Running in Winter

-
Running in winter can suck, but its all about your attitude.  If you go into it thinking that its going to suck, guess what, it will. There are a lot of great things about running in the winter.  You most likely won't overheat.  Less traffic on the trails.  Quietness, beautiful scenery, nature!
There are a few extra precautions I take while running in the winter months.
1) Visibility Clothing.  I do this a lot of the time, but in winter it is extra important.  People don't see you, and in winter they are really not looking for you. I mean, who would go out and run when its snowing outside? :)
2) Head Lamp and rear light.  Since a lot of people run either before work or after you end up running at night during the winter.  This can be an additional issue #1 doesn't really help with.  That being said, a good head lamp really goes a long way.  I also recommend wearing a light on your back.  Ever see a car with only its daytime running lights on? They are kind of hard to see if you are behind them at night.
3)  Layers. Layers are super important to stay an appropriate temperature during a winter workout.  I have a rule that has worked pretty well for me.  1 layer for every 10 degrees under 40, until its 0, then 6 or more for the upper body.  I usually start with a Under Armor winter gear long sleeve and then go from there.  If its windy I usually wear a wind proof jacket (logical). For the legs I usually do tights, and possibly more layers after that.

4) Change up stride a little.  I do this, but to each there own.  I played a lot of hockey growing up so ice and snow for me is second nature.  I am usually lighter on my feet and I push off less. Kind of like what you should do when running in sand.  This way you are not wasting energy kicking back snow. It is a perfect opportunity to practice good form running.  If you are heal striking you are much more likely to slide when you hit that slippery patch.
5) Slow down.  The winter is a time to recover and rebuild. You can't do that injured. I usually slow up my pace a bit.
6) Run with friends.  I have a Tuesday night run group.  If it wasn't for them I would probably not run outside as much as I do during the winter. Having others motivate you and encourage you to do it will make it happen on a more regular basis.
7) Last but not least, drink water even if you are not thirsty.  Your body won't be sweating as much, but you still need to stay hydrated.
I'm sure there are other great tips, feel free to leave them in the comments.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to use Google Tasks

-
Image
  I love a good todo list, and I’ve tried a lot of apps, and none of them stuck, until I found Google Tasks. I think it stuck, unlike the others, because Grafana uses Google Business Suite. Google Tasks is an application that is fully embedded with all other Google work suite products (docs, gmail, sheets, slides, etc…) and it’s very powerful! I wanted to write a small post about it to share what I’ve found useful. Tasks is available in the right sidebar of most Google Applications: When you click that icon then a new sidebar appears, you can quickly add tasks manually, like every other todo list. The little arrow circle is a way you can set tasks as recurring. Need a way to remember to fill out your TPS report every Friday, here ya go. You can also make multiple lists, if you want to do that. I’ve found it’s useful to just have 1 for work and 1 for personal stuff but everyone is different here. Google Docs Integration In google docs, Tasks is also embedded.  By clicking that ...
Read more

How I used Eisenhower's matrix to tame the noise of Slack

-
Image
It happened again. I missed something critical on Slack—a message buried beneath the flood of notifications that should have been front and center. This was the wake-up call I needed. Despite all the efforts to stay organized, Slack’s constant stream of notifications, unread messages, and channels I don’t even remember joining were drowning out the important stuff. Sound familiar? That’s when I turned to an old, yet effective, decision-making tool: Eisenhower’s Matrix . You may know it as the framework that helps prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance, separating what's truly critical from what can wait—or what shouldn’t even be on your plate at all. But how does this tool apply to Slack? Let me explain. Understanding Eisenhower’s Matrix If you’re not familiar, the Eisenhower Matrix categorizes tasks into four quadrants: Urgent and Important : Do it now. Important but Not Urgent : Schedule it for later. Urgent but Not Important : Delegate it. Neither Urgent nor Important ...
Read more

Supporting People, Process, and Projects

-
Image
When you approach a bridge that overlooks a river do you tend to look upriver at the past, or downriver to see the future? I am naturally drawn to looking downriver because I like to plan for the future. For the role of manager, you have three major areas of responsibility, the people, the projects, and gluing those together. That last part is where the magic happens. If you get great alignment with your people and what they work on, that is where you have the best outcomes. People Helping people thrive is the cornerstone of any people manager. How we align people and set them up so that they can be at their best self is critical to our success, and the success of the company. It's a win-win-win situation. It all starts with hiring and onboarding. For me, there are three critical areas that I focus on during the interview process. Do they have a growth mindset, do they include others during their decision-making process, and overall is the candidate a kind human being? Beyond the ...
Read more