Running Chick

Here’s me in my cold weather gear about to head out for a run in 6 degree weather.

 

 

Add sunglasses to that outfit and I’m completely incognito! A good thing, because most people who saw me out running probably thought I was completely nuts.

Anyhoo, it might have been pretty frigid outside, but I ended up being a little too warm in all my layers. Thermal capris, thermal tights, thermal running pants, thermal turtleneck, thermal long sleeve shirt, wind jacket, and thermal ski gloves turned out to be too many thermals.  One mile into my run, I was trying to figure out what layers I could shed but I didn’t dare stop to take anything off so I suffered in my sweaty gear.  The worst part was that my mask got soaked from all my heavy breathing and wearing a wet mask is just so gross. Oh, and the inside layer of my hat was soaked, but the outside layer was covered in ice. That was pretty neat.

I debated all morning whether to go or not, and I was glad I finally decided to head out. Despite being cold (have I mentioned that it was cold?), it was also really sunny with gorgeous blue skies and no wind. I don’t remember the last time I’ve seen the sun, so I was able to get a nice dose of vitamin D and I felt really good when I got home.

I’m closing in on a month back to running now, and I’m feeling pretty good.  My shins are doing okay. I don’t have any pain, but I do have a very low grade discomfort in my posterior tendon area which seems to be well managed by Ibuprofen, stretching, rolling and massage.  I’ve been also doing exercises to strengthen my arches and my tibialis posterior muscles since I’m thinking I may have some muscle imbalances going on.  Well, that’s what the results of my eternal quest for self-diagnosis tells me today.

I have until the end of this month to noodle around with my running and then I pick up an official training plan for a half marathon in May. If I make it through the end of February without anything flaring up, meaning I can make it through the first month of training, I think I’ll be okay. Fingers crossed.

Well, I did it. And I didn't freeze to death. Came pretty close, though. It was seriously cold out there. My fingers were fine, but I couldn't feel my toes until the second mile. It's a strange feeling, not being able to feel your toes when you run. Very strange indeed.

Fortunately, I managed to avoid most of the wind nastiness by running with my back to the wind (my butt, however, was frozen) but the last 2 miles was into the wind. Holy, HOLY crap, it was cold. I'm talking burn-your-lungs-and-freeze-your-nostrils-together-and-want-to-keep-your-eyes-closed cold.

A friend of mine suggested wearing my face mask, and I even dug it out of my ski bag, but then I forgot it at home. Doh.

Well, anyway, my run ended at the BP station and I had the foresight to bring a few bucks with me so I was able to treat myself to a gas station hot chocolate while I waited for Josh to come and collect me. Usually I find them completely disgusting, but this one tasted soooo good. Ha.



Totals for the week: 14.02 miles @ 11:03

I was originally planning on hitting 17 miles week, but my right hamstring was squawking a little bit after my Wednesday run so I decided not to run. It was okay today, so I made the right decision. Next week I'll have 18 miles for the week with a long run of eight.

I hope it's warmer!

It's time to move on.