[Zirbelkiefer]

Hi guys,

How does the weather forecast impact your training? I mostly do my longer hikes/runs in the mountains at weekends due to work constraints. I wanted to ask you guys how you handle bad weather? Do you hike/run despite rain or do you substitute your outside training with gym treadmill workouts? I am asking this question because it is motivationally extremely challenging for me do my longer (2-3h) Z1 workouts indoors … on the other hand I do not want to take a bad weather forecast as an excuse not to do my workouts outdoor …

Thank you for your input

Topic

[hafjell]

hafjell on August 20, 2018 at 6:03 am #11226

I will work out in the pouring rain as planned. I won’t exercise outside in thunder and lightning. Otherwise, I have found it much better to be wet for a few hours than to alter the plan or resequence days. Resequencing is to be avoided, in my experience.
Everyone is different, but I think Z1 in the rain is fine, even fun in an odd way.
Of course, I would select my route more carefully. IOW, limit exposure, avoid slabs, stick to stable trails.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous on August 20, 2018 at 9:26 am #11232

Dress appropriately for the weather and train out doors to avoid treadmill burnout.

Soctt

[Anonymous]

Anonymous on August 20, 2018 at 1:04 pm #11233

+1

I actually prefer treadmills for intensity work, but for general aerobic sessions, I can’t stand them. Like Scott J and @hafjell, I recommend getting outside for as much as possible.

I find the hardest part is getting outside, not being outside. When the weather sucks, it’s hard to leave a comfortable environment for an uncomfortable one. But once you’re “in it”, crappy weather can be its own reward. Fewer people will be out and about, and there’s a special sense of accomplishment I feel when I’ve trained in bad weather.

[Steve House]

Steve House on August 28, 2018 at 1:49 am #13150

I went to college in Olympia Washington and we had a little noon running group M-T-W-T. The weather almost ALWAYS sucks in Olympia, so this was instructive. Knowing the others were going to suit up for a run EVEN when it was drizzling and 34 degrees F was a mighty strong motivator. Having a group to train with, or at least to meet for warm up and parts of the training, can be a real help.

I still use this strategy today. I don’t particularly like lifting weights. So I created a 7am, 2x/week strength training open group in my garage at home and I invite a few motivated folks that are also climbers or skiers. I usually have 5-6 standing invitations, organized by group text. Sometimes no one shows, sometimes it’s a full garage. But either way it forces me to make space in my schedule and show up. Once those two things are done, lifting the actual weights is relatively easy.

[ddb]

ddb on August 29, 2018 at 8:58 pm #13177

Poor weather can also be great mental or technique training depending on the goals for the session. You can use it to test layering systems relative to pacing, see if that old hard shell is still waterproof, practice scrambling on wet rock, learn to climb in a snow storm with zero visibility, and embrace the discomfort that can accompany adverse environmental conditions. These all have their place when actually on the mountain and things don’t quite go as planned.

[Mariner_9]

Mariner_9 on September 13, 2018 at 12:22 pm #13416

In addition to ddb’s point about things not going as planned, there’s no guarantee you’ll have good weather when attempting your objective. Knowing how you and your gear perform in bad weather is useful background info. How quickly do you get soaked to the skin? How quickly do you get cold as a result? How does that affect your ability to keep going? Etc.