Running Tips

Here are some running tips. Some of them are based on my personal experience and some were learned the hard way. 

I'm from Montreal and run in the cold. Wear mittens not gloves. The fingers in close proximity to each other generate warmth. Also, you can buy electronic hand warmers. 

ALWAYS wait for cars to come to a full stop at a red light. I've seen many run the light and even going through the red light.

In the winter here's how to prevent fogging if you wear glasses when  running. Put a bit of dish soap on each lens, spread it over each side of the lens, let dry, and then wipe with a dry cloth. That will prevent fogging. 

For snow I put some screws in the bottom of my shoes for traction. They will not work when running on black ice so please be careful and only use them when you are sure the conditions are OK. And they make a 3 mile run seem like a 5 miles :-). This is how I placed mine.

If you use sports drinks and they turn to slush in the cold put a bit of scotch (or you favorite type) in the sports drink. Just a bit though, enough so the alcohol prevents the sports drink from freezing. You don't want to get tipsy. 

If you use gels during races you know that tearing  off the tab is not easy. I've seen runners do it with their teeth but I've also heard that some runners have chipped a tooth doing that. Here is what I do. Place a piece of self sticking Velcro on the tab to get a good grip (even with sweaty hands)

Replace shoe laces with lock laces. I've found that Nathans are very good. No matter how I laced my shoes invariable they would loosen a bit while running. That can lead to blisters and the dreaded toenail disaster because your foot starts sliding a bit. And who wants to stop in the middle of a run to adjust laces? With lock laces I never have that problem, even in marathons. 

And here is a do not. Do not run outside if there is black ice. You will not get traction no matter what you do.