Ross Proudfoot is a member of the Speed River Track and Field club and a 7-time Canadian national team member. A New Balance athlete, twice he was the senior men’s XC champion and he’s a former University of Guelph’s Athlete of the Year. He ran 5000 metres in 13:29:32. Basically, the guy’s a stud. Here’s his top ten list for how to make the most of your running this summer.

10. Run somewhere.

Running can sometimes be made a task on it’s own, but when the weather is nice, getting out the door with a purpose can make things blissful. Plan to run to a friends, to a look out, lake, or even to the corner store! There’s nothing like getting two things done at once, and being able to run to your plans can be an easy way to get yourself out the door.

9. Find the time to relax on a runner’s high.

I find the summer is the best time to enjoy every aspect of running, even the post-run high. The weekends are a great time to enjoy being outside not only on a scenic run, but afterwards too. Take the time to relax for 30 minutes after a run, refuel and read a chapter of that novel on the deck or relax with your favourite show or food on the couch. You earned it!

8. Sweat and detox with electrolytes.

Summer is the time of year to sweat, but this can be the best part of the summer for a runner! Leaning out often takes some serious sweating, and when you lose fluids on a run it’s a chance to detox and replenish your blood volume with some cold water and ne electrolytes! There’s a number of brands on the market for replenishing your electrolytes, this is something I’ve been searching through lately myself and there are a ton of tasty, awesome products to rehydrate with. There’s also the opportunity to do your own thing, and rehydrate with your favourite smoothie or try a new drink recipe. Even a beer at the end of a hot run is a way to rehydrate from the glorious sweat loses of summer running!

7. Challenge yourself to a new distance.

It can’t always be about relaxing post run, or going places, sometimes it’s about challenging yourself! With good weather, there are no excuses to not be going that extra mile, literally. Try to break a record and make it for your longest run ever this summer. Or create mini challenges for yourself, longest run of the week or month, these can be fun and more aerobic work is never a bad thing!

6. Write yourself a manageable workout each week.

To get the most out of your summer, you can go beyond just running further. Creating an interval workout is something a lot of individuals don’t do and it’s a big shame. Using interval training you can challenge the body with stresses of higher intensity and work different metabolic systems of the body. Without getting into too much detail, having distance or time intervals of increasing speed can be hugely beneficial to your fitness and health. The best part is you can do the structuring, try different distances and time with different paces and put yourself into a new kind of workout!

5. Register for races.

So if you’ve gotten all the way to creating your own workouts, you’ve already been cleaning up on the summer run countdown, and are probably feeling like you’re coming into shape this season. Why not register for that local 5 or 10km race at the end of the month? Why not search the area for a small circuit of races to finish? Heck, maybe keep track of your result or time and beat the last month you [ed. note: or use Sportstats!] Races and events are a blast and bring runners and non-runners alike together in the name of fitness and some pretty great causes, plus there’s usually food at the end!

4. Track your run with GPS.

Probably the biggest new fad in running is the emergence of accurate GPS recording. This can be a training tool for the more serious racer, but also a blast for any runner to track where you went, how fast you ran and ultimately your distance covered! There’s tons of places to upload and share your runs challenge friends and record your workouts to track your training. I myself am a user of Strava to track my training and stay connected with the New Balance running team, and of course take down some of my friends favourite running routes! This can be a lot of fun and a big motivator for any runner, it’s always great to get more feedback on the work you’re putting in!

3. Try all the fresh products the summer has to offer.

Summer can be a hothouse for new releases in the running world. New apparel, watches, hats, water bottles, sunglasses and other equipment in the summer are always some of the sharpest and best suited items for the sport, and right when you can get some of your best running in! It’s always awesome to grab a few new flashy items to try, wear or have fun with! I’m always excited to see what the new running apparel is going to look like and always dive into the newest New Balance gear I can find!

2. Grab a fresh pair of New Balance’s.

Not to pump New Balance too much haha, but as an avid user of their shoe line for the past 7 years, I’m always looking at the new released footwear for the summer. I always like to grab a new light weight trainer or set of flats for the warm months, when I’m looking to start moving fast and feeling light on the run! Usually there are some great lighter material or breathable shoes for the summer, that can keep you fast and cool! You have to check out their newest platform, Fuel. 

1. Find the single tracks

This is my biggest preach! If you want to have a blast running in the summer the best way to do it is find the single track – Hit the Trails. There is nothing like spinning through a forest with the sun shining and really taking in nature. Looking up a great trailhead or series of running trails is a blast and gives you some new terrain to cover that isn’t starting from your front door. Take in the sights and sounds, following a single track instead of street signs!