Saturday morning
13.3 mi / 21.4 km
37 F / 2.8 C
29 F/ -1.6 C WC
44.13 miles on the week, a new mpw PR! Crappy week for strength-training though. I'm still waiting for that elusive, perfect week when both the running and the st really come together.
Got out the door a little after six, still pitch black out (except for all the street lamps of course). I put on my ankle bands (as recommended by JosephTree) for the first time of the season, and brought my Moc3s as back up. It wasn't that cold out, but I'd never run this far in cold conditions, and a good part of the run would be on concrete, so I didn't want to take any chances. Turns out my feet got slightly numb for the first half or so of the run, but warmed up once the sun came out. Two layers of Merino wool on top (one light weight, one medium weight) did the trick, with sweat pants below, and cap and gloves. By the end of the run my top was soaked with sweat yet I was still nice and warm. I love Merino wool! I took off the gloves for a while, but put them back on when the wind picked up again. On a longer run like this, there are lots of micro-climates. I brought a banana, protein bar, and water along, but ended up not using them. I guess the ribeye and red wine from the night prior had put me in good stead.
The 10+mile runs aren't easy yet, but they're getting easier, and recovery time is coming down each time. Today my legs feel fine--just need to massage a little achiness out of my feet. The run was pretty uneventful, except one spot where I accidentally took a curvy street with no sidewalk or shoulder, tried to get off it, and ended up running a bit farther than planned. I listened to an old free jam for the first half of the run, and then my 'English Beat' Pandora station for the second half, which made me reminisce about college parties in dorm basements, dancing ourselves sober while listening to ska and new wave . . . "Concrete jungle . . . "; "You may find yourself . . . "; "Can't stand losing you . . ." And we covered a lot of those songs in the various bands I played in.
Where was I?
Oh yes, I took a pic with my phone when I got to Lake McCarrons, just as the new day was dawning.
I stepped off the asphalt path to take the picture. I was amazed how the leaves on the side of the path became quite toasty warm after just a minute or two of standing in them while I dumbly fumbled with my smartphone. I'll have to remember that trick in the coming weeks, pre-snowfall, if I ever need a little relief from the cold. A tiny family of middle-aged and elderly Hmong out for their morning walk all gave me the same quizzical look as I prepared to resume my run. A while later, on Como Lake, a big woman said, "Barefoot?! Whoa, . . . . . Whooooooooooooooa."
After just a week, I think I've got my left foot to land like my right foot automatically. Actually, the last time I had to think about it was on Tuesday's run. On Thursday's, I think the track's sandy gravel surface helped reinforce the habit, and then on yesterday's run every time I checked I seemed to be doing the same, slightly more forefooted landing. Maybe the cold helped?
I snapped two more phone-photos during the run. One where I got sidetracked, overlooking a nature reserve:
I remember riding my bike on this road as a kid on my first trip out of the neighborhood. I think I rode to downtown St. Paul and back. It was the first time I experienced that sense of freedom that traveling alone and exploring brings. Probably my first inspiration for later travels. I still have images from that trip appear in my dreams.
Then close to home, I took this pic in the Minnesota State Fairgrounds (with the University of Minnesota St. Paul campus in the background). I had read in the newspaper that they're tearing down the Fairground's old Heritage Square, so thought I should take a photo when I came across the demolition work.
13.3 mi / 21.4 km
37 F / 2.8 C
29 F/ -1.6 C WC
44.13 miles on the week, a new mpw PR! Crappy week for strength-training though. I'm still waiting for that elusive, perfect week when both the running and the st really come together.
Got out the door a little after six, still pitch black out (except for all the street lamps of course). I put on my ankle bands (as recommended by JosephTree) for the first time of the season, and brought my Moc3s as back up. It wasn't that cold out, but I'd never run this far in cold conditions, and a good part of the run would be on concrete, so I didn't want to take any chances. Turns out my feet got slightly numb for the first half or so of the run, but warmed up once the sun came out. Two layers of Merino wool on top (one light weight, one medium weight) did the trick, with sweat pants below, and cap and gloves. By the end of the run my top was soaked with sweat yet I was still nice and warm. I love Merino wool! I took off the gloves for a while, but put them back on when the wind picked up again. On a longer run like this, there are lots of micro-climates. I brought a banana, protein bar, and water along, but ended up not using them. I guess the ribeye and red wine from the night prior had put me in good stead.
The 10+mile runs aren't easy yet, but they're getting easier, and recovery time is coming down each time. Today my legs feel fine--just need to massage a little achiness out of my feet. The run was pretty uneventful, except one spot where I accidentally took a curvy street with no sidewalk or shoulder, tried to get off it, and ended up running a bit farther than planned. I listened to an old free jam for the first half of the run, and then my 'English Beat' Pandora station for the second half, which made me reminisce about college parties in dorm basements, dancing ourselves sober while listening to ska and new wave . . . "Concrete jungle . . . "; "You may find yourself . . . "; "Can't stand losing you . . ." And we covered a lot of those songs in the various bands I played in.
Where was I?
Oh yes, I took a pic with my phone when I got to Lake McCarrons, just as the new day was dawning.
I stepped off the asphalt path to take the picture. I was amazed how the leaves on the side of the path became quite toasty warm after just a minute or two of standing in them while I dumbly fumbled with my smartphone. I'll have to remember that trick in the coming weeks, pre-snowfall, if I ever need a little relief from the cold. A tiny family of middle-aged and elderly Hmong out for their morning walk all gave me the same quizzical look as I prepared to resume my run. A while later, on Como Lake, a big woman said, "Barefoot?! Whoa, . . . . . Whooooooooooooooa."
After just a week, I think I've got my left foot to land like my right foot automatically. Actually, the last time I had to think about it was on Tuesday's run. On Thursday's, I think the track's sandy gravel surface helped reinforce the habit, and then on yesterday's run every time I checked I seemed to be doing the same, slightly more forefooted landing. Maybe the cold helped?
I snapped two more phone-photos during the run. One where I got sidetracked, overlooking a nature reserve:
I remember riding my bike on this road as a kid on my first trip out of the neighborhood. I think I rode to downtown St. Paul and back. It was the first time I experienced that sense of freedom that traveling alone and exploring brings. Probably my first inspiration for later travels. I still have images from that trip appear in my dreams.
Then close to home, I took this pic in the Minnesota State Fairgrounds (with the University of Minnesota St. Paul campus in the background). I had read in the newspaper that they're tearing down the Fairground's old Heritage Square, so thought I should take a photo when I came across the demolition work.