Safety Pin, URC, and Thanks Mel

1/2 Run: Linear Trail: 27 degrees. 6.2 miles; Splits: 9:32; 9:33; 9:47; 10:02; 10:07; 9:47; 1:50; 1:00:38; 9:45 per mile average pace.

1/3 Run: Linear Trail: 14 degrees. 3 miles; Splits: 10:16; 10:10; 9:57; 30:23; 10:07 per mile average pace.

1/5 Run: Road: 28 degrees. 4 miles; Splits: 9:10; 9:00; 8:56; 8:49; 35:55; 8:58 per mile average pace.

I decided to start the new year with a longer than usual run this past Saturday, so I went to my favorite place to run, the Farmington Canal Linear Trail. It was a brisk 27 degrees and I was dressed in my normal boring running attire (See previous post about running attire). Before leaving home I had remembered to finally take a look underneath my right shoe figuring it was time to remove the annoying "pebble" that was lodged in the bottom. It had been there since the Christopher Martin's Race in mid December, and at times would bother me when I was running or walking. Said pebble wasn't a pebble. It was a
I don't know how I was running with it embedded in the sole of my shoe. That sucker was in deep, so deep that it took me three attempts to pull it out. 6.2, aka 10K was a challenge. I already had cut myself a deal that my time didn't matter, so the pressure was off. Hence my 1 hour and thirty-eight seconds slow and easy run. Actually, it was easy for miles zero to 1 1/2, and 4.7 to 6.2. Those were run on the cleared part of the trail. The other parts of the trail weren't cleared, so that meant I was avoiding ice spots and rough spots in the snow. Back to the trail the next day for what I called the "Ultimate Running Challenge" (URC). It was snowing, the wind was blowing, and the temperature was 14 degrees, with a wind chill around zero degrees. I had doubled up on my tech shirts, put on my running attire, and gotten some supportive comments from my wife and son ("You're crazy" and "Jackass") prior to leaving the house. As promised, I dedicated my URC to Lisa http://watchlisarun.blogspot.com/ who's injured right now. It was definitely a challenging run, since it was more of a 3 mile shuffle due to me not wanting to fall on my ass on the freshly fallen snow covered trail. The wind wasn't a factor until I turned around at the halfway point and headed back. Then it was me vs. the elements, as the wind blown snow kept attacking me. It was me being at one with Mother Nature, since I was running without my mp3 player because I wanted to make sure my ears would be completely covered. The only sounds were my feet crunching in the snow and the wind whistling by my head. At some point during the run I did the math...76 days until the Vernal Equinox. I finished in 30:23, but since I stayed warm and didn't suffer frostbite I consider it a successful and rewarding run. Monday was a day off so I could work my once a week night as a receptionist at Weight Watchers. That in itself is another blog which I may write some day. Yesterday I wanted to run but wasn't going to run. So I posted this on my Facebook: "I need to get myself outside for a run....I have NO, none, zero, zilch motivation to go..." I immediately received a response from Mel, of http://www.second-chances.ca/ which simply said "GO." After I said I would, she sent me some more encouragement, saying "and I bet you'll have no regrets and will be happy that you did :)" Well, that was the push I needed. Although I HATE to run when it's dark out, I indeed did go for a run, and wore my Duravision Pro Reflective Armband with 4 LED Lights so that I was easy to see. My planned 3 mile run ended up being 4 miles because it felt great. I had negative splits, and averaged an 8:58 per mile pace which is faster than usual for me this time of year. So Mel, thanks for the kick in the ass that I needed. I indeed did not have any regrets and was happy that I ran.