Running: Get Prepared for Summer, by Hal Higdon

For at least the Eastern part of the United States, it was a too-cold winter, followed in May by a too-early summer. This caused problems for many runners doing marathons the first weekend in May, Pittsburgh, Flying Pig, & Illinois being among them. It's tougher to run well in warm-weather marathons when you don’t have the opportunity to acclimatize by training in similar weather through June, July and August.

Nevertheless, those three months are almost upon us, and we probably should not complain, should we? Here are a few tips to help you in your transition from winter to spring to summer.

1. ESTABLISH YOUR SUMMER RUNNING GOALS: Perhaps you already established a goal or goals at the beginning of the year. If not, consider that subject now. Are you going to spend the summer training for a fall marathon or just running for the joy of it? The choice is up to you, but goals work best if selected well in advance.

2. GET YOUR CLOTHING IN ORDER: Time to put those tights and long sleeves away for the summer--although not too far away, since freak weather sometimes happens. Nevertheless, this is the season for shorts and singlets, but also a cap to keep the sun off your face. If running a fall marathon, think ahead to what you might wear in that race.

3. SHOES ARE THE KEY TO AVOIDING INJURY: Don't succumb to the latest fad, which is barefoot running, unless you grew up running dirt roads to school in Kenya. For those of us who run mostly on pavement, proper footwear will help prevent injuries. Consult with experts to determine the best shoe for you. In that area a podiatrist trumps the guys at the  local running store.

4. CONSIDER THE SPEED TRAINING OPTION: Summer is a good time to work on your speed. Running fast you can run short and avoid overheating. Train at a local track or on wooded trails, but cut back on mileage so you do not over-train. Admittedly, this might not be the best advice en route to a fall marathon.

5. PICK A GOOD TRAINING PROGRAM: This is self-serving advice, because I have programs for all distances from 5-K to the marathon available interactively through TrainingPeaks and also on my Web site: halhigdon.com. Training with a plan and purpose, however, will get you to that goal mentioned above.

Gotta love summer, particularly after all the cold weather runners struggled through last winter. But you will enjoy summer the most if you prepare right. Enjoy the experience.

HAL HIGDON
www.halhigdon.com