11/28/2023
🥶The last few mornings have felt more like mid-January than the week after Thanksgiving in Chicagoland. While I loathe running when the temps exceed 80°F, I’m also not a huge fan of 0°F this early in the “winter.” Brucie, on the other hand, fully embraces a jog in the cold.
Is there any science behind why it often feels more difficult to maintain 🏃♂️running pace, 🚴♀️cycling power, etc. when the mercury drops?
There is some evidence to suggest a mechanism behind why cold temps may impact our ability to perform as well as we might in warmer weather.
🧊 Our nervous system function decreases in cold temperatures
🧊 We use carbohydrate stores faster in colder weather and it's more difficult for our bodies to utilize fat as a fuel source. (Our bodies will use energy stores faster if we are cold to maintain shivering in order to keep our core temperature up)
🧊 Our oxygen consumption increases when it's cold (It becomes harder to breathe)
🧊 A decrease in intramuscular temperature leads to less efficient muscle contractions often resulting in a reduction in performance.
Combat these effects by:
🔥 Increase your warmup time to allow your muscles to adapt to the ambient temperature
🔥 Dress in warm clothing, preferably in layers, that can be shed once your body temperature normalizes. This helps to reduce shivering and in turn, limits unnecessary energy expenditure.
🔥 Use perceived exertion instead of pace as a way to properly gauge your effort. Pace/power will often drop but the overall workload will remain the same.
📚Reference: GALLOWAY, STUART D. R.; MAUGHAN, RONALD J.. Effects of ambient temperature on the capacity to perform prolonged cycle exercise in man. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 29(9):p 1240-1249, September 1997.l
