7 Tips For Winter Running
1:29 AM
Admin
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Winter running provides different challenges from running in hot weather. Here is a brief list of things that you should do while training in the Winter to keep yourself safe, fit and comfortable.
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- Dressing properly and layering effectively is very important and is the first thing you should consider. The way that you dress can easily make or break even a simple run. Make sure that you wear bright or dark colors when you are out running. Orange and yellow shirts really stand out against snow, as does black during the day. Wearing a white shirt, though, can easily cause you to be lost against the snow much like wearing black at night can lose you into the darkness as a car is coming towards you.
- Get yourself proper footwear. Shoes with an aggressive tread are good, but an even better method is to add some sort of anti-slip device to any pair of running shoes to help you keep your feet on the ice. I have found that the best way for me to run when the surface might be slippery is to make screw shoes by putting sheet metal screws right into the sole of my running shoes. You could also try a product such as Stabilicers, which are a type of crampon that is designed to fit running shoes and is an expensive and not quite as effective way of getting screw shoes without having to actually put holes in the bottom of your shoes. You can also use spikes, which are racing shoes with holes that you can screw spikes into and which will give you a great grip since they are meant for muddy or icy cross country conditions.
- Run into the wind early in a run so that when you are tired at the end of your run you will have the wind at your back and you won't get as cold.
- Wear sunglasses or safety glasses to keep the wind from hitting your eyes when it is really cold out, which can cause your eyes to freeze shut. Another method to avoid the frozen eye problem is put petroleum jelly on your eyelashes, although I'll admit that I've always just worn eye protection and called it good.
- Drink plenty of water before and after your runs as you still need to stay just as hydrated as you would during the Summer. If you can manage it and are out running for a long time, try to get some hydration during your workout as well.
- Always wear or carry some sort of identification in case you get hurt. Depending upon where you run, you may also want to carry some bus or cab money in case conditions get too bad to continue running.
- If conditions are too bad to run outside, then head inside to use a treadmill. Take advantage of the season to do some cross training in the weight room.
Follow these simple guidelines and you'll manage to have a safe, comfortable Winter without losing much of your fitness so that you can come out strong in the Spring racing season.
| Blaine Moore is a running coach in Southern Maine with 20 years of training and racing experience. Download his free report, The 3 Components of an Effective Workout, to learn why the work you put in during your training is only the third most important factor that determines how well you improve as a runner and an athlete. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Blaine_Moore |
