December 2013 – RunningWell

Learning to love winter thanks to some great role models

December 19, 2013/in Blog Posts/by RWadmin

I’ll be the first to say that as a dedicated runner who likes to train to compete at my best, the winter months have not typically been my favourite. Everything from tempo runs to long runs to intervals are just that much more difficult and uncomfortable when you’re struggling with icy footing, multiple layers of clothing, frostbitten skin that you forgot to cover and numb fingers which can’t press the buttons on your watch. However, I realize, it being only December, that we’re in for a fairly long winter, and if I don’t learn to love the snow and ice I’m destined for some frustrating months ahead. So I’ve decided to re-frame my attitude. Instead of pining for warm summer days or wishing I lived in California, I am going to enjoy this – even if it kills me! To start, I am taking a lesson from my family members.

My husband’s sport is water based. Here is a shot of him in his ideal conditions:

Hawaiian Ocean in the summer

This is what his playground looks like these days:

Lake Ontario in December

But he doesn’t complain. He goes out and enjoys his sport.

Getting in and out can be a bit tricky, but after that it's a breeze!

getting in and out are the tricky parts

Then there are my kids. To them, winter is “the most fun season of the year” (that is actually a direct quote from my 6 year-old yesterday).

Walking to school is never boring. There is always a new adventure in scaling various snowbanks.

walking to school via snowbanks instead of shoveled sidewalks

And now their weekends are spent doing this:

skating outdoors

And this:

tobogganning!

Obviously my family members have no problem getting out and enjoying themselves in this weather, so I am determined to have as much fun as anyone. It’s all about how you look at it.

So this will be my playground for the next few months, and I will appreciate the beauty and stillness, I won’t worry about my pace or times, and I’ll reap the benefits of stronger legs for bounding through snow.

My snowy running trail

Here’s to playing outside this winter!

Filling up on junk

December 11, 2013/in Blog Posts/by RWadmin

Some people are very anti-junk. I’ve been lectured on consuming too much. I don’t always add junk to my running diet, but when I do, I really enjoy it. Right now I’m in a junk phase and loving it. I’m talking about junk miles.

Junk miles can be described as any running that does not serve a specific purpose in moving you towards your running goals. During some specific training phases, (especially when I’m working on speed) I don’t include any junk miles in my training. At those times, my runs take the form of either tempo runs, intervals (long, short or hills), recovery runs, long runs and race pace runs, and between those specific runs it is all about resting and recovering for the next effort. That’s a pure diet with no junk.

Right now however, a lot of my runs do not have a specific training purpose, and many are full of what people might call junk miles. For example, many of my runs look like this:

– I’ve been at my desk for too long and need to get out so even though I ran that morning, I run an extra two to three miles mid-day to clear my head.
– I need to run some errands, so I decide to literally “run” them, with no idea how far it will be, and it can include upwards of four stops of varying lengths.
– My six-year old wants to run with me, so I do – adding two to three miles of stop/start running extremely slowly.
– I make run dates with friends who are pregnant or returning from injury, and don’t worry about the pace or distance – it’s all about the company.
– On a weekend I find some rare time to myself so I think: “I’ll take advantage and go for a second little run just for fun.”
– I just can’t muster the courage to brave the cold for too long, so I break my run up into morning and afternoon three mile sessions.

Enjoying some junk miles last summer with slower running buddies

Although they’re not specific for training, I do think junk miles can help in the off season by making running more enjoyable.

During some training phases, I may also add junk miles to reach weekly mileage targets. It is debatable whether these snippets of 2 and 3 mile runs sprinkled around the rest of your training really help your running, or whether they just serve to satisfy compulsions. I have experimented with running 100 mile weeks in the past (for no other reason than to hit that number – slot me into the compulsive group!) and I definitely relied on some junk to get me there.

I’m nowhere near those weekly numbers now, but I am definitely enjoying my diet of junk. There is some quality sprinkled in, but mostly I’m running unplanned, unstructured and often untimed miles whenever I feel like it. ‘Tis the season I say – enjoy your junk guilt-free!

Not quite two delicious junk miles

My time saving superpower

December 4, 2013/in Blog Posts/by RWadmin

I often recall a friend of mine in University telling me that she always ran between classes on campus. Yes, she was a runner, but that wasn’t why she did it. “Why would you walk?” she asked, “Don’t you want to get there sooner?” Good point. I found myself following the same train of logic whenever I drove (I mean really, I still do not understand people who drive the speed limit – aren’t you trying to get somewhere??) but I hadn’t yet applied it to my transportation by foot.

Now it is a different story. A few too many speeding tickets have led me to restrain myself behind the wheel. However, I always seem to be in a rush and am fitting in one last thing before I head out the door. The result of this is that when I am “walking” somewhere, I always want to get there faster, so I often find my fast walk turning into a run. It doesn’t matter that I’m wearing street clothes and carrying a purse. I’m comfortable running, and I would rather not be late, so I run. I know it may look strange, but I now wonder why more people don’t do it. I mean, if you’re a runner, you have this superpower of being able to get places more quickly. The only problem is that it becomes addictive. Once I’ve made it to a certain destination in, say, ten minutes, I will only ever give myself ten minutes to get there. So if I’ve run there once, I will always have to run if I want to be on time. I am not sure why I do this to myself – I just cannot seem to give myself a time buffer. So I am now destined to run to my dentist and hair appointments, run to pick up my kids from school, run to the restaurant to meet my friends, etc…

Since I am now an expert, I will share with you a few tricks to running in your street clothes.

Depending on the distance, footwear can really be a factor. I don’t recommend running more than a few blocks in heels (I’ve done it while pushing a stroller and although it may garner sympathetic looks from passers-by, it can also induce painful toes).

I would kick butt in this race

If you have a hand-bag, make sure it is closed. Knapsacks are the best, but purses are fine. Just make sure the strap is crossed over your shoulder.

Keep your pace conservative. All out sprinting will invoke suspicious looks. A gentle jog is really all you need to get you to your destination up to 50% faster.

Make sure you’re wearing deodorant or have some on hand. You may not think of it when going for a normal run, but it is crucial for when you run in street clothes.

If your destination is far away, take walking breaks. Stop and compose yourself every now and then – you don’t want to look like a disheveled sweaty mess.

Make sure you stop and walk at least fifty meters from your destination. Catch your breath, straighten your clothes, then breeze in the door gracefully. No one will be any the wiser and you will have used your running superpowers to save yourself your most precious resource: time.

Rachel McAdams – showing how it’s done