Winter running is TOUGH. It’s cold, dark, and often times slippery. Perhaps the most challenging thing about it, is that it’s LONELY. It’s in that loneliness when we take on our biggest rival…THE VOICE IN OUR HEAD. You’ve all heard that voice before. “Hit the snooze button; just 15 more minutes; it’s 17 degrees outside; just run on the treadmill; you can take a day off; what’s one day off? You’ve been working so hard lately; you deserve the rest.” And the list goes on. It’s easy to let the voice in your head win. The voice in your head winning means you get to be ‘comfortable.’ Which for the average person is ‘winning.’ But not for us. Not for runners. Victory for us looks like a snotty nose, frozen toes and dry lips. It’s aching limbs, cold air in your lungs and double the laundry. Why should the voice in your head ever win, right?!
Without question, this is the biggest Runner Problem, we all face during those cold winter months. How are you going to beat the voice in your head? For some it’s a Spring Marathon. For others, it’s a social media challenge to run every day in the year. Or maybe it’s to drop a couple pounds for beach season. But for most, it’s personal. It’s to prove you’ve still got what it takes to rise to the occasion. Especially when it’s uncomfortable. That’s where you take your running from ordinary to extraordinary.
So as you close out this winter’s training cycle, remember to stay positive. Wear the appropriate running gear. And keep grinding. If it were easy, everyone would do it!