BostonBound59

I was forced to take Friday off due to work obligations (only my second day off in January) so we were more than ready to get going Saturday morning when the weather seemed downright balmy (18 degrees at 10:00 A.M. with only occasional wind gusts). What I didn't take into account were the road conditions. We were hit with close to 12" of snow last Wednesday and while the plows made one pass late in the day the temperatures plummeted by early evening preventing the snowplows from finishing the job. I was inside the Hampshire Dome both Wednesday and Thursday so I didn't fully appreciate the extent of the carnage until we were out the door and well down Horace Greely Road, about a mile from our home. Probably 80% of the Amherst-Merrimack-Mont Vernon course (what I call the Tater-Kendall course) was covered in hard packed ice so we spent close to three hours this morning slipping and sliding our way over 20 miles. My screw shoes (see my post of January 7, 2009) were only minimally helpful, skates would have been better. Our overall pace was (gulp) over 9 minutes per mile, 45 seconds-1 minute slower than our usual pace. Total time for today's run: 3:03:55. January mileage total: 285.

Here is my training log for the 1st sixteen days of 2009. So far I've been doing my weekend long runs on the Tater-Kendall-Brook Road loop which runs from my house in Amherst into Merrimack (Baboosic Lake area), back by Souhegan Woods Golf Course, into the Amherst Village and then into Mont Vernon. The second half of this loop is brutally difficult with many hills culminating in an 800 ft. elevation climb over one 1.8 mile stretch. The photo above (not mine) is typical of scenery on the descent down Brook Road after the long Kendall Hill climb. My weekday runs are usually done near work in Nashua on mostly flat terrain. I run in the Hampshire Dome in Milford occasionally, usually when work obligations keep me tied up until after dark. While I'm not crazy about temperatures 15 below (see 1/3/09 post) I don't normally mind running in the cold and in fact prefer it over warm weather running.

As we get hammered here in southern New Hampshire with yet another winter storm my thoughts turn to the next three plus months of heavy mileage. We are now over 60 miles per week with a long run last Sunday of 17+ and another scheduled this Sunday of 18.

Here is one relatively simple (non-original) and in-expensive winter survival tip I have found surprisingly effective.

A few weeks ago I was scoping out the blog of another Strider http://have2run.blogspot.com/and he had picked up the unique idea of inserting metal screws into the bottom of his running shoes. The idea seemed strange at first (won't they poke through and aggravate the soles of my feet?) until I actually tried it. Here is a picture. I found that by inserting nine or ten #8 3/8" metal screws spread similarly to the photo above. I could feel nothing inside my shoes. It is a relatively simple process which I made considerably more difficult and actually cut my hand during the process, but it has been well worth it.

Before the screw shoes, many of my winter runs on icy and/or snow packed roads through Amherst and Mont Vernon were difficult at best despite the slip resistant outer soles on my Brooks Beasts. I would describe my ability to run on winter roads before this discovery more like Bambi on Ice than anything resembling a running stride. Its a great feeling now actually having some real traction not only going up hills but more importantly running down hills which can be treacherous on icy days. This is not a perfect solution. On fresh snow, they really don't help. They also feel strange when you run over pavement. They work best on packed snow or ice. Here is a "how to" link: http://www.skyrunner.com/screwshoe.htm

I've done more than a few stupid things in my life but this one might rank up on my top 10 list. On New Year's morning instead of running in the warm indoor Hampshire Dome we trekked down to Salisbury Mass. to run in the 28th Annual 10k Hangover Classic. We usually run the more staid race in Temple, New Hampshire (the Peanut Butter Chip 5k) but this year with Boston just a few months off we sought a longer race in place of our weekly up-tempo speed work. When we left Amherst, N.H. early in the morning the temperature was 8 degrees and upon arriving at Salisbury Beach the temperature had risen to a balmy 10 degrees, accompanied by steady gusts of 20-25 mile winds. WBZ radio kept reminding us as we drove south of the "real feel" temperatures 15-20 below. That prediction ended up being optimisitc. On top of that, the area had been blanketed by close to a foot of new snow on New Year's Eve--all combined to make it a perfect day for a PR! Fortunately I had my trainers fitted with 3/8" metal screws which unfortunately did little good on the unplowed streets of Salsbury Beach. In 36 years of running I have never been so cold. At several points during the race I had to stop and (despite my winter hat) warm both ears with my already frozen hands as well as re-adjust my wardrobe to ward off impending frostbite. The race organizers think ahead for sure and had cold beer along with frozen ice cups for all runners at the 1/2 way mark. All in all it was a fun yet bizarre day. I finished in 44:45 which wasn't bad for me considering the conditions and 20 lbs of clothing. Cathy ran just under 42 minutes and we had a number of Flash runners running the 5k as a training run. Flash coaches Rick Collopy and Tina Pienta also ran the race. Many of the runners (not us) then jumped in the ocean after the race to add to the festivities. I don't have any pictures from this year's snowbound race (yet) but here is a You Tube link of the pre-race conditions. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u68u0lw7DN4 I've also posted a picture from last year's 5k start with four of my Flash runners all decked out in their tu-tu's (don't ask me to explain) and ready to run. http://www.coolrunning.com/results/09/ma/Jan1_28THAN_set1.shtml