Track Thursday

Brrr. And snow.  Mostly windchill.  Therefore, I run on the track.

I was emotionally unprepared to run slow at a constant heart rate.  So an interval workout seemed more appropriate.  I tried to keep my heart rate low for the 7 and 6 laps intervals.  And the rest I ran by feel. This track workout has always been a go to for me.  It's long, but it gets more fun and faster as the workout goes on.

My goal is to be able to run 9:00/mile in a marathon.  Today, I could barely hold it for a lap.  Looks like I have a lot of work to do.

Winter Is Here Though it Would've Been Better With Pictures

The Plan: I had delusions of grandeur last night when I set my alarm to get up at 8am and go for a run.  I came to my senses and turned that nonsense off.  I had backup plans of running up and down my street five or six times 'till I'd got my mile in. But by 2pm I was fairly confident most people had shoveled or plowed, and I was ready for an adventure.  I grabbed my old point and shoot camera and my yak trax and headed out. About six or seven minutes in to the run (just far enough that I was not turning around) I realized I'd grabbed my camera but not the battery.  Oh Fail! 
The Run: I ran 'naked' sort of.  I had my Garmin on, but covered up by my shirt and jacket sleeve so I never saw it.  That was the only way to do this run.  Trying to jump over piles of snow and run in tire treads in un-plowed land just jacks up the heart rate sky high.  I ran an odd circuit of Lake Hiawatha, opting for all plowed sidewalks versus my normal route, then Lake Nokomis, and then back through the neighborhood.  I finished up with two striders, just to get myself to seven miles.

The Snow: The overwhelming majority of the route was plowed or shoveled.  There were some rough times getting across some streets through the snow plow debris.  (What do we call those big ridges?) I did run in my YakTrax and was glad for them.  If the street corners had been a bit more groomed, I think I could've gotten away with my trail shoes.

Disappointment: When I got back from the run, I was a bit bummed.  I think the biggest thing I was bummed about was not having my camera.  It's weird to feel defeated because I forgot a battery.  I was also a tinge concerned about my heart rate, but I really have to keep in mind there was some deep and un-shoveled snow in some places and that screws with everything.  And I wasn't trying to keep the heart rate low.  I was just running how I felt.   I should get over it because while I was running, I felt really great, even deep into mile six and seven when I should've been tired I felt good.

The Rest of Town: So we've had around six inches of snow.  More in the southern suburbs and less in the northern suburbs.  Snow started Saturday around 2pm.  It was 'snowing' while I was out, though the weather service said it stopped really accumulating around 10am and I'd believe that.  It's a lot of snow though.  It's giving MnDOT a run for it's money with keeping the roads clear.   This is a map of how traffic looks now, at 5:30pm on Sunday.  A full 8 hours after the snow has stopped.

Winter is coming

Minnesota has been enjoying a weak La Nina year (or so I'm told), and it's been crazy warm.  We've had a couple of snows that have basically melted and our lakes are not yet frozen.  I'm told, though, winter is coming.

Sunday - I woke up to 2 to 3 inches of snow.  I had delusions of grandeur thinking that the Greenway would be plowed.  Sigh.  I ran six miles anyways.  In the snow.  My shoes were so wet by the time I was done. This was out to be a good run because I didn't look at my watch or my heart rate ever.  I kept the HR relatively low until the last mile or two, and then it was fun to kick things up a bit.

Monday - Most of the snow has melted, though there are big patches here and there.  Winds were coming up from the south, around 10mph.  I ran outside anyways though, because the words artic blast are being tossed around in the forecast for the rest of the week.  I also didn't look at my watch on this run.  I was feeling ish and my heart rate was all over the place.  Not looking at my watch was a good thing, because my heart rate turned out okay for the most part.

December Running - I had a great slump in October and November.  It involved a lot of hamburgers and beer.  And it was glorious.  I am coming back to actual running this month.  And I'm adding the challenge of figuring out how to increase mileage with 3 weight lifting sessions per week.  This week, goal is 26 miles and I think I'll get there.  I'm seeing the importance of high mileage days when I'm not lifting weights.