December is hardest month for me to run through.
* The weather turns nasty.
* It's perpetually dark (or at least it seems that way).
* It's hunting season, which means I can't run long early Saturday which then throws off my whole weekend running schedule.
* There are no big races left to train for. Sure, there are a few winter ERC races -- like the Snowflake Run (which is this Saturday) and the First-Day Five-Miler but...they aren't taken very seriously because conditions are typically less than ideal for running.
* Treadmill running is a torture second only to not running at all.
* My energy lags and my appetite rages. Something about the darkness and the cold (and the endless holiday preparations) combine to make me want to eat and sleep constantly -- two things that aren't typically high on my priority list. Right now, my eyes are burning and I am, literally, fantasizing about curling up on the floor under my desk and taking a nap.
So, what's a runner to do in December?
I've always slogged through it. I bundled up and clung stubbornly to my routine despite the fact that Mother Nature was fighting me every step of the way -- just look at my last entry about my ice-encrusted Sunday run.
But, lately, I'm giving serious thought to just going with the flow and slowing down for the month. I have a brother who's a serious race cyclist and he quits riding every year after racing season for 6 to 8 weeks. He doesn't ride (indoors or out) at all -- unless there's some freakishly warm day that just begs for a ride.
He said he comes back fully healed, refreshed and itching to ride again.
I'm not considering quitting running altogether. That just wouldn't be pretty. I'm not someone you want to be around when I don't run (just ask my husband and/or kids). And, let's not forget this is the season of non-stop treats, holiday parties, drinking and other high-calorie activities. I have to run just to keep the holidays off my ass.
But, I'm considering giving into the season and dialing my training way back. Listening to the old body and sleeping in a day or two. Writing off the 12-mile long runs on days when conditions and footing are hazardous. Giving myself permission to slack off.
I'd love to hear from other runners on how you keep going through the winter. Do you slog through...logging junk miles all the way...or do you slow down and give the body a rest. Post here or send me and email and I'll post for you.