that’s brisk!!
i opted to get a little more sleep on thursday and didn’t have the opportunity to fit in a run throughout the day.
this morning, the alarm went off and i rolled downstairs to the computer which informed me it was a balmy 12 degrees outside. i geared up and headed out on my easy five mile loop. the first mile or two was rather slow between just waking up and the cold temps. i started to run more fluidly by the third mile and was feeling a bit more comfortable by that time. i finished up the five mile loop then improvised an extra mile to finish with six miles in 50:30.
MTD – 50 miles
YTD – 371 miles
Odometer – 26,709 miles
nearly deja vu
i’m not one that usually runs the same route day in and day out. unfortunately, with many sidewalks and trails being icy i’m running in the road more often than not these days. i did end up running the same route as yesterday since i knew the ice was manageable and traffic would be minimal. i did opt for my oakley’s with a clear lens to block the wind on the way out. i had to perch them on the top of my head for the run back home as they were fogging up.
i ended up running seven miles in one second longer than yesterday…which was unplanned and honestly sort of funny. i know some people that would sprint like mad to finish one second faster…and still others that would keep running until the minute was "whole." runners…what an odd lot.
into the wind
i woke up before the alarm clock this morning and checked weather dotcom to learn that it was a balmy 18 degrees with a north wind outside. i geared up and headed out the door. while waiting for my GPS to sync, i surveyed the starry sky to look for something familiar…which i haven’t been doing in months since i’ve been relegated to mainly indoor running. my GPS found itself but i didn’t find anything in the sky so i headed down comanche then up university…into the wind.
overall, the run itself was rather nondescript. i had to putter with my ipod a few times as the sound was cutting in and out. i think i need to change the headphones. for the most part, the roads were runnable but i did encounter a few places where i had to gingerly walk across a patch of ice. in the end, i managed 7 miles in 56:21 and hit the shower.
MTD – 37 miles
YTD – 358 miles
Odometer – 26,696 miles
puddle jumping
i got myself off the couch early in the afternoon. i had a good excuse for my slothfulness as my youngest dozed off while sitting next to me under her blanket. temps were much more mild than yesterday morning’s effort, but i still opted for long tights and shirt. (nike dri-fit for those in the know)
i initially headed north to improvise some miles before heading south into the wind. not long after starting, it began to drizzle…which really tested my resolve. some folks expound about the glory of running in the rain…i’m not one of them, especially with temps only in the mid-40’s. regardless, i soldered on heading down to the fox river trail. i happened upon a group of folks gathered at an intersection where 3 teens had been involved in a fatal crash the day before. honestly, it was a sad sight to see and is a reminder of the short time we have.
i kept heading south, running on the road next to the bike trail in order to avoid the puddles of rain and snow melt. i ended up hopping onto the trail at a certain point to push a bit further but ran into an impassible puddle and ended up turning around for home. ironically, i was stopped at 7.49 miles and had the intent of running 15 miles. at this point, i had been running a bit over 61 minutes which translates to a little slower than 8 minute per mile pace.
heading home, the wind was of benefit as it pushed me along. rather than doubling back over my initial route, i opted to detour west along the glacial drumlin trail then turned north onto grandview. i then turned west onto madison and ran up a few good hills before turning south onto university. i then ran around bethesda elementary and back home with 15 miles completed in 2:01:41 which translates to 8:06 per mile pace.
overall, i felt pretty good. there’s no question i can move much better with temps warmer than what is more typical in the arctic regions of the world. i’m also pleased that i "sandwiched" 30 miles in this weekend. if i can keep progressing the amount of miles crammed into the weekend, i might have a shot at a decent long race this spring.
marching off on the right foot
i woke up this morning before the alarm went off and headed downstairs to gear up for a long run. the plan was to meet up with dana at 6AM. he had some commitments to take care of during the day and needed to get a run in early. i figured it would be alot easier to get in a longer run if i was running with someone else, so we met halfway in wauwatosa.
i was disappointed to see the bike trail i used to run on wasn’t plowed out so we ended up improvising headed west then south toward west allis. we then headed west along the new berlin recreation trail, which initially was very slow going due to snow on the trail. once we got past greenfield park, the trail was plowed so all we had to contend with was ice patches from the melt/refreeze cycle. we ran 7 miles in that first hour and made the turn a few clicks short of 7.5 miles.
heading back, we had the wind at our back and the sunshine for (relative) warmth. we cut out the unplowed section of trail and headed north through greenfield park then back up into wauwatosa. we ended up back at our cars at 15 miles in 2:03 which ends up to be 8:12 per mile pace. all things considered, it was a good effort…not too fast but not too slow either.