I am in a pretty quiet zone in my training. At least in the actual running part of the training.
I ran my A race in mid September as my last hurrah for the season. In October I rarely ran choosing rather to bike commute to keep up the fitness. In November I ramped it up to 30 km per week plus core workouts opting to just keep it slow and let the niggles of my hamstring cool down a bit more.
The plan is more ramping up in December consisting of a 31 day running streak but very few long or hard runs.
December motivation = #Stridesrunstreak (or #RWrunstreak)
I will set my sights on January as the start of the season.
January motivation = jantastic from marathon talk
Still on the couch
I started this blog last month and I’m devouring podcasts and blogs. And I’m dreaming of a destination marathon but that’s so far from reality I am not even researching it. Oh yeah, I’m also doing winter xc every 3 weekends. So I’m far from having forgotten about running I just haven’t done a lot of it.
But January should be GO TIME!
2015 Plan (as of today at least):
Feb – May = 16 weeks until Calgary Marathon
June – Aug 15 = 10 weeks to 80k Ironlegs
Even with all these plans the mantra is to be flexible with the training and expect it to change.
There is a solution to running on icy sidewalks and trails. There’s what normal people do (buy something to put on the bottom of your shoes), or what I’ve done (modify my shoes).
Too cheap for Yak Trax? Assuming the winter season is too short to splurge on a pair?
Why not try screws in your shoes. Yeah. That’s right. Get an old pair of shoes and screw in some sheet metal screws in from the bottom. It’s amazing how well this works on ice. I’ve used this pair of screwed shoes for my winter cross country races for the last several years.
I did get a pair of Yak Trax for Christmas, but they were prompty stolen by my daughter for her winter races. Then we found another pair at a garage sale. But alas, I have two daughters, so the other daughter claimed them for her race. So I’m back to the trusty screw shoes.
Supplies: 20 x #8 – 3/8″ or 1/2″ sheet metal screws (10 per shoe). Take the biggest diameter you can find. Number 8 works great for me.
Tools: 1 screwdriver
Let them stick out just a bit (maybe the thickness of the head)
AND DON’T WALK ON THE HARDWOOD FLOOR!!
Screws – the poor man’s yak tracksYak Trax work great, but only when you can find them in with all your other running stuff (and no one else is using them)
Dr. Daily from Runner’s World has a great post about holiday gift buying for runners. Along with his good ideas, is a hilarious list of things runners would absolutely NOT want. Check it out.
“Long Run” Simulator Kit, $4
Dr. Daily says: “No time to get in your long run? No problem. Just vigorously apply these specially formulated sheets to underarms, nipples, and crotch area. Your friends will never know the difference.”
Yoda Mat, $50
Dr. Daily says: “Better than a yoga mat, and it’ll probably see a lot more use. Regret this purchase you will not.”
In just over an hour, I was on a river trail, in a boutique neighbourhood, climbing stairs, sliding down treacherous icy sidewalks, and dodging happy dogs in a dog park – all within sight of downtown. Variety at its best.
Calgary SkylineElbow RiverNot enough trees to hang on to. Pretty treacherous ice!Such a young city as Calgary does not have many of theseWas so slippery I had to hang on to the railingNot many of these neighbourhoods in CalgaryElbow River10k in Elbow Park
In the Shadow of the Rockies 