Running Through Crazy Weather.

First and foremost, I hope that you and your family had as great of a Christmas as mine did.

 

Secondly, I've not been posting much recently because there wasn't much to talk about. The Wednesday before Christmas I finally went to the doctor and had that nagging cough checked it. As it turned out, I did have bronchitis so my running was put on hold for a couple of days.

 

While I have been running since that Friday, none of them have been absolutely fabulous. The treadmill runs went ok but when I hit the streets, my pace was around 8:45 most of the time, even when I felt like I was really going fast, not something that I was proud of.

 

While I can't be sure if it was the sickness still taking it's toll on my body or just having an "off" week, I can be sure that the recent weather has not been helping anything.

 

The past few weeks have brought 60 degree days, 30 degree days, wind gusts so strong I felt like I was not even moving at some points during my run, wet snow chunks that soaked my shoes and clothing, and sleet (which is something I refuse to try and run in). Either way, not resorting to a treadmill every single time has surely made me a more of a seasoned runner.

 

The only thing I can do is dress the best I can to combat the elements and keep those legs moving.

 

 

Some of my favorite cold weather running clothes are the Nike DriFit tights and zip-up that I have. Both are very lightweight but once you get moving, they really hold your body heat in while keeping you dry.

 

You can't really tell but there are snowflakes covering my legs and the ground is wet. Too bad there is nothing I can do to keep my feet dry. Once they got wet they were FREEZING. Nothing like pounding the concrete for an hour and a half with numb feet.

 

I really have a love/hate relationship with my surrounding neighborhoods.

 

There are hills EVERYWHERE. This is just one of the many that I have to climb.

 

 

Sometimes it really sucks because there are no leisurely routes, but I also love it because there are no leisurely routes. If I can get in a comfortable pace running these, when I meet a tough hill during a race it's going to be a piece of cake.

 

One day, when I'm a serious runner, I'll get a Garmin and I can see the elevation changes. For now, I'll just charge them blindly.