Snowy Night

Two of my favorite kinds of runs are night runs and runs in the snow.

I enjoy running at night because I tend to be more focused. I can't see everything around me, and so my focus generally turns inward. I pay more attention to my form, my breathing and get a general calm during a run that can't be replicated during the day.

Snow runs are similarly cathartic for me. Runs in the snow, usually while still snowing generates a sense of peace and quiet that is generally lacking during the hustle and bustle of a typical daily run. The sound of the gentle crunch of the shoe in fresh snow is quite calming.

It's a rare day when I can combine two vastly different runs into one. Tonight was one of those times. I had a relatively full day, between church, grocery shopping and a birthday party for one of Skylar's friends. I also ended up having some car problems in the middle of nowhere returning from that party while the snow was starting to affect the road. So, when I got home and got the kids settled, I decided that I needed to get out and clear my head.

I went out with a plan to complete a streak-keeper run. For me that's a 2 mile run that keeps my streak of running at least 2 miles every day. But as soon as I started running, I quickly changed my mind. The quietness interrupted only by the sound of my shoes on the fresh snow coupled with the sound of my own breathing was enough to clear the stress and fog from my day. As I settled into a rhythm, the distance doubled from 2 to 4 miles, and the pace quickened to a comfortable, yet challenging pace. By the time I completed the loop and returned home, I had a feeling of serenity that is becoming far too rare.

Plan today: 2 miles streak-keeper - pace: slow and easy
Actual 4.2 miles @ 8:15 pace

Feb. 16, 2012

There will be days where I muse on about something that struck me on a run, current events (Congrats to Bernard Lagat on his 5k American Record), or articles I've read. And then there will be days like today, where I ran, but absolutely nothing came to mind, except to get out of the rain.

I do hope to try and keep a recap of my daily running, so here is today's run:

Benefit of not training for a specific race is that I don't have to be a slave to a schedule, distance or pace!

Plan today: 5 miles - no specific pace

First Post

I've wanted to try my hand at blogging for several years now, but haven't really had the inspiration to do it until now. I view this blog as a place for me to explore my thoughts, mostly on running, but other topics as well. I can see myself posting on articles I've read, current events, my training, race reports and even random ramblings.

I'm not currently training for any particular race, but do run relatively consistently. My focus for running is to enjoy my running without the pressure of a training schedule. I do have race plans for the fall and may run a local race every now and then, but my next goal race is likely in October.

I'm open to suggestions, constructive criticism and ideas on topics. Leave comments and follow me on twitter @runmarkrun
Looking forward to sharing with you.