Planning your Christmas Day run

With just two days to go before Christmas dinner you may have time to think about the big day!

We wish you all the best for a wonderful day filled with positivity, good food and of course, your favourite run or training session because, whilst most people will be using Christmas Day for the chance to put their feet up and have a jolly, lazy time, most runners love the opportunity to get out for a Christmas Day run, parkrun or training session in the daylight on quiet roads or trails.

Running on Christmas Day - There are a few considerations to make before setting off through the door:

When will you run? -  The timing of the Christmas Dinner will probably dictate the answer to this, or it may need to fit in around family and visitor demands. If you eat in the late afternoon or evening you will certainly need to run before but if your meal is scheduled for lunch time, you may be able to go in the evening, once it has been digested enough. However, consideration should be given to all the extra snacks that may be on offer. If you keep snacking on mince pies and chocolates once the meal is over, an evening run won't feel so good!

Where will you run? -If it is during the daylight you may want to get off road and into the countryside. Whether it's hills, beach or forests there is no better start to Christmas Day than being out in the fresh air with soft ground under your feet!

What will you run? - Are you heading out for an easy run or will you spice it up with a bit of fartlek or even some hill reps perhaps? Or you may even go for a 5km effort at one of the many parkruns that are on offer on Christmas Day.

Or - it may be that you have a traditional run that you do every Christmas Day. Every Christmas, the Bowland Fell Runners have run to a lone Christmas tree that thrives on top of one of the nearby fells. They take decorations with them to drape and hang on the tree and a few Carol sheets so that they can sing when they get there. Do you have a run that you do every Christmas?

Christmas Nutrition

Turkey - Turkey is a fabulous food for runners. It is actually low in fat, once the skin is removed, and contains lots of amino acid called alanine and this amino acid (protein building block) is very good for buffering muscle damage in cells and so, if you go for a run before dinner, this go to work at repairing the damage done in training. Turkey is also high in tryptophan, that boosts fellings of happiness, vitamin B3 and B6 and zinc.

Sprouts - Sprouts contain vitamins K and C and are high in omega-3 fatty acids as well glucosinolates that help protect you against cancer.

Carrots - Carrots are packed with carotenoids such as alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and lutein, which help to protect vision and protect you against cancer.

Cranberries - Cranberries are full of antioxidants and nutrients that are essential for a runner's good health

Parsnips - Parsnips are low in fat and high in fibre and have the antioxidant, falcarino.

Christmas pudding and cake - Okay, so these are not really healthy but the dried fruit in the pudding and the cake contains lots of fibre and nutrients and the spices in there, such as cinammon and nutmeg, can help with digestion and to take down inflammation.

If you plan your Christmas Day well with a good balance of running, eating, partying and relaxing you will be in for a fabulous day!

Please leave a facebook message for us and let us know how your Christmas day goes!

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Happy Christmas everyone!