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

Icy Wind

I was sure I'd be hitting the treadmill today.  It was so foggy that even Alaska Airlines couldn't land.  It was horribly windy and as soon as I got changed into my running gear, I looked out the window and saw that the fog had blown away!  The mud on the local road was at its worst so I drove down the Dalton Highway about 5 miles and ran there.  It was really cold at 35 degrees with that 20 knot wind, but I endured and ran 5 miles.  I had a late start so only had time for 5 miles. But I was happy to do it outside and not indoors.  It was quite beautiful by Deadhorse standards, with blue sky and blue water.  There is even a bit of green on the hills created by the gravel pit.  There were hardly any trucks on the road so I had the place all to myself.

Calm Day on the Dalton Highway

It was the usual 300 feet overcast and foggy around the lake.  But it was actually reasonably calm.  I ran up and down the Dalton Highway itself for 6 miles.  I might have been able to run farther but I didn't wake up early enough.  I'm still waiting for a sunny day so I can actually enjoy running round out there.  I'm up to over 76 miles this month which is better than usual for my first 13 days here. I hope I can keep it up and hope to eventually get in a really long run.

Rain, Fog & Wind

I looked out the window when I woke up and said, nope, not going out there today.  It was pouring rain and I could hardly see the buildings across the street.  The wind sock looked like a plastic road cone, it was blowing so hard.  I decided to run on the treadmill.  I got into my running clothes, then decided I would rather face the perfect triad of wind, rain and fog than run on that treadmill.  So I got in the car and drove down to the lonely road about 5 miles south of Deadhorse and ran up and down the road in the wind and rain for 5 miles.  I really want and need to run longer distances but today was not the day to do that.  I woke up too late plus the conditions were horrid.  But I made it through my 5 miles and have now run over 70 miles this month in the 12 days I've been here.  I'm happy with that at least.

I love that golden grass

If you look closely you can actually see my car

Looking down at the gravel on the road.

Colleen Lake Run

Very windy and cold today.  High winds and about 35 degrees.  I really considered not running outdoors.  But it actually wasn't too bad.  It was hard running into the wind on the south side of the lake, but along the north side where it was downwind, felt quite nice.  I have quite a wind burnt face right now though.

That's the most surf I've seen on Colleen Lake!

Cold & Windy!

Mid 30's with a bone-chilling north wind.  Oh yes, and fog of course.   It was too foggy to try to run around the lake. Low visibility makes it too dangerous because the truckers might not see me.  So I drove down to my usual little side road. It was miserably cold but after a couple of miles it was tolerable.  I may need to consider adding one more layer to my ridiculous running outfit up here. Technically it's still summer but it feels a whole lot like winter out there.

I stopped at my usual 5 miles.  I want a little warmer day to increase up to 10 miles.  Or at least a non-foggy day when I can run a few laps around the lake.  It gets kind of monotonous running back and forth on the 1/3 mile road. 

So far I've been here 10 days and have run 60 miles.  I think the Glaucous Gull was thinking about flying south to his Southern Alaskan coastal winter home.

Foggy, Misty & Dreary

It was so dreary out there that I have no idea what power finally motivated me to step out the door! I think I'm probably just getting tired from running every day.  But I know I feel better if I run even if it's not the best run ever.  By mile 4 I was feeling pretty good! I had hoped to run longer but was happy to keep going for my mentally required daily 5 miles.  Maybe tomorrow I'll wake up with more motivation.

Along the Dalton

I didn't feel very good today so drove down the Dalton Highway rather than try to run around the lake.  That way if I felt sick I could just go back to the car.  But it was a beautiful day, and I felt fine the whole 6 miles.  I have now run over 50 miles this month in the 8 days I've been here.  I hope I can keep it up and maybe reach 200 miles this month.

It was so clear that I could actually see the Brooks Range 100 miles to the south.

Ran Twice Today

I woke up early and when I saw that it was calm, decided not to waste the calmness.  I had already planned to run later with my friend Dawn, but figured I had time to do both.  It was only 30 degrees but with no wind, it felt really nice.  I felt great and actually had the best speed around the lake that I've had in a long time.  It probably helps to run every day for a week.  I plan to keep it up for the whole month.  5 miles around Colleen Lake.  It was beautiful with even some fall color showing in the grasses.

As I stepped out of the shower, Dawn called and I agreed to quickly dry my hair then meet her down at the side road where we met the other day.  I kept thinking I'd run far enough, but we both kept on saying, one more mile.  I stopped shortly after 6 miles. It was much colder than my earlier run because the wind had blown the clouds away.  The sun was great but the wind was bone chilling when running into it. 

Dawn took my picture, which shows my extremely fashionable running outfit.  

It kept me warm anyway.

Snow

No rain today, just light blowing snow.  It was right at the freezing point so the snow wasn't really sticking on the ground, but it was smacking me in the face like little needles in the wind.  There were a couple of guys from Texas camped at the end of my trail so we had a nice chat, and their adorable dog gave me some puppy kisses.  In spite of the light snow, the road was really dry out there.  I decided to continue past the road onto the Dalton Highway for variety. I turned into the gravel pit up the road and found some small hills and a couple of lakes behind the big piles of gravel.  Visibility isn't as good there, so I didn't linger for too long in case a bear might be lurking down there.  I do prefer being out where there is nothing obstructing my visibility.  I had a couple of drivers stop and ask if I was ok because I guess it does look a little odd for someone to be running up and down that road in the middle of nowhere. 

Of all my runs so far this week, today was the best one.  I think I might be finally seeing a little progress.  But I still have a very long way to go to actually pick up sufficient speed to be comfortable with my next marathon.

So far I've been able to stick to my, run everyday at least 5 miles, plan.

Rainy Day

Today it was already raining when I left the hotel, so I was smart enough to wear my rain jacket. It was pretty windy though so even with the raincoat, I still got pretty wet.  In the rain and fog, it's too dangerous to run on the roads, so I went to my usual side road and stayed off the Dalton Highway.  It wasn't really cold, so even with the wind and rain, it was tolerable.  I could tell I was feeling a little tired from running 5 days straight.  But it was a successful training run anyway.

You can sure see the dark clouds in this photo!

On The Dalton HIghway

The road around the lake is still a muddy mess.  So I drove down to the little side road and ran my usual up and back until reaching my goal.  My friend, Dawn texted me asking where I was.  She decided to come join me and walk while I ran.  We move at totally different speeds, but it was still really nice to have a friend out there with me.  I stayed a little longer than planned, 5.8 instead of 5 miles, so she could reach 2 miles and not have to walk alone.  It started raining as soon as she arrived, so by the time we were done, I was soaking wet.  I tossed my clothes into the dryer when I got back.

The Treadmill

Today was positively horrid outside.  It was pouring rain and blowing and cold.  The roads are nearly flooded in places.  The hotel parking lot could qualify as a small lake.  I gave up and ran on the treadmill instead of venturing out there in that mess.

It was a good exercise, and I made it through 6 miles.  One good thing about the treadmill is that I can speed up the belt and force myself to run faster.  But even doing that, it still doesn't feel the same as actually moving forward on the ground.  I am glad that I have that option on days like this though.  In December, I'll be stuck on the treadmill every day because it's just not safe running outdoors up here in winter in the dark on the ice road.  But I should be able to run outdoors most of September. The treadmill was a good choice for today though.

When I looked outside and saw this, I hit the treadmill instead!

Around Colleen Lake

Today was gorgeous!  I had to deal with some mud and standing water in the hotel parking lot, but after that, the road was fine.  I ran around the lake under beautiful blue skies. It's by far my favorite run around here.  I can look out at the lake and forget that I'm actually surrounded by industrial equipment and oil field buildings.  I felt pretty good but was certainly much slower than I need to be.  But I'll keep working on it. 

Deadhorse Now

I'm back up north at work for the month.  I made a promise to myself that I will run at least 5 miles every day this month regardless of the outside conditions.  If it is totally impossible to run outdoors I will hit the treadmill.  I need to get stronger and faster, and it's not going to happen if I come up with excuses to not run.  I want to work in some long runs too.  I think to really do that, I'll need to sacrifice eating dinner.  The dinners so far haven't been that great, so maybe it's not really much of a sacrifice!

Today it was much too muddy, rainy and cold to run around the lake.  So I drove down the Dalton Highway to the little side road where I was able to run and not be in the way of the truckers, or build up 6 inches of mud on the bottom of my shoes.  It was a good 5 mile run.