If you want to test your dedication for running (or any hobby for that matter) see how well you fare in a polar vortex. Yes, we've now had two of them this winter. Days and days of freezing cold, ice, snow, repeat. There were days that I longed to run, days that I was willing to run if I had to and then days when asked if I was going to run my response was "No Way!"
After three weeks of continuously increasing my distance with each run I had been feeling great but the past week was just rough in more ways than one.
54 Days to Go - The weather was so nice. Temperatures were in the mid-50's and after publishing my friend Juan's guest post that morning, I was really pumped to run. In fact, I thought about it all day long and could not wait to get home for an afternoon run. An impromptu afternoon meeting kept me at work a little longer than I had planned to be there but it was OK, I'd still have time to do something.
When I arrived home I set out on my run, dressed for 50 degrees, and realized that the temperature was dropping rapidly as the polar vortex set in. My fingers, nose and ears all burned. I decided to pick up the pace and make the most of this one-mile route. I finished one lap at a pace of 9:21 per mile. This was a new personal record for that distance.
53 Days to Go - I woke up and looked at the weather on my iPhone. It was cold and would start snowing around 3 p.m. I walked outside and weather.com was very wrong. It was packing down at 7 a.m. I went on to work and it snowed lightly for most of the day. I was reluctant to run in the cold and slush that afternoon but was willing to since I had missed the last session. Later on I received notice that the YMCA training coaches had postponed the evening's training session until Thursday and that the YMCA was closing early. No running on this day. It was a good thing because I saw two ice related traffic accidents on the way home that afternoon.
52 Days to Go - A think blanket of snow and ice covered the ground still. Everything that I needed to accomplish for the day could be done from my laptop so I hunkered down from the comfort of home with a fire in the fireplace and a big mug of coffee. Since I knew that my very active 5-year old would also be home with me, craving attention, I got up and began working at 5 a.m. I was able to accomplish a great deal of work in the quiet of the morning while both he and my husband slept. This head start freed up my afternoon for playing in the snow with H. The crunch of the snow under my feet had a great sound and texture. I wanted to run in it so bad but opted not to just to be safe.
51 Days to Go - As everyone returned to semi-normal routines at work, icy patches on sidewalks were still a risk so the training group canceled the evening run for our safety. I was so happy about this decision! Our coaches encouraged us to run on treadmills or YMCA's indoor track instead. I went to the Y and found a treadmill to run on but got so bored. Even with a nearby TV playing the movie Twister and my playlist of music, it was very difficult to keep motivated. I guess I'm just not a treadmill person. I ended my run after a mile and went home. In hindsight I wished that I had spent my time on the indoor track instead.
50 Days to Go - The weather was much nicer on this day and I accepted an invite from my friend Amanda to run at the Smith River Sports Complex. We ran a two mile route around the property that included a large loop of perfectly level sidewalks and a loop around the facility's irrigation pond with gentle hills. The facility was clean, well maintained and felt very safe. We ran at a pace 12:55 per mile which allowed us to enjoy conversation together. Following this two mile route, I picked up the pace for another solo 0.55 mile loop on the flat path at 9:36 per mile. It felt nice running outdoors and I really enjoyed getting to spend time with a great friend.
49 Days to Go - The weekend was finally here and the weather was perfect! Sharon had invited me the night before to run with her crew but I already had plans made for the morning and a busy day ahead of errands. I would have to tackle my six mile homework alone that afternoon. When my husband got home from a day of fishing to take over parenting responsibilities, I hit the road in my neighborhood. This is not the place I wanted to do my six mile run but I didn't want to drive back to town either. Knowing how bored I can get, I dreaded having to run past my house 12 times.
The first mile was rough, I was tired already at half a mile and my legs felt heavy. I had another near run-in with the neighbor's dog that was apparently fascinated with the flashing white of my exposed calves. The second mile felt a little better and the neighbors put up their dogs. By the third I was able to tell myself that I was halfway done.
Each time I ran past the house my men cheered me on. Darrin was out washing the vehicles and H played in the yard. As I got closer and closer to my goal I found myself getting more excited. During the fourth mile, I noticed that my cell phone battery was getting low. Oh, no! I shouted this news to Darrin as I ran by for the tenth time and he responded, "You better run faster."
This was the longest distance I had ever run. (Second only to the Harvest Moon 10K that I ran in 2010.) I completed this at an average pace of 11:51 per mile. It felt amazing to finish and it's good to know that your body is capable of such a feat for survival. Afterwards I cooled down, drank lots of water, took a shower, and then crashed. Yes, I was asleep by 7 p.m. on a Saturday. Pathetic, right? I woke up long enough to read bedtime stories to H and put him to sleep then I was back out. It was a good slumber though!
How is your training going? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below! :-)
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