To have come through the winter healthy and to have collected as many running kilometers as possible was my basis to have made my marathon debut in January in 2:17.
These 10 tips should help you to get through the winter in the best possible way, in order to set up many great new best performances in the spring and summer.
1. strong together
Dating is a great way to get out on those days when the weather is nasty. There is no better reason to train even on those days than your friend who is waiting for you. Of course, the feeling of having conquered the inner bastard is the best thing in the world and only the warm shower after the work is done.
2. the right clothes
You should wear enough to keep you warm enough, but not so warm that you sweat excessively towards the end of the run, possibly causing you to catch a chill. When running, the rules of thumb are to dress as if it is about 10 degrees warmer and to be slightly shivery before you start. If you are dressed so thickly that you are already snugly warm on the first kilometer, it will certainly be uncomfortable later.
3. dry your shoes properly
If you run in mud or wet conditions, I recommend stuffing your shoes with newspaper right after the run. The newspaper will soak up the wetness and maintain the structure of your shoes. Dryers and strong heaters, on the other hand, will attack the material of your shoes, causing them to wear out much more quickly.
4. drink as if it were summer
Even if it doesn't seem like it, you lose almost as much fluid in the winter as you do in the summer. It's important to drink a lot immediately after each run and throughout the day.
My secret tip especially at the first signs of a cold:
Homemade Ginger Orange Limo:
1 freshly squeezed organic orange, 3cm ginger, 1 teaspoon honey, 1/3 teaspoon cinnamon and 300ml water. Put all ingredients together in the blender and run on high for one minute.
5. after intensive sessions in the sauna
Due to the cold, muscles are often tense after particularly intense units. A visit to the sauna relaxes the muscles so much that you feel much better the next day. In addition, a visit to the sauna strengthens the immune system and helps to relax the soul. In winter, a weekly visit to the sauna for a healthy mind is a body quasi. Duty.
6. expand the winter horizon
Due to the early darkness, you can often only run the same routes over and over again with lighting. On other routes, you usually have to calculate exactly to be back before dark and can not spontaneously hang a round on it when you feel good. That's why in winter I love my headlamp from Lupine, which is so bright that I can run all my favorite routes even in the twilight or complete darkness,
7. stay flexible in training
If you are preparing for an important race, you should stay flexible during especially important training sessions. If it is particularly slippery, it is much smarter in the long run to simply postpone the session. If conditions are bad, you probably won't be able to achieve the training stimulus you want, and the risk of injury is far too high.
One day of patience can make the difference between a great winter workout and a series of injuries that follow you into spring .
8. beat the wind
On windy days, it is recommended to run against the wind first and with a tailwind for the second half. Otherwise, the tailwind will make you very warm and the cold wind will make you very uncomfortable on the way back. If the wind is particularly strong, you can also run against it in intervals to make it easier mentally (for example, 10 minutes against the wind, then turn 5 minutes with tail wind, repeat the same and then run back).
9. strong immune system
The most important factor in reaching your goals in the spring is to have a winter ohge ne major training downtime due to colds. Although I'm not a big proponent of supplements, I've made it through the last three years without a cold thanks to zinc (I prefer vitamin C and zinc from Active 3) and vitamin D supplements. Cinnamon and ginger are also helpful in preventing inflammation.
10. chase the sun
Winter seems half as long when you spend a few days in the south. I myself prefer to go to Monte Gordo (Algave, Portugal) in January, where you can meet almost all the stars of the German scene. The dark days in November and December are so much more bearable when you're looking forward to the sun in Portugal, and you tank up on so much fun running there that you can also master February with panache.