now that’s brisk
i rolled out of bed this morning and geared up with temps in the lower single digits. i layered up to the point that i felt like that kid in the movie "A Christmas Story" who’s wearing a snowsuit so bulky that he can’t put his arms down. i stepped out the front door and made my way around my five mile route. my gps watch doesn’t fit on my wrist when i’m wearing that many layers so the effort was untimed. regardless, when i returned home i noticed a thick coat of frost around the front of my jacket collar – – likely from the moisture of my breathing.
sunday afternoon stroll
after a lazy afternoon of watching football and dozing on the couch i geared up for a late afternoon constitutional. with temps in the mid-40’s, much of the snow and ice has melted which made it much easier to run. i headed south on comanche then went west on the glacial drumlin trail. after covering 3 miles i did a 180 and headed for home. heading back up the hill on comanche i spotted a runner ahead of me and slowly began closing the gap between us. shortly after cresting the hill, i pulled up along side of him. i was going to make some small talk but before i had the chance he surged ahead. i guess he didn’t appreciate being run down. regardless, i managed six miles and hit the shower.
slow run on saturday
i headed out the door shortly before 8am and headed downhill on comanche. it had been awhile since i have run on the glacial drumlin trail so i opted to see if it had been plowed out. fortunately, it had been plowed but there still was a layer of ice under a thin layer of snow which made for slow going. one thing i did note is the number of piles left by pooches along the trail. i guess their owners don’t feel that they need to pick up after their pet during the winter. regardless, i mustered six miles total and hit the shower.
nah nah boo boo
this morning i headed out with temps in the mid-30’s and "snain" – – a combo of snow and rain. the footing was very slushy so i stayed in the tire tracks in the road. on my way north on comanche i had to swing to the far right of the road to avoid an oncoming snow plow. "nah nah boo boo" as my youngest would say.
as time went on, the snain made my oakley clear lens glasses useless so i perched them on top of my head. i ran along michigan avenue past north high school then to the top of a good sized hill. with as slow as i was in the sloppy conditions, i decided to make a 180 for home at the top of the hill as i had covered two miles to that point.
running back past north high school, a guy was walking his dog up ahead of me. i noticed the dog had plenty of leash and i swung myself to the far right of the road. sure enough, as i approached the pooch darted right for me. thankfully i was still about 5 feet away when the dog’s owner yanked on the leash and brought him to a screeching halt. "nah nah boo boo"
shortly thereafter, another snow plow turned toward me and i swung to the other side of the road to avoid it. "nah nah boo boo" the last mile or so was rather uneventful and i made the turn onto my street and headed in for a hot shower.
btw…the proper tempo for "nah nah boo boo" is brisk. adding hand gestures positioned next to your ears is encouraged. running away squealing is optional but good for comedic effect.
weekend rewind
i finally got myself out the door saturday afternoon and ran a five mile loop. the wind was howling from the north so i chose a route that was mainly east-west versus north-south. honestly, in a way i prefer running in the wee hours of the morning as there are less cars on the roads. that being said, i spotted a van driving on a flat tire and made dramatic guestures to it as i ran by. hopefully i did some good while out for my constitutional.
this morning i geared up and headed out with temps in the lower 20’s. i opted for a north-south loop and ran mainly in the road as the pavement was fairly dry. for entertainment, i listened to a new CD that saint nick brought me which was ripped to my ipod. the gift of music was much more appreciated than the thong underwear that "saint nick" had brought me a few years ago….which i exchanged at target – – thank you very much. (apparently, "saint nick" was in a hurry and just grabbed a package after verifying the size rather than the cut.) regardless, i mustered five miles and hit the shower.