Run to Win

In a collaborative effort with Scott over at Straight to the Bar, we will be writing about workout locations for the month of December. You can expect a new article on the matter every week.

Scott starts us off by discussing how best to use the beach for your workouts. Some of the suitable types of workouts that he discusses are:

1. Hill sprints on dunes
2. Kettlebell training
3. Team sports and activites
4. Medicine ball workout
5. Yoga

Scott is on the other side of the planet from me, where it is now the Summer. December in Maine is not usually the best time to spend at the beach, so I probably will wait to act on his advice for at least a few months. The lakes have not frozen yet, but when they do I will begin my runs on the beaches and head out for some ice workouts. Frozen lakes and ponds can make for a great running workout, especially on a windy day. Just be sure to dress appropriately.

He does include some great ideas, a few of which I have done myself and a few of which I will look into doing in the future. When I was in college, we used to do a 15 mile run on Daytona Beach during Spring training every year. I have such fond memories of those runs that I wrote about it in June of 2005 and in July of 2006.

One of my favorite runs has to be the preseason Beach Run at Daytona Beach.

When I was in college, we had two preseasons each year. At the end of each Summer my cross country team would get together a week or two before classes started. We would go somewhere different every year or two, such as Pelee Island in the middle of Lake Erie, or to camps in the middle of Pennsylvania or in Maine. Before each track season, however, we would always spend our Spring Break (which fell in the middle of Winter) down in Florida. Specifically, we would stay at Camp Winona, which is about 20 minutes west of Daytona.
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When I was in college, we used to go down to Camp Winona for Spring training. 10 miles in the morning, 5 in the afternoon, hang out in Daytona or at Lake Winona the rest of the day.

One day during each trip we would check to see when low tide was going to be early in the morning, and we would drive over to Daytona Beach. Whoever was hurting most and unable to do the run would drop everyone off, and then get donuts and bagels and fill the water jugs. They would wait for us 15 miles down the beach.

That used to be my favorite run. It was hell on your legs, it was hell on your skin, but it was a lot of fun. It helped me learn to deal with the heat when running, which is no small skill to have, even in Maine. There may only be 2 or 3 months of heat like that, but the races are still there and it still gets quite hot.

Proper fueling and hydration are paramount. Sunscreen helps too. Warmups aren’t as important, and should just be long enough to get loose. And if at the end of your run you are able to jump in the ocean, so much the better.