5 Winter Activites Runners in Training Should Avoid

Hey Gang, Happy Friday!

Thank you all for the great support on yesterdays post. Its good to see that I am not the only one who loses things only 5 minutes after I put them down. Good news, my mom saved the day. Apparently she found my car key under the cushion of the dining room chair! I have no idea how it got there.


Anyway, lets get to the Friday 5. This week's theme is Winter Activities.  I don't know about you, but with 5 races coming up this winter, we are playing it safe. We are not really engaging in any "Winter" activities which is sad because we generally go ice skating with our family this time of year. I actually remember writing a post similar to this last year. I had wanted to go ice skating and thought it would be good cross training on a non run day, but was too worried that I would get hurt. Here I am a year later and I still haven't gone ice skating because I am training for yet another big race.

So if you are a runner and you have a race planned for this winter or early spring, please be cautious  doing these winter activities or just stay away from them until training is over!

1. Ice Skating: We are both pretty good ice skaters, but anything can happen.

2. Skiing: When I would ski, I would worry more about people running into me and knocking me over.

3. Snowboarding: I'm not sure I would be coordinated to do this anyway.

4. Shoveling Snow: Yes Shoveling can be dangerous. I know many people who have pulled a muscle or have suffered an injury from shoveling. If you are training for a race, don't risk it. Get your spouse, your child, or a neighbor kid to shovel for you.

5.  And #5 is to just be careful on the ice in general. Make sure you are putting salt in areas that need salted and use hand rails when you can. So many accidents happen when people slip on the ice.


Will you be engaging in any winter activities this season?

                      Don't forget about A Rose So Sweet Non Slip Headband GIVEAWAY


42 comments:

  1. Ahh last winter I was so paranoid I would hurt myself in one of these activities (or on black ice on the road/sidewalk) before the marathon I didn't do any! This year with baby on board these are all out, too...maybe next year?! :)
    Karen @karenlovestorun

    ReplyDelete
  2. Shoveling snow is so much more strenuous then it appears! While it is a good workout, there is the definite risk of pulling a muscle. Hopefully we won't get too much snow this year that has to be shoveled, especially since this is our first winter with a driveway that we're responsible for clearing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know. People don't normally think of shoveling as dangerous, but it can be.

      Delete
  3. Glad your mom found your key! These are great tips to remember. Last year after a heavy snowfall, I spent all afternoon shoveling snow on public sidewalks that I knew no one would clear so that my dog would have a snow-free path to walk. I totally threw out my back, and it took days until it was better. Now I know better!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow, what a good point about avoiding activities while training in winter. I'm sure ice skating could do a wonder on your ankles if you don't know what you're doing! Great tips.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I miss ice skating as it is such a fun activity to do around the holidays but it will have to wait until after all the big races are done!

      Delete
  5. I actually stopped snowboarding when I started running races. For the past few years Ive been training for something in March/April and didn't want to risk getting hurt. I was never a very good snowboarder:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It seems like we are always training for something! I don't think I would be very good at snowboarding either!

      Delete
  6. I like your spin on this. I tore my ACL skiing 10 years ago so never again for me!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yuck! Even though I was a pretty good skier, I always feared something like that would happen to me!

      Delete
  7. What a great post :) I've never tried to snowboard, but I have a feeling my efforts wouldn't have a very good outcome!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Same here! Although it might make for some good comedy!

      Delete
  8. So my winter activities consist of: working on my tan, drinking margaritas and wine at our backyard tiki bar, hanging with our besties in their amazing fancy-schmancy hot tub, and taking the Wonder Mutt swimming. Wait, that's what I do all year long! Yeah, it sucks living in south Florida! :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I've injured myself on the ice before. Now I try to do as little as possible if ice or snow is involved.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I blame that creepy Elf on the Shelf - maybe he hid your key ;)

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm skipping skiing this year because of the Boston Marathon training. I can't afford to miss that race after working so hard to qualify!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh, my gosh...the ice can be so deceiving AND dangerous! I'm also so afraid I'll get a little too brave and end up taking myself out during training because I was a little overconfident outside when it's icy. Thanks for the reminder! I have never been ice skating; I always say that I want to go, and then chicken out. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I took snowboarding lessons years ago when I was in college. I was afraid I was going to hurt something because I was falling so much.

    ReplyDelete
  14. i too am often worried about injury but for me the fun is worth it! especially because right now my 2015 races are still in flux :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. This is a great post! Growing up, I played competitive soccer and was on a bunch of specialty teams including an Olympic Development team so I was never allowed to do any winter activities because if I got hurt, I couldn't play soccer and since I went to prep school and college on scholarships to play, it was non-negotiable. After college once my soccer career was "over" I started doing all the activities I couldn't growing up like snowboarding. However, last year when I was training for Boston, I wouldn't even go outside unless I had to because I was terrified of getting hurt. It got me out of shoveling snow though, which was great...too bad I don't have that excuse this Winter! HA!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I stayed away from ice skating and skiing last year specifically because I was scared of getting hurt and not being able to run. I'm not a giant fan of skiing anyway. Glad to hear the key was found :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. I am the WORLDS WORST on ice. I fall every time. I even slid & fell in the grocery when snow was coming off every one else's shows. My husband said, "only you" :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. I snowboard but it's because I think I'd be less coordinated on skis. Great total body workout during not training season!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I don't do a lot of "winter" activities, but I am going to go skiing this year. My boyfriend loves to ski, so I'm going to take a couple of lessons and see if I like it. I don't have any races scheduled for next year yet though.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Well winter here on the Gulf Coast doesn't involve any ice or snow so I think I'm good! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  21. I am also training for two races this winter season. Definitely something to really consider. I love to snowboard and really didn't think of it interfering. Something to really think about.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I love the winter, but am always so paranoid of injuring myself! I haven't been ice skating in years, and always turn down any vacation that involves skiing or snowboarding. I'm not the most coordinated, and just know it won't end up well.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I love your take on this week. Need to watch out for that ice.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Good tips! I am particularly worried about black ice come winter time.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Great list! I used to hold back on some activities too when I had winter races. Shoveling is somthing I have always loved doing so I see myself doing that lots as soon as it snows enough:) I do love snowshoeing I find that one is fairly safe, its the same muscles arms running and walking just tougher:)

    ReplyDelete
  26. Yeah, I'm not a fan of the snow and ice, so no worries here haha!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Ever since I started to love running, I stopped skiing, rollerskating, ice skating... all those potential ankle/knee damaging activities! I do miss skiing from time to time, but it would just not be worth it to me to get injured.

    ReplyDelete
  28. None of those are actually issues for me (no ice around here) but knowing me, I'd miss out on ice skating and end up spraining something getting out of bed! Good wishes on your training!

    ReplyDelete
  29. I love ice skating and skiing and even shoveling snow - because we don't get much!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Ice can be dangerous--in college one time, I slipped on ice walking down stairs not once, but twice! I wasn't a runner then, but if I had been, I know I would have been out for a little bit with a bruised tailbone :-\

    ReplyDelete
  31. Ahh yes, paranoia about getting injured! I'm not a big winter activity person, although I did like to ski and ice skate when we lived in Colorado!

    ReplyDelete
  32. I like cross country skiing...but we don't often get enough snow to do that. Good cross training!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Thanks for the great advice. A couple of my friends slipped on ice and broke their wrists ... I'm definitely more careful now!

    ReplyDelete

Fairytales and Fitness is a personal blog authored and edited by us, Meranda and Lacey. The thoughts expressed here represent only our own and are not meant to be taken as professional advice. Please note that our thoughts and opinions change from time to time. We consider this a necessary consequence of having an open mind in an ever changing society. Any thoughts and opinions expressed within our out-of-date posts may not be the same, nor even similar, to those we may express today. Some links may contain affiliate links. Some links are just to pages we'd like to share.