I want to say how proud I am of Jefferey. When I was his age I did not have his insight into competitive running and trianing. I am so happy to see him achieving!! His road 5k was an amazing race and he ran it like a true professional. Anyone who spouts to go out hard and hang-on is flat wrong (but it does make beating some more talented athletes that much easier). His tactics and mentality are to applauded! YOU GO JEFF!!
Winter has come to this mystic moutaintown (not really all that mystical but sounded cool). We were hammered with snow over the course of the the 24 to 36 hrs preceeding this post. Winter here is somewhat different then my native NY. Here they plow roads with road-grader vehicles (some dedicated plow trucks as well). They also use far less salt on the roads here (typically w
inter temps hover in the 30's and certainly make
it into the 50's so more melting from radient heat then NY). People (generally)
are not as adept at inclement weather driving so one must be careful while out
and about!! That certainly includes running and brings me to some important
points about winter running:
The 1st - VISIBILITY; You must be
able to be seen and you must see who is coming at you. Certainly we should be
running facing traffic and with nighttime runs I wear a reflective vest
that can be purchased at your local running store. It is a worthwhile
investment in your wellbeing (I promise). Jeff has some dedicated nighttime
running apparel that Brooks makes "Nightlife " is the name they coined for the line and it is
nice. It is highly reflective and quite comfortable.
The 2nd - Yaktrax; These are neat items that slip over your running shoes and have metal on the bottom. They are a kin to studs or car tire chains (in my mind). I find them very very useful for runs on roads that have not been plowed or that have not been salted (essentially, where you cannot see the pavement). They are flexible enough and don't dig down too deep. The provide extra traction and aid with going around corners which can lead to a wipeout (as we are all probably aware)!
The 3rd - Treadmill; If you have
access to one give it a whirl every now and again. The steady pace and footing
will be a welcome relief from the drudgery of slip sliding down your favorite
city street or country road. In general it is much saver than the similar run
on a snowy winter night (see picture above); that is unless you decided that you
want to listen to your ipod, read a magazine and pay close attention to the
television program in front of you. In that case.....the
multi-tasking/multi-focusing could leave you on your behind and off the back of
the "t-mill" as I call it.
Regardless of how you train in the winter months please remember safety and always have fun!
Your friend
-Anthony