It's winter!

I have been a slug, though a swamped one...and since it still hasn't been too long since I ran that marathon, I haven't felt especially pressured to run. missing a day or two, no big deal. This will go on probably for the rest of December, and then things will get more strict.

At any rate, I worked late last night, and slept in this morning. Run club, wasn't going to happen. So I did homework instead and figured I'd head out once it warmed up.

Well, it didn't! I was a bit shocked at how much the temps had dropped.

But it was nice...the wind was too much, but the air was crisp and clear and the crunch-crunch of the snow beneath my shoes was satisfying. The footing was good (thanks to my new trail shoes!) and the path/scenery white and clean and thinly-populated. I usually find winter running enjoyable, and today was a reminder of how I missed it. Hopefully, I will manage to ride the good vibe for a few months at least, and not get sick of winter prematurely.

I ran about 7.36 miles in something...I think just over an hour. I have toyed with the idea of going by time and not by distance--would save time clicking on runningmap.com--but I like miles too much and don't want to give minutes up at traffic lights. Wearing my Garmin would simplify matters even more, but some of the mystique would be lost.

I wore three long-sleeved shirts, one of which was hooded, a hat, thin pants, and mitts...the pants were too thin. I felt fine during the run but the skin on my legs was tingly/itchy afterwards and very red. The funny thing was, I was scratching it at one point in the shower and then looked down and saw really deep red/maroon marks. OMG! well, then I realized that that was my birthmark, which has long been white, but occasionally turns red, but the scratching had aggravated it to purple. never saw that before. Then again, I keep forgetting that I have a birthmark at all--the sight of it keeps catching me off-guard--so who knows what it does on its free time?

Apart from the thinness of my pants, I felt a bit overdressed during the run, except for my face---must consider some sort of scarf next time--and I was fine walking one block back to my house at the end, to let things loosened up, and I was fine inside. I ate something before going into the shower....and then it struck me. I usually sweat like a pig during exercise--even today--and then get chilled afterwards. Even in summer! More blood goes to whatever's moving, while in other parts it gets stagnant and thus chilled, and then when THAT blood starts to circulate more and hits my core, I quickly get cold. I forget the fancy medical term for this. Anyway, I got the shower nice and hot, got in, and after a few minutes, it suddenly wasn't hot anymore. I couldn't crank up the heat enough and I was starting to feel sort of weird. So I dried off and got under the covers, got my dog to lie on top of me, and I warmed up. Next time, I'll try to hop into the shower as soon as possible. I should have brought my wind-blocking layer, not for the run but for the short walk afterwards. Usually I tie it around my waist, but I didn't bother with it at all for some reason.

The other funny thing about the run was a change of gait. I was in my new trail shoes, but they were my 2nd pair of that model, so not totally new. However, I've been wearing pretty light and flexible shoes, and to suddenly switch to a trail shoe, however light, is a pretty big change. The soles are a lot stiffer. Plus, there was still a bit of snow which changed things too. The traction was great, but for some reason I felt a lot more comfortable running much more on the balls of my feet...my heels hardly came down at all. THis is how I run barefoot, but never before in shoes. Every so often, I'd try to run like I usually do in shoes (I don't seem to be a heelstriker, but my heels definitely make contact with and push off of the ground), but it felt wrong. Too much effort forcing my heels down and back up. The shoes were making that too clunky. After a while, I gave that up. My calves are a bit sore now, but otherwise it was fine. If I alternate running like that and running normally, and stretch lots afterwards, I should be fine until my body gets used to it. It's pretty much the same thing with running barefoot. Why I was running like that today is beyond me, but it worked.

Oops, I went over the computer cutoff! And I haven't touched chemistry...will polish that off tomorrow. I forgot to do the breathing exercise this morning, but got in yoga and at least 3 sets of push-ups throughout the day. Gotta keep reminding myself of that stuff. And tomorrow will also be the start of a core strengthening regimen. I did the same program last spring and I think it helped.