Spring is a beautiful season for a marathon-cool, pleasant weather, flowering trees and fresh-smelling air. The only drawback? Training through the frozen, oppressively grey Chicago winter. But have faith: Running in winter can still be fun, if you're smart about it, and even offers a few unique advantages you'll get no other time of the year.

FACE THE COLD
Start your run into the wind, and then head home with the wind at your back. "Running into the wind prevents you from sweating," says Mark Buciak, running coach and a veteran of 28 Boston Marathons. Do it backward and your sweat will freeze as the wind blasts you on your way home.

ACCLIMATIZE YOURSELF
Your body can adapt to cold just like heat, but it takes up to six weeks of exposure, Buciak warns. Help the process by "cooling up" with an 8- to 12-minute walk before your jog. That will help relax stiff muscles and get your skin and lungs used to the frigid air.

RUN LESS, CROSS-TRAIN MORE
Frozen soil is just as hard on your joints as concrete. "That puts you even more at risk for injuries like plantar fasciitis than during the summer," says Michael Czuba, D.P.T, physical therapist for the Advanced Physicians Group. Substitute indoor cross training for one or two road runs per week: Try a spin class for speed, or pull 1500 meters on the rowing machine to build endurance.

BRING EXTRA WATER
Those nice drinking fountains along the Lakefront Path? They're all shut down during the winter. "It's easy to think that just because you're not hot you don't need water, but you need just as much, if not more, when it's cold," Buciak says. Fill your bottle with cool tap water, which won't freeze as fast as heated water. (Don't believe us? Try it!)

WINTERIZE YOUR SHOES
Invest in a set of lightweight strap-on cleats, such as Yaktrax Pro ($30, yaktrax.com) or Get-a-Grip Ultra ($15, surefoot.net). "They work just like chains on car tires to keep you from sliding around," says Jenny Hadfield, coach for the Antarctica Marathon and co-author of Running for Mortals.

BREAK NEW SNOW
Besides making for a gorgeous, whisper quiet milieu, two to three inches of fresh snow adds much-needed cushion to the trail. More than six inches? Even better. "Trudging through heavy snow makes for a great upper body and core workout," says Buciak.

REPEAT LOOPS
If you must run on treacherous ground, learn the terrain first. Instead of tackling one big circuit, run a shorter loop at a slow pace, then repeat that track two or three more times. "Once you've spotted the icy patches, you're less likely to slip on them and it's safe to speed up," says Buciak.

START OUT COOL
Dress for 15 to 20 degrees warmer weather than the outside temps. "If you sweat too much, the dampness mixed with the cold increases your risk of hypothermia," Hadfield says. Don't be afraid to strip off your gloves once you've warmed up. Stanford University researchers have found that cooling an athlete's hands helps prevent overheating and can double or triple performance.

TAKE TWO THINGS
When your body is expending energy to stay warm, your immune system gets less fuel to fight infection. Stave off the flu by taking a fish oil and coenzyme-Q supplement daily. "They help your cells become more energy-efficient," Dr. Czuba says. An added plus: A British study found that taking fish oil helps cure the winter blues.

WARM BACK UP FOR SPRING
Your hard-earned cold weather training could work against you on an extra-warm race day. "Two to three weeks before your race, hit the treadmill wearing a long-sleeved shirt," Hadfield says. The 70-degree indoor temps will get your body in gear for spring and into the summer.

Denny Watkins is a reporter at Men's Health magazine. He has run several half marathons and finished the 2006 Marine Corps Marathon.