I was in Salt Lake City two and a half weeks ago. I went for a couple of 30 minute runs while I was there. The weather was nice, but the combination of the thin air - Salt Lake City is at an average elevation of 4,226 feet - and the hills just about killed me. Still, as Friedrich Nietzsche once said, "What does not destroy me, makes me stronger.". And, I'm still here. :)
One week ago, I was in Florida. Since I need to step up the mileage for my race in June, I added a couple of 6 mile runs to my scheduled 3 milers. I have been cautious about increasing my mileage this time, not wanting to endure a repeat of the leg cramps and muscle injuries that have plagued my previous endurance training. My current practice is to walk 1 minute out of every 10 minutes of each run. This seems to help, buy giving my muscles a chance to recover during the run. It's also useful on race day to walk each of the water stops to make sure to get enough hydration during the race. Strategy, strategy. We'll see how it holds up.
This past week, I was back in snowy Mentor. The image above was taken out my front door. Snow always makes the running a real challenge. Slipping and falling is definitely NOT a good thing for me to do. If the roads are clear and the traffic light, I can easily get out and cover the 3-6 miles which are part of my current schedule. This past Tuesday morning, I thought the conditions were right. But, overnight the temperature had dropped significantly, freezing a thin sheen of ice at the foot of our driveway. I headed out the door and promptly slipped and fell into a puddle as soon as I hit that patch of ice. That was the end of my morning run. Throw the wet clothes in the dryer. Later in the day, when the ice had melted, I was able to get out for a three miler.
I had planned on attempting a longer, 9 mile, run this weekend. But, we have had a good foot of snow over the last 3 days. It's not worth the risk to try it here. I'll be in Florida this coming week. That will be a good opportunity to work in a long run. Training for an early Spring race is definitely a real challenge.
I went shopping for a new pair of running shoes yesterday. I decided to go to a regular running shoe store this time to get fitted properly with a good pair of shoes. Of course, they had to order the shoes. That's ok, I want to make sure they fit properly and feel good. That's the most important thing. I don't much care how they look. I'll wear pink shoes if necessary to get the best fit. :)
