Winter Running Motivation!

 Are you in a funk with your training? Don’t worry, you aren’t alone. The winter is one of the hardest times of the year to train. Every year, I seem to lose my mental steam right around the middle of February. For me, gray skies, sleet/ice, and wind easily do me in. For the majority of us targeting a spring race, motivation can be hard to find when you walk outside and get hit in the face with 15 mile per hour sideways wind! And trust me, although I claim to be Mr. Positive, I’m first in line when it comes to throwing myself a pity party on the roads.  I preach it all the time to my athletes, if you want to get better you have to train year round. This means training through all four seasons. The reality is that on race day you will not be able to choose your perfect forecast. Last year I had several athletes thank me for making them run in the rain before the Boston Marathon. Never did we think in their training that they would face the harshest conditions Boston has ever seen. When you buy into the hard days in training, it’s easier to buy into whatever is thrown your way on race day. For anyone feeling down on themselves with their training, don’t beat yourself up. You are a workout or long run away from finding your stride. Take your runs one run at a time and if you need an extra incentive to keep training, sign up for a local race. I am sure most us can relate to an instance where signing up for a race unexpected contributed to turning your training around in a positive way. Continue to set goals and remind yourself that no matter the time on your watch, effort is effort. You will always improve from training and if the weather doesn’t allow for fast times, so be it. You will be fitter for the work on the day it counts. Good luck! *Our team at Spewak Training is accepting new clients. Having a coach by your side can make a positive difference in your morale and training for race day. Contact us today!*