Winter is here! While many runners will be welcoming the quicker times achieved during winter, if you're not smart the cold season can quickly become an unpleasant experience.
Here are 4 practical tips that you can apply today to ensure you still look forward to your runs...
You love your runners right? If not, it's time you did. Leaving them wet could wreck the mid-soles but throwing them in the dryer could shrink them and damage them even more. The simple solution to drying your shoes is black and white... Simply stuff them with some newspaper, this will absorb the water and help keep their shape too.
If you find that they are still a bit moist next time you want to run, it may be worth investing in a 2nd pair to rotate. You're not losing any cash as each pair will last twice as long!
I usually like to do my stretches out side at the nearby park... that's a big no-no in winter! Not only will you be cold and miserable before you even start your run, but the thought of standing in the wind with chattering teeth is what you'll remember the next time you're deciding if you should run or not.
Do your stretches inside and try some light running on the spot or star jumps to get your body temperature up. The goal here is not to sweat, just to be warmed up enough so you can hit the ground running when you bravely bound out the door (like a champion!).
The name of the game here is to finish with the wind behind you so that you're not getting blasted in the face when you're sweaty. If you're not a meteorologist, it's OK. All you need to do is figure out which way your house faces, check the weather for the wind direction and then plan a route which which points you in that direction for the first part of your run.
You will probably feel hot after your run but unless you have the heating on high that feeling will not last long. Soon your running clothes will feel like a big, heavy ice suit so get them off as quick as you can and jump in the shower!
If you have any other tricks and tips to defeat winter and keep running stronger we would love to hear your comments below!
Thanks, Andy.
