I run more for pleasure now and running outside when the temps are below freezing, the wind is howling, too much ice or snow greets my footsteps, just is not something I choose to do very often anymore.

There is no need for me prove my bonefides as an all season runner and there is much more to say about staying safe and uninsured over the course of a winter.

This point was driven home painfully for me yesterday, while walking in the driveway with Bennie, I suddenly found myself headed down to the icy ground. Somehow my left hand landed under me and for a few seconds the pain was pretty excruciating.

I was almost sure that I had broken my wrist. I laid there for about 30 seconds collecting myself, while Mary was asking if I was okay.

Luckily, the pain started to subside this morning and was able to move it all around, so I was pretty worried about how much damage I had done to myself this time.

The wrist definitely hurt and while I felt good enough to finish Bennie’s walk, it was still pretty damn sore. Overnight it was still bothering a bit. I kind of figured at around 2:00 AM that I would be headed over to Express Care to get an X-Ray. No I don’t take pain-killers very often, and I didn’t yesterday, so I had a pretty good idea of how much it actually hurt.

However, when I woke up the wrist snapped and felt a lot better, so I decided to forego the X-Ray. Even so I still can’t put any weight on it, but I am pretty sure that it ain’t broke because I chipped ice, spread sand in the driveway and worked around the house without too many problems.

So I dodged one this time, but at the same time, this is also why I have become more judicious about when I run outside now. Snow covered ice is something I avoid whenever possible.

Planned Workout Description:

Usually Friday’s are my easy or rest day, but since I did that yesterday (ending my 20 day run streak) and when I looked at the weather forecast – it’s going to be a wee bit chilly on Saturday, I decided to do it today.

Comments:

The weather today was reasonable, but running around the house due how narrow the roads are and the amount of ice/snow/slush on the sides and down-back made it unsafe for me to run more than laps in front of the house. No way I was going to do that for a longer run.

So I went into Waterville for my run. It has wider roads and usually is plowed a little better than Sidney and it has more cut-off places to get back to the truck if I run into issues.

Today’s run was not anything really earth shattering, when running during winter weather, you have to be a bit more flexible around what days you do your different runs. The weather does play a huge factor in what I do outside for running at this point in my life.

This was not supposed to be a fast run and I had to keep reminding myself to stick to the plan. I just wanted to keep running slowly and keep going.

I did have pit stops in Winslow and Colby, it is strange how running gets things moving like that.

I do have to admit that I was glad when the run was over, I was pretty well toast. It felt good to get over double-digits again, but I have to start doing it more often. The 7-8 mile runs are okay, but there is something about the longer runs that gets the old body actually working.

However, my Garmin screwed up and didn’t record the workout correctly, so I didn’t get splits or those wonderful graph, but I got the important stats.

Variables that impacted the run: The roads in Waterville were better than Sidney, but they still were not great and gave me a lot better idea of how the Propels will work, the wind was a more a factor than I thought it would be and I overdressed.

• Day: Friday

• Type of Workout: Long Run

• Course: JFK Hannaford – Winslow – Colby Loop

• Distance: 11.01

• Duration: 1:43:44

• Pace: 9:25

• Clothes: Adidas socks, calf sleeves, Adidas running pants, Reebok compression shorts, tech s/s shirt, tech l/s shirt, Brooks orange running jacket, Asics beanie, Adidas ball cap, running mittens

• Rating (1-4): 2

• Running Streak Day #: 1

• Weather: Partly cloudy, 43*F @ Fred’s Coffee, Wind stronger than I thought out of the south

Shoes: Mileage (37.0) – New Balance Fuel Cell Propel – The left big toe had a few distracting moments, but otherwise they did everything that I wanted during my long run

How did this run move me towards my goal(s)? Long run

Cardio Total: 2.78

Weight: 156 A/R