Dirt in your skirt blog

Running on Snow

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Margaret Schlachter

Training partner is back in town, which means it’s time to get serious again. Jason has a new approach to this year and training and I will be along for part of the ride. All I knew last night was 4:30am breakfast starts and training was planned from 5am – 7am. The alarm went off at 4:15am a time I normally reserve for my deepest sleep. Time to shift sleeping patterns for Sunday and Wednesday nights. No more midnight bedtimes those nights.

As the alarm went off I got myself in the shower to wake up. Early mornings call for wake-up showers. I stood in the shower barely able to open my eyes, it was the middle of the night after all still wasn’t it. Not anymore, welcome early morning training. We sat and had breakfast and ended up talking and as much working on the mental aspects of sport as we were the physical. It wasn’t until just before 6:30am we headed strapped on snowshoes and headed out to the front lawn for some interval training.

Jason came up with a way to make interval training a little more interesting. Sled down the hill then sprint up carrying the sled. The sprint uphill was about 30-45 seconds long I opted out of the sled ride as a snowshoe cleat in the leg is the last thing I need this time of year. Instead I ran down the hill and sprinted up. We looped lap after lap on the hill for thirty minutes, I have no idea how many laps I did but it was a lot, in the end I did just under two miles in total distance.

I headed off to work and through a meeting was told basically to take some time for myself. I guess too many long days people are taking notice. So after lunch I headed out for a quick afternoon break. This time back to Mountain Meadows for a quick snowshoe around the same loop I did yesterday. The loop is between 5-6K and at a leisurely pace yesterday it took about an hour and twenty minutes. Today, I picked up the tempo some and got the loop done in just under fifty minutes. It was good to put the headphones in and get out on the trail alone. I crossed the pond and the only sounds I heard were those from my earbuds and the sound of my breath moving across the trail. The snow crunched under me and in less than two hours I was showered and back in my office answering emails.

Shocking the world did not fall apart during my short little exit. I am good at these exits in the summer, but as the winter has gone on I forget to take the time. It’s amazing how a few moments to yourself in the day can make you a much more productive person at work. Now back on duty with the kids until about 11pm this evening. Time for a lot of Facebooking!