Another Blizzard

Wednesday (2/2/2011):  For my training, Wednesday always seems to be my day of struggle.  Not only were the roads covered in snow, ice and slush again, but it was pouring rain combined with a little sleet by the time I got home from work.  At the end of each block were huge puddles that were ankle deep and seemed to span a few feet wide.  Not wanting to run outside and risk slipping on the ice causing an injury, I knew my only option would be to hit the gym. Ughhh I hate running on the treadmill.  Good thing I shoveled my car off prior to heading into work this morning!  After bundling up to head back out to the gym, I get down to my car to only realize I had forgotten to grab my ice scrapper that was sitting by the door and of course my car was covered in a nice layer of solid ice.  Was this a sign I should stay home tonight and get things done that were on my To Do List?  Hmmm......Since my run was cut short yesterday I knew I had to get my miles in for the week.  So, instead of going all the way back upstairs and grabbing my ice scraper, I decided I was going to be stubborn (and maybe pout a little) and just sit in my car and wait until the ice melted.  15 minutes later, my car was finally ready to begin the journey to the gym.  The trip was slow and steady, and soon my car and I were at the gym in one piece.  Finally, the night felt as though I could successfully get my run in.  3 hard miles and nine pump up songs later my workout was done and I was free to go home and eat a delicious dinner.  yummmm.

Early Week Recap:

• Tuesday (2/1/2011):  Every Tuesday, City Sports on Boylston Street holds a Run Club that meets at 6:00pm.  Generally there are two loops that people run which begin and end at City Sports:
•  One loop is 3.5 miles and focuses on the Boston side of the Charles River
•  The other loop is 5 miles and heads along the Charles River on the Boston side, across Mass Ave to the Cambridge side of the River and then loops around the Museum of Science to finish up the final stretch of the run along Storrow Drive.
• This week only a few of the die hard runners showed up with everyone covered from head to toe in their night gear to be sure that drivers could see us.  It was blizzard like conditions with slush, snow and puddles everywhere.  Due to the fact that the running paths along the Charles River would not be nicely plowed, the six of us that committed to a run (even though we considered just running a block to the bar) completed a new route which was a 2.5 mile run through the park in the middle of Commonwealth Ave to Mass Ave and then back down Boylston Street.  The park was filled with beautifully lit trees that were a nice addition to our route.  However, there was also a layer of snow making our calf muscles work extremely hard just like when running along the beach.   Immediately we began thinking about warm weather and vacations, even though it was approximately 15 degrees F out.  The whole group ran together for the entire 2.5 miles and finished strong back down Boylston Street to the store.  
• Overall the run was challenging, but was completed with great friends who all shared in the excitement of another run completed.

• Monday (1/31/2011):  Knowing that yet another mid week blizzard was upon us, I got home from work and did a decent 3.2 mile loop around Boston which wrapped up with a couple hills.  Luckily most of the sidewalks were nicely cleared and dry which allowed for an awesome start to my training this week.