Does anyone else feel like this winter has been conspiring against those of us who may be trying to maintain some level of fitness, especially if we are planning on running a spring marathon? Is anyone else feeling like it should be mid-March already rather than mid- January? It seems to me like it has been one long, continuous stretch of frigid cold and endless snow–great for our snowshoe contingent; not so great for the less adventurous.
Needing a respite and a few days of sun and warmth to reaffirm what it’s like to run in shorts and singlet again, I headed down to Florida this past week for four days. While not ideal beach weather, the temperatures were at least in the mid 60’s to low 70’s, perfect conditions for running. I ran each day and even joined up with a Fort Lauderdale running group and ran a 6 mile loop with them on Wednesday night. Of course, now I’m home and it’s freezing and the snow is falling again, and the memories of this past week now seem foreign and distant.
Compare my story to that of Karen Giroux who sent me the following “piece” while I was in Florida and decide who is the “whimp” here–me! Her run last week with Beth O’Grady and Sally Holtzman is testimony to the heartiness of these three women, determined to properly train for the Boston Marathon, no matter what the weather conditions are. Your story has inspired me to “get off my ….” and start training properly for Boston. Thanks for your contribution and continued good luck in your training.
A Winter Run
I will start by mentioning that I HATE to be cold. I think anything under 65 degrees is too chilly. Anyone who has run with me since September knows that I carry hand warmers and wear enough layers that I look like a linebacker. (As a matter of fact, I have managed to avoid running altogether most winters….)
So, it might be considered odd that I asked my two “Marathon Training Buddies”, Sally Holtzman and Beth O’Grady, to join me this past Saturday (Jan. 10) to run the G.A.C. Fat-Ass Fifty. The ground was still covered in ice and snow from a recent storm, and the weather channel was predicting temperatures in the low teens. But, since we are planning to run a spring marathon, that means long winter runs. I thought the Fat-Ass might be a “fun” way to get our 20K in for the weekend.
The Fat-Ass Fifty is a trail run in Bradley Palmer State Forest put on by the G.A.C. It consists of a 6.2-mile loop that you can run 1 to 5 times (10K to 50K). You don’t pay to enter, you don’t get a tee shirt, there are no awards, and there is no complaining. You bring a snack to share with everyone for the aid station, and then you sign in and run your desired loops. Once you are done, you sign out.
We arrived at the park a little nervous. It was really cold out. The parking lot and surrounding area looked pretty tough to run on, so what would the trails be like? This might be fine for the Dungeon Rock Snowshoe Team, but for us???
The runners around us looked to be either “Really Hard Core” or, uh…”Crazy”. Good thing Beth brought extra neck warmers—we just pulled them up over our faces and were not only warmer, but also totally disguised!
We started out at the back of the pack. Right away we were reduced to walking first across a patch of ice, then up an icy hill. But we did get running. We ran single file, either skidding on ice or trudging through snow over our ankles. This was an anaerobic workout for sure!
The snow-covered woods were beautiful. It was really quiet and peaceful. After a while we stopped talking as the running took all of our focus. We could hear the “crunch, crunch, crunch” of our feet in the snow. Every so often one of us would kick a piece of the crusty surface and send it sliding along the top of the snow, tinkling like glass as it shattered. The running was slow going and really tough. Occasionally we would pass or be passed by other runners.
After we made it though the 1st 10K loop, we stopped at the aid station and caught our breath. It was unspoken at the time, but all of us were thinking the same thing: “I sure wouldn’t have done this alone!”
The second loop wasn’t any easier than the first, but this time we knew what to expect. When we finished our run, we felt Hard Core, too. We said our “thank yous” to the volunteers and Jim Gilford (the “G” in G.A.C) and headed out to get HOT COFFEE!
This was honestly the hardest run I have ever done. I feel like I could run anything now. It’s a few days later and my ankles are still a little tender, and I’m still a bit sore in places that don’t usually get sore from running. I’ll be surprised if Beth and Sally ever let me pick a run again!
I’ll keep running through this winter, probably through whatever the weather. But I still prefer “sunny and 70’s” for my runs, and I hope that is what our spring marathon brings!
