Training Through a Highveld Winter

A Highveld winter morning is deceptive. The air is dry, the sun is bright, and the temperature is still low enough to keep your muscles tight well into the first kilometre. The athletes who keep progressing through June and July are rarely the toughest ones — they are the ones who plan for the cold.

Start with three layers you can shed. A compression base traps heat close to the skin, a mid layer manages moisture, and a light shell blocks the wind on exposed stretches. By the end of a warm-up you should be able to remove the shell without feeling a shock of cold.

Extend your warm-up by at least five minutes compared to summer, and make it progressive rather than static. Ankle mobility, hip openers and short accelerations do far more for cold tissue than long holds.

Finally, treat hydration seriously. Dry winter air pulls fluid out of you without the obvious sweat cue, so drink to a schedule instead of to thirst.