Running Update

I haven't discussed running here in quite a while, maybe not since the CIGNA 5k race in August. No news is good news I suppose. I've been maintaining a very low level of running, only once or twice a week, at modest pace. No surprise this keeps me clear of injury. I do find though, that if I go 5-7 days without a run and then do just an easy 5k, I hurt afterwards. So I'm trying to be more diligent and run twice a week.

Today was savagely brutal on the senses. I'm about ready for this cold spell to be over. At least I didn't have to hop on a road bike like the day before. I planned to run my usual mundane 10k loop.

The wind was something fierce out of the north. Of course, the first two miles of my run heads directly into the wind on a wide open road. Dressed only in spandex tights and a base layer with wind shell up top, I nearly recoiled from the sub-zero windchill temps the second day in a row. The first 15 minutes are the hardest. Once you get past that, the rest is easy.

I ended up going out march harder than the lame pace I normally run, hoping to bring warmth to my face. Even though I ski raced Tuesday night and did bike hill repeats on Wednesday, I felt pretty decent. After I turned off DWH and out of the wind, I kept the pace going for the remainder of the run. I finished the 10k in about 42 minutes, the fastest I've run in months. Back in my office after showering, I was still sweating. No trouble producing enough heat running that pace even with marginal layers on.

I've never raced or bench-marked 10km. My VDOT from last August's CIGNA race suggests I can run 10k in about 37:30 minutes, a sporty time for an occasional 50 year old runner. I need to test this sometime.

Good chance I'll do the Weston winter triathlon on February 16. It is a bit pricy, but close, so logistically very cheap. Plus I can scope out the conditions the Tuesday night before to see exactly what kind of equipment to bring.  I did a low-key winter tri at Craftsbury last January and had a blast. There will no doubt be more higher caliber athletes at the Weston event. It is quite an intensity assault to the body to link running, biking and skiing together in a one hour event. I need to get a few more spirited runs in between now and then.

I put off filling my car the last couple nights until the tank was on dreadful  As luck would have it, tonight was the nastiest to fill your car with temp around +10F and 30mph wind. The gas station is wide open with nowhere to take cover. Why is it that darn near killed me, yet I can go out and bike, run or ski in identical conditions and not even notice after I warm up? This is balmy compared to summit of Mt Washington, where it is -20F with 100mph winds right now. A recent windchill was -87F.