RunningAHEAD - Topic: Is this normal ( or am I being a putz )? (page 2)

RunnerKSA

posted: 3/30/2008 at 10:40 PM

I was thinking the smartest thing you did was stopping the 10K! Go in and have a drink and stay warm. Spring WILL come!

Out there running since dinosaurs roamed the earth

JimR

posted: 3/31/2008 at 11:20 AM

I'm in Toronto. During the meltdown period after winter, a lot of the park system and trails will be unusable until the ice is gone. It's okay to run on while there's snow down that you can get a grip on. The meltdown, however, creates a lot of ice that's sloped and ragged and virtually impossible to run on no matter what you're wearing. Stick to the streets for a bit. It'll be gone before you know it and you can return to the park systems.

Runners bliss

posted: 3/31/2008 at 12:20 PM

Quote from anutherfinemess on 3/30/2008 at 1:23 PM:

The reason I kept running on them during the winter was because, to be honest, no one up here clears their sidewalks and there was no more ice or snow on the trails than there was on the sidewalks. The rest of the routes are over side streets, but if you have ever driven in Canada or been around Canadian drivers you understand where I'm coming from when I say that I feel safer running on ice pack in the middle of nowhere than on surface streets in Toronto.

I live just east of Toronto in Ajax and I am also not originally form Toronto. I am from the Caribbean and have never seen snow until I was about 35 and now I am 41 like you. I have run outdoors the last three winters and now I do 70+ miles a week 90% to 95% of the time outdoors. I am surprised that you find Canadian drivers terrible. I find that they are very polite compared to when I was running in Florida this last summer. I also think that we do a great job cleaning the sidewalks. This year was not the best due to the amount of snowfall but for the most part, it was OK. Sorry if I am going off a little in defense of my adopted home but I really do find the folks here very polite especially the drivers. There is need for lots of improvement. However, I have traveled a bit and I think Torontonians are among the more polite drivers of any major city. The city and towns are also very well appointed with side walks capable of accommodating the handicap to move around and there is more than adequate space for pedestrians to move freely. There are literally hundreds of people who run outdoors preparing for road races and sure, they do have complaints but heck, this is Canada. It is impossible to get rid of all the snow and ice. With the amount of snow we had, I am surprised how the heck you made it out on any trail. With respect to the winter, blues I would say you did well much better than most wimps I meet. Especially, a number of show offs who use to laugh when I just got here and found 16C cold. Even after three years of winter running with numerous 20+ mile runs in up to –20c temps I am getting tired of it now. The winter has really dragged on long but believe it or not, spring is coming. If this is your first Spring, take it from me that you will love it. I always enjoyed nature but since I moved north with the acute seasonal changes, I have become a lot more appreciative of nature and the seasons. Spring is one of the most wonderful times especially for running and when things start to bloom it will be so dramatic, compared to last few months when you felt like you were living in Gotham city.

AKTrail

posted: 3/31/2008 at 2:55 PM
modified: 3/31/2008 at 2:55 PM

anotherfinemess, Do you change your routine much from summer to winter? You may just need a change of routes or periodization in your program. Running outside year-round in southcentral Alaska, I've found that the mtn trails may not be that suitable for running (power hiking some days, but I'm not strong enough to run those in winter), but our local swampy areas are frozen and groomed, so great for some flat, easy running. One of my other trail systems is either rolling single-track (about 10% max slope) or wider, groomed ski trails (about 30% max slope). And there's some other trails I'll throw into the rotation. Some may be hard-packed and easily run with cleats, others may be more suitable for snowshoes. If we get ice, I can usually alter my routes, or when desparate may run on paved bike path (sometimes plowed, sometimes not). Also, in early part of winter, I'll do an indoor xt class on one day during that period when we have enough snow to make things slick, but not enough snow to have a good base for winter activities. Breakup (mud) can be a challenge, since they may close most of main trails to avoid damage until they're thawed. There's a couple gravel hardened trails I'll use then, and long runs may end up on plowed roads in mtns (less traffic, can start getting some larger hill work in). But by June, most of the lower-elevation trails can be used and by late June, the higher elevation ones are snow free also. So I'll use trails then that aren't readily available in winter (which may start in Sept, but sometimes not till Nov). Keeping things variable through the year keeps a fresh perspective.

"So many people get stuck in the routine of life that their dreams waste away. This is about living the dream." - Cave Dog

anutherfinemess

posted: 3/31/2008 at 7:55 PM

Thanks to all who replied and I will address a few in a later post. I just wanted to let everyone know that when it was all said and done today I weighed my options and decided to ditch the dress, cancel my manicure, and HTFU. I ran the whole 15k in rain / mist about half on side streets and the other half over the trails. The first three or four k were miserable but after that I was glad I pushed through.

And who am I anyway?
Just another fat jogger, evidently.

rururunner

posted: 3/31/2008 at 9:34 PM

AFM, What I did this year was enter a spring race. I hate the treadmill so much that I knew I had to go outside to train. Surprisingly, this year the only thing that bothered me in Toronto was when we got mild temps for a couple of days that turned everything into puddles and slush. That was the worst! I'm lucky to have some relatively quiet streets near where I live so I haven't had much difficulty. And as some of the other posters said, so take a couple of days off. What does it matter in the long run? (hey....in the long run....haha...what a card I am. Clowning around

) I'm glad you got out in today's dampness and wind. This too will pass.

Suffering Benefiting from mature onset exercise addiction and low aerobic endorphin release threshold. Hoping there is no cure.

Is this normal ( or am I being a putz )? (Read 1211 times)