January 2012 Running - Snow, stay away!

[Veronica]

Did 5.3 miles today with the intent of keeping my HR within a 5 beat range, just below my LT. The first three miles were pretty easy - mile 4 was tough. But happily, it got easier again. I'm focusing on NOT going so hard, I blow myself up.

It turned into the fastest 5 mile run I have ever done.

Veronica

[VeganBikeChick]

Barely did 2 miles today on the treadmill. Off sick for a week with a cold, and surprising how quickly endurance fades.

[skhill]

Saturday, I resorted to the treadmill; it was kinda cold for running outside, at least for me. 15F (but the horrible wind had died down) makes it tough! I was planning on going at least 6 miles, but maybe as much as 9, depending on my patience and how crowded the Y was. Ended up doing 6 at a long-run sort of pace, and just setting the treadmill at 6.4mph and just cruising along without changing pace felt a lot harder than my usual speeding up and slowing down.

But today, I braved the outside, as it has warmed up. 24F, hooray! There is an inch of fresh snow everywhere, so I slowed down a bit, and just enjoyed the beautiful morning. 4 miles, and the footing was pretty good except downtown.

[Selkie]

Sunrise run with DH in the cold (25 degrees, windchill in the teens). Last 1.5 miles were with a tailwind, which was perfect. First two miles or so, I could really feel the chill, but it was fine after I warmed up. The MUT runs alongside a creek, so the sound of the running water was soothing. Felt pretty good and went at a nice pace.

Plan to run at least 3.5 miles tomorrow (maybe 4).

I'm starting to semi-seriously consider a half-marathon next year to mark my 50th.

[7rider]

I'm starting to semi-seriously consider a half-marathon next year to mark my 50th.

I think that would be great!

Me....I'm such an idiot.

So it was cold and breezy yesterday, and like VBC, I'm just getting over a week-long head cold that knocked me for a loop. But training plan (semi-serious at this point, will ramp it up more in February) called for a 5-miler on Saturday (actually, just "weekend").

DH looked at the thermometer, reading in the mid-20's, and we watched the wind blowing through the trees out our back window. My motivation was flagging - if it ever existed at all. "Why don't you run on the treadmill?" he asked. Why indeed. I honestly find running by myself boring. If I'm going to be bored for an hour (I could do it SO much faster on the bike!), I may as well be bored in the comfort of my home on the 'mill, listening to some good tunes on Pandora. I laced up my new running shoes (lighter stability shoes, vs. my clunky motion controls I normally run in), and remembered the picture of my foot from last week's gait evaluation follow-up and how I could run with orthotics or not, based on Doug's recommendation. So, I put my SuperFeet inserts in the shoes (the black ones) that I had from bike shoes that I sold.

New SuperFeet inserts + 5.25 miles on the treadmill = painful feet. OUCH. My soles are killing me. I should have done a 2-mile run on them to start. Then a 3-miler. Not jump right in to +5. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Crap. Well, hopefully, they will be pain free by Monday when I plan to get in an easy 3 (without the inserts) for my day off.

[Selkie]

I hope your feet are feeling better, 7.

MLK Day run -- DH and I ran this morning, after my swim. It was cold (25 degrees) but the wind wasn't as brutal as Sunday. It was blowing in the opposite direction from yesterday (south vs northwest). My legs felt great. Because I had post-swim sinuses, I was a snot rocket factory!

[skhill]

Ouch, 7!

In honor of it being MLK day, I ran the length of my city's MLK Ave. Even the block there at the end that scares me; but at 6:30 am the dealers and prostitutes aren't out working. Came back on a parallel road that includes a bunch of landmarks of local black history-- the site of the slave auctions, several of our oldest historically black churches, and the old "colored" city high school. Even threw in a 1/4 mile on the school's track. All in all, about 4.5 miles.