The porta potty is my friend

How happy am I that our town kept some of the porta potties down at the trail for the winter.

It's very obvious that I am the only one using it, it truly feels like home. Well not really. Taking your bottoms off at -30 is no fun albeit necessary when I know I won't make it back home. 

Just a short update. 6 miles yesterday, just easy recovery miles. I will do 8 today, with 4 X 800 meters hard effort. Mustering up courage again to get it done. It's getting cold again. -30C/-22F forecasted for the coming week. On a positive note, the days are getting a bit longer. Spring can't come soon enough for me but I know I have a few months to go yet. 

45 mile week

Finished a 45 mile week today. It was a tough one. I don't think the temp. was above -30 for the entire week. It's been extremely cold for 2 weeks now and I had enough. I really need a little break. Hopefully next week is better.

Sunrise this morning.

I did 12 miles today but I divided it in a morning and an afternoon run. I just can't run that long in this cold. It's too hard on my body.

Polar vortex dog. Allie loves running outside in this weather

I also have to find a way to keep my butt and thighs warmer, they just get too cold no matter the layers. Anybody with suggestions feel free to let me know. 

Ok enough with the whining. I am still going and part of the success is for sure  you people reading this blog. This week I was seriously contemplating the treadmill but I made a deal with myself to run through winter so I'm going to keep at it. 

Thanks for reading. :)

What a difference a day makes

Beautiful sunny day to run 6 miles. Can't believe what a difference of 10 degrees of windchill makes.

The temperature today was the same as yesterday -20C/-5F however the windchill today is -27C/-14F compared to -37C/-34F. This really made my run a lot easier. My bones were not so sore and I did not have to wear as many layers.

Sunset in freezing clear temperatures can be gorgeous. The snow reflects the beautiful pastel colors of the sky.

I want it back!!

This will be just a short post. As some of you may know our truck was stolen at the airport when we came back from vacation and today is a lot of phone calls and paper work. It was an old truck so not insured for theft. UGH! I really hope we'll get it back, but still it's just money....

This is where the truck used to be..

Today was another brutally cold day in the frozen tundra. The forecast said -20C/-5F but it had a wind chill warning. With the wind it was -37C/-34F. That is quite a difference but very important for outdoor activity. That means an extra layer on my head and one for my legs.

I did 7 miles and got way too hot. It's almost impossible to dress for outdoor activity in this weather because safety will tell you to dress a certain way but the body eventually does warm up and produces a lot of energy. My legs actually never really warm up so running is hard on those legs.

The reason I mention the temperature on almost every post is that I really need it for my own feedback, this way I will be able to look back and learn from how I felt. But also I have noticed that I get a lot more traffic for my blog on days that I mention the temperature compared to days that I don't. Especially from other cold countries like Sweden, Lapland, Russia etc. I really hope other runners get inspired and get the courage to run in their climate. It's possible and rewarding!

Finally a picture from the northern lights. I did not take this picture but I've seen it this beautiful. I guess you need a good camera for that. There's beauty everywhere, go outside and look for it!!

From plus 30 to minus 35

And I'm back!!

After my last post I did not get to run again in Nicaragua. I had too much diarrhea and felt too weak. Fortunately I was not too sick to enjoy my vacation. I felt ok but too weak to run. I tried it once again but felt shaky and my heart really started to race. It just did not feel good.

Poor me feeling not so good ^

The t-shirt says run now wine later hahaha, I thought that was funny.

Goodness I look really terrible and visibly dehydrated in this picture.

I'm back in Canada now and happy to have free health care. I had all my fluids in and out of my body tested right away. No results yet but we'll see.

The good thing is that I feel basically normal again so I went for a run today.

It was -35C/-29F. Yes that is quite a difference to the heat and humidity in Nicaragua. But nothing that good clothing can't handle. 

I don't know what I dislike more, extreme cold or extreme heat. I can handle dry heat like in arid desert climates but humidity is truly a battle for me. 

I did 5 easy miles today. I thought it might still be a bit difficult so I prepared to go real slow but surprisingly I felt very good. I played a little with my tempo but kept it easy. Hopefully I will stay ok and be able to pick up regular daily training again. 

I noticed that in this extreme cold shoes do not cushion at all. Whatever shoe I'm wearing it feels like a racing flat. I had noticed it before but not really paid attention to it. This time I really felt it. I guess the material it is made of is not working in these temperatures. It's not a big deal since the snow softens the landing on pavement anyway. I tried out a pair of shoes that I bought for winter running a few years ago but did not like. I actually do like them now, they are stiff but work well in this cold. They also have a double insulated layer so that my feet stay nice and warm.

Saucony pro grid razor ^ worth a try if you live in a cold or wet climate

No matter what, running outside is awesome. Forward movement is a wonderful thing!

Travel time

Long run this Saturday morning. Last one before my trip to Nicaragua. I'm flying out tomorrow but we're heading to Edmonton today. The flight is at 6 am and the drive there is 3 hours so leaving tomorrow is not an option. I'm writing this blog lying in the most cloud like bed you can imagine. Very unfortunate that I can only enjoy that for a few hours.

Long run was 2.5 hours, about 15 miles. Nice crisp cold weather, nothing crazy.
Every day I use the lacrosse ball and a foam roller to self massage and hit trigger points. Even more so after a long run. Now that I am going on a trip the lacrosse ball is coming along. It's small but can hurt oh so good.
I highly recommend lacrosse ball self massaging. It's painful in the beginning though.

800 meters

Yes 800 meters are my nemesis. It's mentally one of the hardest workouts for me. I am usually procrastinating on that day of training.

I had 800 meters on my schedule this morning but it's a going by feel schedule. However it was not too cold so I thought it would be a great idea to measure out half a mile and do some repeats.

Ouch! Hello wake up call. I even took my gps watch with me and I really tried hard but gave up on the watch pretty quick. No matter how much I tried to pump my arms fast my legs just did not want to follow. I did the 800 meters in about 4 minute and 15 seconds while usually with good weather on the track I do my repeats at about 3.45-3.50.

What am I trying to proof and what was I thinking? I read everywhere that cold weather running is harder on the muscles and joints and there is no way you can get to your normal speed. Also there was quite a bit of snow on the ground so it's not that the surface is like a nice smooth athletic track. But somehow I thought that I might be the exception to the rule. NOT!

Sigh, oh well. I did 6 repeats and it was really hard. Physically I would say it was just as hard as when I do them in summer on the track. It felt hard and now, half a day later I can still feel it so I definitely had a good training. Oh and I am super hungry.


Today is a good day to remind myself why I am running through winter outside. It's not to break any personal record but to stay healthy and happy during the winter and be curious about my potential and what it will result to comes spring.

Unbelievable!!!

It's true. I'm doing my recovery run and another runner passed me. Seriously there are hardly any runners here. In summer there are lots of bikers and hikers but never runners. Getting passed by another runner in winter is truly traumatic. Of course I tried to speed up but this lady was fast too! Not cool!

This is not her. I was even too slow to get my phone out from under all my layers. 

Did 4 miles, 2 with my favorite puppy and 2 by myself.

Then some weight training. Squats and Turkish Get Ups. At the same time watching netflix at home. 

2 thoughts that get me through the long run

Temperature: -8C/17F windchill -13C/8Fb

Long run of 2 hours. 11 miles.

One of those days that the temperature felt colder than it should. Went back because my face was cold in the wind but I didn't want to put my balaclava on because I knew it would be too warm. Lathered a lot of vaseline on my face and went back out. Sure enough that did the trick. Can't do without vaseline in a cold climate!

One other pair of footsteps on the trail. Somebody's been brave!!

One of the things that keeps me going on a long run is thinking about the treats I am going to enjoy when back. Hot chocolate is one of them, the other is a hot bath with scented epsom salts. That's about it, I'm a simple woman.

Trees grow through roofs

Everybody knows that!

5 miles today at an easy pace. Beautiful sunny day. Nice and crisp. 

Temperature -10C -17C with windchill (13F/8F)

The wind came strong over the lake and that made one stretch pretty cold. The rest felt really nice. 

All the snow on the trails has been cleared now so that makes it easier.

I'm also doing Turkish Get Ups with kettlebells for strength daily (well I try). I definitely need to work on strength! It's the perfect strength exercise for runners, more about that another time.

Heat wave

Just kidding of course. But -5C/20F feels mighty warm after crazy cold temperatures.

I only had a 40 minute run on my schedule but I wanted to take advantage of these warmer temperatures so I ran 1.15 minutes with some fartlek in the middle.
Felt great! Days like these are awesome!

A colleague at work brought her puppies. OMG YES PLEASE!!

Running before work

Wasn't sure if I would make an early run before work. Had to start at 8 so I was out running at 6. In the end cold is cold, darkness doesn't really make it colder, well maybe a little....

I really need this ^^

Did one hour with 4 X 3 minutes at 85% effort. Temperature about 0F/-18C. I wanted to do at least 6 repeats but ran out of time because my app did not want to cooperate.

You see a gps/garmin only works if kept warm somewhere under my coat so I couldn't use that. My stopwatch also quits in the cold besides I can't see it in the dark anyway. 

So I downloaded a few apps that beep on intervals that you can select yourself. You can hear it when listening to music as well. 

I tried the gymboss app first but it really sucks, it stops beeping in the middle of the workout which is terrible. Now I have something else, can't remember the name but it's not perfect either. I will try a few different ones in the next few weeks.

By the way my phone quits too when getting too cold but I keep it inside a mitten in my pocket and that works so far. 

I bought these and tested them out today. I'm very impressed with the performance. I had the microspikes before and really liked those too. However these are more specific for runners. They are lighter. You can really run fast on ice and packed snow. Love them! 

Running by effort

You would be surprised to know that running in -13C/8F feels extremely balmy after those brutally cold days. Well maybe not balmy but it did not feel cold at all.

Happy!

I'm training by effort. That means that I do not go by speed. Going by speed in this cold and all this snow on the ground means only frustration. No way you can keep the same tempo as when the temps. are fairly normal. Also all the snow makes it feel like you're running on a sandy trail. 

I guess runners who live in an extremely hot part of the world do something similar in summer. 

A gps watch is a great training tool. However I know myself and have the tendency to check it way too much and that way not be so much in touch with how I feel. Last year I started doing all my easy and unimportant runs without a gps and I have to say I loved it. It felt more relaxing and I had more time to actually enjoy my surroundings.

This winter I will run mostly by time and effort. This is how a week could look like:

Monday: rest

Tuesday: 50 minutes

Wednesday: speed, 6 X 3 minutes at 85% effort with 2,3 minutes recovery (plus warm up and cool down off course)

Thursday: 40 minutes

Friday: 50 minutes plus pick ups (fartlek)

Saturday:  40 minutes

Sunday: long run, time equivalent of 13 miles (probably around 2 hours)

Obviously I have to consider the weather every day. If Tuesday is a beautiful day with little wind that would be the day I do my speed and not wait for Wednesday when disaster can strike again. Flexibility and ready to adjust without freaking out will be key.  I know I will also miss runs here and there and that's ok too.

If any of you have other tips or experiences please let me know!! It's a lot of trial and error for me. 

Failed attempt...............

This is not me but if could have been. I tried to go for a run but stopped at 1.5 mile, a very hard 1.5 mile. 

My inside runner person feels like freaking out but I know it will be ok. Just rationalize those crazy OCD thoughts away. I worked the kettlebells instead. 

Temps around -22C/-4F don't know the wind chill but it was cold.

There's always tomorrow....

Creepy me!

This is me after my 40 minute easy run with frozen eye lashes. It looks bad but actually doesn't feel bad at all. 

These were the temps on my run:

-20C/-3F temp,
-26C/-15F with wind chill

I will probably be ok this winter because it felt not that bad. I must say my new balaclava is super awesome. It really makes a big difference compared to others, especially the wind mouth protection.

Go outside!!

The wolf of Bonnyville

Not my pic, but looked like this.

I am sure I saw a wolf on my run today. Tom says it was probably a coyote but this was a big ole animal bigger than a german shepherd. Maybe it was a coyote but if it was then it was ginormous. It ran too fast for me to take a picture so you have to believe me at my word. 

Headed out early because the forecast was a big blizzard today, it was already snowing pretty hard.  Got myself a new balaclava so I was excited to try it out today.

I'm very impressed with it. Although you can't really see the mouth piece that it has in this picture. It works well in the cold and keeps the balaclava from getting wet because of the heavy breathing. 

This is a better picture. It's a sonic outdoor research balaclava. Recommended for the arctic so I guess it will work well for me.

6 miles today, temperature around -17C/0F. I actually got very hot with this balaclava. 

First the trail looked like this ^

Then the plow came by and it looked like this ^

The plow lady looked at me in awe and admiration. At least that's what I like to think, she might also think I'm nuts. Unfortunately you can't see from this pictures that it's snowing pretty hard. 

Yesterday I had my first fall so I wore my Kahtoola's today. Best purchase ever for winter running. You can seriously run down hill on a sheet of ice with these things. 

Have a great day all! Go outdoors, it will make you feel happier!!

Long Shadows

            

Long shadows on a sunny afternoon. It's the middle of the day but the sun stays quite low on the horizon. Temp was -11C/12F but it felt a lot warmer than yesterday. Lots of sunshine and practically no wind.

Did 1.5 hour run plodding through lots of snow. Snow in the weekend in a small town means no plows. So I had to run on the road dodging cars. I actually only ran about 5.5 miles so that tells you how slow it went. Kinda feels like running on a sandy beach. 

Just for fun, this is what my neighbor wears when he goes for a smoke outside when it's 12F.  He's a nice guy though :)

It's decided. I am going to run outside in the Northern Alberta winter. No excuses just do it.

I know there will be many challenges but hopefully just as many solutions. Anything is possible.

Please follow me and help me to keep going!!!!

Today was 4 miles easy. There was freezing rain so it was very slick. I ran on the snow to avoid falling. Not too cold around 32F/0C. The above picture is from last year.

Still running easy, recovering after the NYC marathon.