"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas..."
“Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things, but just look at what they can do when they stick together”
The above quote is supposed to speak to the power of determination, but, given the condition of the trail surfaces this morning is also speaks to the coefficient of friction for ice, particularly rubber on ice.
[for those wondering it is apparently 0.15]
Yesterday evening I was determined to run to work this morning, that determination slipped somewhat when I realized I didn’t have any cold-weather running gear. At least not to accommodate the current conditions we are experiencing. Vest. Think long-sleeved shirt. Running jacket. Tights. Fleece warm-up trousers. Ski gloves. Scarf. Running toque.
I took my first tentative step out onto the ice covered road, it wasn’t near as bad as I expected. And the wind wasn’t near as strong as it had been the previous two days which probably saved me from getting frostbite.
With the moon still hanging bright in the sky, I headed into town along the tree-lined Galloping Goose Trail with nothing but the bitter air to keep me company. I adjusted my stride to compensate for the ice and snow, and although I probably didn’t get the workout I would’ve if I had been on a treadmill, I enjoyed myself. And with the temperature forecasted not to get above zero for over a week (and another 5-15 cm of snow expected tonight) I’d best get comfortable with the environment.
“… just like the ones I used to know”
Carter, if you’re reading this I hope you have a sunburn.
Training:
Monday: day off (scheduled)
Tuesday: A.M. snowy 48:48, P.M. easy 42:14
6 comments:
I still don't know if I'd be able to cope with having to train in snow. I can't imagine it working out for me. A Stateside friend of mine seems to think it's perfectly doable, and would rather run in snow than in rain. Give me rain any day!
Much better to enjoy yourself out there than to get a 'better' workout on the treadmill.
Sorry, fella, no such luck. But, take solace: this is less to do with intelligent tanning on my part and more to do with the fact we've been getting a bit of a Noah-esque flood over here on the Garden Island. Yeah, yeah, I know...no sympathy. And none deserved. It hasn't (yet) rained today and I made the most of it by running 40' on my favourite route along the cliffs west of here. 40' followed by a little over an hour of walking...quite happy with the post-surgery recovery. I'm weak, but the heart is behaving. Looking forward (?!) to being on those icy trails with you soon (but only for your company).
My best to the ladies.
To counteract the low coefficient of friction on ice all you have to do is wear shoes that have soles about 5 time the normal surface area (your weight would want to be evenly spread across that area though).
I'm with Marc - enjoying the run should be the first goal.
Finally, winter from coast to coast to coast! Don't you just love it?
No, not really. Tired of the snow already. But still, it is the season (I don't know how you do it).
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