A story of going from being a non-runner to planning for a marathon in three years...

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Baby It's Cold Outside

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The cold really wipes you out, doesn't it? And I feel like this year we skipped from shorts weather to freezing with very little time in between.

Yesterday morning I felt as though I'd been hit by a truck. If I drank caffeine it definitely would have been a double dose day. As it was, I dragged myself to work and managed to keep my eyes open. I debated running at lunch. With the windchill it was 6 degrees F outside. Running outside would either wake me up or put me into an afternoon coma. In the end, I decided to go for it.

We did the "short" three miler which still ended up being almost 3.5 miles. However, we went north on the lakefront path which we hadn't done in awhile. Turns out they're doing some construction on the bridge over the Chicago River. Part of the concrete sidewalk is missing so they diverted foot traffic onto the bridge itself. Running on the metal grates covered with plywood certainly is springy!

I let the guys go ahead and hung in the back with the other woman. The cold makes me sluggish and I wasn't in the mood to be speedy. Same reason I skipped the OPRC run on Monday night (and walked/jogged on the treadmill instead). I can't run that hard all the time in this cold. My joints don't like it.

I bundled up in three layers on top and two layers on bottom and was pretty toasty by mile 2. I think the worst part of running in the cold is the first few minutes. You know you'll warm up but it's just so hard to go out there with fewer clothes on.

Also, has anyone else noticed that exhaust fumes are more pronounced when it's cold outside? During our run yesterday we decided that the benefits of running are probably off-set by all the exhaust we breathe in.

Much to my surprise, the cold weather actually perked me up instead of turning me into a hibernating bear. And when my boss let us off work early, I headed to the gym for some strength training. My abs actually feel a little sore today. Excellent!

It might be quiet around here for the next few days as I prepare for holiday celebrations. But, first, a few fun announcements! Caitlin over at Healthy Tipping Point was doing an Amy's Kitchen soup pack give-away earlier this week...and I won! My plan? To take them to work for lunches so that I can warm up after my freezing lunch time runs.

Caitlin is also doing another Pile On The Miles Challenge until January 1st. There's still no chance of me winning, but it's still fun to watch the mileage add up.


Not in the mood to pile on the miles? How about one mile? Running Laur is hosting a Winter Misery One Miler "race" which seriously has the cutest logo:



I'm trying to decide if I want to count my mile as part of a longer run or if I want to run one mile as fast as I can. I've never done just the latter.

Finally, I have an idea for a giveaway brewing in my head. It's not really running related and it's definitely not unisex (sorry, guys!) but I figure a little branching out never hurt anyone. Stay tuned!

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Stats


Activity
Route:--Elev. Avg:588 ft
Location:Chicago, ILElev. Gain:+3 ft
Date:12/15/09Up/Downhill: [+147/-144]
Time:12:19 PMDifficulty:2.6 / 5.0
 
Weather:A Few Clouds
 20 F temp; 42% humidity
 20 F heat index; winds NW 17 G 24
Performance

Distance: 3.44 miles
Time:0:31:32
Speed:6.5 mph
Pace:9' 10 /mi
Calories:409
Map
 
Elevation (ft)
 
Pace (min/mile)
 
Splits
MilePace (min/mile)Speed (mph)Elevation
Gain
actual+/- avgactual+/- avg
19' 03-0' 076.6+0.1-23 ft
210' 02+0' 526.0-0.6+10 ft
38' 44-0' 266.9+0.3+4 ft
end9' 22+0' 126.4-0.1+10 ft
Versus average of 9' 10 min/mile

Posted from bimactive.com

9 comments:

No Longer Using said...

i vote to run one mile as fast as you can!!!! :)

winter misery, lol. so true tho!!!!

lifestudent said...

Its so hard getting out there - and yeah, the layering is an issue. I freeze for a mile or two, then I'm super hot. And when I stop, Im freezing! So confusing!!!

kilax said...

Ugh. The fumes downtown ARE so bad! I bet there have been studies on it. It's awesome you got out there in the cold! I went out in it last night and it was fun (even though my butt froze) :)

How cool that you won Caitlin's giveaway! Doesn't she get like 5 gazillion comments? I can't wait to see what yours is...

Bayjb said...

Yeah I give you a lot of credit for continuing to go out there in this cold. I would so not go. I'm such a wuss

Oz Runner said...

i don't mind running in the cold, but i decided last year that it has to at least be double digits...props on getting out there on a cold day...

No Longer Using said...

you are totally right about honey and on the edge of veganism!!! i don't count it as non-vegan. i'm not a "die hard" i guess. i am def still eating honey :) i'm going no eggs, dairy, or animal protein. i might still wear leather (tho i don't own any) and other "if" things i'm not aware of i'm not obsessing over :)

Anonymous said...

Hey! I saw your comment on Lacey's blog about wanting a way to store recipes- I use YummySoup and it's pretty amazing. It costs a few dollars, but it's hands-down the best recipe management system I've used :)

I'm adding you to my Reader now, you seem fun!

RunningLaur said...

props for going out in that cold! I'm shivering just thinking about it!

Tricia said...

Great job getting out in the cold!

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