Bah Humbug, Winter.
This time of year it becomes particularly hard to maintain the motivation to run outside in Michigan. Take tonight, for example. It's currently dark and 23 degrees with a brisk wind. I considered going for a run. Then I thought nah I'll do yoga instead. Then I picked the best of three options - a grilled cheese made with a ton of Gouda and a few glasses of wine. This is what you drive me to Michigan winters.
Last weekend I decided to run the Scrooge Scramble 5k in Old Town, Lansing. I ran the inaugural race for years ago, and it was relatively quiet. This year I pulled into Old Town about 20 minutes before the race thinking I had a ton of time. There were people everywhere which is fantastic...unless you need to find a place to park. I managed to find a parking spot and ran to pick up my packet and then ran to put my new knit hat (so much better than another t-shirt) in my car.
It was a ridiculously cold morning, but that's why I have an absurd amount of Under Armour cold gear. The race is an out and back on the Lansing River Trail where I do a lot of my distance training. I started out extremely fast and ended up lagging a bit at the finish. I still finished in a respectable 26:27 - still 27 seconds off my PR but not too shabby given the cold and my lack of speed work.
Saturday was also the 7th Annual Dickens Village in Old Town where the neighborhood is transformed with people dressed as Dickens characters and tons of family friendly activities. I headed back to Old Town after I showered (and warmed up) to browse at October Moon and Grace and buy a Christmas gift for my niece at Katalyst Gallery. I love Old Town, and with all of the traffic on Saturday it felt like I was in a different city. And I dug it.
I'll be taking it easy the next few weeks before I start taking 2014 by storm with races (including the New York City Marathon!) and excessive speed work. This upcoming year is the year I will break 26 minutes in the 5k. I'm going to allow myself to be a Scrooge just for a few weeks until I push myself through the ice and snow again. Bah Humbug, Michigan winter.
Last weekend I decided to run the Scrooge Scramble 5k in Old Town, Lansing. I ran the inaugural race for years ago, and it was relatively quiet. This year I pulled into Old Town about 20 minutes before the race thinking I had a ton of time. There were people everywhere which is fantastic...unless you need to find a place to park. I managed to find a parking spot and ran to pick up my packet and then ran to put my new knit hat (so much better than another t-shirt) in my car.
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| All smiles at the start |
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| All focus at the finish |
Saturday was also the 7th Annual Dickens Village in Old Town where the neighborhood is transformed with people dressed as Dickens characters and tons of family friendly activities. I headed back to Old Town after I showered (and warmed up) to browse at October Moon and Grace and buy a Christmas gift for my niece at Katalyst Gallery. I love Old Town, and with all of the traffic on Saturday it felt like I was in a different city. And I dug it.
I'll be taking it easy the next few weeks before I start taking 2014 by storm with races (including the New York City Marathon!) and excessive speed work. This upcoming year is the year I will break 26 minutes in the 5k. I'm going to allow myself to be a Scrooge just for a few weeks until I push myself through the ice and snow again. Bah Humbug, Michigan winter.
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