Running Around the Town on Frigid Mornings

I decided to take up running after my gym membership expired and I got tired of having to drive to Greenfield every day just to get a work-out.  I decided that if I did a short burst, say, 25-30 minutes of running every day it would accomplish much the same goal as the 75 minutes it usually takes to drive, change, work out, and then come home.

So far it’s been working out well–I’m feeling great and I am discovering some of the funny quirks of a runner’s life. I never considered myself a runner, but I guess I am now.  I have been using an iPhone app that makes the process a little more fun, it also keeps good track of the miles and helps me to keep on pace.

It’s called Map My Run, and after a mile of running, a friendly woman tells me I’ve made a mile, and how long it took.  I have an idea in my head of how many minutes that should take, so when she says that it took me 12 minutes to run a mile, I know I’ve gotta go a little faster.

What’s fun is that I know exactly where she will tell me I’ve hit a mile…going over the same in-town course every morning.  The other day I was running and turned a corner on Conway St., atop a patch of pure ice. Wham!  My feet slipped out from under me, and down I went.  I notice a lot of things while I run that you just don’t see when you’re driving a car, the usual way I get up to town.  Like activities happening on the railroad tracks, or signs of spring in the passing woods.

I noticed that people watch you as you run…they turn their heads in cars.  I notice that dogs love to lunge at runners, so I usually vacate the sidewalk and give the beasts plenty of room.  I always wear the same outfit on these winter runs–silk long underwear, a light t-shirt, a sweatshirt, a not-too-heavy winter coat and a knit cap and gloves.  I play music in my phone,  and have found that one brand of headphones, the Etymotic Ety Kids brand, stay in my ears during the whole run. I used to have a problem with the earbuds falling out, but these made for kids do the trick, never fails.

I would love to hear about your run  routines,  so share them with me!