Week's wrap up - January 14, 2007

First the numbers:

• 95.5 miles for the week (the goal was 95) - my second ever 95 mile week.
  
• 9 miles were indoors (indoor track and treadmill); the rest were out in the elements that ranged from snowpack to snowdrifts to powder to gusting wind to single-digit cold. I doubt I'll encounter similar weather conditions on my run to Michigan; I will, however, undoubtedly encounter similar challenges to my desire to continue with a run!
• Two days were fairly low mileage (one 8.5 mile day due to a busy schedule; one windy icey day with a 4 mile outdoor run and a 6 mile treadmill run); the longest run was 22 miles; all the other days were in the 12-15 mile range. Most of the miles were very slow so the amount of time on my feet per run was quite high (2.5-4.75 hours).

All in all, I feel ready for next week's planned 100 mile week; a triple-digit week...new territory for me.

Now, on to the running support summary for the week:

• My buddy Deb and I finished mapping my route (noting, of course, that adjustments will undoubtedly be made). I'm quite excited about Minnesota and Wisconsin as it looks like I'll have alot of trail mileage in those two states. My next step is to lay out the route in 15-mile increments, thus determining my day-by-day schedule.
  
• Husband Kendall and I went to an RV show in Denver to scope out the RV landscape. We've found quite a few promising models as well as dealers where we can explore further.
• Everybody is spoiling me. Friends are offering hours of planning support as well as on-call support for my long solo training runs; running buddies are adjusting schedules and fixing post-run breakfasts for me (see yesterday's post); I trotted into my house at the end of my run today - snow encrusted and totally whupped from running 12 miles in cold, soft snow (rather sand-like) conditions - and was welcomed with a breakfast of homemade quiche and fresh brewed coffee.
  

This is all becoming more and more real by the day - and, with the support I'm receiving from so many people - it seems more and more possible!

Brrrrrr

This morning's run started at 7 a.m. with all of 1 degree accompanying me. For some reason, this degree didn't do a whole lot to warm me up! Both yesterday and today I experienced a rather odd phenomenon. Have you ever jumped into a pool or lake that was really too cold for sensible swimming? It knocks the breath right out of you and seizes up your entire torso. Do it once and you'll probably never again jump into a body of water without first checking the temperature. In any case, a few minutes into each of my last two runs my chest got a hint of that seized up feeling. Quite interesting. Fortunately, it disappears as my body begins to generate its own warmth while running.

After about 30 minutes of running I headed east which meant turning into a very slight breeze that probably negated any spare degrees that might have been floating around in the air. 45 minutes into my run I discovered that the water bottle on my right side was frozen shut - and slowing down and fiddling with it chilled my hands for a good long time. I kept telling myself if I'd just run faster I'd get warmer - but speed was absolutely positively not to be found today. I do believe my body is a bit cold-weary as my quads were becoming leaden, my stomach was getting queasy, and my brain was bailing on the entire exercise. But then, weehawwww, the sun began to rise higher in the sky and shine upon me!

I've no idea if the sun had any effect on the temperature, but it certainly had an effect on how I felt. Just the light upon my face made all the difference in the world and I was good to go for another hour which took me to my running buddy's house where AndyE and Joe joined up with me. Thus commenced the best run I've had in ages. What a difference it makes to be running with friends, bantering, egging each other on, slip sliding together through the streets on a completely ludicrous (but beautiful) day to be running. An hour of fun with friends: fantastic! Followed by breakfast at AndyE's with spouses and great food: even more fantastic. This is a good day.

Where'd all the degrees go?

It's mighty cold here in the Rockies. We've got all of 1 degree at the moment and never had much more than 7 at the highest today. Despite the cold, the conditions were actually quite nice for running this morning - there were a couple of inches of new snow on the ground which, because it was so dry and crisp, offered an excellent grip while running over previously snowpacked/icey surfaces. Due to a busy schedule, I only managed about 90 minutes of running today but have 3 hours planned for tomorrow. The forecast is for another dusting of snow (1-4 inches) and something between -2 and 0 degrees while I'm running. It's rather entertaining to see just where icicles form on one's body whilst out in this arctic air!

Variety!

So this week we had the indoor track 1/8 mile repeats, we had the treadmill runs, we had the back and forth 12 times on the Martin mile run - many of the venues chosen due to the snow, ice, and wind that we experienced through the week. Today we still had snow on the ground but no wind! So I decided to take advantage of the calm day and add a looonnng sloooow tour of east Boulder County towns to my repertoire. I left my house (in south Boulder), ran east to the town of Lafayette, ran down Lafayette's main street with the intention of picking up another road that would take me west back to Boulder but saw how much traffic was on it and went a bit further south to a trailhead that took me west into the town of Louisville, meandered through Louisville then picked up that road to bring me west back into Boulder and home - four hours and forty-nine minutes later. The roads were for the most part well-plowed with good shoulders. The trail was snow packed and drifted - but what a treat after so much road and treadmill running. All in all, a darned fine run.

I've now got 60 miles logged for the week - only 35 more to go and three days to do it in for my planned 95....and, guess what, it's snowing again!

Catching a workout wherever I can

Yesterday I had three very different workouts:

1. Early morning indoor track session with long-time running buddy Patti. It was just like old times - our speed was even a bit reminiscent of our olden (younger) days. We did 20 laps on a 1/8 mile track alternating fast and easy and started with 65 second splits and ended with 55. I do believe it's the fastest I've run since the 2006 Bolder Boulder. Where did the speed come from? Good question since I've been estimating my pace recently at 11-12 mpm. I think it had a lot to do with running on a completely dry surface where you could really stretch out and not have to worry about foot placement and ice and snow with every step. Very fun. The track session plus the run there and longer run home gave me 11 miles for the morning workout.
2. The afternoon workout was an easy 4.5 miles to the post office and a bit beyond. The temps were almost warm so surfaces were fairly ice free as long as you stuck with plowed roads. A good easy run.
3. The evening workout was a trip to the rec center with my husband so he could check out the facilities and get a bit of exercise in. (He typically walks very early in the morning which is darned near impossible these days with the unplowed surfaces surrounding our house.) I tried out an elliptical trainer for the first time and put in a couple of miles on that followed by a short weight workout. A good way to cap off the day!

Today's runs weren't quite so satisfying.

1. The morning run was early enough to still be dealing with icey roads and the wind was gusting with stop-you-in-your-tracks speed. That combination did not make for a pleasant (or safe) outing. I packed it in at 4 miles.
   
2. Later in the afternoon the wind was still blowing. So - another trip to the rec center for 6 miles on the treadmill - the most I've ever done on a treadmill. As much as I don't like running indoors or in place, there were some benefits: I could set the speed to be a very honest pace (10 mpm - quicker than what I expect to be running this summer); the treadmills overlook the rec center swimming pool which provides enough distraction to help the time pass; the entire experience helps train my mind to handle relative boredom which, conceivably, could come in handy this summer.
   

So...just 10 miles for the day (I was hoping to average 14 per day this week) - but it's better than nothing which would be an easy total to go with given the outdoor conditions these days.

Martin Miles - again

Today's weather challenge was the wind. Gusts were reported at 70-90 mph depending on what part of Boulder you were in. All I know is that all the bits and pieces of our house that rattle when the wind is really really strong were rattling. However, the creaking and banging subsided to the sub-20 mph rattles around 1 p.m. so out I went for my run. I didn't exactly trust the wind to stay calm so I decided I'd slip slide my way to the one plowed road in our neighborhood and run back and forth on that. It would allow for a quick trip home if the wind started howling again.

That one plowed road happens to be Martin Drive - the site of my wheel-measured mile and many a mile repeat workout over the past 20+ years. Today there would be no speed, just a whole lot of going back and forth. About two miles into it, when it became apparent that I might be able to get quite a long run out of this, I realized I was going to need to be able to do some drinking along the way so I slip slid the block and one-half back home and grabbed my water belt and bottle. About five miles into the run I was overly toasty so again I ran the moguls back home and switched from tights to shorts, stripped to one long-sleeve layer on top, dropped the gloves and switched from winter hat to cap. That was the last detour on my out/back over and over again session.

As the miles mounted up I kept reminding myself that many a person has said that my run this summer could be mind-numbingly boring. I tend to believe that the variation in scenery, towns, weather, etc. will keep me entertained - but on the off chance those folks are right, today was good practice for the mind. Twelve complete trips up and down Martin, plus a couple of detours. I'm logging 12.5 and calling it good.

The bright side of snow

Seeing as how we've had 4 feet of snow out of 3 snowstorms in the last 15 days, I decided (while on my long run today) that I should look at the positives of our winter wonderland. What prompted this attitude adjustment was the number one positive: the scenery is simply exquisite - a pristine white blanket covers the ground as far as the eye can see, the flatirons are glistening, trees are garlanded in white. One must simply remember to look up occasionally from the tricky footing to behold the beauty.

Once I woke up to this positive side of our snow, I started thinking of other positives of our wintry running:

• gatorade stays deliciously cold
• gu tastes much more like frosting
  
• little traffic (foot or otherwise) to contend with
• the world is quieter under its snowy blanket
• entertainment bonus watching geese trying to land on ice-covered ponds
• easier to track foxes
• and last, but far from least, after completing a 20-mile run over snow-covered paths - and remaining vertical throughout - you really feel like you've accomplished something!
  

More snow?!

I gotta tell ya' - this is one heckuva winter for distance training. I woke up today to 8 inches of new snow on the ground and by the time I finished running, we had a foot of fresh powder. Surprisingly, the running was pretty good. I stuck to bike paths and most of those had been plowed at some point during the wee hours so I was running on just a couple inches of snow which made for decent footing - enough snow to safely cover the slick spots but not too much snow to hinder forward motion. On the other hand, whenever I encountered an unplowed stretch, I was bounding through almost knee-high snow. But, I was in no particular hurry so it was a rather fun outing.

I'm now trying to plan a route for a long run (3-3.5 hours) tomorrow. If this winter's pattern holds true, only the major roads will have been plowed by tomorrow, slick surfaces will dominate, and more traffic will be venturing out. Bike paths will have been plowed then frozen over. It should be quite the adventure.

Snow wins this round

A few days before Christmas, two feet of snow fell upon Boulder. A few days after Christmas, another foot piled on. The roads resemble two-track backcountry jeep roads more than neighborhood thoroughfares. After nighttime temperatures drop, the top layer turns to ice...very very slippery ice just waiting to slip up the unsuspecting early morning runner.

Today I ran from my house to meet running buddy, AndyE, to do hill repeats. Normally a 13 minute run to our rendezvous point, this morning was an exercise of 20+ minutes navigating over ice patches, snow mounds, dodging cars on snowbank-lined roads. AndyE and I ran about an hour of hill repeats trying first our usual hill (one repeat...hmm...does that make a "repeat"?) which involved fairly heavy traffic and a snow-narrowed road, then a steeper hill with less traffic but it was even more narrow and had icier patches and still a fair amount of traffic (two repeats), then a third hill that had the most traffic but was the most clear with even a bike path well-plowed (three repeats, three minutes each).

We ran back to the South Boulder Recreation Center where AndyE had parked his car. As soon as we arrived I announced I was fed up with this snow/ice running and marched in and signed up for a year's membership. I happened onto a pretty good deal too: by signing up both me and my husband, one of the memberships was half-price, and because my husband teaches in the Boulder school district we got an additional 15% off his membership, and they were running a special deal for an additional free month with the purchase of an annual pass. Cool! Better yet, immediately upon completing the paperwork, I jumped on a treadmill and ran the fastest three miles I've run in Boulder since the snow started to fly. This, I believe, is only the second time in my life that I, devoted outdoor runner that I am, have run more than a couple of minutes on a treadmill. The snow won.

A chapter closed

A new year typically signifies a new chapter in life. This year, 2007, it is difficult to focus on the new chapter without thinking about the last chapter. This is the first time my book will not include laughter, debate, and hugs with my dad. However, as I discovered during my runs this past week, this new chapter does not mean I will no longer converse with my dad - it'll just be a bit more one-sided than usual.

We returned from Michigan yesterday. My dad's passing provided the opportunity to bring a lot of family together which was fantastic. My family is fairly small and many of them had planned to be together for the holidays anyways - which meant they simply (well, sort of simply) moved their gatherings from original rendezvous locations to Petoskey. Relatives from my mom's side and my dad's side got to meet each other for the first time, many tales were told, and smiling dominated over tears. It was good.

Of course, my upcoming run was the source of much conversation. Some saying "do you know how much your dad didn't like that idea?!" On the other hand, by the end of the gathering my dad's little sister (92 I think she is, she's in the middle on the couch in the center/back of the picture) had decided to hop on a bike and ride along with me...much to my cousins' chagrin.

I must confess, however, that running has been a challenge over the past week. My heart just hasn't been in it. Add to that the whirlwind of activities, fitting in the miles has been tough. My runs ended up being:

• Monday: no run...no desire ('twas the day dad died)
• Tuesday: many many many loops in Denver International Airport's Concourse C for 3 miles (it was better than sitting)
  
• Wednesday before sunrise: to/from my folks' house and along the waterfront in Petoskey for 6 miles
• Wednesday night: looking at Christmas lights in neighborhoods near my folks' house for 3 miles
• Thursday before sunrise: from my folks' and through a little cottage community and along the waterfront for 9 miles - followed by coffee with one of my best friends from high school...very good.
• Friday - the day of dad's service: up at 3:30 a.m. and out the door for 8 trips around a two mile loop near my folks' house, talking with my dad. The most peaceful run of the trip. Total 16.5 miles.
• Saturday: the only daytime run of the trip so I went on almost every trail I knew in/near Petoskey plus found a new trail. Always a good day when you find a new trail. Total 9 miles.
• Sunday: a quick waterfront tour before leaving town. 5 miles.

Total miles for the week: 51.5
Total miles for the year: 3001.5 (my highest annual mileage ever)

Now to continue on this quest - without my dad challenging me all along the way. It'll be tough.