The second race of the trail series I signed up for is tomorrow – the Explore Your Limits 10K. I can’t believe it’s already here, but I also can, because it’s been awhile since the first race in early January. That first race of 2015 was a bit rough for me, due to lack of training.

After that race I was really looking forward to getting back into a regular routine (and earning my shirt!). I fully expected to be running regularly by now and be much more prepared for this second race. But unfortunately, that is not the case. I did start to get back into a regular routine, and was even getting some decent trail time in each week.

However, my running and workouts have been more sporadic these past three weeks. Two weeks ago was when I was in Raleigh and got really sick. Then last week I was still getting over that cold, and then we got all of that snow. I did get in a couple of short treadmill runs, but I haven’t been on trails in weeks.

So it’s probably going to be another tough run tomorrow. On top of my lack of running lately, there’s also the fact that we got 16 inches of snow last week, and another 5 inches on Wednesday night this week. That brings us to a little over 20 inches of snow on the trails. The kicker is that practically none of it has melted, so it’s going to be interesting out there. At least it shouldn’t be too icy. Due to the snow covered trails, the race director has suggested Yak Trax or an equivalent.

So it sounds like the trail conditions will be some of the toughest I’ve run in. I’ll definitely be wearing my Snow Trax! I’m going to try and stay positive and enjoy my time on the trails in the woods, but I have to say it’s a good thing they say walkers are welcome for this race! Even if I was in better shape, I think the snowy conditions are going to make for a tough race.

Who else is racing this weekend?
Any tips on running through 20 inches of snow?

I have dealt with shin pain on and off pretty much throughout my entire running career. It seems to be something that is always lurking, ready to plague me at the most inconvenient times. Most recently, it reared its ugly head after an awesome weekend at the DC Ragnar Relay last September. I was smack in the middle of marathon training for the Marine Corps Marathon. I missed a week of training due to pain in my right shin. During that week I came down with a bad cold that turned into a sinus infection. In total, I was unable to follow my training plan for about 4 weeks after Ragnar.

After that first week entirely off, I did do some running. And I gave something new a try: kinesiology tape. I’ve heard a lot about it – most notably when Kerri Walsh became the face of KT Tape during the London Olympics. My running buddy, Kim, also used it with success in the past when she started having plantar fasciitis issues. So I gave it a try, and it worked like a charm. (And no, they’re not paying me. That’s just the brand I had the most success with after trying two or three)

In case you’re not familiar, kinesiology tape is an elastic sports tape that is used to support muscles, ligaments, and/or tendons during exercise. Given that definition I still don’t quite know why it worked for me, but it did. I used it in combination with stretching and a very strict icing regiment.

When I first started using the tape, I found that there were two different ways to tape for shin splints: one way for posterior shin splints and one for anterior. I gave them each a try.

The posterior shin splints taping (above, left) ended up being what worked best for me, so I stuck with that. It’s definitely not a solution to shin pain and I don’t intend to use it as such. But I do feel like the tape gives me some added support where I need it. I did not have any pain in my left shin during 18 weeks of marathon training and haven’t had to tape it at all. I used the tape on my right shin during the Marine Corps Marathon and did not have any pain in my shin during or after the race.

One other thing I love about the tape is it typically lasts for several days (up to 4, in my experience). As long as your skin is smooth, clean, and free of things like lotion it will stick very well. I have found that my shin does alright on shorter runs without tape, so I typically only tape my leg before a long run or race and then just wear it until it comes off. I haven’t been taping it lately, since I haven’t been running as much. But once my mileage ramps back up a bit, I’ll be taping again for long runs.

Have you ever used kinesiology tape before?

I headed out of town again this weekend (Barry was working). This time I went to spend the weekend with my best friend, who lives about three hours away. She was house sitting and invited me up to keep her company (the owners of the house were aware, and are fine with her having guests over). It’s one of the coolest houses I’ve seen, with this huge mural in the living room. The couple scuba dives, hence the ocean theme.

I got there Friday night and stayed until Sunday afternoon. We spent most of the day Saturday hanging out inside, because it snowed all day. Our other friend was supposed to come down on Saturday, for a girls weekend, but couldn’t make it because of the snow. We ended up with another five inches, with a nice layer of ice on top, because it switched to rain for about an hour before sunset. The farm road was a mess!

It snowed all day Saturday at home, too, and we got another 6 inches. That makes nearly 16 inches of snow total in the past week!

The majority of Saturday was spent with a Gilmore Girls marathon and just hanging out and talking. It was just the relaxing day we both needed! Then yesterday morning we decided to make tater tots for breakfast, because why not?

But it balanced out, because we ended up having a late lunch at IHOP and both had French toast. So lunch for breakfast, and breakfast for lunch. Shortly thereafter I headed home. The main roads were fine, but it was really interesting making my way down the farm road to the main road. I think that’s the slickest conditions I’ve ever driven on, even with last Monday’s experience.

My trip home was uneventful, which is very much the way I like it. It’s hard living three hours away from my best friend, because we don’t get to spend as much time together. But weekends like this one make me happy 🙂

How near/far does your best friend live?
Do you ever have a girls or guys weekend?

This week has been full of snow and cold temperatures, and we’re not quite done yet. On Monday we got a little over 9 inches of snow, which made for very poor driving conditions on the interstate. Tuesday I took most of the day off of work and attempted to dig out.

It took about 2.5 hours for me to shovel the driveway by myself (Barry was at work). I definitely need to invest in a better snow shovel. The one I was using has a cracked handle that is about to detach from the blade. Also, it’s really hard to shovel a gravel driveway, but I got it done.

That was definitely my workout for the day on Tuesday!

On Wednesday I ended up working from home, as they were calling for more snow. Sure enough, it started snowing around Noon, and we got another 2 inches. The wind was really crazy, too, and it caused a lot of drifting. There went my shoveled driveway *sigh*. Our road ended up completely covered again, too. It was a complete white out with the snow and wind on Wednesday afternoon. Barry was driving home in this, and actually had to just stop in the road several times and wait for visibility to return.

For comparison sake, here’s what it looks like from our deck when there’s not a blizzard going on:

The dogs had fun playing outside on Tuesday, but by Wednesday they were not too thrilled with the bitter cold weather. On Wednesday night the temperature dipped to -1, with a windchill of -28.

Last night the temperature got down to -15, with a windchill of -30. That’s so cold, I can’t even wrap my head around it! The chickens and Annabelle are doing fine in this cold, cold weather. The chickens have been snowed in since Monday night and have been staying in their coop. We have their window closed and have their heat lamp on.

Annabelle mainly hangs out in her hutch when it’s really windy. She’s got plenty of straw to burrow down in. Before the high winds moved in, she actually did enjoy laying outside in the snow, soaking up the sun. She laid outside and watched me the entire time I was shoveling the driveway. I asked if she wanted to come help, and she said “nah, I’m good.”

It looks like it’s going to warm up a bit this weekend, and we’re expecting a snow/rain mixture Saturday and rain on Sunday. Then there’s a chance of snow early next week, with temp’s staying below freezing. Hurry, spring!

How’s your weather been this week?

I lived one of my worst nightmares on Monday night: being stuck on the interstate in bad weather with nowhere to go and a lot of trucks on the road. I was up at my Dad’s house Sunday and Monday to have a permanent crown put on my tooth. We knew they were calling for bad weather to start moving in Monday morning, but I had no idea how bad it was going to get…..

I left my Dad’s house around Noon for what’s usually about a 4 hour and 15 minute trip home. It ended up taking a little over 8 hours. It started snowing about 40 minutes into my trip and the road conditions continued to get worse the further south I got. It was slow going at times, but I didn’t hit my first major traffic slow down until about 3 hours into my trip.

From there on, I would alternate between crawling and being stopped still. The main hold up was mostly disabled vehicles. By that I mean vehicles that were stuck in the snow, not broken down vehicles. Unfortunately, once people got stuck they were just in the way and often they were stuck on the only drivable part of the road as well. There were plenty of wrecks, though. Very few were just people sliding off of the road. I’d say about 90% of them were multi-vehicle wrecks involving cars and tractor trailers. This was a common sight along the way:

Sometimes we would have to sit for a long time for the road to clear (I think I sat still for nearly 90 minutes at one point), and other times we would serpentine through. It’s really eerie to weave through wrecks involving three tractor trailers and six cars that are all now stuck on either side of the road. Most of the cars really didn’t fare well, either.

 

As I got closer to home, the road conditions continued to deteriorate (see above picture). I hit a major delay right after I missed my last chance to get off of the interstate for the next 10 miles (exit 128). This particular section of 81 (the section from exit 128 to exit 118, for those who are familiar) has huge, curved hills. We kept getting stopped on the hills and then cars and trucks wouldn’t be able to start again. A lot of the trucks would actually end up sliding backwards and sideways. It was so scary and unnerving, and by 6 hours into my trip I had absolutely had enough. I actually cried a few times during this stretch.

I made arrangements to meet Barry at the Virginia Tech exit (20 miles north of my usual exit), so that he could take me home in his truck. I got there about 7 hours after leaving my Dad’s house, and I was so relieved to see Barry. At that point my nerves were completely fried. Just after I made it there, they closed the interstate.

We left my car at a gas station, with permission, and Barry drove me the rest of the way home. He offered to drive my car for me and I could drive the truck, which has 4 wheel drive, but I was just so done.

I am so grateful for Barry’s encouragement and advice, and for my Dad teaching me how to drive in this type of weather. I spoke with both of them on the phone numerous times during my trip (with a hands free device), and they probably don’t realize how many times they “talked me off the ledge,” so to speak. I’m also thankful that my car (a Mazda 3, which has no 4 wheel drive) can be switched from automatic to manual. Being able to shift up to second gear is the only thing that allowed me to continue driving after being stopped on those big hills on the interstate.

All in all, we got about 9 inches of snow. It’s going to take me a long time to recover from that experience. I’ll still drive on I-81, no problem, but never again in the snow like that. I should have stayed at my dad’s house, but like I said who knew it was going to get that bad. Hindsight is 20/20. Oh and we went and retrieved Hey Car, as I call her, this morning around 5 AM. She’s home safe now.

What are the worst road conditions you’ve experienced on the highway? I’ve been on I-81 in the snow before, but nothing like that.