Emerging or submerging?

The emerging will continue

Today's run (street): 3.2 miles

Happy New Year! Okay, I'm about 40 days off the mark, but you get the point. Chinese New Year starts on the 16th so it's still valid to say that. Those of you who used to follow this blog may have noticed that I haven't posted since late November. There's a reason for that*. Anyway, it's 2018 and everything is great. The stock market is going gangbusters, Congress is unified and the White House isn't being led by an unqualified, dishonest, ignorant, racist, misogynist. I may have some of that wrong.

You're probably wondering whether my hiatus from blogging meant that I stopped running. The answer is no. I've continued to run, but frequency and distance have both come down. Speed? What's that? Am I emerging or submerging? Unclear.

I've had a cold for the last three weeks. It's not the flu. A doctor told me that. But I do have a dry cough that won't go away. The cough seems to be improving, but it's very disruptive at work when I have to interrupt conversations by coughing into my elbow. Every time I do that I'm sure my colleges are convinced I'm going to make them sick. Of course it was one of them who made me sick in the first place.

This morning was overcast but free of rain. I headed out in 50° weather for a run around the neighborhood. I'm not sure when I last ran around here, because the freezing weather kept me on the treadmill most of January and early February. It felt like good running weather, cool but not face freezing cold.

A few weeks ago I ran at the track in -5° weather. I had face protection, a winter weight hat, triple layers top and bottom, running gloves inside of running mittens and two pair of wool socks. I had to stop after four laps because my hands were stinging from the bitter cold. It took two minutes before they warmed up enough to wrap my fingers around the steering wheel. I finished my run at home on the treadmill.

I only ran outdoors once last weekend. Yesterday I stuck to the treadmill and tomorrow I'll go outside again, weather permitting. My stride has shortened and my cadence has lowered. Not the direction I need to go if performance is important. That's the thing. When I run without regard to speed, I enjoy the experience a lot. When I need to hit the gas to prevent being passed by a neighbor-runner I don't enjoy it. Plus I usually get passed anyway.

For the New Year, I hope to do more runs and miles than in 2017. In terms of performance, I'm guessing more running will lead to more speed. The groundhog community has spoken and it looks like six more weeks of winter cold. I'll do my best to get out more often. If I work from home more frequently, I can probably get in more runs. Emerging Runner will have its ten year anniversary in the fall. I need to live up to that name.

*I got tired of doing it.