Attention Race Event Directors

Are you looking for a ready source for all things running? If so then you are in luck. Local Sudbury athlete Derek Lalonde has developed a comprehensive website dedicated to assisting all levels of runners in meeting their objectives. Derek states the website has been a labour of love for over a year now. His main goal is to provide quality content to anyone interested in reading about it. I've gone through a lot of it and he's done a great job. I would bookmark this site.

An excerpt from the front page:
Welcome to Meet Your Running Goals! When it comes to meeting your running goals, running training is really only one part of your journey. If you take the time to explore, I'm sure you’ll find that there is SO much more here to discover that can help you to become a stronger, faster and overall healthier runner. Whether you are just starting out and looking to move from the couch to run your first 5k race or are trying to break that 3 hour marathon barrier, I’m here to help! For two decades I’ve been setting goals, training, celebrating and on occasion, disappointed well before the finish line. I love everything to do with the exploration of running training actions that result in adaptations. My mission is to provide you with the strategies, tools and motivation to help you reach the finish line feeling strong and yearning to come back for more. Running is such a beautiful sport, yielding so many rewards in more ways that you can imagine. You deserve the opportunity to realize your potential and go where you never thought you could before! ...Read more

For many folks, winter is a time for training on the treadmill. No doubt, treadmills have their place and can be wonderful training tools with many benefits, but it’s also important to acclimatize to colder weather and really reap the rewards in the spring racing season. To ensure that you adapt well to colder weather, 25% of your mileage should be outdoors right through the winter.

It's important to dress for the conditions you will encounter. 'Dri-fit' covered with cotton will compromise the layer and hold the sweat in until your base layer is saturated. So for example on a cold windy day, wear a base layer(underwear/long johns and shirt) of moisture wicking clothing followed by another layer perhaps a bit thicker followed by a wind shell jacket. The goal is to dress warm enough but not overdress so that you’ll overheat. Since it takes a good 15 minutes to warm up, it can be hard to tell right out the door if you done a good job. A few light extras such as a bella clava that you can keep around your neck, can make a big difference, especially during the second half of a long run, after the sun has gone down and the temperature plummets! Regular thickness socks and regular training shoes usually do. Since running causes a high velocity of blood flow through your feet, you will rarely experience cold toes while running. Unless of course, you fail to wear moisture wicking socks or start off your run with wet feet! If you don cleats, ensure that they are big enough to go over your shoes without constricting your toes.

From head to toe, here is a list of must-have cold weather running gear if you plan to run outside this winter in comfort:
•Base Layer – moisture wicking short or long sleeve shirts and long johns to wear directly against your skin
•Cleats – slip over your shoes
•Grease – for seams, cheeks and lips to protect from wind and sun burn
•Anti-fog glasses – yet to find completely anti-fog glasses but some are better than others
•Gloves and Mitts – gloves will be fine until you get colder than minus 10 Celsius at which point, your hands will be warmer if your fingers are together
•Light and Heavy toque – toques are probably your most important cold weather running gear as far as temperature regulation goes. As with gloves, light dri-fit toques that cover your ears will suffice unless it’s very windy or the temperature falls below minus 10 Celsius
•Bella Clava – these are great and you should rarely leave home without one. They can lightly stack around your neck to be easily pulled up to cover your head, forehead, chin and neck if need be.
•Shell – light, moisture wicking jacket with kidney protection beaver tail that offers wind protection.
•Underwear – running underwear has soft seams, is moisture wicking and as a bonus can be covered with wind breaking material (a male runner’s best friend)

Good luck with your winter running.