January 11, 2008

Friday, January 11, 2008
School was canceled today. Something about an early morning ice storm. I kept busy most of the day and got out to run at about 5, just as the last vestiges of dim light gave up their day-long losing battle. It was steady precipitation throughout the day, beginning shortly after midnight with a couple hours of freezing rain, followed by 2-3 inches of snow, followed by rain, then maybe some sleet. By 8:00 most of the new snow had been mushed into slush, then formed into ruts, destined to never be frozen solid, due to the freezing rain which was obviously thinking of changing into plain old rain. By 5 o’clock the wind was blowing steadily at about 25 mph, but it was pleasantly warm and I ditched my hat and gloves before the mile mark. After the first mile my legs began to feel strong and rested from taking the day off yesterday, so I decided to go long, from 5 to 7 miles. My road was mostly clear of ice, as it gets some traffic on Fridays, but some of the more shady sections were a little icy. When I got onto Hall Road, though (the big downhill), it was downright hazardous in spots. I’d be running along, nice and comfortable and easy, the road seemingly clear and smooth …. …. too smooth. Black ice smooth. You may be familiar with the feeling in your car, when you suddenly realize you’re not really in control – you’re just hoping to make it to the next patch of road with enough friction to control yourself. If the entire run had been like that, it would have been a real pain, but it was only a few sections of the road. Other than that it was a beautiful evening, just about perfect running temperature, and plenty humid with the rain. I think it stopped raining about halfway into the run, and I’m sure it was getting warmer. The visibility was pretty good – the diffuse lighting from the high rainclouds provides a nice even light, but I had my handlamp with me. At one point, I clicked it on to check a questionable section of road, but “click….” and no light. So, naturally, I pointed it at my eyes and tried again. This time it worked just fine, nice and bright, right in the old retinas. I immediately broke out into raucous laughter at the stoogeness of it all. Now of course, I’m running at night after an icestorm on mountain roads. Blind. Might as well do some bounding and springing drills. Excellent.

I added a couple miles extra after the 5.1 mile loop, and would have run more, but a little voice was nagging me, saying “save some running for the weekend, dude!” I wonder what it feels like to run in the daylight. Then I made some latkes for dinner. It was my first time, and I was nervous. It was a very traditional recipe, though, and they turned out incredibly delicious. It literally took me back in time to my childhood, eating my grandmother’s potato pancakes with sour cream and applesauce. The taste and texture was exactly the same, bringing back a flood of memories and feelings from my childhood. I can’t wait to make these in class with the kids. The latke lab.

Miscellaneous notes after yesterday, which marks the completion of two months of training (began 11/11). 250 miles total; ¼ of the way to my six month goal of 1000 miles, after 1/3 of the time, right on schedule. Weekly mileage trendline maintaining y=0.1735x+25. 58 days trained, 3 days missed. Beginning weight 175, current weight 164. And as a final note, I cannot remember the last time I saw a doctor (not counting dentists), but it may have been 13 years ago. The secret to good health – stay the hell away from doctors and hospitals.

Knock on wood.