Winter Running

I've learned this year that I really like to run outside, however, running outside in the winter provides some challenges. A few days ago I ran while visiting my parents. The city they live in has had a ridiculous 28 inches of snow in December - it is everywhere. Some people do a really good job at shoveling off their sidewalks, while others do not touch them. The ladder is a problem when running, especially on hills.

My goal was to do a solid 8 miles around an 8-minute/mile pace. This would have been totally do-able on the treadmill, but I wanted the fresh air and to put my garmin to good use. I set out running and wanted to get to a flat, main road in their city. I realized that the hilly road that leads to the main road has sidewalks that rotate sides - not one that goes all the way up and down. After running down and up a huge hill, I realized that the sidewalk ended and I needed to turn around. I crossed the street and cut through another neighborhood to get to the main street. I was happy to get there and new that I would be on relatively flat land for a while.

What I did not anticipate was the amount of ice, snow, and slush I would have to run through on my run. I kept have to skip and jump around the sidewalk and hurdle snowbanks when crossing streets in order to log my miles. I was constantly afraid of slipping and landing on my butt, and getting hurt by twisting an ankle or something. After 4 miles I headed back since it was close to dusk. I went through a different neighborhood that was even quicker and ended my 7-mile (unfortunately) run in 59 minutes, happy that I did not get injured.

When I woke up the next day and even today, I am sore. My ankles and knees are sore from running on a weird surface and having to do hurdles. I've gone back to the treadmill for the past 2 days, but plan on running outside tomorrow and for sure on Friday. It is supposed to be 51 - heat wave!!!