BCR Through the Snow

I've been working on getting up earlier all week.  Maybe it finally paid off, because I got a decent amount of sleep last night and actually woke up about half an hour before my alarm.  I was happy because it snowed a couple inches and I really wanted to get out with the BCR this morning.  I did make it there for 7:30 at the Plainfield Recreation Trail.

It was one of the coldest runs I've ever done.  The temperature was in the teens and with the wind chill, it might've felt like single digits.  Even with that, we had a good crowd for the run.  It was over double digits.  It wasn't quite as windy as the other day.  I threw some shorts on over my tights.  I wore some ColdGear and my fleece vest.  I added gloves and a headband that I just bought to protect my ears.

This time, I remembered my GoPro camera and the camera card as well.  I took a couple pictures.  I wanted to get some action shots of everyone running, as well as a couple videos.  It doesn't zoom anywhere near as much as my regular camera, so I have to get used to when it is the appropriate time to take pictures.  Usually, I'm too far away.

We took off into the layer of snow.  I took a couple pictures.  I then saw Flo and Chris and they seemed to be going kind of slow.  I sprinted to catch up with them and did chat for a bit.  With the cold air, the pace did end up being a little too much.  My breathing was getting heavy.

I wisely back off and they gradually faded into the distance.  Now, I was on my own with this run.  That is one thing that is frustrating for me right now.  I'm faster than most of the group, but I can't hang with Flo or Chris.  Even though it is a group run, I end up running it alone.  It does help to be behind them though, so at least they are sort of pulling me along.

Between taking pictures and chatting with those two, the first 3/4 of a mile flew by.  The scenery was pretty and that made the run easier.  There were a couple sets of footprints in the snow.  I could easily tell where Flo's small feet had been.

The snow was soft and fluffy.  It wasn't too bad to run on.  It wasn't slippery.  Even so, your feet would slide a little whenever the path went slightly uphill.  I could even tell this by looking at the footprints that were dragging along. 

The 2nd mile was a bit of a struggle.  It must've had some uphill in it.  It was great to be able to turn around though.  I took a bunch of pictures of the group as I passed them.  The 3rd mile actually wasn't much easier than the 2nd.  I passed a guy running with his dog.  I wasn't sure if he was with the group, but I ended up sitting next to him at breakfast.  I've heard of his daughters because they are pretty good runners at Beca.

I knew the last mile would be downhill.  As I approached the start of it, I was glad that I didn't go out any farther.  My body would've really struggled to run a 5th mile.  I might've end up walking it.

That final mile was definitely better.  I cruised along, knowing that the end was near.  I finished up with a solid 4 miles.  They were all fairly consistent, from 8:10 to 8:26.  It was fun, but also a relief to be done.

I went back up the path to take pictures of everyone.  It seemed like it took them awhile to get back.  Obviously they went farther than me.  All I managed to get pictures of were Dave, Flo and Chris.  I started to get very cold and couldn't wait around longer.  Maybe next time I can get some better photos.

I love running when it is snowing.  I was happy to be able to finally run right after a snowfall.  I haven't done that since 2010.  It's been awhile.

My quads feel good.  I'm going to bump my running up to 4 days next week.  I need to gradually work back into it.  I think I'll be running Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.  I have no real plan for Monday yet.  We'll see what I decide to do and where I decide to go at a later time.

4 miles - 33:08 (8:18 pace)