One thing I’ve certainly enjoyed about living in the Northeastern U.S. is having four real seasons. However, one very good thing about Texas was having warm days sprinkled in among the bitterly cold ones all winter long. I’m getting quite tired of freezing every time I go outside. And this winter we’ve had such cold wind chills I’ve discovered I don’t really have the gear to run in it. (If you live in the far north/tundra, feel free to let me know how to dress.) And then there’s the ice. The city and it’s people are pretty good about keeping sidewalks and paths clear, but it’s impossible to get to everything and the cycle of melt-freeze-melt-freeze is a never-ending battle. I nearly fell twice on my last run–from black ice no less–and it has made me very leery of getting out. So yeah, spring can just feel free to mosey on over here. We’re ready.
New Thing 1:
Even if it’s just a placebo effect, I believe the weekly yoga is helping my running. I’m not up to full regular mileage yet, but my recent runs have been good and I’ve felt strong and recovered more quickly than usual. Win!
New Thing 2:
After wanting to try them for several years, I finally bought a pair of the Altra Stability Wedges. I wore them for a five mile run last week and felt they did make a positive difference in my running. I decided to go ahead and wear them on my long run last weekend, but that didn’t go so well. After about six miles I started getting a hot spot on one arch and by mile eight I had BIG blisters on both arches. I had to bail at 9.5 miles. I should have worked up to wearing them longer distances, so that’s what I’m doing now. Win-ish.
New Thing 3:
I’m thinking about running to (or toward) work in the mornings, at least one or two days per week. This is something I’ve considered for awhile, but never had the nerve to try, primarily because I’m leery of having to get ready for the day after getting to the office. I do have access to a locker room, so there’s that. For several years I’ve been taking my running clothes with me to work three days a week, then hauling my work clothes back home on the days I don’t run. It’s a pain and has always been a pain. So I started thinking if I had a larger running pack I could bring my clothes home with me on the days I run. Then I started thinking if I had a larger pack, I could run in the mornings and take work clothes to change into. If my calculations are correct, I wouldn’t have to get up any earlier than I do now; my running time would just replace the time I spend on the subway. It’s almost silly NOT to do it. Win?