Thursday, February 3, 2011

The snow keeps on comin and the training keeps on going...

If anyone ever tells you that training in the winter is easy or better they are full of crap. This is the second
time that I have trained through the winter for a marathon and you would have thought I learned my lesson
the first time. Although I must say that the first time was not nearly as cold or snowy as this year... it is times like these where you may start to fester up all of those excuses and inner voices telling you to take a day off or that it is too cold or too snowy to get out and run...don't listen. Training for a marathon in more mentality then anything else. I mean sure there is some talent, endurance and strength that truly comes into play but at 22 miles on race day there is nothing that gets you through the last 4 miles but your mind  "Mentality is Everything". What do I do in crazy trecherous weather like this??? Well.. for starters during yesterday's storm I walked in my hiking boots, lululemon fleece lined Ambition Crop, my reflective Hustle Jacket and a few other layers and walked 2 miles to BSC just so I could get on a damn treadmill and complete my training for the day. That is what I call NO EXCUSES! The snow and cold weather is not a reason to sit inside and be miserable, training forces you to embrace the cold and realize it's actually not that bad after all.
A key to getting through times like these when you can only stand being on a treadmill for so long is cross training. After my first marathon of primarily running with minimal cross training I found that running less and having high intensity cross training has made me a stronger and faster runner. Thank you to Crossfit and CrossCycle for keeping me sane and continuing my love for running. Cross training has also helped with injury prevention, I feel much less pain then I did 2 years ago when I was running  A LOT! Plus I just love other activities too besides running so I can't just run...it doesn't feel right, too much wear and tear too much muscle fatigue.
So when the weather gets tough...the TOUGH KEEPS ON GOING!!

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