Snow Run

Yesterday it snowed for much of the day and the snow stuck around overnight. The first half of my run to work is on bike paths, which do not get plowed or cleared (not that I am complaining) so I was crunching over new snow patches, following bike treads and the tracks of other runners, and trudging uphill using short, choppy steps because the snow made running more like trail running on sand. It definitely got my heart rate up and gave me a good workout.

One of my favorite things about running in the snow is that things just look prettier after a snow fall. I took these two photos on the run in to work (excuse the blurriness and low quality – running and taking pictures with my phone is not one of my strengths):

Here’s a pink sunrise seen through the clouds.

I took this photo while I was running over the Roosevelt Bridge into DC. This shot doesn’t do the view of the iced-over Potomac with Georgetown and the bridges in the background justice.

While running, really it felt more like slogging by the end, on the snowy bike path was a fun challenge, it made running on the sidewalks in DC feel even better. Once I hit the flat, snow-free sidewalks I instantly sped up and running felt nearly effortless.

Daily Dozen:
6.5 miles run to work

Playing catch up

So the leg injury coupled with the major snow / winter weather (and throw in a bit of laziness on my part) has severely hampered my running lately. I ran a few times last week; nothing over 5 miles and then I took off completely on a quick vacation up to Vermont. (However, I did get in some awesome skiing while up there. Yay! for trying new activities).

This week, however, I am back and ready to go. My leg is feeling better; it’s not quite 100% but it doesn’t seem to be suffering when I do run on it. I went out for a good 5 mile run on Monday and yesterday morning I did had an amazing 10 miler in the early morning hours.

One of the pluses to the piles of snow and lack of access to the bike path, that hasn’t been plowed because there are obviously higher priorities, not to mention the downed trees every quarter mile or so, anyway, one of the pluses is that it has forced me to seek new running routes. One thing I’ve discovered is how much fun it is to run through the side streets in the surrounding neighborhoods. As I mentioned, the bike path is a no-go and likely will be for some time, the main roads and sidewalks are still a mess and I feel very unsafe running in the road along such heavily trafficked routes so it was either the side streets or nothing.

With the snow piled high along the roads and most people still not quite dug out, there are much fewer cars on the road, which means I get to be queen of the roads for a while. Running through the silent, snow covered neighborhoods at 5 in the morning is just so peaceful and new. I’ve discovered some beautiful houses and views of DC I didn’t know existed so close to home. I’ve found some great hills and curvy, windy roads that don’t seem to fit so close to the city.

On Monday, I went out for a run a bit before 8 in the morning and it was nice to see people out shoveling the snow off their cars and sidewalks. People were friendly; saying hello or have a good day. On the bike path, I’m luck to get a nod from most runners/walkers/cyclists.

Tuesday, as I mentioned, was a predawn run and it was a beautiful – cold, crisp, clear – morning to be out for a long run. Ten miles is the longest I’ve run for nearly a month and while I was getting tired toward the end, it was reassuring to be able to run that distance. I know I haven’t completely ruined my training for the Country Music Marathon in April. I’ll have to work hard (and smart) in order to build up to the marathon distance without re-injuring myself but completely Tuesday’s run gave the confidence to try.

Daily Dozen:
Strength training and stretching in the morning
3.3 miles @ lunch hour on treadmill

On My Way Back

Ok – Yesterday’s post was just all-kinds of negative energy. Sorry about that! That isn’t normally who I am. Still, I was a bit apprehensive about this morning’s run. The last thing I wanted or needed was a repeat of the day before.

However, from the first step the anxiety melted away. My leg was somewhat tight was definitely better than it has been (yay!), the freshly fallen snow was fun and challenging rather than a tedious, and even though I was going at a much slower pace than normal (12 minute miles compared to 10:30 miles) I felt like I was in the groove.

It feels good to be on my way back.

Daily Dozen:
5.1 miles @ morning run, freshly fallen snow
XT and strength training @ lunch hour

Two Runs - Two Different Outcomes

I had high hopes for this morning’s run: I’m finally back from a self-imposed (injury-imposed) weeklong break from running, yesterday’s running wasn’t terrible and I do enjoy running on snow. The run didn’t go that well but maybe I was expecting too much: I’m just coming back from an injury and haven’t run for a week, yesterday’s run wasn’t very reassuring and running on snow is hard and slow.

Yesterday was my first day back to running. I headed out in the pre-dawn darkness, packed snow and ice crunching underfoot and a lingering tightness in my left quad. I wanted to do a slow 5 miles to test out my leg but maybe that was too much? Despite some dull pain in my leg I kept running and by the end of the run, I was feeling good.

Also, cruising along on the snow was fun: everything seemed so quiet and calm with a thin snow layer. The moon was out and its light reflecting off the snow made the morning brighter than usual. Rather than the normal sound of my footfall, I crunched loudly, packing down snow and breaking up ice that had formed overnight. I felt like I was juggling the snow with my feet as I avoided the icy spots and jumped from packed snow spot to packed snow spot. It really was a tremendous amount of fun.

However, today was a different story. Juggling the snow was physically and mentally exhausting. My leg was stiff and actually hurt today. I was slipping and sliding and just didn’t want to be out there (as much as I really wished that I wanted to be there). Now, my leg is sore today and I’m not sure what to do: see how it goes tomorrow or start getting used to the fact that I need some more time off.

One bad run isn’t the be all, end all of my running but it sure isn’t helping right now.

Daily Dozen:
4 miles – slow but not really easy!

Snow Run

Yesterday, I was asked, “what motivates you to get up and run so early in the morning day after day.” At the time, I really didn’t have a good answer. “I don’t know, I just enjoy it,” was the only thing I could think to say as I shrugged my shoulders and smiled.

On most days, that really is the truth. I’m not really sure why I get up at 4 in the morning, roll out of a cozy, comfortable bed and head out for a run on dark, cold winter mornings and humid, sticky summer mornings alike. I just do it – me and Nike think alike it seems.

However, this morning as I crunched the fresh snow underfoot I found another reason why I get up early to run before work, while most people are still asleep. Being the first one to make tracks in the snow is one of life’s small gifts. It means nothing, the person following in my footsteps won’t even know who made those footprints, and yet it will make me giddy every time. Like seeing a rainbow or rain on a sunny day, it just makes me smile.

This is why I got up early this morning – to be the first person to make tracks in the fresh snow.

Less than a half mile later, I found another reason why I get up early to run; because I’m not the only one out there. I don’t mean this from a competitive stand point but rather from a place of camaraderie and community. I like being part of group that gets up each and every day to go out and run regardless of the weather and conditions.

Running in snow like this – fresh, soft, crunchy…perfect – is a rare treat for a DC area runner and I took full advantage of it on my run in to work this morning. I’ve run as it was snowing and I’ve run after it snowed but to run on such pure snow is a treat. The air was cold but clear. There was little of the wind that has plagued my running lately. I took my time, fully enjoying the experience and even stopping to snap some pictures. I love being a runner in DC and I think the city looks amazing after a snow fall.

The Washington Monument

On the National Mall

On the National Mall

Perfect.

Daily Dozen:
10 mile run-commute to work

Confession

I have a confession to make: Today is Wednesday and I haven’t run since last Friday. That’s five days of no running! This the longest stretch of voluntary non-running for me since I started running over three years ago (not including the month of non-running due to injury last year). I have been a victim of the great Blizzard of 2009 and quite frankly, I can’t say I mind too much.

Rather than stress out about it, I have decided that as a Christmas present to myself I am taking this week off and I am not going to stress out about it. The roads, sidewalks and bike paths around me are still horrendous. I have seen a few runners out and about but it looks like they are having a hard enough still trudging through the snow and slush, not to mention the extra effort needed to remain upright because of the (sometimes hidden) patches of ice all over the area.
I will admit that I have easy access to the treadmills in the gym at work and they have been calling my name (I am thinking about succumbing this afternoon) but I have been enjoying this whole non-running thing. Consider it a re-boot for the coming marathon training that starts in January.

Don’t worry though, I haven’t been idle! Saturday and Sunday were spent on lots and lots of snow shoveling. Monday I took a long walk in the snow since I have the day off from work due to the snow. I’ve also been baking cookies and….well, and eating them!

Next week, it’s game on. For now…Merry Christmas and enjoy the holiday!

Daily Dozen:
Not a thing…for now!

Be Prepared

One of the things I’ve noticed about non-runners and runners who run almost exclusively on the treadmill in comparison to runners who run almost exclusively outside is the perception of what constitutes bad weather.

Fifty degrees and slightly overcast is perfect running weather. Rain usually isn’t an issue. Even cold and snow can be a good thing. However, to non-runners or runners who view the temperature controlled environment of a treadmill, these conditions are believed to be ideal.

This contradiction hit me as I was cooling down and walking home after my run this morning. I ran 3.5 miles in a light, wet snow that was hardly sticking to the ground but when it did it was mostly slush. Whenever I run in snow like this I imagine that this is what it must be like to run inside a snow globe because the wet snow resembles glitter as it falls past street lights along the bike path. The idea always makes me smile.

However, it struck me that most people wouldn’t see my run this morning as a “good” one. Most people would hear early morning run in wet snow and assume it took some massive feat of willpower that brought out to the streets this morning. Non-runners and treadmill runners may think the act of running in this morning’s conditions is impressive, or insane, or some combination of the two.

I started thinking that with the right gear I can run in just about any weather and enjoy it. To steal from the Boy Scouts, “be prepared” is my motto for enjoying running all year round.

In fact, braving the elements in running and discovering that not only can I “brave” them but can have a good run in spite, and even sometimes because, of them has given me the necessary mindset to seek out other activities in less than ideal situations. Hiking during the winter just required some additional layers. Skiing? Running tights and waterproof pants worked great this time, whereas I remember being very good last time. Inauguration in temperatures in the twenties? No problem!

Last year, I might have shied away from these things during the winter because I was afraid of the cold but I have nothing to fear from the cold. Or even the heat for that matter. As long as I have the right tools and equipment, temperature and weather do not make a run good or bad.

Today’s Daily Dozen:
3.5 miles run
Core workout @ lunch hour

My Day on the Bunny Slopes

This past weekend we headed up to Liberty Mountain in Pennsylvania for a weekend of skiing and other fun things to do in the snow.

Saturday morning we were up early, enjoying the free breakfast at our hotel (me up even earlier for a scheduled run) and discussing the day ahead of us. Our plan was to get to the ski resort early, get our gear and join a beginner's ski lesson so that we would have the afternoon to enjoy the slopes.

We worked our way through the process of buying tickets, getting our ski boots, trying to figure out how to put them on, getting our skis, clumsily carrying them outside, finding the right ski poles and then finally getting out on the snow and coming to the realization that we have absolutely no idea what we are doing.

Prior to this weekend, I had been skiing one time, while I was in college with some friends who had been skiing most of their lives. That day, I skipped the lesson and let my friends "teach me" a few things before they grew incredibly bored and headed off for the hard slopes. The only thing that stuck with me from that day was that I fell down a lot and that falling was the only method I could work out for stopping.

Obviously, this was not the most positive experience I could have had with skiing.

Fresh off the fun we had learning to cross-country ski with my parents, I put the one experience I had with skiing out of my head and went in to this with the mindset of a totally newbie, which let's be honest, I am.

Anyway, we met up with a ski instructor, George, who took us through an hour and a half lesson, where we started out skiing without our skis and by the end we were slowly making our way down the bunny slope in lazy S-shaped turns. We "French-fry-ed" and "Pizza-ed" our way down a mountain and I am happy to report that by the end of the lesson I felt reasonably confident.

With a short break for lunch, we spent the rest of the afternoon going up and down the easy slope and Mike and I even worked our way over to the next slope with a mix of easy and intermediate.

It was a very fun day and I really enjoyed learning a new sport. Despite the cold fingers and toes, the long waits for the lift, and the next few days of soreness (what a workout for your thighs and hips!), I had a great time and erased all my previous misconceptions about downhill skiing.

I am really interested in making it back to the mountain one more time before the season ends and definitely going back next year.

(Mini) Vacation Running

This weekend we took a weekend mini-vacation to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to go skiing. Before leaving, I mapped out a run that would take me through downtown Gettysburg and several of the surrounding battlefields. I was looking forward to the novel sights and sounds of running a different route.

However, winter once again got in the way of my plans.

Pulling in to the parking lot of the hotel, I started to have apprehensions about the likelihood of my run taking place as planned because the hotel was on a busy highway with no sidewalk and very little shoulder due to the piles of snow that had accumulated because of plowing. After settling in, we walked across the street to get a snack and the ground was a solid sheet of ice in most places. I resigned myself to a no-go run, decided to sleep in and started making plans to run after we got home on Sunday.

The next morning, to my surprise I woke up with plenty of time to get in a run (without the alarm) and after laying in bed for a few minutes I realized I had no excuse not to get up and check out the hotel’s gym.

By 6:30 I was on the hotel’s only treadmill, trying to figure out how it worked. There was no manual button, only buttons for pre-programmed workouts most of them with significant inclines and speeds up to a fast walk, and none of them longer than 30 minutes. After a few frustrating minutes, I just started one of the programs, upped the speed and decreased the incline EVERY TWO MINUTES as it would try to force me through the programmed settings.

Rather than give in to the frustration, I told myself that I could make the most of it since it might actually make the indoor miles go by much quicker. Any in fact, the first 30 minutes and 3 miles did seem to go by pretty quickly. I jumped off the treadmill, did a quick set of pushups and then jumped right back on.

I set the program again and started running but I was determined to find a manual setting. The more I thought about it, the less sense it made. What kind of treadmill wouldn’t have a manual setting? This is insane. I graduated from college. I cannot let a treadmill defeat me.

And then I found, buried three deep under some category that didn’t make any sense. Satisfied that I hadn’t been beaten by a piece of machinery, I settled in for the next hour or 6 miles of running; eager to just while away the time and get the run over with.

I listened to some podcasts – Smodcast and two episodes of This American Life and just bopped along.

About halfway through that second hour, another hotel guest decided to gym me in the gym. He turned on the TV, warmed up and hit the universal gym weight machine.

And then a second guy came in to the gym. I had seen this gym peek in to the gym about a half hour early and this time he decided to stay. He climbed on the recumbent bike next to me, peddled very slow and kept throwing glances in my direction.

Ten minutes later, two more people show up. This gym consists of one treadmill, one bike, one elliptical and a universal gym weight machine so it is officially over-crowded at this point. The bike guy’s glances are getting more and more impatient.

I stop the treadmill a little less than a half mile short of the 9 planned miles and gave up on the run. I was a little bummed that I couldn’t finish out the run in relative piece and quiet but I have to respect that I had hogged the machine for most of the morning.

Oh well. At least I was able to run while on vacation and I felt great being able to start my day better than I had thought I would be able to start it. I was ready to face a day on the bunny slopes!

Snow Run - Not to be

Unfortunately, this week’s snow didn’t fall during the “right” time for me to get in a good snow run. I ran 3.5 miles Tuesday morning, just as the snow was starting to fall and really it was more like tiny hale than snow. The crunch under my feet was more like running on gravel than the soft, muted crunch of fluffy snow.

The next morning I woke up, got bundled up for a snowy winter run, took three steps outside, slipped and slid and made a quick decision to head right back up to the apartment, change in to shorts and hit the treadmill. I did 4 miles with a one mile warm-up, 2 miles at tempo pace (9:30 for the first mile and 8:54 for the second) and a one mile cool-down. It had been a while since I hit the gym for a run in the mornings.

This morning, Thursday morning, I took a chance and headed outdoors for my final run of the work week, aiming for 3 miles. I saw the state of some of the sidewalk on the lesser used side streets and decided to run an out-and-back along the Wilson Boulevard. For the most part, I could stick to the sidewalks and keep a close eye on the icy patches to avoid any slipping; however, there were a few stretches that forced me on to the street. It actually turned out to be a good way to ensure that this morning’s run was nice and easy even if I did stretch it to 3.38 miles.

Interestingly, I saw more people running along Wilson Boulevard this morning than I do most mornings. This isn’t my normal route so I wonder if the street is usually run this much or if more people really were out this morning. Were other runners forced inside to use the treadmill yesterday and therefore, taking their revenge this morning? Regardless of these questions, it is nice to see so many people starting their day in such a positive, active way.

The forecast for the coming weekend and beyond is sunny with some rain coming mid-week next week. It doesn’t look like we’re going to be revisited by the snow anytime soon, which is disappointing as I was looking forward to a snowy run. Maybe it’ll happen in February?

Today's Daily Dozen:
Run - 3.38 miles
Core Workout @ lunch hour

Hike: Catoctin Mountain Trails

In the past, I've always wimped out and hung up my hiking shoes when winter arrived and let the trails hibernate until spring (and warmer/nicer weather). I've been missing out for some years now! A trail is a whole new experience when it is blanketed in snow!

Yesterday, we decided to head up to Thurmont, MD to check out the trails on Catoctin Mountain. Mike went to school nearby at Mount St. Mary's University and he wanted to go back to the area to check out the hiking. We had decided to hike the 8.5 loop that hits all of the highlights within in the national park.

As we got closer and closer to Thurmont we noticed there was snow on the ground and cars. We were supposed to get some snow flurries on Friday and I believe it did flurry for a little while in the afternoon but down in DC it didn't amount to anything. Evidently, this was not the case further north!

We parked at the Catoctin Mountain Visitors Center and grabbed a map from inside. The Visitors Center was a surprisingly nice building, with some exhibits, restrooms, maps and a wonderful fireplace complete with roaring fire. After talking to the park ranger, we decided to hike the loop counter-clockwise and hit the more strenuous uphills first. I started the GPS and we headed off for the trails just after noon.

The first section of the loop is on Cunningham Falls Nature Trail (1.2 miles). We were quickly emersed in the forest, crunching snow and dead leaves under our feet, following the footprints of earlier hikers. Without blazes or other trail postings, these footprints were the our only guide along the trail. One of the things that struck me as we first started our hike was how different the mountain trails were compared to the trails along the Potomac River we hiked last weekend. The Billy Goat Trails were marked by the bright yellows and greens of leaves still clinging to the trees, and autumn. As we hiked Catoctin Mountain very few leaves were still hanging on to the branches and the few that were, were brown and appeared frail and brittle, as if they were using all their strength to avoid falling to the bright white snow below. The differences were visually striking.

The Cunningham Falls Nature Trail took us over MD 77 into Cunningham Falls Park (.4 miles) and lead us to Maryland's largest cascading waterfall. Honestly, the falls seemed a little underwhelming - really, that is the state's largest cascading waterfall, OK. Perhaps it is more impressive at another time aIt was a nice little waterfall and was obviously the main attraction in this area. We saw several hiking groups and families headed to the waterfall.

Afterwards, we backtracked to the state park and headed up Hog Rock Nature Trail toward Hog Rock Vista (1 mile). This section of the trail was much steeper than the previous trail but it fun. I love hiking hills and this section of the trail proved to be a surprising challenge. It was a deceptively long ascent and got mylegs, lungs and heart pumping. The crunch of the snow as we huffed and puffed our way to the level trail at the top was a wonderfully physical experience. And the views at the top, were worth the effort.

After stopping for a few minutes to survey rtThurmont off in the distance (and to catch our breath), we continued on Hog Rock Nature Trail toward Blue Ridge Summit Nature Trail crossing the Hog Rock Parking area (.7 miles). This section of the trail was more rolling than the previous two trails with short ups and downs. We quickly made it to Blue Ridge Summit Vista and has similar views on the other side of the mountain; however, we didn't linger at this spot.

Being unprepared for the amount of snow on the trails, our shoes were starting to get a little wet and we made the decision to cut our hike short and head back toward the Visitors Center, just over a mile and a half away. The trail was flatter for approximately a half mile and Mike took off on a run. Naturely, I had to give chase. This was my first time, however brief it happened to be, running on snow-covered trails and it was marvelous. The thrilling crunch of the snow underfoot combined with the heightened awareness of the terrain (rocks and leaves and roots), as I leapt over rocks and avoided slippery patches was a good deal of fun. I couldn't help but smile as I ran down the trail. It didn't last long but it was a highlight of the hike for me.

As we got closer to the end of the trail, the downhill section began and it was more or less downhill for the rest of the hike. Although my shoes were wet and my toes were just starting to feel the cold, I was a little sad to see the hike come to an end. We ended up hiking just under 6 miles (5 of actual trail and about another mile of backtracking and meandering) in roughly 2.5 hours. I can't wait to go back to the mountain and see what the other trails have in store for us.

We finished off our Saturday adventure with a quick swing through the Mount St. Mary's campus and then headed north toward Gettysburg for some lunch. I mentioned to Mike, "I love that you love to hike" and I do because these experiences are so much more rewarding when they are shared. I am looking forward to our next hike. Today? Maybe. Next weekend? Definitely!