This winter has been plagued with record high snow fall and record low temperatures. Our fear is that your training may be behind or non-existent due to this crazy winter, and we want to give you some motivation so you’ll be ready for the upcoming running and walking season when the weather does decide to break.
If you are waiting for the cold and snow to go away before you get started training this year, who knows how long you may have to wait. The cold temps and icy roads are good excuses to push off our training for another day, but when that day comes we don’t want you to get discouraged that you didn’t start sooner. The longer that you push it off, the longer it will take you to get in shape.
Sometimes we just need is a friend to come along side us and tell us how it is, so being your friend here are some obvious things you can do right now to get going on your training:
Suck it up and Run Outside
Listen to Nike and “Just Do It.” Wear the right cold weather running tech clothes and some ice joggers to keep from slipping, and go outside and get it done. It is easier said than done, but most of the time the solution is quite simple, it just involves us taking the first step to make it happen.
Suck it up and Run Inside
If you can’t or won’t run outside, there is no reason that you can’t take it indoors. Find a local gym where you can run on a track or treadmill, or buy yourself a treadmill or elliptical that you can always use. This may not be your first choice, but you may be surprised on the quality of workouts you can do inside until the weather warms up.
Make a Commitment
Don’t only make a commitment right away to start running outside or inside, but commit to an upcoming race. Find an upcoming race on our race calendar, like the Pot O’ Gold on March 17, and sign up for it today. Registering and paying for a race today will motivate you to do what you need to do from now until the race to get ready, because who wants to make a fool out of yourself by not being prepared?
Whatever you need to do to get to the fitness you desire, go ahead and do it. Don’t let the weather be a distraction to your running goals in 2014.
If you want to make a commitment to an upcoming race to hold yourself accountable to a training plan, feel free to share in the comments below.
Photo by Flickr user dickuhne
