Weekly totals: 13 miles trail, 30 miles road/treadmill. Various cross-train efforts, inside and outside. Solid week.
Sunday AM: 13 miles trail, Middlesex Fells, 3 hours, 900 ft elevation. Warm weather in the midst of winter can be great. Everyone goes outside, like, “Ooo, the air is so warm! I’m going to take a walk in the woods.” But warm air melts snow and makes ice. Trails are particularly prone to ice because the snow is melted and packed from foot tread. So even though it was 45 degrees when I started running (and 54 degree when I stopped), the trails at the Fells were still about 50% ice. Anyone running would need traction. Foreseeing this, I had brought my microspikes. I wore them for the first half mile on ice-free trail, decided I didn’t need them, returned to the car to drop them off… then ran another 3/4 mile, decided I definitely needed microspikes, and went back to the car to get them.
Cringe: my microspikes clash with my socks
Despite the conditions, it was a nice run overall. I can feel myself getting stronger on hills and building endurance.
No such thing as a good running Selfie
Monday AM: 8 miles, Bread and Butter Loop. Snows a-coming. Better get the miles while I can!
Tuesday AM: 60 minutes swimming.
Wednesday AM: 7+ miles treadmill, moderate sprints; plus 4+ miles walking, and 2+ hours snow shoveling/sledding. I awoke before the big snow storm started. But, not knowing the previous night when the snow would start, I had planned to walk the 2 miles to the gym for some treadmill. So I walked to the gym, ran 7+ miles, did some squats and foam-rolling… and I emerged to find about 2 fluffy inches of snow on the sidewalks. Tough walking! By the time I made it home, it was probably 4 inches. Total snow: A foot? Between working at home, I shoveled a bunch of heavy snow and took Little Boy sledding with some neighborhood kids.
Walking home at storm start
Thursday AM: 6 miles treadmill, easy (9-10 min/miles, 2% grade). Woke up to find that yesterday’s snow storm was not a dream. Looks like the treadmill and I will be getting quite cozy.
Friday AM: 3 miles treadmill, 30 minutes spinning, weights.
Saturday AM: 30 minutes intense snowshoe, 40 minutes freeezzing backcountry ski, 6 miles treadmill. With a foot of powder on the ground, I was looking forward to a long morning snowshoe/XC romp in the woods. But… it was cold. 10 degrees, feels like -2, the sort of cold that eats through all the layers of moisture-wicking fabric and creates disquieting, instinctive thoughts like “Go back to the car, go home, get warm, eat fried eggs.” My fingers were numb and my hindquarters were itchy-cold; instead of warming me up, the physical exertion just made me feel worse. Since I have a 15K road race tomorrow, I listened to my body and returned to the car. I then decided to take Little Boy to the YMCA while Mr. P did some shopping to avail ourselves of the free morning child-watch. I planned to do an easy 3 miles on the treadmill, but found myself in simply peak interval condition, and managed 6 miles in 53 minutes — and that’s including the 3-4 breaks for drinking water/sopping up sweat. Must be the restorative power of fried eggs! Little Boy had a good time in the child-watch because there was a little girl from his preschool there, and this little girl adores Little Boy with a ferocity that will probably be unrivaled for some years to come.
Sunrise through Pine Alley
Sunrise at Lone Tree Hill
