slow running

Where The Sidewalk Ends

Last week was a bit light on running since I didn’t run from Dec 24-26, but I still got in a couple of relatively decent runs, most of them outside!

I got my safety vest and headlamp and was raring to try them out, so I did a couple of road runs Monday and Wednesday. They were both terrible. The runs, I mean, both items worked well and I felt very safe running.

Monday’s run was slick and difficult. Many stretches of sidewalk were icy, and in some spots the ice was uneven and rutted, making it tough to find good footing.

Wednesday’s run was sloppy and wet with new snow. It was snowing most of the time I was running, which meant the sidewalks weren’t shoveled, and in some places the snow plowed from the street had spilled over onto the sidewalk. It was 34 degrees so there was plenty of slush and my feet were soaked. I was concerned about getting cold, but my feet felt fine the whole time, and I wasn’t even wearing fancy winter socks.

Both runs were infinitely better than running on the treadmill.

I’m a little concerned about running this upcoming week. It snowed on Saturday, and when driving around Sunday, it appeared that the sidewalks were hit or miss as far as shoveling was concerned. Running in the street is not an option as the streets are already narrowed due to the snow. I can’t handle the treadmill every day, so I’ll have to figure something out in the meantime, and hope that people get around to shoveling.

The weather has been great, though. Highs in the 20s every day except yesterday! I can handle the annoying sidewalks if the weather stays this nice!

Dashing Through the Snow

I returned to the Superior Hiking Trail yesterday, starting at the Magney-Snively parking lot and heading toward Ely’s Peak.
SHT
It was a bit magical, you might say. At least, the scenery was.

The run, on the other hand, was not very pleasant. I ran just over 5 miles and it took me a little over 2 hours. Yikes. I mean, I’m slow. But I’m not that slow. I was planning to go to Ely’s Peak and back, and that didn’t happen. I was chasing daylight by the end, and probably had about 15 minutes or so left before it started to get dark. I should have brought my headlamp, but didn’t. I did have my phone with me just in case I needed a flashlight.

I wasn’t breaking trails, but they weren’t nice tamped down trails either. I didn’t expect they would be, but I also didn’t expect it to be so physically taxing to run in snow like that. It’s still preferable to running in sand, but I felt pretty worn out.

I wore my shoe chains (which have corroded a bit on the surface, so we’ll see how long they last before they break), which helped me dig in. I felt a lot more confident bombing down hills with the added traction. I did slip once but I was trying to take too big of a step up and the snow gave way.

I might have to rethink some of my trail running plans for the winter. I mean, obviously running at Hartley or Bagley will be no problem, but going off the beaten path is going to take more effort than expected. I read somewhere (I would link the article if I remembered where) that running trails in the winter should be based on time rather than distance. So, if my training plan calls for 10 miles, I should run for the time it would take me to run 10 miles on dirt, and I’ll get the same benefit. Right now I’m not training for anything, but it’s something to keep in mind. I certainly felt like I ran more than 5 miles, which was unfortunate since I was tired for the 10:20 showing of The Force Awakens.

I ended the week with 27.7 miles, which is about where I want to be for a base. However, I also took two weeks off from running, so that’s not where I wanted to be for a base. I still have a few more weeks before I start my spring training cycle, so I’ll have at least a month’s base to start from. I’m enjoying this unstructured, relaxed running, but I also kind of miss training for a race. Let’s see what I think in mid-March when I’m panicking about whether or not I’m prepared for the race that’s only a few weeks away.

A Chill in the Air

Well, getting some warmer running tights or a base layer for underneath them just rocketed to the top of my shopping list.

I had a great run today at Hartley, hitting three of my favorite trails (Guardrail, Rock Knob, and Root Canal) and ending up with 7.5 miles. It was slow, an average pace of 17:47, but there were some really chewed-up trails rutted and covered in ice. I assume this is because people were biking on them when it was wet and muddy. So with the icy/slippery parts, plus my generally cautious nature, I wasn’t exactly flying down the hills. It’s probably time to start putting the shoe chains on.

I felt great for most of the run, enjoying the scenery and grateful to be outside rather than stuck on the treadmill. Toward the end, my hands started to get cold and my plan to try to eke out 8 miles was cut short. It was a good decision, because I got cold fast.

As I was driving to Hartley, I was concerned I wasn’t wearing enough gear. For a shorter run, those concerns were unfounded, but it turned out I was right. I had a short-sleeved tech tee, a hoodie, a pair of medium-weight running tights, a pair of short shorts layered over the tights, over the calf socks, gloves, and a buff worn as a headband. It was in the low 20s F, so kind of on the borderline of when I like to add more clothing.

What I really needed was another thin layer on top, and another layer on the bottom. I discovered this when I was showering; the skin on the backs of my arms, my sides, and the front of my thighs was bright red. My thighs definitely had the worst of it, as they were itchy, too. I probably should have waited longer to get in the shower, but oh well. I’m still feeling a bit cold, but I also keep my house kinda cold.

So, I’ve concluded I need warmer running tights, another layer for underneath the tights, or possibly both, depending on what kind of temperatures I’m running in as we get into full-on winter up here. If I come up with a good solution, I’ll pass it along.

Ease On Down The Treadmill

Well, two days of running in a row, hooray for me!

I ordered a headlamp and reflective vest today. I was going to pick both up at the store this evening after my (one and only) final, but they didn’t seem to have any good headlamps (only cheapo ones) and they only had one running vest left that wasn’t the right size. So I found a couple deals online and I have free 2-day shipping from Prime, so now I can run outside in just a few days!

The treadmill is unpleasant, and my body already hurts from it, specifically my hips. I’m not doing any speed work and not pushing at all, to try to minimize the stress on my body.

Monday I was absolutely dying of boredom, running at a 3.8 mph pace for 4 miles. And I was so hungry I whined aloud about it at several points. My cats were terrified. Yesterday was a lot better because the Wild were winning.

I found myself wanting to push the pace up a little (especially since I had mileage goals, rather than time goals, for the workouts) or lengthen the workout, and I held myself back both times. I took two weeks off, I can’t go from zero to 30 mpw the first week back. So, I can pat myself on the back for not overdoing it.

I can’t pat myself on the back for the poor time management that forced me to miss one of my last weekday afternoon workouts. I could have gone trail running, but instead I had to study. I had plenty of time to get started studying for the exam, but started Monday night, then didn’t get up til 10:30 or so on Tuesday, and then realized I had a lot more studying to do than I thought. So there was no chance for the 6 mile trail run I thought I’d do from about 12-2 (test was at 4). Alas. I won’t get another chance at a trail until Saturday.

My HOPE is that the precipitation we are supposed to get over the next few days is solely snow, and not rain. I’d rather have snow on the ground than ice/cold mud on the trails. We’ve gotten far too much rain, and it makes me nervous, especially since I drive over the high bridge for work, and don’t feel like driving over it when it’s slick with ice.

Ah, winter. Welcome back.

Time Off For Good Behavior

I’ve taken about 2 weeks off from running, which wasn’t planned but seems to have been a good idea.

I planned on running yesterday, but looked outside and it looked cold and damp and I decided a day of doing nothing was preferable.

I am done with my classes and just have on final exam and one presentation standing in the way of total freedom. In the form of 40 years of work. At least, I hope so. This upcoming week I should be putting the final pieces together for a job that will start in January and keep me in Duluth! Until everything’s finalized, I’m still going to be nervous about it.

I’m ready to start running again, but my body is probably happy to have the time off, especially my hips. I had too many days in a row on the treadmill and they were a bit achy, especially the right hip. I do have a (potential goal) race that’s only four months away, so I can’t spend too much more time fooling around being a slug. I suppose a trip to a sporting goods store is in order to get my headlamp, since daylight is hard to come by.

Cold Weather Gear Wish List

I’ve been getting outside to run on the weekends, but stuck inside during the week. I’ve noticed a couple things: first, it’s cold, and second, the treadmill is really rough on me. I need cold weather gear that will help me get outside during the week, and will keep me comfortable once it starts to get REALLY cold. While the 20s and teens might feel frigid right now, they’ll feel balmy in a month or so.

The next 2 weeks are going to be light on running as my semester winds down. I am digging in on the final touches of my capstone project, and running is going to take a backseat.

High Priority:
A new pair of gloves
Heavier-weight running tights
Head lamp
Superior Hiking Trail Membership
Upper Midwest Trail Runners Membership

I need a headlamp ASAP. I looked a bit on Black Friday but didn’t buy anything, so I need to get on that like, this weekend. For the gloves, I really need is a glove-mitten hybrid, but with fingerless gloves. I want the extra warmth a mitten provides, but I need dexterity to open up food on long runs. I don’t know if such an item exists. I’ll report back. My current running tights aren’t warm enough, and I end up with frigid thighs. I need some new tights, or a super slim pair of long underwear, otherwise I’m going to be rocking the shorts-over-tights look again.

The two memberships are important because I need to stop being such a lone wolf. I need to give back to the trails I’m beating up with my feet, and I need to meet some other runners and be more social.

Medium Priority:
A new sports bra
New hose for my hydration backpack
A heavyweight running hoodie

I didn’t use my hydration backpack in the summer because I used handhelds, but in the winter I will use it because I also cross-country ski, and one cannot use hand-held water bottles and cross country ski. It just won’t work. I’m still in search of a sports bra model that I like, so I’d like to pick up another one and continue the search while cutting down on laundry.

The running hoodie might be medium-priority, but I’ve already got one picked out. I’m getting this lovely maroon one from UMD Stores for myself once I accept a job offer. Whenever that might be. Although I need to make sure it has secure pockets. If not, I need to find a hoodie with zippered pockets.

Low priority:
Another pair of shoes
New socks

I have a coupon for shoes, so even though this is low priority, I’ll probably use it. I want to try some true trail shoes. And I guess I want to try out some different types of socks to see what works best for me in winter.

You can see my summer gear wish list here, and note that some items are on both. A headlamp for all seasons, please!

Race Report: Gobble Gallop 5K

Official Results:
Time: 32:31
Pace: 10:28
Placing:
Overall: 1030/1802

App Results:
App: MovesCount
Time: 32:35
Pace: 10:27
Distance: 3.12 mi
Heart Rate: N/A

Goals:
A: 33:00
B: 34:00

Food:
What I ate the night before: Qdoba burrito bowl
What I ate on race day: 2 Starbursts
What I carried with me: Nothing

Gear:
What I wore: Hoodie, short sleeved tech tee, medium-weight running tights, buff (as headband), gloves
Gadgets: GPS watch

Discussion:
I woke up early after dreaming that I was late to the race. Actually no. I dreamed that I was with 3 of my high school friends who I’d convinced at the last minute to run the race. They needed to sign up, so we needed to get there early, and I was lollygagging around, and then we arrived too late for them to sign up. I woke up feeling like a jerk. Then I was too worried about being prepared for the race to go back to sleep. Annoying.

I need to stop eating entire burrito bowls before races, because I still kind of felt full. I mean, it was good on one hand, because I didn’t need to eat anything, but I could have maybe eaten 3/4 of the burrito instead and not felt so… uffda. The quintessential Scandinavian-American onomatopoeia is the only appropriate word for it. So I was a little worried.

I left for the race at about 9. I love the races around here, they start so late in the day! 9:30! I thought parking might be an issue, but that was dumb. It’s Thanksgiving, businesses aren’t open, their parking lots were fair game. I parked up the hill about 4 blocks. That was good thinking on my part. It was snowing but not too windy, which was nice, and the streets weren’t slick, which I was worried about. A large portion of the race was run on brick, which can get a little tricky.

I warmed up without feeling self-conscious! That was nice. I just kind of trotted around for awhile and then watched the end of the mile race. The winner of the mile race was also third place in the 5K. I hate him. Most of the runners of the mile were kids (or their parents) and most were faster than me. Some fairly small kids are really freaking fast. So now I’m jealous of 9 year olds.

I spotted Joe, a friend of mine, and glommed onto him until race start. He is a fast runner so he of course lined up well ahead of me, but it was nice to have someone to talk to for a little bit. I lined up at the back as usual. It was a bit more of a bottleneck at the start, since the pack was wider than the start/finish gate we had to go through. The results don’t have gun time/chip time differentials posted but I think I started about 2 minutes after the gun time. At first I wasn’t even sure the race had started because it seemed like nobody moved.

Throughout the first half of the race, I had to tell myself to slow down. I kept going under 10 mins (I was looking at my watch way too much during the race, but clearly I needed to) because it felt good. I am glad that I kept reminding myself to back off because I needed that energy at the end, although I probably could have pushed a little harder. (Especially if I hadn’t eaten the burrito the night before, as I had a feeling of fullness in my stomach. Nothing more concerning than that, but it was still annoying.)

My splits were fairly even: 10:23, 10:31, 10:34. So it’s clear I started a little faster and backed off, but that’s fine. That was tempered by slower segments where I was moving around runners. Because of the delay in the start plus my overall slowness, the first runners passed me on the way back before I reached the first mile marker. So that was a little demoralizing, but it makes sense. 10:23 + 2 minutes after gun time = 12:23 with less a mile to go for the lead runners, and the winner finished in 15:36. Joe passed me going the other way relatively early on too and I yelled at him to get after it as he blew by.

The race itself was fairly straightforward, with little elevation change, although I could definitely feel those small inclines. A young girl said to one of the adults with her that she was “definitely feeling the burn.” I was, too. I tried to take advantage of any slight declines to speed up, and then dialed it back on the inclines. I knew at the halfway point that there was no doubt I was going to at least meet my B goal, based on my average pace so far. I had that set up as one of the displays on my watch so that I could see it the whole time, since I was so obsessed with setting a PR.

With 0.2 mi to go (according to Strava, I didn’t know this at the time), I started to kick, and then with about 0.1 miles to go I hit another gear and zipped in. Joe waited around to cheer for me at the end for a second, which was nice! I had a lot more juice in my legs than maybe I should have had left, so I guess I left something out on the race course. Oh well, that just means another PR next time.

Because yeah. That was a giant PR. 1:50. I clearly didn’t see that coming, since I thought 33:00 was a stretch. I am excited and happy, and I am glad to see some improvement after stepping away from racing shorter distances for four months to focus on my half marathon. I know that PRs come easy at the beginning and in a few years I’ll be happy to shave a couple seconds off a 5K time. I’m still going to soak it up and enjoy it because I did earn it, and I did work hard to get to this point, even if it wasn’t a goal race.

This is my last race of 2015. I was going to race a December 5K, but the one I had in mind turned out to be next weekend. I didn’t want to run back to back races, so there we have it. Ending the racing year on a high note!