Running in the cold isn't so bad once you get out there, its having the wherewithal to overcome the urge to sit in the warmth of your home and hibernate through spring. I have never really had a problem with tackling the ice and snow, but doing it everyday isn't something I would enjoy.
With that said, L and I decided to take part in
Columbus Running Company's Inspire Columbus Winter Challenge. According to the program,
Inspire Columbus is our January training challenge, a
program meant to inject some wintry fun into your miles during one of the
toughest training months. Once registered, challenge yourself to RUN OR WALK OUTDOORS EVERY DAY IN JANUARY. So despite the darkness, cold, ice, snow, wind or plague - we would have to run outside all 31 days of January. A cool, long sleeve technical shirt and the opportunity to win prizes were our incentives.
This didn't seem too daunting, then again we do enjoy days off each week. Nevertheless, we were ready for the 4 1/2 week gauntlet. My strategy was to pepper a fast two mile run in between every two days of four or more miles. The thinking was that a pending short run would leave a sort of "silver lining" during those days of long, cold & wet workouts.
About two weeks in and we started to feel the effects. Not having a day off every two or three days began putting a bit of a strain on the body. For me, it was mostly in the lumbar area of my back. It wasn't painful, but would get uncomfortable as my 44-year old muscles threatened to set themselves on fire. The challenge left both us more tired then we are used to being, but not so much that it was too taxing. When it was time to relax, we took full advantage.
Unfortunately, L had to bow out and take a break on day 16. Working with preschoolers, she came home with what seemed to be a touch of the flu - courtesy of the little ones from her Montessori school place of employment. She was disappointed, but not so much that not running for a day or two wouldn't make her smile. I, though, continued despite the visions of sugar plums dancing around a non-running day.
Day 18 was the first real test as I had to work on this Saturday and immediately thereafter would be headed for the
Columbus Winter Beerfest. So I needed to muster all I had to drag my reluctant body out for a pre-dawn jaunt. It didn't help that a winter weather advisory the night before came to fruition that morning. A wave of wind and freezing rain left everything in an ice cast and continued the rest of the day. This warranted the first use of the
Yaktrak of the year and a decent two mile effort through slush and kamikaze ice pellets under the cover of darkness was the result.
Upon returning and sitting on the floor, leaning up against the sofa in damp clothes and sleet attached to my face with a giant, hot cup of coffee, I repeat to myself,
"Thirteen more days, just thirteen more days."
Hoping to break up the monotony, I decided to throw in a 5k event which was to take place on day 25 of the winter challenge.
The 5th Line 5K would be a way to get a run in with some enthusiasm without it feeling like a stereotypical training run. The uptempo two mile efforts every couple of days, I thought, would assist in forcing the increased leg turnover needed for such faster races.
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The 5th Line 5K's signature would be the opportunity to "Finish On Center Ice" of
Nationwide Arena, home to the
Columbus Blue Jackets. We would start just outside the arena along Nationwide Boulevard, then onto West, Spring and Front Streets heading south.We would turn west on Rich, north on Washington Boulevard, then onto Broad, Marconi and Long Streets. The final portion of the return would take us back to Spring, West and Nationwide before entering the arena.
The first race of 2020 would be a great opportunity to attempt a sub 18:00 5k. I was hoping the 31 day winter challenge wouldn't leave my legs weary, leaving me to crash and burn on the back end of the race. We lucked out by missing out on the extreme cold (it was about 35 degrees) under a cloudy sky with a slight breeze.
I arrived early enough to sit near a second floor window in Nationwide Arena overlooking Nationwide Boulevard to watch folks arrive and warm up. With it being NHL All-Star Weekend in St. Louis, all hockey related things were hibernating. Also, this would be a solo effort as L had worked related things to tend to.
Finally making it outside, a leisurely one mile warm up made it less cold and more comfortable. As we gathered at the starting line, there were some familiar faces and plethora of high school kids piled up front. At the gun a couple of those familiar faces jump out front while I try to stay within myself among a group of teens. I'm at a comfortable pace and utilize my long stride to maintain fast pace without overdoing it.
A slight decline on West Street, turns into a miniature incline along W. Spring and we're headed south on Front Street. The front runners have some good distance and the smaller group I'm with begins to dwindle. A pair of high schoolers drift ahead of me, but I'm keeping them totally taking off and us them as my measuring stick. My watch buzzes to indicate mile one, but unlike all other races I don't glance for a time check as we turn onto Rich Street.
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| Just seconds after the start |
I feel comfortable and fluid and thought maybe a watch glance would make me think too much about what was going on. So, I stayed course and tried to stay as close to the two teens in front as me as I could. We navigate onto Washington Boulevard, pass the water stop, cross the Broad Street Bridge and head north on Marconi. Those two teens get a little further away as we turn onto Long Street and the mile two indication arrives. Again, I ignore any attempt to look at my watch and focus on what I'm doing as the fatigue is beginning to set it.
Working the arms and extending my legs as much as I can, I make the 180 degree turn along Hanover and back to W. Spring. It's crunch time now as we return to West Street and a slight incline, Nationwide Arena is now in full view at the end of the street. The teens are maintaining their distance, but I now hear not-so distant footsteps behind me. I'm wondering when I should begin forcing the issue if/when I get challenged.
We reach the end of West Street, cross Nationwide Boulevard onto the service road toward the arena's loading dock & ramp into the venue. Those distant footsteps are no longer distant and are now accompanied by labored breathing. He has yet to come into my peripheral, so I hatch a quick plan of attack just in case. We move from the service road into the loading dock area and turn toward the arena ramp. Instead of waiting for him to attempt a pass, I beat him to the punch and throw what I have left in and sprint up the ramp, onto the arena floor and cross the finish at what would be center ice.
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| Finishing at center ice, holding off the dude in white. |
It was nice to begin recovering in the warmth of the arena, as well forcing luke warm air into one's constricted lungs rather than the chilly winter atmosphere outside. I grab my medal and some water and turn back to the dude I held off.
"I thought for sure I was gonna catch you!," he says as we congratulate one another. Forcing a smile I relate,
"My kick is short and sweet, I had to wait as long as I could before letting go." I can't say I know him, but his name is familiar as I tend to see it in various race standings somewhere around mine. On this day, I bested him by two seconds - finishing in 17:26.
I wanted to celebrate a return to the sub 18:00 5k, but was a little disappointed as my watch indicated a distance of only 2.99 miles - not the standard 5k distance of 3.1. Though, if you do the math I would have easily broken the 18:00 barrier had the race been 528 feet longer. That is, of course, barring any unforeseen circumstances. With that said, it was great to see some consistent mile times of 5:45, 5:43 & 5:56. Overall, I finished 8th out of 3,011 and first in my age group.
Afterwards, I went home to relax and watch some college hoops. L & I eventually finished the day with beers at
Staas Brewing and a game of Scrabble while struggling to tune out the overexcited Pub Shuffleboard players next to us screaming their enthusiasm loud enough to slow the flurries pelting the City of Delaware.
So, when all was said and done, the Inspire Winter Columbus Challenge saw me run on all 31 days of January for a total of *
107.43* miles. I think my strategy of adding a fast two mile run in between every two days of 4 to 5 miles made it easier on the mind and the body. And how did we celebrate the end of the challenge? L & I made a return trip to
South Haven, Michigan to run the
Break the Ice 5k as part of the
Ice Breaker Festival on February 1st!!
We made this trip at this time last year on a whim for L's birthday and it gave the phrase
"ice cold" a new meaning. We made a return trip for our honeymoon last August to enjoy the city during the human-friendly weather. In 2019 I finished in 19:00 flat while attempting to keep myself upright in the packed snow and ice, but the sunshine made it more bearable. As for L, she finished in 26:45. It was to be cold again, of course, but not arctic and would not resemble Siberia.
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| Break the Ice 5k |
This year, there were only remnants of the snow that had fallen days before. There wasn't any ice on Lake Michigan, but we did have some sleet and a nice headwind. As we were standing at the starting line, I overheard this woman next to me talking about the lake she said someone had told her about. She mentioned to those she was addressing that she hadn't seen it and wasn't sure what lake it was.
"Lake Michigan? Really? That's the lake we'll be running by? Which direction is it? Huh, I had no idea we were that close?", as she continued to be bewildered that a giant inland ocean was less than half a mile away from us.
And I will not mention the fact that we had 15 to 20 mph winds on this day which made the said huge body of water, as well as the
Black River and the
harbor/marina area (both of which were a tenth of a mile away from us), very angry. You could hear the crashing waves from where we were, there was no mistaking the obvious continuous hum of the restless Great Lake. Maybe she was one of those characters from
The Langoliers who didn't believe what Dinah was hearing and is just accepting the fact she will soon be eaten by those creatures who consume time which has passed.
Anyway, for the life of me, I could not figure how this woman had made it South Haven without seeing, hearing or knowing that this 22,400 square mile sea surrounded by four states - that was audibly growling at all of us - was behind her? Back to the task at hand, as the police escort arrived we began heading south on Kalamazoo Street. A group of five us trailed a pack of two who were leading the way and the pace wasn't too fast, or all that slow. As the slightly inclined straight stretch continued, some of our group drifted back as the snow & sleet mix began falling and driven into us by the powerful lake wind.
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Turning into the straight stretch finish as Lake Michigan
& South Haven Lighthouse guard the harbor |
At mile one, the 5:57 was ideal for possibly picking up the pace later in the race. As we turned onto Lovejoy Avenue, one of those among the front running two began falling off the pace. The lead runner was in full race mode and barring any mishaps, wouldn't be caught on this day. Among a teen and dude around my age, we slowly reeled in the fading gentleman in front of us. Once we turn back north on Monroe Boulevard, we drift by him and our mile two (5:56) was even with the first mile.
Now on a slight decline for the next mile, the pace has picked up. I pull even with the teen and the older dude is directly behind us as the wind is at our back. We are now running alongside the picturesque Lake Michigan urging us along with each crashing wave and the
South Haven Lighthouse & Pier standing firm among the swirling winds.
As we approach Erie Street the teen and the dude drift in front, we turn downhill into the beach and pier parking lot. The teen steps it up and disappears through the parking lot and into the turn toward the finishing area. The dude and I do the same with me trailing by about five yards, but he's drifting away. As expected, mile three was much faster (5:40) though I'm not finding another gear to push up the finishing incline. I eventually cross at 18:04 and in fourth place, an improvement to last year's ninth place finish on the course measuring (by my watch) 3.09 miles.
Moments later, L arrives and finishes 46th with one of her best 5k times (24:32). What makes this race cool is that it benefits the
South Haven Public Schools Middle and High School Cross-Country teams and the students design the logo for the shirts each year. The logos are unique and quite outstanding. I will be happy to travel up here each year to enjoy the atmosphere and take home the unique experience.
As
Groundhog Day arrived we saw our shadow, but did not run for the first time in 32 days. Though we did have a four hour drive home, but since it was Super Bowl Sunday we were treated to a great game and even a Monday off to finish the weekend. I ran every day of January and the first 32 days of 2020 and I survived, despite repeated efforts to find an excuse to take a break.
Yeah, it wasn't easy but I think I made it out alright...
We are young, we run green
Keep our teeth nice and clean
See our friends, see the sights
Feel alright
We wake up, we go out
Smoke a fag, put it out
See our friends, see the sights
Feel alright
Are we like you?
I can't be sure
Of the scene, as she turns
We are strange, in our worlds
But we are young, we get by
Can't go mad, ain't got time
Sleep around if we like
But we're alright
Got some cash, bought some wheels
Took it out, through some fields
Lost control, hit a wall
But we're alright
Are we like you?
I can't be sure
Of the scene, as she turns
We are strange, in our worlds
