Don't like the weather in New England? Wait a day.That saying was never truer than this morning, when after a weekend of near-50-degree temps, I awoke to several inches of snow on the ground.
Although I love mornings when the snow coats the trees (and the patio furniture I neglected to take in, as seen this photo), New Englanders - myself included - cherish warm winter days that take us by surprise. They're like little gifts - a warm day is like an island oasis in a dessert.
Mind you, the term "warm" is pretty relative.
This weekend's temps didn't even hit 50 degrees. Still, upper 40's - with sunshine to boot - allowed us to shed our many layers of clothing and experience just a touch of Spring Fever. (Remember, we'd been experiencing single-digits for the past couple of weekends.)
For me, it came in the form of a nice, long run - the kind that I didn't plan out or stress about. I just ran to run.
I toyed with the idea of wearing shorts, but couldn't bring myself to do it so I opted for my capri running pants - a lot better than the suffocating running tights that I'm usually relegated to during these winter months.
The sunshine felt great on my face - although it was somewhat blinding as it hit the melting snow on the roads. (I've never been one to run in sunglasses, but it's something I might want to investigate.)
My no-plan run took me along some familiar roads, combining several of my most frequent routes. In the end, I logged 11.88 miles at an impressive (at least for me) pace of 9:18 minute-miles. (It gave me a glimmer of hope that a sub-two-hour half-marathon will be done this year.)
I rounded out the weekend on Sunday with a trip to the coast for a run. I ran the Newcastle loop, the one that I've run countless times with my teammates. This time, with the team in Phoenix for the Rock n' Roll half and full marathons, I ran alone.
By the end, I had added another 6.57 miles (a little more than the "regular" loop to get me to and from the dog park where my dad was baby-sitting The Beast) at a 9-minute-mile pace. Yep, 9:00 even. Sweet!
The run helped me top the 30-mile mark for running this week. I had an additional 15+ miles on the bike (indoors), too. Quite a week, for sure.
In reality, it's pretty much on target (maybe slightly more, but it's nice to build up a cushion when I can) with what I should be doing to keep up with my my personal challenge to run/bike 2,010 miles in 2010. Here's the latest:
- Run (this week): 30.21 miles
- Bike (this week): 15.19 miles
- Total for year: 96.62
- Miles to go: 1,913.38
I saw runners out in shorts last weekend and just couldn't do it. I wanted to though... It was like a heat wave! :) Love your blog, and great job on your mileage!
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