When I go running there are normally two things that can really mess with my stride and it is almost never my legs. I have plenty of leg strength and have never felt as though my legs were what was holding me back.
The main factors that negatively impact my running capabilities are heat and my cardio. The cardio takes time and the heat is something, if you are outdoors, is something you just have to try to deal with. For example: I always perform better in colder weather than I do in hot weather because obviously, I overheat. I find it very difficult to continue when I am sweating like mad and my body feels like it could explode at any moment.
Cardiovascular capabilities increase with time and experience, this much should be obvious. But a big part of cardio is the capability to get enough oxygen into your system in the first place which, when mask-less is not much of an issue. These days though, many people are faced with the necessity to wear a mask when in public. So what can you do?
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For starters, if you can run without a mask by seeking out a certain area and are not breaking the laws of your area, do that... job done! Personally I hate running with a mask on but for a time it was required where I live. It did seem a bit stupid if no one else was around but there is this thing about porch informants that would shame you for not wearing a mask even if there was no one else around as far as you could see. These people are busybodies and I hope they get their comeuppance at some point in life
However, if you live somewhere crowded such as a big city and are concerned about running, there are a few tips that I have read online that might help ya.
Stop being poor (joking)
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First off, you could start by being one of the wealthiest people in the world and then rules don't apply to you. Here is Zuck running in Beijing in March, 2020. What a clown.
For the rest of us, we play by a different set of rules and probably have to worry about repercussions if we don't comply. The easiest one that I found might not appeal to most people but I have found this to be simple, if not a little disappointing for your Garmin watch:
Slow the eff down
There you go, that is all the mask-wearing running advice that you really need. Perhaps now isn't the best time to be trying to improve your per km pace and perhaps just focus on getting a bit of cardio in. It will no doubt help you anyway and since you can't really increase the amount of O2 that gets through your cheap, ill-fitting, drug store mask, you could just slow the eff down, right?
This is what I do and yeah, it was disappointing for my Strava records, but at least I am getting something in. Do what you you gotta do, right?
It is hot most places now and I am one of those people that sweats a LOT, therefore if I run my normal pace my face covering becomes saturated with sweat very quickly and this lets even LESS fresh air in. In one particularly bad situation I started to feel light-headed because (I presume) I wasn't getting enough actual new air and had accidentally created a re-breather of sorts and was sucking in CO2, which definitely isn't good. So I slowed the eff down.
It's not the perfect fix but it worked
A slightly better solution is to get some sort of better mask and while this idea will not filter out viruses (Personally, I don't thing any of the other commercially available masks do either) but they do comply with the rules in virtually every city around the world.
Buffs / Neck Gaiters
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You've probably seen people wearing these in colder weather environments or when they are trying to burn down a courthouse in Portland, but believe it or not they do have other purposes! I had one of these from a while back and decided to break it out for a run one day. It is actually far more breathable than regular drug-store masks and for me at least, it did a great job of soaking up sweat just in a general sense.
Of course (again if you are like me) this ends up being disgusting by the time you get home but I just soak it in the sink for a few minutes with some detergent, rinse it out and hang it up to dry. It is ready for the nextday.
One time i thought i would be clever and leave it wet and put it in the fridge overnight for the next day's run and while I feel as though I was being super-intelligent for this I can say Do not do this.
Once totally wet it, just like the drug-store mask doesn't let a great deal of air through, it also lost all of it's cool properties just a few minutes into the run so now I just had a hot, wet, clingy, scarf attached to my face. I will not make this mistake again.
At the end of the day, running with a mask on sucks but that's the world we live in now. If you want to keep your running streak alive you are going to have to make some adjustments to your workout. For me, the Buffs addition was fantastic and I will admit, when no one was around I pulled it down so that my face was uncovered.
Don't use this time as an excuse to not exercise - just step it down a notch because as I have learned throughout my life - once you quit, it is really difficult to get back in the habit.
I haven't had to run in a mask yet and I hope I don't have to. There are generally very few people around when I run. I'm pretty sure I don't have the virus and my chances of catching out there when running must be low.
I also don't perform at my best when it's hot. I just try to get out in the morning when it's a little cooler.
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that is lucky for you. I hate wearing a mask when I run and if no one is around I take it off then just pull it down when I encounter another person.
The difference between how far i can run consecutively varies dramatically between cold and hot seasons.
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I won’t be running in a mask or working out in a mask. But I definitely won’t be quitting my normal workouts either. It is for sure difficult to start back once you quit! Hopefully, whatever you have to do to find a way to get your fitness in, you’re able to do it!
yeah buddy. I do it no matter what. I am doing a minimum of 1 mile per day run, which i know isn't much but i take zero days off. I can't do weights at the moment because of gyms being closed but i do some pushups and situps. best i can do for now.
I rarely run at all anyway and can't imagine doing it with a mask on. You are far more dedicated than I am, that is for sure.
Thanks, I wouldn't consider myself terribly dedicated, hence the "normie" on the front of my blog title. I think it is important to do a little bit every day though.
I always avoid walking past runners these days. I cross the road or stand aside as they run by. I'm like "no thanks" haha. So paranoid.
social distancing while running isn't really that difficult unless you live somewhere super populated. I live somewhere pretty heavily populated but simply choose a different time of day and also use your system of avoiding anyone that i encounter.