THURSDAY 29 DECEMBER 2016 COMMUNITYCOMM | 6 FOOD | 10 BOLLYWOODD | 1111 KarwanKarw e Urdu Flatbread supports Saif praises Dangal,angal, Qatar hholdso poetry a quick saute at the terms Aamir KKhanhan symposium end of the day ‘phenomenal’ Email: [email protected] Running in the cold must be a matter of careful calibration, or you might find your hands numb and your face chapped from high winds. P | 4-5 WINTER RUNNING 03 THURSDAY 29 DECEMBER 2016 CAMPUS Commuting to college by bullet train? There’s a subsidy for that in Japan growing number of Shizuoka city has struggled to local governments prevent its young people from mov- across Japan are subsi- ing to the Tokyo metropolitan area, dising commuting on and this year it introduced a loan high-speed Shinkansen system to help students who com- Atrains for university students in a mute to the capital on the Tokaido bid to prevent them from moving Shinkansen Line. The city loans to big cities to pursue their one-third of a student’s commut- studies. ing costs (up to a maximum of Students and parents have wel- 30,000 yen per month), but the stu- comed the financial assistance, dent does not have to repay the because living at home is cheaper money if they live and work in Shi- than living alone and gives their zuoka after they graduate. family peace of mind. Local gov- This year, 164 students are using ernments hope more students will the system; the city expects 300 to find jobs in their local region after use it next fiscal year. they graduate, which will help stop Mirai Ishioka, a senior student the population decline in some at Sophia University in Chiyoda areas. Ward, Tokyo, spends about two Several local governments hours commuting from her home along the Hokuriku Shinkansen line, in Shizuoka city. Ishioka will work which officially began operations in Shizuoka after she graduates. on an extended section in March “Receiving 30,000 yen each 2015, have started offering com- month helps a lot, and my parents muting subsidies. Toyama city, subsidy last fiscal year, and 102 are oka, Toyama Prefecture. are happy about it, too,” said Ish- which has worked to prevent an using it this fiscal year. Many stu- The city initially planned to run ioka, 21. “The loan system wasn’t outflow of people to Kanazawa in dents said they decided to commute the subsidy system for two years the only reason I decided to find a neighbouring Ishikawa Prefecture, because of the financial support. starting last fiscal year, but it is con- job in Shizuoka, but it nudged me introduced a subsidy for students However, the system’s budget sidering continuing it next fiscal in this direction.” who commute from Toyama Sta- for fiscal 2016 is about 28 million year. Takaoka officials visit high Yutaka Okada, a senior tion to universities, junior colleges yen. If the number of users schools in the prefecture and uni- researcher at Mizuho Research and vocational schools outside the increases further, the city’s finan- versities in Kanazawa to publicise Institute, Ltd, believes the subsidies prefecture. cial burden will also grow. Six of the system. and loans could bring the desired The Toyama city government the 13 subsidy users who graduated The city of Itoigawa, Niigata effect. offers subsidies of 20,000 yen last fiscal year found employment Prefecture, subsidises half the cost “It’ll be important to combine ($170) per month, which covers in Toyama. of students’ commuter passes. It this system with the creation of about 40 percent of the monthly “We’ll find out later whether encourages students who use the attractive jobs,” said Okada, an student commuter pass cost of young people end up staying in the system to participate in local vol- expert in regional policies. “If local 49,300 yen for the about 20-minute city,” a Toyama city official said. unteer activities and the fire brigade. areas can provide jobs for students ride between Toyama and In fiscal 2016, 16 students The city aims to deepen the stu- after they graduate, this system Kanazawa. received a monthly subsidy of dents’ ties to Itoigawa in the hope could encourage young people to Sixty-three students used the 10,000 yen from the city of Taka- it will encourage them to live there. live there permanently.” 04 COVER STORY THURSDAY 29 DECEMBER 2016 Hate winter running? Maybe you’re doing it wrong Gabriella Boston You might even wear a balaclava (ski mask) to “We will just do repeats if we need to,” Pugh The Washington Post protect your face and neck. Think layers and says, meaning she will make sure her runners wick-away materials. get the distances they need on ice-free streets - any detest it and simply refuse to “I have never canceled because of cold even though sometimes it means doing repetitive do it, while others do it begrudg- weather,” Pugh says of her running boot camp. loops. ingly while longing for spring’s One of her longtime runners, Hilary Chap- sunny days. A third group, though, man, says cold weather is not the main deterrent loves it and says that “it’s not a against winter running — freezing rain and slip- Mmatter of bad weather; it’s a matter of bad cloth- pery road conditions are. ing choices.” “If it’s 40 degrees and raining, then I proba- We’re talking about winter running — which bly will opt for an indoor group exercise class,” even in the mid-Atlantic can mean temperatures she says. If she is preparing for a race and misses in the 20s, high winds and freezing rain. training runs, she tries to make up for them by None of this, though, has ever stopped Kathy doing indoor cycling at roughly the same inten- Pugh, a Washington resident and coach who has sity (measured by heart rate) and duration as her been leading winter runs and race prep for nearly planned training runs. For example, if she is a decade. “I love running in the winter. It’s so training for a half-marathon and needs a two- still, and sometimes you feel like you have the hour run, but the streets outside resemble a city to yourself,” Pugh says. hockey rink, then she will do indoor cycling for Winter running, Pugh says, takes much more two hours. She does not care for treadmill thought and preparation than summer running, running. when shorts, a tank top and sneakers have you “I try to get in a similar workout in terms of ready and out the door in no time. Running in level of effort and amount of time,” she says. the cold must be a matter of careful calibration, Pugh, on the other hand, says she will run or you might find your hands numb and your outdoors anytime instead of working out indoors. face chapped from high winds. “Everyone has And after years of coaching, she knows where to figure out what works for them, but generally to run when ice and snow coat the streets. I suggest that runners dress as if it’s 20 degrees The loop around the Capitol building is 1.1 warmer,” she says. miles and is usually plowed and iceless within In other words, if you are preparing to go for 24 hours of snowfall, she says. Another loop is a run in 20-degree weather, then dress as if it’s on the National Mall, where the sidewalks along 40 degrees. If it’s windy and cold, then prepare Jefferson and Madison drives are usually plowed by exposing as little skin as possible, Pugh says. and prepped. 05 THURSDAY 29 DECEMBER 2016 COVER STORY Other winter running tips by Pugh and guessed it: in the muggy heat of D.C. summer Final tips from Pugh: Run with a buddy or Chapman: days. group to stay safe while it’s dark and possibly - Take warmups extra seriously (e.g. dynamic “I ran 17 miles on a treadmill one summer to icy, check the weather forecast, and make sure stretching), eat a bigger breakfast, hydrate at avoid the heat. I hate to be too hot,” she says. to account for the wind when you make your least four ounces per hour even though you might But back to winter running. clothing choices. not feel like it, take it easy during the first mile, Chapman says she has all but quit doing big “Wind is like the heat index in the summer,” do your post-run stretch indoors and get into races because waiting around is too cold. She she says. But once the wind is entered into the the warm shower quickly. has Raynaud’s disease, which affects the blood equation, Pugh feels about winter runs the way - Race day supply to her fingers on very cold days. she feels about any run: It’s a moving medita- As for race day, it’s important to prepare to “No one makes running gloves that are ade- tion. It’s a time for peace, quiet and self-care. have to wait at the start. Runner Kate Langbein quate,” Chapman says. suggests wearing a throwaway long-sleeved T-shirt until the race begins. She also wears wool socks, mittens and a skin block such as Vaseline if it’s windy. “Wool socks cannot be oversold,” she says. As for winter running tips in general, Lang- bein suggests running with reflective gear, because chances are you will be running in the dark before or after work. Although conceding that winter running can be daunting, she says that winter is when she became a runner — her first significant race being the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in Washington in 2007.