Burn Your Lungs

Not getting a white Christmas was somewhat of a bummer, but I have no problem with the January heat wave that we're getting in Chicago.  Today's high was 53 degrees, so I ditched my sweatshirt when I ran hill sprints this morning and still got a good sweat going.  I saw many other people on the hill enjoying the warm weather today, but on the colder days this winter, any running companions were few and far between.  I think this is a big mistake.  I'm not a huge fan of below freezing temperatures, but I know that working out outdoors has benefits, too.

When you exercise outside, the air is fresher, especially in the morning.  Instead of using the treadmill or stationary bike all winter, put on some Under Armour, sweats, and a hat and gloves and do your cardio outdoors.  If there's snow on the hill, throw some boots on.  Trust me, once you get going, you won't feel cold anymore.  If you've ever ran in the winter before, you know that your lungs burn a little more than usual.  This is not a bad thing.  In fact, it's good for you to get used to it.

I'm sure you've also been in the scenario before where your lungs burned like crazy after your first match at a tournament, but then you were okay after the second match.  This is because you weren't adequately warmed up for that first match.  Surprisingly, this doesn't happen as much at summer tournaments.  That's because you're breathing the same cold, stale air inside in the winter, even in a heated building.   As one of my Team Illinois coaches told us before nationals, you should get the equivalent of one match in during your warm up.  Other people recommend running a few sprints, outside if possible, before a tournament to get the burning sensation out of your lungs.  If you've been going hard in practice every day, doing some hard drilling, live goes, or sprinting before your matches shouldn't wear you out so much that you can't wrestle.  We normally endure two hours of practice; what's a few sprints on top of a seven minute match?

Run outdoors,
Jeff