“No, I don’t usually get cold, just my face if it’s really cold.”
“No, I don’t slip and fall.”
“I just really get bored running on a treadmill.”
Every winter, I get the same questions from non-runners about my winter training. But the truth is I would choose running in the cold winter than on a humid summer day. Each winter, I’d say there are only typically two really terrible runs when it’s -35C with the windchill. Those, yes, are not fun at all. But I almost never slip on ice (I try to focus heavily on where and how I’m placing my foot on days the conditions are icier). And as for feeling cold, with the right gear and layering, you don’t really notice the cold (except for possibly your hands and face — I tend to wear thin gloves so I can still work my iPhone, and I do wear a balaclava but it’s hard to breathe through so I inevitably end up pulling it off my face, hence the frozen cheeks).
For this winter, Nike is challenging athletes to #getouthere on the cold and snowy days because dressed in Nike’s technologies, winter ain’t got nothin’ on you and your workout:
Aeroreact: Wearable technology that can intuitively sense, and respond to, performance in real time. Fabric opens up in response to sweat to keep you temperature just right
Therma-Sphere Max: Raised nodes trap warm air the way a wet suit traps warmer water, plus it’s 34% more breathable than therma-sphere (the previous technology).
Hyperwarm: Designed for athletes combating cold weather outdoor workouts by combining multiple textures into one form-fitting garment.
Your winter workout could win you a trip to Chicago, too!
If you keep up your workouts outside as the temperature drops and post on social media using the hashtags #GetOutHere and #Contest, you have a chance to be one of 48 weather-defying athletes chosen based on the story you tell of your outdoor training. These 48 athletes chosen will get to compete in the Get Out Here Challenge, which will take place in Chicago the week of December 8, 2015.
So all you have to do is create and post your outdoor training photos and/or videos on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram with hashtags #GetOutHere and #contest. It’s so simple to enter!
I’ll be getting outside and training with Nike as part of a six-week #TrainTuesday workout. I worked up a sweat at the launch lead by Nike Master Trainer Eva Redpath and Toronto Argonaut and Nike Pacer Eric Black two weeks ago (that’s when the photo at the top of this post was taken). Last week, I missed the first session as I was in California for work, but will be out there tonight for week 2! Follow along via Instagram (@healthandswellness).
Oh, and NIKE.COM now ships to CANADA! Huzzah! This means you can order all the gear and footwear and custom Nike ID shoes, whaaaaat!
(I designed some running shoes, but I’ll post on those once I get them in my hands!)
Need some inspiration to get out here? Click here to view the Nike ad featuring many elite athletes including Canadians Paula Findlay and Steven Stamkos.
Where did my KEEN hiking boots take me a few months ago? Portland! It was my second time in this city but I didn’t get much time to explore the city much (which was fine as I was exploring the Nike Lab at their HQ in Beaverton and getting to see Kobe Bryant speak at one of the Nike sessions, oh and the New York Knicks were staying at my hotel!).
This time around, I got to go the KEEN headquarters and their factory, where we got up close to see how the boots are made (the machine’s noise is a little hard on the ears, my apologies!):
Plus, we factored in lots of time to walk around the city, eat (Voodoo Doughnuts, of course) and, hike, obvi. Portland’s got some gorgeous hiking not far from the city. For more on what you should do in Portland, check out my story on AmongMen.com.
I expected four intense days with Nike last week, ending with the Nike Women’s Toronto 15k. But I don’t know if any of us expected it to be as wondrous as it all was.
My Thursday started with a media tour of the space at Harbourfront taken over by Nike Women Village. Nike always goes all out so the space was sleek and modern, filled with gear that had us all drooling. The most exciting news, though, was that nike.com will finally be introducing e-commerce in Canada. And let me tell you, we all cheered with glee (no more needing to hunt down pieces in the city, or having friends in the U.S. pick up things for me!).
Then we were introduced to the Nike Master Trainers, including, of course, Toronto’s very own Eva Redpath. Soon after, we all entered the stunning Crystal Coliseum, a barge floating in Lake Ontario. It’s such a gorgeous space you can’t help but feel inspired and put in that extra effort in class (or was that just me who felt that way?). We did a killer NTC class with the trainers and that was a wrap for me for day 1.
Friday, day 2. I’d signed up for the Skylar Diggin’s Zoom in 5 NTC class and it was just as upbeat and awesome as the first class, despite the gloomy skies. I found myself wishing I’d registered for more NTC; I hadn’t put too many in my schedule as I didn’t want to exhaust myself before the race.
Friday night, I returned to Nike Women Village for a speed run with Global NRC Coach Bennett and Toronto NRC Coach Rejean Chiasson. I’d added this last minute to my Nike itinerary (I’d been scared of wearing out my muscles so close to the race). We had a bus take us to the West Toronto Rail Path where we did speed work totaling one mile. Coach Bennett assured us that a 5k pace isn’t tough…that is when you’re running it for only 200 metres.
The most inspiring part for me were the group of schoolkids they had join us. These young girls were fast. And at the end of our one mile of speed work? Food trucks! All of us sweaty runners downed some sliders and gelato bars and then called it a night.
Saturday, I focused on resting up for the race and in the evening, joined in for the Nike pasta dinner at Cafe Diplomatico. It was fun to have some social time with fellow runners as we all ate pasta and fretted about whether a glass of wine would be a good idea or not. Coach Bennett was there and introduced his first crush, Joan Benoit Samuelson, the woman who won gold in the 1984 Olympics the first year the women’s marathon was introduced. Joan was racing Sunday with us and it didn’t matter that I met her two years ago in San Fran, I was still starstruck. Her athletic feats put me in awe.
Sunday, race day! Well, the forecast had not been good and the rain held out…until about 20 minutes to the race start. It poured on us and we shivered in the start corrals. But everyone’s spirits were high. I went into it not feeling too confident; I had caught a cold earlier in the week so hadn’t run all week and my training has been spotty at best given I’ve been traveling and I’m just worn out (I guess four races is too much in a season for me). My ideal goal was to finish in 1:15 so I started with that pacer.
I felt fine til 8k but then started feeling tired and a little lightheaded. I’d maintained a 4:58 pace up until then, but after that, I slowed about once second each kilometre and slowly lost sight of the pacer. There was a variety of terrain (cement, grass, sand) and many puddles to contend with, and throughout the race, given the narrow path, you were always surrounded by other runners. The race took us onto the runway at Billy Bishop airport, and it was incredible to see the stream of runners racing along the runway.
The rain stopped when I was about 4k into the race and I almost felt myself wishing for rain at that point as I was feeling warm. In the end, I finished just under 1:18 (1:17:50) and I’m fine with that.
The pretty blue boxes from Tiffany & Co. were a welcome sight as was the generous buffet spread and mimosas in the Nike VIP. It’s a shame the weather was miserable as many of us hightailed it off the island as we were wet and cold.
It’s not confirmed whether this race will be held again in Toronto, but I truly hope so as it was a heady four days of fitness, not to mention the amazing experience of racing with 10,000 women giving it all they’ve got in a 15k race.
