My wife and I still smiling after a chilly November race.

About a year ago, I woke up. I realized I really needed to find a way to live healthier, so I took up running. (That in and of itself was quite the journey, but I’ll share that some other time).

Well, that was May. You remember? Warm, beautiful, green… May! The summer was great, but as Winter approached, I became a little concerned. What would happen when the weather outside got “frightful”? I had a few backup plans. We have a tread-mill in our basement (or as my wife calls it: The “Dreadmill”.) I also discovered our community rec-center allowed running in their indoor field house.

I took advantage of both of those, but it just didn’t have the same joy as hitting the open road. So, for Christmas, my wife equipped me with some warmer running gear, and I hit the road. Extra layers, extra traction and extra toughness. I was off!

The experience surprised me. I have really gotten to love winter running. The trails are beautiful, the stars are a little brighter, and the breathing seems a lot easier.

Reading up on it helped a bit too. Here are some great resources from Runners World on cold weather running.

So what about you? What do you do to stay fit when the weather turns cold and we all head indoors? Leave a comment and give me some ideas!