Out, In, Out

Temps were reading 2 degrees on Tuesday morning. Quite a change from this past week running in 30 and 40 degree weather down in NY and MA! Aie. But not to be deterred, I bundled up and headed out around 6:15. The snow crunched with that satisfying dry, cold snow crunch beneath my screwshoes and my face got all frosty. I ran down to the river and back and was surprised to find conditions decent, even if variable. There had been a fair amount of traffic so things were packed to a certain degree, and despite the cold, boy was it was a beautiful morning. So happy to have gotten out. What a nice start to the day!

Sunrise

Soft light, over the Heath

Wednesday I didn't quite make it out of bed and wanted to get into work at 7:00 so I could get enough done by 3:00 when I was leaving to get Sam for her swim lessons. While we were home having a quick snack and changing I had the thought that perhaps I could spend some time on the indoor track at the Y while she swam. I asked her if it would be OK if I didn't sit in the balcony and watch - truthfully, Wednesdays are hard as the kids are in the therapy pool while the high school swim team practices in the main pool, and it's difficult to actually see anything anyway. Sam was fine with it, so I quickly changed and did a few stretches before we dashed out the door. The indoor track is 13 laps to a mile (!!!) and I quickly lost count; my watch was in no way picking up the mileage; and I was dodging little kids and walkers. When I realized I had no idea how long I had gone, except that I had certainly gone more than the 0.6 my watch was reading, I headed into the gym to get on the treadmill. With not much time left, I set it for 20 minutes and started to run. Ugh. I really dislike the treadmill. I racheted up the pace a bit but didn't push too hard. The treadmill was making a lot of noise as I pounded along and I was a bit afraid to push it too much!! Got in 2.3 miles in the 20 minutes and got downstairs to the pool just in time ;) So, 3.3 miles or maybe more. Hey, a little something is better than nothing, but I knew I was going to head outside this morning! I am just not an indoor exerciser!

This morning, it was a bit warmer out, ie. 9 degrees instead of 2 ;) I bundled up again but not quite as much and headed out at 6:00 am. I was treated to an incredible view of the crescent moon with Venus and Mars shining brightly nearby. What a gorgeous sight! Ran up Mt A and along hole #3 to the Heath. Ran down along the Cathance, listening to the river rush and roar but not quite seeing it in the darkness. Conditions fairly packed and not bad for early season screwshoe running. As I was running up into the field from the river, the sky began to lighten. I took the singletrack back to the ecology center and returned via the Heath, cart path and Mt A. I finished up with 6.6 miles on the Suunto Ambit3 Run, but I think it might be shorting me! I have run this loop many times and always gotten 7. Grrr.... Not sure about the new watch yet. It's pretty - lime green! - and it finds satellites quickly, has connection to my phone for uploading runs, etc, but not quite loving it yet. The Garmin 310 drives me nuts with the charging and upload inconsistencies but I do like a lot about it so don't know if the switch is worth it. Will have to do a few more runs before I decide for sure.