When the clocks change and the temperature drops, most people will swap out their running shoes for their cozy duvet. Make the most of the colder, crisp weather with these winter running hacks

1. Head, hands, feet

Get yourself a good pair of gloves, some warm socks, and a beanie, and you’ll most likely come back from your run smiling. The rest of your body will warm up as you run, so if you do go out ready for a snowstorm, make sure you wear lots of light layers that you can easily take off and carry when you’re running.

2. Warm up before you leave the house

The first five minutes of a run in the cold are by far the worst. Do your warm up indoors to avoid this altogether.

3. Short and sweet

Don’t go crazy on distance when it’s particularly cold out, and, if you do, find a route that stays relatively close to home in case you need to cut it short. If you start feeling cold half-way into your run, don’t be afraid to take a shortcut back — you aren’t going to do yourself any good by pushing through that.

5. Don’t worry about pace

It’s not easy getting speed-work in during a cold run. Don’t worry if your average pace is slightly slower than usual, and just enjoy keeping up your mileage.

6. Ease into intervals

If you are going to run intervals, make sure you’re properly warmed up before starting those sprints. It might also be worth reducing your interval pace, especially for the first few intervals.

7. Finish with a hot chocolate

Dreaming of a reward during a run does wonders to motivation. Get your hot chocolate ingredients ready before you set off so that you know what you’re coming back to. Even better, ask a flatmate to heat it up for when you arrive…

8. Get warm and dry quickly

When you get home, make sure to get out of your sweaty clothes and into something dry as quickly as you can.

It’s always easier to stay motivated when you’ve got a challenge coming up. Find your next challenge on Let’s Do This