Running in Santa Fe

While I was home in Santa Fe for the holidays I kept up my 3-4 days of running per week.

My first run was a few days after I'd arrived. I planned out 8 miles, but after I'd been outside and gone about 2.5 miles toward downtown on a rail trail, I decided to cut it short. I thought maybe the altitude and the fact I hadn't run in four days was making it difficult. But as soon as I turned around it started to feel a lot better, and I picked up my pace. I think the real problem was cold wind rushing in my face, which I hadn't really noticed until I was finally going away from the wind. So I decided to go a little longer and made it to 6.5 miles.

Heading north on a rail trail through town.

My next two runs were both 3 miles on a treadmill at my parents' gym. Then the Sunday after Christmas I did an 8-mile long run outside again. I started on the same rail trail as before but went all the way downtown and came back a different way. Once again it was harder going north but got easier and faster on the way back. This run was also in sixteen-degree weather. Around the 3-mile mark I went for a sip of my sports drink and saw it was freezing where it leaks around the lid. Yikes.

Brrr.

Ran across Billy the Kid wearing a bike helmet!

My last two runs were 4 and 5 miles back on the treadmill at the gym. That last day I had been hoping to get outside on another trail, but the forecast was for really cold temps plus wind and clouds, and since the trail wasn't paved or near roads I decided maybe it wasn't the best idea to risk getting stuck out there and dying of hypothermia. Instead I stared at the trail (which happens to go right by the gym) out the window from the treadmill and cursed myself each time I saw a runner or cyclist go by. The sun had come out and I didn't see any wind, so I would have been fine. Sigh.

Pretty nice view from the treadmill though...

When I got back from New Mexico I spent a few days in Richmond, where I ran 3 miles Friday and 10 Saturday. And starting today I'm officially in marathon-training mode!