One day I saw Dutch people just running outside in the winter in minus temperatures. I was shocked. How on earth can they run outside in the winter? They must have very thick skins. The day after, I saw more Dutch people running outside, even playing football on the snow. Then I asked my friend until what temperature you still can run outside. ‘Any temperature, as long as you wear the right clothes’, he replied. I was amazed. Most Dutch people are really obsessed with doing a sport. Obsessed in a good way, where they are really concerned about being healthy. Weather is not an excuse to stop. In Indonesia people usually run early in the morning or in the evening, to avoid the hot weather and air pollution. Early morning it is around 20 degrees, during the day up to 32 degrees is normal. The funny thing is, when a group of people run together, they just do a little bit of running and end up eating street food. That’s why I usually go by myself, to avoid the street food temptation. Not so in Holland. My Dutch friend prompted me to try running outside in winter or in the rain. He says it’s nice. And I will try it someday. Yes, someday. But I don’t know when. Bening Mayanti, MSc student of Climate studies from Indonesia
Weatherproof runners
Running is a good choice of exercise. The first time I arrived in the Netherlands was late summer, when the weather was perfect for running outside. I carried on until winter came and then I decided to go to the gym or stay warm under my blanket in my room.
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