Shakeout: Using What You Have

Hills, hills and more hills

Every year in mid-February, my son and I head to New Jersey to visit family during his school vacation week. You may not think much of the Garden State as a winter destination, and you’d be largely correct.

It’s cold and windy just like it is back home in the greater Boston area. It’s just not as cold. Think 20s and 30s instead of single digits and mid-teens. Not exactly prime running conditions, but a whole lot better than what we left behind.

After weeks of playing peek-a boo with various weather systems, I’m also enjoying the psychological boost of knowing I don’t have to sneak in runs ahead of the next storm. The only issue is a thick layer of ice covering most of my usual haunts. That means running fast on flat ground is out of the question. Running fast uphill, however, is another matter.

When it comes to winter training, you’ve got to use what you have, and what we have in Jersey are endless amounts of rolling hills. Those hills are what formed me as a young runner and those hills are what we’re going to lean into this week with yet another slightly modified training plan from what we had scheduled.