I just completed week 9 of marathon training; officially the halfway
point!
Where did the time go?
Long runs from now on will become really real. Next Saturday calls for a 15. I haven’t run 15 miles since that time my friend Liza and I got horribly lost on the Reservoir trail last summer; an unplanned and painful 15...
On one
hand, I can’t believe it’s been that long and on the other hand I feel like
this training block is progressing quickly. Even though I have been adapting well to
the training and I’m getting stronger each week, 15 miles is a REALLY long
way. I'm definitely a little intimidated.
Hold the Trails
Last week's run went okay though. Winter has finally hit New England with over 14 inches of snow falling
on Boston last week. I have been able to get out to the trails once a week but that was out of the question last week. Most of the snow fell on Thursday and then a few inches again Saturday morning and the sidewalks were still pretty yucky when I set out for my long run Saturday afternoon. Luckily
for me, running on the snow translates well to trail running. So even though I opted for the roads I was
still using some of my “trail running skills” to get me through my run.
Ways running on snow is similar to running on trails:
- You need to be hyper-aware – with ice and slush and puddles; you need to watch your step every second of the run. Running on snow can be fun but it can also be a little precarious
- You need to take small quick steps – small steps allows you to quickly correct if you accidentally hit a patch of ice wrong or if you step on a snow lump wrong.
- It feels like full body workout – hips, ankles, abs; they are all pretty well worked during a hearty snow run.
I’ll give it a couple of weeks for the snow on the trails to get packed down before I head back up to the Fells for a run. For now, I’m just enjoying the city streets winter “trails” and trying not to get hit by a car or wipe out on the ice.
Here are some pics from last week’s 13 mile long run. Liza joined me for half of it
and I was so glad she did. Conditions
were hard and super slow going. When I
picked her up at mile 7, I was cold and cranky.
After a couple of miles of running together my attitude turned
around. Her company was the boost of
energy I needed to get through that run.
Busyness and Awesome Sunsets
This week, Week 9, was a cutback week and also an incredibly busy week
during and after work…transitioning jobs; dinner with friends, etc. I skipped one of my midweek runs (oops) and if
it wasn’t for my convenient commute route, I would have been hard pressed to
get any of my other runs completed. Busy.
Busy. I’m even writing this blog post
while on a bus to New York City for the long weekend. Making every moment count :). It’s normal to have a week like this every
once in a while. The trick is to be
flexible!
How about you?
How do you adapt training when the snow
falls?
Are you a morning runner or an evening
runner?
i was also thinking when i was running in the snow how my balance was different-more like trail running....which i need to do more of :} so glad your training is going well and i love he photos ...thanks :] oh and i'm a morning runner...
ReplyDeleteThanks B! I tried to be a morning runner a year or so ago. I liked it :) I usually find myself going in the evenings or just after work. Maybe I should try again. :)
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