Its the Time of the Season

So a thought occurred to me on one my recent runs; is it harder to train in the winter or the summer? There are very valid arguments for both sides to this argument. I am not going to even entertain the seasons of spring and fall because if you don’t like running in either season then no offense, but you are absolutely crazy.  I won’t tell you my personal preference right now because if I did then you would stop reading this article.

Since we are currently in winter we will start there. What are the advantages to training in winter? Well number one in my mind is that it is more difficult to overheat to the point of exhaustion. That being said you can overheat from overdressing which is a very common problem in the winter, but generally you will never come close to the feeling of running on a 90 degree day with 100 percent humidity.. You are pretty much guaranteed that the air will be dry and starved of moisture on a winter run.  If you get the chance to get out on a snowy day, you will be treated to a visual experience that is just sensational. There is nothing more peaceful than a fresh snow coating and the gentle crunching of your feet as you run through the snow.

Of course winter brings with it some very obvious negatives. The first one for me is the darkness. The days are short, and if you are like me with a daily job, that means you have a slim window to run in daylight. Otherwise you are left playing a real life game of Frogger as you try to avoid angry impatient motorists on icy snow covered roads in the dark. Do you like grip? I hope you do because in winter you will have a hard time getting a grip on those icy snow covered roads. On a bad day your only option is to run through those awful slush piles where the water and mud soak right through your shoes and numb your feet almost immediately.  Winter would not be winter without that cold icy wind blowing right through your bones like a Kleenex.

Now we can talk about summer. I am sure most of you are begging for those long summer days with that glorious sun. I am talking about the kind of weather where you would run naked if it wouldn’t get you arrested. There are several positive aspects to summer from the cool summer mornings, glorious sunshine, even running in a warm summer shower. The days are longer meaning that you have plenty of opportunity to run in daylight. The air is fresh with all the life that is thriving.

That being said summer also presents that soul sucking humidity. I personally could write an entire book about humidity and how much I despise it. That humidity will cause you to flood whatever clothing you have on.  If you like breathing then consider that a luxury on a 90 degree day with 70 percent humidity. You get the heat that comes straight from the depths of hell. If you are really lucky you will encounter a vicious lightning storm that will scare the living daylights out of you

So now it’s time to crown a winner before you get bored with this post. The slight edge goes to winter. Summer has better positives but the combination of the heat/humidity is like a lead plate on a one of those little balance scales you used in science class. What is your preference? Let me know in the comments section!