Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Slip Slidin' Away

Posted by CheapRunnerMike

Hey folks, hope everyone is staying warm!  The wind-chill outside is -20°C right now, which is a balmy -4° for the Fahrenheities out there…simply put, it's very brrr outside.  We woke up to a blanket of snow yesterday but I wasn't going to let that stop me from getting out for my run.

photo 2

While it wasn't super cold (right around freezing), the paths were a mess.  They were covered in snow and slush, and in many spots snow-covered leaves, making it very slippery.  I was putting down some good power but really felt like I was getting nowhere.  Every step was an adventure and I was lucky I didn't spill at all, especially on the downhills.  It probably didn't help that I was just wearing my regular trainers, but I'm too stubborn to make the official switch to my trail shoes.  Speaking of which, after two winters my trail shoes have just about had it…might be time to find a new winter shoe.

photo 5

I got out for a couple of runs on the weekend, the first a "roll-out-of-bed-and-run" run and then my long run on Sunday.  I hate running first thing in the morning, it just never goes well for me, and Saturday was no exception.  I had planned on doing my long run on Saturday, but plans changed and Jackson was at home with me…that meant I could get in a quick 10K before Michelle went to work or do nothing.  I set out bright and early I could tell right away that I just didn't have it.  I pushed on and finished the run, but I was beat.

Sunday was a different story though…I ran around 1:00 (a lot closer to my normal late-morning run time) and was able to fuel as I normally would before a long run with some coffee and oatmeal about an hour before.  The run went great as I got in 15 miles at  what was probably a little faster than marathon pace.  I tried as hard as I could to hold back, but even at that it felt like an easy jog for the first 10K or so.  I pushed a bit harder on the home stretch and finished feeling good.  It was my best long run ever, both in terms of results and feel…runs like this make you crave the next one.  Strava even told me that it was the fastest half marathon I had ever run with a GPS-estimated time of 1:25:57!

Capture

Today's workout is up in the air…as I mentioned, it is brutally cold here right now (though this will seem like nothing in a couple of months).  I brought my outdoor running gear, but I also packed stuff for the (gasp) treadmill.  Today is supposed to be my strength day, calling for 6x1 mile repeats, and the treadmill in the gym may be the best way to go about the workout.  Needless to say, I am not looking forward to that.  It needs to be done though, so best to just suck it up.

What temperature pushes you inside to the treadmill?

Do you do strength workouts on the treadmill?

4 comments:

  1. If it's under freezing I try not to be outside for any reason!! Yes, I do strength/interval work on my treadmill!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I run regardless of how cold it is down here unless there is ice because I don't want to slip and fall on my a$$. I agree with Kim I enjoy interval work on the dread mill. I did it this morning and it was a nice lil change up! Overall though, outside always wins :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I knew you would do that stuff on your treadmill, you pretty much live on that thing! Anyone that can run on the treadmill like you do has my respect :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. That's how I was feeling today Chelsea...just wasn't worth trying to do speedwork and take a spill and really hurt myself. I did my intervals on the treadmill and honestly didn't hate it. Maybe having a structured workout to focus on is the way to go, instead of just putting in the miles on the 'mill.

    ReplyDelete