I woke up on Sunday to snow falling.  The light flakes were aesthetically inspiring, but set me to hemming and hawing.  The Montana cold is uncomfortable to say the least, but more importantly, snow on the ground doesn’t provide much traction. Sprinting in this weather carried the risk of a slip and possible injury.

What to do when nature or something similar hands you a small obstacle? I feel most empowered when I make adjustments to my routine instead of opting out of the workout entirely.

I chose to perform a modified version of my sprints on the snow-covered pavement. Rather than going at full tilt as I normally do, I ran more carefully at 85% and baked in some moderate hills to compensate.

In worse weather, I run in place inside to simulate my sprints and not stray from my schedule.

The bottom line is, we derive great satisfaction and confidence from facing a less than optimal hand and playing it well.

Sample sprint workout with full recovery (a slower heart rate and not being short of breath) between sets below.

Warm up:

• 400 yard jog
• 20 yards of high knees
• 20 yards of side shuffles facing in each direction
• 20 yards of butt-kickers
• 20 yards of skips

Sprint Workout:

• 2 sets of 50 yard sprints at 75% intensity
• 4 sets of 100 yard sprints at 100% intensity
• 4 sets of 60 yard sprints at 100% intensity
• 4 sets of 40 yard sprints at 100% intensity

Cool down:

• 400 yard yard jog or brisk walk