Wow, it was cold today. The wind chill was something like 9 degrees Fahrenheit. As mentioned in a previous post, I am training for the Kentucky Derby Festival Mini Marathon in April. Today was the day to do eight miles–rain or shine, buddy. I started at Seneca Park, ran to Cherokee Park up and around Dog Hill, and then back. Okay, time for a little whining. Despite wearing three pairs of gloves [Patagonia inner layer, Seirus middle layer and standard Asics running gloves outer layer], somewhere around two miles, while I was running up Park Boundary Road near Big Rock, my hands sent me the signal. They were going to make me pay for today, big time.
Around the time I got to Cherokee Park Road, I realized there was a running event going on. There were streets cordoned off and lots of runners. I am not very plugged in to the local running community in Kentuckiana, being a returning runner and a sort of lone one at that, but I found out after doing a search when I got home that it was a four miler, something called the Snowman Shuffle. Hah, no snow but it was sure cold enough for it.
So with the race runners accompanying me for a while, all the way to Hogan’s Fountain, and the music on my iPod, it was enough of a distraction to keep my mind off my hands. I took walk breaks at intervals of nine minutes, and each time, tried making fists, squeezing some blood into fingers, etc. But it wasn’t until I was finished and in the car that the real pain came. Extreme hand pain. For a solid 20 minutes. I could not drive; I just had to sit and squirm and take it until the pain left. I am not a brainiac or a scientist or an expert on cold weather training gear, but I figured the three layers would do it. I have to think again. And why do they hurt so freaking bad immediately after a run, but the pain is not so bad during the run?
Well, once the pain subsided, I was able to better enjoy the runner’s high. An eight miles high. [Some of you may get the reference.] I feel okay, like I am on track for a decent time in the mini (decent time for me), barring no further injury. And I know, no matter what, it’s going to be fun trying.
Here are my obligatory numbers for today:
| Total Time (h:m:s) | 1:18:12 | 9:38 pace |
|---|---|---|
| Distance (mi) | 8.1 | |
| Moving Speed (mph) | 6.2 avg. | 9.5 max. |
| Elevation Gain (ft) | +603 / -603 | |
| Temperature (F) | 22.5 F avg. | 24.8 F high |
| Wind Speed (mph) | NW 12.1 avg. | NW 13.8 max. |
Training plan for mini:
In addition to two weekday morning runs of around 3 miles every week, here is my plan for training for the 2008 Mini Marathon:
Jan. 19 – 8 miles [Done!]
Jan. 26 – 9 miles [Done!]
Feb. 02 – 10 miles [Done!]
Feb. 09 – 11 miles [Done!]
Feb. 16 – 12 miles [Done!]
Feb. 23 – 13 miles [Done!]
Mar. 01 – Anthem 5K [Done!]
Mar. 08 – 12 miles
Mar. 15 – Rodes 6 miles
Mar. 22 – 6 miles
Mar. 29 – Papa John’s 10 miles
Apr. 06 – 6 miles
Apr. 12 – 12 miles
Apr. 19 – 6 miles
Apr. 26 – Mini marathon
Several people have mentioned to me that I should use mittens. Today I went out and got a pair of Mountain Hardwear Ascent mittens, and I also have some Grabber 7 hour hand warmers. So I am now officially ready to combat cold hands.