Running through a Colorado winter takes a bit of planning, dedication, will and motivation. Having the right gear, knowing when to run and for how long to run are all crucial to making the run as enjoyable as possible, even in bad weather. 

It was 6 degrees outside, not counting the windchill on my last run and the air was as brisk as the ground was frozen. The snow was an inch over my ankles and the sidewalks in the greenbelt behind my office where anything but cleared. My coworkers questioned why I’d even attempt a run on a day like this but most of them are the sedentary office types. The type of people who pay for a gym membership and run on the treadmill for 20 minutes while watching a TV with no volume. While I don’t consider myself an official runner I’ve flirted with running enough to know that when you have a good streak going, you don’t let anything stop you, not even a cold Colorado winters day. So whether or not I was going to run wasn’t the question at all. The question was could I make running something that was comfortable enough to enjoy. 

I am about 145 miles and 4 months into my current running streak. I’d been the sedentary office type for a few months myself between my last flirtation with running and I was starting to see and feel some real results from this latest running streak. Nothing is more inspiring than needing to add a new hole to your belt to keep your pants on. I’d rather freeze my butt off to keep running than see my butt as flat as my office chair again. Plus, my wife has been on a running streak of her own and I am not about to let her run away from me metaphorically or physically. 

My current running routine is pretty simple. I break away from the office in the off hours of lunch 3-5 times a week for a 1-5 mile run, depending on how much time I have. Our office has one shower, nine lockers and about five active lunchtime runners. A word of advice for you corporate types, never run at noon if your are in an office environment or you’ll eventually find yourself contemplating a shower vs. getting to a meeting on time. So, I run no later than an hour before lunch and no sooner than an hour after lunch. 2pm seems to be the sweet-spot if you have a job that will allow late lunches for running.

A well worn path is essential to “fitting a run in” at work. If you know that a loop around the neighborhood and across the park is one mile you can adjust your time needed for your run. For example, I know that I can be changed into my running clothes and on the path running in fifteen minutes or less. It takes me about 20 minutes to shower, change and cool down before returning to my desk, so I’ve got enough time for 2 miles. If I know I have an hour for lunch, I might go for the full 5k. Sometimes having a variable limitation like time can be a motivator. If you know you only have time for 2 miles you can plan your run for speed and really go after the hills instead of a longer run where you might pace for distance. Either way a short one mile run is better than no run at all. The all or nothing mentality is a killer. The benefits of running, even short runs here and there, is huge for your body, health and mental strength. Getting up and out of your chair, using your body, having dedicated time to free-think and getting some exposure to the outside world will all make you feel and perform better at work. Finding your running path(s) around your office will take a few exploratory runs in the beginning. After a while you’ll find yourself scouting new paths as you run but knowing what you have to work with for your runs will make a workout at work, that much easier and it will remove one more hassle from every run. 

Tip: If you can, try to find a loop/path at work that brings you close to your office location after about a mile. This way you can abort your run if things are just not working out. If your two miles out from work and things get really ugly with the weather, you’ll have two more miles of that ugliness. I’ve found that you can do a mile of running on just about any day and in any weather. I’ve run in calf deep snow wearing Vibram Barefoots and still have my toes to show for it. Just getting out there to run is usually the hardest part.

I can't even tell you how happy I am to finally find a website that has an endless stream of workout mixes made with songs I know, that I like and listen to in everyday life. These are well crafted songs full of the song hooks you know and love but to a steady beat for running that will keep you going. If you're the type of person who finds motivation in music you need to spend some time at Steady 130 http://www.steady130.com/

For runners, you can: 

Choose your BPM

Chose your style

Pick from a plethora of song choices. 

Here are a few of my favorite running mixes:

For work:

It's songs you know, but mixed up in an unfamiliar way so you can still focus while jamming out. I know you coders out there will appreciate this. 

For the party:

Well, it's all club inspired music anyway. The next time you have a party crowd over, you'll have the best mixes at the click of a mouse. 

Damn impressed with this site. 

B.R.O.

Know your BMP: 
The Beats Per Minute can dictate your pace, motivation, and the quality of your overall run. Choose a BMP that starts at your average pace and increases a little each song. 
In iTunes, Right Click on the Column headers and choose Beats Per Minute. All of your legit music should have this meta data. For example: 

You might start a run with Justin Timberlake's 'SexyBack' at 117 BMP (slow) to get started and gradually work your way up to his 'FutureSex / LoveSound' at 192 BMP. It's not that I am a Timberlake groupie, but it's a great example of music that sounds slow, but has high BMP. U2 has a number of good BMP options as well. 

Make multiple workout mixes: 
If you jog more than once a week, you'll want some variety in your mixes. Just do the simple math based on your average run time and add 30 extra minutes of music to that. If you are a lunch-time runner who gets 45 minutes to run, you'll need about 1.2 hours of music, or a full albums worth. 

Have an after workout mix: 
Having a separate music mix that you listen to right after you run, can take you from huffing and puffing to relaxed and fulfilled - if you choose wisely. This is not the time for depressing songs that remind you of an ex-lover. Pick songs that are upbeat and positive. You'd be surprised how the high of running and feeling good blends with some simple, positive mood reinforcement. 

Here's an extra tip: Don't stagnate. All methods and techniques are temporary. If you find yourself getting in a rut, or need some new motivations, shake things up and experiment with no music, podcasts, or just put the earbuds in and use them to mute the world while you get some peace of mind and personal time. 

Happy Running, 
HizzyHat.com

Our products and ideas aren't for everyone; but those who get it, really get it. Finding like-mind souls can be one of the most refreshing parts of life. We believe in curating great ideas, products, and lifestyle additions when possible. If it doesn't exist, we make it. What we've found and embraced is that, more often than not, the smallest of design elements will make the biggest difference. Take our HizzyHat for example. It solves the very simple yet annoying problem of ear-buds falling out of your ears and becoming a hassle. Again, some people have inner-ears shaped just like the standard iPod earbuds and their earbuds never fall out. But for the rest of the world who are like us, who can't keep ear-buds in your ears while your running, working out, or even just cleaning the house: the HizzyHat just makes sense. But we didn't stop there. We've been using, refining, and improving the HizzyHat for over 3 years now, and we've created a solid product that solves not just one major problem but provides a handful of advantages. 

Wash, Rinse, Reuse / Bring Your Own Buds 

HizzyHat keeps your music in your ears. It's our tag line and it's our simplest truth. But we've also designed an "integrated headphone hat" that can be washed, dried, and reused… over and over and over. Every other "integrated headphone hat" on the market uses embedded cables that are sewn into the hat. You can't remove the cables and therefore you cannot wash your hat! People sweat and hats will need to be washed. Simple as that. The HizzyHat does a great job of soaking the sweat up and whisking it away from your face. An "integrated headphone hat" also means you can't use your own earbuds that you've likely spent a good deal of money on and if those integrated earbuds stop working, you are stuck with an "integrated headphone hat" that is both useless and stinky. 

Stringing, quick-chats and shock-absorption 

The Hizzy hat uses a strong embroidered stringing system that takes less than 30 seconds to string and less than 30 seconds to remove. We've actually seen it done in less than 9 seconds. By stringing the earbuds into the Hizzyhat, you've essentially created a shock absorber that will take the impact of a snag or tug and keeps your music in your ears. Any pulling on the headphone cables is minimized and the earbuds are held right at your ear. If you are on the slopes or jogging with a friend and you need to have a quick chat, you can simply remove and earbud and tuck it behind your ear. You don't even have to break your stride. Just pull the earbud out and let it hang where it is (at your ear) or tuck it into the hat behind your ear to keep it snug. 

Integrated (Sun)glasses - A place for your shades 

Another small, but powerful, design feature is the additional embroidered holes at the front of the temples on the HizzyHat. These front holes are designed to stick the ear piece of your sunglass through. It has two big advantages: First, the hat is snug on your head and isn't pushing your glasses into your face or pulling them from side to side. It's seems like a small annoyance but after years of testing the HizzyHat, we know first hand that consistent pressure and rubbing will start to wear on your nose and ears when you're being active. These holes keep your glasses fitted on your head just as they would without a hat on. The second big advantage is your glasses are held in place as you run, bounce, and move around. We've had really good feedback from skiers and snow boarders who tell us that they wiped-out and lost a ski here or a glove there, but their glasses stayed on their head right along with their HizzyHat. 

We've also found that you can pull your glasses half way out and place the ear pieces of your glasses under the ear which will move the sun glasses just above your eyes. This will hold them there while you look at a phone, iPod, or you are just trying to read something on the chairlift where the last thing you want is for your glasses to fall off your face. Another funny, yet informative, bit of feedback we got was from a construction worker in Grand Junction, CO who used a HizzyHat under his hardhat during the winter. He was on a job site and had to use a outhouse that he'd lost a pair of sunglasses in before. He said he typically put his sunglasses on top of his head so that he could see in the low light and it occurred to him that having his glasses in the HizzyHat solved the "sacrifice to the outhouse Gods" as he called it. It's a funny and odd example, but we try to pay attention to all of the feedback we get and this is a great side benefit. 

Other considerations: 

The standard HizzyHat is made of a medium use beanie knitted hat. This allows you to wear it as is, or wear it under a helmet when you're skiing, snowboarding, or doing something that requires the safety of a helmet. We believe strongly in real-world testing and what we found is that a medium sized dizzy hat offers the most usability. If you're in sub-zero temperatures and you need extra warmth, you're better off wearing the HizzyHat as an under layer and another large-knit beanie as an outer layer. It's the same concept applied to other cold weather apparel. Dress in layers! Layers offer the most versatility for changing weather and the most warmth for very cold conditions. 

www.HizzyHat.com a Beta Ro Omega product