Cross Country Skiing ERNC
The Eagle River Valley got over a foot of snow this week which made running outside a bit difficult. Running indoors on a treadmill is not an option (well it is, but I really hate running on treadmills), so I head outdoors even when it is snowing. I did wimp out one day, but later that same evening, I went cross-country skiing.
When running in deep snow….
- My pace is slower – to maintain an upright position (read as not falling) my pace automatically is going to be slower. Also, running in deep snow simply takes more effort. I am about an 8:30 – 9 minute miler (hope to improve that this year) but in the deep new fallen snow, I am more of a 10-12 minute miler.
- My Running stride is shortened – my average running stride can be around 1.0-1.1 meters, but while running in the snow, it can decrease to as low as .8m (per my Garmin).
- I engage those stabilizer muscles more by unintended isometric exercises- It is a given when running in deep snow. This is definitely a plus being that my hip stabilizers tend to be on the weaker side.
Even though my pace and running stride (as well as cadence) are important factors that I evaluate and analyze (to death), I am not going to stress out over it for now. I am still getting a good workout and building aerobic capacity and strength. In fact, I was able to go out running on Thursday and felt slightly stronger on the Eagle River hills.
Week 2 of building my base:
- Monday 3.1 miles 29:59
- Tuesday 2.9 miles 34:39
- Wednesday Skiing today – too much snow to run!
- Thursday 3.15 miles 32:46
- Friday and Saturday – I took these days off due to returning to work. I work 12 hour stressful days with a 45 minuted drive each way so getting up early to run or running after work is just really hard, but I am going to try to run at least 3 or 4 miles on some of those work days. We’ll see how it goes – not ready to make that commitment 🙂
- Sunday 5.24 miles 50:30 – pace was a little better today due to the melting snow and clearer roads.
Running weather is improving, the road today was clearer, and I have even been able to shed a layer of clothing this week!
I’ll continue building a base, but I want to start training for Her Tern Half Marathon in a couple of weeks. I have also signed up for the Lost Lake Run lottery and should find out if I am in on Tuesday. Other runs I am considering on my way to Chicago are the Alaska Distance Classic and Skinny Raven Half Marathon. These are all fun races and having other goals along the way helps to keep me motivated.
What races do you have planned for the spring/summer?
What training programs do you use?
Happy Running!
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