Slushy, snowy sixteen- harumpph!

This was what was outside the window on Saturday morning. I grumpily and slowly donned my gear, selfishly sending Tim out all alone to stash gatorade along the route. Once again, we worked backwards along the marathon course from Beacon Street up Commonwealth Avenue, through the Newton Hills and back.

I woke up on the wrong side of the bed and had probably one of the most challenging runs this season. I hate wet feet. Hate, hate, hate. And for the first few miles, I tried to fool myself that if I took care with my footing, I would get through the run without too much sogginess. Ha! Running up Beacon Street against traffic (sidewalks unshoveled!) and on a slope, torrents of water literally sloshed over the tops of my sneakers. To add to the mix, plows had cleared the car lanes, but not the bike lane, which was piled deep with slush. This made for a 'slap slap' sound as we pigeon-stepped. Lovely. I could hear Tim's shoes going 'squish squish' as we ran- mine enviably filled with orthotics which dampened the sound effects.

The good thing was that the winds were not there! The predicted gusts never came, and the temperature was definitely over freezing. And the best thing were the other runners who all were so friendly- it definitely made a difference!

Our times were pretty slow. We really did have a tough time navigating in and out of lanes of traffic, sidewalks, slush and puddles, but by the 2nd half of the run picked up to run between 8:30 and 8:40's or so. Overall, we did beat the 9 minute mile, but it was quite a challenge! I was grumpy pretty much the whole way through and I am sure I was a horrible person to have to run with.

How to choose wet weather running gear: When running in wet weather, remember to think about your clothes- picking close fitting tights will help more than baggy running pants. Same goes for your top- Tim likes his Under Armour top, layered with a Craft top on cold days or a light windbreaker on mild days- I prefer Smart Wool, followed by a Sporthill stretchy jacket. Make sure to think long and hard about chafing and use Glide or other lubricants liberally on areas that rub like feet and bra contact points. I used a double layer Wright sock underneath my running socks to cut down on friction, and it worked just fine! If rain or snow look to occur through the run, think about lidded headgear like a basball cap. The downside is that it's tricky to take off and carry if not needed, but the plus side is that you don't get snow, ice or rain slapping you in the face.

Well, off to work on revamping my attitude for the coming week. Here's to meeting a challenge and hope to spend the coming week working on my other challenge- fundraising.