Fall Can Be the Best of Times
by Bernard L.Gladieux, Jr.
For a lot of outdoor activities, the autumn season can be the happiest and the most productive of them all. It is fitting that it is so. After all fall is the traditional harvest time, so when better to reap the fruits of your training and hard work than now?
Here are some thoughts on autumn and making the most of it for yourself.
Sunrise/Sunset:
If your training schedule takes you out either early or late in the day, one of the first signs of the seasonal change you will no doubt notice is the shortening of daylight hours. At either end you may have to make schedule and venue changes to accommodate. If running on the road at twilight carries undue risk because of traffic or the surface underfoot, for example, consider moving your run to a local track or to an earlier time of the day. If you can’t avoid being on the road in the dusk or dark, run defensively. Wear reflective materials, and carry a flashlight. 
Cross Train: If darkness does chase you off the road, this might be a good time to get into another training mode by adding an indoor weightlifting or swimming workout day or two to your week. You can, then, take your longer daytime run or rides during the weekends when you might enjoy more schedule flexibility.
Cold:
Along with the darkness and less intense sunlight comes the gift from the jet stream. There is no inherent reason to change your outdoor training habits just because it isn’t warm out – even when it is downright ugly, damp and bone chillingly frigid. Mental and physical preparation in combination should get you through the worst Mother Nature can throw your way. If you run or walk only, think hat, gloves, inner layer, windbreaker, and something you can live with for your legs if it is truly nasty.When the temperature goes below freezing, consider adding a layer of poly or wool especially to cover your torso. Gearing up to bicycle in the cold is somewhat more of a technical challenge, If you are not already equipped and experienced for cold weather cycling, start by checking in at your most serious local bicycle store.
Holidays:
Prepare. The season is almost upon us. It almost always brings distractions from your training and temptations in food and drink. To the extent that you are strong, rested, training well and internally balanced and together, you can handle anything the holidays can dish out, so to speak. Get into your training, eating, resting rhythms as soon as you can if you are not already there now, and take the upcoming disruptions in stride.
Water:
With the fading away of hot, humid days, the dangers of heat exhaustion during races and long training activities fade also. But do not be lulled into the fool’s paradise of dehydration. When you run or cycle long and/or hard, you sweat and lose fluid. Drink before you go out and then up to 8 ounces for every half hour of activity even when it is cold and when a lot of the moisture you lose is in the humidity of your breath.
Allergies:
Many athletes experience pollen allergies during the spring and late summer hay fever seasons, but allergens abound during the fall too. Molds grow on fallen leaves and their microscopic spores blow around in the air. These spores can be extraordinarily potent allergens when they are breathed in, producing upper respiratory and asthma like symptoms. If you notice a persistent wheeze or cough or other signs of allergies, especially when you are exercising outside during these months, get to a physician, and have it checked out. In many, even acute cases, medications will control the problem and will keep it from spiraling out of control.
Competition:
Fall races can be a lot of fun. The weather and scenery can be the most enjoyable and rewarding of the year. So maybe you are up for running a PR. Go for it. If not, just settle back and enjoy the pure pleasure of the hills turned to purple, reds and gold, of brilliantly clear autumn air. Then too, you might consider your own good fortune at being upright and healthy. Indeed, that’s a pretty good thought for any day of the year.
In Good Health,
Bernard L. Gladieux, Jr.
President,
The Pressure Positive Company
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