Fall is here and it's awesome. I absolutely L O V E the cool weather, bright colors, delicious flavors and fresh smells. Mmmm.... But let's talk logistics here. With fall comes cooler weather and eventually....winter! Ah! If you're as afraid of winter as I am, then you'll really appreciate these Eight Easy Tips to Winterize your Running Routine.
These tips are 10% expert knowlege and 90% my experience. Here goes:
1. Layers. Layers. Layers. I cannot emphasize this enough. Dress in layers.
2. Wear moisture-wicking material. This will keep you warm and dry.
3. Heavy, loose clothes will make you feel lethargic and demotivated. Spandex or other form-fitting clothing will not. Embrace it.
4. Cover your extremities. Ears. Hands. Head. Etc. You'll thank me for this. Most of our body heat escapes from the head, so this is especially important.
5. Hydrate. You will not sweat as much as you do in hot, humid weather, but you're still losing lots of body liquid. Make sure you drink even when you don't think you're thirsty.
6. Chapstick. It's a great way to avoid chapped, cracked lips. Simple.
7. Cool down. Pay attention to your cool down. Make sure you don't cool down too quickly and get cold FAST. This can be dangerous in really cold weather.
8. Use your common sense. If there's a blizzard outside and you'll be running on a road, this is not smart. Stay inside and run tomorrow.
Hope that helps and enjoy the beautiful weather!
5 comments:
thanks for the tips, Jason and I have started running together recently and it is getting chilly here in Provo! I do have a question for you. Jason runs at a faster pace than I do. I like to start of slow and then speed up whereas he likes to start and continue at a fast pace. Any tips for helpng us level out or should i just run more to catch up to his rate?
Well...if you're really set on running together, then here's my idea: Do a really good warm-up before you start. The beginning of any run is usually slow if your legs aren't warm. This may help you, Natashia, to go faster when your work-out begins instead of gradually increasing your pace thus enabling you and Jason to stay together. If this still doesn't help, tell him to run slower. It's better for him to run slower than for you to push yourself too hard and get hurt in order to keep up with him. Good luck and have fun!
Good advice. My running shoes are already collecting dust thanks to the 40 degree weather we've been having! And yay for spandex!
does the type of material your clothes are made of really make a difference? What do you recommend if I don't have big bucks to go buy a lot of new clothes? Also, how long does a warm-up need to be to be effective? thanks!
Hmm...maybe I should do a post dedicated to just question and answer...
Tracie -
1. If you don't want to spend lots of $$ on running attire, then this is what I suggest: At least invest in a good first layer of clothing that is moisture wicking = T-shirt and shorts/spandex/long spandex. If you run fairly frequently, you will definitely get your money's worth. Check for good sales (I know the Nike here is having a huge sale right now) or go to outlets. I really think it's worth it to have at least a good base layer. Then whatever you put on top of that doesn't have to be as high-tech.
2. A good warm-up is about 5-10 minutes with quality stretching. I usually do a half mile warm-up and 5-10 minutes of stretching. If it's really cold outside and you don't want to stop once you've started, then at least stretch indoors before you go (just be careful cause it's not the best to stretch on cold muscles).
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