IM Recovery and The Big Freeze

I know I live in Colorado and should expect snow and the like this time of year, but I don't live high in the mountains like Vail or Frisco or Winter Park, also known as the ice box. Snow started falling early in October this year and hasn't let up. We are getting dumped on more than once a week, and lately the temps have steadily fallen as well. The last few days have seen highs of single digits (and that's Fahrenheit!) Today's high is 13, but it hasn't even reached 10 yet.
Winter Wonderland once the clouds clear


I've been doing my running outside in all this as I'm a believer in "there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad equipment" so I've been bundling up and it's been going OK, no frostbite yet. Not sure how I'd do treadmill running without going crazy, so I am glad I have my trusty Stabilicers, which let me run comfortably without slipping and sliding too much on the ice and snow. But seriously, 6 degrees? I couldn't open the door to my storage closet because its hinges apparently froze. My automatic car windows haven't opened in about a week, and the roads have at least three layers of ice on them. I really don't mind all this if the roads were kept clear, but the plowing and de-icing has been lacking so far, and so my car, which resembles a soapbox car when being driven in conditions like this, is slowly turning into an igloo in its parking spot. There could be several more months of this ahead...

My recovery from IM is going well, I'm trying to do some "normal people" things such as wearing 'normal people' clothes instead of lycra/ spandex only, spending afternoons and weekends away from my bike, running shoes and pool water. I'm casually exercising again, when I feel like it. The running in snow can be nice because it dampens impact, but it uses alot of muscles in your legs that you don't normally put as much stress on, so soreness can come back all over again if not careful. The trainer is where it's at for the bike these days. TV and i-pod make it bearable I guess. And swimming might just be the most fun of them all, once you get in the water. In the last week I've been swimming a bunch and with the temps in the teens or single digits, the water feels warm and the snow falling on you while swimming, cools you off just in case you're working up a sweat. Getting to and from the pool back inside is a different story... I should really invest in one of those swim parkas I guess.

As of January 1st, I will be a for all my racing endeavors next year, hint hint! I am excited at this opportunity and will post more details soon.

Stay warm and train smart!