Saturday, December 23, 2006

Another 90+ mile week, another snow storm

The last time I had a 90-mile week scheduled (the first 90-mile week of my life), we had a snow storm - about 8 inches' worth. This week was my second-ever planned week of running in the 90s (95 miles to be exact) and we had another snow storm...22 inches of fresh powder was in our yard as the snow tapered off on Thursday. Covering 95 miles on foot is going to be a challenge this week. Here's what I have so far:
  • Monday Run #1: 2.5 miles to/from the grocery store before heading to Denver to pick up my sons at the train station (the train arrived at 7 a.m.).
  • Monday Run #2: 10 miles mostly in CU's cross-country course, with a friend, talking about travels, family, books - very pleasant.
  • Monday Run #3: 4 miles looking at Christmas lights
  • Tuesday Run #1: 12 miles on a hilly loop then a flatter trail warm down, much of the hilly portion with a running buddy. Again, very pleasant.
  • Tuesday Run #2: 3 miles looking at Christmas lights on the way to meeting the family at a restaurant.
  • Wednesday Run: 13 miles from the very beginning hints of the snow storm and on into the big snow, big wind, way cold. Very exciting.
  • Thursday Run #1: 6 miles back and forth on a neighborhood street that had been plowed once. Very tough going.
  • Thursday Run #2: 2 miles attempting to look at Christmas lights until I realized how stupid it was to be out there in the rutted moguly snow in the dark.
  • Friday Run: 11 miles of verrryyyy slow running. Per my log: "snow pack, two feet of snow, ice, you name it - except clear roads." The middle chunk of this with a running buddy - good thing he was along since we encountered a never-plowed 1 mile stretch of bike path (in the middle of a 4 mile stretch of bike path) and I toppled over as we were wading our way through the thigh-high snow...I'd pr'y still be floundering in the powder if he hadn't been there to pull me out! I added up my miles for the week upon returning home and realized I'd have to run 16 miles on both Saturday and Sunday to get my 95 weekly total. I had my doubts that that would happen, given the road conditions...
  • Saturday Run #1: 11 miles with the first half very slow over packed powder and icy chunks but the last half with running buddies along the cleared portion of the same bike path as yesterday's run. Very tired and tight quads, glutes, and hams from all the slogging through snow.
  • Saturday Run #2: after the morning run I was ready to drop my quest for 95 miles, I was just so tired of running through the snow and ice. But, I had to mail my sons' tuition payment so I stood up from my desk, told my younger son (the cross country runner) it was time to go for a run to the post office, and donned my running gear (just a couple hours after returning from the morning run). Off we went to the post office, then extended the run a bit into the next neighborhood over, then returned back to our neighborhood at which point I realized that if I did another out/back on our semi-plowed neighborhood street (a one-mile long stretch each way), I'd have a total of 5 miles for this run and 16 miles for the day. Done.
So - "just" 16 more miles and I'll have my 95 for the week. I've laid out the route for tomorrow - a road that was quite well plowed when we had our last snow storm and that I can follow east for 16 miles (at which point the plan is for my family to pick me up). If it gets dicey the further east I go, I'll just turn around and head back towards home, the same way I came...hopefully totaling a 16 mile round trip!

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