The Joy Trip Project

Janice Beers is getting ready for her 12^th marathon. And for the first time she’ll do the bulk of her training while there’s still snow on the ground. “It’ll be in February,” she said. “And I’m a little freaked out about running through the winter.” Fortunately the event itself will be in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, the National Marathon To Finish Breast Cancer. Running for such a worthy cause Beers will likely enjoy a comfy 70 degrees or more on race day. But in the months leading up to her day in the sun, this Wisconsin resident, 44, is more than a little apprehensive about running in sub-freezing temperatures on the icy streets of Madison. “Don’t get me wrong,” Beers says. “I love the falling snow and all that. I just don’t know what to expect putting in all those miles when it’ll be so cold out.” During an average winter in Wisconsin temperatures will settle to 20 degrees or less well through the month of March and into April. Add to that few hours of daylight from dawn ‘til dusk and five to six months of winter training outdoors could be very difficult. “It’ll be hard to find the motivation just to get out of bed ‘cause it’ll be dark,” Beers says, “When it’s nasty out I won’t have that push I’d have in the spring and summer when the weather’s nice.” If you’re going to maintain the training base you built up when the days were long and warm, winter running is an inevitable part of the Madison active lifestyle. And if you can’t stand the thought of running indoors on a treadmill don’t worry. With the right combination of technical clothing and some knowledgeable advice you’ve got more than a few options when it comes to outside workouts. Even during the coldest months of the year you can run the winter warm.