bad days aren’t allowed

Coming off three excellent runs in a row, today I ran into the proverbial wall.  Runner’s like to talk about “The Wall” — a mythical, legendary beast, a spot where the flesh and spirit become weak, where all you want to do is curl up into a ball and go to sleep.  Upon meeting the wall, your spirit, motivation, and will all drip out of you and form a puddle of discouragement at your feet.

Usually you meet The Wall in a marathon; today I met it running considerably shorter than that.  I was out for a 14-mile run.  The day was fairly raw (mid-30s), quite windy (SSE 19MPH), and it was overcast.  Not ideal running conditions, but certainly not terrible ones either.

It wasn’t a good run from the get-go.  I woke up and felt tired.  My stomach ached a little.  And I just didn’t really feel all that much like running.  Still I put on my shoes and went out the door.

About half way through, my stomach started cramping and I felt kind of short of breath.

The shortness of breath thing always concerns me.  I truly think my first symptom of Hodgkin’s Disease was a decrease in exercise tolerance.  So even the slightest problems with my runs makes me get extremely nervous, even though I know rationally that there will always be bad days, even for healthy people.  But for me …  Bad days aren’t allowed anymore.

I finished the run, but I felt mad for stopping a few times because I felt tired and a little winded.  I’ve spent the entire day trying to convince myself that I just had a bad day, that I’m fine, that I’ll be running normally tomorrow.  After all, I had three excellent runs prior to this bad one.

Fingers crossed for a good run tomorrow.

cold O-h-i-o

It is bitterly cold up here in northeastern Ohio, but the late February snow storm has left my hometown and my running trails looking rather starkly, icily, beautiful.

fire and ice

This post is a photo study — it highlights a few selected winter Gettysburg battlefield photographs taken around sunset.

One reason I wanted to highlight some of these pictures is how unique the views they offer probably are to many of my visitors. Although people who live in Gettysburg all year round are blessed to see the battlefield in all conditions, for those of us who live a fair distance away, our visits are understandably fewer. On the days most of these images were taken, I was the only photographer (or one of just a few) actually out taking pictures in the cold. So I think they are fairly unique from that standpoint. Gettysburg just isn’t as popular in the winter as it is during the other seasons.

And even if you’re not a Gettysburg buff, I at least hope you can enjoy the beauty of the place, which of course stands in stark contrast to the horrible things that transpired here 145 years ago.

(By the way I suffered to get that last picture of Warren’s statue in the snow — my fingers don’t have good circulation, it was bitterly cold, we had to hike up the hill because the road was closed … and by the time I got back to the car my fingers hurt so bad I couldn’t move them! Hopefully the pictures are worth it and I hope you enjoy these rather unique and different views of the battlefield in the wintertime.)

Left view from Cemetery Ridge, right view from Little Round Top towards Devil’s Den.

Left: The Valley of Death from Little Round Top nearing sunset (battlefield aficionados will be able to find the Codori, Spangler, and Trostle barns). Right: Woods near the Wheatfield from the Valley of Death, Crawford Avenue.

Left: View west of Seminary Ridge from the Georgia Monument. Right: A fireball sunset from Cemetery Ridge near the Angle.

Left: Cannon of Woodruff’s Battery near the Bryan Farm on Cemetery Ridge. Right: the sun goes down over the Emmitsburg Road.

Left: Looking down Hays’ Division line near the Bryan Barn. Right: The sun sets behind the Codori Barn over the land crossed by Pickett’s men on July 3, 1863.

Two views of the sun framed by a tree. Left: the Codori farm, right: Little Round Top.

Left: The Angle, right view from Little Round Top towards the Devil’s Den

Left: fiery sunset over Seminary Ridge taken from the stonewall at the Angle. Right: G.K. Warren’s statue, a favorite sunset subject, in the snow on one of the shortest days of the year.

why I am destiny

OK, I’m not destiny. I just always wanted to use a chapter title from Nietzsche’s Ecce Homo as a blog post title.

Speaking of Nietzsche, that which does not kill us only makes us stronger, right?!?

It’s currently 4 degrees — yes FOUR DEGREES — and it feels like FOURTEEN DEGREES BELOW ZERO. The gym better be open … and my ancient rusting Oldsmobile better start …

Are you listening up there, God? It’s me, Jenny. Know we haven’t been on great terms since the whole cancer thing. But maybe You gave me cancer to test me, to make me a better person. To improve my character. Well, God, I think I have enough character. I’m tired of building character. SO PLEASE GIVE ME 50 DEGREES, SUNSHINE, AND SOME BLOOMING WILDFLOWERS!

Gimme fuel, gimme fire, gimme what I desire: warm weather!

Oh. My prayers were answered! I refreshed weather.com and it is now five degrees and feels like only eleven below. Break out the shorts!

(Someone please remind me of my whining in July when it’s 80 degrees at 6:30 AM.)

(And a better title of this post would have been Why I am not so Wise.)

Fog and Gray and Rain

Sorting through pictures today on my hard-drive; a few favorites of the Gettysburg battlefield in the rain and fog.  Seemed appropriate for a very gray February day.

Image of Cowan’s New York Battery near the Angle in the rain.  Taken in December 2007. Visible beyond the cannon is the Codori Barn.

(These are far from my best pictures in most cases, but they have a certain dark and forlorn beauty that I can appreciate and I hope you enjoy them too.  The field takes on a ghostly appearance in the fog and rain.)

Set one, from upper left.  The Codori Farm from the Wheatfield Road, rain beaded like droplets of sweat on the bust of Patrick O’Rourke on Little Round Top, Warren in the fog on Little Round Top, view towards newly cleared Devil’s Den from the 140th New York monument

 

Set two, from upper left. The Bushman farm from Seminary Ridge near the position of the Texas Brigade, Meade at the Angle, the Trostle Barn, view of the Peach Orchard in the rain from the Longstreet tower.

 

Set three from upper left. The 155th Pennsylvania Zouaves on Little Round Top, Culp’s Hill near position of the 123rd New York, the Masonic Monument - Armistead hands his effects to Capt. Bingham of Hancock’s staff, the High Water Mark Monument at the Angle.

Set four from upper left. Personal favorite series — shots of the Bushman and Slyder farms taken from South Confederate Avenue along Seminary Ridge.

Set four from upper left. Detail of the 2nd New York Cavalry horsehead, the Pennsylvania monument from the Emmitsburg Road, the 44th New York castle on Little Round Top, the Peace Light Monument.

Winter Running Pictures

A collection of some cold weather images from around the park where I run. Enjoy!

We had some sixty degree days — record high temps — which are rarer than hen’s teeth in January. Unfortunately, we did not get much sun to go along with the warm temps. It rained a lot.

These mallard ducks were swimming around in a very large puddle. I kid you not, that’s not a pond, that is a puddle!

(There were probably at least a dozen ducks swimming around this puddle. I couldn’t resist the picture.)

View of the Rocky River from the top of Cedar Point hill. You can see the large shale cliffs that make up the Rocky River Valley. This is from the top of one of the trails near the Nature Center.

(I completely trashed my Mizuno running shoes by running through the mud. They are now a kind of ugly grayish tan color rather than white. Oh well.)

Here are some pictures in the snow:

Hope you enjoyed the pictures!

something worse than cold rain

I have found something I like even less than running in cold rain.

Ice pellets.

I went for a run this morning wearing shorts, a fleece-lined longsleeve shirt, hat, and gloves.  The Weather Channel claimed it was 37 degrees.  A quarter mile into the run, it began to pour rain.  The wind was luckily at that point not in my face because I was heading due south and it was coming out of the west-northwest.  Half a mile in I started to get pelleted by ice.  Little pellets of frozen water.  They hurt.  By the time I got to the point where I turn to run west (slightly southwest to be precise), it had stopped precipitating.   I turned to run north and the wind wasn’t as bad I had feared (the Weather Channel claimed it was gusting up to 23 MPH).  By the time I turned again, this time heading east towards home, it had started to hail again.  The only good thing was the pellets were very small.  Had they been larger, I would have probably come home covered in ugly welts.

The weather has been very strange today — it will suddenly turn very dark (like a thunderstorm sky), then the sun will come out and everything takes on a sort of strange and eerie back lit appearance.  Then it will pour rain.  I can sometimes hear the ice pellets against my window.  And now the wind is gusting strongly.

Supposedly it is going to snow tonight.  We’ll see.  I don’t think any will stick because the ground is still too warm.  Hopefully it won’t snow because most of the trees here are still holding their leaves and as a result it would be a huge mess if you added heavy snow on top of them.

As much as I hate running in snow and slipping on the ice in the winter, I think I’d take some nice soft snowflakes over these ice pellets …

Winter Running

Sooner or later, it is not going to be 75 degrees at 6:30 in the morning and we runners are going to have to switch over to cold weather running.  I hang out on a beginner’s running board and the change of seasons seems to stress out new runners.  I think it is because runners tend to be creatures of habit.  We also all hate for anything to mess with our endorphin rush.  It is just how runners are.

I’m a native of Cleveland, Ohio, and I’ve been training outside from high school on.  Cleveland doesn’t get the U.S.’s worst weather, but we get more than our share of snow and ice and cold.  The quick answer is you can definitely run outside in the winter, although there are several challenges, particularly in dealing with ice and snow.

So in interest of helping out new runners, here are some tips for cold weather running.  Any other experienced runner folks out there are welcome to contribute your suggestions as well.

The Cold - How to Dress

The key to dressing to run in the cold is layers.  Multiple lightweight layers seem to work best.  While I will admit to actually enjoying running in a cotton t-shirt in mild weather, when the weather turns cold, it really does pay to invest in a technical fabric for at least the first layer.  Keeping your head warm is also key.

Everyone’s cold tolerance is different, but here are my general dressing guidelines.  For me, I like to be cold when I walk out of the house, but not so cold I am shivering.  Overdressing is dangerous!  If you begin to sweat too much, your body will get chilled!  This is why I would prefer to be a little too cold than a little too warm.  Nevertheless, you can always remove layers.  If in doubt, add an extra layer and be willing to carry it if you warm up.

My guide:

• 50 degrees and above: summer running gear
• 45 degrees: longsleeve shirt, cap, and shorts
• 40 degrees: longsleeve shirt, shorts, beanie hat, and gloves
• 35 to 30 degrees: windproof vest, longsleeve shirt, shorts, beanie, and gloves
• 25 to 0 degrees: windbreaker, longsleeve shirt, windpants or tights (depending on your preference), beanie, and gloves
• 0 degrees (and colder): heavy fleece hooded sweat shirt, longsleeve shirt, windpants (with tights underneath),beanie, and ski gloves

I’ve run below -15 degrees. That’s about as cold as Cleveland gets.

When it is raining, I dress as though it were five degrees colder than the actual temp.  Running in cold rain is generally not much fun.  You can try waterproof materials, but I have found you’re going to pretty much end up wet anyway and some of those less breathable waterproof materials can become tropical inside.

By the way, I dress not according to the actual temp but according to the “feels like” temp or the wind chill.

In this type of weather you need to pick your routes carefully.  Remember, if you get injured you need a way to get back home.  I think running loops — though it can be boring — is a smart move.  You can also drop off layers if need be.

Running in Snow

Snow (and ice, particularly) present an interesting challenge. Generally, I find the roads are the safest and clearest surface to run on in the snow; you might want to start planning routes in subdivisions where you can safely run on the roads with minimal traffic.

There are several methods for dealing with the problem of slipping.  There are products you can pull over your shoes for improved traction; some of the names are Yak Trax (I find these are useless) and Stabilicers (I like these best; I use the sport version).  You can also drill screws in your shoes, if you’re more daring.  Hills tend to be more slippery, so a flatter route is preferable when it is slick.  In the worst weather, you’re better off taking a day off or turning to the treadmill.

Shorten your stride when running over slick spots.  I think it also pays to watch every step.

In deeper snow, I prefer a good trail shoe.  At a certain point, snow does become basically too deep to effectively run through.  Your options then are to take a little time off or turn to the treadmill.

The Lack of Daylight

Most runners have to deal with a lack of daylight at this time of year.  My advice is this: light yourself up like a Christmas tree.  Get as much reflective gear as you possibly can and wear it.  You may look dumb, but much better to look dumb than to end up hit by a car.

Also, remember that cars have a more difficult time stopping in winter weather conditions and a driver’s visibility can be cut substantially by snow and ice on a windshield.  Use extreme caution when running around cars.

Won’t My Lungs Freeze? (And other cold weather running stuff) 

• Your lungs will not freeze from breathing in cold air. However, cold air can be more difficult to run in, especially if you suffer from conditions like asthma or exercise induced asthma.  Breathing through a scarf can help.
• Your nose will run.  There’s nothing you can do to stop your nose from running like a faucet.  This happens to all of us.  It isn’t really that bad because it’s just water.  The most urbane of us probably carry tissues; a lot of us just wipe our noses on our gloves. The “snot rocket” is also a popular way of dealing with this problem.  (If you do this in a race or when running around others, please make sure no one is in your line of fire.)
• Sunglasses help with glare. The sun coming off new snow is pretty, but it can be brutal to your eyes.  A good, fog proof pair of sunglasses are a must if you are lucky enough to run when the sun is out.
• Watch the wind direction.  If at all possible, start with the wind at your front and finish with it at your back.  This helps prevent your body from getting chilled.
• Be flexible. Watch the weather forecasts and plan your runs accordingly.  Be willing to take a day off or move inside if necessary.  Know and accept that sometimes running may not be prudent.  Winter is a good time to rest the body and to do base building runs.
• You can get sunburned in the winter.  You still need to apply sunscreen in the appropriate conditions.
• Mittens are warmer than gloves.  Although I’ve never run in conditions where my ski gloves were not enough.  (I will test this since now I have Rayaund’s Phenomenon.)
• Chapstick is a runner’s friend.  Your lips and face can get chapped or windburned.  Chapstick can help with this problem when applied as a preventive measure.

As I said, experienced runners, please feel free to use the comments to add your advice as well.

Finally - A Winter Run

In Cleveland, no one is talking about Global Warming any more. Nope. Winter is back and its here with a vegenance.On Tuesday morning the Lake Erie “Snow Machine” turned on.

And it was a day more fit to be one of these cute little guys …
<p align=”center”><a href=”http://www.learnedfoot.goellnitz.org/photos/Penguins.JPG”><img width=”300″ alt=”Penguins” title=”Penguins” src=”http://www.learnedfoot.goellnitz.org/photos/Penguins.JPG” /></a></p>
<p align=”left”>… instead of a runner.</p>
<p align=”left”>But we Cleveland, Ohio runners are made of sterner stuff. A little bit of snow and cold can only make us stronger, right?!?</p>
<p align=”left”>This is the scene that greeted me on Friday morning …</p>

<p align=”center”><a href=”http://www.learnedfoot.goellnitz.org/photos/view1.JPG”><img width=”300″ alt=”Winter” title=”Winter” src=”http://www.learnedfoot.goellnitz.org/photos/view1.JPG” /></a> <a href=”http://www.learnedfoot.goellnitz.org/photos/view2.JPG”><img width=”300″ alt=”winter 2″ title=”winter 2″ src=”http://www.learnedfoot.goellnitz.org/photos/view2.JPG” /></a>
Just lovely, eh? It was 25 degrees. Wind chill of 8. I don’t care where you live, that’s cold. (Unless you are an Emperor Penguin. Or an Alaskan. Or a Husky.)

Of course, extreme conditions call for extreme measures. That’s why I broke out my running snow tires.
</p><p align=”center”><a href=”http://www.learnedfoot.goellnitz.org/photos/snowtires.JPG”><img width=”300″ alt=”stabilicers” title=”stabilicers” src=”http://www.learnedfoot.goellnitz.org/photos/snowtires.JPG” /></a></p>
Stabilicers. Snow chains for the feet. (No, I didn’t run in shorts. When I turned on the Weather Channel and saw just exactly how cold it was, I beat a hasty retreat for more sensible wind pants.)

These babies worked awesome by the way. No more fear of slipping. But they are a bit heavy and do go click, clack when you run over dry pavement. A small price to pay for good traction.

The run featured white out conditions typical of Lake Effect snow. Lake Effect is weird. It comes in bands. One minute its white out (I had several of those on my run), the next minute the sun can be out and shining. This is what it looked like when I was done:
<p align=”center”><a href=”http://www.learnedfoot.goellnitz.org/photos/view3.JPG”><img width=”300″ src=”http://www.learnedfoot.goellnitz.org/photos/view3.JPG” /></a></p>
And this is what I looked like:

<p align=”center”><a href=”http://www.learnedfoot.goellnitz.org/photos/IceWatch.JPG”><img width=”300″ src=”http://www.learnedfoot.goellnitz.org/photos/IceWatch.JPG” /></a> <a href=”http://www.learnedfoot.goellnitz.org/photos/SnowyJenny.JPG”><img width=”300″ src=”http://www.learnedfoot.goellnitz.org/photos/SnowyJenny.JPG” /></a>
Hope you enjoyed this virtual winter run!</p>

December Gettysburg trip

Back from Gettysburg. Actually been back since Tuesday afternoon. My US Airways flight on Friday morning was delayed for almost two hours. Gee, sure glad I woke up at 5:00 AM to get to the airport. Anyway, although it was snowing like crazy in Cleveland, the reason we didn’t take off until late was because there was a ground stop in Philadelphia. Sunny Philadelphia, by the way.

[If you ever have to connect, never go through Philadelphia. Problems there are as common as left-handed catchers are rare.]

The trip was good. The weather was outstanding, particularly on Sunday and on Monday. I took lots of pictures. I ran a lot. In other words a typical trip.

No interesting side trips this time (a la Jack’s Mountain last time and the search for the site of the elusive Monterry House). My friend had bought Eric Wittenberg’s book on Stuart’s Ride and we were set to follow the tour (we really wanted to find the ditch Stuart jumped his horse across at Hanover — hey, we like taking pictures of odd stuff like that and you know the look on non-Civil War people’s faces are just priceless when you tell them you drove miles out of your way just to see a ditch), but then on Saturday morning while heading out the Fairfield road on a different excursion trip, Quincy (that’s the car — if you have explored my battlefield pics, Quincy is that black Lincoln which keeps showing up) overheated. Every time my friend accelerated, Quincy rebelled. So we lost Saturday taking Quincy in for a new air intake tube (whatever that is — its some big thing on the front / top of the engine) and then we were relucant to take Quincy anywhere, so there were no side trips. We instead spent the entire trip puttering around the battlefield.

Quincy is fine, by the way, he made it back to Philly without any problems.

In a nutshell, that’s what happened. It was a pretty typical Gettysburg trip. Perhaps I will fill in more later. If you really want pics, the index page is: 2006 winter Gettysburg. I haven’t yet sorted them or put them in any sort of gallery so you’ll need to make heavy use of the back button.

My 2007 project will be organizing my hundreds of Gettysburg pics.
Need to get back to updating Snorky. Why does Apple make getting your music off your ipod and onto your new computer so darned convoluted?