Winter sucks the fun out of running for me....I try to keep up with the habit, but I find myself turning to other forms of exercise to supplement. I've already started doing the 30 Day Shred in the mornings, and soon will be getting back to hot yoga (which is the BOMB in the winter, when it's cold out!). Last resort is the treadmill that is stowed away in our basement, but I'll be honest: I can only handle 20-30 minutes on the treadmill before I feel like I'm going to go insane. So, I pretty much avoid it whenever I can.
I've still been running over my lunch hour 2-3 days a week, and I'm still running races, but I find myself packing on the gear these days to keep warm. I have Raynaud's in my fingers and toes too, which makes winter running very uncomfortable - I absolutely HATE running with numb toes. I've been experimenting with some new items that I really like, and I purchased at awesome prices at Target (of all places!). I got a C9 by champion winter running jacket that I've worn for the last 2 races and it keeps my core super warm! This awesome C9 by Champion shirt has a built-in neck gaiter that is awesome for when you are standing around waiting before/after races. Also picked up a pair of C9 by Champion flip-top running mittens , which do a great job of keeping my fingers pretty warm...when I wear them I normally only have 1 or 2 fingers with a Raynaud's "attack" (versus...well...ALL of them if I don't wear the mittens). Target's stuff has been impressing me lately, to say the least. Now, if I could just figure out how to keep my feet warm! I've experimented with wool socks, 2 pairs of socks, tall socks, short socks...nothing works yet, but I'll keep looking.
P and I ran 2 races in this chilly weather so far, which I'll recap here: The 8k.9.10.11.12.13, and the Dirty Dog Trail 5K.
8k.9.10.11.12.13 was a part of the "end of the world" series which included the 12.12.12 12K, 11.11.11 11K, etc. This race was the 2nd to last in the series (they will only do one more, next year - the 9k.10.11.12.13.14 and then it's finished...or so the race director says :) ). It was an 8k course, which started at 9:10PM, on 11/12/13 at a local running shop. The course was around a local mall (super flat) and since it took place so late at night, there was minimal traffic. It was 12 degrees outside when the race started, and I was not running it for time...I always run slower in the cold because my feet go numb. I was just running it for the fun of it. There were about 330 runners/walkers, so it was a decent sized race. To my surprise, I got pretty into it (despite my completely numb feet) and ended up finishing in 48 minutes flat - only 8 seconds slower than my 8K time from the Ohio/Michigan 8K back in July. I was happy with that. All finishers got a certificate, which I'm keeping with my 12.12.12 12k certificate and my Leap Day 2.9 mile run certificate.
The Dirty Dog Trail 5K was this past Saturday, the 23rd. It was a prediction race, meaning that before the race begins you guess what your finish time will be. Winners are ranked not by finish time, but by how closely they guessed their times. Runners/walkers could navigate the course with or without their pooch (although most participants had a dog). P and I both ran, but I ran with Maizey and he ran "dogless". The weather was cold - about 20 degrees but very sunny. The course was 2 loops through Cedar Creek park - a park that I'd never been to before - and utilized grass, stone, and dirt trails (plus a wooden bridge). I did not realize that the trails would be wood trails, so I SEVERELY under-estimated my finish time. I came no where close. The grass and gravel running portions of the path were fine, but the dirt trails got so torn up (particularly by the 2nd loop) that they were more slippery mud than anything else, and the wooden bridge was covered in icy frost so I slowed way down and grandma'ed it across all 4 times. I also got lost on the 2nd loop because I forgot where the first turn-off was - thankfully I ended up passing P just past the point I had missed, and he hollered "You are going the wrong way!" so I was able to turn around and figure out my mistake and not waste too much time. Oops! Anyhow, Maizey loved it! She loved being with all of the other dogs, and she literally pulled me for the first mile or so! Finally she got a little tired, so she slowed down and we had a nice pace together. I made a friend on the trail and we chatted about her beautiful yellow lab for a few minutes. Maizey had a ball running up to everyone and smelling them/saying hi as we passed by. The Dirty Dog Trail Run truly lived up to its name, as by the end of the run Maizey was covered in mud (and so were my new running shoes, plus halfway up my calves). I am not sure of official time yet but it's somewhere around 34 minutes (I had predicted 28:50....so yeah, no where close!). P finished in 32 minutes. After a nice bath (and taking the hose to my new shoes), all was right again. Plus, Maizey took a big old nap all afternoon that day!
This week I'm registered for one 5K and might potentially be doing one more:
Thanksgiving Day - East Side Turkey Trot 5K. Burning a few hundred calories before I consume a few thousand!
Saturday (maybe) - Holiday Hustle 5K. This one depends on babysitter availability. It's fun though, because it takes place at night and people wrap themselves in Christmas lights for the run!
Happy Thanksgiving!
I REALLY wanted to do the 9.10.11.12.13, I did the leap day and the 12.12.12, but I had to work on that night so I couldn't make it out. I love the fun races that TRR puts together.
ReplyDeleteI forgot how slippery that bridge is/was. That thing was killer!