A breath of fresh air

Will and I made to the indoor track.  I tried to use counters.  My counters were actually seven pieces of cereal.  Will hadn't eat breakfast, so I brought a long a good bit of food.  I hadn't realized the cereal would come in so handy.

My counters helped some.  I still lost count a couple times, but overall using the counters and my watch were more helpful than just the watch.  Here are my mile plus splits (a mile is 6 3/4 laps, I just make it an even seven):

9:01--just tried to get my legs moving. I tried to keep my lap splits to 1:20

8:50--after this mile, I felt like I could push it more.

8:35--got confused on which lap I was on six or seven.  I figured it out, but the confusion me slowed down a little on the last lap.

My 3 plus tempo run was 26:26.  Like the last tempo run, I felt like there was a lot going on--steering the stroller (it's veering to the right), the counters, and of course making sure Will is doing okay.  So, I feel like I felt I left a bit out there.  I am glad I put some faster miles in.

Because I was disappointed in yesterday's jogging stroller tempo run, I decide to try to get in another tempo run this week.  I wanted the run to be a go all out/run as fast as I can tempo run.  I didn't know when that run would happen.  But when Lars offered to watch Will yesterday morning and the temperature was 30 degrees, I knew it was the perfect time to get it in.

Here are my half mile splits.

3:57--I was going to do quarter splits, but I missed the first marker.  Later I found it buried underneath some snow and ice.

3:43--This half might be a second or two off because I had to move off the trail and wait from a maintenance truck to drive by.  I don't think I pressed my stopwatch quick enough when I started again.

3:46--A touch of head wind, but nothing serious.

3:35--I tried to give this last half mile all I could.  It felt terrible, but I was flying.  I wondered to myself if this is what people feel like when Sasha runs them to the finish line.  I felt like I pushed myself very hard, but from what everyone has said, it seems like Sasha gets you to run four notches harder than what you think is your hardest.

So, a 7:40 and a 7:21 for 15:01 on 2 miles!  That's a new record for me, if the trail is marked accurately.  It's probably not.  But, that's okay.  It was a great tempo run.  I felt like I gave it everything I had.

The storm started yesterday as freezing rain around noon.  I took this picture from our apartment about eleven this morning.  The snowflakes finally stopped this afternoon around 3:30.  The lumps behind the bike rack are the cars in the parking lot.  The snow covered tarps are our bikes.  Poor bikes.

I went running at two.  There weren't many cars out.  Except for about a quarter of a mile, I was able to run in the road.  But that quarter of a mile was brutal.  I was doing high-knees the whole time through a foot of snow.  What a work out!  Definitely, a fun adventure.

The strom's over, so more people were cautiously out and about.  My hunt for plowed sidewalks led me to a new running route.  The loop snakes through the east side of campus and part of a neighborhood.  I didn't run through the neighborhood section today because I was tried of doing high knees workouts.  Four tenths of a mile was plenty for me.  And I didn't wear leggings under my pants, so my legs were bathed in snow again and again.  I am grateful for plowed sidewalks.

I took the ipod on my run.  The music was a nice change.  I listen to "Chocolate" by Snow Patrol three times.  My favorite lines were "This could be the very minute, I'm aware I'm alive, All these places feel like home" and "On my knees I think clearer."  I also enjoyed "Mysterious Ways" and "Where the Streets have no Name" by U2.

The weather was great--21 degrees and NO wind!  This meant 21 degrees really felt like 21 degrees.  More sidewalks were plowed, so I decided to take a "sidewalky" route.  I still ended up with seven tenths of a mile in unplowed snow.  However, five tenths were by choice.  There were plowed walks on the other side of the road.  I didn't want to wait for the traffic light.

This run was tough.  I was pretty tired during and after the three mile tempo run.  My body didn't feel as fresh as it did for the tempo run on Tuesday.  Here are the mile splits.

7:50--tired

7:44--tired and breathing very hard

7:55--tired, breathing very hard, and didn't enjoy the head wind.

23:29.  I was so happy when it was over, but I still over five miles to go.  The wind started to pick-up.  The forecast said to expect gusts up to 40 mph.  Wind is not my favorite.  During the seventh mile, I was wishing for another beanie.  But, I survived and came out conqueror.