Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Early Morning Run

More snow is expected this afternoon and is supposed to last into Thursday, so another perfect opportunity to do an early morning run. Headed out at 4:45am into the four degree air. Was dressed perfectly this time, as opposed to last week when the fleece jacket under the shell was too much.

Run went well. Heart rate was high, but I suspect that's from the hills combined with the cold, morning hours and extra clothing. Still felt fine. Was able to avoid most of icy patches by running in the middle of the roads since there wasn't any traffic. One stop for a bio break meant having to dig through two feet of snow to find some of nature's best toilet paper.

As usual, I was glad I did this. Once you get up and going, it's not that bad. No traffic and no worries about getting burned by work running late, the peaceful serenity of the pre-dawn hours... lot's of pluses to running in the morning. Having said that, I don't think I could do it every day, but it's nice to do it once or twice a week.

Ran 5.4 miles @ 8:31/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 149/170
Paved roads, patches of iced slush.
Very hilly.
4 degrees.
Long pants, Goretex shell, long sleeved shirt, short sleeved shirt, ref. vest, balaclava, beanie, mittens.

4 comments:

MB said...

That's allot of work for a 5-miler. Good point about the narrower roads and traffic. We'll see what happens with this storm, the forecasters seem to be hesitating on what to expect. I'm trying screw shoes today.

Kim said...

Jamie,
are you the one with the ultra running bulletin board? If you are, what is the website?

Love2Run said...

I've been wearing my Yaktraks all week and still sliding around on the ice. And winter hasn't even started yet!!

Andrew said...

Hey Jamie, where are you in a training program? Have you started for Western States yet?