Eat Drink Run Woman

As you may have heard, Washington state has had a deluge of snow.  While it’s not unusual for the eastern part of the state, here in Seattle snow is rare.  Sure, we typically get a couple of nasty days each winter, but it doesn’t last long.  The rain comes and washes everything away.

Not this time.

I’ve lived here for almost 20 years, and I’ve never seen it this bad.  While it may make for a pretty white Christmas, most Seattleites will be happy once it’s gone.  We just don’t know how to deal with it; the city doesn’t own many plows (why would it?), but we also take the environmentally friendly route of NOT using salt on the roads.  So while the freeways and main arterials are bare and wet, the side streets are almost impassable.  Although the rain has come, the temperatures are still low so the snow hasn’t melted.  Rather, it’s turned into a soupy, slushy mess (which turns into an even nastier, icier mess once the temps decrease at night).

So what’s a runner to do?

My first challenge was the Dec. 20 Pigtails Flat Ass Marathon, put on by Marathon Maniac Van “Pigtails” Phan (who was just inducted into the MM Hall of Fame by running 53+ marathons a year three years in a row).  While my concerns over the weather were for naught for the Ghost of Birch Bay, it quickly became clear I’d have to deal with it for Pigtails.  The snow started the afternoon of Birch Bay (thankfully we were already home); we awoke Sunday morning to at least two inches of snow and brutally cold temperatures.  Fortunately the accumulation wasn’t enough to keep me from getting to my clients’ homes, but a new storm was heading our way Wednesday evening.  Sure enough, Thursday morning we had an additional 1-2 inches, and it just kept falling.

Thursday was my darling’s birthday, so we spent the day playing in the snow.  He wanted to pick up a couple of new dress shirts, so we hoofed it up to the mall (about 7 miles round trip).  The snow stopped mid-afternoon, but we knew the cold snap would last through the weekend.  Friday morning Van emailed us to say “Yes, the race is still on, but expect snowy/icy conditions.”  We thought about venturing out to REI for some trail shoes; not only were we concerned about wearing new shoes on race day, the $145 price tag turned us off.  But then another Maniac told us about this site; eureka!

We screwed in 12 3/8″ hex head screws into each shoe and took them out for a test run.  They worked remarkably well.  In fact, I was able to run a little more than nine miles at a 9:06 average pace (I ran one mile in 8:42).  I was thrilled!  I decided to add four more screws to each shoe for the marathon; not only for increased traction, but in case I lost any of them.

The race started at 8 a.m., although Van also offered a 7:30 early start.  We had given ourselves plenty of time to get there, especially considering we had to pick up a fellow Maniac on Capitol Hill.  But fortunately the roads were clear and we arrived about 10 minutes before the early start.  When we checked in we found most of the runners chose the early start in order to head home early (another storm was on the way).  I wasn’t quite ready to take off, but hurriedly changed into my running shoes and my warm weather gear.  It was about 7:40 by the time we were ready, but fortunately Van accepted a “fluid” start (we’d simply provide our time at the end).

My darling ran with me for the first half mile, but then took off at his own pace.  I was bundled up with the same clothes I wore in Birch Bay, but I ended up keeping my face mask on the entire time.  From the get-go I knew my goal time of 4:10 was unrealistic; while the trail at first wasn’t any more challenging than the trail I ran the day before, my legs were feeling the effects of the 9-mile run.  By mile 8 the snow became thicker and the footing became much more uneven.  I wasn’t sliding, but just running on an uneven surface made me work muscles I didn’t know I had.  I knew I was in trouble when I started wishing the race was over by mile 10.  Not only were my legs getting incredibly tired, I had icicles forming on my eyebrows and eyelashes!

I got a boost at the aid station just before the halfway mark; in addition to having potato chips and M&Ms, the volunteers provided much-needed encouragement.  While basically flat, the trail gradually climbed during the first half, so I was grateful for the descent at the turnaround.  Still, I had to call on every mental game to make it through.  When I saw the I-405 overpass I knew the end was near, so I kicked it into high gear, finishing strong.  Still, my 4:45:14 was my third slowest time of my marathoning career (Pigtails was my 9th marathon).

As forecasted, we got hit with yet more snow that afternoon.  And more.  And more.  While we had no desire to run, we stretched our sore muscles by walking to get our errands done.  After four days of no running my darling and I couldn’t stand it any longer; on Christmas morning we laced up our shoes for what we hoped would be a 6+ mile run.  The slush had other thoughts.  Even though we once again donned our screw shoes they were of no help in the slush.  We called it quits after 3 1/4 miles (although it felt like 6).

Given I’m training for the Goofy Challenge, I knew I’d have to step it up.  Besides, I’ve also signed up for two mileage challenges on the Runner’s World forum and am hoping to end the year with 1,000 more miles than I ran in 2007 (I’m about 40 miles shy).  So today I did something I dread — I hit the treadmill.  I managed to eek out 10 miles, but it was a struggle.  Tomorrow I’m planning on heading downtown where the sidewalks are cleared, but will be parking by my gym in case I have to head inside again.

Of course, once I’m in Orlando I’ll be griping about how hot it is.