Unless you’re training for a specific event, winter is a good time to give your body a much-needed break from the stress and strain of hard-core training and racing.

I’m not saying you should quit running in winter, I’m just suggesting you dial it back and slack off for a few months. I

f you’re hanging onto those 12-mile long runs on weekends, ask yourself why. What for? What purpose is there in doing long runs in horrible weather (besides giving you bragging rights and sore hips from slushy, slipp-y footing)?

Mother Nature usually conspires to help you decide to take it easy by offering you lots of cold, wet and icy excuses to cut your run short or cross-train indoors.

Don’t feel guilty about that. It’s not racing season and, trust me, your body can use the recovery time.

This is the time of year I stop running for miles and start running for time. It’s also the time of year, I start “forgetting” my Garmin, if only because I can’t stand to see that it takes me so much longer to cover distances in the winter (thanks to the slush, ice, snow).

I stumbled upon this great article with 10 Reasons to Ditch the Garmin. This is advice you might consider heeding, at least for the next few months.

* Do you have a Garmin and also find yourself ridiculously addicted to it? Guilty as charged!

* Do you take it easy over winter? Do you think it helps you race better come spring?

* When was the last time you reveled in the joy of a Garmin/watch-free run?