my off-season training.

winter is my "off-season" when it comes to training for a race. i typically pick a goal-race that takes place in the early fall, and then dedicate spring and summer to getting faster, going farther and being stronger.

but winter is when i remind my body that i care about it. that i can give it a break from the constant pavement pounding, sweating and calorie burning. winter is when i cut back on total mileage and long runs. it's the season when i purposefully introduce walking into my workout routine. and it's when i force myself to remember that slower is sometimes better, that walking 1 mile burns as many calories as running 1 mile and that, sometimes, slowing down is the only way to really notice the world around me.

my winter weeks look like this:

4 days a week running a distance of either 3, 4 of 5 miles.
1 day a week walking 3 miles at a good pace.
1 day a week strength training at an hour-long boot camp class
1 day a week complete rest.

but winter is nearly over. and boy am i looking forward to spring.