"this time of year" you say, but how many years has it been that bad? I lived in south-central Michigan for a decade starting in 2000 and could count on one hand the number of days things were that bad.
michiganxcrunner wrote:
Personally, i have not had access to "run-able" roads in over a week. Idk how HB manages to find a decent route this time of year...
Er... wrote:
"this time of year" you say, but how many years has it been that bad? I lived in south-central Michigan for a decade starting in 2000 and could count on one hand the number of days things were that bad.
michiganxcrunner wrote:Personally, i have not had access to "run-able" roads in over a week. Idk how HB manages to find a decent route this time of year...
Good point, most years aren't this bad.
Good point, most years aren't this bad.[/quote]
Dang Obama...
Here's how. Hanson - "Run 5:00 pace", Athlete "But there is a foot of snow", Hanson - "Eff you, go home sissy." Thanks coach.
It's not a problem finding a paved route, they go to stoney which is groomed year round. Most of them go to the gym to hit the treadmill to log junk miles there after they do their workouts on really bad days. They also go to Florida for a bit, and have access to Clint's alter g.
fsdfasfas wrote:
michiganxcrunner wrote:I live 30 minutes away from where they train. We have about 14" of snow right now, and yesterday's high temp was -1. Windchill is pretty brutal too.
The Hansons crew does a lot of its training at local parks with paved hike/bike trails. These turn into ice slicks after a snowstorm, if they are even plowed in the first place.
Personally, i have not had access to "run-able" roads in over a week. Idk how HB manages to find a decent route this time of year...
I live about 10 minutes from where they usually train. The running has not been that bad, just a little cold. They plow a lot of the areas that they run. They also go to Florida every few weeks on cycles so they aren't here in Michigan freezing every single day. They get a nice break from the monotony.
After many Siberian winters in Canada and Buffalo, my observation is that winter running in such environments forces one to slow down and really do base work. Footing is generally more an issue than cold. I was sick a lot more often up there than in the south, where I am now, which is partly attributable to people being congregated indoors during the winter up there and also, I hypothesize, the impact of enduring endless cold days on the immune system. But to return to the OP's issue, it is not fun to do serious road work in the dark when it is freezing--apart from the psychological advantage of knowing that one is a hard case. There is another effect of northern running: winter is long and one may be prone to seasonal affective disorder. I can understand living in chilly Boulder, for the altitude, scenery and coolness, but Detroit, like Buffalo, is another matter.
I always have that mindset "I'm the only one out here in this weather. I'm getting tough" It usually does get old for me about the last week of Feb, but by then, the days are starting to get longer (running in daylight more) and you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. But to answer the "how" in the OP, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OORsz2d1H7s
I trained for 14 years in Edmonton Alberta Canada. -40 is not too difficult to train in. I had some problems in the first mile or so with my feet, but the bigger problem was getting too hot in the last 2 to 3 miles. When you dress in layers, the hot air doesn't escape. I've run in Balaclavas when it got that cold, but that may only be 2 - 4 weeks out of the year. If you are a professional, I'd think January would be a good month to go do your altitude training.
If just some of your training is in very cold weather I can't see how that can't be detrimental. It is an added stimulus. Maybe not as beneficial as altitude, but heat, cold and altitude are all an added stimulus to your body. Plus dressing appropriately and getting a safe place to run, the cold isn't all that bad.
If just some of your training is in very cold weather I can't see how that can be detrimental. It is an added stimulus. Maybe not as beneficial as altitude, but heat, cold and altitude are all an added stimulus to your body. Plus dressing appropriately and getting a safe place to run, the cold isn't all that bad.
I toiled through several winters as a Hansons athlete. Workouts were almost never adjusted for conditions. So we got the work in, but I was always pretty surprised there wasn't more concern for injuries-especially to the top runners-which did happen.
-26F wrote:
But if running in snow and on ice was a benefit, you'd see all the east Africans training in Norway.
Obvious hyperbole. The east Africans don't have the luxury of choosing where to train, let alone in Norway, the most expensive country in the world. Heck, most American runners don't have the means to just move and train wherever they want.
Norway is a bad example anyhow. In Northern Norway we have had roughly 8-10 C all of November and December, tropical compared to the American Midwest or Canada, heck, compared to the US Southeast for that matter. Sure, it gets -30 sometimes, and the ice normally blankets the earth from October to May, but its rarely as cold as those continental areas.
That said, the ice makes it such that most guys round here do faster work on a treadmill or an indoor track. I always wondered if the dry air in continental areas makes the snow grippier than it does in icy coastal areas.
I actually prefer the very cold dry weather instead of just-below-zero temperatures, because at least then the snow/ice is firm and grippy.
EskimoCanadian wrote:
I trained for 14 years in Edmonton Alberta Canada. -40 is not too difficult to train in. I had some problems in the first mile or so with my feet, but the bigger problem was getting too hot in the last 2 to 3 miles. When you dress in layers, the hot air doesn't escape. I've run in Balaclavas when it got that cold, but that may only be 2 - 4 weeks out of the year. If you are a professional, I'd think January would be a good month to go do your altitude training.
I was sweating like a pig from overdressing when I ran in 5 degree (F) weather. I was much more comfortable running in 17 degrees in shorts.
I live in Wisconsin. In college, we didn't have an indoor track my first 2 years, and we'd do repeats out on the road, in the dark, with crappy footing. You hated it, but it wasn't that much different, and you felt mentally tougher for doing it... the only benefit I felt was mental toughness and that toughness made falling down a few times a year worth it.
The most important piece of equipment for winter running is Wind briefs. If you've had your pecker freeze, you'd know it's the worst kind of pain ever... the cold isn't bad, it's the wind chill that gets you. Good wind proof winter gear and you can run in sub zero pretty easily.
Giddy wrote:
The most important piece of equipment for winter running is Wind briefs. If you've had your pecker freeze, you'd know it's the worst kind of pain ever...
I had an unpleasant experience with this last week in New York -- I was phenomenally underdressed and it was quite windy -- so I could imagine that if it were a constant threat, you'd take it very seriously.
As to these trips the HB and Team USA guys are taking down south -- who foots the bill on that one?
Hanson Brooks 6 mile tempo on ice
Hansons-Brooks:
Half Marathon Lactate Threshold Workout on ice
people who buy brooks productsScottEvil wrote:
Giddy wrote:The most important piece of equipment for winter running is Wind briefs. If you've had your pecker freeze, you'd know it's the worst kind of pain ever...
I had an unpleasant experience with this last week in New York -- I was phenomenally underdressed and it was quite windy -- so I could imagine that if it were a constant threat, you'd take it very seriously.
As to these trips the HB and Team USA guys are taking down south -- who foots the bill on that one?