marathon training entry #2

8 in 8  I did an 8 mile run on local streets (several two mile loops strung together. I kept passing the same people shoveling, I can't imagine what they were thinking!) Anyone who lives in Michigan (or lived in Michigan) knows what 8 inches of snow looks like. Here's the good, the bad and the ugly on running in it.The Good - On several sidewalks mine were the only footprints. Since I was running loops, I got to tread in my own treads a few times. The first time around, I was fully charged and traveling at a good pace. Repeated times around the loop I was successively tired. Making myself run in my own treads had a treadmill-like effect in that it forced me to keep my pace up. The Bad - The roads had been plowed, but you know what that's like, there's still an inch of packed snow on the ground. With every stride I made, the force of my push caused my foot to slip back a little, it felt like about a half an inch. This meant I was adding an inch to my run with each period of my pace. Not much in the short run, but 8 miles is a lot of strides. How much did I add on?The Ugly - Sidewalks in different states of clear. Most of them were completely shoveled and had a slight layer of freshly fallen snow on them. Some were still covered in all eight inches, a VERY interesting sensation on spandex covered legs. And then there were the banks of snow at the end of each sidewalk. It was a long distance run with hurdles.An Amusing Anecdote - Somewhere around mile 6 a girl was walking in the same direction I was running. Since I was moving kind of slow and it was a quiet winters' day, we had a short conversation as I passed her. First she questioned my sanity for being out jogging on a day like this. Then she asked if I was cold. I told her no, instead I was very hot. She asked how long I had been out. I replied about an hour. She again questioned whether I was cold. I said my body was warm, but my face was cold. She said "well that's because your face isn't jogging!"