Failed fairly spectacularly at the early morning runs this week. As in, early morning runs = none, zero, zilch, nada. Some of the Trail Monsters are doing a run 3 miles every day of January in the dark hours of the night/early morning, but frankly, I just don't need that kind of pressure. Although perhaps I could use a bit of that motivation! HA! Ah well. Still managed to get in some running this week, just not quite so early 😉😂
Monday was the now typical late afternoon walk on the indoor track during Sam's swim practice. I'd prefer to walk outside, but it is nice to have the track as an option, especially with the cold, ice and darkness of the winter months. (2.25 miles walked)
Tuesday was the coldest day of the winter so far, with whipping winds and negative "feels like" temps. A good day to stay inside. Then I sat in on a Planning Board meeting for approval of our new building for work, which went until 10:00 pm. Needless to say, I did not get up and out on Wednesday morning for a run. 😴😴 However, as I was working from home, I took advantage of a window in my calendar to get out at 11:00 am for a run on the powerlines. Icy, uneven and crunchy underfoot and most definitely rather slow going, but glad to be able to get out. It had "warmed up" into the teens but was still windy so I was wearing a lot of layers, meaning I was comfortable in the wind and overdressed while protected on the trails in the woods. Gotta love winter running! (6.6 miles)
Looking at the thermometer on Thursday morning, it was reading 23 degrees - downright balmy compared to Tuesday! - but that did not mean I got out the door into the darkness. Sigh. Like I said, serious early morning run issues going on here. Instead, I sat in the quiet and did a bit of work early so that I could get in a run in the daylight after I dropped Sam at school and before I headed into the office. Was glad to be able to run the roads with no serious ice to contend with. Makes it much easier! Just an easy and fairly boring run up and back on Highland Green Road. (6.0 miles)
A fair amount on the to-do list on Friday, and ended up deciding to run on the roads as I knew it would be a bit quicker and easier. Headed out after dropping Sam at school. Overcast and high 20s. Sidewalks were a lot icier than I would have liked, which meant that it wasn't the most comfortable run. Ah well. Did enjoy seeing a group of about 2 dozen common mergansers swimming below the dam as I was crossing over the green bridge. Neat. (7.0 miles)
Another seriously cold day on Saturday, with no need to rush out in the morning when the "feels like" temps were in the negative teens. Instead, a few quiet hours downstairs before the rest of the house woke up and a trip to the farmer's market were in order before I finally willed myself to gear up for a run. Having given in to the weather on Tuesday, I knew I wanted to get out, so the question was just how many layers and where to go to make it as pleasant as possible given the conditions. It was bright and sunshiney, and temps had "warmed up" into the low single digits by mid-morning, but the wind was still whipping. I decided to take Ryan's advice and drove over to the Gone Fishing trails, knowing they were likely almost entirely a ribbon on hard ice but at least I'd be protected from the wind. Also adjusted my expectations and set the bar for 6 miles instead of the longer run I had originally planned for. I was bundled up with four layers on top with double pants, hood up, heaviest hat, buff and my Craft gloves with the built-in windproof mitts, and honestly once I got moving, I was warm enough, except in the final half mile where I was a bit more exposed to the wind and at which point I'd be out for just over an hour. Funnily enough, I had the trails to myself. Not sure why no one else was out?! Ha! 😂 Ended up with a few more miles than degrees, and then was more than happy to spend the rest of the day inside! (6.2 miles)
Still cold Sunday morning, but not nearly as windy, which meant the feels like temp by the time I headed out at 9:00 am was only -2! Totally warm, right? But at least better than yesterday's -14! 😂 Ran roads around town but made the bad call to connect up with Highland Green via the back dirt road. Definitely would not recommend without traction. Oops. Pace slowed quite a lot in that 1 mile plus. Nice and bright and sunshiney. (10.0 miles)
Temps continued to warm throughout the day so mid-afternoon, we piled into the car and headed over to the Cathance for a walk along the river. It was still chilly, especially in the shade, but lovely out in the woods, with some really neat ice formations along the river. Also had a great sighting of a mink running across the frozen river! Nice to get in some family time outside together to wrap up the weekend💗(2.2 miles walked)
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