I Think I'll Go To Boston...

Mark B wrote:This is a silly question, but how is all this sub-zero weather affecting your day-to-day life?

I know you're in Wisconsin, and are thereby required to affect an attitude of casual indifference ("If you dress right, it's no big deal, don't you know...") but really... the whole routine of going to the grocery store, work, etc., sounds rather challenging. Are surfaces that slippery when it's so cold? Or is it too dry?

Big jacket....Large heating bill

The air is really dry, which with the cold, creates chapped lips, hands, and dry skin. The roads do not get slippery when it is this cold. The only time they get slippery is when snow or ice get added to the equation. The one thing that the cold does do to the roads is when the temps fluctuate from the bitter cold to warm they tend to shift and cause huge cracks or potholes. Also, road salt doesn't just damage your vehicle, it damages the roads, as well.

Life pretty much sucks here when it snows or is bitterly cold...

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:This is a silly question, but how is all this sub-zero weather affecting your day-to-day life?

I know you're in Wisconsin, and are thereby required to affect an attitude of casual indifference ("If you dress right, it's no big deal, don't you know...") but really... the whole routine of going to the grocery store, work, etc., sounds rather challenging. Are surfaces that slippery when it's so cold? Or is it too dry?

And I guess all the vehicles have engine block heaters and the garages are heated?

No, most vehicles to not have engine block heaters, but a lot of garages are insulated and/or heated.

Same here in NE OH, but it is generally not quite as cold as where Nick is, and we are very dependent upon what goes on with the Lake. We tend to be more humid than WI, and therefore, generally not quite as cold along the lake.  Inland is colder and dryer, but the snow line typically ends about an hour south of here and Columbus usually only gets dustings in the winter.  With this weeks storm that affect KY, TN,NC, Columbus only received 2" of snow.  

 Erie is 99% frozen now which will affect our weather differently than a few weeks back when it was only 70% (I could still see open water then).  It will get icy here some mornings because that Lake can generate some "wet" stuff even from cold air.

Today was a rest day...big weekend ahead with 10 miles tomorrow and 18 on Sunday. Supposed to be warmer tomorrow, but only last for tomorrow before getting cold again.

Nick Morris wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:This is a silly question, but how is all this sub-zero weather affecting your day-to-day life?

I know you're in Wisconsin, and are thereby required to affect an attitude of casual indifference ("If you dress right, it's no big deal, don't you know...") but really... the whole routine of going to the grocery store, work, etc., sounds rather challenging. Are surfaces that slippery when it's so cold? Or is it too dry?

And I guess all the vehicles have engine block heaters and the garages are heated?

No, most vehicles to not have engine block heaters, but a lot of garages are insulated and/or heated.

So are most houses built with central air that's piggybacked ('might as well' attitude) against a heat pump or whatever is the most efficient method of heating a house?

A good weekend of running. I did 10.15 miles on Saturday and followed i up with 18.35 miles on Sunday. Both runs were along my hilly route, but with yesterday's run, I had to incorporate another loop. the last 4 miles had me repeating the two of the four largest hills along the route. (My 14 mile loop has 15 distinct hills and 4 very large and long hills) The second time around, the hills truly sucked, but I know that it is good for me in the end. I was definitely tired at the end of the run, but have recovered very well today. I figured that I would have a little soreness here and there, but not so the case. I plan on working out any kinks with an easy 3 mile recovery run after work.

Core work and weight training was preceded by a very easy 3 mile recovery run. 8 weeks out from Boston and things are going to start to get tougher, as I get to that point in the training cycle.

Let's hope the conditions improve for you guys soon.

I found this very interesting piece from NASA that talks about just what has cause my ridiculously mild winter and your mini ice age. It's a super-strong ridge of high pressure that some meteorologists have taken to calling "the RRR" (for "ridiculously resilient ridge"). It causes the jet stream to veer far north, bringing the Pacific Northwest conditions more akin to California, and then swinging back down and delivering polar desert temperatures to your neck of the woods.

Eight weeks to go until Boston? Let's hope it melts by then!

Props on your training perseverance, Nick. I keep waiting out the dangerous wind chills leading me to the dreadmill. 

fostever wrote:Props on your training perseverance, Nick. I keep waiting out the dangerous wind chills leading me to the dreadmill. 

Thanks! I just think that running mid to long runs on a treadmill is more torture than what Mother Nature throws at me. Hopefully it is making me stronger.

Rest day yesterday. It's perfect timing as my Wednesday run now moves up to 8 miles tonight.

You need to get stronger, Nick - I only weigh 124 lbs but it is a lot to carry for 26.2 miles.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:You need to get stronger, Nick - I only weigh 124 lbs but it is a lot to carry for 26.2 miles.

Whew, so all this training is not for nothing then? I feel better now

Light snow showers all day equates to a slippery run this evening. I set off in 1/4 to 1/2 an inch of snow with light snow falling and temps around 10 degrees. As I have found from previous years of running in snow, that my pace slows around 30-40 seconds per mile, while my effort stays the same. I think that it is relatively equal to running a more technical trail. Anyways, outside of the snow and cold, it was a pretty decent run. I finished 8.33 miles, but am definitely ready for spring to arrive.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:I only weigh 124 lbs but it is a lot to carry for 26.2 miles.

And with this, 1L wins the Internets.

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Focus on effort and not speed, Nick, and you'll be amazed at how fast the pace picks up when you can go fast without skidding sideways off the road. Keep it up!

Mark B wrote:

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:I only weigh 124 lbs but it is a lot to carry for 26.2 miles.

And with this, 1L wins the Internets.

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Focus on effort and not speed, Nick, and you'll be amazed at how fast the pace picks up when you can go fast without skidding sideways off the road. Keep it up!

I wish I could come back with a really nice one on Miche1e's comment, but I did all my thinking in Mark's blog, a few minutes ago.

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:I only weigh 124 lbs but it is a lot to carry for 26.2 miles.

And with this, 1L wins the Internets.

---

Focus on effort and not speed, Nick, and you'll be amazed at how fast the pace picks up when you can go fast without skidding sideways off the road. Keep it up!

I wish I could come back with a really nice one on Miche1e's comment, but I did all my thinking in Mark's blog, a few minutes ago.

Nice!

24 hours passed and with a little sunshine and shoveling, the sidewalks and bike trail cleared up pretty well. Enough to have the footing be multiply times better than the night before. Temps were colder tonight than last, but the footing helped a lot. I completed 6.25 miles. The days are longer and that means it was brighter out tonight when I finished the run.

Woot! Maybe one of these months, it'll even warm up above freezing!

Rest day today...Big weekend of running scheduled, which includes my first 20 miler of the training cycle. Along with that, I have a 10 mile run scheduled to boot.

Nick Morris wrote:Rest day today...Big weekend of running scheduled, which includes my first 20 miler of the training cycle.  Along with that, I have a 10 mile run scheduled to boot.

Hope the big weekend of running has gone well...and that you're surviving the weather!

nkrichards wrote:

Nick Morris wrote:Rest day today...Big weekend of running scheduled, which includes my first 20 miler of the training cycle.  Along with that, I have a 10 mile run scheduled to boot.

Hope the big weekend of running has gone well...and that you're surviving the weather!

Thanks Nancy!! So far, so good. As far as the weather goes, I am hoping that this storm that comes through early tomorrow morning is the last one. I know that it is supposed to warm up on Friday and the melting process with begin.

Until then, my worry is that I am supposed to fly to Detroit tomorrow for a business meeting. Not sure if that will happen with the winter weather advisory.

Biggest weekend of running since October, complete. Saturday had me running a cold 10.45 miles along my hilly route. I suppose that I can stop referencing my hilly route, as 85% of my runs this training cycle have been along my hilly route. It was a good run on a cold and windy day.

Then, Sunday was my first 20 miler of the training cycle. It was a little warmer outside with off and on sun and temps making it up to the mid 20s by the end of my run. I was tired at the end of the run, but I did not feel as fatigued as I did when I finished my 18 miler last weekend. To me, that means progress...and forward progress is great progress.

Also, I dropped 3 1/2 lbs. this past week. I am now down 13 1/2 lbs. since the beginning of January. I had been stuck at around the same weight for the last couple of weeks, but was able to crash through that wall in a big way.

Nice progress Nick.  Doesn't it feel great when you sense that improved fitness.  Nice job on the weight loss as well!  How's the fund raising going?

nkrichards wrote:Nice progress Nick.  Doesn't it feel great when you sense that improved fitness.  Nice job on the weight loss as well!  How's the fund raising going?

Thanks Nancy! I still chugging along on the fundraising train and am sitting at the $5k mark. This weekend should be a decent increase, as I have a few larger donations happening.