Finally, some freshies

It's been a underwhelming winter season so far in Tahoe. Though we started out ok with a lot of snow for Christmas, that was about it. 6 weeks with nary a snowflake. That is coming to an end, as it has been snowing on and off for the past week or so, and it is finally possible to catch some powder on the slopes. Tom and I went skiing at Squaw on Thursday with some friends and had a great time plowing through the fresh snow. It continues snowing today, but we are off to Sacramento to check out the prologue and first stage of the Amgen Tour of California, which promises to be rainy in nature.

My running has been sporadic, but present. I did 3.5 miles yesterday on the treadmill. I'm getting used to the treadmill the more I use it. Though it remains a huge bore, it really is a godsend in weather like this, where I just can't get out there no matter what. Having said that, I am running the Freakishly Flexible 5k Virtual Race over at Chic Runner (tried to make a link but haven't figured that out yet, and time's short) sometime today or tomorrow, so I've got that commitment to get out. Optimistic me is going to try for sub 30. Pessimistic me has my doubts!

I have been running, though not posting much about it.  There really hasn't been anything much out of the ordinary.  I ran in Marin, just around the streets and paths, lastly on Sunday.  My pace was certainly better in the thicker air, running 4.5 miles with an average of about 11:30 -- not too bad for me.  I'm back up in Tahoe, and we have actually gotten some snow.  Just a few inches, but better than it has been for the past month and a half. 

I should start getting my training plans together, for I am definitely doing the oly length tri in July, and I will have to keep myself occupied with things other than running in the coming weeks and months . . . I did borrow a trainer from the same friend who sold me my fantastic road bike, and I purchased some interval training DVDs on amazon a few days ago.  Spinervals.  I'm planning on doing lots of biking.  Swimming as well, of course, though I have not been in anything larger than a hot tub since 2007.  Hopefully the reintroduction goes well!

C'mon, girl!

For the past three days I've been all "oh yeah, I'm going for a run later" but it just didn't happen.  I said the same thing today and Tom beaked his hands at me and said "sure, sure, you say that all the time" -- quite right!  I really have become quite the slacker in the past 3 weeks, and I'm certainly blaming it on the time of year.  This is the first winter I've tried to run through, it's not gone well, and I've gotten really good at listening to all of my excuses.  Frankly, I'm getting sick of them and of myself and know I need to nip this lassitude in the bud before the long gaps between runs become the norm and the runs become the noteworthy exceptions.

To this end, I had Tom drop me off while running his errands, leaving me to run myself on home.  He didn't have to actually push me screaming and crying from the car, but it was not too far off.  Not much chance to make excuses as he drives out of the parking lot, now, is there?  Anyhow, once I got going I felt just fine, and continue to wonder what all the fuss is about.  Why am I having such a hard time getting out there?  I really enjoyed the run -- as much as I CAN enjoy running on the road, anyways.  I even saw some 10 minute miles on the Garmin in the first two miles and felt that I was running easy for that kind of "speed."

3 miles, 12:00 pace

Garmin don't lie

We went to Reno yesterday, mostly for a change of pace.  I ran 7.5 miles along the Hole in the Wall trail, a mostly flat run against a ridge overlooking an industrial park.  If this is what not running for a week does, I'm going to try and not let that happen again.  I completed the mileage, but had to take a couple of walk breaks and was just slow and uninspired.

So people complain about the Nike+ system for its inaccuracy . . . in retrospect, I was kinda happy with the thing because I really thought I had progressed to running 10:30 miles, albeit with some effort.  Over the two weeks or so I have run with the Garmin, that nice little fantasy has been reality checked, as my pace seems to hover more around the 12:00 mark at best.   Yes, thank you, this humble pie really IS tasty . . . 

I suppose, when it comes down to it, I really don't care so much what my pace is and I'm happy to just get out there and lay down  the miles.  After yesterday's slogging, I can't even feel too much pride in THAT, though I think it's more the time of year (and lack of consistency) than anything else.

Now I've gotta learn how to write funny blog posts, too . . .