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1/29/12 to 2/4/12 Running Journal

Written by on February 4, 2012 · Leave a Comment

1/29/12 – 15.84 mile straight run.  I ran the roads today around Zeeland and stayed in town as the sidewalks were too heavily snowed on and I didn’t want to run on any super busy roads.  So, I basically just ran up and down the roads until I got my 15+ miles in.  It was a little boring staying just in Zeeland, but it got the job done!

1/30/12 – 15.28 mile straight run.  Sidewalks were clearer today, so I did my standard route for fifteen miles.  And it was almost 40 degrees!

1/31/12  -  AM:  7.62 miles   PM:  13.12  I was staring out the window at work today and couldn’t wait to get outside and run.  It was a rare 55 degree day!  So, I ended up running a bit farther than intended on my second run and thoroughly enjoying myself.

2/1/12 – 15.28 straight run.  Hamstring was pretty sore as well as hip tendons.  Need to run slower some days.

2/2/12 – AM:  7.62 miles  PM: 7.62 miles….  Really tried to slow up the pace today to allow the hamstring to recuperate.

2/3/12 – AM:  7.62 miles  PM: 7.62 miles …. Still taking it easy trying to recuperate the hamstring.

2/4/12 -  15.26 mile straight run.  Felt sore after this long run.  Although I didn’t really sleep much so maybe not enough recuperation time from the day before.

Total Weekly Miles:  112.88

Categories: Training Journal

The Psychology Of Running In Winter

Written by on January 31, 2012 · Leave a Comment

Running in winter in Michigan has definitely been very hard for me.  It has truly tested my mental and physical will power to persevere and overcome the obstacles of my everyday running life living out by the lakeshore.

Winters are harsher out where I live compared to typical locales in Michigan.  We get the lake effect out here, which tends to sweep up some nice snow and ice on a very regular basis.  As a result of this, snow plowing, salting, and sidewalk plowing tends to go to the wayside, a lot more, as I am assuming because people are more used to the snow; it doesn’t bother people as much.  When I lived in New Jersey the slightest little hint of winter storm and they would be closing schools and have a whole fleet of salters and plows out.  What a huge contrast there is living on the Michigan lakeshore as compared to New Jersey.

This is also the first winter of me running very high mileage.  Last Winter I was only running about 2.5 miles every day outside, which was extremely manageable even on the harshest of days.  This winter I have been doing 15 miles daily since the end of December.  I’ve had a few very harsh days that have stretched my 15 mile run to about 3 hours outside (That’s 3 hours trudging through snow, ice, and freezing temperatures), led to me running 15 miles on a treadmill one day, and most recently, just running up and down the streets in my town as the snow was just way too deep for me to be willing to venture out of town.

It has been very hard for me to get used to this reality of having long stretches of days where I can’t just freely run my 15 miles.  I have had to WILL myself to run somedays, relying on my past running successes to get me through some of the hardest of runs in very harsh conditions.  My tendons on my hips are constantly sore from constantly being use to stabilize my body while running.

Don’t get me wrong either running tough terrain and in harsh weather can be fun.  Variety can be fun in your routine.  I enjoy all of nature and what it throws at me. But, when you have to face the same obstacles everyday it takes it’s toll on your psyche.

All that being said, I know in my head that if I can get through this Winter with my 100+ mile running weeks, there shouldn’t be anything I can’t do as far as running goes.  Partly I think the knowledge of how my running is being transformed for the better is the main thing that keeps me motivated.  I know that by harnessing the power of these harsh winters to strengthen my running, I’m going to be that much stronger when I go out and run a marathon or ultramarathon.  I don’t live on the front range by some wicked mountains so I have to use the elements of my own geographical location to my advantage.  Likewise, someone living in Florida may never be able to experience the leg strengthening affects of running in snow, but they have heat and humidity to play with.  As runners we all have to do the best we can with where we live and use our locations to our advantage.

Happy Running!

Categories: Running

1/22/12 to 1/28/12 Running Journal

Written by on January 29, 2012 · Leave a Comment

1/22/12 – 15.28 mile straight run.  Sidewalks and streets still not plowed….uggh again!

1/23/12 – AM: 7.75 miles treadmill.  PM: 7.5 miles treadmill.  I had to pick my poison today as it was pretty much raining all day and cold.  The morning was a bit warmer and the snow had melted but there was still an icy slick surface on the ground created by the melting snow and the rain.  In the evening it was still raining as well.  I decided to do two BORING treadmill runs rather than drag myself outside.  The runs weren’t too bad though.  And treadmill running is a bit easier on the joints so I think it helped me recover a bit from all the snow running I’ve been doing.

1/24/12 – AM:  7.62 miles.  Wore yak traks most of the snow had melted but there was still quite a bit of ice on the ground.  PM:  7.62 miles.  Most of the ice had melted but there was still some bad area.  I needed to free up my feet though, so I didn’t wear my yak traks.  The whole run went fine until I stopped at the end of my run in my driveway and slipped.  I was ok thought, but it just reminded me to ALWAYS be careful, because you’ll slip when you least expect it.

1/25/12 – AM:  7.62 miles.  By now all the ice is pretty much gone.  Still a few patches though.  I’ve been pushing my speed a bit more now.  Really feeling it in the quads.  PM:  7.62 miles.

1/26/12 – AM:  7.62 miles.  Almost hit my some guy in an SUV, who didn’t understand the concept of a stop sign.  And when I yelled a certain curse word at him, he waved at me.  Oh well!  PM:  7.62 miles.

1/27/12 – 15.28 mile straight run.  Warm out today.  Could almost run without hat and gloves.  No ice or snow.  So I could really let loose and let my legs fly; felt good.

1/28/12 – 15.28 mile straight run.  Ice all over with some light snow on the ground.  Very windy.  It’s amazing how running into the wind just sucks the energy right out of you.

Total Weekly Miles – 106.81

Categories: Training Journal

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