Not only is it the end of the year, but it is the end of the warm weather in many parts of Canada and the U.S.

As you approach the Christmas season and the year comes to a close, it’s normal to fall into a bit of a slump with training.

It’s normal to feel unmotivated. It’s normal to switch your cold and snowy outdoor training into the warmth and comfort of your own home gym.

One thing to always keep in mind across the holiday season is that training can be flexible.

Social obligations often grow over the festive season, whether that be kids staying home from school, or the ever-growing list of gatherings with friends and family. We’re out of our normal routines, and the list of things we want to accomplish often grows given our increased flexibility and time.

So when the weather then takes a turn for the worse, it’s normal to prioritize anything else. Especially the easier things over something more difficult, like exercise.

As I discussed in the previous newsletter, two weeks of minimal training would do little to harm your current fitness level if you needed exactly that. So always remember that one or two days off are far from harmful to the training process either.

If we can maintain your fitness levels and continue to build after the holidays, we’re then in a great place for everything that comes your way in 2026.

Last year, I spent almost five months off with injury toward the end of 2024. By January of 2025, I was already running well without missing a beat. In February of 2025, Coach Jade had me run a 10K time trial, and I comfortably ran the fastest time I’d managed in years.

This is to say – it takes very little time to build dramatic fitness gains. Time off does make a difference. But two weeks off does not. Neither does two days! And more time off can take less time to rebuild than you think!

If anything, it can be helpful for both the mind and body to have a reset. So if that is what you’re feeling across the festive period, never feel bad for adapting your training.

Most outdoor runs can easily be done on the treadmill. Most cross-training workouts can be done on an elliptical as easy as they can on an arc-trainer, bike, rower, or pool.

You always have options!

And I understand. If the weather is bad, sometimes a mundane treadmill run feels equally unfun.

But there’s always ways to spice up the treadmill. I like to switch up inclines and speeds to keep my mind and body engaged. This is more aligned to the rhythm of a trail or road run anyway. Sometimes you slow, sometimes you speed up. Sometimes you go up, other times it’s flat.

I will even do this on my easy cross-training days, switching between speeds or inclines every few minutes to keep my mind engaged and my body flowing at a good enough pace. If I’m getting tired of an outdoor run before the time or distance prescribed, throwing in speed bursts or strides is a great way to “end” it sooner.

So long as your keeping your effort in check toward your goal for the day, going a little faster on any machine will keep you in a better flow, both for the brain and body.

Instead of feeling like it’s a boring slog, suddenly it will feel like a fun, engaging challenge.

Another thing you must do when switching your outdoor training to the indoors is to make sure you pack enough nutrition – from carbs to sodium to electrolytes. This will keep you moving at a good pace without falling into a late exercise slump.

Indoor exercise expends more calories, more brainpower, and more sweat.

Replenishing all of that can be your favourite electrolyte-carb drink mix, sports drinks, gels, and electrolyte tabs. I like to bring more than I think I might need, in case I end up going longer, or in case I fall into dehydration sooner.

Finally, if you’re a fan of workouts at home, there are so many good workouts you can follow along to on YouTube.

A 30-minute HIIT workout is going to get your heart rate up, build strength, and keep you more engaged than a 30-minute slow cycle on your phone. I like a variety of stuff from Heather Robertson, Caroline Girvan to Tiff x Dan. There’s plenty out there, so give your search a very specific focus toward what you want within your workout for the day.

And if you need any help adapting your training to the winter weather, you can always ask your coach to help with the process!

Merry Christmas, thanks for reading, and see you soon!