Cold, cold, cold

I haven't run outside in forever.  The weather sucks.  It's rarely above freezing these days, even when it's not snowing.  I've been to the Y a few times to run on the treadmill but logistically that's just much more difficult than running around campus before heading home for the day.  This just stinks.  I'm sick of winter already and it's not even February yet.  I have to start my training program for the Broad Street Run on Monday so I guess I'm going to have to figure something out since the forecast doesn't show any big changes on the horizon.

A side note... the other day a friend asked me how fast I thought I could run a mile.  Just a single mile.  I thought about it for a minute and decided 7:30 was probably doable.  Later, however, I started wondering if I had been a little too cocky so when I was on the treadmill the other night I decided to goof around a bit.  I ran a mile at 9:00 (my usual starting pace).  Then I bumped the speed up to 8:30 and ran another mile.  I ran the third mile at 8:00 and I was starting to feel the strain.  I then pushed it up to 7:30 and ran for as long as I could.  It didn't last too long - only about 0.15 miles - but realize that this was after already running 3 miles so I wasn't too disappointed.  I alternated between 7:30 and 9:00 for the rest of the last mile.  My conclusion was that I think my original declaration was probably correct.  One of my goals for this year is to run a race with 8:00 splits.  The Broad Street Run might be too ambitious (it's a 10-miler) but I think the Race for the Cure (5K) is possible.

Inertia

I wish I could say that I was back to running 5 miles 3 times a week. I'm having hard time getting back into the routine. I've run twice this week already, which sounds good, but both times it was a quick loop around campus which isn't even 3 miles. My heart just doesn't seem to be in it these days. I know that part of it is the cold weather but then I ran all through the winter last year so I'm not sure why I'm finding it so much harder this year. Part of it is dealing with the craziness that always comes with the start of a new semester but I actually have an easier teaching load this semester so it shouldn't be too bad. I'm really not sure why I'm not more motivated to get out and run more often and for longer. I guess all I can do is keep pushing myself to just do it (to steal Nike's slogan) and hope that, with warmer weather and a settled schedule, I'll find my passion again.

Getting back in the groove?

I guess I can say that I'm getting back into my routine. The weather today was less than pleasant. There was freezing rain all night long so I woke up to ice covered trees. It got above freezing pretty quickly so the freezing rain just became rain and the streets were safe for driving. And running. However, it was still raining and not all that warm. In the afternoon the rain let up a bit and I decided to get out for my run. In the time it took me to finish an e-mail and change clothes it had started pouring again. Hmph. I waited a bit and when it went back to a light drizzle I headed out. Part of me wanted to just say "Forget it" but another part of me said "You haven't been out in a couple of days and what if you can't get out tomorrow?!" That must be the runner part of me and it won out. Thankfully the rain had all but stopped and didn't come back in earnest until the last little bit of my run. It was a short, if somewhat wet run, but that's OK.

I also didn't take my iPod with me - partly because it was raining but mostly because I left it in the car. So I had to entertain myself for a change. I always let my mind wander when I run but my thoughts are usually accompnanied by music which sometimes drives them. Today I was on my own - just me and my brain. I was reminded of that great quote from Homer Simpson... "All right, brain. I don't like you and you don't like me so let's just do this and I can get back to killing you with beer." In the end, I had a good run and I'm very glad I didn't skip out. Now where's that beer?

Was it this cold last year?

I managed to get outside for a run a couple of days ago (after the treadmill incident).  It was sunny and pretty clear but, man, was it cold!  Geez!  I think the thermometer was reading 28 but there was a little wind so I'm sure it felt colder.  I had planned to (finally) do my full 5 mile loop but after the first mile I decided it was just too damn cold so I did 3 miles before heading in to warm back up.  It was so cold my teeth were hurting!  I swear I ran in colder temps last winter - I distinctly remember running in freezing rain - but either my memory is faulty or the fact that I took a month off has turned me into a wuss.  It's supposed to be a little warmer for the next week or so.  I hope so.  I'm tired of this cold stuff already.