In the Northern Hemisphere, in the country we call Canada, fall is fast approaching. I’m not sure where the summer went, but I really feel I was just assessing the state of my summer clothes and deciding what pieces of my summer weight workout kit I’d keep and now I need to start thinking about what I’ve got for the fall.
That said, fall is my favourite season. While I am sad our lazy hot days and nights are coming to an end for another year, I also know I am going to have heaps of fun crunching my way through the fallen leaves in late October.
I like the crisper air. I don’t have to worry about the heat-sucking humidity that vacuums the air from my lungs. I can pace myself better as well, usually going further and harder than sessions in winter and summer.
Fall for me is the equivalent of the sweet spot after you’ve done your stretches, warmed up effectively and found your rhythm. In many respects, this stage of my year and the pandemic is all about finding the right pace and the best way to breathe.
The pandemic has been frequently described as a marathon, and yet the spaces in between lock downs and outbreaks feel less like sprints and more like adding a few bonus half marathons.
Don’t get me wrong: sprints can be fun. When I was a runner, sprints and intervals gave me bursts of extra energy and allowed me to change up my running. I didn’t have to maintain a killing arduous pace.
But there is something really lovely about finding that groove where your heart and lungs deliver, your legs and arms work away, and the sidewalk under your feet just flies effortlessly.
Labour Day is a great time to think about planning your transition of the seasons, and not just in the manner of your kit. We all need change things up with our life, work and fitness routines and practices.
How about you? What are you planning for the fall?
MarthaFitat55 lives in St. John’s.
Fall has historically been my best running season, so I’m looking forward to that. Also, with respect to sprints vs. marathons, a coach at a workplace session I was in yesterday asked others if they felt it was better to think of challenges as marathons or sprints and most people said marathons. She said sprints are actually more efficient and give us breaks in between to recharge. Thought that was interesting and what the pandemic has really felt like for a lot of us, even if mentally.