...but I ran in it anyway!
I'm trying to get myself back up to a 10 mile long run on the weekend before I officially start the marathon training. But I'm still fighting with this cold, so it's not the time to do it! I ran 6 instead.
It's looking like today will mark the first measurable snowfall of this winter. (It snowed the other day, but I don't think it really officially stuck.) 30 degrees, feels like 24 with the wind chill, and the snow is piling up on yards and cars, but melting as soon as it hits the roads and sidewalks. Perfect.
I love watching snow. It's even fun to watch it while I run. And in tights, a mockneck base layer, a fleece jacket, fleece headband, and running gloves, I was mostly warm and toasty running in it. Except my face got pretty freaking cold, but I could bear that.
It's also fun that I only saw two other people out running, and a couple walking their dog. I'm one of the elite now, one of the brave, one of the adventurous - the few, the proud, the people who run in the snow. I thought those people were crazy last winter when I limited myself to the treadmill and the indoor track at the gym. Now I have become one of them!
The thing that does kinda suck is getting snow in your eyes and stuck in your eyelashes. Limits vision a little, but on a bike path, who needs to see?
I did feel kinda crappy in the middle of the run (this is starting to become a pattern with me.) I felt tired and my stomach started to hurt, maybe because all the extra cold-fighting vitamins were duking it out in there. But I kept going, and by the last mile, I felt awesome. I pictured myself crossing the marathon finish line, thanks to my dedication and snow-running. I started smiling and waving at cars. I wanted to yell, "I am one of those crazy people who runs in the snow! Yeeha!!!!"
As soon as I stopped running, the cold caught up with me. I had so much snow stuck to the fleece jacket that I looked like the love child of a human and Frosty the Snowman. And my gloves are pretty disgusting. Thanks to the cold (the virus, not the weather), I literally had to blow my nose into my hands several times. (I must say, the moisture-wicking property of those gloves is impressive. My hands remained snot-free!) It took a while to thaw out, and it only took a few minutes after getting home to start coughing and sneezing again. Oh yeah. I'm sick. I remember now.
Maybe I should've taken it a little easier. Maybe I will tomorrow. :)
Less than five months until the Flying Pig, when I run 20 miles more than I ran today. Holy crap. Part of me is way excited; the other part of me wonders if I can really make it. That's the part of me that had that thought as I was struggling with the 10k. Training group starts in January. Whee!
Also, endomondo, God love it, thinks I ran over 109 miles in 1:04 and change. It had part of my route right, and then it suddenly thought I ran way into Kentucky and back. It says my average speed was :35 min/mile. Obviously I need a Garmin if I'm gonna track my miles correctly. :)
Something to consider - I know I need to refuel after the 3 mile point if I'm going any further than 4 miles - otherwise I start to feel like crap. And strangely, that crap feeling starts to pass by mile 5, but I'm not performing the way I could either. At the very least, I need some water, which is what I usually cure all ills with while out on a run, but a gatorade shot or Cliff Shot Block might help you out. Take at mile 2.2-5 to be proactive against the 3-mile slump.
ReplyDeleteI read that it takes about 3 miles for you body to burn through all the immediate fuel that it has already ingested, and then it has to shift gears into reaching for stored nutrition. A "little something" to aid that transition can do wonders.
I've never heard the 3-mile thing. I'll have to take that into consideration and test it out. Part of the problem is that I'm really reluctant to wear my hydration belt because it annoys the crap outta me.
ReplyDelete(Not taking recommendations for a new one at the moment because I'm following a strict policy of no buying for myself - other than food/drink - until after Christmas!)
I tried these powerbar gel-filled chews a couple of weeks ago, every two miles, when I was attempting to go 10. I felt like they didn't do crap. :(
I do think mine is partially psychological, too, as it's pretty normal for me to crap out during the middle of a run, even if it's only 5k. Then I re-find my happy place. If my energy during a run would be mapped out, it would be consistently U-shaped. However, until recently it would have been a straight diagonal line, so this is better. :)