5 Miles Along the Dalton Highway

I almost took today off.  I woke up feeling extra tired and unambitious.  But finally decided I should take advantage of another fairly warm and calm day.  13 degrees, but not much wind.  I only ran 5 miles, but it was kind of tough. It was very overcast and the light was so flat that at times I had trouble seeing the drifts along the trail down to the river.  I ran about half the distance on the trail and half on the actual highway. I like the trail because it is totally desolate, but the road is a better running surface.  But on the road I do have to deal with an occasional truck.  There doesn't seem to be much truck traffic right now though. The road is frozen so when the trucks go by, they don't kick dust and rocks in my face like they do in the summer. 

Not much of a view out there today.

6 Sunny and Cold Miles

Once again, up and down the Dalton Highway. Icy cold into the wind and lovely away from the wind.  Only 12 degrees but not terribly windy.  I'm trying to follow the training program given to me by the Team In Training coach.  So I broke with my tradition of 5 miles every day and ran for 6 miles.  Funny how that extra mile seemed much harder than the first 5.  I think there was a gigantic psychological factor working there! There are long runs of 14 and 20 miles included in that training plan.  I suspect I won't be doing those outdoors in the wind.  I'm not so sure about 20 miles on the treadmill either, but I'm always open to a challenge. 

Beautiful Dalton Highway Run

Today was so much better than yesterday! Only 10 mph wind and 16 degrees. It was overcast in Deadhorse, but just 5 miles down the road it was sunny and beautiful.  I wore double socks so my feet didn't get cold.  I also wore my rain pants over my running pants which actually made it a little too warm, but they did a good job of blocking the wind.  So the next time it's really cold and windy, I know they will be helpful.  I'm keeping up with my goal to run at least 5 miles every day this month.  It would sure be amazing if I could do all of those runs outdoors, but I doubt that will happen.

Sag River Trail

It was really cold again today, but at 7 degrees didn't seem too unreasonable, since yesterday was the same and I had a nice run outside.  But as the time wore on the wind increased.  By the time I reached my 5 miles, it was close to 20 mph.  My feet and face were really cold. My phone even shut off even though the battery still had a lot of charge.  But it did record my run before it kicked off. I think I need warmer pants and maybe warmer shoes if I'm going to continue trying to run outside around here in Deadhorse.  I suspect I'll be moving to the treadmill tomorrow.

I ran along the little 1/3 mile trail that goes from the Haul Road to the Sagavanirktok River. In one direction it was downwind but the other it was right into the wind. I was kind of happy to be done with my 5 miles!

5 Miles on the Dalton Highway

I'm back in Deadhorse for the month of March.  It was pretty cold today, about 5 degrees.  But it was really calm and not a cloud in the sky.  Since it's the middle of winter I assumed I would only be running on the treadmill.  But it was such a gorgeous day.  I just couldn't face the treadmill.  So I bundled up and drove down the road to the place I often run in the summer.  That little road was quite hard packed.  So I parked there and ran up and down that road and along the Dalton Highway for 5 miles.  My feet got kind of cold, but otherwise I felt great and it was a wonderful place to run.  It sure beat the treadmill.  So I'll try to run outdoors when it's possible.  I think it would even be possible to run around the lake so I will try that if I get another nice day like today.

New Fundraising Page

I just registered for a new Team In Training fundraiser.  I couldn't find a specific event that didn't conflict somehow with either my job or one of the other events on my upcoming running agenda.  So I registered for their Team 2 Cure program, which gives me the ability to have an official fundraising page without connecting it to a specific event. 
This way, every marathon I run will be for Team In Training to fight cancer!

I hope to see a cure for cancer in my lifetime.
Please help me with this goal by making a donation to my Team In Training fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

This is my new fundraising page:

 https://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/t2csp19/Caren

Jackpot Ultra Running Festival Marathon

This was a wonderful event in the Las Vegas area.  There were many options, including a 100 mile, 48 hour, 24 hour, 12 hour, 6 hour, 50 mile and marathon. I chose the marathon and just hoped I'd have a chance of finishing.  I'm still dealing with the injury to my lower back from the fall on the ice back in January. But it has been feeling a little better.  I started out slowly, walking with a couple of friends.  But I found that I was able to do some running.  I ended up running most of the second half, but was still very slow and in some pain. But it was tolerable. With all the other distances and times occurring at the same time, I had 30 hours to complete the course.  I was over an hour faster that the marathons on Kauai, so I was definitely feeling better.  I finished and haven't had any increase in my back pain.  I got to add Nevada to my list of completed states.  Only 4 more to complete the 50 states.  I'm not back to the speed before my fall, but I can tell that it will come.  I'll devote a lot of time to the treadmill in Deadhorse next month.