Perfect Winter Day to Run

-
     I know winter has not officially arrived, but today was as nice a winter run as can be.
Our feet were cushioned by two inches of fresh snow that had become stable enough to keep a decent pace without fear of slipping. The sky was clearing as we ran, the sun chasing dusk to the west with pink rays of morning light bouncing off the one stretch of clouds to the north. As we made our way along the path in the wooded park, the beauty of the morning kept getting better. No wind, just the breeze of cold air as we ran. The air temp was a balmy 25', just right for a pair of tights and a couple of layers up top, only slightly bound by polyester.
     As the three of us ran we had many moments of silence. One mark of a good running group is the ability to run as if alone, absorbing the surrounds, letting your mind wander, enjoying your personal run and at the same time silently sharing the experience with others. 
     I love winter running. It's such a difference from my younger days of running along the traffic filled streets of Orange County, CA. I appreciate every run, every step. There's something about a winter run that breaths freshness, new life, a clean slate. It helps us slow down and enjoy the moment and recover. Rather than a time to hibernate, winter brings the chance to renew and refresh. A bright morning with friends that cleanses the spirit and prepares us not only for the day, but for the spring to come.
     As I head into winter, I do so with the promise to myself I will take time to reflect and revive my mind, my spirit, my body. Embrace the season and you, too, will enjoy all that winter has to offer.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The metamorphosis is happening!

-
     The metamorphosis is happening, and I'm not sure what to think! It's something I see in others; the training they put in, be it miles, pitches or free-throws, and how one day it all starts to come together. I saw it on my son's basketball team that I help coach. Saturday the entire team played well, and they crushed a team that had beaten them three times straight over the past two seasons.      Now, I'm starting to see it in me.      Last week I put in 51 miles on six days of training, the most since last year when a month before the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon I had a 20 mile Sunday that put me over 50. The difference this year is the training foundation is so much more consistent. Sneaking up, week by week, to hit 51 miles was very manageable. The pace was easy ( finally got snow this week so our pace was hampered by dodging snow piles and ice overs ), the temps not bad and Sunday we bumped up to 16 for the day.       Being patient, starting our base early
Read more

Turn, turn, turn

-
Image
PMB...Post Marathon Blues.  I'm sure it's a pretty common affliction, and for sure it's not limited to the marathon. It's caused by a training and racing season full of the very real psyco and phsio combinations that naturally occur due to the physical, mental and emotional elixir running delivers to the body, mind and soul. Whether the concoction is mixed for 5k speed or marathon endurance, it's an addictive potion that's hard to replace once the season is done.  You can't stay "in season" too long either. You need the dry spells, the recovery gaps that clean out the system and let the anguish of hill workouts, intervals and multiple-hour runs drain from your muscle memory, one easy run day after another. This slow leakage of the seasons workouts drips with scar tissue, mad sprints and long drives to the finish line. Natural blood doping at it's finest. It's not by chance our running seasons coincide with those provided by Mother N
Read more

Your pace or mine?

-
It's nice to have training partners. More than someone to run with once a week, a training partner keeps you honest all week long, and is usually headed for the same goal as you are. The trick is finding how to balance training efforts that fit into everyones pace calculator. It's tough!          My wife and I run together quite a bit, this year especially, and it was really enjoyable. We made it through most of the Minnesota winter outdoors ( only 83" of snow this past winter, ugh! ), and set our goal on the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon in October. We trained with two other regulars during the winter that were also training for MTCM, and picked up another about mid July. Our goal times were all over the place. From three hours ( Bryan ) to 3:39 ( me ) to 3:50 ( Jeanette ) to "under four" ( Dave and Ben ) and finally, for Stan, "to finish". It was going to be the first for Dave, Ben and Stan.      Running as a group is such a fantastic way to train,
Read more