Well not quite the week I drew up in my running log....ergo why I write in Pencil........
Monday Jan 15th, the proverbial " calm before the storm" we'd known for a few days that after two years of no snow here in the city that was going to come to an end....of course the last two years I wasn't training for a feckin Fall Marathon.........
Took advantage of being off work for Martin Luther King day and ran in the early afternoon out and back along Powelton Avenue/Mantua Avenue, a mile or so in the snow flakes began to fall and by days end we'd gotten 3'' of snow
In 48 years of running I've obviously encountered my fair share of smart arse, dumb comments it comes w/ the territory I've heard them all" run he's catching you" "Run Forest Run" { popular in the 90's....} to my perennial favourite when I lived in Port Richmond from some fat slob drinking beer on his door step w/ a his beer gut hanging out over his shorts" I've seen better legs on a fuckin' table".......{rich coming from such a fine human specimen such as himself!!!}
I never " rise to the bait" A they've won if they think they've gotten to you plus B if you encounter them again and they think they got to you the first time they're going to have something else smart to yell so better to keep going w/out a reply....... my first idiot today was a young kid on his bike on Mantua Avenue just after the turnaround " he's catching you" .....whatever in one ear out the other which must've annoyed him as he had some other comment when I didn't respond arsehole if I didn't " take the bait" the first time do you really think your second cat call is the one to get under my skin?
Granted he's a kid it's what I expect the next one however was from an adult, who in my opinion is old enough to know better..........as I was reaching the corner of 46th and Chestnut Streets I could see the light was red but w/ a quick glance to my right I could see there was no on coming traffic so I could keep going w/out having to stop at the light.......as I continued my run this idiot on the corner at the top of his lungs starts screaming "RUN.....RUN.....RUN......"
Now kids I expect it from you're an adult you should know better but hey you want to look like a complete arsehole to anyone in that vicinity you go right ahead.....as the old saying goes "better to let them think you're an idiot, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt......ya big feckin bollix"
I've said time and time again idiot comments only serve to make me ran further, harder and faster and to prove a point my final mile split was 7.58 after splits of:8.02-8.42-8.14-8.10-8.04......thanks Gobshite!
Wednesday Jan 17th in what's fast becoming a trend this month had to sit out a Tuesday lunchtime run today due to freezing rain
I had two options brave the freezing rain or wait it out a day, the caveat of waiting was the severe drop in temps but it would at least be dry, I opted for cold and dry!
Doing my best ''Nanook Of The North" impression to brave the temps that were"25 degrees but feels like 13 degrees" I went double layers, two pairs of socks a long sleeve running shirt under my short sleeve t shirt under my half zip, two pairs of gloves a face mask and hat and trusty 3/4 length running tights under my 3/4 length bottoms, I knew once I got going up Market Street towards the Schuylkill River my body temperature would rise and{ hopefully!!!} keep me warm
Can honestly say I didn't feel the cold.....in fairness I was trying NOT to think about how feckin cold it actually was out there and also focus on avoiding any ice patches on the ground that could upend me, happy to report a successful 6 miler w/out Frostbite or going the proverbial " arse over tit".....
Thursday Jan 18th More of the same although mercifully not at Baltic as yesterday
Actually forgot to put my Garmin in my backpack b4 leaving the house this morning but frankly at this point given my daily sojurns up and back along the Schuylkill if I don't know where the 3 mile turnaround is there's no hope for me, some days it's good NOT to be a slave to the Garmin and obsess over time, speed, pace and just log the miles and enjoy the run........
Sadly Thursday would be my last run for the week, after NO Snow for two years we got hit twice in five days on Monday and Friday, 3'' on Monday and between 4''-6'' on Friday, usually the " official" totals for the city are from Philadelphia International Airport which recorded 4.6" on Friday.......however according to Accu Weather on #6 there were 5.9'' of snow in Belmont........you know where I like to do my Saturday long runs............
I knew the hills were out on Saturday and maybe I could've " chanced my arm" and hoped the Schuylkill River Trail had been ploughed, but that wasn't a given......SO a line in the snow had to be drawn and I called it a week
Runners don't subscribe to the " less is more" mindset, it's not in our DNA but every once in a while you have to say ok a low mileage week it is and let the legs freshen up, I'm gutted as my last eight weeks have been:30-32-36-36-36-36-38-38 and this week has to go down as 18 but '' Caution is the better part of valour" ask Steve Ovett how his 83 season went after he clattered his knee on a Church railing.......I can't risk an injury in the snow and Ice w/ Dublin 40 weeks away........
We go again next week......
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