Temperature fluctuation

My last post had me nearly freezing my face off during an outdoor run. Friday's transition run was under similar conditions, although I only had to endure it for 35 minutes. I spent a long enough time on the trainer Saturday morning to consume 10 bottles of fluid, which is by far a new personal record, and made me happy that I only had to let it sit next to me on the coffee table rather than lugging close to 200oz of fluid up and down hills. Although let me tell you, I miss hills. At least then you know you're getting somewhere. And I never have to drink nearly as much on an outdoor ride as I do on the trainer. And I've got the lake underneath me at the end to prove it. Anyway, after all of that I got to run outside again, this time it was in the low 20's, but this time also with a lot less wind so it wasn't nearly as painful. Then again, after the first mile I was more preoccupied with the fact that I felt like I was going to throw up for no apparent reason, so the cold concerns took a back seat to the possibility of vomiting in front of passing strangers. Luckily, that did not occur. I think I was just feeling rather done for the day.

Then came Sunday. Long run day of course. To look outside and still see the mountains of snow you'd never have guessed that it was 45 degrees out. Considering the fact that it has been above freezing for probably 15 minutes total since the beginning of December, this meant that it felt awfully warm out to me, relatively speaking. I was forced to dig through my drawers and rediscover some shorts to run in. It also meant that I got to carry some water with me since for once I knew it wasn't going to freeze. It did eliminate the gloves that so handily housed the gels that fueled my runs and the wrappers after I had consumed them, but now I had a Fuel Belt for that, so good trade.

The initial run down the driveway felt the strangest because the snowbanks are now chest-high (and I'm tall, so that's pretty high) and the driveway is still a sheet of roughly 2" ice. Also as a trade, while it was really warm, it was also really, really windy. That can mess with you a little bit. Not only can it hold you back some, and at times even push you along, but when you are running near all of that snow it can often blow a lot of cold air at you. So I spent much of the time either feeling a really warm breeze or a really cold one, depending on which way the wind hit me. The other thing that struck me most when I first set out on that run was how pasty white my legs were sticking out of those shorts. Having not been exposed to the sun since October, I guess that was to be expected. But of course in a few months it will all be replaced by that multi-tiered tan line that goes bike shorts, tri shorts, run shorts. Sometimes you'll get the sock line, and the best of course is that little half-moon stripe on your lower back between jersey and shorts when you are bent over the handlebars. That one hurts like you would not believe if you forget to put sunblock on it!

The run itself was unbelievably crappy, for lack of a better term. There really is no other way to put it. I'm training hard and trying to do everything I'm supposed to be doing, but it was just plain crappy. You know when your legs just won't cooperate? That was me yesterday. I had 3 gels during the 2-hour run, and under normal circumstances I could go much longer without any, but I thought I might either collapse or have to flag down a ride home, depending on how stubborn I was feeling. Running continues to elude me. You know it's bad when you look at your watch and see the time and know that you used to be done with that same loop by then, only this time you still have TWO MILES to go! I just don't get it. It's not like I'm suddenly 65 or coming back from major surgery or a broken leg or something. I just can't seem to get it back. At least I've taken a fair chunk out of my weight loss for the season, although I still have more to go than I've done so far, it is all moving in the right direction.

But after the negativity and demoralization that was yesterday, for some strange reason I felt good this morning. Monday is the easy day and all I had to do was go swim an easy 3000 in the pool. Some people hate long sets, but I love them. I'd rather do 1000's than 100's. And I can't wait until I can do these Monday swims in open water, even if that time is still like 4 months away. Maybe it was just the fact that I knew I didn't have to run today for the first time in six days and that nothing could bring me down, or maybe a good night's sleep, but whatever, it was just nice to leave the pool and feel good.

On another note, I'd like to let you all know that in the future when you are at the supermarket purchasing your energy bars, be sure to inspect the expiration date. For some reason these simple grocery items seem to go unnoticed when the time comes to clear the shelves of things that are past their prime. My first experience with this was this past summer when I was loading up on some random bars to take with me on a training weekend with some friends. Luckily, I actually went to eat one of them before I even left on the trip, noticing right away that the thing was hard as a rock. I quickly discovered why: expired 3 months ago. As had a few of the others I had bought. At least I was able to go back and get non-expired ones.

So ever since then I have been diligent about checking the expiration dates on energy bars before I buy them. This morning I was picking up some stuff and wandered over to pick up a few items to get me through some workouts this week. First of all, Monday mornings, although nice because the supermarket is nearly empty, are not the best time to shop because you will often find the shelves ravaged of much of your needs from the rush of weekend shoppers. Also, currently there is that whole peanut butter scare thing so there are a few bars that have been pulled from the shelves. At least they paid attention to that. So I was sifting through the Powerbar supply only to find that almost all of them were expired. Some just a few days ago, several the beginning of January, one box from December, and one really good box from October. I guess I will admit that I am not a super-stickler for expiration dates when it comes to certain items. For example, I just had a Gu the other day that expired in July. But really, it just doesn't seem like that much can happen to Gu when wrapped in the package like that, so I decided to be daring and I lived. Oh, but just so you know, that rule does not apply to chocolate Gu. It kind of starts to get rather chewy. Vanilla is fine though.

Frozen foods maybe a little beyond the date, canned goods a little beyond, pasta way beyond. I don't make a habit of keeping things around long enough for them to expire, but I do have standards. Milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, any kind of meat or eggs, salad dressing, um, no, I don't eat those once expired.

BUT, I do not think that people should be tricked into buying products that are already past their expiration dates just because the store wasn't paying attention. I'd probably eat a Powerbar I already had that was slightly expired, but I am not about to buy one that way.

Back to running tomorrow, so more opportunity for disappointment!