Tips for Winter Running

Winter is upon us. If you run in the morning before work, it’s dark and cold. If you’re a post-work evening runner, it’s dark and cold. If you have a lifestyle that enables you to run during the day, I’m jealous (but it’s still cold!).

People are always shocked to find that I run all year round. Wait, you run in the winter? How??? Obsessions like mine are not seasonal, and weather will not deter me from getting my workout in. And there are certain ways that everyone can ensure a good winter workout.

Temperature: It is never too cold to run, the trick is to find the right balance of clothing.

• Never wear cotton. Cotton holds cold moisture (sweat) against your body and will make you colder as you run. Synthetic materials (or wool if you don’t mind the itch) will pull sweat away from your skin and insulate you. This means that even if you sweat you will stay warm.
• Invest in good running clothes because they’re worth it. There’s no way around it, winter running clothes can be pricey. (But buying yourself a new wardrobe after spending the winter on the couch is pricey too!) And they are a good investment – most my running tights and long-sleeve thermals have lasted since freshman year of college (when I moved to Boston and realized that year-round shorts just weren’t going to cut it).
• Gloves and hats will keep your extremities from freezing off. You don’t need your fingers while running, but if you lose them to frostbite you’ll regret it later. The same goes for your ears, so wear a hat or headband. The same rule applied here as to clothing: no cotton.
• If you live somewhere super cold, consider covering your mouth and face with a balaclava (not to be confused with baklava, which is a delicious pastry).
• Read my Do’s and Don’ts of Running Clothes.

Temperature: It’s coldest early in the morning just before the sun rises. It’s warmest at mid-day to early afternoon. Evening is usually warmer than morning, but it also tends to be windier. Depending on where you live and what your schedule is, consider the best time for you to run.

Darkness: It’s important to be smart about running in the dark.

• Don’t run in parks or deserted-feeling neighborhoods. Pay attention to closure signs (aka Rock Creek park is OFF LIMITS). If you don’t live through your workout it’s really not worth it.
• Wear colorful clothes or a bright arm-band. Wearing all black is like asking to be hit by a car.
• Run where street lights will show you the path. You don't want to risk twisting an ankle or tripping because you can't see the ground.
• Run with a buddy. (If you can talk someone else into running with you!)
• If you're super-bad-ass, consider investing in a headlamp. (I have one and it is one of my favorite things ever. Maybe I'll write an ode to it sometime...)

Timing: It’s cold and dark almost all the time, so figure out when the best time to run is for you.

• Consider changing your normal workout time to adjust to daylight and temperature. Some people are morning runners, and some prefer the evenings (read my When to Run post), but winter may be a good time to reconsider your habits.

Hydration: You still need to drink! Make sure you stay hydrated through the winter (read my tips on hydration).

Good luck and stay motivated!

New Shoes

There will be cake this week (or cookies), once my camera/computer/internet settle their differences.

In the meantime, guess what? I bought new shoes! I’ve been long overdue – runners should get new shoes every 300-400 miles, or about every 4 months. Through the pounding of many many miles, shoes break down and lose shock absorption, cushioning and stability. The mid-sole tends to break down first, and can cause over-use injuries (i.e. shin splints, joint pain, etc.). So unless you’re going all-out and doing the barefoot thing, new shoes are a must.

And they feel so good! If I could run in new shoes every week I would be a very happy person. Like new socks or clean sheets they just feel like happiness. (Don’t be alarmed, I change my socks and sheets much more often then my shoes!)

I’ve been wearing the same shoes almost exclusively since junior high – Asics neutral, the newest incarnation of which is the 2150. But due to all the shenanigans of this year, I thought that maybe it was time for a change.

To some people (i.e. my dad), running shoes are a religion. He orders boxes of shoes, testing them out, taking them for a run, seeing what he likes. Something hurts? New shoes. Feeling sore? New shoes. Tired? New shoes.

And then there’s the insoles. I’ve always had orthodics, because I have example-on-the-training-room-wall weird feet. My dad loves insoles just as much as he loves shoes. Some people’s fathers tinker with tools in the garage – mine creates Frankenstein-like insoles on the back porch. 

He cuts them up, super-glues them back together, and makes his own orthodics. Heel lifts, extra arch support, whatever you need can probably be solved with the proper adhesive and an assortment of extra insoles (leftover from all the shoes, obviously!). You’d think that an alternative insole was the answer to the world’s problems…who knows? Maybe it is. We all need a little extra support now and then.

Anyway, this Sunday I ran to a running store to get myself some new shoes. Instead of my go-to Asics, I changed things up with a pair of Mizuno Wave Alchemy 10. They felt good on the treadmill in the store, so here we go!

It’s important to walk around in new shoes before running in them to accustom your feet to a new feel. So I’ve been rocking the running-shoes-at-work look (oh so trendy!), and I’m looking forward to taking them for a real run tonight.

How often do you get new shoes? Which ones do you like?

The Weekend Report: Hand Me That Unitard (aka Sister2 Runs a Marathon!)

As you may know, Sister2 ran the DC National Marathon this weekend. What you may not know is that she did so in neon spandex and a gold unitard. Were you out watching? Did you see that girl? Did you cheer for her? Or call out some version of  “Love your outfit! Nice spandex! Great uni!”?

Well, I was the more normal one next to her. And proud of it!

Why the costume? Isn’t a normal running outfit enough, you may wonder?

Well, she ran Boston last year in a greeny-yellow unitard…so she might as well uphold that tradition…and if you’re flying cross-country to run a race, you may as well do it right, right?

Oh my gosh what am I going to wear? She wondered the night pre-marathon. She stood in my living room, alternating between two equally ridiculous outfits, trying to make her decision. Ugh! This is like the most preparation I’ve done for this race!

That statement is obviously not true. Because despite her absurd apparel, this girl can run (you already know the story of how she started marathoning). She’s only 20, and yet she has now completed 2 marathons in under 4 hours! So don’t let the uni fool you…as many DC men discovered early Saturday morning: Once the uni passes, it’s gone for good!

And I’m going to go ahead and take just a teeny tiny little bit of credit for her awesome finish. I did help! I swear! My friends and I were out there cheering at Mile 3, and when she passed us again at Mile 17, I jumped in to keep her spirits up through the last 9.2.

I tried to make myself useful. I “amused” her with chatting and useless information.

Then my big chance to actually be “useful” (and I use that term very loosely) came at Mile 23. She had mentioned that her arms were starting to chafe against her body, which is awful on a run.  So when we came up on a water/aid station, I saw my chance:

Ok, Sis2, I’ll just stop at this med station real quick, grab you some Vaseline, and catch up. No problem!

So I stopped, and put on my best lost-and-desperate face…and…nothing. There was no one at the medical station! What??? Seriously, what if I had been a dying marathoner???

I stood there for a moment, wondering what to do…I saw the big box of medical supplies…looked around one more time to see if anyone would come help me…and then started digging through their stuff. Vaseline – jackpot! I scooped out a chunk onto my finger, and jumped back in the race.

But enough time had gone by for Sister2 to get way ahead of me. Her pink spandex was just a glow in the distance. Oh man, time to run! I started striding after her, doubtlessly impressing those who had already run 23 miles with this sudden burst of mid-marathon energy.

(This part of the course was an out-and-back. Which just means that you run out on one side of the street to a turning point, do a U-turn, and run back on the other side of the street.)

So there I was, dashing after Sister2, as she passed me on the “back” part of the out-and-back. She gave me this look, and waved me over. It’s not like I was actually in the race…I could have just turned there and joined her.

I can’t! I can’t cheat! Don’t slow down, I’ll catch up! I yelled at her. Because no one around me knew I wasn’t really in the race. And just think how pissed you would be if you saw someone cutting corners like that!

Eventually I caught up…and pretty much saved her life with Vaseline. So yeah, that’s my story.

I didn't plan on crossing the finish line. I saw the barriers lining the course about 200 yards before the finish, and prepared to duck out. Ok, I’ll meet you at the end! I said. But then I saw that poor Sister2 was not looking good. She was gagging…I was concerned…so I stayed with her through the finish.

And she ran 3:30:50!!! (That's about 8-minute pace...and a 25 minute personal record!)

All bow down to the super-speedster in the crazy outfit!!!

After the race, we took full advantage of the free stuff (bars, mochas, cookies? yes please!) at the post-marathon festival. Then we ate our weight in brunch buffet, and went to the zoo.

I’m proud to be her sister! Wouldn’t you be?

“If you were a horse, we would have shot you by now.”

That statement (written by my coach) is both hilarious and upsetting.

Don’t you worry – no animals were harmed in the writing of this post. My fitness, however, may be counted as a casualty. Ditto regarding my sanity, self-respect, and justification to eat cake (actually, who am I kidding? Nothing can quell my cake-hunger!).

So what’s wrong with my hamstring, you may be wondering? I WISH I KNEW. It hurts when I run. It hurts more when I take time off running. It hurts when I stretch. It hurts when I leave it alone.

I won’t bore you with the details - sorry to be such a Debbie-Downer. I’m just in a state of major long-term bummed out-ness.

Thus, I will clue you into parts of yesterday’s email exchange with my coach, because though I’ve *almost* lost all hope, it may not be too late for you to save yourselves. So take a lesson from me:

On Tue, Jan 26, 2010 at 10:04 AM, Molllie wrote:

Hi  Coach,

"Broken down and injured"...sounds familiar.  

Mollie

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01/26/10 10:20 AM from Coach

If you were a horse, we would have shot you by now. :)

Just ease your way back into the running and keep babying your hammy until you're sure you're ready to do some fast stuff on it. Have you been using a foam roller or massage stick to work on it? If not, you should.

I hope to see you soon.

Coach

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On Tue, Jan 26, 2010 at 11:19 AM,Mollie wrote:

Haha, that is HILARIOUS (and upsetting).

I've been foam rolling, icing, and getting sports massage once a week. I'm definitely trying to be "smart" about dealing with this...so there's that. I'll let you know when I'm functioning again!

Mollie

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01/26/10 11:42 AM from Coach

Are your shoes in good shape? Also, be careful about how you remove your shoes. (*bold emphasis added by me*) By that I mean make sure that you untie them, bend over and remove them by hand, rather than kick them off by using the opposite foot to put pressure on the heel of the shoe and then yanking your foot out. Believe it or not, a lot of runners injure their hamstrings by consistently kicking their shoes off like that (myself included before I wised up to what was going wrong with my hamstrings).

_____________________________________________

 On Tue, Jan 26, 2010 at 11:46 AM, Mollie wrote:

That is EXACTLY my problem. I didn't think of taking off my shoes as a cause of the injury...but when I try to describe it I say "it's the muscle you use when you take off your shoes."

So I will reform my shoe ways and see how that goes.

Thanks for the advice!

Mollie

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01/26/10 11:53 AM from Coach

Aaaarghhh!!! I'll bet anything that once you get out of that habit, your hamstring will be fine (and then you'll be pissed that you wasted a couple of months trying to figure out what was wrong). Did they not offer a course in remedial shoe removal at Boston University?!?! I'll bet the football players all took it. :)

_________________________________________

 

So, dear readers, take a lesson from me. BEWARE OF YOUR SHOE REMOVAL TECHNIQUE. And that is all I have to say about that.

Do's and Don'ts of Running Clothes

To start off, I just want to clarify that I did not run the NY Marathon. Last week’s Friday post was from my guest-blogger, Matt, who is conducting the Barefoot Experiment. He ran the NY Marathon – yay Matt!

So thanks to all of you who wished me luck/congratulations – I appreciate the thought, but can’t take the credit. I did a great job of watching the race…on tv…from the comfort of my couch…unfortunately, that’s not really worthy of congratulations.

 Anywho, now that my conscience is clear – I am sad to inform you that guest-blogger Matt is unable to post this week. Sad face. Thus, you are stuck with me for the 5^th day in a row. I know, I know, life’s rough. But just try to cope, and look forward to hearing about Matt’s barefoot running next week!

 As we head into winter, a few people have asked me for recommendations on running clothes. My first thought? Ummmm..huh? Didn’t your mama teach you how to get dressed? I mean, as I said yesterday, “I am more of the roll-out-of-bed with a groan, grab the least offensive-smelling pile of clothing, and throw myself out the door (both eyes may or may not be open yet) kind of person.” But then I thought about it a bit more, and realized my initial reaction was a bit unfair.

Good running clothes are important when you live somewhere with extreme temperatures (and by extreme I mean anywhere other than the Bay Area…jeez I miss home!). And if you’re relatively new to running, then navigating the world of advertising and consumerism can be tough. Obviously Nike will tell you that you need 6,000 varieties of clothing for the winter. But that’s probably not true. As a non-affiliated, non-money-making blogger, I have no biases, and no motive to steer you wrong! And actually, I am extremely cheap, so my advice could save you quite a few dollars…

I hate running inside, and I hate doing mileage on treatmills. Thus, I will be the girl running outside in the snowstorm/hurricaine/sub-0 temps. Which means that I need winter clothes.

Disclaimer: Everybody is different (duh). I tend to over-heat, so I prefer to wear fewer layers. I would rather be slightly underdressed than overdressed. Also because if you wear too much and sweat, and then the wind picks up, you will be all kinds of freezing!!!

 So here it is: Mollie's Do's and Don'ts of Running Clothes

Don’t wear cotton when it’s cold – it will absorb your sweat, and then keep that sweat next to your skin…which will make you colder.

Do layer. I have thinner shirts, and then a few medium-weight shirts, then a couple different-weight fleeces. Depending on the temperature, I may wear any combination of those.

Don't buy clothing with hoods. They never work, and are annoying and floppy. If your head gets cold, just wear a hat. 

Do buy gloves. I have a very thin pair of non-cotton gloves that are enough for me. However, I have friends who need to wear full-on ski mittens to keep their fingers from turning black (literally!).

Do get a headband or hat. I prefer the headband to keep my ears and forehead warm. The top of my head doesn’t get cold, so I don’t feel the need to wear a real hat.

Do get shirts with thumb-holes. These are God’s gift to me.  When it’s not quite cold enough for gloves, they keep your hands warm. And when it’s really cold, they solve the issue of cold wrists by making sure there is absolutely no skin exposed between your hands and sleeves.

Don't bother with a raincoat. If you're running in the rain, you're going to be wet. If you're rearing a raincoat, then the wet will be held into your body, and be clammy and disgusting. Give up on dryness and focus on warmth. 

In the pants department, I only wear spandex. Why? Well, 1) I love it. and 2) I don’t like bagginess on a run. And swishy pants make it sound like someone is sneaking up behind me…does anyone else have that problem?

Do get a pair of good fleece-lined spandex (for the really cold days).

Do get a pair of thin spandex (for the days when it’s windy/rainy, but not too cold).

Don’t buy CWX spandex. These are supposed to be designed to support your knees and IT bands…but for some reason they ride down as you run. If you don’t like having to pull up you pants every stop-light, then don’t buy these!

Do check yoga clothing websites and stores. They're good at spandex, and have a lot of variety

Don’t think that the only place to buy this stuff is at expensive running stores. Try Marshall’s, TJ Max, and Overstock.com. As long as it’s not cotton, it’s probably good to go!

 I’m not really going to endorse any brands. Most of my clothes are Brooks (thank you Overstock.com), Nike (thank you Nike Outlet Store), and Athleta (thank you Mama’s job). So you can see that my purchases are mostly due to economics rather than preference. Good running gear is worth the expense though, because it does last a long time, and it does make running in the winter possible and enjoyable.

 

Have fun! And happy shopping!