The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/20734
It’s true! Winter running does exist Tips for making the most of the snowy striding season Smart Coach available at RunnersWorld. com/cda/smartcoach. It’s a struggle to keep some body parts warm while keeping other parts from over- heating. But the hands, feet and head are some of the most important body parts to keep warm. I tend to wear two pairs of non- cotton socks, gloves that are designed for cycling and tights under my running shorts if it falls below 20 degrees. Dress for Success Sunglasses are just as important in the in the winter as they are in the summer. Staring into sunlight reflected off snow can be just as bad as running facing the sun, so do your eyes a favor and keep them protected. While important when it’s hot, drink- ing water is equally important in the cold because it helps prevent hypothermia and helps your body regulate its temperature. Drinking room temperature water before running can help keep you warm. Good Hydrations As a still somewhat competitive former college runner I was always told to view the winter as the time when you can improve the most compared to everyone else. Despite this opportunity, winter running has a unique set of problems, from painful nips to sensitive areas to the curse of fewer daylight hours. The first problem is figuring a way to get off the warm couch and hit the roads. Nothing motivates me more than preparing for a race. Since I’m still relatively new to the Oneonta running scene and don’t have any 2011 races set in stone, I’m tentatively planning to run the Frostbite 5K in Oneonta on Jan. 1. While I don’t have a prescribed formula for how many weeks you need to get ready for a race, as a general rule give yourself a month to get ready to race a 5K, and not surprisingly increase this amount of time for longer race distances. Once you sign up for a race, there are plenty of resources online to set you up with a training plan suited for your needs. One of the most popular and easiest to use is The Get Motivated The thing I dislike most about running in winter is not the cold temperatures or occa- sionally running through snow, it’s the fewer hours of daylight. It seems unfair that most people are greeted by darkness after getting off work, so if you can’t prioritize running enough to do it in the morning, make sure to throw on a few reflective layers if you are going at night. Coming Out of the Dark If all else fails, you can use treadmills. But, while they are safer in many ways, the biggest problem if you don’t regularly use them is overstriding. In the real world if your body fatigues it tends to slow down slightly, even if you’re pushing yourself to keep pace. Since treadmills set the speed for you, your body is forced to follow. One of the first things your body does to keep up is to overstride (when your foot lands in front of your center of gravity while striding). This causes more stress on the legs and can lead to overuse problems such as shin splints. Keep a runner mindset during the winter. Instead of looking for and easily finding reasons not run, stay focused on the reasons you do run, such as wanting to finish a marathon in 2011, or losing weight. Do this, and it will be spring before you know it. Keep Going _ Benjamin Patton Dec. 2, 2010 O-Town Scene 11