Goofy Challenge training, part 8

Saturday, we had snow. Not a lot, but enough to cover the roads and sidewalks during my 18-mile run. It certainly wasn’t bad footing or anything like that, but I flashed back to last year, when it was snowing or below zero the last six weeks of training. This weekend should be better and I’m only running 12 miles, so there you go.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Goofy Challenge training, part 7

I live in an area of the Twin Cities which has a deceptively large number of hills. After all these years, I did not realize how many hills are in my surrounding neighborhood until last Saturday’s run. I ran 17 miles, no big deal for me after three years of marathon training, but it was a new route in an area I had thought was relatively flat. Imagine my surprise when I turn a corner about 6 miles in and I’m faced with one of the steepest hills I’ve ever run up and as I slow to a walk, I realize that I will have several more hills like this. This was the first run this year that I actually considered cutting short and finishing on the elliptical at home. I didn’t quit, though. I kept at it, kept running, and finally finished. I was done a little quicker than I thought I would be, but still I was slower than I’d have liked to have run.

I planned this week’s 18 miler to avoid too many hills. Most of the route I’ve run before, but I added several miles of new roads. I’ve eyed these roads for a couple of years and since we shouldn’t have any snow this weekend, I thought I’d give it a try. We’ll see how it goes!

Goofy Challenge training, part 6

Tis the season (no, not Christmas, although it is my favorite holiday, so in a way, I do mean Christmas) to have that morning gut-check and make the hard decision: run outside in the dark and cold or run downstairs on the elliptical? Except for the long run on Saturdays, which I’ll do in rain, snow, sleet, etc. much like the USPS, I’ve gone outside for my training run two or three times in the last several weeks. I have noticed that my long runs are better, seem easier, and seem to be not as stressful as last year, when I got outside as much as possible.