Mission Accomplished!

Well folks, I did it...kinda.  I ventured out for my first 5 mile run in the snow this morning around 10AM.  At the time it was 31 degrees, there was probably 4ish inches of snow on the ground and the snow was still falling.  I felt good.  I really had been hyping myself up for running in the snow since about Wednesday.

What I wore:
Nike running tights
Yoga pants from college (not a good idea)
Nike Dri Fit Tank
Nike Dri Fit long sleeve v-neck
Champion hoodie
Nike fleece
Nike hat
Exhileration gloves
Ankle socks
Nike shoes

I thought my layering was pretty good.  I wanted to add another layer of pants since when I ran in just the tights last weekend I could barely feel my legs.  But I quickly learned that my choice in a second layer of pants was all wrong.  Well the type of pant I chose at least.  By mile 3 my pants were hanging half way off my 'rear end' (I'll try and keep things clean!) and I was caring about an extra 5lbs of water weight at the bottom of each leg.  Not to mention that the pants were an old pair of sorority yoga pants from my senior year of college with the word "LUSH" clearly printed on the back.  So I can only imagine how much of a hot mess I looked like trying to hold my pants up and run in the snow.

Now the reason I said, "I did it.  Kinda." is because I didn't run the entire 5.34 miles.  I had to take a couple little walk breaks when I'd approach unshoveled hilly bits.  BUT I did only do this when my thighs were screaming at me to stop.  Overall, I'd say I walked 9-10 mins of my 74 minute adventure (so not too bad in my book AND it was the first time I'd ever tried to run anything beyond 4 miles!).

So, I'm not happy with the time it took me to accomplish this goal.  But I had to do what was safe.  I slowed my pace down a ton as I trudged through the unplowed/unshoveled sidewalks.  Because most importantly, I wanted to make sure I finished and didn't give up half way through because of exhaustion.  But believe me, there were minutes when I thought I should just stop at the Taco Bell and call Brad to come pick me up.

Things I learned today:
*Get a new pair of pants
*Wear thicker and taller socks (my ankles were freezing!!)
*I have a new appreciation for those that rise early and shovel/plow!
*I'm pretty good at leaping over puddles
*I'm not so good at spitting without it ending up back on myself (2 for 4)
*5 miles isn't so bad!

Really running in the snow isn't awful.  I for once was "that girl" that everyone driving by me probably thought to themselves "she's crazy."  I only saw one other person running while I was out there and he looked way more professional than me (the wardrobe thing really screwed me up!).

My first long run is accomplished.  Now I wait a week until I tackle the next long one.  Until then I'll fill you guys in on how my easy run and 2nd speedwork workout goes in the upcoming week.

Until next time!