Onemile - I would run for place with no PR aspirations. If you're wanting that PR, f/ck it for sure and do the indoor workout.
However, just for a different perspective: my answer: just about perfect weather! For us, snow conditions are good between 0 and +20f But temps aren't too cold. Warmer and the snow gets soft. At last Sat race, it was about +30f and snow was mashed potatoes.
I get this. Do you run on groomed/packed trails mostly? There are some back roads up here that are plowed but not salted, and those are the place to be in low temps -- the packed cold snow is safe to run quite fast on. Footfalls go "skree skree" and traction is good. The opposite is greasy, salted, unplowed cake-batter slop that can be found down on most city side streets. Absolute crap to run in.
... I get this. Do you run on groomed/packed trails mostly? There are some back roads up here that are plowed but not salted, and those are the place to be in low temps -- the packed cold snow is safe to run quite fast on. Footfalls go "skree skree" and traction is good. The opposite is greasy, salted, unplowed cake-batter slop that can be found down on most city side streets. Absolute crap to run in.
...
You got it. Yes. I actually run on an assortment of whatever, depending on trail and weather conditions. Some are single track packed by users. I usually snowshoe-pack a single track inset between ski trails at nearby trail system - before people post hole it, if I can. Our winter trails may cross frozen lakes and swamps and may be marked and groomed (not corduroy) officially or just packed by snowmachine traffic. Some trails are ski only, but more might be groomed (including corduroy and sometimes set tracks) for skiing but be open to any non-motorized. Mountain single track are foot packed. Some paved bike paths are plowed after the roads are taken care off. These can be nice shortly after they're plowed when your legs start getting tired of fresh snow.
I usually leave my studs, microspikes, and snowshoes in the car. If I'm just going out the door, I select the weapon of choice on my way out the garage. If I'm driving somewhere, I make the decision at the trailhead.
The stuff we had on Saturday, I would rarely run in. Since i recognized awhile ago that I would probably never be fast enough to meet cutoffs of winter ultra on whatever race day conditions might be and couldn't keep my fee warm more than 4 or 5 hrs, I haven't worried about training to prepare for any type of winter conditions. So I'm basically training for summer races. Running through mashed potatoes doesn't help that much, so if that had been a training run, I probably would have gone out for an hour or so or maybe gone to a different trail system, but would not have done a 5-hr long run in it. This is the difference between a training run and a race, imho.
We've been down closer to 0F and below the last few days, but some more warm conditions headed here (ugh).
I'd run it just so I could look back and say "Remember that time we ran that race that was cold as hell?" I'm doing a HM in February and part of it's appeal is that the weather could be terrible. I suffered through a HM once that was 90+ degrees and humid. My slowest HM by far but I'm glad I have the memories.
I'd run it just so I could look back and say "Remember that time we ran that race that was cold as hell?"
I'm doing a HM in February and part of it's appeal is that the weather could be terrible. I suffered through a HM once that was 90+ degrees and humid. My slowest HM by far but I'm glad I have the memories.
Yeah, looking back over some of the crazy training runs and races the memories are worth it alone. One time my training partner ran on a hilly metro park trail that was ice-covered, we had to use the wooden fence to keep from falling. He fell once, I didn't but lots of laughs along the way. Another time we ran ten miles on what turned out to be the coldest recorded day in our city's history. The look on his wife's face was worth it.
Youth Has No Age. ~ Picasso / 1st road race: Charleston Distance Run 15 Miler - 1974 / profile
A lot depends on what you want out of the race. If all you care about are PR's, then don't run on hilly courses and don't run when it's hot and don't run when it's cold and don't run when you haven't trained perfectly and don't run when you aren't feeling your best. Hmmmm. The problem is that you can talk yourself out of nearly any race. Conditions aren't always there for a PR. Indeed, conditions can be bad enough that all you can do on that day is jog the course. Had that happen in a 10K in February, 2013. One of our good local runners tried to race it, hurt his hamstring badly, and is still recovering.
If you have the appropriate gear, show up. If it's too dangerous (ice and snow covered) to race it, just jog it.
Short term goal: 17:59 5K
Mid term goal: 2:54:59 marathon
Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life. (I started running at age 45).
I ran a 10 mile race that was icy a few weeks ago. After driving 70+ on the highway, I get to 2 miles from the start and pass a car tipped over on a main road after the surface started getting icy. I carefully drove to the start, and we played a waiting game because none of us were in a hurry to leave the area until the roads were treated. They made an 11 loop course in the park there to get to 9.8 (I got 10.0 on my GPS as I took wide turns when I saw ice) and we had a lot of fun. There was water at every mile if you wished, along with a real bathroom as a result. The winners knew they weren't getting PRs but still ran. The race fee was 15 cans so everyone was happy.
Well, at this point I'm leaning toward doing it. Mostly because of what Baboon said about doing it for the experience / memories. And also because ya'll are making me feel like a princess for not wanting to race in less than ideal conditions.
Update: so I ended up doing it. Course was icy and snow covered for a lot of it. Had to wear my screw shoes and lots of layers. Ended up with a 23:52 which is well off my PR but I'm gonna call it my Thursday tempo run.
Well done, onemile. I'm sure running fast on ice and in snow works the muscles in a very deep way. That was a great effort! Now enjoy the transition from 2013 to 2014. You've had a great year!
PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013
Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013
18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010
Thanks Lily. It was way harder than it should been at that pace for sure.
delicate flower
HOORAY!!
Pretty dang good time with all that going on.
<3
You will probably boot ass at your next race because of this effort!
Well done!
Damaris
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Thanks guys. Garmin pace was 7:22 so not quite as bad as I thought- course measured a little long and had to go around a bunch of walkers in the second loop. So that's about right for my Thursday workout (3 at HMP). I guess I'm glad I did it. It was fun in a perverse sort of way