Clemson

We  had not planned on timing our escape to warmer climes quite as well as we did!  Winter Storm Jonas (I am not sure by what criteria of severity they have begun to name these storms - the Blizzard of 1993, e.g., had no name) rolled up the East Coast, depositing 30" of snow in parts of Virginia, 66" atop Mount Mitchell, and a respectable foot or so in Highlands.  It pursued us to Clemson where we spent three nights with Anne and where we thought we might run Saturday morning.  But Saturday brought an unexpected snowfall even to Clemson, and the footing outside Clemson Downs was treacherous:

Running would have to wait for Highlands Roadrunner and his spouse until we arrived at Atlantic Beach.

First Snow

We've had one or two dustings, but today we had our first real snow of the year.  I went into the Post Office and was talking to Bill Reese for several minutes while waiting in line, and suddenly I looked outside and it was POURING snow!  Even with all of our weather apps, a day like this can hold surprises.  Time to get out and enjoy three-miles of matchless loveliness.

And what a great run I had! - staying on roads that had been pre-treated and were not very treacherous, circling round and round, coming down Main Street in a Town made more picturesque than usual.  Catching snowflakes on my tongue.  I hope I will always be able to enjoy this simple, child-like wonder in seeing a world transformed into a Hasui woodblock print.

Running Indoors

Saturday's run was a little treacherous.  When I arrived at Founders Park at 9:00, I quickly did some interesting dance steps as I realized that Fifth Street was covered in black ice.  Some hardier souls had already been out - Fred said he had to walk on the grass along the road near Satulah Ridge Road - but most of us waited an hour until the sun had risen higher.  It was still very slick in places, so I played a game of staying on sunny roads, round and round, up and down Main Street and that sunny stretch by the school; I ended up going seven miles.  So my recovery continues, and I suppose the difficult January weather can be considered a good thing if it forces me to hold back and not overdo.

Winter running can indeed be problematic, but I suppose runners in the Northeast would laugh if they were reading this now.  I remember running in the past in snow and wind this time of year, on the verge of frostbite, but nothing like what some endure.  Today was not much better than Saturday:  the roads were dry, but the temperature was 18 with a vicious wind dropping the wind-chill to below zero.  It doesn't make any sense to run in conditions like this.  So what do most sensible runners do?  They retire to the treadmill or the elliptical in the gym.  But I have never found a treadmill that seems long enough for me, and I do not like the constriction of an elliptical machine either.  So this morning I did something I had not done in a long time - I ran in circles around the perimeter of the gym.  Round and round, dodging the two or three walkers, and reversing directions every few laps.  As expected, my GPS watch did not work indoors (although I had had hopes), so I tried to calculate how far it was around the perimeter of the gym by counting laps and estimating that I was running 12-minute miles.  I figured that 20 laps was a mile.  I remembered that many years ago, after this building was constructed, someone had measured it and said it was 22 laps per mile, but Bill at the front desk said he understood it was 16.  So I did 66 laps, which was a good three miles by any reckoning, maybe more.  One of these days I will measure it with a wheel, but for now I am hoping I won't have to resort to gym running again this winter!

One Mile at a Time

Today marked a landmark as I completed six miles, the farthest I have gone since September 28 as I noted in my last post.  And one mile farther than last week!  I took some walking breaks, and the last mile was a bit difficult, but I feel this afternoon as if I am definitely on the mend.

And what a long struggle it has been to get to this point!  Now I know what new runners feel like when they are just starting out, and what recovering runners feel like as they increase their mileage after injuries far more serious than mine.  We all do it the same way:  one step at a time, one mile at a time.  And if I continue to add one mile to my Saturday long run, look what I might be able to achieve in a few weeks!  Why, in 20 more weeks I will be doing a marathon. . .

"Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance." ——Samuel Johnson

New Year 2016

What a great way to celebrate the New Year with the running of the Annual New Year's Resolution Run this morning.  Martha ran to the front of the pack and completed six miles, and I was happy, with the help of a few walking breaks, to complete five miles.  "This is the farthest I've run all year," she quipped.  Same with me - and also the farthest I have run (according to my 2015 Running Log, which I retired this morning) since September 28.

New year, new beginnings.