No Races Planned

Winter is just around the corner. This is often a hard time of the year to be a runner as races are a long ways out, the days are shorter, and the weather is cold/cooler (this can be a good thing for some of you southern dwellers). Additionally, this year has been an especially hard year to be a runner. Some of us were able to race, but most all of us have had one or more of our target races cancelled. Many out east were dealing with really warm weather all summer long and many out west were/are dealing with an exceptionally tough smoke year. I won’t dive into any politics here...but it seems hard to be excited about the upcoming election no matter what your beliefs.

Usually, entering the winter can also be a much needed break from a summer of racing and adventures. This year feels different; it feels as if we have had a full year of winter. Races that are on the calendar for next spring and summer are a long ways away, and are still a big question mark. Virtual races and personal adventures that were able to carry us through the summer are harder to accomplish in the winter and it’s a great idea for us all to have a plan of what we can do to maintain ‘the stoke’!  

Every year, I like to reflect on how the running season went for all of you as well as myself. What went well? What didn’t? I’ll also ask...what are known weaknesses that held me back? These can be physical as well as mental and both are things that we can spend time focusing on and fixing when there aren’t any major goals or races on the calendar. 

I tend to end a summer running season with a long list of little tweaks and pains that surface and alleviate ‘randomly’ throughout a training cycle. Time that would generally be spent training and recovering can be spent really fixing biomechanical problems and strengthening areas of the body responsible for those twinges that seem to be the only certainties of running. I plan on using future newsletters to address exercises and mobility routines that can be very useful for injury prevention. 

Another ‘physical problem’ that is common during the season is the difficulty associated with finding a nutrition strategy that really works on race day. It seems like I approach every race feeling a little insecure on my strategy and knowing that some gi distress is headed my direction. This is an awesome thing to give some energy to in the off season. Try different bars/gels/solid foods/liquids/etc… and see what tastes good and feels good while running. The more you experiment, the more confident you will be when it counts. 

Mental weaknesses can also be an area of focus when there’s nothing on the calendar. Strategies for doing so tend to be a little more abstract than the more concrete physical approaches, but are valuable regardless. I’m certainly not an expert in this area, but positive self-talk and self-belief are so important when realizing your running potential. I have always been skeptical of this line of reasoning, but I do know that miles fly by when I’m smiling and a good song can pull me out of a bad funk in the middle of a training run. Nothing ‘physically’ happens, but having good thoughts can get you through low points in a race. 

I plan on using the next couple of months to focus on strength and mobility work that we all can focus on over the winter. Additionally, I plan to dive into some ‘mental practices’ as I learn more about them and will share what I learn with all of you! 

Take some time in the next few weeks to think about this past year of running and things that you all would like to focus on this coming winter. The ‘off-season’ can be a tough time of the year to motivate, but it’s also a wonderful time of the year to iron out some of the kinks that are holding us all back!