Against my better judgment I went for a run today. I still have a heck of a cold, and resting would have served me well, but I am at times my own worse enemy. After three idle days I was getting cabin fever and 12 inches of new fallen snow was too tempting to leave undisturbed. I grabbed my snowshoes and drove the short distance to Breakheart Reservation to break a trail. I was getting a very late start but still plenty of daylight ahead.It didn’t take long for me to feel the effects of this week long cold I’ve been fighting. On the first major hill climb I had trouble taking in enough oxygen. It seemed like my lungs were working at 60% efficiency. After slowly making my way to the top I turned off into some deep powder on Ash Path. Running here required a high knee lift to make any forward motion.
My pace was slow but the effort high. About half way through the run I started coughing up some nasty looking greenish-yellow “stuff”. I guess its better out than in! I started to second guess myself, wondering if this was worth it. On the way back I came across a x-country skier but other than her, I had the woods to myself. I thought I might have bumped into my friend Streph but he's one to get his workout done early in the day.
Don't get lost
Creepy
I only managed 3 miles but it felt longer. Sure was glad when I finished.
Hey Dan,
ReplyDeleteI know the "cabin fever" feeling well. You were smart not to go longer than 3 miles (though breaking snow while running makes for some tough and slow 3 miles). Hope you are feeling better soon. Ana
Ana, those were the slowest 3 miles I've ever run!
ReplyDeleteHey,
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Wakefield (went to Wakefield High School) and ran in Breakheart all the time... our XC course used to go up to the lower lake and back... I haven't run down there in a long while but may just take my snowshoes down there sometime soon, after seeing all your clips and writeups on this blog. Cool stuff!
Hey Jim, Breakheart is covered with tons of powder right now. I know you race most weekends but if you have some down time check out the trails. You won't be disappointed. I may make the trek to Cobble Mountain next week to race with Dungeon Rock Racing. Maybe I'll see you there. Good luck with your training and racing.Dan
ReplyDeleteHey Dan,
ReplyDeleteI really love reading your blog : )and I know how bad cabin fever can get...because of you I am thinking of trying out a snowshoe run....but I am kind of scared that I won't be able to run in them...any suggestions for a race that a newbie like me can try?
Michele, I'm a novice myself but I know you would do fine in snowshoes. Snowshow running reguires strength and you are a vert strong runner. I have seen you climb hills! WMAC has a race almost every weekend. Check out their website. Also a lot of races in NH, Granite State Snowshoe series. A bunch of us from DRR are heading to Gunstock on 1/31 to race. We would love you to join us. We want to show up with a big team and kick butt. We are meeting at the Merrimack River Trail Race trailhead and carpooling. You can email me if you want to talk about the race of showshoe runing in general. The click on the 'contact me' button in the right column. Happy running!
ReplyDelete