Winter Training, Part I

Well, it has been a long time since I've updated. Life intervenes, and when the triathlon was over, my training (for the triathlon) lapsed. I have been running, however, at least three times a week ever since, with my long runs being between 10 and 13 miles. So that at least is going really well.

As I sit here writing, the snow is flying and building up outside my windows. We've gotten about five inches so far, and more is on tap to fall. I should leave for work in one hour, assuming I can get out of the driveway!

All this snow is beautiful, but it begs the question: How do you train in wintertime in Maine??

I am such a newbie, not only to this new body, but also to the concept of continual exercise. I used to exercise for a while, and then quit when I lost the weight I wanted. Or I would go out and do something now and again, like go for a walk or swim in a pool if one was handy...but not for the specific purpose of moving my body and keeping it in shape. I guess you could say that, even when I was not fat, I never was in very good shape. I didn't have much in the way of muscle, that's for sure! I certainly wasn't one to hit the gym or be dedicated about any sort of exercise at all.

So this is all very new to me. Add to that the winters in Maine being snowy and icy, and it limits what I have available to me in a way that I never dealt with in California. At least there, it's pretty temperate year-round, even in the north (Eureka) where I am from. Yes, it might rain, but there was no ice on the roads and the temperatures, at worst, MIGHT dip to the 30s, but usually would be in the 40s and 50s.

In Maine, we call that "T-shirt weather"! LOL!

So here I am, a new runner and triathlete, with a fit and healthy body, staring out the window at all that snow.

Yes, I could pull out my snowshoes, but when you have to take care of a baby during the day, that's not a great option.

The ice on the road pretty much nixes running and biking. I don't belong to the YMCA (yet) so there is noplace to swim!

My answer: the treadmill.

Sure, it's not sexy, and the scenery never changes, but as a way to keep the fitness base I've built, I have found it invaluable. I can speed up the treadmill to get in some interval training (running at a steady pace with "bursts" of speed, or sprints), I can keep it at a higher pace to do some tempo training, I can change the elevation to simulate hills, and I can put it at a slower pace and do a long 2-hour run to simulate a half marathon.

The only thing that really stinks about it is that it doesn't simulate the real-life pounding your body gets on the road. True, it's easier on the knees, but when there is a half-marathon in the future, nothing beats being out on the road for the practice.

And yes, I have another half-marathon in my future. February 10, to be exact, the Half at the Hamptons (Hampton Beach, NH), put on by Loco Running company. Another 13.1 miler is looming.

Am I nuts? Probably. But it dawned on me that, without a serious race in my future, it might be all too easy to let the training go and just do the minimal. I want to keep the solid running base I've built, even if I couldn't keep the bike or the swim, and perhaps even add to it if possible.

The weather cooperated last week with a January thaw, and I was able to finally get out for two long runs on the road. I ran 5.8 miles one day, and then last Saturday, I put in a 13.2 miler as practice for the half marathon. I ran that faster than I ran my original half marathon. That one I did in 2 hrs. 36 minutes; Saturday, I ran it in 2 hours 25 minutes. I wasn't going for speed, and I know that on race day the adrenaline will have me moving at a faster clip a bit more easily than I was on Saturday, but I was happy regardless, as I managed an 11 minute mile pace (compared to the 12-minute mile pace I had last September).

That increase in speed over such a long distance gave me the confidence that yes, I'm doing this right. Running 3x a week, eating properly (and still tracking, EVERY DAY, what I eat and the calories in it), and building in intervals, long runs and tempo runs in my weekly training runs on the treadmill is not only helping me keep my base, but it's helping me to improve.

I can't wait for the half marathon. My only worry is a knee that gets stiff on me. I have been to the orthopedic sports medicine clinic in Maine, and the physician's assistant X-rayed it and did tests, and he declared that it seems to be fine. I am just "sitting in a bogus position" sometimes, and that makes it stiffen up.

No, I'm not satisfied with the explanation, but I'll see what happens in the half marathon and go back to see them again--the doctor this time, not the PA.

Anyway, winter training can be done. I will have some more specific ideas next time for winter training, both in gear and in activities, but for now, I just wanted to toss out an update and
let you know that no, I haven't gone back to my old fat ways.

I'm still in this for the long haul!

Happy fitness, everyone!

"Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired."
- Jules Renard


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Disclaimer: Look, I'm not a doctor. However, I am a teacher certified in both California and Maine to teach science curriculum, including the human body (and health/nutrition) to kids in grades K-8. This blog is my attempt to wade through the current thinking on weight loss, and to present it in a way that makes sense to everyone. As a woman who is successfully recovering from obesity herself, I feel it's even more important to help others understand what I did to lose the weight; what worked, what didn't, and what the struggle has been like as I went from morbid obesity to fitness. It doesn't mean that I have all the answers, however. If you want to lose weight, by all means, read my blog--I think I can provide some help and clarity. BUT, please know that I am NOT a medical expert, and you should most definitely consult with your own doctor or family physician before undertaking any weight loss efforts yourself. Weight loss is a personal journey. I'm making mine visible to the world, but each of us has to take our own steps with our own doctor's guidance; please make sure you check in with yours before you try to do anything I have done. Good luck and God bless!