Just when it looked as if I turned some sort of corner to get back into a full-fledged training regime, last week happened.
Yeah, it’s always something.
With day time temperatures struggling to get into the single digits and the wind chill making it seem much colder, I knew it was going to be a difficult week. Usually, I’m able to warm up 20 to 30 minutes into any run and the coldness rarely is a factor, but that’s only with positive-numbered temperatures. When we get below zero it’s hard to go outside to run – and it’s dangerous, too. I’m not expert, but I’m guessing frost bite is not much fun.
Yet since I don’t have access to an indoor track or a treadmill because I’m so intent on going outside to run, it was time to dig out the sub-zero hood, the fleece-lined base layer tights to go under the SportHill pants, and the two cotton-twill shirts for underneath the so-called wind resistant jacket.
It makes me sweat just thinking about wearing all of that stuff.
Early in the week, when it was minus-five degrees at noon, it felt as if I were running on the moon. The ground was hard and cracked with some granules of dry snow blowing along the deserted landscape while the only life passing my way was the occasional carbon monoxide-spewing car puttering through the neighborhood. Once, though, a guy getting in a workout on his bike pedaled by and I tried to get close enough to him to see if I could determine so semblance of sanity in his face for being out on such a cold day. From what I could tell, his face seemed to be frozen in a lizard-like grimace and his was dressed a lot like me.
But the coldness wasn’t the bad part. Though I had a scheduled day off on Sunday and Monday’s temperatures were too dangerous to risk the run, I was only able to put in 7 miles or so on Tuesday and Wednesday. At first I thought it was the extreme cold that made my legs feel heavy and my breathing labored to the point that I stitched up about 40 minutes into the run. After all, I really struggle when it’s very, very hot – temperatures in the opposite direction ought to have the same affect, right?
After Tuesday’s struggles, Wednesday’s shortened run really had me worried. Usually after a couple of days off and an easy run I end up running so hard and fast that I’m like a racehorse. But this time something was wrong… what the hell was it?
According to the all of the web sites I checked, I had the symptoms of leukemia, thyroid disease, anemia, dehydration and anything else that requires tons of tests, exams and hospitalization. But after deciphering everything and eliminating diseases, I determined that I had a good, old fashioned sinus infection.
After a few more easy days, I was able to put in close to 20 miles on Saturday and Sunday and I’m getting close to being fully recovered by Monday. I still have a long way to go and it doesn’t appear as if I’ll be ready for any type of serious race or marathon until May or June at the earliest, but it gives me a good excuse to do some extended base work to prepare for a hard training effort and run in the Fall.
Here’s the rough week:
Monday – off
Dangerously cold.
Tuesday – 7.2 miles in 50:42
Really rough… and I’m not talking about the sub-zero wind chills.
Wednesday – 7 miles in 50:36
Worse than yesterday in every regard.
Thursday – nothing
Went to the store and bought some Sudafed for the sinusitis. I feel wiped out, heavy and drained – kind of like a pumpkin that’s been beaten with a baseball bat.
Friday – 6.3 miles in 45:46
Better than the other two days, but I'm definitely falling out of shape because of this cold. I guess it's time to slowly build back up.
Saturday – 9.5 miles in 66:21
Getting better but my legs are still weak. My breathing was still a little labored, too.
Sunday – 11.3 miles in 1:15:55
Best run all week. I'm definitely not 100 percent, and I felt a bit tired on the hills, but it's starting to come back a tiny bit.
So what’s with always going outside to run? Why don’t I just join a gym or buy a treadmill for the really hot and cold days?
Good questions.
I suppose I’ve always been something of a “purist” and felt as if running were something to do outside, in nature with all that it throws at you. Races, as I learned last year, sometimes occur in less-than-ideal circumstances. Plus, nature, in its own weird way, is perfect. It makes more sense to deal with it rather than trying to change it and messing it all up.
As I result, I don’t have a GPS watch, fancy attachments for my iPod and know the Google route charters are very flawed. They are nice things, but they don’t make any one a better runner. As far as the treadmill goes, I never thought it would be worth it since I usually had time to get out and extreme weather never lasted long enough to make a gym membership or major treadmill purchase cost effective.
But things are different now. With a soon-to-be three-year old boy and another kid on the way, my ability to escape the house and disappear for an hour or two might be drastically changed. Maybe a treadmill for the garage or basement might be the way for me to keep running when I’m at home with the kids?
Luckily, it never rains in the basement.