Bright sunshine helped the temperature climb all the way up to 18 today. For once I think I got out during the best of it. Ryan headed out with me (the first time since he's been home - mostly catching up on sleep and recovering from a cold) and we immediately crossed the street to do the big hill. Then we started exploring various trails, or what looked like trails.
Still not used to the cold, Ryan left me after 24 minutes. I headed back on our side of the road and ventured more onto the next farm's land. It's amazing how much the rain before the cold and snow has affected my options for running. A stream I was fairly confident crossing is now open and running hard.
I enjoyed my time out there and then enjoyed the time I'd run....1:02:03.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Baby It's Cold Outside
The day started out cold and just got colder. It was 20 degrees with a strong wind when we got up. By the time I ran, at 3pm, it was down to 12 degrees. I set out in the fields by the house, running about the same path as yesterday. The snow we got overnight ensured it was a better workout. Even with the sub-zero windchill, I was unzipping zippers and carrying my mittens after 2o minutes. Give me extreme cold over extreme heat any day! I was out for 50:04.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Strange Terrain
It was such a beautiful morning. I just wasn't ready for a run when Rick went out around 11 am. Rick likes to get out early (yeah, I know 11 isn't really early), but I like to run later. The only times I run early is when it's a Trail Monster group run, I'm doing a really long run, or it's gonna be really, really hot. Mostly I like to wait till I'm running out of daylight. Otherwise I don't have it to look forward to - it's over.
By the time I ran, the day was starting to change. Gone was the bright sunshine; the clouds had won out. In fact, a slight drizzle had begun. I put on my trail shoes hoping to not sink too deeply in the muddy fields. I was pleasantly surprised to find, though there was definitely wetness and mud, the ground was pretty firm. In fact, I had to be careful not to turn an ankle on the hard clumps. It was kind of weird after running on snow the last couple of weeks.
The daylight and I lasted 47:17.
By the time I ran, the day was starting to change. Gone was the bright sunshine; the clouds had won out. In fact, a slight drizzle had begun. I put on my trail shoes hoping to not sink too deeply in the muddy fields. I was pleasantly surprised to find, though there was definitely wetness and mud, the ground was pretty firm. In fact, I had to be careful not to turn an ankle on the hard clumps. It was kind of weird after running on snow the last couple of weeks.
The daylight and I lasted 47:17.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Back to Bradbury
I was psyched to run at Bradbury again. I hadn't run there since the beginning of November when I took a nasty fall. I met up with Ian, Eric with his perky pup, and Nate. We set off at a comfortable pace, though faster than I'd been running recently. The trail conditions were way better than I've been running on. It felt good to run a bit faster. Though I was shivering in the parking lot before the run, I was unzipping all the zippers I could after just ten minutes.
We ran the snowmobile trails on the non-mountain side of the park. I decided to turn back when we got to the gravel pit, just under 39 minutes. Ian guessed that was about 4 miles. The guys kept going another mile. I had planned to follow the same path back, but, seemingly on autopilot, ran the return part of the Scuffle once back to the park. I'm glad I made it back before the others (just barely) or they'd have thought I was lost. I think I can conservatively say I ran 8.5 in the 1:29:00 I was out.
Great day on the trails!
We ran the snowmobile trails on the non-mountain side of the park. I decided to turn back when we got to the gravel pit, just under 39 minutes. Ian guessed that was about 4 miles. The guys kept going another mile. I had planned to follow the same path back, but, seemingly on autopilot, ran the return part of the Scuffle once back to the park. I'm glad I made it back before the others (just barely) or they'd have thought I was lost. I think I can conservatively say I ran 8.5 in the 1:29:00 I was out.
Great day on the trails!
Friday, December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas!
Enjoyed a nice run on the still firm snowmobile trails today. I headed out after the presents were opened and there was a lull in activity. I love being able to run everywhere. Let's hope the coming weather doesn't bring too much unfrozen water. Meant to run about an hour and I was stopping my watch at 1:02:40.
I guess I'll mention this was pretty much like the previous three runs. Tuesday I ran 1:06:something in the fields, Wednesday 53:47, and 1:07:36 yesterday. The course was pretty much the same, but the conditions were pretty variable.
I guess I'll mention this was pretty much like the previous three runs. Tuesday I ran 1:06:something in the fields, Wednesday 53:47, and 1:07:36 yesterday. The course was pretty much the same, but the conditions were pretty variable.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Weekend Update
I thought I'd make it to Bradbury this weekend, but ended up having two wonderful runs from home. Winter really opens up the possibilities. Saturday I ran 58:26 on the now frozen snowmobile paths, making a mental note not to go another day without screws.
Today, Rick joined me. It's always great to run with him, but I appreciated having him even more to be a witness to my coyote. On one of the long, flat stretches of snowmobile trail, I saw some animal and called to Rick to notice. As we closed some distance, I could tell it was a coyote rolling in the snow. Reminded me of how Spot Dog loves to roll in snow. We weren't exactly approaching quietly since the snow was so crunchy and I'm rarely not talking. It jumped to its feet and looked at us a few moments before trotting off. If I'd been by myself, I'm not sure I'd have kept running in its direction. Maybe. We didn't see anything it was rolling in so I do think it was just enjoying the snow. Us, too!
Rick headed back a bit before I did. Since I won't get in a run tomorrow (heading to RI to pick up Ryan!!!), I wanted to go at least an hour. My newly screwed shoes let me enjoy the surroundings more instead of having to concentrate so hard on the footing.
Today, Rick joined me. It's always great to run with him, but I appreciated having him even more to be a witness to my coyote. On one of the long, flat stretches of snowmobile trail, I saw some animal and called to Rick to notice. As we closed some distance, I could tell it was a coyote rolling in the snow. Reminded me of how Spot Dog loves to roll in snow. We weren't exactly approaching quietly since the snow was so crunchy and I'm rarely not talking. It jumped to its feet and looked at us a few moments before trotting off. If I'd been by myself, I'm not sure I'd have kept running in its direction. Maybe. We didn't see anything it was rolling in so I do think it was just enjoying the snow. Us, too!
Rick headed back a bit before I did. Since I won't get in a run tomorrow (heading to RI to pick up Ryan!!!), I wanted to go at least an hour. My newly screwed shoes let me enjoy the surroundings more instead of having to concentrate so hard on the footing.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Another Frozen Run
Well, it was much warmer than yesterday, but still windy and cold. I didn't get out till late so was limited to 46:10. Gotta get the screws in - the snowmobile tracks are really getting icy now.
I enjoyed noticing the wildlife tracks. One field seems to have all the coyote and small game footprints. The coyotes appeared to be digging out some of the rodents. The deer tracks were in an entirely different field. As the daylight waned, I wondered how many of the animals were watching me!
I enjoyed noticing the wildlife tracks. One field seems to have all the coyote and small game footprints. The coyotes appeared to be digging out some of the rodents. The deer tracks were in an entirely different field. As the daylight waned, I wondered how many of the animals were watching me!
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Frozen Fun
Yesterday was pretty cold and windy running with Four in Portland, but it didn't slow the chatter. Got in another 6.5 ish before I had to bail. Sam only had the one final so I didn't have lots of time.
Today made yesterday look warm. I had to call my father before my run to have someone telling me I was crazy to go out; Made it easier to get out the door.
I have all the right gear. Sports Hill makes great wind and cold clothes for winter running/skiing. Their 3sp fabric is amazingly wind resistant and warm without being restrictive or noisy like the old time wind fabrics. Usually, my achilles heal is my feet. Today I stuck in toes warmers. Wow! Warm feet while running! It made a huge difference.
I was also pleasantly surprised by snowmobile tracks. The temperature and wind was enough of a challenge. I was more than happy not to be breaking trail, too. I was out for 40:41. Would have run longer, but...holliday stuff still needs doing.
Today made yesterday look warm. I had to call my father before my run to have someone telling me I was crazy to go out; Made it easier to get out the door.
I have all the right gear. Sports Hill makes great wind and cold clothes for winter running/skiing. Their 3sp fabric is amazingly wind resistant and warm without being restrictive or noisy like the old time wind fabrics. Usually, my achilles heal is my feet. Today I stuck in toes warmers. Wow! Warm feet while running! It made a huge difference.
I was also pleasantly surprised by snowmobile tracks. The temperature and wind was enough of a challenge. I was more than happy not to be breaking trail, too. I was out for 40:41. Would have run longer, but...holliday stuff still needs doing.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Twelve Again
So, Friday's run was a repeat of Thursday's. Perhaps the only difference was a bit more wind. Saturday I really wanted to head to Bradbury for the Trail Monster group run, but I'm so behind on my Christmas stuff , I figured I couldn't justify the extra hour and a half when I could have a perfectly good run from home.
Turns out it was a great run! Oh, I still missed seeing everyone, but....
I'm surprised that there have been no snowmobiles out on any of the fields around here. I had to break trail the entire run. I also had to really try to read the terrain because there was so much water before the cold; an entire bog exists under the beautiful white.
I felt my childhood days of playing in the cow pastures of my uncle's dairy farm really helped. I think it honed my ability to hop from solid hay clump to solid hay clump. Since some melting and rain helped the snow to reveal the layout of it's land below (still the snow was at least 8 inches in most spots), I was having fun testing my skill.
When I missed one time and sank fairly deep into the cold, muddy water a childhood memory flooded so clearly into my head I burst out laughing. My friend and I had gone out during an intense snow storm. It had everything including high winds. As we made our way up "the hill", we had to stop periodically and dig a hole in the snow just to get our faces out of the bitter wind. On our way down, never thinking there could be running water lurking in such cold, Martha's foot plunged through the snow and down into the wet. She didn't have shoes that let the water run right out again, but big snow boots. The mud closed round. We both tugged on her leg to free it from the mud and slush. After a struggle her foot came out, but the boot remained. Before we could react, the slush filled her boot and froze. We couldn't empty it. I don't know how she managed to avoid frost bite. I remember us laughing so hard on the way down, almost hysterically I think. I do know there were tears when her foot was warming. As I ran Saturday, I realized that the distance we covered were childhood distances. Even though it was an amazing adventure, we were probably only 1/2 mile from the house.
So I worked very hard on my 48 minute run, but had fun feeling like I was twelve again.
Sunday, Rick decided to try the fields with me. He wasn't planning on running as long, but did much of the same course as Saturday. I can't wait till he's recovered fully so we can do more of our runs together. He feels his strength training and foam rollering is finally paying some dividends. The only drawback to running the fields was the crunchy crust on the snow was so loud as our feet broke through, it made conversation difficult. After Rick headed back in, I checked out more of where I think the Fat Ass will go. I think it's gonna be a fun loop! I was out just over an hour.
Monday, Sam had his chemistry final and no class after. Four accompanied me on a shortened version of my standard Monday run. We had to go slow cause there was lots of ice and neither of us had our shoes screwed. Our hour run was the perfect length. After dropping Four back at his place and heading to Hannaford to change, the cell rang. Sam was done.
To encourage myself to finish up some of my holliday cleaning, I said I could have a second run if I at least got the kitchen mopped. I only got in another 30 minutes because that was all the daylight that was left.
Turns out it was a great run! Oh, I still missed seeing everyone, but....
I'm surprised that there have been no snowmobiles out on any of the fields around here. I had to break trail the entire run. I also had to really try to read the terrain because there was so much water before the cold; an entire bog exists under the beautiful white.
I felt my childhood days of playing in the cow pastures of my uncle's dairy farm really helped. I think it honed my ability to hop from solid hay clump to solid hay clump. Since some melting and rain helped the snow to reveal the layout of it's land below (still the snow was at least 8 inches in most spots), I was having fun testing my skill.
When I missed one time and sank fairly deep into the cold, muddy water a childhood memory flooded so clearly into my head I burst out laughing. My friend and I had gone out during an intense snow storm. It had everything including high winds. As we made our way up "the hill", we had to stop periodically and dig a hole in the snow just to get our faces out of the bitter wind. On our way down, never thinking there could be running water lurking in such cold, Martha's foot plunged through the snow and down into the wet. She didn't have shoes that let the water run right out again, but big snow boots. The mud closed round. We both tugged on her leg to free it from the mud and slush. After a struggle her foot came out, but the boot remained. Before we could react, the slush filled her boot and froze. We couldn't empty it. I don't know how she managed to avoid frost bite. I remember us laughing so hard on the way down, almost hysterically I think. I do know there were tears when her foot was warming. As I ran Saturday, I realized that the distance we covered were childhood distances. Even though it was an amazing adventure, we were probably only 1/2 mile from the house.
So I worked very hard on my 48 minute run, but had fun feeling like I was twelve again.
Sunday, Rick decided to try the fields with me. He wasn't planning on running as long, but did much of the same course as Saturday. I can't wait till he's recovered fully so we can do more of our runs together. He feels his strength training and foam rollering is finally paying some dividends. The only drawback to running the fields was the crunchy crust on the snow was so loud as our feet broke through, it made conversation difficult. After Rick headed back in, I checked out more of where I think the Fat Ass will go. I think it's gonna be a fun loop! I was out just over an hour.
Monday, Sam had his chemistry final and no class after. Four accompanied me on a shortened version of my standard Monday run. We had to go slow cause there was lots of ice and neither of us had our shoes screwed. Our hour run was the perfect length. After dropping Four back at his place and heading to Hannaford to change, the cell rang. Sam was done.
To encourage myself to finish up some of my holliday cleaning, I said I could have a second run if I at least got the kitchen mopped. I only got in another 30 minutes because that was all the daylight that was left.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Good Run
Retraced my steps from yesterday's run. It was cool to see that at least two deer had decided to follow in my footsteps last night! They didn't stay on my twisty course for long. I think they didn't appreciate adding distance to their path. The running was definitely easier today. I took six minutes off and wasn't working nearly as hard.
The toe is still very irritated. A friend who is a nurse practitioner recommended taking turmeric as NSAID alternative. I'm gonna investigate.
The toe is still very irritated. A friend who is a nurse practitioner recommended taking turmeric as NSAID alternative. I'm gonna investigate.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Good for What Ails - II
Not sure where to start. I woke yesterday to an enormously painful, big-toe joint. By the time I finally had time for a run, not only was the joint very swollen and red, but my limping had given me a pretty big knot in my calf. I'm going to admit to being a little crazy; I made an amazing leap to thinking it could be gout. Ok, so a lot more men than women get it and I don't have the risk factors usually associated with it, but, it does have a familial component and my father had been diagnosed with it at one point and I do like my beer.
So, instead of running, I headed to the doctor who actually didn't think I was out of my mind with my diagnosis. She looked at my toe and listened to my story. She seemed more concerned with pain relief where I just wanted to know what I was dealing with. She sent me off for blood work and with instructions for NSAIDs and icing.
Let me further make fun of myself. I say I thought of gout, in large part, cause of the sudden onset. Yeah, did I complain on a blog about my big toe being aggravated by the Nordic Tracking just last week? If not, maybe it was just Rick that was subjected to that. During my karate years, I jammed my big toes a lot. It's why I have trouble finding the right road shoe ; Even overlays that cover the shoe can aggravate the stupid digit. So, I guess it's funny that I might be considering it "sudden".
The nurse called this morning and said my uric acid level (the indicator of gout) was right smack in the middle of normal. She said I should continue with the NSAIDs and ice. If I don't see improvement in a week, I could come in for xrays. I didn't tell her I don't take any of that stuff cause it wrecks my stomach. I might ice it, but... What I really concentrated on was trying to walk a little more normally to help with the calf.
I'm not sure if I have mentioned how much I love running in the snow. In fact, I love running in blizzard-like conditions. I kept looking out and wondering how much damage I would do by running. Ok. I could at least head out and stop if it hurt too much. I put on all the right gear and then held my breath as I attempted to put my left foot into its shoe. Guess what! My love for my Inov-8s grew many times today. My toe actually feels better in them than barefoot!! And running was less painful than walking. Before long I'd lost myself to the run. Maybe I'll count this as icing the toe :)
My heart rate was probably higher today than during any of my races this year. The new powder was pretty deep and drifted in spots. I only lasted 42 minutes, but that was due to the exertion not the toe. I almost went down twice - more from not having depth perception in the snow than from the footing. I haven't even been able to bring myself to put the screws in my shoes yet. I know it doesn't hurt them; I did it last year, but these are my brand new shoes.
I'm thinking I need to clean up my old Inov-8's so I can wear them around the house. I'm not kidding. I aught to write them a fan letter.
So, instead of running, I headed to the doctor who actually didn't think I was out of my mind with my diagnosis. She looked at my toe and listened to my story. She seemed more concerned with pain relief where I just wanted to know what I was dealing with. She sent me off for blood work and with instructions for NSAIDs and icing.
Let me further make fun of myself. I say I thought of gout, in large part, cause of the sudden onset. Yeah, did I complain on a blog about my big toe being aggravated by the Nordic Tracking just last week? If not, maybe it was just Rick that was subjected to that. During my karate years, I jammed my big toes a lot. It's why I have trouble finding the right road shoe ; Even overlays that cover the shoe can aggravate the stupid digit. So, I guess it's funny that I might be considering it "sudden".
The nurse called this morning and said my uric acid level (the indicator of gout) was right smack in the middle of normal. She said I should continue with the NSAIDs and ice. If I don't see improvement in a week, I could come in for xrays. I didn't tell her I don't take any of that stuff cause it wrecks my stomach. I might ice it, but... What I really concentrated on was trying to walk a little more normally to help with the calf.
I'm not sure if I have mentioned how much I love running in the snow. In fact, I love running in blizzard-like conditions. I kept looking out and wondering how much damage I would do by running. Ok. I could at least head out and stop if it hurt too much. I put on all the right gear and then held my breath as I attempted to put my left foot into its shoe. Guess what! My love for my Inov-8s grew many times today. My toe actually feels better in them than barefoot!! And running was less painful than walking. Before long I'd lost myself to the run. Maybe I'll count this as icing the toe :)
My heart rate was probably higher today than during any of my races this year. The new powder was pretty deep and drifted in spots. I only lasted 42 minutes, but that was due to the exertion not the toe. I almost went down twice - more from not having depth perception in the snow than from the footing. I haven't even been able to bring myself to put the screws in my shoes yet. I know it doesn't hurt them; I did it last year, but these are my brand new shoes.
I'm thinking I need to clean up my old Inov-8's so I can wear them around the house. I'm not kidding. I aught to write them a fan letter.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Good for What Ails
After a lousy Saturday with the first stomach bug I've had in a long, long time, I woke feeling not horrible on Sunday. I still had a background headache and just felt overall blah. The new fallen snow and just starting to run pain free combined to convince me to try a run. I opted to stay in the nearby fields in case it was the wrong choice.
In fact, the 51:47 minutes I ran were the best I felt all day. The cool, crisp air cleared my foggy head. I was surprised that the bright sunshine, relected so strongly off the snow, perked me up instead of bringing my headache out in full force. New snow always brings out the puppy in my old dog and I think in me, too.
Still not totally back to normal today, but tried to act like I was. Ran an easy five miles around the Back Cove with my friend Judy. We stopped at five so that we'd have time for Christmas shopping. During the run we crossed paths with Trail Monster Randy!
In fact, the 51:47 minutes I ran were the best I felt all day. The cool, crisp air cleared my foggy head. I was surprised that the bright sunshine, relected so strongly off the snow, perked me up instead of bringing my headache out in full force. New snow always brings out the puppy in my old dog and I think in me, too.
Still not totally back to normal today, but tried to act like I was. Ran an easy five miles around the Back Cove with my friend Judy. We stopped at five so that we'd have time for Christmas shopping. During the run we crossed paths with Trail Monster Randy!
Friday, December 4, 2009
A Thousand Words
Look! My new Inov-8's with mud all over them!! Also notice the cute puppy; She'll be 13 in just eight days. A very happy shot indeed!I ran for a pain-free 37:30 in the very, very wet fields by our house today. The only way it could have been better would be if Rick and Spot were running with me. Rick was at work and Spot would have gladly joined me, but then paid too dearly for it later. She'd already done the same course with me as a walk though.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Unscientific Method
Yesterday I ran an easy four with Four around the Back Cove. I was aiming for five, but started feeling some discomfort and decided to walk the rest. So. It wasn't as far as Monday, but the discomfort started later. Hopefully, I'm on the mend.
Now for a confession. I may have exaggerated the measurable effect of moving the Nordic Tracker out of the basement. I guess, first of all, I didn't give any useful data. All I said was that I experienced a 2 km/hr increase in speed. I should have qualified it by saying that represented a 20 % increase over my average speed in the basement. I also should have had more data before making such a claim and have mentioned that the tensioning mechanism on the machine is a bit...crude and perhaps not exactly reliably reproducible. To move it, I had to un-tension it and then reset it (about as near as I could to where it was). Also, over garage floor and the outside locations I use are not exactly level which influences the resistance. What I'm trying to say is I think, though I enjoy it much more, I don't think I have the data to say that enjoyment translates to an increase in performance. I wanted it to be so.
Now for a confession. I may have exaggerated the measurable effect of moving the Nordic Tracker out of the basement. I guess, first of all, I didn't give any useful data. All I said was that I experienced a 2 km/hr increase in speed. I should have qualified it by saying that represented a 20 % increase over my average speed in the basement. I also should have had more data before making such a claim and have mentioned that the tensioning mechanism on the machine is a bit...crude and perhaps not exactly reliably reproducible. To move it, I had to un-tension it and then reset it (about as near as I could to where it was). Also, over garage floor and the outside locations I use are not exactly level which influences the resistance. What I'm trying to say is I think, though I enjoy it much more, I don't think I have the data to say that enjoyment translates to an increase in performance. I wanted it to be so.
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