A Passion for Running

The weather is lightening up a bit. Temperature is up to -24C from yesterday’s low of -28. With windchill, yesterday was -40. Today, there is very little wind.

And the forecast looks great. By Saturday, our weather will be something more …humane.

If you run on a treadmill, I think you are equally nuts!

DANG, I hate those things. No wonder they call them “dreadmills”. I just about went kookoo in the 90 minutes I spent on one this afternoon.

Thank God it’s supposed to warm up to -20C tomorrow!

Mother Nature won today. I am going to do my 90 minute run on the treadmill at my gym instead of braving the elements to get home.

-40 is just too cold. I wore my gear to work this morning and that wind was blowing right through my polar tech pants like a knife. It’s just not worth the risk to run 9+ miles in that kind of cold.

So, my limit seems to be -35. After that, I pull the plug on running outdoors.

Current temperature in Edmonton without windchill is -28C/-18F. With windchill, it is -40C/-40F.

I did a little video up for CRN. Go take a look.

That was one long run and I’m beat. I can take the cold – really I can but all this snow is so hard to run in. I ran two hours today but with all the snow I’m sure it’s like adding another 30 minutes on top.

The run wasn’t all bad. For example, my working heart rate continues to decline.

But I’m so dang tired. Please. Someone? Make the snow stop falling.

It’s STILL snowing and it’s STILL damn cold and I’m STILL going to run …DAMMIT!

On Tap: One two-hour long run home.

Talk to you later.

I’m through the jump week and I must say I finished it off feeling like a machine. Today’s run in the unbelievable cold was day seven of the jump and it felt tremendous. I was on ultra-glide in the snow.

I had a 15 minute warmup + 30 minute hard + 15 minute cooldown planned but I was feeling so good I extended the “hard” part of the run by five minutes and then reduced speed ever so slightly for the last 10 minutes.

I feel fantastic heading into week #2 of this eight week segment of the “Andrew/Lydiard Program”.
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Edit: I just added up the numbers and it turns out I ran just a hair under 60 miles for the week.

One hour in -25C. And get this: I was warm.

This morning, it’s -25C/-13F. The high today is supposed to get to -21C/-6F. The long term forecast gets worse. I am definitely not looking forward to Tuesday. Check these out (top pic is Celcius – bottom is Fahrenheit):

I was 100% alone out there today. In 10 miles of running, I didn’t see even one runner. I’m feeling pretty hardcore right now. Cock-a-doodle-doo. Technically, it was colder today than it was yesterday but there was virtually no wind and that made a big difference:

Yesterday: -19C/-2F but with windchill it was -31C/-24F
Today: -22C/-7F with almost no windchill

Another positive was that much of my route had been cleared of snow so, unlike the past couple of days slogging, today I ran on a thin layer of packed snow.

But what I’m most happy about is how the ol’ bod seems to be adapting to this training program. Here are some specifics:

1. Tomorrow will mark the end of the now not-so-dreaded jump from 60/30 to 90/60 minute runs plus the jump from 90 to 120 minute long runs.
2. I’ve suffered no ill effects since the jump. In fact, I’d say I’m almost feeling better than last week.
3. I’m still shaving off the ol’ love handles.
4. My working heart rate is declining. For example, when I started this program, it was a real struggle to run slow enough to keep my heart rate under 155. After a couple of weeks, I was able to run a bit faster at 155bpm. Then, I noticed I could cruise along quite nicely at about 153bpm. Then it dropped to 151 and today, I ran almost ten miles at a 9:30 minute/mile pace and a 149 average heart rate. Wow.

The cold has not chilled my spirit. I’m still a happy camper.