Cold, Dark, & Magical: An Ode to Winter Night Running

In Boulder, Colorado, winter comes early. As I’m listening to Stephen King audiobooks, leaves fall and the sun sets earlier and earlier. With daylight savings, the wall of the Front Range mountains to our west blocks the sun just by 4pm on this night. 

The sun has set and the temperature has dropped. I’m thinking I could have run earlier…

Night Winter Running: Not Ideal 

In a town boasting 300 days of sunlight, winter night running is not ideal. But, for the last eight years, I have committed to coaching my local run group, Revolution Running, at weekly workouts.

Summer or winter, the group meets at 6pm Tuesdays and Thursdays for an hour-long workout. It's an easier commitment on hot summer afternoons where we can all enjoy a popsicle on a grassy field after the run. But here we are.

It’s getting close to 6pm this January night, and I’m putting on a headlamp, running socks, tights, a puffy jacket, and ski mitts in my car. Tonight we are meeting in a shopping center parking lot.

It's cold out. I’m psyching myself up to go outside: I’m grumpy, and it's been a long work day. I jump out of the warm car into the chilly night air and walk over to the group.

Tonight, there are about twenty five middle aged runners, dressed in a hodgepodge of neon, standing on the sidewalk under a street lamp. We apprehensively wait for the stragglers to show up before we get running. Everyone is fidgeting to keep warm and talking when the lead coach kicks off the night, explaining we will be headed to the track.

Ice, Powder, & Friends

My pace-group of six runners heads off into the sidewalk, yelling “ice” as we tiptoe around the corner into the dark, away from the plaza.

I chitchat with Stephen, a computer scientist who has run marathons for years, but tonight he is excited to talk about the upcoming ski season, speculating on fresh powder. And I immediately remember why I’m here: group running is great! It’s easy to be consistent.

Showing up week after week does build the winter base miles, but it also nurtures the friendships that have grown over the chunk of a decade. You have the opportunity to forget about your day and just trot some miles on a half frozen bike path.

I’ve had conversations about the universe with physics professors and talked to a children’s author about her newest book. We’ve talked about destination races, pets and electric cars. It's always something different.

One of my favorite memories is how I got to know one of my group members, David, from talking week after week in the dark, without seeing his face until spring!

Winter Running Tricks

The winter months are harsh. Running “goal pace” for a spring race can be near impossible between the ice and wind. So, we forget about the mile splits.

One of my favorite remedies is “dicey hills.” Roll a dice, multiply by 10, and run that many seconds up the road. Jog back down and repeat for 30 minutes.

Another trick is time-based intervals. Instead of running a mile, run five minutes at mile effort. That’s what we have for tonight’s workout.

We get to the track, and I’m warmed up. We make our way through some skips and drills, and I’m cold again. Four short sprints on the turf infield in the pitch black, and I’m herding my group to start the intervals. They are dropping jackets. On the far side of the track I see the glow of the other pace group.

“3,2,1, go.”

With headlamps on, everything looks new, from the steam of my breath, to the twinkle of the snow. It’s a spotlight showing you one foot of the world at a time, hiding your surroundings. It really is magical.

Cold yet Sweaty

Five times five minutes later, and we are out of breath, red in the face and sweating. From the cold or effort? Probably both. High fives are given all around me. Well done team! Another step closer to those warm, fast spring miles.

At the start of the night, in the dark shopping plaza parking lot, I couldn’t imagine feeling anywhere near this warm in the night air. We head back to gather our myriad layers shed at the start of the workout and prepare to head home.

Illuminated by our headlamps and chorused by the crunch of seven pairs of shoes in the snow, we start to cool down. And oh my! The sweat and night air does not mix! Suddenly we are colder than when we started.

Is this even possible? How will I make it back another week? Why do I do this to myself? I can only think about making it home alive to jump in a steaming hot shower. But then, Tuesday arrives, and I’m putting on a headlamp and warm running layers. There is no question, I’m going to run with my group.

Give Running at Night in Winter a Try 

Should you run at night this winter? Maybe you’ll be tougher or faster come spring. But, maybe it’s not even worth it. What I can suggest is join a run group, and give winter night running a try.

You too may experience the magic in the darkness, illuminated by headlamps reflecting back the falling snow. Give it a chance, and let me know what you find.

About the Author

Andy is a professional trail runner living in Boulder, Colorado with his wife, Karley and their Italian greyhound, Fig. He has represented the USA 15 times, placing 2nd in 2015 and 3rd in 2014 in the world at the Long Distance Mountain Running Championships. When he isn’t running he enjoys teaching math and science