All Downhill From Here

A warm wind blew in yesterday and this morning the temperature is already up to 4C/39F. The roads are all slushy and the air smells like spring. I can’t wait to go out running tonight!

I’ve been such a sulky runner this week. I didn’t want to run because it was SO cold, but then because I didn’t run I felt all sulky and growly, and it took a lot to get me out the door today.

It was still chilly, at -14C/7F with a little breeze, but still much better than it was last weekend. No frosties building up on my face. No exposed body parts feeling like they’re going numb.

I did run over several big, hard snow drifts. Not through, over. These drifts looked like frozen waves and the cold wind over the past week had packed them solid. It felt kind of wierd not to be sinking into them.

I’m still working up to a half-decent long run, so today I aimed for 12 km – 14 if I felt absolutely amazing. I took it very easy and walked 2 or 3 whole blocks (not in a row). I didn’t feel terrible, but in the 11th and 12th kms my legs told me very decisively that we’d gone far enough, thank you very much. Little aches and twinges started showing up and I was getting that wobbly feeling. Ah well, a little more training and I won’t get the wobbly feeling until after 14, or 16, or 20…

Towards the end I came across a very enthusiastic greyhound out with its owner, and I stopped for a happy how-do-you-do. Such beautiful big eyes on those dogs.

I tell you, there is NOTHING like a warm shower and a yummy banana after a run like that.

Yes, Canadians love to talk about the weather. That’s because we get so MUCH of it. Last night it was a balmy -9C/16F and Dawn and I headed over to Gord’s for our group run. We were the only two Penguins, so stuck together as we walked and jogged along the river. It was probably the best possible night for running this week!

Dawn describes the chunky frozen river rather well on her Blog. I think it looked like a lot of marshmallows on top of hot chocolate.

This morning I kept one kid home from school (long, more dangerous ride across town on a little shuttle, and she’s smaller) and put the older one on his bus after waiting in the van with him for almost 20 minutes. Good thing he wasn’t waiting outside in that nasty wind. My van, which is usually pretty accurate with the radio, registered -27C/-17F and the radio was factoring in a wind chill of -40C/-40F.

I think my newly-instated Wednesday runs can start up again when it’s warmer…. and if the wind doesn’t let up by the weekend I might just have to find an indoor place to do my long run this weekend. I might get out for a short, cold walk/run before then, too, but I’m not holding my breath.

Yeah, so it’s cold.

Hey, at least the sun was shining today and there was no wind chill. Sometimes it’s just better to get out and get the exercise DONE and just don’t think about the stuff holding you back.

Since I had a race yesterday I didn’t do my long run. I need long run mileage, so I got out today for 8 km. Despite the sunshine, nicely plowed sidewalks, no hills and no wind chill, I still didn’t feel like running much, so I walked about half of it. No frozen eyelashes, not much heavy breathing. I still did 8 km, and I got a good hour’s worth of fresh air.

Good for me.

Tuesday night it was -18C/-0.4F when Yo-go, K and I went out for our group run. We took it easy on K who was brave enough to show up for her first really cold run ever, even though she called herself crazy. We agreed with her that we were all crazy, but in a good way. We did about 5.5km instead of the usual 6.5, and all were pretty warm by end.

Calgary is a strange place, that we have such huge, quick temperature fluctuations. Last night it was -1.4C/29.5F when I went out for my hill run. It always feels warmer when I’m used to colder. It felt pleasantly wierd to go outside without a zillion layers, kind of a freeing, not-quite-nude feeling.

I’m adding this 4th day of running per week (Wednesdays) this year, and despite the warm weather, I didn’t want to go. I managed to tell myself “Just get out the door and do ONE hill”, even though I had put 3 on my training plan. My hill is about 800m (haven’t measured it exactly), and it takes me about 5 minutes of happy running down, 7 minutes of slogging to get up. I did get two done, so it was a good compromise. I think my long run Sunday affected me more than I had thought it would.

Tonight I’ll nip out for a quick, flat 5k and hopefully it won’t be as windy as it has been this morning.

Saturday we are heading down to a predicted -24C/-11.2 for the Nose Creek cross country race. Hah, the less folks that show up, the more carrot soup for me 🙂

Editors Note: We are experiencing some temporary technical difficulties while we tweak my blog format – hope you like the new look we eventually produce.

I got out in the sunshine and -16C/3F this afternoon for 12 km. I haven’t done more than 8 km for over a month, so 12 was long enough to start. My legs told me “that’s enough” when I was done, and they haven’t done that for at least 6 weeks, so I’m happy I pushed myself a little.

At about 5k the legs were saying “don’t you think 10 would be enough?”. My hamstrings were an itty bitty bit whiny from my “just 5k” on Friday. I ignored them and they warmed up. If I’m to run a good 15k race in Tampa February 5th, this is the weekend of the 12k.

I only had one little bitty twinge to work through, really. It just seemed to move to different places the further I ran. It tried to bug me in my right arch, where I battled PF this summer. I remembered to flatten out my foot (I tend to curl my toes when I’m running on snow for some reason). Then it moved to the top of my left calf, just below the knee in the back. I ran up a little hill and stretched it out. Then it moved to my lower abs towards the end of the run.

I guess some abdominal core exercises are on the menu for this month. Does anyone have any favourites they’d like to share with this beginner?

So maybe this is why I notice some of my core/pelvic muscles aching when I’ve been consciously trying to lean forward and run in my ad hoc version of the Chi style.

Maybe I really DO need to do those abdominal exercises as in my 2005 goals. Maybe doing core exercises will help me be more efficient and …. faster. I think this thought will motivate me to do my core stuff more than images of a flat tummy have been able to.

If you’re a skinny-fast runner and you catch me watching your hips around the track in the next little while, forgive me. I’m just trying to learn from your form, eh?

I just read that Pamalamadingdong (don’t make me spell that 10 times fast) is a finalist for Best Weight Loss/Fitness Blog. Cool!

I went on to peruse some of the other categories, just for fun.

Congratulations Pam!