Snow Day! Snowshoe Workout

Donna leads the way

We finally have snow during what has been a rather mild winter in New England. I'm not a huge fan of snow, but it hasn't felt like a true New England winter without it. On Friday we received 11" of powdery fluff, and with rain in the forecast for Sunday, Donna and I bundled up to go snowshoeing on Saturday despite temps hovering just above 20 degrees. You gotta pick your days.

The trails were quiet, with only a half dozen or so people hiking through mid-calf-height snow or on cross country skis. We were the only snowshoers out there. We did an out and back hike with a few joggles to give us a little over a mile and a half total distance, (Strava). It was a great workout! Despite the frigid temps, I was quite toasty until I got home. (Then the chills hit. Brrr.)

Tons of fun and hopefully we'll have more opportunities to get out there this winter. (Equipment note: MSR Evo snowshoes for both.)

Donna at trail's end. There were swans in the harbor.

January being January

Sunday snowshoe Nike

We’re only three weeks into January and the winter has just been dragging along. It’s been too warm for trail rides, (unless you ignore the damage it does to the trails, which I can’t do), but too cold for running. Sort of. Mike and I still have our weekly run dates and I try to squeeze in a run or two during the week, but haven’t really gotten back to my mileage from the summer. That’s ok, though.  It’s still only January. Still.

Last weekend we actually had snow(!); which has been oddly absent this year, so went snowshoeing in lieu of running. It was fun! We headed over to Lynn Woods, stuck to the main trails, and did not get lost. I’m calling it cross training.

Snowshoe date with my honey

March is in like a lion, as always

Snowshoe adventures at Appleton Farms

So, February was a whole lotta nothing as far as training goes. The gains I made in January were pretty much negated during February... but what can you do except keep moving forward. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯   After checking in with my girlfriends for advice on jumping back into a training plan for Alaska, I’m now focused on a solid plan. (You would think after years of doing this on the bike, and then coaching, I would be better at managing my own training, but running and cycling are just not the same and I want to do it right.

My first concern is, of course, avoiding injury. I’ve had lower back soreness and occasional (horrific) back pain flare-ups of unknown origin this past year. (I have some suspicions of what could be causing my back pain, but nothing pinpointed.) I’ve also had knee/IT band issues from ramping up my miles too fast.

So the next four weeks are base building, followed by 12 weeks of Hal Higdon’s half-marathon training program at Training Peaks. Credit goes to Mary for laying out a good running plan for me, with nods to Alison, Ruth, Lila, Lisa, Amy and Jennifer, who all chimed in with similar thoughts..

After a snowy, gray Saturday, we woke up to sunshine yesterday morning and a promising window of opportunity for some snowshoeing before the next storm! My sister Heather and I strapped on the MSRs and snow hiked at Appleton Farms in Hamilton. It was a fun and challenging workout that left me feeling a little creaky today. Fortunately, the new training plan starting today begins with a REST DAY!! (Phew!) 

Oh, wait. Scratch that. We had over a foot of heavy snow last night and I just spent 2 and 1/2 hours shoveling. (Bring on the Advil.)

IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A REST DAY!!!

Welcome to March.