First running casuality

Yesterday when I ran, I put my keys in my windbreaker, without thinking. A few minutes into the run, I checked to be sure they were still there, as I tend to do several times throughout my run. (What do I think, I would drop my 10 keys without hearing them hit the ground?!) Sure enough, they were there. But then it hit me: they were in the zippered pocket that I had trouble unzipping last week.

I tried not to panic and worked at it a bit while running, then gave up to focus on my run. At the end of my shortened journey, which was punctuated by a rare headache and burning ears thanks to the dropping temps, I went into the church to try to get that blasted zipper open. After a few minutes, I gave up, and asked one of the church ladies to cut my pocket open.

And here I thought I would drop a glove, rip my pants, or break my phone long before I witnessed the death of a zipper.

Not feeling motivated

I had a decent run on Wednesday of this week. I forgot my mp3 player, but that did not seem to affect me too much, other than I felt kind of bored as I ran. I run up and down the same street, which makes me wonder if I should change the blog to "Running up and down the same street." Less catchy title, for sure, but more accurate. Regardless, I am not so bored that I am ready to pick another route; that beginning hill gets me every time, so shouldn't I master that before moving on? And I hate to pick a more flat route, thus taking out some of the challenge.

I should run today, now that I am back on my two-a-week run cycle, or so I thought. I just cannot motivate myself to put on the layers and running gear. And the gray skies are not helping. Unfortunately, I also need to stop at a funeral home after my run/when I pick up my kid, and I feel a little funny walking in with running pants and matted hair. Maybe I will just walk a little today, as I did yesterday. Speaking of boring...

Two this week

I just wanted to get a short post in so I could acknowledge that for the first time in over a month, I managed to get two runs in, in one week. Yesterday's run was close to 2.5 miles, so it was also the farthest I had run in quite some time.

The best thing about yesterday's run was the temps were actually in the 40s, a nice change for January. Running up the hill at the beginning was a little bit less challenging than it was on Wednesday, but still not easy.

The other positive was that my side does not hurt. Unfortunately, when I was done running on Wednesday, and pretty much for the next 24 hours, my left side was aching as it has done off and one since I started running again. I really need to look into this!

Gasping for breath

My most recent runs, prior to today, went well, as noted here. Thirty-eight had nothing on me! Unfortunately, today I found myself struggling as I trekked up the hill. I was not sure I would make the two miles, let alone one. But I refused to quit, so I panted pretty much non-stop. Thankfully, when I was down to my last 1/4 of a mile, "I Gotta Feeling" came on the radio on my mp3 player. Finally! I managed to get some speed going, made easier by the slight downward slope, though I was breathing pretty heavily. I must admit, though, I was glad when the song was over. I could not have kept up that pace, which I am guessing was about 5 to 6 mph. (I am doing my best to remember speed from when I used to run on the treadmill at the gym, quite a few years ago.)

After I did just over two miles, and walked for a minute or two, I decided to sprint for about 10 yards a few times. Well, run fast is a little more accurate. I was disappointed in the first half of my run, so I wanted to go out on a high note, or at least in a way that says I am not over the hall and out of shape.

I am glad the temps were right around 30; as I mentioned before, I loathe to run in temps under the upper 20s. Tomorrow and the next day, temps should be around 40, so I hope to be able to get a second run in this week. We'll see.

Running in a winter wonderland

Today I did what I was not sure I would or could do--I ran in the snow. The temps were better than previous days (around 27 or 28 degrees), and the roads seemed fairly clear, so I decided to brave the lightly falling snow and just go for it.

Overall, it went well. There were a couple of slick spots on the road, but thankfully nothing did me in. I had, for once, the right amount of clothes on--a long-sleeved t-shirt, a thin sweatshirt, a running jacket and a windbreaker, plus some gloves. Once I tied my scarf around my head (which was quite a sight, I am sure), I felt fine.

I did not run my usual just over 2-mile jaunt. I am guessing I instead ran just over 1.5 miles. But that seemed enough considering I last ran almost three weeks ago. Fortunately, no aches or pains, so I call it a success. I cannot say, however, when I will try a snowy run again. I am just not the most coordinated person, so I can see me taking a tumble at some point. But I will at least continue to walk in the snow a few days a week, as I did for 20 minutes this morning as well as yesterday.

Barefoot running?

I read an article in Parade magazine this past weekend about running barefoot. The idea is you come down on your forefeet with your toes spread, bending your ankles and knees to absorb the shock. Apparently shoes lessen the elasticity of your tendons and may cause a hard landing on your bony heels. According to a study, barefoot runners experiences significantly less impact than runners in shoes. Hmm.

Obviously running barefoot outside is impractical this time of year. And I can't help thinking about running over some glass or other sharp objects if you run on the street or sidewalk. But I would be tempted to try this on a track, particularly a cushioned one. After all, during a brief "hippie" stage in college, I did walk around campus barefoot for a couple of weeks, with no ill effects I can recall..

In the meantime, I have to hope the weather here improves. Running in 20-degree weather, sans sun and on snow-covered roads, is not something I really want to do. But considering I last ran on December 16, I need to get back into the game. Walking 10 minutes here and there is not cutting it.