5 Miles on the Treadmill

I've been so busy with various distractions that this is the first time in at least a week that I've made it to the treadmill to work out.  Only a 5 mile run, but at least it was better than nothing.  Maybe it will inspire me to get busy the rest of the month.  I have 5 marathons coming up in January so I need to try to stay at least somewhat ready!

Treadmill Again

It was a slow and relaxing treadmill workout, not going for any kind of speed.  Just hoping to keep moving for 5 miles while watching Big Bang Theory and running to a crazy playlist on my phone.  Too cold for man or beast outside. Too dark too.

Not much motivation lately.

Treadmill 5 Miles

I'm not very motivated this month.  It's dark and cold outside.  But I forced myself to wander downstairs to the treadmill here at work.  Not the best run, but better than no run, I suppose.  I had some interruptions.  But did finish 5 miles. 

Treadmill 5 Miles

I'm back up in Deadhorse for all of December.  I'm still trying to pull myself together after getting shaken vigorously by the 7.0 earthquake that knocked me off my feet on Friday, the 30th.  I barely made it up to work because the quake tore up the Glenn Highway, closing it in several places, plus the airport itself was also closed.  But the airport opened at noon and I hopped in the car, hoping the road was also passable.  I got to the airport and caught my flight.  But I think I'm still shaking just from remembering that nightmarish incident!

I took a couple of days off from running to settle my nerves.  But today I decided to start training again.  It will all be on the treadmill this month because running outdoors in the dark on the ice road is not really possible.  I felt OK and had a fairly good treadmill run.  I'll try to run every day this month if possible.

Polar Bear Marathon

Churchill, Manitoba, Canada.  Coldest marathon ever!  -2F and lower with wind that blew nonstop at 40 knots and more. I was bundled up from head to toe with my hat and a borrowed hat pulled down to my upper eyelashes, plus neck gaiter and face mask pulled up to my lower eyelashes. I couldn't wear my glasses because they fogged up immediately. 

There were 18 runners total but only 6 ran the full marathon.  We had to run in groups of two, and each couple had a support vehicle for protection.  My friend Vickie from Arkansas was my partner.  She was a faster runner, and I still feel bad that I made it more difficult for her.  I could only run as fast as I was able.  The strong wind actually blew me right off the road a few times.  Our vehicle was there to give us water and a little food, but it was nearly impossible to eat or drink in the conditions and through all of the protective clothing. I only had three drinks of water and a handful of soft candy that I was carrying.

As usual I came in last. But only about a minute after Vickie, because she was forced to run at my slow pace.  But we made it.  Many times along the way I felt that we should stop.  But knowing it was not impossible, I kept on in spite of the cold.  Final time was 7:39

I have several areas of frostbite on my face right below my eyes. Only an area below my left eye actually blistered. But none of it is serious and won't leave a scar.

Was it worth it YES!  It was tough and a challenge.  I wear my frostbite with pride!

Me in the black coat with no face!

On Skis

Winter is more or less officially here now.  So many of my workouts will be on skis.  I went to the Government Peak Trails today with Diane, my friend from Anchorage.  We found some of the best skiing conditions I have ever seen.  What a fabulous place to ski.  It was kind of gloomy and gray out with a bit of wind.  But it was also right around 30 degrees, a nice temperature for being outside.

It was a good warm up exercise for next week's Polar Bear Marathon in Churchill, Manitoba.

Indianapolis Monumental Marathon

Indianapolis Monumental Marathon was a wonderful race for me.  I was seriously worried that I wouldn't make the 6:30 time limit because I have been so slow the last couple of years.  But when I did 6:07 last weekend, in San Jose, I felt there might be hope after all.  I made it a quick trip to Indianapolis, with only the gear check bag from a previous marathon as my luggage.  Just tossed in my running clothes and my little Ziploc bag of toiletries and put my change of clothes in it for the gear check at this one.  I didn't want to stay over another night, so simply called Uber at the finish line and went straight to the airport and home.

It was a chilly morning at 35 degrees and I wondered if I would be too cold. But I did wear some lightweight leggings and a long sleeve T shirt plus my windbreaker.  It turned out to be the perfect combination.  I've had a goal of beating 6 hours, for a long time. I finally reached that goal today with a finish time of 5:57:17.  I didn't beat my goal by much, but I was quite thrilled.  Now I hope to one day reach 5:30 again.

Indiana was my 45th state and marathon number 119.  I hope to complete the states in 2019.

ZombieRunner Marathon

ZombieRunner Marathon, San Jose, California.

What a fabulous marathon!  The weather was beautiful, warm and sunny with just the right amount of cooling breezes.  It was a little hilly but no steep or long hills.  Only 31 runners finished the full marathon.  As is quite typical, I was dead last. But, I still won a medal for first in my age group. 

People were encouraged to wear costumes for Halloween.  So I dressed in my Hello Kitty outfit. I enjoyed being a little silly.  My awesome step family was out there to cheer me at the start and the finish too. Their signs were hilarious.  I was wondering if I could improve my time enough to feel comfortable running in Indianapolis next weekend.  The Indianapolis race has a 6:30 time limit.  In Wisconsin two weeks ago I took 6:57.  But today I surprised myself with a time of 6:07!  I improved by 50 minutes!  This race was warmer with more hills, so I feel encouraged about next week.

My Cheering Section

Rainbow Ridge

Not really a run, but a rather steep hike on Rainbow Ridge along Turnagain Arm. I was already tired from the Ski Patrol refresher yesterday and the CPR class this morning.  The classes were not so tiring but the early morning drives to Anchorage were.  This morning it poured rain the whole way.

But the weather was beautiful for my little climb with Diane and her dog Tobi.  It was very windy, but a nice temperature. I loved the views of the inlet from the viewpoint at the highest point of the trail.

5 Miles on Wolverine Road

I've been working non stop since I got home from Deadhorse, cutting the 50 trees that I had cut down in August.  I've really missed running so decided that no matter what, I was starting my day with a run.  It was a beautiful day for it too.  37 degrees, calm, and sunny.  I even enjoyed the many hills!  Then back to cutting branches with my chainsaw, then dragging hundreds of them to the spot where I hope to burn them tomorrow.  My next marathon is a week from Sunday.  So I don't want to totally neglect running in favor of cleaning up the forest.

Gandy Dancer Marathon

A beautiful marathon in Luck Wisconsin.  I felt great the whole time. I ran the whole time, never had to slow down and run.  But was still way too slow.  I was exhausted from flying all night, grabbing my race bib, then up at 5 am to run.  But much too slow.  There were 5 runners behind me, but I was still too slow for my own satisfaction.  I was first in my age class but there was only one other in my group. It was 30 degrees at the start but I knew how to dress for that after running all month in Deadhorse in the same temperature. I'm hoping that the previous 10 days of chainsawing, dragging and burning brush and logs were part of what was making me slow.  But I'm going to just assume I need to train better.  This race gives me Wisconsin so now I only need 6 more states to complete all 50.

Eklutna Lake Trail

Took a break from the chainsaw and the tree cutting project.  Then went for a hike with my friend Diane along the Eklutna Lakeside Trail.  It was beautiful and calm.  Most of the autumn leaves have already fallen, but the aspen trees are still brilliant gold.

Home Again

My first run back home after my month at work.  It was kind of cold at 41 degrees and a little windy.  I'm glad I grabbed my gloves, and wish I had added one more layer.  But it was really pretty with the golden trees.  I had a tough time on the big hills running 5 miles down to Wolverine Creek and up the hill on the other side.  Running every day for a month on flat land wasn't much help for those steep hills.  I was still kind of tired from spending 2 hours yesterday with my chainsaw working on the pile of downed trees that I need to cut up.  That will be an ongoing project, most likely well into spring.  I managed about one hour of that this afternoon too.

Fall colors on Wolverine Road

Last Deadhorse Run

I'm going home tomorrow.  Did my last run in the icy cold wind. It was a beautiful day even though I was totally freezing the whole time.  I was really feeling sluggish the first couple of miles but once I warmed up I started moving a bit faster.  I ran down the Dalton Highway from the little side road just to get away from the direct headwind for a while.  I ended up going farther than planned but the last mile felt great.  I can see that I can run faster once I've warmed up.  It takes some time to warm up in the 30 degree temperature with the 20 knot wind though.  I got another case of windburn on my face to remember this month by.  I ran a total of 175 miles in September.  I do feel good about that.  I didn't miss a single day all month! 

Last Deadhorse Sunset

Snowing Lightly & Windy

30 degrees and snowing now and then.  It was pretty cold too with a 25 mph wind blowing.

I got a little scared for a couple of minutes though.  It was too foggy to run around the lake so I drove down to the little deserted side road off the Dalton Highway where I could run free of any traffic. When I was at the far side of the road away from the highway, I saw a car pull in and park right next to my car! I'm always somewhat afraid to run into a bear, but being miles away from Deadhorse on a deserted road, I'd rather take my chances with a bear than a person who may mean me harm.  As I got closer, I saw a man step out of the car and saw he was talking on what looked like a cell phone.  I was relieved when I finally reached the cars because he turned out to be a North Slope Borough police officer.  I still wondered what on earth he would want with me.  As it turned out he was just checking to see what I was doing, and I suppose making sure I didn't need any help.  He accepted my story that I was merely out for a run, then he drove away.  At least he didn't arrest me and haul me off to the Deadhorse dungeon!

I was pretty slow today but it still felt good to get out and run, even though it was pretty cold.  Tomorrow will be my last day to run up here because I fly home on Sunday.  I can't wait to go home and get back to the real world.  After a month, I'm kind of weary of this place.

Avoided the Bear!

I started out to run around the lake. But a guy right outside the door told me he just saw a bear.  "A Very Big Bear" as he put it.  He seemed pretty emphatic in expressing his feelings that I should not continue running in that direction.  So, I drove down the road to my little side road to the river and ran there instead.  Down there, I can see for miles in every direction.  There are also no buildings to obscure my view, and I can easily stay fairly close to my car if I do see a bear and want to quickly escape. 

I had trouble sleeping today so felt pretty tired during the whole 5 miles.  But the temperature was 39 and the wind was only 10 mph. So it was quite pleasant for a change.  It did start to rain when I was nearly finished though.  The sky was quite beautiful even though it was cloudy with showers in the distance.

5 Miles Around The Lake

Another beautiful day here in Deadhorse.  This morning when I got off work it was only 19 degrees and when I woke up this afternoon it was still only 23.  But when I finally got around to heading out to run it had warmed up to 27 and the wind was totally calm.  There's not a cloud in the sky either.  It wasn't one of my best runs because I felt really tired the whole way and my legs kind of ached.  But it was so nice to be outside and not have to fight with the wind.  It was a little chilly, but as long as I kept moving it wasn't too bad.  I'm really happy that I've been able to force myself to get out and run every day all month while up here at work.  They say you need to take rest days, which I have not. But still, the discipline has been good for me mentally.  Due to time constraints, I haven't been able to get in a long run, but I have done a few 10 mile runs and many 5 mile ones. I vowed to run at least 5 miles every day and so far on day 26, I've succeeded in meeting that goal.

Spectacular day to run around Colleen Lake!

Today was just wonderful.  Beautiful and sunny, 30 degrees, 15 mph wind, but just gorgeous.  It was my fastest time around the lake this month too.  It took me a while to finally push myself out the door, but once I started running I really felt great.  I've run 5 miles or more every day for the last 25 days. 154 miles. All but two have been outdoors.  I've gotten quite accustomed to running in freezing temperatures and wind.  I hope that helps me in November when I run the Polar Bear Marathon in Churchill, Manitoba.  My wind limit for a comfortable run seems to be 35 mph.  That's when I turn to the treadmill.

The road around Colleen Lake is always my favorite running route up here in Deadhorse.  When it's this beautiful, it is a fantastic place to run.  It was still quite muddy along the south side, but pretty frozen everywhere else. 

Bone Chilling Cold Wind

I saw a piece of blue sky go floating by and decided that I have to run outdoors no matter how cold it is! The blue sky came and went and the clouds were rapidly screaming across the sky.  But I drove down the road away from the muddy Deadhorse roads and ran 5 miles on the little side road and parts of the Dalton Highway. The wind was around 30 miles per hour and the temperature was 30 degrees.  But running into that wind was positively brutal.  I had to lean into it to actually run.  But it was actually kind of a nice workout.  Running directly into a strong wind like that feels a lot like running up a steep hill.  I feel the same pressure on my legs that I feel on hills.  I definitely can't run as fast in that direction, but it felt like I was working a lot harder.  I have a new case of windburn on my face now.

Dark clouds over the Sagavanirktok River

Treadmill Run Today

It snowed hard most of the day. So I gave up! I'm not running out there in that mess.  I took advantage of the treadmill and had a really good workout.  On the treadmill I can force myself to run faster.  Also, I don't get windburn on my face from running out there in that cold wind.  I'm only up here in the Arctic for one more week, so may just use the treadmill for the rest of the time I'm here.  I can force myself to speed up at least.

I have 10 upcoming marathons,  One in Wisconsin, one in California, one in Indiana then the one in Churchill Manitoba.  Then I'll be back up here for December where it is impossible to run outdoors.  I'll be a dedicated treadmill runner that month. Then in January I have 5 marathons in Hawaii then the Great Wall Marathon in May.  I'm sure I'll be adding a few more in February, April and May.

All of that makes me realize I need to train a lot!

I'm still trying to find an event I can do with Team In Training.  I feel bad when I don't have a cancer fundraising page that's current.  I hope I'll be adding one to my upcoming agenda soon.

 

Snowy Day, 5 mile run down the road

It snowed hard this morning, but by the time I woke up, most of it had melted, even though it was still only 30 degrees outside.  I drove down the road to run because the roads in Deadhorse were very muddy.  It was a little windy and a little chilly, but not too bad.  I felt pretty tired though and it wasn't my best workout ever. But I did stick with my plan to run 5 miles.

View from my room

The lake and the ponds are starting to ice up.  There is even a thin layer of ice on most of Colleen Lake.  The pond near my running spot today was mostly ice and snow covered.

A Little Rain

So much for yesterday's beautiful weather.  Today it was back to low clouds, some rain, and 32 degrees.  At least it wasn't windy.  But it was still kind of cold and dreary.  I was still tired from yesterday so the first couple of miles were rather sluggish.  But I did get in the 5 miles I promised myself.  I just ran back and forth on the little side road along the Dalton Highway.  It was the kind of day where I wanted to stay close to the car.

10 Miles, Clear, Calm & 50 Degrees!

What a beautiful day!  I ran around Colleen Lake twice, taking advantage of clear, sunny and calm weather for a welcome change.  It was 50 degrees when I started but down to 44 when I was done.  It was a perfect day for a longer run.

Calm Colleen Lake

Beautiful Day!

Not a cloud in the sky today.  But I'm still shivering as I write this.  It is definitely warmer than yesterday, but still around 35 with a 15 mph wind blowing.  Nicer than yesterday's 30 degrees with a 35 mph wind blowing, but it still seems to go right through me.

I ran 6 miles today because I wanted to reach the milestone round number of 8000 miles with my Nike Plus app. It wasn't one of my best runs because I couldn't seem to stay warm and my legs felt stiff. I have run for 19 days straight with no rest days.  I know that's not a good way to train, but when I'm up here at work, I need to run every day if I can, just for my sanity! If I can average about 8 miles a day for the rest of the month I can make 200 miles for September.  To do that I'm going to need a few of those 10 mile or more days.  I think I will set that goal.

Wind and More Wind!

It's still windy, at least 25 mph with gusts hitting over 30.  35 degrees, but at least it was beautifully sunny and clear.  I found a place along the Dalton Highway where I wouldn't have to run directly into the wind.  In both directions I had the wind to my side.  It was cold but tolerable.  I ran 6 miles because I saw that with my Nike Plus app, I only need 12 miles to reach a total of 8000.  I love those round numbers!  It's very silly of course, but I decided to go for 6 today and try for another 6 tomorrow.  If I'd had enough time and it wasn't freezing cold, I may have tried for all 12 today.  But I guess I'm just not that tough.  I should be able to log the 6 miles tomorrow to reach that totally meaningless milestone! I have to do something for entertainment around here!

Brutal Wind!

I think today was close to my limit for running suffering! It's 30 degrees and gusting to 35 mph.  I ran down by the river on the little road because there was still some fog and I felt it was too cold to commit to a run around the lake.  In one direction I was directly into the wind and the other, directly downwind.  Into the wind was very similar in effort to running up a fairly steep hill.  That may be the closest I can come to running hills while I'm up here working.  But running downwind was actually fairly comfortable.  But I have very pink cheeks from the windburn from the last few days.  I think if it gets much colder and the wind gets any stronger I'll have to resort to the treadmill.  But if I can run outdoors, I will always do that.

The wind sock tells the story!

This hill across from the river branch at the end of my running road also tells a story.

Two days ago

Today

I suspect the big furry critter who dug that huge hole has settled down for the winter.  I always wondered where the bears go to hibernate around here.  I think I know now!

Bone Chilling 9 Miles!

The forecast for today was clear and sunny.  But I woke up to dense fog, a 25 knot wind and 31 degrees.  But I had made up my mind that I had to run at least 8.41 miles because that's what I needed to reach 100 miles for the month of September.  I had to drive down the road to the deserted road to the river to run because it was too foggy to try to mix with traffic anywhere else.  The first mile was really cold and I wondered how in the world I would ever make it through the first mile, let alone all 8.  But when I turned downwind, it was much more tolerable.  I just kept on going and going and finally stopped when I reached 9 miles.  I even considered going for 10 but at 9, I was back at the car.  I decided that was going to be plenty of freezing for today.

So I've done it, 100 miles so far this month, in only 16 days.  I'd like to make 200 but that means I need to do more than my typical 5 miles every day.  I really enjoyed yesterday's 10 mile run, so I hope we get some good fog free days so I can repeat that or go even farther.

10 Miles

It was a beautiful day today.  It was also only 34 degrees with a 20 mile per hour wind blowing.  I only planned to run the 5 miles around the lake.  But running into the wind was so cold that I diverted down the Dalton Highway just to get away from it.  Then I turned back still planning to run the lake.  By the time I got to the Aurora Hotel, I was again tired of the wind so turned down towards the North Slope Borough building.  After I passed that, I just kept going! I turned left at the end of that road, then left again at the end of the next road and was full circle back at the lake.  By then I had reached over 5 miles so just decided to go for 10.  It was sunny and beautiful and along the north side of the lake the wind was to my back.  I kept on around, then back to the Dalton Highway for 9 miles.  Then one more mile back to my hotel and I was at 10.  It was a good run.  Of course still slower than I want.  But it was nice.

I registered for the Great Wall Marathon for May 2019 so have that challenge ahead of me.  I'll be trekking up and down Lazy Mountain once I get home, to prepare for that.

Red Fox