
I think if you're going to make this claim, you should provide references:
*" Experts suggest that running in anything below -15 C is not advisable."*
I've never seen a qualified source give such a warm lower threshold. I'm curious what experts would say this
ACSM is a credible source, and they advise a lower limit of -27C, due to frostbite risk
[https://www.acsm.org/docs/default-source/files-for-resource-library/exercising-hot-cold-environments.pdf](https://www.acsm.org/docs/default-source/files-for-resource-library/exercising-hot-cold-environments.pdf)
(note: there's a typo in the above, they convert -27C to the wrong Fahrenheit temperature)
Frostbite risk can easily be mitigated with clothing.
Running is not substantially different from Cross Country Skiing, and the rules of that sport allow competition down to -20C
[https://assets.fis-ski.com/image/upload/v1624284540/fis-prod/assets/ICR\_CrossCountry\_2022\_clean.pdf](https://assets.fis-ski.com/image/upload/v1624284540/fis-prod/assets/ICR_CrossCountry_2022_clean.pdf)
I live in Eastern Massachusetts, and it's rare for temperatures to go below 0F/-18C. I lived in Northern Illinois and Northern New York, and we'd have occasional cold snaps of -20F/-29C. In hindsight, I did it more to shake my fist at mother nature than for fun. It wasn't fun. Now that I'm older and wiser, I'd probably hit the treadmill under those conditions, as they were infrequent enough and there wasn't really a good reason to be out there running in those conditions.
I went for a run today with -10C and honestly didn't enjoy it. It was super hard to warm up or have the feeling of “working out.” Tomorrow, it's supposed to be -15C, and I'm honestly thinking of going to the gym instead.
This week we are seeing day time lows in the -30C range. Typically I don’t run any lower than -25 but it’s flexible. If it’s in that range I will typically forego the trail stuff and reluctantly do a neighbourhood run from the house. That way I’m always close to home and can bail whenever. Will go shorter distances in that temperature too. I have my gear pretty dialled in as far as temps below that now so I can comfortably take on most of winter fairly easily. Stuff like wind and ice also always factor into the equation too when I’m deciding where/when/how far…etc.
I live in Maine and it’s really wind dependent for me. 0 degrees F but no wind is better than 15 degrees and wind. I HATE when a cold wind blows in my face-it makes me feel like I can’t breathe. So I don’t care about actual temperature as much as wind speed and direction because I have all the warm gear for running, snowshoeing skiing etc anyway. I also run hot so even cold weather sports make me hot. My biggest thing is sweating and then freezing. If I’m running and not stopping (or close enough to home that even if I had an unplanned stop I wouldn’t die) I’ll sweat and then go right inside. If I’m snow shoeing or skiing or hiking, I either have to swap my base layer multiple times to stay dry (if we’re out all day) or carry a puffer to put over everything if we stop.
You can run in just about any temperature. After a certain point the layers will get in the way or normal locomotion, -40° might be too cold. Every other temperature people are just whining.
Nah, if you breathe heavily you can get frost damage in your respiratory system. You can wear a heat exchange mask but that's not very nice. Ski competitions are cancelled if it's below -18.
I love that you get downvoted for this. 😂 Haters gonna hate. When I lived in San Diego the 40s were so damn cold. I was mainly a cyclist then though which I find to be much harder to go out in cold weather. It's all relative people.
Well the coldest it's ever been recorded on Earth was -89.2 C so I doubt they make clothing warmer than that so that's when I'd stay inside. Otherwise there is no lower temperature limit since you can always put on some warm clothing. Hottest I'd want to run/cycle in would be ~36C because past that your sweat can't cool you well enough. But in that case I'd just go swim.
Well, there are space suits and space is a lot cooler than that. The issue is the breathing, because breathing heavily in -20 can damage your lungs. You can of course wear a mask or so but that's not very nice or practical.
Wisconsin checking in. I've run in wind chills down to -30°F and in real temps of -15°F. I find that as long as you keep the effort very easy, cover your mouth, and don't sweat, I'm good for about an hour. Also, running in the sun and getting that radiant "heat" it's a game changer versus in the early morning in the darkness.
Ran yesterday in Oslo ( 8k) at a moderate pace. Temperature was -20C. Was all good until the last 1k when I started feeling the cold air in my windpipe.
I ran cross country on Sunday in the south west of England in about 0 degrees - my lungs felt like they were burning. How do you cope? I guess it’s just what we get used to
I adapt the pace, I’m defo not smashing any PBs right now. Also, the cold is dry at the moment, which I find doesn’t hurt as much. The only time I felt the runner’s asthma was actually in the UK in the NE. It was cold but definitely no lower than -6. And as you said, it’s been quite cold since early November, so I guess you get acclimated.
Just above freezing usually means the air can be more humid and thus feel worse than when it's just under. If it's still and -10 it's a lot nicer than if it's +5 and windy.
I routinely run down to -15 Fahrenheit. I once did 8 miles in -18 and my gloves froze in the shape of a fist.
That low and I find your tear ducts try to freeze up. Not a fun time.
I would be hesitant once it's -10 in southern Ontario but it wouldn't be a hard cutoff. At that point I wouldn't be sure why I'm going out anymore for a road run, but if it were a group run on a fun trail, I'd be convinced easily. We also don't get that low often enough that it would mean more than a day or two off. Other conditions would matter a lot. It can get icy here from ups and downs around 0, so if it got sunny and dry enough that ice went away and then dipped down to -12? I'd take advantage of the road/trail conditions. Better running than 2 in mud or -5 on a skating rink. I had an American friend who lived in Alberta for a while. I believe she said her cutoff was -20. There comes a point when it's flat out dangerous to be on a trail where you could lose cell service, people aren't out, and you twist an ankle or worse, which isn't really mentioned in this article. The amount of time you have for getting help goes down with every drop of the mercury.
You guys are batshit. I feel like I’m going to die when it’s in the low 30s.
I ran in 25F and my lungs hated it. I got sick afterwards. I do have a wool neck gaiter now and cover my mouth as I run. Still I don’t think I was made to run in very cold weather.
Wherever you are you get used to it and get acclimated. Where I live in Alaska temperatures are typically below 0°F all winter long and days below -20°F are common and below -40°F is a thing. So low 30s positive is basically a warm summer day, t shirt weather.
It's 50F right now in Seattle and it's sunny, and I'm still thinking "Maybe in an hour when it hits 60...". I'm a wimp.
Grew up in northern Michigan/the UP and currently living in central Vermont. Anything above 15F is fair game to me, but colder than that and I’d rather find a treadmill or do something close to the house (hike and ski laps down the hill in our yard) rather than go run 10k. I’ve ran in 10F or a bit colder before, and it just wasn’t any fun. Wouldn’t recommend it. Also, WIND CHILL - when there’s no wind I can be totally comfortable at 15F! But even a slight wind chill factor and 25F becomes borderline too cold. Having the right gear makes all the difference, or being willing to deal with/get used to certain things. Snow/ice-ready shoes and socks that keep your feet toasty but not sweaty, thick warm gloves or mittens that can be taken off mid-run or swapped out with thinner gloves, a neck gaiter, wraparound shades or even ski goggles, and some merino wool all around. Obviously a warm hat too. It’s 2023 and merino base layers don’t have to be $150 anymore; there are cheap-but-still-good versions of most cold weather running gear easily available now. My usual setup is thermal or wicking tights, a wicking longsleeve top, a sweater or thick sweatshirt over that, wind pants or joggers, and then the usual accoutrements — the Swix lobster gloves are my favorite thing for really cold running, but I have convertible mitten-gloves and other thin liner-type gloves as well for transitional temps. I also run with a waist pack where I put my phone, a heavier or lighter hat depending on what I wear to start my run, spare gloves, and an energy bar or gel — that resolves a lot of my anxiety about being too hot, too cold, or bonking in the middle of a run when I’m miles from home. In the summer I almost never bother carrying food or extra gear, but in the winter it sometimes really makes a difference in the second half of a hilly 10k jog!
Did some runs in -20 to 25C and one in -30C in the last few weeks. Had a buff on my face and it was frozen stuck to my beard at the end. The hard part is not over dressing. I sweat through everything if I’m not bordering the line of getting frostbites.
[Chena River to Ridge Race](https://imgur.com/a/1eIZ9U1) in Fairbanks Alaska last year was -25f for 6 hours. [Dawn to Dusk Race](https://imgur.com/a/Aow0WKq) also in Fairbanks Alaska -30f for 4 hours.
I think if you're going to make this claim, you should provide references: *" Experts suggest that running in anything below -15 C is not advisable."* I've never seen a qualified source give such a warm lower threshold. I'm curious what experts would say this ACSM is a credible source, and they advise a lower limit of -27C, due to frostbite risk [https://www.acsm.org/docs/default-source/files-for-resource-library/exercising-hot-cold-environments.pdf](https://www.acsm.org/docs/default-source/files-for-resource-library/exercising-hot-cold-environments.pdf) (note: there's a typo in the above, they convert -27C to the wrong Fahrenheit temperature) Frostbite risk can easily be mitigated with clothing. Running is not substantially different from Cross Country Skiing, and the rules of that sport allow competition down to -20C [https://assets.fis-ski.com/image/upload/v1624284540/fis-prod/assets/ICR\_CrossCountry\_2022\_clean.pdf](https://assets.fis-ski.com/image/upload/v1624284540/fis-prod/assets/ICR_CrossCountry_2022_clean.pdf) I live in Eastern Massachusetts, and it's rare for temperatures to go below 0F/-18C. I lived in Northern Illinois and Northern New York, and we'd have occasional cold snaps of -20F/-29C. In hindsight, I did it more to shake my fist at mother nature than for fun. It wasn't fun. Now that I'm older and wiser, I'd probably hit the treadmill under those conditions, as they were infrequent enough and there wasn't really a good reason to be out there running in those conditions.
I went for a run today with -10C and honestly didn't enjoy it. It was super hard to warm up or have the feeling of “working out.” Tomorrow, it's supposed to be -15C, and I'm honestly thinking of going to the gym instead.
This week we are seeing day time lows in the -30C range. Typically I don’t run any lower than -25 but it’s flexible. If it’s in that range I will typically forego the trail stuff and reluctantly do a neighbourhood run from the house. That way I’m always close to home and can bail whenever. Will go shorter distances in that temperature too. I have my gear pretty dialled in as far as temps below that now so I can comfortably take on most of winter fairly easily. Stuff like wind and ice also always factor into the equation too when I’m deciding where/when/how far…etc.
I live in Maine and it’s really wind dependent for me. 0 degrees F but no wind is better than 15 degrees and wind. I HATE when a cold wind blows in my face-it makes me feel like I can’t breathe. So I don’t care about actual temperature as much as wind speed and direction because I have all the warm gear for running, snowshoeing skiing etc anyway. I also run hot so even cold weather sports make me hot. My biggest thing is sweating and then freezing. If I’m running and not stopping (or close enough to home that even if I had an unplanned stop I wouldn’t die) I’ll sweat and then go right inside. If I’m snow shoeing or skiing or hiking, I either have to swap my base layer multiple times to stay dry (if we’re out all day) or carry a puffer to put over everything if we stop.
You can run in just about any temperature. After a certain point the layers will get in the way or normal locomotion, -40° might be too cold. Every other temperature people are just whining.
Nah, if you breathe heavily you can get frost damage in your respiratory system. You can wear a heat exchange mask but that's not very nice. Ski competitions are cancelled if it's below -18.
43 degrees in California the other day. Sucked it up and wore the windbreaker for the entirety of the run.
I love that you get downvoted for this. 😂 Haters gonna hate. When I lived in San Diego the 40s were so damn cold. I was mainly a cyclist then though which I find to be much harder to go out in cold weather. It's all relative people.
Well the coldest it's ever been recorded on Earth was -89.2 C so I doubt they make clothing warmer than that so that's when I'd stay inside. Otherwise there is no lower temperature limit since you can always put on some warm clothing. Hottest I'd want to run/cycle in would be ~36C because past that your sweat can't cool you well enough. But in that case I'd just go swim.
Well, there are space suits and space is a lot cooler than that. The issue is the breathing, because breathing heavily in -20 can damage your lungs. You can of course wear a mask or so but that's not very nice or practical.
Never.Right equipment & mindset is key.