Many of us are now in the time of year where the colder weather is approaching as fast as the dark evening hours, and the beginning of winter is issuing a challenge to runners everywhere to find the time and the motivation to get out and run.

Gone are the summer days when you arrived home from work and had time to dally around the house or putter in the back yard while you waited for the temperature to drop to a more manageable 65 degrees. Remember those days? Remember coming home from the office and seeing countless other runners and cyclists out enjoying the summer evening? You couldn’t wait to join them, in fact you were even a little annoyed that they had already been off work long enough to have started their evening runs. Don’t these people have jobs? Are they all government employees or do they all just happen to work banker’s hours? They had some nerve to be home at this early hour, enjoying the summer evening before you were. Those were the days. It was so much easier to motivate yourself to run during those summer months, but fear not because this column is chock full of advice and inspiration to help you get out and run on these cold, dark nights.

The obvious solution might be to just go run in the morning. But, I’m not much of a morning person so running before work doesn’t appeal to me, though the end of daylight savings time makes it a little easier. If you were to list the pros and cons of running first thing in the morning you’d find there are a lot of pros, like more time to watch your favorite shows in the evenings and not having to say no to your coworkers who are going out for drinks after work and more quality time with your family. The only con is getting up early, and even though it’s not so bad once you’re out of bed, that’s still one really big con. So here’s some motivation to help you run on those cold, dark nights.

Running when it’s cold and dark makes you the kind of hardcore runner that Pearl Izumi endorses. It’s a great feeling to be the only one who’s dedicated enough to be out running in the cold of night. Sure some people might replace the word ‘dedicated’ with words like ‘crazy’ or ’senseless’ but those people aren’t runners, so who cares what they think.

Nike, Under Armour and Adidas don’t make cold weather gear just for their own good. OK, I guess they kind of do, but what better excuse to buy some reflective cold weather gear than to run during the frosty winter nights?

Leave work early. You still want to run when it’s light out, but can’t do it in the mornings? That sounds to me like the perfect reason to leave work early. Tell your boss that I said it was OK, and if that doesn’t fly then try using the “everyone else is doing it” defense and point to all those runners you saw out running in the summer months.

Low risk of heat stroke and dehydration. Since you’re so cold, you won’t sweat as much and you’re less likely to overheat. I’m no scientist, but I think that makes it less likely that you’ll suffer from heat stroke or dehydration.

[Image credit: A Hermida]

On Aug 31, 2008 runners around the world united to run the “Nike+ Human Race 10K“. It’s estimated that almost 800,000 runners participated, representing 142 countries. (Watch a video.)

Photo courtesy of Julio (pixteca). Be sure to check out Julio’s other photos over at his Flickr Site.

Got a photo you would like featured? Leave a comment with the details. Or add the photo to the Complete Running Network Community on Flickr - that’s where I discovered this one.

Recent Posts from Dawn’s Blog

• There and Back
• A Snowy Run
• A Slow Week
• Edworthy XC - Race Report
• How to cross a river…if you’re 7…lol!

It’s not all about the clothes; sometimes, it is all about the accessories. This silver pendant says “I Run Like A Girl” and is handcrafted by Max B. Designs and will let everyone know just how you run.

The pendant hangs from a sterling silver 16” chain with a lobster clasp closure and is available for $55.00(US) at iRUNLIKEAGIRL. It just might make an excellent gift for the runner in your life.

We are compiling a list of holiday gift ideas that would be great for the runner in your life. If you have a product suggestion you would like to share, please send an email to Susan at runnersusan@gmail.com by November 19th.

There is no doubt that out of all the road running distances available, the marathon has by far the most appeal. Nearly everyone who has run a 5k or a 10k will, at some stage, dream about running the “big one” one day. And, even though this is not recommended, a lot of would-be runners will pick a marathon as their first ever race. They usually plan this as a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience, but many people end up getting bitten by the running bug for good.

Running 26.2 miles is a daunting task, no matter how you put it, and that does not depend on the ability of the runner. I have heard countless stories about first time runners’ struggles, from the experienced and competitive racer who was confident of beating 3 hours but ended up with 3:20 after some painful last few miles, to the walker who took over 6 hours to finally limp across the line equally exhausted. You might think that it gets easier with experience, but that is no guarantee for a strong finish either, as I personally found out last week. This was my 10th race of marathon distance or longer, and I was confident I would be able to finish strongly. However, my legs gave out on me with 6 miles to go, and the last stretch was just as much a struggle as it had been 4 years ago, when I had gotten my first taste of the distance, on the very same course. Others have similar tales to tell.

Of course, it is the size of the task that creates the appeal. While I don’t quite subscribe to the idea that crossing the finishing line of a marathon is a life-changing event, it clearly is an exhilarating experience and the pride and satisfaction that comes from completing such an intimidating challenge is immense. On the other hand, it can also be a very humbling experience. Having to slow down dramatically over the last miles is never nice and the pain that comes with it will remind you just how unforgiving the marathon can be.

Despite all this, the numbers are growing steadily. In 2007, more than 403,000 runners finished a marathon in the USA alone, a figure that has been growing year on year, and the trend is expected to continue. Big city events can be watched live on television, and it’s clearly the hobby runners, not the elites, that are the biggest draw to the audiences. While some people bemoan the fact that slow joggers are taking the competitive element out of it, most people agree that the growing numbers are a positive development.

Our favourite sport is likely to keep going for some time to come.

Photo credit: Caaaait on Flickr.

Some of you may not know this but I’m a grandmother. Nikayla is 7 and runs the trail race series in Calgary with me and her Mom. We are three generations of runners. She’s a speedy little runner and there’s no way Granny is ever gonna catch her. She loves to rub that in.

This photo courtesy of my own Flickr collection and was taken during the recent River Park Cross Country Race.

Got a photo you’d like to share with the readers of CompleteRunning, leave a comment with the details.
Recent Posts from Dawn’s Blog

• There and Back
• A Snowy Run
• A Slow Week
• Edworthy XC - Race Report
• How to cross a river…if you’re 7…lol!

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is a particularly common knee injury that affects 100,000 to 200,000 people each year in the United States. It is the same injury that Tiger Woods struggled with when he won the US Open Golf Championship in 2008 and subsequently, had surgery on.

What is it? The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) helps to stabilize the knee joint by preventing excessive movement of the shin bone (tibia) relative to the thigh bone (femur). Specifically, it prevents excessive back to front, side to side and rotational movement in the joint.

If the ACL is either partially or fully torn, the knee becomes unstable, which can ultimately lead to cartilage damage or arthritic changes.

What are the causes/predisposing factors? The most common causes of an ACL injury are from cutting (quick changes in direction or pivoting) and sudden deceleration such as landing from a jump. Other causes can include contact type injuries as well.

In Tiger Woods’ case, he had an under developed ACL that had been further compromised by the presence of cysts in the knee that had to be surgically removed. This left him with a fragile ACL that let go on a simple training run.

What are the symptoms? In most cases, the person will hear a ‘pop’ as the ACL ruptures. This is followed immediately by pain and swelling.

Walking with a limp and a feeling that the leg will “give way” on weight bearing is a typical presentation.

What can be done to prevent or treat this condition? Prevention is geared towards those that already have a pre-existing ACL injury. This involves limiting activities such as pivoting, cutting, aggressive stops and landing with the foot fixed in a stationary position. Note that most normal activities can be performed with little problem on a damaged ACL; it is only with more aggressive movements that the ACL becomes an issue.

There are two options for treatment: surgical or conservative.

Surgical care should be reserved for those who wish to resume aggressive activities and for those who have ongoing instability. Surgery consists of replacing the damaged ACL with either a portion of the patellar tendon or hamstrings tendon.

Conservative care involves primarily strengthening the hamstring muscle to help stabilize the knee, and then later, strengthening the other muscles around the knee. As well a regimen to restore knee mobility, full range of motion is included in the overall care.

The overall goals of both treatment plans are to restore stability to the knee and to prevent future cartilage damage and osteoarthritis.

I love running.

I don’t love swimming, biking, push-ups, weightlifting, discus throwing, tossing the caber or Johnny on the Pony.

Running seven days a week is really, really bad for my legs, so my off-days are off-days. I don’t run and I don’t (grimace) cross-train.

That is, until an injury forced me to find some way to maintain a semblance of aerobic fitness while recuperating. Standing in the gym with dozens of machines from which to choose, my lone criterion was to find the one that most closely approximated running but didn’t involve slamming my feet onto a hard surface thousands of times.

So I mounted an elliptical trainer. Designed to mimic cross-country skiing, in practice it is sort of halfway between a treadmill and a stationary bike. I had never used one before, but I figured if Otis the cat could figure it out in three minutes, so could I.

Ellipticals are increasingly popular, with everyone from marathoners to Darth Vader using them. It is especially good to know that if terrorists attack your local fitness center, our Marines are trained to fight without dismounting the elliptical machine.

My first outing was for 15 minutes at Level 1, and I was racing away without a care in the world, my hands locked around the heart-rate handles. Then I finished, and for the next five days could not walk down stairs, step off curbs or stand on my toes. I had completely destroyed my calves.

It turns out my posture was bad, and failing to use the arm handles made the problem worse. When I returned to the gym, I stood up straight, started slower, and used the handles. I’m getting a reasonably good cardio workout, but I hadn’t anticipated the extra benefit of the arm work. The workout was easier because pulling on the handles takes some strain off your legs and, strangely enough, you get into the habit of using your arms more efficiently when you get back to running.

Arm drills for running aren’t exactly a new technique, but you may find a little elliptical work preferable to bouncing off your butt at the track.

I’ve got a long way to go before I’m a cross-training convert, but at least my non-running days are a little more productive than they used to be.

Join the Carnival of Running at RunningIsFunny.com. Select one (1) post per week from your blog and e-mail the permalink to carnival@runningisfunny.com. Links to the best and funniest are posted for all to enjoy each week.

Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell of Jamaica are both teammates and rivals. They both have Olympic gold medals. They are the current and former world record holders in the 100 meters.

But can they dance?

Judge for yourself in this video of Bolt and Powell having a dance-off at a party sponsored by Puma after the Olympics.

There is a hi-res version on the Puma web site titled Chasing Bolt.

I’m guessing this is another area where U.S. track and field falls short.

Thousands have enjoyed the video on YouTube, but there are two people who didn’t like it at all: Powell’s parents, who are both church pastors.

“It makes me sad because I have a congregation that I have to preach to, and I don’t enjoy seeing him out there like that,” said Powell’s mom. “God gave him those feet to bring joy to the world, but not in that form of dancing.”

Join the Carnival of Running at RunningIsFunny.com. Select one (1) post per week from your blog and e-mail the permalink to carnival@runningisfunny.com. Links to the best and funniest are posted for all to enjoy each week.

You have no doubt heard people tout the positive motivational effect that music can have on your running, but according to new research it may be more than just a motivational tool.

Scientists at Brunel University’s School of Sport and Education have been researching the role of motivational music on sport and exercise for 20 years. It is expected that they will soon publish the results of this newest study that indicate that music can increase a person’s endurance by as much as 15%.

According to the school’s press release;

“Thirty participants exercised on a treadmill while listening to a selection of motivational rock or pop music, including tracks by Queen, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Madonna. They were asked to keep in strict time with the beat. The findings show that when carefully selected according to scientific principles, music can enhance endurance by 15% and improve the ‘feeling states’ of exercisers, helping them to derive much greater pleasure from the task.”

I would argue that everyone has an ideal cadence when they run and hitting that cadence will make you faster and increase your endurance. If running with music can help you achieve that specific cadence, then it is no surprise that running with music would boost performance. Hopefully, I don’t have to include Madonna and Queen on my playlist to witness these benefits.

Dr. Costas Karageorghis of Brunel University went on to say that “the synchronous application of music resulted in much higher endurance while the motivational qualities of the music impacted significantly on the interpretation of fatigue symptoms right up to the point of voluntary exhaustion.”

That’s a lot of big words, but I think that Dr. Karageorghis is saying that you might be less likely to pick up on your body’s fatigue signals when you run with music, allowing you to run further. The principles of this study were actively put to the test this year in the Sony Ericsson RUN To The Beat Half Marathon in London, UK on October 5th. During the event, bands located at 17 stations along the course played scientifically selected music to help the runners achieve their best possible performance. There’s no word yet on how many of the runners set new personal records, nor on how many of those runners have vowed to never listen to Madonna again.