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

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Eight is Great!



Yesterday, after spending the morning indoor rock climbing with Kim and Kate (and some of our husbands) (and about which I will post more in my Weekly Workout Wround Up post), Kim and I went for a run in a nearby park. The plan? To run 8 miles on the paths and trails that wind through the park and surrounding wooded areas. Sure there was still snow on the ground but certainly enough of it would have melted in the past few days for us to find the paths!

Oh, how optimistic we were!

We killed a mile just running from parking lot to parking lot looking for the start of a path. We flagged down a park ranger. "Do they perhaps plow the paths"? we asked. No dice. They leave them as-is for cross-country skiers. While debating about what to do, we stumbled upon a glimpse of the path over a snowbank at the edge of a parking lot. We climbed over the snow bank and took off running.

Well, as much as one can "take off" when running on snow anyway.

For a good portion of our "trail run" I have to wonder if we were really on any kind of path or if we were just making our way however we wanted. In some places the snow was just an annoyance, in others it was a major hindrance. At least, as Kim said, if we fall in the snow it will hurt less than falling on ice on a sidewalk. And then she promptly fell over.

At one point we could see a grassy path ahead of us and we aimed for that. What we didn't realize is that between us and the path was knee deep snow! Yet, we forged ahead.

We dodged (or attempted to dodge) goose crap, slippery ruts, and giant puddles. Our shoes took a lot of abuse, though.



I admit, I didn't know if I could make it all 8 miles in those kinds of conditions. If it wasn't for Kim I would have given up around mile 3. But Kim kept us talking and running. After a few more laps around the snowy paths we jumped back onto the streets and parking lots and before I knew it we were done! At one point I looked at my Garmin and it read 7.45 miles. "Oh good," I said, "we're almost done!" I admit, I was done navigating the snow but I *was* having a great time talking to Kim. I don't think I've ever had an 8 mile run go by so fast!


We are hardcore!



*******************************
Stats (check out the map of our "route"!)


Activity
Route:--Elev. Avg:903 ft
Location:Crystal Lake, ILElev. Gain:+0 ft
Date:02/20/10Up/Downhill: [+121/-121]
Time:03:07 PMDifficulty:2.7 / 5.0
 
Weather:Overcast with Haze
 39 F temp; 82% humidity
 39 F heat index; winds Calm
Performance

Distance: 8.02 miles
Time:1:22:33
Speed:5.8 mph
Pace:10' 18 /mi
Calories:947
Map
 
Elevation (ft)
 
Pace (min/mile)
 
Splits
MilePace (min/mile)Speed (mph)Elevation
Gain
actual+/- avgactual+/- avg
110' 18+0' 005.8-0.00 ft
210' 22+0' 045.8-0.0-3 ft
311' 01+0' 435.4-0.4+3 ft
411' 28+1' 105.2-0.6+3 ft
510' 05-0' 136.0+0.1-3 ft
610' 13-0' 055.9+0.00 ft
79' 44-0' 346.2+0.3+4 ft
end9' 31-0' 476.3+0.5-3 ft
Versus average of 10' 18 min/mile

Posted from bimactive.com

5 comments:

TerryProf said...

Erin, I didn't notice them, but do you wear yaktraks when you run in those conditions? If not, be very careful, Gal. I went out between our big snows here in Maryland, and promptly sprained my calf muscle as I navigated the slippery roads. I didn't even feel when I did it, just a bit later the muscle felt bad then worse, and it took a 2 week break to get back. SO be careful out there...

Libby said...

Wow...you are hardcore! haha Way to get out there and make your own trails

Lacey said...

ooooh you ladies are brave on all that ice. AND SHORT CAPRI pants?!? i am shuddering at exposed skin... so scandalous, lol lol jk-- but it looks cold!!!! we were so lucky this weekend to have some really nice mild weather! stuff is starting to melt... spring??

Bayjb said...

Wow you are dedicated to run through the snow and ice, I would be terrified. And indoor rock climbing sounds like SO MUCH fun, seriously intense.

kilax said...

Ha ha. That picture of you is still making me laugh. I see it and just remember how you jumped into that pose.

I wonder if Kate will read this and think it is funny that we could not find the path!

The eight miles went by SUPER fast for me. Imagine how awesome it would be if we train together this summer and our longer runs (12, 14, 20...) go by JUST AS FAST?!?! One can dream, right? ;)

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