Sunday - Easy 4 Miles

I know.  It's been a while.  Let's pretend it hasn't.  I'll tell you all about my life and mental health in another post.  (Or not at all, which seems more likely.)  For now, just take my presence here as a good sign.

 
I'd like to thank Steve in a Speedo for this awesome post.  I'm not that nice to people at my gym.  I'm all "congratulations on your resolution and your hope; why are there so many of you and when will you give up?"  For the regulars, it just means everything is crowded.  Classes are crowded.  Machines are full.  The track is full and people don't understanding passing.  The parking lot is full.  The parking lot may actually be the worst part.

Obviously,  it took about three seconds into the new year for me to eschew the gym almost entirely and head outside for a workout.  It was about 25* and sunny.  I decided on a 4-mile run, then I decided not to wear my yak-trax (which I avoid whenever I can).  Then I tried to remember what the hell I do wear on these runs.

I wasn't too sure how the footing was going to be on the run.  Sidewalks in front of people's houses varied from "just haven't bothered to clear it" to "basically clear" to "random sheets of ice have crept in here".  The ice was the most dangerous part (and not the fault of the homeowners, it has to do with ice dams).  Most of the time I just ran in the road.  Around the lakes, the park board clears the "bike" path and expects runners and bikers to cooperate for the winter, which works pretty well.  The paths cleared by the park board were generally in good shape, very wide and no complaints.  Also, no bikers.

Since I left my house around 3:30pm, it meant the sun was already going down for the day.  Sunset is around 4:30pm.  The views were pretty special.  I ran without headphones and it was really nice to enjoy the scenery, cross country skiers, people playing on the lake, etc.  (Not sure how 'no headphones' helped me see the sights better, but trust me.)  I had a couple good miles where I really wanted to run and to hurt, which I did.  I also had a couple nice spots to snap photos along the way. 

After the run I decided to 'plank to failure' again, in honor of my core muscles.  I did a 1:00 plank followed by a 0:30 plank, which is good considering I haven't been doing that for a while. For those of you keeping score: Yes - that is frost on my hat and face.