Days 24 – 29: Revenge of the Snow

The past few days have been white outs. It has snowed more than I ever imagined it would. I was making fun of people for worrying about the snow and now here I am snowed in for the 6^th day in a row. I don’t know how runners in mountainous climates run in the snow. I assume they have ice tracking gadgets on their running shoes and run in very hefty warm clothing. Or maybe they all run on treadmills during the worse of the winter months. I don’t know. But I do know that this snow is starting to suck. I literally did not leave my house all weekend. Therefore no exercise for me. I finally got to the gym yesterday and did a quick 4.2 miles on the treadmill and well as a little legwork on the bike.

The treadmill was fine. Not great, just fine; it served its purpose, which is what I wanted. I know running on a treadmill doesn’t give you half the workout of running on actual outdoor conditions, but it’s better than nothing. I did figure out a way to break up the monotonousness of running on a treadmill. I ran 2.1 miles on one treadmill in the gym and then moved to a different one, which had a great view for the last 2.1 miles. This split up helped me focus while I was on the treadmill, but relax in knowing that I wouldn’t be in the same place for too long. I also kept changing up the incline so that I had to work harder and keep my brain stimulated. Too often on treadmills, one does sort of turn into a hamster on a wheel, which is unbearable.

I took my time on the run and kept the pace very easy so not to strain my knee and to, just in general, be safe since I hadn’t really exercised in 4 days. While I am almost positive another snow like will NOT occur any time soon, it has made me seriously consider buying a fitness machine of some sort for my place. This way I can stay inside and still stay in shape on these horrid wintery days. With that said, I will always prefer to chance it out in the snow than run inside. Why don’t they make something cheap and easy for people who usually exercise out doors, but can’t every once in a while?

Long story short, I am going stir crazy from being cooped up inside and am very much looking forward to the end of the snow regime. I almost can’t wait for my next outdoor run, even if it’s in several feet of snow and sleet.