The weather forecast is for impending doom!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

I’ve been so happy with the warmer temps lately, but my big “happy bubble” just got crushed by the weather forecast for the end of the week.  We have a cold air blast moving in Wednesday and then a huge system with lots of moisture coming in on top of that on Friday.  Holy crap, Batman!  I’m no meteorologist and I know what that means! 

Ten years ago this week we had the exact same set-up and got the largest snow storm in history around here.  I was weeks away from Olympic Marathon Trials and we had 24 inches of snow on the ground.  I bought my first treadmill sight-unseen over the phone and Bob picked it up when he got off call.  I ran a 24 mile long run on it the next morning and then we lost power.  It barely made it into double digits Farenheit over the next couple days.  I hope we’re not heading for the same thing at the end of the week.  Well, at least I’m an old and much slower runner these days and I don’t have anything like Olympic Trials bearing down on me.  But, I do have to make it out of here for all of next week to - of all places in the winter - Boston.  It may be an interesting couple weeks coming up.

With the impending doom over the weather forecast and my trip to Boston, I’m glad that my training schedule works out that next is my down week for running - no long run, about 1/4 less mileage for the week (or less), and everything slow and easy.  After two weeks in a row of over 100 miles (and this week will probably make the third week in a row), it will be nice to have a recovery week.  So, maybe I can enjoy some snow. 

I’m looking forward to my trip to Boston.  I received a dissertation fellowship from Harvard for this academic year, so I’m heading there for a research trip.  I’ll probably have to head back at least once this semester.  While I’m there, I’ll get a chance to visit the Joslin Diabetes Center and to catch up with some people I know through DESA. 

I guess I’m going to have some treadmill time and some yak-trax runs coming up.  Ugh.  I don’t mind either one too much, but part of what I love so much about running is the time outdoors.  When I can’t get outside to run or when that time is unpleasant because of the weather, it upsets the balance in my life (well, what balance there is which isn’t much I guess).  At least I can throw the yak-trax on my shoes and plow through pretty much anything on the ground as long as it’s not too deep.  I don’t have snow-shoes so if it gets too deep, I’m on the treadmill.  Ten years ago the 24 inch snow was a wee bit too deep. 

That’s about it for now. 

Missy