Run in the Snow

In case the sun god melts away our final amount of snow until next year, here is a blurb to help you through this final week.  Personally, I enjoy the snow runs because they are a unique run you only get a few chances to do each year.  It’s also enjoyable to me because you can also feel like a kid again.  On my last run in the snow I took a few minutes to simply run up the steepest sections of hills to see if I could make it to the top before gravity and the slickness made me slide back down (thank goodness for long tree branches).  If you're hell-bent on monitoring your pace for every run then you might miss out on the opportunity to "practice random acts of childness."  Our brains (dopamine receptors) need new stimuli.  Fact.

Coincidentally, I just received this recap from a runner I coach, and it's good to hear these tales from others, so it’s not all just coming from one place: "Ran in the snow!  It was like being 5 again.  Saw a couple other runners out there.  This one old man in striped spandex was pretty cool.  I felt gratitude to live so close to a park where I can just pop right into the park for an easy, scenic long run route.  Didn't trudge, didn't get too cold, nice peaceful, flat and quiet run."

I have sections on running in cold weather and the snow in the recent book I published on training and coaching.  Run form is very much related to determining who might slip on the ice and who won't.  It's not related to pace (at least not as much as you might think).  Give it a read.  Hopefully that section motivates you to stay outside and not resort to the treadmill.  I understand there may be a time and a place for the latter, but I view that decision mostly as a way of life.  I do give credit to those who opt for the treadmill rather than scrapping the workout altogether, but hopefully you can rearrange your schedule to still do the runs outside. 

I had a flashback today to the only (single) time I ever ran on a treadmill...spawned by the fact that I saw that very treadmill in the same local gym.  That session was ~7 years ago (in late Feb) and only lasted 8.5 minutes before I decided there's got to be more to life.  I then bundled up and did ~15 laps around my small neighborhood block since the roads were too treacherous.  It feels good to feel alive and that's what being outdoors in any/all conditions does for me, and that is how/why I consider it a way of life.

Train hard!

Mike