Running free of frostbite: 3 tips for running in the winter

With Halloween nearly knocking on our doorstep, the looming winter weather is not so far away. Getting motivated to run in colder temperatures is the first feat. Next, you want to ensure that you will be warm and dry from the start of time on your stopwatch, ‘til the end. Below, you’ll find some tips to avoid icy workouts.

1. Getting Dressed: According to an article from Runner’s World, ’10 Tips for Running in the Cold’, there’s a rule of thumb for dressing for colder runs. Mark Grandonico, the president for the Maine Track Club, says to dress as if it’s 20 degrees warmer outside. With technical fabrics, that wick moisture, you’ll allow for enough body warmth to accumulate within your run without overheating.
2. Deep Breaths: On a vigorous run, taking deep breaths from your stomach can make your throat dry and cold. An easy way to avoid this is to run with a mesh or cloth cowl neck warmer covering your mouth. This will filter warmer air into your mouth while breathing. If you dislike running with a cowl, try altering your breathing pattern so you breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. This can also aid in avoiding side aches.
3. Before Leaving: Don’t start the time on your watch if you haven’t performed some sort of warm-up. “The cold doesn’t feel so cold if you’re warm,” says Lauren Salmon on Runner’s World. Not warming up is an easy way to let the chilly winter air stifle your performance during a run. Get a head start and prepare your muscles and cardio for the low temperatures outside.

Now go out and run atop the loud, fallen leaves, or the melting snow-covered pavement this winter. Run happy and run warm. 

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Unevenness

There’s a film of purple clouds looming overhead. From somewhere behind those dismal sky-bound sheets, the sun offers little light and even less of its warmth. I might believe that it’s a late Colorado evening. But I’m not a climatologist, and the analog digits of my watch speak to that fact, indicating that it is only midday.

Below my rhythmic running shoes, the black tar concrete sits beneath a layer of rain. The way the puddles have gathered upon the ground gives heed to the uneven contours of the concrete. Uneven like the pattern of breathing that fills up, and so readily escapes the trappings of my lungs. Uneven is the sweat that drips from either brow on my forehead as I sweep it onto my finger and flick it gone only to realize that only dewy drops of rain could be so cold. It becomes a motif –unevenness—as I hurdle puddles to avoid soggy socks. 

Side-aches hardly come in pairs and rocks are often lodged into the bottom of one of your shoes. Yet, we run through unevenness because there is always a remedy. For every aching side, you have an equally strong side to help you will away pain. 

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For tips on running in the rain, check out this article by Lauren Johnston in Daily News 

Morning mixed drinks

No matter if you’re an early riser or an offender of hitting the snooze button more times than you can recall, a hearty breakfast can help get your day started on an energetic note.

Instead of starting your day with sugary cereals or a small portion of eggs, dust off your blender and make one of the following organic and wholesome smoothies for an easy, on-the-go breakfast. 

• Strawberry Banana Blend: Low in saturated fats and cholesterol, strawberried serve as a good source for vitamin C, dietary fiber, and natural sugars. Aside from their abundance in potassium, bananas yield good amounts of Vitmain B6. Peanut butter tops of the mix with a dash of protein.
• Ingredients: 1 ripe banana, 5-6 strawberries; 1 tbsp. of creamy peanut butter; 10 oz. of your preferred milk
• Directions: blend ingredients until smooth
  
  
• Orange Flax Smoothie: Oranges are good sources of potassium, magnesium, B1, B2, B3, B6, and folate. Flax oil (or hempseed oil) will slow down the release of fruit sugar into the bloodstream, giving you a steady supply of energy for a few hours.
• Ingredients: 5 peeled, sweet, seedless oranges and 3 tablespoons of cold-pressed flax oil or hempseed oil.
• Directions: Add a little cold water (about half a cup) and blend. Drink slowly. Great as a pre-workout drink. 

• Banana Wheat Grass Smoothie: Wheat grass is an abundant source of protein, potassium, magnesium, and B complex.
• Ingredients: 3 large sweet bananas; 2 cups cold water; 1 tbsp. wheat grass powder
• Directions: Process al ingredients until smooth. Pour into a large sports bottle

Maximizing your morning routine might mean leaving your coffee maker behind. However, your blender will put up a good battle for your tastebuds with these mighty mixes to start your day. 

Check out more recipes like the Orange Flax Smoothie and Banana Wheat Grass at OneGreenPlanet.org

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Running over Myths: Stoplight Stop-n-Go

Although autumn is known for making your favorite trail runs a muddy mess with the rain and snow, there’s one less reason to shake your fist at Mother Nature as you transition from trails to concrete this year. Jogging in place is proving to be a health benefit for more than the average housewife during Oprah. Whilst waiting at stoplights, running in place is sure to shield your muscles from tightening in the cool weather that lies ahead.

Now, you can do more than your typical calf stretch against a stop sign while waiting for traffic to pass. According to an article published on LiveStrong.com, jogging in place will help maintain a working heart rate and allow for a mid-workout stretch. Not only can you avoid tension in your Achilles tendon and in your calves from the stop-and-go nature of running through city streets, but you will continue to shed calories while waiting your turn at the crosswalk.

You’re not alone if you’re resistant to begin a running routine for the chillier months. So combat Mother Nature’s winter coat by jogging in place at stoplights, and save the treadmill for the severely snowy days.

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