Weather moods – RunningWell

Hey Everyone!

This weekend was the Holy Jolly 5K where Jeff Smith ran 18:20 for first in his age group! And Amanda Bugatto’s b-day hills where she ran (can confirm – zero walking) 50 laps of Pottery Road hills! (25 up, 25 down). Back to my previous post – there’s no better way to celebrate our strength and vitality than by physically rejoicing in what we are capable of doing!

This week I’ve been thinking about the weather and how it really does have a direct impact on our moods. Or at least it can. Rain, snow, dark and gloomy days can really make some of us feel like retreating to the indoors. The only way I’ve found to combat this is to get out and run in it. Doing an activity like running is almost an act of defiance against what the weather and our minds are trying to tell us. Regardless of how I feel beforehand, after running in cold or gloomy weather, I start to view it as beautiful. I feel more connected to nature and the environment, and I appreciate the light, the temperature, the elements. It’s the classic case of, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. If you don’t like the weather, go for a run in it – you will suddenly appreciate it! I concede, there is the odd time where this isn’t the case, like if the wind is driving ice directly into your face and you’re in pain, or you find yourself on an icy path where you suddenly can’t go forwards or backwards and have to slip and slide your way to the nearest tree branch for support. But in general, you really can dress for anything. So let’s arm ourselves to be prepared. Get lots of wearable lights. Have multiple layers, including hand warmers, balaclavas and goggles. Overdress if you have to in order to get yourself out and going. I know it’s not as inviting to step out the door right now, but overcome the first 10-15 minutes and I promise you will bring your own sunshine to the day. And sometimes just that contrast between the weather’s mood and the mood you end up with, makes it all even more joyful.

On to tomorrow’s workout! Riverdale Clubhouse meet at 6:05 for drills, 6:15 Go.

I know some of us just did a bunch of Pottery Road hills on Saturday. But, we’re back to hills. For this one though, I want to keep them short and snappy. We’re on the power part of the season, less on the grind. So let’s do Riverdale cement hills and keep them quick and powerful. (if in the beach, it’s about a 200m hill). If you have a light to run with, I suggest you bring it – it will be pretty dark to start.

Let’s aim for 8-10 of them – or until we feel like we’re absolutely losing power if that’s earlier. Then we’ll take a 2-3 min break and add a little 8 min tempo. We can go up to Broadview and back. Just to touch base with that stuff – we can handle 8 mins!

That is all – see you in the am!

Seanna