winter running - Spring Marathon

Salad dogger

20/10/2002 at 16:19

how on earth do i keep my self motivated, when its cold and raining out side, help any ideas.
I have got all the clothing and it didnt help i was still cold, and my breathing was hard it felt that someone had frozen my lungs.

XFR Bear

20/10/2002 at 18:42

The best thing I can think of is to find a club to run with - this helps me enormously on those freezing winter mornings (and evenings!).

Also think about a big race (e.g. the London Marathon 2003) that you're preparing for.

Best of luck, Iain

steve.m

20/10/2002 at 19:15

Is there an on-line directory of clubs anywhere?

Psi

20/10/2002 at 19:46

I know this sounds like a bit of a "no pain no gain" suggestion, but have you tried upping the pace of your run? I find this often warms me up more than a bit!!

Ashley Smith

21/10/2002 at 13:58

As a desk jockey I know how you feel. Once you get home, the radiator is on and who wants to get changed and go out in the wind & rain...I don't.

The only way I found that realy works for me is to bring my kit to work, get changed and instead of taking the train the whole way home jump off a couple of stops early. (so for those of you at London Bridge around 7.30pm who have seen me you now know why I am not in a suit but in running gear).

My best times are then in the rain and cold. What motivates me... A hot drink and warm bath waiting for me when I get in. The colder it is the faster I run to get home.

This is also a good method for those of us who never seem to find the time to train, since the time saved in travelling is offset against the time on the train... eg. I can squeeze an extra four miles training into a day without cutting down on something else.

NB> this method is not so effective if you drive!

More fallin' rocks??

21/10/2002 at 17:20

I understand how you feel! No matter how positive I try to be I love the Summer and not so partial to wet, cold, dark nights but...there are some unique qualities to running this time of year which I have to admit I really quite like. For instance seeing my breath in the crisp air makes me feel Im really alive and not a robot trapped in the 9 to 5! I also enjoy the changing autumn colours and lately hearing the fireworks boom somewhere on the other side of town, the smokey evening air, even the sound of rain pattering on leaves or on the peak of my cap is OK. Its more quiet than summer and not so many people are actually out on the pavement so I like running on the shiny streets having them almost to myself. Finally I try not to under estimate the benefit to my mental training every time I make myself go out, when I could easily stay in and relax in the warm.

Last winter I went running with a friend, it began pouring down for a good 20 minutes with no sign of letting up. My friend was ready to turn around and call it a day, but I would have been quite happy to have just run on as normal, I had accepted the rain and forgotten about it, because of my regular winter running in bad weather wasn't all that unusual. Being more of a fair weather runner the rain had broken his concentration and ruined his run. I have never forgotten that lesson, and use it sometimes to drag my backside out the door in winter!

Trici

21/10/2002 at 18:24

Having a running partner helps.At least once a week I run with a mate who just runs occasionally to keep fit.I also find the treadmill in the local gym useful(although boring!)to avoid the really bad weather.

geezer

21/10/2002 at 23:00

Grow up baby.
Motivation must come from within the inner soul. You cannot expect to have it delivered on a plate.
Only nurturing of the inner psyche can make you a winner like me.
Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez

haz

22/10/2002 at 15:32

i must b mad i love the cold . when you go out at 5;30 in the morning do 10 mile come back looking like the frozen grass you know it been worth it lol youre cold to the bone but gives you a laugh when you go past people wraped up looking at you thinking (nutter) still thats me if you wanna run run no matter what the weather but you need a mate whos mad as well

Ratbag

pirate

22/10/2002 at 15:54

Hello Geez,

So how's life these days??

Motivation good as ever??

How's the training and what times are you doing these days??

RB

Ratbag

pirate

22/10/2002 at 15:58

BTW,

I love running in the cold also the rain. Cold rain, not so nice...

However, most of the distance 1/2 mara and above are in the cooler months and training for the FLM you HAVE to train in bad weather. Character building they say...

Can't avoid it so it's probably a good idea to learn to like it, if you can.

All the best,

RB

Barkles

22/10/2002 at 17:31

I'm with RB on this one. I prefer cold, a little light rain is perfect for me, if you've got the right kit on it's no problem.

Ratbag

pirate

23/10/2002 at 13:08

Ah! but it's hard to beat torrential warm summer rain.....

Pathfinder

24/10/2002 at 11:13

I followed a Hal Higdon schedule to prepare for a recent marathon. This has relatively short runs during the week and I found I could fit these into my lunch hour(ish).

This leaves the evening free for family and flopping. It also means that you run in daylight. If you work indoors, this can be the only time you see the daylight during winter and so is doubly beneficial.

Salad dogger

24/10/2002 at 16:46

Will yoga improve my running cos my mate lorraine keeps making me go mmmmmm

4:01 Loon (Dammit!!!)

25/10/2002 at 13:52

It really is just a case of getting out there and doing it. The worst part is almost always getting out of the door. You say you've bought all the kit but have you? Don't forget a warm hat will keep in a lot of body heat on a long slow run (I get too hot in a hat on anything above snails pace!!) You really shouldn't get cold whilst running as the body temp should stay high enough until you stop? What are you wearing?

Salad dogger

26/10/2002 at 17:43

I have gloves bob cap (thermal),
thermal running top, nike thermal running tights, water proof running jacket.

Nike pegasus running shoes.

Its my quads that suffer the most. I think i should stop moaning and get running.

XFR Bear

26/10/2002 at 18:22

I found yoga a great way to stretch after a run, plu sit also helps with core stability and stuff.

I actually find the cold invigorating, as long as its not windy as that really messes up my rhythm. Light rain is nice too to cool me down. If I wear a jacket I usually end up with it tied around my waist after 20 minutes

4:01 Loon (Dammit!!!)

27/10/2002 at 12:28

I think I'd perhaps try a pair of cycle shorts under the thermal tights. Either that or run a bit harder/put a few more hills into the equation!! Also if running on a windy day, try to run into the wind on the way out, as it doesn't chill so much on your back where it will be when you're tired...

Finn Mortensen

27/10/2002 at 17:29

How about a nice breathable fleece as well? If you get a pretty one it can double up under a jacket in real life (!) as well, making it a bit of a bargain really.