Running With Perseverance

By the end of this week I had decided that for my “long” run this weekend I would do a 7-ish mile run from my house instead of driving to the bike path. I was momentarily tempted by a running store’s “fun run,” but I ruled it out as soon as I thought about having to wait around in the cold for a group to gather and get going!

As I got ready to head out the door, I decided to start my route from a different point, to give myself a decent walk to warm up. Somewhere along my walk I thought that I should start off with one mile on the high school track, so I did that. While I was doing those laps, I decided to take my run in a totally different direction, to avoid the very steep hill that I usually face at the end of mile one. After last week’s 9.5 mile hilly run, my back and ITB were not happy. Although both felt good today, there was no reason to push my luck again.

So, I took a different exit out of my neighborhood and then looped around to pick up my usual route just after that hill. Because that loop was a bit over one mile, and I had done that mile on the track, I had covered over 2 miles at the point where I usually have just finished the first mile.

I followed my usual long run route for the next few miles, and then had to decide which direction to take back home: a shorter route with a long, steep hill or a longer route with more flat sections and shorter, steeper hills. After remembering that the icy patches on the longer route probably were still there, I opted for a third route–I covered the first flat stretch of the longer route and then cut through a different neighborhood (with another hill!) to pick up the shorter route at the top of its hill. I was psyched when I hit 7 miles with one more mile to go to my neighborhood because I have such a hard time plotting an 8 mile route from my house. 

My house is about 3/4 mile into my neighborhood, so I decided to run until I hit 1:20 time or 8.5 miles on my Garmin. I pretty much hit both at the same time, just a short distance from my street. Yay!

I walked the rest of the way home, peeled off my layers and put my iPod and Garmin back on their chargers. I grabbed my iPhone and downloaded the New Zealand Morning Prayer podcast to listen to while I stretched. Its 15 minute length ensured that I did plenty of stretching and even some foam rolling.

After a long shower and my new favorite breakfast

I was ready for a great Saturday!

Do you plot out your running routes in advance or see where your mood and the road takes you?

Last night as I was contemplating my morning workout, I realized that I really wanted to run outside, cold weather be d@mned. I gathered up my running gear, including my new Land’s End running pants, L.L. Bean Polartech jacket, windbreaker, Nike iPod hat and gloves–and I added a scarf for good measure.

Then I checked the weather forecast and saw that it would be in the low 20s. Then I heard the weather report talking about the brutal winds. Still, I did not give up on my plan, but decided to see how I felt in the morning.

This morning when my alarm went off I checked the weather and saw that it was 22F with a windchill of 14F. Hmm.  Really? Well, maybe it won’t be so bad on my route.  Maybe the houses in my neighborhood and trees along the rest of my route will shield me from the worst of the wind. Maybe the wind will be at my back for that one exposed stretch. I still wanted to run outside, so I got dressed quickly before my husband had a chance to ask me if I was crazy.

I was cold during my warm-up, but that just made me walk faster. And, I was cold while my Garmin was “locating satellites,” but I did more dynamic stretches while I waited. When I started running, the only thing that was cold was my midsection. Maybe next time I will try tucking my shirt into my pants, but with three layers on top I don’t know how the cold air could penetrate!

After the first 1/2 mile, I didn’t really notice the cold until that exposed stretch. I realized that my face was smarting, and wondered if it was possible to get frostbite in a 45 minute run in 20-degree weather.  I tried pulling my scarf up around my cheeks, but I didn’t want to breathe through it, so I opted for cold cheeks so I could breathe fresh air.

I hit 4.5 miles in 44 minutes, and decided to make it a full 45 minute run, which cut my usual cool-down walk by about 1/3. When I did start walking, I felt really warm, and when I got inside and peeled off the layers, I was surprised to see that they were sweaty (ew!).

I decided that I would listen to the Morning Prayer podcast while I did my stretches. That way I got my morning inspiration in and ensured that I took plenty of time to stretch and roll.

I have a busy, stressful, important work day ahead, and am really glad I bundled up and got out for some fresh air and endorphins!