Running in the Greens

Verdant

Yesterday's run (street): 4.5 miles
Today's run (street): 5.2 miles

We're staying at our in-laws for what looks like the duration of the power outage. The accommodations are first rate and we're appreciating the heat, hot water and electricity. My running schedule has been disrupted this week by the storm, but I've managed to cover almost 14 miles, with 9.7 of them on the streets around our temporary location.

Yesterday's run was a nice change from my neighborhood streets. Our hosts live in a gated community called "The Greens" that is meticulously landscaped. While the homes are fairly similar, the colors and architectural features vary throughout neighborhood. There are a couple of long roads that bend around, creating an approximately two mile loop. I ran variations of that route over the last two days for different distances.

I felt great on both runs, the roads varied in pitch all along the route. I wouldn't call them hills, but some roads provided rolling elevations for short periods. The tough part of the run came during times when the wind was hitting me head on. Between the chill and the force it was hard to maintain a smooth stride. I ended up averaging mid-9:00 paces both runs. Without the wind I probably would have gained 10-15 seconds per mile overall.

I plan to head out again tomorrow for my second weekend run. There's a chance that we could regain our power by the time I have to return to the office, but I'm not counting on that. If we need to stay longer I'll use the treadmill during the week because I forgot to bring my headlamp and reflective vest from home. Oh well, using a new treadmill is always a fun experience.

In other running news, I was surprised to learn that the NYC marathon was canceled. I completely understand the reasons behind the decision but I feel badly for my friends who were planning to participate. It's easy to second guess someone else's timing, but I think it would have been better to call it off a few days earlier. That way more out of town runners could save their travel expenses and free up hotels for displaced residents. I'll miss watching the race, but I respect the organizers and the mayor for doing the right thing.