5 tips to beat the Winter Fitness Blues

It’s officially the dead of winter. If you’re not careful, February in Montreal can freeze you from the inside out. With temperatures ranging from minus 20 to minus 30 degrees Celsius, it can be hard to stay focused on your fitness goals. When most forms of life are hibernating, the idea of waking up early and heading out in the dark to workout can be overwhelming. February is also notorious for seasonal depression and the abandoning of well meaning New Years resolutions.

So how does one beat the winter blues and stay on track during this difficult time of year?

1. Get more SLEEP!

As parents we are keen to put our kids to bed early but we rarely follow our own advice. Children are living proof that getting enough sleep is the key to waking up happy and perky. Yet adults will stay up late watching hours of mind numbing television or surfing the net for no good reason. We tend to say that we are relaxing but this type of “relaxing” actually make us feel worse the next day. We have all heard of the recommended 8 hours a night but it is slightly different for each person. Find out what your body needs and follow it’s lead. Waking up refreshed makes it easier to stick with your workout plans.

2. Plan to FUEL correctly!

During the long, cold months we have a natural tendency to gravitate towards comfort foods. Hot, melt in your mouth, heavy, greasy, savory comfort foods. Let’s be honest here -whatever your comfort food is, chances are it’s not a salad! So planning and preparing in advance is the key to consuming healthy, warm comfort foods that work with your fitness goals instead of against them. There are millions of recipes floating around cyberspace that can fuel your nutritional and fitness needs without resorting to carb loading like an ultra runner each day. Make the effort in advance so that you won’t reach for an old unhealthy standby when you are cold and hungry.

3. Find the SUNSHINE!

Here’s a tricky one. Montreal often has clear skies and beautiful sunshine even when it’s minus 25. This is a great bonus but it doesn’t happen every day nor does this hold true for all cold weather cities. So what to do when you need a little vitamin D to get you going? Well if it is a nice day, spend some time soaking in the sunshine from indoors, like a cat on a windowsill. Find the rays of sunlight that are filtering through the window and take a moment to stop, close your eyes and feel the warmth. When the days are long and dark, feel the warmth of the tropics at your nearest hot yoga studio. Yoga is a fabulous compliment to running as well as many other sports and fitness activities. Hot yoga and a little imagination will make your savasana feel like a beautiful day on the beach in Cancun.

4. DRESS for success!

Again this is a case against us parents of “Do as I say not as I do”. The reality is that most kids love winter and love playing in the snow. They never seem to be cold and they’re always happy to be outside. Meanwhile their parents are huddled nearby complaining about the weather. What’s their secret you ask? WINTER CLOTHES. When was the last time us grownups wore snow pants, hats, neck warmers and proper gloves? Too many of us are preoccupied with our children and making sure they don’t get frostbite but we run out of the house in jeans, no hat and a jacket that we would only let our kids wear in the fall. No wonder it’s hard to follow through with our fitness goals, many of us are too frozen to even think of working out!

5. Connect to NATURE!

If you can follow the above advice then this one is easy. Nothing says childhood nostalgia more than indulging in ice skating, fort building, skiing, snowshoeing, sledding and general outdoor winter fun. In the winter our first instinct is stay indoors but if we are well rested, well fueled and properly dressed, we CAN be active throughout the winter. If you can be active in nature no matter the weather, then you will be more inclined to stick to your goals instead of hibernating the winter away.

And when all else fails remember…. 

Are you still on track with your fitness goals from January or has winter got you down? If so how do you fight back?

#GoRunnerGo   🙂

Resolution Run COMPLETED!!!

I made it!! Turns out that I can make it through a mountain night race in -20 degrees Celsius without having to be rescued by emergency services!! Woohoo!! This not to say by any means that it was easy….so let’s start from the beginning.

Timing was a bit stressful…I hadn’t picked up my race kit in advance as we had been out of town all week. So I needed to get to the race location early and get organized. Normally we always go as a family to the races but this time my 6 year old son was scheduled to spend the afternoon/evening at a friend’s house instead. However, last minute scheduling mishaps occurred and his plans were cancelled. Then they were back on. Then they were cancelled. We started driving, then turned back, then drove away, then back again. Then we stopped in front of the friend’s house (which just happens to be the neighbors, so really we were just back where we started) Let’s just say this was the last time I let my husband and the other dad organize a play date! Fellow mommies, I’m sure you are with me on this one!!

Here’s a great little moment we had in the car as we left the house….see Zach smiling in the backseat? It’s approximately 5 minutes before all hell broke loose. After changing the plans on him so many times it was just too much for this little 6 year old to handle. He lost his sh*t. Totally. Completely. Lost it.

After some intense yelling and crying from pretty much everyone, we finally left Zach at his buddy’s house and headed out for good this time. Of course now we were about 30 minutes off our scheduled time. I am a very punctual person, I HATE being late. So of course I spent the entire car ride imagining how I was going to miss the race. Luckily my hubby (who normally drives at snail pace)  did me a little favor this time around and revved it up to a snappy turtle speed so we actually made it to the race with a couple of minutes to spare 😉

I made a run for the chalet to get organized while hubby and baby girl looked for parking. By the time I had picked up my race kit and changed my clothes, they arrived to meet me. Only they were FROZEN. Aaaand cue the music…...Let it go! can’t hold me back anyyyyymorrrrreeeee!!!!! No really…..Chloe was actually singing Let It Go at the top of her lungs. Lol 🙂 Just can’t get away from that song!!

Apparently parking was quite far which meant that in order to meet me before the race started, hubby had to run uphill while pushing a heavy stroller in the snow filled with 3 year old wearing a full snowsuit singing Let It Go. And he had lost his gloves. Needless to say he was not impressed. So Chloe and her daddy decided to stay inside the warm chalet instead of seeing me off at the starting line. They grabbed some hot chocolate and hoped to thaw out by the time I came back.

After a quick hug from my little princess, I was off! It was finally time for me to run 🙂

I headed out into the frigid night and took my place in the crowd. Everyone was jumping, hopping and getting excited. I tried to stay focused and not to get too lost in the excitement of the moment. As much as I love that part right before a race, I also know that hype can mess me up and make me start out too quickly. I already knew the course and knew how hard this was going to be. So I focused on aiming to keep an easy, manageable pace and save some energy for the dreaded uphill battle I knew would come at the end.

And just like that, it had started!!! OMG….it’s so hard to breathe while running straight into the wind! The trail started out downhill but it was really icy. So icy that the treads did not help, I actually had to gallop sideways down the trail for one part in order to avoid face planting into the ground. Yeah…and that was before we hit the uphill section…..This was by far the hardest race I have ever run….but I did it. I survived 🙂

Despite the -20 degree temps, the blowing snow and that icy trail, I can truly say that it was magical experience. Did I get a PR? Nope, far from it!!  In fact I ran this 5km in 35 minutes which not only is much longer than my previous PR but it is way longer than the best I’ve ever done in practice and especially long compared to the time of 27 minutes that I hit at the 5km mark during my 10km race back in November.

However none of that mattered to me one bit. Running up and down Mont Royal and looking out at the lights of Montreal was so beautiful and so surreal that speed, time, pace etc…didn’t matter at all. I enjoyed the challenge of each step, the view, the cold air in my lungs. I marveled at how far I have come. Had someone asked me 2 years ago if I would run, race or hell even go outside in winter?!? I would have laughed and called them crazy. Running has taken me to a place I never knew existed. It is a place inside myself where pure happiness is born and seems to permeate every other aspect of my life. I was thankful as I ran. I relished every moment of this race and those are memories that I know will last forever.

So despite my fears about this race, I did make it through. Although no PR was to be had and due to the arctic temperature my lovely family was not at the finish line cheering as they usually are, it was still overall a beautiful experience.

This was the view from just outside the chalet. Such a beautiful view makes this Montreal Runner Mom even more in love with her city 🙂

So my friends, 2014 has come to an end. For me, it was a year of new beginnings and some great accomplishments but I am just getting started….2015 is going to ROCK like nothing before. This is the year that I am more focused, more driven, more appreciative and more authentic then ever before.

Wishing a very Happy New Year to all the my fellow runners, bloggers and family & friends out there. May your 2015 be the best you’ve ever had. Make it count. It’s the only 2015 you will ever have.

XO

Race Day!

Today is race day!! Montreal Resolution Run here I come! Woohoo!! So excited!

Yesterday I spent the day in the car driving home from an awesome family vacation in Connecticut. Holidays were fabulous but I over ate and over drank to the max and am now feeling slightly more sluggish than normal. Oh well, ’tis the season!!

However on the positive side, the running was awesome in CT. With no snow, super mild weather and running trails along the beach and through wooded areas, it was just pure heaven! So I did get in some good distance and speed training, which was great. And although I’m a little stiff from from the 8 hour car trip back, it’s nothing I can’t handle.

Overall, I am rested and ready to run 🙂

My last 5km PR was 30min 40sec back in September at the Montreal Rock n’ Roll race. I am wondering if I can maintain that time or even better beat it. I know I could beat it easily if conditions were the same. When I did the 10km in November I hit the halfway mark at 27 minutes. However I am unsure of how the winter weather will play into it. When I trained on the course over a week ago it did take much longer but hopefully those disasters were just a fluke. See the 5 reasons why for all the details!

So….the question remains, am I really ready to run uphill, in the dark and freezing cold?? Ummm….I’m honestly not sure but I will find out soon enough. If nothing else, this will be an experience to remember!

Time to eat well, hydrate, rest up, pack my bag and get mentally focused for this race.

Ommmmmmmmm…………………………………………..

Let the countdown to the run begin! 5.5 hours till race time!

Send some good running vibes my way please!

🙂

Back on track baby!!

I did it!! I finally had a good training week despite the snowstorm!! This week has been my get back on track week after being sick and succumbing to nasty winter slushy weather. I got three runs in this week, each progressively getting better despite the snow!!

Tuesday 5km, Wednesday 8km, Thursday was a rest day in part due to the storm and just because I needed the rest and then today….finally got my 10km 🙂

I haven’t run 10km in a couple of weeks and boy did it feel good! This week’s snowstorm was our first really big one of the season but lots of snow also means really nice mild running conditions. As long as the streets, trails and pathways have been cleared it’s a great time for winter running. Luckily my area was well cleared and easy to navigate through, which helped to get me back on track.

Winter running can actually be a beautiful and surreal experience. When everything is covered in snow, the world looks like a magical fantasy land. Everyday items like a lamp post or fence all of a sudden have softened and have mystical qualities. The trees heavy with snow become misshapen yet remarkable. By taking the time to really breathe in beauty of the snow while running, my mind flowed towards these words…..(apologies for mix of languages, my thought process sometimes does that!)

Magical majestic white flocons de neige

A beautiful tempête whirls dans l’air

Comme un ange that dances in the rays du soleil

We welcome l’hiver once again

So much beauty and wonder in can be found along a good snowy running trail. I wish everyone could experience it! That is of course if you remember to slow down and look up! Sometimes that’ s hard to do, especially if it’s icy but this week was all nicely packed snow 🙂

After this fabulous week I feel much more confident about the upcoming race and I still have a good 2.5 weeks to go! Next week I will take a couple of opportunities to train on the actual course. Then I’m off to Connecticut for a week where I can boost up my speed running without any snow!! So excited for that!

The race is on the 30th, then once the New Year’s deals hit, gym membership it is. I have been grudgingly talking about joining a gym for a while now and every time I do my mood turns sour….so now I decided to look at it another way. Instead of griping about having to go to the gym, I am getting psyched to do so because once January and gym time begin, there will only be 3 short months before the snow is gone and spring is here 🙂

So bring on the gym!!!

After all…..

Happy snowy trails to all! 🙂

New Kicks!

I won the contest!!! Can’t believe I actually won!!! 

Last Friday I entered a Running Room FB contest for a new pair of Brooks shoes. Just needed to post what I love about winter running with the #runhappy. I also included a little selfie of moi running outside on a snowy day and voilà!

Tons of random votes from all across the country and the announcement came yesterday afternoon that I was indeed the winner. Will be picking up my new pair of kicks at my local Running Room this week 🙂

I’ve never won anything before so this is pretty exciting for me. Hmmm….maybe I should play the lottery too!!

With brand new shoes just in time for a 15cm snowstorm tomorrow I have no excuse but to join a gym! I’ve actually been putting it off for a couple of weeks (although been doing the research and visiting a few places around town) but with new shoes which I refuse to wear outside until the snow melts and the streets are clean again, it must be done!!! This way my old shoes can get wet and dirty outside and my new clean babies will only see the treadmill until April 🙂

My last pair were Asics and my new winning pair are Brooks which I’ve never tried before. It will be interesting to see the difference. Anyone out there have a shoe preference? I’d be interested to know your choices. I have a terrible habit of buying shoes for superficial reasons and not practical ones. This usually involves the running shoe salesman trying to convince me to buy a particular pair that are a good choice for my feet and running style but do not in any way please me aesthetically. Needless to say it takes me forever to buy running shoes!! However….I love the purple, pink and orange of these shoes, so fingers crossed they fit well and I get the thumbs up from the running shoe gurus 😉

Race Update……

So it’s officially 21 days until my next race and I will admit to slacking off in the training department lately. It’s been cold, wet, icy and I’ve been feeling a bit sick this last week too. My little monkeys have brought home the first batch of winter germs from school and daycare and lovingly passed them on to me. However, I need to get my training into gear because with only 21 days left, the time will go by very quickly, especially over the holiday week.

Mount Royal Resolution Run is coming soon and right now the equation goes like this….

Less than stellar training + Snowy hills + below freezing temps + night race = Lost in the dark, hypothermic runner popsicle

However if I up my training, work those hills and train on the course I might actually finish with a half decent time! So that’s my goal and I’m getting back on track towards it!

Here we goooooo!!!!!

Wishing all my friends in blog land a very happy day 🙂

My Holiday Wish List

It’s the end of November and the time has come to start thinking about holiday shopping! Shopping at any time of year is one of my favorite activities however holiday shopping absolutely tops my list! I love spending hours online and in stores searching for just the right gifts that my family and friends will enjoy.

However as I start my research and begin shopping for others, I also begin creating my own wish list……teeheehee!! This year much of my wish list is of course running themed. While compiling my own list I noticed that despite the obvious theme, the items I like cover everything from technology to clothing to home decor. You wouldn’t think there are so many running themed things to buy….but there are 🙂 🙂

Here we go…..My Holiday Wish List!

Tech Accessories

Yurbuds

I officially lost my iPhone ear buds during Halloween because of course, I dressed up as a runner! 😉 My costume was a full racing get up, complete with a bib pinned on, medal around my neck, fuel belt and my ear buds. I wore this “costume” to work and had a great time until I had to take out the ear buds in order to hear other people speak (what a concept!) and then promptly lost them. Since then I’ve been using the uncomfortable and pretty useless ones from the dollar store. I have officially suffered enough…so Santa…..I need Yurbuds for Christmas please!

A great little stocking stuffer for all runners!

www.yurbuds.com

Garmin Watch

Okay so this can be a big ticket item for sure but it is oh so pretty and very useful! This Garmin running watch keeps track of all your running stats, gives feedback and helps to motivate you to do better each time you run. And…it beats getting your regular every day watch all sweaty 😉

Check out their many different styles, there’s one for every price range!

www.garmin.com

iPhone case

Hmmm….totally not a necessity I know but I recently saw it online and just fell in love…..describes me to a T!

With so many running cases, it’s easy to find one with a favorite quote, photo or even customize your own! 

www.goneforarun.com

Winter Accessories

Trax

Living in Montreal and running in the cold, snowy weather makes these an absolute necessity! Having those little ice picks on the bottom of your running shoes gives you the security and peace of mind to be able to focus on your run and not on trying to avoid the ice. Practicality doesn’t top everyone’s list of favorite gifts but let’s face it, if it’s something you will actually use then it’s a good gift!

Great gift for the winter runner on your list!

www.ca.shop.runningroom.com

Wool Buff

So here’s the thing….it’s not pretty or stylish by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, just add a tuque and you actually look like you are going to rob a bank wearing this thing. You also don’t need one all the time. In fact much of the winter you could probably get away with not wearing one. However…..on those really cold early morning runs when the wind is howling and the snow is blowing and you can feel your nose hairs gluing themselves together…that’s when you need a wool buff!!

Don’t let your favorite runner be caught without one!

www.buffusa.com

Home Decor

Decorative Pillow

I guess I must be a sucker for inspiration lately because this pillow just got to me. It’s the kind of thing that makes you smile AND makes you feel guilty if you were considering not running today! Just the thought of walking past this pretty little item and not going for a run makes me want to lace up right now!

Available in different colors and with various quotes. Find your perfect one today!

www.goneforarun.com

Medal & Bib Display

This is a new one for me….now that I have bibs and medals from soon to be 5 races, I have started thinking about how to display my current and future ones. For now they are on the cork board in my office but I wanted to find something a little more special. I am all about inspirational reminders and thought this could be a great way to begin displaying my collection and stay inspired at the same time!

Encourage yourself or a friend to continue their running journey by displaying their achievements!

www.goneforarun.com

www.mile22bags.com

      

So this pretty much sums it up….I love shopping, I love running and together these activities are a match made in heaven!

What’s on your holiday running wish list?

Have a favorite running gadget or item that you love?

Let me know, I’d love to hear from you!! 🙂

Race update!!

Yesterday I registered for the local Resolution Run on December 30th! Yay!!

Okay, so here’s why this is so exciting to me…

I’ve done a few 5km races and recently did my first 10km. I had wanted to get in another 10km before the holidays but haven’t been able to find anything in my area that works with my schedule.

This 5km however is on Mount Royal which is a hill in the center of downtown Montreal. This hill was formed from an ancient extinct volcano and is now covered by a lush forest. Mont Royal is a beautiful location at all times of the year and the views of the city are just fabulous!

View of downtown Montreal from Mount Royal

Racing on the hill not only means elevation to contend with but the time of day will be an interesting factor too. The start time is 5:30pm which means the race will be in complete darkness!

Basically I figured if I can’t get in another 10km why not race on the mountain, in total darkness while the temperature is dropping off for the night? Hahahaa!! I might be losing my mind a little but something about it makes me think it will be fun 🙂

Race map for Mount Royal Resolution Run 2014

Now I just need to stock up some winter running gear because it will be a nasty form of cold that evening I’m sure. And I will need new treads. Last year’s pair were totally worn down at the end of the season and in no way can you run without them in icy winter conditions. Maybe a headlamp too? lol…what a stylish outfit this will be!

Luckily though I will be able to get in some training on the actual course and I must thank FlRunnerBoy for this idea! He posted recently that this was one of the training methods he used to obtain his latest PR and I am eager to try it out for myself!

As well, this race comes at the perfect time of year to counter balance all the eating and drinking of the holidays!  After a week of Christmas feasting and just before New Year’s Eve drinking time, I can use this race to feel a little better about all the gluttony of the holidays! Though I will need to be disciplined with my training in order to be ready for this race. However I’m okay with that because being disciplined about running is much easier for me than being disciplined about eating and drinking!!

So let the countdown to the Montreal Resolution Run 2014 begin!!