Lets face it. It’s hard to stay in shape between seasons when Halloween candy is abundant and the sun doesn’t come up until you are already at the office. Plus having Thanksgiving and Christmas fall somewhere in that transition season doesn’t help with motivation. The best way to avoid injury and to be ready to go when the snow flies is to find a mid fall motivation. I Live in Montana and by December the rock is just too cold to climb, there are ice patches on the trail for mountain biking, morning and evening it is well below freezing, if the sun is shining, and there is only a dusting of snow on the mountain. So what do I do to stay in shape and active? I trail run.
After guiding on Rainier all season my legs are in great shape for going up and down hills but not as much with the long flat runs. So by trail running 4-5 days a week I can take advantage of already being in shape and stay strong all fall to be ready to rip powder once the snow starts falling. I mix up my running with most days on trail doing a variety of distances from 3 miles of steep hills or a long slow 12-20 miles on a trail through the beautiful changing colors of fall or with a fresh dusting of snow on the ground. To keep my knees happy with me I swim at a local pool once a week and even go for a bike ride or take a spinning class to keep my workout varied. I also use strength training regiments to keep the rest of my body tone and strong.
Motivation can be tough as the weather gets colder and the days are shorter. With lots of obligations such as holidays and school / work commitments this time of year it hard to find the inspiration to run daily. I stay motivated by signing up for local and regional running races. Anywhere form your local 5K to a marathon or big trail run in the area is a great place to start. Having something to focus on and train for will help you get out of bed in the morning. Find a running partner to help spark the fire of running under your bottom and get outside. Go for a jog together before or after work, or join a few friends during lunch and get a few miles in. Running burns about 100 calories per mile so every little bit help you stay in shape and ward off those nasty Halloween pounds.
This year I completed some of my biggest races yet. I ran a local 30K trail run here in Montana. I drove over to Spokane WA for my first ever Marathon and finished in under 4 hours. I even ran in my hometown Thanksgiving Day 10K Turkey trot with a PR of 43:18. This gave me yet another excuse to eat all day. Signing up for a local race is a great way to stay focused on training but going at it along can be intimidating. If your town has a local running club, ask to join for Saturday morning run or find a work friend and help motivate each other to get outside and train together for the race.
When the air is crisp and the days are short I take a little more time thinking about what to wear on my trail runs. I long for the dog days of summer when I am pulling on my CW-X stabilyx running tights, 
Outdoor Research wind pro ear band, Pl Base glove and my highly visible Saucony ethereal jacket. These functional yet fashionable clothing options make it bearable to run on eve the coldest days by keeping me warm and dry. By keeping my ears and hands covered, I maintain a lot of body heat and can stand to be out of a run for as long as I need. Don’t get stuck on a treadmill all winter. Get outside and stay in shape. Happy running!
