Last week at this time we hunkering down for the Nor’eastah that was gonna clobber Central Maine. It did and it was a tough week for running with the resulting exhaustion that went along with it from moving all that s@#% around..
There was LOTS of snow
AND
yes, I got yet another pair of new shoes, only in 2E. The first time that I remember ever getting a pair of 2E’s. With only two runs in the new shoes, they have made me wish I had done it sooner.
Snowy Week
Let’s be real, 16 miles ain’t my normal weekly mileage, but with everything going on last week, it was probably 6 miles too many.
What in the world makes you say that Harold?
Let’s start with Monday.
The blizzard came we ended up with over 30 inches of the white s@#%! Yeah, over two feet. This was not my first go around with a blizzard like this, so I knew that in order to keep up with it, that I would have to go out and do the drive 3-4 times with the snowblower.
The snowblower does a lot better with a foot or less and over 2 feet, well it will do it, but stresses the machinery a lot more – repair costs time and money. So starting at 7:00 AM and over the course of the day, I got to walk circles in the yard on four different occasions in the snow and cold.
During the height of the storm, I had to roof rake the house (there was just too much snow on the roofs) and then Mary and I cleaned the roof of the garage (shoveling all that snow and worrying about staying upright on the roof with a base from a previous ice storm wasn’t fun). However, we worked as a team and got it done.
My Garmin activity tracker said I did over 22.0 miles and the worst part, except to sort of quick walk Bennie I never left the yard.
It was like a super long run for me (my long runs now are 6-8 miles), while carrying 5-10 lbs weights in each hand. Needless to say I was completely toast when I finished my last snowblowing at 9:15 PM that day.
Tuesday
Started out leaving the house at 6:15 AM and helping SD2 finish cleaning her driveway and then driving her to work. The roads were still pretty nasty – lots of focus needed to stay out of the ditch.
Wednesday
Actually got break from shoveling and ended up running on the treadmill, but I felt like crap, but did run well. However, I also knew the tank was empty and that I wouldn’t be running at all on Thursday.
Thursday
The forecast called for 8-12, with a chance of 14+. We lucked out and “only” got 6 inches of the white s@#%. Which meant that I had to get up at 5:10 AM, do the driveway, get SD2 (the roads were horrible again), help clean her yard and get her to work for 8:00. Definitely a no running day.
Friday
Another treadmill run, but every mile of the 3.0 miles was just ungh. Didn’t have anything left to give, I was still exhausted.
Saturday
First run in the New Balance 860 2E’s. A nice 5.0 miler right out of the box, they felt great.
Sunday
Still a little tired, but ran 4.0 miles with Bennie and we tested out how the 860’s felt at a faster pace. They passed the test quite nicely.
New Shoes
You can read more about the why’s and how the New Balance 860 2E’s did here, but so far I am very happy with how they are working for me. It is too soon to call them good shoes or anything, but the initial impression has been quite good.
Adidas Adios 3 – Still working great, but I wouldn’t want them to be my primary trainers – not quite enough running shoe for me. However, I do run well in them.
Mizuno Kazan 2’s – Not worth a lot in snow or mud, the outsole clogs up and just becomes a racing slick. Not what I want when I get in nasty stuff and still plan on staying upright. They are great walking shoes or wear-arounds with my jeans, but for the purpose I got them – they ain’t working. Gonna have to find something else that will work for running outside in the winter, mud running downback and on trails around heah.
I will wait a while before I go looking too far and will probably get my PI N1 Trails out of the truck and put a pair of the Kazan’s in there to replace it. The Kazan’s in my eyes are a road shoe with a little extra rubber on the bottom. I can run okay in them, but since I started running in the 860’s, that little less room in the toe box of the Kazan’s is actually pretty noticeable.
A tough week to get miles in, but never fear, I definitely got plenty of exercise and a pair of new running shoes. The never-ending quest continues, but I have a feeling that I am a step closer to the solution than I was last week at this time.
Harold's Blog 