Tuesday, January 5, 2010

No iPod, Yaktrax kind of day

I woke up this morning to a blanket of snow which meant it was time to pull out the yaktrax!  Winter running has officially begun!  It was 14 degrees and with the windchill it felt like 4 degrees.  My new winter running gear had me prepared though!  Although my new Saucony pants aren't the miracle I was hoping they'd be, they do a pretty good job of blocking the wind.  It's kind of weird actually.  The surface of my legs are nice and toasty, but I feel the cold down deep in my muscles.  I guess layering will continue to be key.  My smartwools kept my feet nice and warm, even trudging through inches of snow and slush.  I love snow covered streets.  The winter air becomes even more quiet and peaceful.  About 5 minutes into our run, we ran into a family of deer.  I guess the blinking lights on the dingo's collar scared them away.  We passed a handful of other runners/walkers taking in the early morning calm.  Without the iPod blaring, I focused on my breathing and the sound of the snow beneath my feet.  I love climbing hills in the yaktrax.  It's like I can feel the metal digging through the snow to pull me up the hill.  I must remember that feeling more often when climbing a hill (when it's not snow covered!).  Knowing I had extra support on my shoes gave me all the umph I needed to get up the hills.  My quads are still a bit sore from Saturday's run.  There wasn't enough snow on the roads to warrant yaktrax use that day, so my legs took a definite beating.  I wonder how many more calories you burn running in the snow vs dry land?  It sure seems harder!  In any case, I didn't quite meet my 5 mile goal.  My pace is much slower in the snow, and I was time-limited.  I suppose 4.75 is better than nothing, though!

I appreciate all the comments and advice on my proposed training plan.  The more I look at it, the more overwhelmed I get.  My runs have not been going so well and I'm really loosing my confidence.  I'd like to follow a "tested" plan, for that added confidence, so I may keep looking.  Training will officially begin the week of January 17th, so I've got a few weeks.

Per a special Redhead's request....here's a pic of the YakTrax!



 

 

7 comments:

TMB @ RACING WITH BABES said...

4.75 is better than nothing. Way to get out there in the cold!

Jen Feeny said...

Something, anything, is always better than nothing at all!

I am so fascinated by these Yaktrax! Can you please post pics?!?!?

I'm behind on my reader so I will go check out the training schedule now...

Jen Feeny said...

WOW!!!!!!!!!! Those things look crazy!!! I'm serously in awe! LOL! How on earth do you get used to the feel? Does it affect how you run? Do they really work? Ok it looks like you just need to do a whole review post on them for me! LOL! Thank you for reposting with pics!

justme said...

never heard or saw those things... thanks for sharing

Jenn said...

I have Yaktrax but I haven't used them yet. I also have a similar pair that have tiny spikes. 4.75 miles is DEFINITELY better than nothing! Great Job getting out there!

Molly said...

I just ordered some Yak's this week, can't wait to get them to give them a whirl!

Caroline Novak said...

Just stumbled upon your blog, and it's a great read, and so thought I'd say hello. I'm a running mom too :)