This is not an absolute. It depends on the effort required on the bike. I’ve taken spin classes where I was absolutely wiped out at the end. If you’ve never tried a spin class, give it a shot. If you like it, you can get your own spin bike and create your own workouts. The group thing with an instructor barking directions over loud music in a dark room makes it less boring but ear buds work if you’re by yourself. Varying the resistance level throughout the “ride” makes for a better workout, in my opinion.
Its about to get too cold, windy and dark to ride on the road where I live. The wind is the worst. Back to running or spinning.
Not really, the general looseness of the pants is the problem, not the cuffs. You want to keep a layer of warm air next to your skin, and loose pants just mean that any air your warm up escapes and is replaced by cold air.
The temps and rain aren’t too bad, good gear can handle that. The icy roads are another story - you can run with traction devices like Yak-Traks that will keep you from slipping but I find them uncomfortable. I’m not willing to risk a bad fall in those conditions. Really cold (like -10 C) is much better, the ice isn’t as slippery.
I know the OP has now stated he doesn’t have a bicycle, but for others this would be my recommendation. I have a trainer and attach my road bike to it for the winter. I also have the riser blocks. I catch up on all the shitty shows I like that my wife refuses to watch.
It’s about time to move indoors I have a winter bike with fenders that I commute to work on once the road bike is on the trainer (I put on studded tires once the weather gets really bad).
My dad had one of those air-resisting bikes with a fan as the wheel, with the arms that moved back and forth. The faster you pedaled the more resistance there was, and the more air being pushed around. It had a pretty cush seat with springs, and took up about as much floor-space as a recliner. He got that 2nd hand, and cheap, at a store specializing in used exercise equipment, that also had rowers, treadmills, weights, and lots of used cast-offs from defunct home gyms.
Maybe your area has such a store, where you can browse and try a few models. Exercise equipment must be a very poor investment, as the value of these items drops precipitously once they are not new. Craigslist may also have very cheap options, maybe even free if you just come take it away. You need to know what you want and what you are looking for, tho.
If you go with a rower, I would recommend the air-resistant varieties of those as well. They are the ones my daughter’s rowing team used when they were not on the water. But, before you start using it, be sure to learn proper technique and posture (via youtube?), or you will end-up hurting yourself quick.
Numerous athletic companies make tights (or wind pants if you don’t want to wear lycra), long sleeved tops, gloves, hats, & jackets. Personally, I like Nike stuff but there are other companies that are comparable. When running, the rule of thumb is add 10°-15° to the outside temp & that’s the weather you should dress for. Right now, it’s fall (duh) not the dead of winter so you don’t need that much attire to be comfortable. It was 52° when I went out last night, I wore a thing/light long-sleeved top over a short-sleeved one, light gloves (which I took off) & shorts. How would you dress to just be out & about in mid-60°s temps? Later this week, when it’s about 10° colder, I’ll probably put on some running tights & a heavier top. I don’t wear a windbreaker type jacket unless it’s raining &/or in the 30°s; also adding better gloves & a hat or ear band to keep the head/ears warm. Colors & patterns change year over year, but the basic design is the same; IOW, if you can find last year’s model in your size buy it on sale.
Smaller to store because they are two separate pieces you don’t have to leave it setup in the middle of the floor. It takes maybe two minutes to setup; most trainers fold up so they could sit under an end table while you could put the bike (if you had one) wherever you normally store it, basement, garage, up against a wall.
As for cost, since you don’t have a bike it’ll probably cost more, but then you’d have a real bike that you can ride outside in the nicer weather. Even when doing a training video or an online app, like Zwift, the scenery doesn’t change inside & most people find it boring after a while.
I remember hearing some Scandinavian xc skier on the Olympics a couple of decades back saying “There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad equipment.” While I won’t take it to such extremes, a couple of pieces of gear can allow you to run outside until snow/ice make it hazardous.
I don’t run anymore since a few leg injuries/surgeries, but when I did, I never had difficulty w/ lined goretex pants. They zip at the ankles, and I never noticed flapping being an issue. And you can use them for working in the yard or many other outdoors activities, as opposed to tights. Also - water resistant.
Up top, I used a goretex windshirt I got in a golf tournament. With a dryvit sleeveless tee and a longsleeved tee under it, I was good down to single digits. Get a nice knit cap and gloves. You’ll feel cool the first couple of blocks, but will quickly warm up. If you DON’T feel cool when you start out, you’ll soon be sweating dangerously.
The biggest determinants are sun/wind. If the sun is shining and it isn’t too windy, I have golfed in the teens. My buddy and I (both in our 40s at the time) used to consider it a good year when we recorded runs in both single and triple digits.
Now I bike and swim instead of running. So long as the roads/paths aren’t icy, my sister and I will bike all year. Last year we biked at least once each month over the Chicago winter.
If you get a lot of snow/ice, try out xc skis/snowshoes. If you like the “being outdoors and seeing things” aspect of running, you may have difficulty w/ any particular piece of indoor equipment. You could probably do just as well by buying/renting/subscribing to televised workouts with weights/steps/etc. Unless you need a handy place to hang your laundry - which is what most home exercise equipment ends up being used for!
Second Telemark’s comment about the Yaktrax; however, make sure to get the ‘Run’ ones (or higher model for your conditions) as they have multiple models. I have them & run in them (occasionally but if conditions are right, I’m out running in snowshoes).
They are okay for what they do, but they’re not the best if you’re trying to use it as your major form of exercise. You would get one of those small peddlers if you wanted to put it under your desk at work or something like that. But I can’t imagine too many people are using it for regular, strenuous workouts. The ergonomics aren’t really good for using it for a long time at a high resistance.
One thing you might want to consider is getting a kick boxing dummy. It’s like a punching bag on a stand. You can do boxing and kick boxing with it, which actually would be a great workout. You’d work up a good sweat and use most of your muscles.
Now that I think about it, my downstairs neighbor has 2 bikes, 1 trainer, has been repeatedly asking me to go bike with him, owes me money and is in need of cash.
If he doesn’t let me borrow/rent/buy the trainer, what should I look for in a trainer or are they all pretty much the same?
Not so much brand as style; something like a Schwinn Airdyne
that works your arms somewhat while you work your legs. Mine is a knock-off that you can quickly (second) lock the handlebars and just go pedal alone of do the whole thing. A friend is a rehab dr. and always swore by them as being far superior to any other form of exercise bike and I’ve gone through two and enjoyed them both. Another nice thing is that mine moves air so while the basement where I have mine can get stuffy, on this everything is good.
Not at all. There’s now what’s called smart trainers, in both (rear) wheel on & wheel off variety. They are in the $600-$1200 price range. They’re really cool in that they control your bike when you’re using an website/app like Zwift. They control your bike so as you go up a hill it gets harder to pedal & your speed is tied to how fast the scenery changes. There’s even one company that has a front wheel attachment that changes the pitch of your bike; it raises/lowers your wheel to simulate the climbing / descending of the road that you’re watching on screen. You can even do virtual rides with friends all from your respective homes. All real cool but way above your stated price range. What you’re looking for is a ‘dumb’ or classic trainer.
CycleOps (in link) is good but go to your LBS (Local Bike Store) & see what they sell as there are other brands out there. There may be some one-time assembly out of the box & they can show you how to properly mount/secure the bike in the trainer if you don’t know how to do it. Fluid is better than magnet as it disburses heat build up better but be careful if you want to put it away right after you ride; your rear wheel may be hot!
If you’re going to be on it a lot, smooth (road bike) tires work better than knobby (mountain bike or some hybrid) tires as the latter cause a vibration from the knobbies. If you end up really liking it, get a second rim & a dedicated indoor/trainer tire. They’re made of a harder rubber compound. Also, depending upon your tires & where you set it up (carpet) you can get little bits of rubber coming off of your tire. I’d recommend putting something under/behind your tire, a towel, a newspaper (remember those?), etc.
Finally, there are training videos, either old DVDs or online, like Youtube. I find if I try to read or just watch a ‘regular’ TV show/movie end up watching & barely pedaling which; obviously, reduces the effectiveness of the exercise.
I agree but it requires A) a dedicated pair of winter shoes B) & crap for your whole run. I like the Yaktrax because I can remove them when I get to the plowed parts where the metal on asphalt clicking is both annoying & unnecessary.
As Spiderman said, wear more gloves (and possibly socks) than you think you need, and less chest/trunk covering than you think (I like a knit hat because it provides a lot of warmth but is easy to pull off and stuff in a pocket if I overdress) The heat from running will keep you warmer than you might realize. The problem is getting through the first 10 minutes before the extra body heat from running kicks in. Which leads to…
Put on your jacket and hat inside 10-15 minutes before you leave the house. If you get it right, you’ll be hot and just starting to sweat when you go outside and start running (ooh, that cool air feels nice). 10-15 minutes into your run, that original heat will have dissipated, just when the extra body heat from running kicks in. No super-hot phase from running in too much insulation, and no cold phase waiting for the body heat to crank up.
Ran 4 miles with temp around 0C, got some comments from someone at a bus stop who was wearing a winter jacket and hat. After 20 minutes, the cold wasn’t that bad. After 30 minutes, I took off my gloves. I realized that the most important part is to run as slowly as I need to to sustain it for the amount of time or distance I chose. I used to start off relatively fast out of a sense of determination and impatience but I see now that it’s best to run much slower than what I think I can handle at the beginning.
I took Modafinil (for which I have a prescription) and something else the board’s rules prohibit me from explicitly identifying which no longer requires a prescription in Canada and after 4 miles and 40 minutes, I noticed the edge of my vision was blurry and I had a tendency to be both very calm and hyperfocused, like a dose of MDMA. Strange and interesting.
My shoelaces came undone so I had to stop for 15 seconds and when I resumed, it was much more difficult. Any tips on how to not feel leaden when you resume running after stopping?
Is it better not to have eaten or drunk tea/water much before going for a run, provided you’re not actually thirsty?
Won’t offer much more, as there are more experienced current runners here than me. But I suggest you might be overthinking it. Drink enough that you don’t have to piss, but don’t get thirsty. Sometimes you feel brisk, sometimes you feel sluggish - within the same run.
But good on you for running at the freezing point. Down to 20F really isn’t any different - barring big wind or snow/ice. Doesn’t it feel good being out and doing something while all the “lesser mortals” are cowering inside? Places that are so loud and crowded in warm weather are deserted and peaceful. Be careful - you’re on the path to joining us crazy folk out huffing and puffing in the cold!
I have an older version of the first one you posted, sans digital display. It’s nice and solid, but my gripe with it is that if sweat drips on the wheel, it reduces the friction of the pad. You can go from pedaling hard to effortlessly spinning with little warning. Helps to drape a towel over the bars, but it’s kind of A PITA.
I have a winter bike with fenders that I commute to work on once the road bike is on the trainer (I put on studded tires once the weather gets really bad).
Places that are so loud and crowded in warm weather are deserted and peaceful. Be careful - you’re on the path to joining us crazy folk out huffing and puffing in the cold!