Running Wild

Are we crazy?

The first “are we crazy” moment of my winter training happened last night.
There are usually two or three, sometimes more, a year because winter is just tough.
But we run rain or shine.
As a winter storm blew into the GTA Wednesday, my thoughts turned to how brutal my run would be last night.
You see, every Wednesday night is my marathon clinic where we usually do the toughest run of the week. Usually, it’s speed work or hills.
So as I slogged through the snow on the way home from work I started laughing maniacally to myself at the thought of what we would be doing later.
There was never any thought that I might not run. It didn’t even cross my mind.
When I got to the Running Room in Thornhill, I was delighted to see more people than I thought would be crazy enough to join me. There were about 20 of us waiting in anticipation on what instructor John Lang would want us to do.
When he said the word Fartlek we all laughed hesitantly, not sure if he was joking. For those of us very familiar with the speed exercise, we knew what was in store. For those of us who didn’t, they just laughed along with us.
Fartleks are a challenge in the best of conditions, but on unplowed Thornhill roads it becomes even more fun.
What it is, is a group of anywhere between four and seven people get in line in single file and run a one-mile loop.
Each time the person at the back will sprint to the front of the line and this continues to be done with each member in the line until each person sprints to the front.
It’s a form of tempo training, but yesterday the soundtrack were groans and calls of “Watch that snowplow!”
At one point, one of the people in my group, Cheryl, turned to me and said, “Are we @#$@* crazy?” Frost dotting her white hat and a wild look in her eye.
She kept going.
At one point, someone else asked, “Hey do you guys have like snow tires on or something?”
“You’re just powering through.”
I looked down at his shoes.
Tsk tsk.
No Yak Traks.
It’s very rare that I endorse any brands or products in my blog, but Yak Traks are a necessity if you want to run in the winter.
They are literally like snow tires for your shoes and without them you can put a lot more strain on your muscles.
Granted, they work better in hard-packed snow as with slushy snow it just gets caked onto them really help, but last night would have been much harder without them.
When I got home, there was a voice message from my dad who always calls on snowstorm days to make sure I got home OK.
When I called him back around 9:15 and told him I just got home, the alarm in his voice rose. “Why?”
“From running.”
There was silence on the phone before he said, “You know you guys need to get your heads checked!”
I couldn’t disagree really.
It’s all part of the fun of training in winter.

No debate in treadmill versus outdoors discussion

There are lots of debates in the running world.
iPod or no iPod?
Gels or shot blocks?
But the one debate that never ends is treadmill versus outdoors.
Last week, the Globe and Mail published an article with the headline treadmill v. outdoors — the difference is minimal.
www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090116.wljockology16/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth
It’s been bugging me ever since I first read it.
Peter Pimm, a Toronto coach who has coached Olympians, says there is a difference, but it’s minimal and can be fixed with a 1-per-cent adjustment to the incline of a treadmill.
The article received 55 comments weighted heavily on people favouring treadmills.
Treadmills are great when there is a snowstorm outside and the quality of your run is going to be bad anyway.
But, as an experienced runner who has run both on the treadmill and the road, there’s just no comparison.
Really there isn’t. It’s tougher outside.
Being fatigued on a treadmill after a workout doesn’t mean you worked just as hard as you would have outside.
I can run forever on a treadmill. The only thing that stops me is sheer boredom.
When you run outside, it is a very rare day when the weather doesn’t effect you and therefore often makes a run more difficult on your body.
Last night, I had to work harder running up a hill because the snow made it difficult to gain traction.
Wind resistance changes how much effort you need to put out on any given day.
I equate it with swimming in a pool and then going and swimming in a lake.
They are two different things.
Completely different things.
A pool is temperature controlled, there is no current.
A lake can be freezing and depending on how rough the water is, you are working harder to accomplish the same distance.
The same goes for running.
What do you guys think?

Diving back into training tougher than expected

Getting off the couch and back on the road hasn’t been an easy task.
Even for someone as ambitious as myself, it has been a struggle.
Part of my plan to get back into race form was to continue my triathlon swim classes Monday nights.
This started a couple of weeks ago and consists of an hour of straight swimming, which could be anything from speed drills, laps and treading water to getting across the pool with one arm.
Why you say?
Well, my foray into swimming improved my run times so much that it’s hard to resist the torture of a one-hour class.
Ann our instructor is no slouch herself and once she hits the pool deck in her pink Nike shorts the kind smile disappears and off we are to the workout of our lives.
That first week back she supposedly let us off easy. When I swam back in to hear next instructions, I sadly noticed the clock only said 9:20.
With 40 minutes to go and already being out of breath, Ann must have read my mind.
She asked the class, “It’s only been 20 minutes, how come you guys already look so tired?”
I laughed and thought to myself geez, “I’m out of shape.” 
I caught my breath again at 10 p.m.
Running has been not much easier.
Winter is dealing us a nasty hand with a temperature of —20C last Wednesday night and impossible snowy road conditions yesterday.
We plowed through the snow, so to speak, but it took every fibre of my being not to quit and turn around.
I just kept thinking, “It’s got to get better.”
I also pulled out my trust motto.
It usually only comes out in the last 40 minutes of a marathon.
“Whatever is worth doing isn’t easy.”
I’ll keep humming that to myself as I whip myself back into shape.
Until then happy trails.

Take baby steps if starting running program this year

Happy New Year!
My apologies for not writing sooner, however, I was on an extended rest after my busy 2008.
I have gingerbread and shortbread running through my veins. Not to mention chocolate and a lot of other bad things I tend to avoid when training.
I rang in 2009 with a glass of champagne.
I was having a good time.
I was a little sorry to see 2008 go, it was a good year in a lot of ways and especially in running and triathlon.
As I put the glass of champagne down on the table, a thought struck me. It’s here. 2009 is here and I need to get back into shape for the winter running season.
After my November race, I did what I promised to do.
Take a rest to gear up for 2009.
What I didn’t count on was that I would enjoy resting so much that I would only swim and run a handful of times in November and December.
I didn’t really have any regrets until I ran for the first time in the pouring rain a week ago.
I started running again last week and it was not as fun as I imagined it would be. It was pouring rain and a little cold but I ran and felt good after. I was a little surprised, given I’d been off for about six weeks. Sure my cardio wasn’t up to snuff, but it will be in a few weeks.
I have a brand new pair of Asics that are so white they practically glow in the dark.
For those of you contemplating starting to run in the new year, a few easy tips might help.
If you are just starting out, do so gradually. For example don’t go out and try to do 5k if you’re coming off the couch.
Start gradually even if it means running for only a couple of minutes at a time for 10 minutes. That will ensure that you don’t get dejected because it’s too hard and it will allow your body the time to adjust.
This applies to people who have taken a significant amount of time off as well.
Get into a routine.
If you can try to go out on the same days or at the same times each week, it will become a habit so that it won’t be easy to blow off when you don’t feel like it.
I used to schedule a treat for myself that could only be done if I went for a run. So I would promise myself a latte, but only if I finished my run.
As for me, I’ve signed up for races that should take me to May, so I’ll be back on track in no time. Many new stories, tips and observations to come in 2009.
Now go tie up your shoes and get out there.