Winter is coming....

Winter is on its way. Evenings are darker along with the mornings. Some love this time of year, others less so. Temperatures drop and vary from ‘cold’ to ‘very cold’ to ‘silly cold’. The wind can be downright nasty.
 
Strides have hosted three running groups which recently finished after ten wonderful weeks. Sasha and Pam have lead out the 101 and 201 groups, who meet on Monday’s to work on form, exercises, running and good old fashioned ‘having fun’. Tim heads out the Run Your Best group on Wednesday and focuses on interval training and hill work.  

Top tips for winter running:
* Mix up your activity with skiing. We are so fortunate to live next to a world class venue (Canmore Nordic Centre) and close to Kananaskis Park where trails are regularly groomed. 
Join a gym to focus on strength for the new season
* Think about your 2025 running goals. This may be a race, a trail you have always wanted to run, a time etc.
* Make sure your headlamp is charged up and that your spikes are easily to hand.
* 
Sasha put out these great advice notes last week to her group:
* Dressing in these temperatures is challenging. You will heat up from the activity, so please try not to over-dress. You will hear the phrase Cold and be Bold.  Meaning, you will start off cool but will be just right on the trail.
* Gloves and hat are good ways to regulate your heat, you can take them off and pop them back on as required. 
* A light wind-breaker is good too 
If you overheat, you will lose energy, cool down, slow down and get fatigued a lot quicker. 
* Buffs are GREAT.  - they can be a light hat, or around your neck, 
* This time of year you may find your nose running alongside you. We recommend having an old-fashioned hanky that can be washed and less paper to fall out of your pocket.
* Try wrapping a buff around my wrist, it is great for dabbing on the nose.  it is much softer than wiping in on your wind-breaker sleeve. 
 
Happy running, stay injury free and mind that nasty black ice.
Coach Tim