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February 12, 2006
Letting Mother Nature decide
My family knows me too well. When I woke up this morning and saw that the snow was still falling pretty heavily, I knew I had to wait a bit to run, at least until I assessed what the roads looked like. My phone rang and it was my grandmother, begging me not to go running today. Then I checked me email and my mom had written telling me to stay calm and not worry if I had to take a day off today. Sheesh! Actually, my running partner Wynne and I had touched base last night and planned to try and run at least a little today once the snow let up. She didn't get her long run in yesterday because she went skiing, so she was even antsier than I was to get out there!
We waited until about noon, at which point Wynne reported seeing a runner out her window. I was a little tempted to stay in my position on the couch, but I told her I'd meet her at Porter Square. My road is a pretty main one, so it was decently plowed. (All in all, it seems NYC got the worst of this storm--it didn't seem like there was that much snow out there.) The hard part about running was the the wind was blowing hard and the snow was very icy at that point and it was just pelting us. It was so painful. It was better when we changed directions. I'm not sure how far we went in total (maybe 8 or a little more for her) but it took a long time. My legs were tired on every incline because I was trying to get some traction. I also noticed that my achilles was getting sore, probably from running on the uneven surface, so of course I didn't like that. That's all I need now, to hurt my achilles again...
I was really tired when I got home and thawed out. Still, I was glad to have gotten in some aerobic activity and managed to be pretty productive. Matt and I ventured out later in the afternoon to pick up something he needed in his locker at school and it was still pretty dead out. I intend to continue to hibernate tonight, but everything should be pretty much back to normal in the morning. (Maybe not running conditions, but I'll do my best!)
Posted by becky at February 12, 2006 7:04 PM
Comments
I'm impressed that you got out there. There was no way I was running or driving anywhere today from here.
Posted by: Caitlin at February 12, 2006 7:34 PM
Hardcore runners are awesome, kind of like mailmen. They are out there no matter what, come rain or snowstorm. You're no exception, good job getting out in what sounds like a heckuva storm!
Posted by: Meghan at February 12, 2006 8:29 PM
I guess you've got to profoundly respect runners who battle it out there with painful/risky weather situations and continuously wish for them to avoid their perils at every footstep.
It also makes for being very greatful to be living and running in moderate and often sunny, warm weather. Sounds like Mother Nature is looking out for you. When it's that bad though, could a good aerobic substitute be xcountry skiing or skating? Corrado
Posted by: corrado giambalvo at February 13, 2006 6:05 PM