12 Miles, New Shoes & Tattoos

The title for this one may be a little deceiving.  I did run 12 miles today, but not in my new shoes. 

This morning was a little colder than I had expected.  When last I looked (yesterday afternoon) the temperature was only supposed to get to around 31 degrees as the low.  When I started my long run this morning it was 28 degrees, and I can assure you, those 3 degrees made a huge difference in how I started and continued from start to finish.

I was properly dressed for a 35 - 40 degree run.  I could take a couple degrees cooler and be okay, but nearly ten degrees was a bit much.  No gloves meant my hands were cold for almost two hours even though I had long sleeves on, pulled over my fingers.  No hat meant my head was loosing precious heat, but I did at least have a head band on to keep my forehead from freezing.

Once I got through the first three miles things settled down.  The sun had started to produce some light and raise the temperature slightly.  There were very few people out.  I think I saw about seven cars altogether, and only one other runner.  Usually at the lake I'll see much more than that, but I suppose the colder weather kept even the hardiest at home.  What I did see were deer, seven of them throughout the run. 

Part of the lake was frozen as well.  I was running across the dam while the sun was a glowing orange orb, slightly above the horizon, reflecting brightly on the frozen lake.  It was a gorgeous sight, one so many people missed, but I was there taking in the beauty of it all - all to myself, and I relished in that fact.

I finally warmed up around mile 9 and my calves did not feel tight any more.  Yesterday was an unscheduled speed workout.  Three miles in the Vibram FiveFingers made for really tight legs this morning, but it worked out over time.  By mile 11 I couldn't tell if my legs were tired, sore from yesterday, or just numb from the cold - it was actually nice not feeling anything!

At any rate, I did not do this run in my new Saucony Kinvara 2's.  I still have a bit of life left in the last pair, so I'll hold off on putting miles on the new ones until a couple of weeks before the ORRRC Marathon.  My hope is that this pair will get me through that race and the Flying Pig - mileage is a concern, but I'm hopeful.

Today's run was nice, though a tad cold.  Next week I add another 2 miles to the long run.  This week has been good.  No pain, five runs, 32 miles altogether.  Looking forward to another great week of running - and as a side note, possible tattoos, but I'll leave you hanging with that thought.