Breaking 15 #4 | Winter Has Arrived
Weeks 7-8: November 18 - December 1 | 25.73 miles, 4:31:05 time, 10:28 pace
Winter has arrived in Grand Rapids, MI.
I’ve been here for two weeks. Except for November 25 and December 7, the wind chill has been below freezing every second. The sun broke through the clouds only for a few hours. With two lake-effect snowstorms, running on pavement has been treacherous. I titled one run “On Ice. Into Snow.” and another “Ice Maze.” Running on snow without ice has negligible challenges, while running on a thin layer of snow on top of ice is kind of stupid.
Thankfully, the temperature is forecasted to exceed 40 degrees on five of the next ten days. However, another lake-effect snowstorm is forecasted to disrupt this wonderful winter weather hiatus.
Cheers to brutally long winters in Grand Rapids, Michigan!
About two weeks before arriving in Grand Rapids, I was strongly considering making Grand Rapids my home for at least one year. I would have lived close to the White Pine Trail. This possibility has now vanished. Relative to the past two winters, my physical health has been good over the past two weeks. Relative to before catching COVID-19, my physical health has been shit.
Everything is relative.
The current verdict: Colorado Springs may be an ideal city for me in this chapter of my life. I thought Greenville was that city, but, you know, we can only live and learn. I moved out for one reason: my physical health. I’m eager to start researching Colorado Springs sooner rather than later.
Notables
For over three years, I’ve been breathing exclusively through my nose while running (outside of races or sprints), but I recently discovered that doing so in freezing temperatures causes shortness of breath. Breathing through my mouth with my balaclava mitigates the shortness of breath. If it’s windy, I’m fresh out of luck.
Aches & Pains
On November 30, I suffered from sharp pain in my left knee while warming up for a run after cycling indoors at a fast speed and low resistance for five minutes. I struggled to put my running shoes on because of the pain. I felt zero pain while running two miles, but the sharp pain returned upon taking my shoes off. I also felt sharp pain while practicing yoga and at other moments during the day that required my knees to bend.
The pain returned only once each of the next two days after cycling for about three minutes.
Since then, I haven’t cycled, nor have I felt the pain a single time as bad as I did on that day. I’ll be cycling indoors this week with extreme caution. I bought the damn bike to enhance my training.
Runs
My run time and distance are on the decline. It’ll likely be under an average of two miles per run for a while. Soon enough, I’ll slowly ramp up.
In the lists below, the RPE (rate of perceived exertion), heart rate, feels like temperature, and sleep metrics are averages for the week.
November 18-24
2:46:34 total time running
15.95 total miles run
10:17 per mile pace
360 ft total elevation gained
58 total effort
2.0 RPE
128 bpm heart rate
53 feels like temperature
6:29 hours of sleep
22.75 minutes of yoga
November 25 - December 1
1:44:31 total time running
9.78 total miles run
10:39 per mile pace
53 ft total elevation gained
24 total effort
2.2 RPE
125 bpm heart rate
22 feels like temperature
7:17 hours of sleep
47.25 minutes of yoga
Insights
Running on the treadmill is a cheat code—you don’t have to deal with the outdoor elements and can run at precisely the same speed indefinitely. However, it’s only a cheat code if used sparingly and in the right circumstances. I was reminded about this during my recent stay at the Hampton Inn in Richmond, KY, on my road trip from Greenville, SC, to Grand Rapids, MI.
Moving Forward
I hope to figure out how to utilize my exercise bike without sharp knee pain.
I purchased a membership at phlōt in Grand Rapids. I’m stoked for my fire and ice session on December 13 and subsequent sessions thereafter. I also can’t wait to do my first-ever floating session. Both will aid recovery.
The format of the Breaking 15 Journal will likely change with the next entry. I’m thinking about breaking out my runs by month instead of by week. My current thinking is to write, edit, and publish entries all on the same day about the runs between the previous entry and the entry being written. Time will tell.