When our Calgary Store ambassador, Andrea Rice hits the shore for a beach run she ditches her hair tie, tunes, shoes and inhibitions.

andrea’s recipe for a perfect beach run

set your pony tail free
Seriously, just do it! Ditch the elastic, the headband and the bobby pins and let your hair run wild as you hit the sand. Whether it's been stuffed into a toque (Canadian-speak for hat) all winter long or simply pulled away from your face for a long, long time, nothing says freedom like letting the mane blow in the breeze while you're footing it through the sand. It will feel awesome.

sink your toes into the sand
Barefoot running is all the rage right now but for those of us not quite ready to hit the pavement naked, beach running is a great sampler. The first couple of times you hit the beach barefoot, cut down your distance and duration to see how it feels. Running on a soft surface like sand will call upon the muscles in your feet, legs and core to work a little harder. Post-run, expect to be a little sore in few new places. Remember not to push your body through any physical pain – test the waters but ultimately do what feels right for you. If barefoot ain’t your thing, bring your sneakers to the beach with you.

ditch the watch
You won’t run as fast as you do on the pavement but every second of beach running will be time very well spent. It's a nice way to remember that running is awesome just for the sake of running.

leave the tunes behind
Unplug from your headphones and listen to the waves crashing, the birds chirping and the people playing. How refreshing to run with a true awareness of your surroundings. Let your body fall into the rhythm of the natural soundtrack.

dive in
What better way to finish off a run on the beach than to go for a swim! The best part of running on the beach is that sweet, sweet, plunge into the ocean to cool off.  Enjoy it! After all, you earned it!

For those of us living in the frosty north, there’s a very small window to enjoy the warmer temps that summer will bring. How do you infuse your workouts with a little summer love?