Busting Through the Winter Blues
"I'm going to pretend it's sunny and 75 degrees even when it's cold and cloudy."
The Struggle is REAL
Here in New England, Winter weather truly is “like a box of chocolates”. One day it’s unseasonably warm at 65 degrees and sunny, and the next you are hit with gale-force winds and 15 degree temps. As I’m writing this I’m thinking about the dude I saw out running this morning at 5:30am, 15 degrees, wearing shorts, while I was driving in my warm car on the way to the gym to hop on my beloved nemesis, ‘the dread-mill’. Does that make me a wimp, or does that make me smart? Either way, the Winter Blues has this runner feeling ‘Blah’.
It would be so easy on mornings like this to casually turn off my alarm, roll over, and dive back into the warm sleepy slumber of my bed, however, we are but the habits that we form. And I am a Morning Warrior. I love my early morning workouts for so many reasons.
- It means I get my workout in before my brain has a chance to talk my body out of it.
- I feel great knowing I have already accomplished something hard before I start the rest of my day.
- The first hour of my day is my “me” time, and it is non-negotiable.
The Lesser of 2 Evils
So on really cold winter mornings, making the decision about my workout is much like making a decision about how you want your eggs: Would you like your suffering in the form of bitter cold, dark streets, with less boredom (over hard), or would you like it complements of the steamy, brightly-lit, nothing to keep your mind occupied treadmill (scrambled)? I know some people don’t really mind the treadmill, but I am not ‘some people’. Nevertheless, on the days that the treadmill does seem like the better option, I like to at least help bust the boredom with some simple, yet engaging workouts.
Here are a few of my favorite Treadmill Workouts to help beat the Winter Blues:
'Mix It Up, Mary'
Run 1 mile
20 pushups
Run ½ mile
20 squat to overhead press w/dumbells
Run ¼ mile
20 lunges with bicep curls w/dumbells
Run ¼ mile
20 squat to overhead press w/dumbells
Run ½ mile
20 pushups
Run 1 mile
'Progress, Not Perfection, Pam'
Run 1 mile warmup at Conversation Pace
3 mile progression (increase speed by 0.1mph every 2 minutes until you reach all-out pace)
Run 1 mile cooldown at Conversation Pace
Example: Warm up 1 mile at 6.0
Increase 6.1 for 2 minutes, 6.2 for 2 minutes, 6.3 for 2 minutes, etc., for 3 miles
Cool down 1 mile at 6.0
'Up & Down the Ladder, Larry'
Run 1 mile warmup at Conversation Pace
200m, 400m, 600m, 800m, 600m, 400m, 200m at 5k Pace with 1 minute recovery jog in between
Run 1 mile cooldown at Conversation Pace
Mind over Matter
Those are just a few of the workouts I use to help bust through the ‘dread-mill’ boredom when the Winter weather keeps me inside. I hope you use one of these workouts if you are feeling the Winter Running Blues. If you do, drop a comment below and let me know what you thought. And just remember, when all else fails…visualize your happy place and your idea of perfect running weather, head outside, and embrace the season!
Until next time…Happy Running!