Running Tips - Picking A Winter Destination Race

Do you hate running in the winter? Do you need motivation to get out the door and keep your mileage up? Maybe a destination race is what you need

A destination race is a major race event that you plan. It is a race that you travel to and need to make plans to do. Up until this year, I always have run a marathon or half-marathon in Florida during January or February. I live in Virginia and these are really cold months here. And the older I get the more I hate the colder weather.

So, I started planning a winter destination race in Florida during this time. There are a couple of reasons for this. The first one is pretty clear - I just want to get out of the cold weather for a week or so. I love Florida and I love being there in the winter!

Second of all, having a marathon or half-marathon to do the beginning of the year keeps me running longer distances through November and December. Now, I'll run everyday anyway - but without a schedule or a plan - I'll just run a few and be happy. With a race on the plan, I know I have distances to cover for training and won't slack off and be a wimp!

I've had some issues that kept me from doing my winter escape this year. My Dad has been really sick and I need to travel back to my home town every week to take care of things for them. So, there was no way that I could take the time off from taking care of my parents - let alone be 15 hours away.

But, I decided that next year, I'll be back on track. So, I decided to find my race of choice. I know that I wanted it to be in Florida - and during late January or February.

Also, entering into my decision was that it should probably not be a full marathon. With what's going on with Daddy, I'm not sure if I'll have the time to train for more than a half-marathon. Also, my husband need a 3rd and 4th knee replacement this year (and he is not a runner), so I know that I'll be taking care of him, too.

January and February is also a good time for us to take a little extra time off. My husband and I also have a Dairy Queen, and that is a slower time for us. So, it works out perfect!

So, to the race calendars I went. I decided that I wanted to do something different. I've run the Disney Marathon 3 time and love it - and the A1A Marathon twice. There's a half-marathon that I want to do sometime in Clearwater, but then, I saw it. The Key West Half-Marathon!

I haven't been to Key West in a few years - and it will be the perfect destination race! So, next January - road trip! And, my wonderful husband (driver and stuff-holder) has already agreed!

I wanted to share this with you to show you some of the thought processes that you need to go through in planning your races. It's great to "want" to do something, but you need to make sure it's feasible. You need to consider all the angles. Time you have to put into training, work schedule, spousal/family support.

I hope that you plan a winter destination race - or a destination race anytime! It helps with the motivation!

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Dressing Correctly For Winter Sports Can Safe Your Life!

When going skiing as another example you should always ensure that you are wearing the right sized skis, boots and a helmet for safety.

However when it comes to Winter sports like sledging, skating and skiing then the biggest danger is often not from doing the sport itself but from the weather.

Extreme sunburn can kill you but rarely occurs, and whilst the rain may soak you to the skin in Summer, it too is unlikely to kill you. However in Winter cold weather and hypothermia can kill you if you are not dressed properly. A crisp sunny Winters morning can turn in to a "White out" within half an hour, with snow coming down so thick and fast you lose all track of where you are.

This can lead to total disorientation and the body getting cold very quickly. To give some idea of how the wind can affect things, for every 1 knot of wind speed, the wind chill factor increases by -1 deg C. This means if the temperature is at zero degrees then a 10 knot wind can make your body feel like it is in -10 deg C.

So as you can see it is very easy to get very cold, very quickly. Thus you will need to dress accordingly no matter what winter sport you are doing.

If you are going skiing then you ensure that you are always wearing waterproof outer clothing as you will fall over and without waterproofs any snow on your clothes will be melted by your body heat, making you wet, and when you stop skiing then you will get cold quickly as a result. Gloves and a helmet are also essential both for protection and to keep the heat in. Being too warm is far better than being too cold.

A helmet is also a good idea when sledging or skiing as you can reach high speeds when doing both, and trust me either when falling off a sledge at high speed, or losing a ski, can both result in a nasty tumble. Helmets are particularly essential for children to wear.

When going sledging it is also a good idea to wear waterproof trousers as you will get snow on your legs and whilst you will keep warm sledging whilst walking up and down, when you stop for the day those wet jeans will get extremely cold on the way home.

So just remember to think carefully about your clothing when doing Winter sports.

You can find a large selection of low cost Sledges at Splash and Relax for your seasonal fun this year! Splash and Relax also supply a range of Wholesale Sledges at trade prices.

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