That would be a “snowy blog”
Its Wednesday and that should be track day…with the heaviest snow fall in the last 30 years to hit Berkshire last night for example, many people will probably be worried about what training to do.
A snow fall like this should be embraced as a chance to do something different. Last night I waited until 10pm when the snow had become quite deep and together with my housemate, Lander went for a magical run in the snow. Everything was still virgin white and the falling snow seemed to kill all the sounds. The roads in our village were clear of cars, as I am sure they were all parked up on the M4. Running was like being in our own Hollywood set, in a picturesque snowy scene. The snow was the perfect depth absorbing the shock of the pounding on the roads yet not too deep to hinder or compromise our running style. I find running in the snow a great stress release and I forget my regular training routine for a few days
Arthur Lydiard used to suggest sand dune running, this time of year to build up leg strength.
Snow is a great alternative to the sand and the deeper it gets the tougher the work out becomes.
Apart from wearing suitable clothing and shoes, I only have two simple rules for snow running:
- Shorten your stride: as this keeps you more stable, and reduces the possibility of slipping.
- Never think in terms of distance: but always run for a set time. 6 miles in deep snow is worth a half marathon on the roads !
You should still enjoy doing intervals in the snow. But think of it as a Stamina workout rather than a speed work. if I run a 400m interval in 90 seconds, I simply run for 90 secs in the snow.
The heart is a muscular pump and can not tell if you are running on the snow or charging round a track.It simply knows how hard it is working and for how long. So today my planned 20x 400m on a two minute circle shall be replaced by a 20x 90secs with 30secs recovery.
Snow running is much less stressful than track running as you don’t have any perceived notions of how fast you should run, however the snow guarantees you get a great work out.
One thing is for sure the snow won’t last long in the UK, so let’s all enjoy it and make the most of it, and don’t not worry about missing bike rides or track sessions.
I love running in the snow!. It’s exhilarating and like you say : Eerily quite.
The next day after the big snow fall the snow froze. I just put on the old studs and that stopped me loosing traction. Great fun Mike!. Running in snow cushions the old feet as well whilst training. I would actually recommend to people : rather than using the snow as an excuse not to run, make the most of it instead.