Running Against The Wind

It’s getting colder every time I step outside. The current temperature is -10 (-20 with wind chill), and it’s supposed to be even colder tomorrow morning. So much for saving money on heating bills this winter.

Luckily for me, it was only -8 (-17 with wind chill) when I ran earlier this evening. I didn’t immediately notice the difference in temperature when I stepped out of the house, but soon the wind was slapping me across the face and I was wondering if I had enough layers to finish my run in comfort. I decided the best bet was to find a route that would keep me sheltered from the cold, and hope for the best.

My quest led me to Seawood Lane. Big enough for one car to pass through comfortably, Seawood is surrounded by trees, which kept me protected from the arctic breeze long enough to warm up. Sadly, it’s only about a kilometer in length, so it wasn’t long before I was assaulted by the wind once again.

I think the urge to get out of the cold increased my tempo on the run. I pushed hard on the hills (both up and down), and generally kept a brisk pace. It’s probably the best I’ve felt since I started training, and bodes well for my long run tomorrow. My goal is relatively pedestrian – if I crack an hour, I’ll be surprised – but I need to start varying the distances or I’ll get stale. Hopefully the weather cooperates and I don’t freeze out on the roads.

Cool (Cold) Runnings

I’m getting sick. Not the down and out for days variety, but the lingering cough and cold sort of ailment that makes you miserable while you go to school or work. If I had my druthers, I would rather be forced to stay in bed, but something tells me I’ll be good enough for a class or two tomorrow morning.

I am also good enough for a run or two this weekend. At this point, the illness is lodged in my sinuses, which means it’s not adversely affecting my breathing. When it come to physical activity and sickness, my philosophy is ‘if it’s in your chest, take a rest, if it’s in your head, get out of bed,’ and until someone tells me otherwise, I’ll stick with it.

Speaking of cold, these runs are starting to get a little chilly. The last few days were around the freezing mark (32 degrees Fahrenheit for those of you in the United States), but tonight the temperature dipped down to about -5, and I could definitely tell a difference in my comfort level. My hands were cold, and my toes were freezing. It might be time for some new cold weather running duds.

Other than that, the run went without incident. In fact, this was the first time since I started training where I felt motivated to add an extra couple of minutes to the run. I decided against it at the last minute – groceries beckoned – but I’m feeling confident that a Sunday morning long run isn’t out of the question. How long has yet to be determined, but if I stay on my feet for an hour, I won’t complain.

Banking Miles

Looking back at the first few entries, I have come to the realization that I have some work to do in the writing department. I haven’t written for entertainment purposes in a long time, and like my running, it’s going to take some time before I am back at full steam. Then again, I do think the blog adequately reflects the tedium of my first few forays into running. If I only wrote about my best runs, I wouldn’t have much of a blog.

I wasn’t feeling too motivated today, so I decided to throw a few errands in the mix as an excuse to go outside. I had to physically transfer money between two banks – I really need to get my mortgage and chequing account under one roof – so I ran to one bank, withdrew as much money as my limit would allow, then ran to the other bank and made the deposit. I received a few strange looks from people as I was huffing and puffing at the bank machine – the reflective vest probably didn’t help matters much - but other than that the run went without incident.

Mind you, my legs are starting to feel a bit fatigued, so I may need to take a day off in the near future. I don’t like rest days – I’m lazy enough as it is – but if I don’t rest I am more likely to get injured down the road. Better find a way to cross train, and quick.

I'll leave you with a link to an article I read earlier today. It's about a high school runner who manages to finish a cross country race after breaking her leg. It's from the ESPN website, so I can assure you it's as least as good and anything I've written thus far.

Slow and Steady Builds a Base

If there’s anything that can make your athletic endeavours seem tame, it’s reading a well written mountain climbing book like Touching The Void. For those of you who do not know the story, it’s about a climber who breaks his knee on top of a 20,000 foot mountain, falls into a 100 foot crevasse, and is left for dead. Three days later he literally crawls back to base camp, surviving on nothing more than fumes and a few handfuls of water. Those icy Saint John streets don’t sound so rough now, do they?

Reading the book almost cancelled my run. By the time I put it down, it was nearly 8:00PM, and I still hadn’t prepared dinner. Luckily, I wasn’t feeling overly ambitious in the cooking department, so I was fine with some toast with almond butter and some blueberry cereal. I probably should improve my diet if I am going become a better runner, but for now I am content to fight one battle at a time, thank you.

Tonight was another exploration of West Saint John. Didn’t stray too far from the house, avoided cold, slushy puddles, and called it a night before fatigue slowed me down too much. At this point I’m only keeping track of time spent on my feet (about 30 minutes a night thus far), because I don’t want to get too obsessed with distance this early into training. Once I get a few solid weeks of running under my belt I’ll start upping the ante, but until then it’s slow, steady, and short.

If anyone has any nuggets of running wisdom they would like to share with me, please feel free to post, or drop me an email at kvchallenger@gmail.com. I might have a few years of running under my belt, but I have plenty to learn about the sport.

Weekend Update

OK, so I didn’t make it out for my run on Saturday. I forgot about a morning concert (I play bass in the band Penny Blacks, and you can check us out here) when planning my day, so my running time was spent running around the house in the hopes of looking presentable for the gig. By the time we wrapped up at the City Market, the weather was bad enough to keep me inside. Hopefully shoveling show counts as cross training.

That being said, I did manage two runs this weekend. The first adventure took place Friday night, and took me around my neighbourhood. I don’t know the area too well yet – I just moved to Fundy Heights two weeks ago – so I used the run as an opportunity to visit my little subdivision. I took several twists and turns that led to dead ends, and eventually ended up at Martello Tower. I hadn’t visited the landmark in years, and never realized what a wonderful view it provided. Now that it’s within walking distance, I’ll have to stop by and enjoy the sights.

Tonight I went in the opposite direction, which led me toward the Irving Nature Park. I wasn’t wearing any reflective gear (forgot it at home), so instead of running on the side of the road as I usually do, I spent most of my time sloshing through wet snow on unplowed sidewalks. I can’t say it was the greatest run I ever experienced, but it felt a lot better than the Martello Tower adventure two days ago. Hopefully it won’t take too long to get into decent running condition.

I’m keeping these entries short and sweet for now, but I plan on picking up the pace once my runs become more adventurous. I expect it won’t take too long before something noteworthy happens on the roads...

KV Challenger - An Introduction

Let me begin this blog by introducing myself. My name is Chuck Teed, and I am a 32-year-old running enthusiast from Saint John, New Brunswick. I would call myself a runner, but I don't always run as often as I would like these days. A typical year consists of me hitting a race or two, but I haven't run a full season since my early 20s and my finish times reflect the lack of effort. I am definitely not the runner I was ten years ago.

While I won't break any land speed records this year, I still think I have one good marathon in me. I've run three marathons in my life, the best being a 3:23.38 on six weeks training. With the proper base, I think I could crack 3:10 and qualify for the Boston Marathon.

This is where the blog comes in. I am attempting a qualifying run at the Kennebecasis Challenge Marathon October 17, 2010, and I will use this space to keep people updated on my progress. I've blogged about my running adventures on previous occasions, and I found it a wonderful way to keep my training on track. I can't be a couch potato if people are watching my every move, you know.

Anyway, I should cut this entry short and rest up for tomorrow's run. We're expecting a big storm, and I need to hit the streets before I get blown into the Bay of Fundy. Wish me luck!