Cliff Cave Park

I went with my friend Joe today to run in Cliff Cave Park. The winter months are when I tend to like to run with someone more. Having that other person is more motivation to run in the cold. I used to absolutely HATE the cold before I began running. I wouldn't say I necessarily like it now, but I have developed a much better tolerance for it. Once you get going, it's not so bad. Once you stop moving again is when it REALLY feels cold, as the sweat cools off.
The temperature when we headed out this morning was about 34, but with the wind, around 25. Thank goodness for running tights*. I don't know what I would do without mine.
Joe picked me up in his FIRE TRUCK he owns, which is a tad difficult for someone that's only 5'2" to climb up into. It was an awesome ride though. Very bouncy. I can't believe I know someone with a fire truck. Well, my brother actually is a firefighter, but that doesn't count.
Anyway, we got to the park and decided to run the river trail, which is mostly flat. There are cliff trails, but it's pretty muddy out after snow melt and rain, and quite honestly, I don't know if I can handle cliff trails just yet. So, we hit the river trail. I had to stop and walk twice after the halfway mark, due to a side stitch. That is one thing I have noticed getting back into running: I get side stitches often. I got them a lot when I very first started running, and I am assuming it's due to not breathing properly. I guess it makes sense that I would have them again. I'm sure I lost my breathing rhythm during that 2 month hiatus.
It was a good run, though, totaling 4.3 miles with an average pace of 10 min/mile. My pace has almost gone back to before, which surprises me a little. My average pace pre-injury was around 9:40 or so.



*When you pick up a new activity or hobby, there are always accessories or gadgets to go along with it. A whole part of my wardrobe is now running gear, which I really didn't even know existed until I got into it. Of course, it just becomes another thing you have to buy. I love bringing home a new pair of running shorts or a cute running hat. My most recent purchase was my new Asics trail running shoes, which I love (I highly recommend you get some; great for snow running), but before that it was a winter headband to cover the ears that also includes a ponytail slot. Love it.

Distance: 4.31 miles  Average pace: 10:02/mile

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cold Carondelet night

This weather is killing me. We get a bunch of snow, then it melts, then we have some random weird warm days, then below zero. I don't mind the cold. I used to hate it but now, eh. I don't like this back and forth shit though. I would rather it just stays one way or the other. And the snow definitely makes being consistent with running more difficult. So this week, once again, snow was in the forecast. This meant I wanted to try to get a run in before it was too messy. I didn't really want to do a night run, but it's pretty difficult to avoid in the winter like this. My friend Joe had volleyball Monday night, so we planned to meet at the Y after his game, putting the run at about 8:15. It was very cold, and the dark made it feel even colder. We headed out from the Y into Carondelet park and did a couple laps around the park. I had woken up Monday morning feeling the results of the fall on my stairs the day before, and I was a little skeptical about running that evening,
Read more

Bringing in the New Year right

Well, here I am, two posts behind again...how time slips away from you...I made a conscious decision this year that instead of bringing in the New Year with a massive hangover and no energy that day, I would bring it in a more healthy manner. Now, last year, I wasn't TOO hung over, since I just went to my sister's and had some wine. I also went out and ran on NY day last year, albeit not until 1:30 in the afternoon. I wanted to do that again this year. On NYE, I hit up Forest Park after work and did a short run, since I planned on being out the next morning. I've realized that making my body do two runs in twelve hours is not always the best choice. It was very empty at Forest Park, and I only saw maybe 3 other runners. I assumed most people were gearing up for a night of drinking. That evening, I went to my friend Lisa's around 8. I hung out with her (she's pregnant) and her friend Aubrey and Aubrey's super adorable daughter, Ava. Ava was quite fond of me, as
Read more

Balaclava

Image
It's Christmas Eve day. Some people might have gone out this morning to run in order to counter all those calories they would be consuming later in the day. Not me. I don't have any holiday eating to do until the day after Christmas. I still went for a run though. It was 10 degrees when I left my house. It was the perfect morning to try out my new Saucony Balaclava. In case you don't know what a Balaclava is, it's very similar to a ski mask, with a cutout for the eye area and that's it. It's supposed to be awesome for cold weather running. I've never bought one before because I wear glasses, and whenever I've run with something covering my nose and mouth, my breath just ends up going up my face and fogging up my glasses. The Balaclava I found is a tighter fitting spandex-y material and it has a mouth vent. I chose a neighborhood run this morning, taking Broadway, making a lap around Jefferson Barracks park, then circling back. This route was 5.5 miles
Read more