Planning winter training

 Well, frankly, does anyone plan anything anymore? What is the point with all the new Covid restrictions? Especially if you live in the north of the country. 

Had another two races cancelled this week (both Lakeland trails) leaving me with only a road race in the calendar (Langdale Half, now sold out, sorry).  And it looks as though we are escalating back on to an emergency rota, of sorts, at work, so even that may go out of the window.

But I looked in the mirror the other day and hated what I saw even more than normal. sI am not running as frequently as I might. This hasn't helped the mental health situation. 

And when I feel down, I get out my diary and write a plan to make myself feel better. But what to do when my normal autumn half marathon, winter marathon, summer fell training cycle has been interrupted? 

So I started looking at what training is feasible with wet weather and longer, darker nights. And what kit might help me to do that. 

Training wise, partly it is about fewer, shorter, higher gain sessions, rather than lots of junk miles. Realistically, this is not going to be the case all the time as sometimes it is nice to just run and that is what the body needs. But run wise I like to fit the following in to a week:

- Hill repeats or a hilly run

- Speed session or tempo  run 

- Long run 

-Club run 

I am lucky to have a good hill about a mile from me to do reps up. It isn't a fell type hill, and in winter I don't go into the woods in the dark, but my reps hill is next to a main road so can be used in early morning/dark evenings. These don't have to be long sessions and I may only do a mile and a half at the hill, with a bit of a warm up and cool down to make 3.5 miles, if time pressured. I will just push harder on the reps. Alternatively I sometimes use my clubs headtorch runs as my hilly run for the week, but sadly rotas mean I am not going to make the next few. These are better training for the fells, but I wouldn't go out on my own in the dark on the fells, as I wouldn't feel comfortable. 

Club runs are more fun than reps but harder to get to after work 

I used to do my speed session at club track night but there is no sign of a return to that. Fortunately our  amazing coaches have posted a few sessions to do on our own. I know I don't push as hard when I do these alone, and often have to shorten the workout, but doing something is better than nothing. I do these locally in the park if I have the light or on wider pavements when it is darker. Sessions can be anything from 300m hard reps to complex time based pyramids to Yassos (a traditional marathon training session). This means some can be short time wise too, which is good when time pressured.  Alternatively, I go out with my running buddy Phil who is a faster runner than I am and pushes me at least for a few miles to up my pace and I think of this as my tempo run. 

Running with Phil makes me push my speed 

The long run is a vital part of any training programme. It can also become the thing you dread when you are building up distance for an event. At the moment, my long runs are only 10-11 miles long, but I would like to try get this up to 12-13 miles over the next few weeks. Also over winter, I would also like to keep doing some of my long runs on trail over winter. It can be a long time in the wet and cold over the winter, but the its good for my overall training to get out and training on undulating and uneven trails. However, over winter I suspect my runs will be lower level, and out of fairness to my partner, I suspect at lot will be at my local trail spot (Rivington) rather than big trips to the Peaks or Lakes. Sadly the long run often gets a bit sledge hammered if I am working the weekend or can't get dog care, but I will keep trying to work around this. One day Oscar puppy will be able to come too. I also try do one long run on  the road each month as it makes me work hard at continuous running as I am prone to walking up the hills on the trails. I try not to get to het up about the pace of these runs whilst I am not really training for much but I need to keep an eye on this to stop things slipping too far. 

Winter trails aren't always as appealing as summer mostly due to rain and mud

Club runs are my social run these days. Again, I may not get there several weeks in a row due to work commitments. Often I lead these runs so they tend to be a slightly more relaxed pace so that I can chat and lead. Run leading is my bit of giving  back to the running community. 

The first club run back post pandemic was a washout, 

giving us a taste of winter weather to come

So that is my runs. I won't get every one of them in to a given week but the hills and speed sessions can be short so squeezed in somewhere with a bit of luck. But what else might help me be a better runner?

After a bit of a recent wake up call, I have realised I can't get away without some strength and conditioning training. I have always shirked this as I would rather just go out for a run with the time, but since having the dog I have come to appreciate working out at home whilst I am dog sitting. I don't have any fancy kit so it is a bit limited but YouTube has a whole made range of workouts, and I have got quite in to doing Nike Training Club workouts as a lot of them are equipment free. They are usually HIIT based but encourage me to do things like squats and jumps that build strength and work range of motion, as well as the core muscles, that otherwise I simply won't do. There is a link  here to the website with more info and links to the downloads. I also would like to do a bit more yoga, and as classes don't seem to be an option with my current busy schedule, YouTube to the rescue once again. I like Yoga with Adrienne and also Sarah Beth Yoga, but dabble with others. Even 10 minutes makes me feel better. 

Finally I don't want to lose all my cycle fitness. I like cycling to work but my partner is quite anti the idea due to the accident rate in Manchester. Fortunately we have a turbo with Zwift so I hope to get some use out of this over winter, and can do short or long workouts depending on my availability. 

My tech and bike obsessed boyfriend means we have a good turbo set up

So that is the workouts, now on to kit. The turbo is self explanatory. But for the running it is worth investing in a few bits. I have a luminous vest a bit like the one below that can be found at various retailers. It is convenient as it can go over any number of layers. 

I also have a few bright coloured long and short sleeved tops. I know a few people who wear reflective bands on their arms and legs, and these are great as they move and so catch the eye of traffic. Aldi often get these in. You can spend a fortune on a light emitting or fully reflective ProVis style jacked but I haven't taken this leap yet. For the fells I have a Petzl Nao + which is amazing headlight but around town I just wear a lightweight camping head torch set to red flash to help traffic and other footpath users see me. A lot of my running friends use the Alpkit Quark as another good fell torch. 

On top of being seen, the other issue iss being warm and dry. A good running waterproof that is both breathable and water proof can save a lot of heart ache and your local independent store is a good place to go and try a few. I actually have two different models; one is a bit more for trails an one I use in town with reflective seams. I can get a bit sweaty in them but it is preferable than hours of wet. Wild Ginger Running has a good video that explains the difference between race weight and proper waterproofs here. In general, her kit reviews are pretty good, as she talks you through the product and gives you an idea of what to look for. 

I am unfussy about base layers but perhaps should pay more attention. Most of my baselayers are either freebies or have been bought for me. I use a lot of race tee's for day to day to training and might put a long sleeve top underneath. At the cheap end, Aldi do a good baselayer merino that I use for everything but if you want something more ethical Patagonia and Howies do some fab, versatile pieces. Notably I use my baselayers for running, cycling, skiing, hiking and pretty much anything. I wear them until they are pretty much holes. My partner is much more discerning but I think he buys a lot of excess kit...

Final kit tips including getting out of wet kit ASAP in winter. When you are running to and from home, this is often easy but for trips to the trails and fells I leave a change of socks and shoes, as well as at least a dry top and coat in the car. I may change all my clothes if I am particularly wet and cold. Don't put your warm dry layer on over wet gear; strip off and then put on dry. I am getting good at changing in the parked car driving seat. You may even want a hat and gloves, and a warm flash waiting for you in the car as you will be cold, wet and in a lower sugar state so can get cold quickly. Even when running home, don't hang around stretching in cold, damp kit; a hot shower and dry clothes won't stop you from stretching after and still reaping most of the benefit. 

So that's my tips. I'd love to hear any kit recommendations or tips for keeping going over the winter from anyone who reads this. Feel free to comment below! I am by no means a kit expert and can go a bit soft in winter! 

I am sort of looking forward to winter if it comes with a bit more of a structured training plan. There is something magic about a warm bath or hot chocolate after are hard workout in the cold. It isn't going to be a great winter, but, to echo Sandi Toksvigs excellent podcast (if you haven't listened, they are very short and interesting), we will get through this.