Winter running motivation
During the long cold winter, it isn’t always easy to motivate yourself to pursue a vigorous marathon training schedule. There are, however, many different ways in which you can psych yourself up and make it less of a chore.
Here are a few of our top tips to see you through.
Warm up before going outside
It is a good practice to do some additional warm-ups at home to ensure you are ready for hitting the outdoors. This will help loosen and warm up your muscles before stepping outside.
While it’s important to warm your blood up without sweating too much, layering up before hitting the cold air is crucial too, with plenty of possible accessories to choose from like gloves, hats, muffs, headbands, under leggings and fleece-lined tights.
Set a clear winter goal
Establishing a clear personal goal for winter is a good way to get you training in the cold months.
You could find more immediate motivation by rewarding yourself with a small gift when you’ve hit your mileage target or at the end of your session. Some runners will prepare tasty hot food such as a big pot of stew, soup or chili in the slow cooker beforehand. It could also be something as simple as having something warm to slip into at the end.
Remembering why you are running at all, and the boost it provides to not only your physical but mental health, is another way of galvanising yourself into action. The rewards you set yourself at the end will often be a major incentive.
Handle limited visibility
With potentially invisible, icy and dangerous paths to navigate, it is vital to wear a pair of running shoes that offer grip and traction. Shoes with mesh are best avoided as they are more vulnerable to cold and wet. With more limited visibility during shorter days, you should wear high visibility clothing and a head torch where necessary.
Train with others
If you can’t face going out alone, teaming up with a training partner is an excellent way to encourage yourself to go out for a run. Whether joining an organised running group or simply gathering willing friends together, a collective run is a great way to make the activity more fun and competitive, while disciplining you to not cut corners or miss out on sessions completely. If the conditions are right and circumstances allow, take a dog too!
Mix up your training
To make running more interesting, try out different environments. This could include indoor treadmills or soft verge runs alongside safe roads to ease the pressure on your knees.
You should also be kind on your body and allocate rest days to recuperate from strenuous workouts - it’s OK to occasionally miss a session. Make your treadmill sessions more fun with music, movies or TV shows.
The experts at Maximum Mileage Coaching are here to offer you a reliable marathon running schedule in all countries, climates and conditions. We provide specialist marathon training tips and motivational advice to help you develop a winter running plan that is both realistic and rewarding. Contact us today for a consultation.
