The weather is getting cooler, the leaves are starting to fall, and race season is upon us!
Fall is perfect for running so let’s crank up the intensity and get ready for a fabulous running season!
Need a few reasons to kick it into high gear?
1. Ideal Temperatures – The air is cooler and usually much dryer, so your run will involve less discomforts like sweating and rapid dehydration. Dress lightly enough so that you’re a little chilly at the beginning of your run, and then feel great at the end. You can also reap the benefits of layering by starting with a long sleeved shirt and shedding it when you feel too warm.
2. Beautiful Scenery – There is nothing prettier than the way the orange, red and yellow trees light up your surroundings before the leaves drop. The breathtaking views can really make a dull route feel fresh. It’s fun to get out there and see which trees have turned, feel the crunch of leaves underfoot, and take in that unmistakable scent of fall in the air.
3. Fun Races – Summer races are full of new shoes, sunglasses and runners excited about the end of running in the cold winter weather. But fall races are cooler, dryer, and sprinkled with capes, devil horns and wacky Halloween costumes. Combine fun Turkey Trots and Christmas themed races with your hard work to help you loosen up.
4. Yummy Food – Fall is a time for comfort food. Thanksgiving dinner, pies, grandma’s cookies, and family gatherings all lead to serious calorie intake. The average American gains one to five pounds during the holiday season, and most of that weight is never lost again. Does that mean you have to sacrifice mashed potatoes and apple pie? Not necessarily. If you remain committed to your run schedule you can indulge a little and still stay ahead of those extra pounds.
Running in the heat and humidity of summer presents a lot of challenges to us as runners. The constant sweat, the tough workouts, and the scorching sun make summer training difficult. But as the temperatures start dropping and it’s noticeably dryer outside, running will get easier….and your times will get faster!
Now that’s summer is mostly behind us, we have a huge opportunity to benefit from training through those brutal summer days, reaping the rewards of all that hard work we put in from June-August.
Not only have we gained fitness from our summer strength and running workouts, but we’ve also gained so much from training in the heat and humidity. Mark Coleman, who writes at FoCo Runner, says that heat limits the use of oxygen in the body and “causes body temperature to rise out of the optimum range for metabolic chemical reactions (and other biochemistry) to function normally.” After an adaption period of a few weeks, your body will get used to running in the scorching heat. You’ll release less electrolytes in your sweat and regulate your temperature more efficiently. You’ll be better suited to avoid dehydration.
These adaptations give you an advantage to racing in cool weather! YAY!!
What does this mean for us? Since we worked hard over the summer and acclimated to the heat, our body is more efficient right now. It can cool itself more effectively with less energy and resources. Our cardiovascular system doesn’t have to work as hard as it once did when it was 90+ degrees. Take advantage of this time of year and your new efficiency!
Get out there and race – you may just surprise yourself.
OK hold on…just because it’s ideal racing season doesn’t mean you should abandon your strength training. We can always get stronger…and it will continue to help us avoid injuries and run even faster!
We’ve got another great month planned with lots of fun new moves to learn! Please make sure you watch the how to videos and try each move in front of a mirror to make sure you’re doing them correctly. I will post videos during the first weeks of October showing you how to do them as well.
Ready for our October Strength Challenge? Here we go!!!
BE STRONGER THAN YOUR EXCUSES. COMMIT TO BE FIT!
Same set up as previous month but TONS of new exercises! Please do not hesitate to ask questions about any of the exercises you’re not sure about. A link to our how to video pages is below. Let’s do this! 🙂
October 2016 Challenge – How To Videos
October Plank: As you look over the calendar you’ll notice that we’ve switched up the plank situation just a bit. Instead of doing our planks during our daily workout, we’re going to do one :60 plank right before bedtime. Nothing fancy, just a one minute regular plank before we call it a night. 🙂
October 2016 Challenge Calendar:
Day 3: Exercise Makes Us Happy!
Day 4: Don’t Stop Till You’re Done!
Day 12: Consistency….Refuse to Give Up!
Day 18: Out of My Way, It’s Leg Day!
Strong to the Core 