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November 10, 2004
Racing Against Darkness
I was little speed demon on the roads after work, worried about not making it home before dark to run my "assignment" on the Fairfax County Parkway trail. I thought about alternatives - running on Stringfellow Road (boring and too short) or on the treadmill (even more boring and not so convenient) - but nothing was sounding good. I think some low clouds made it appear darker than it actually was because I did make it out on time. Whoo hoo!
Today was a speedwork day - I ran 4 x 2/1/30. Two minutes at 10k pace, two minute easy; one minute 5k pace, one minute easy; 30 seconds all out, 30 seconds easy; then, begin next set.
I warmed up for 15 minutes and arrived at the top of a hill adjacent to the lake just in time to start my first two minutes. Though my hips were a bit stiff from doing hip exercises and one-legged squats last night, I felt strong and that I was going a decent pace. The curves around the lake slowed me down and prevented me from settling into a groove, but I was happy to discover the trail was clear in this area. And it was just starting to get dark by the time I finished up. I ran back home in the dark for a 15 minute cool down. I enjoyed mixing up the speeds in this workout - challenging, but not a back breaker. I probably could have managed another set or two.
I definitely got warm in long sleeves and shorts tonight. I had to keep pulling up my sleeves to feel comfortable. I thought about going down to my sports bra, but I didn't want to ruin my momentum. Now that the run is over, though, my fingers tips are almost white. I love cold weather running and refuse to put on tights unless it's in the 30s (or the wind chill makes it feel colder). However, my fingers are a different story....completely averse to "balmy" temps in the 40s and low 50s, turning white and numb and hard. I think the sensitivity is a result of suffering an extended case of frost bite during cold weather survival school a few years back. Soon enough I'll have to break out the hand warmers to keep my fingers happy.
Speaking of cold weather, can anyone recommend a good model/brand of snowshoes for both trail and artificial trail use? I think I'm going to ask Santa for a pair this year, since we are supposed to get a decent amount of snow this year...and of course, I love to snowshoe.
Posted by Leilani at November 10, 2004 07:40 PM
Comments
I was just catching up on your blog, and with regard to snowshoes, I have heard that Atlas makes the best ones - but that is about the extend of my knowledge. If you get some cool ones you will have to write about them so I will know - snowshoeing is so much fun!
Posted by: barb at November 16, 2004 06:33 PM