Cinco de Mayo

Today is the 5th of May, why some choose to call it cinco de mayo I don't really know, but what this has to do with running is the real mystery.  Honestly, other than the fact that I went for a run today the date really has nothing to do with running, I just needed a title for this post.  Now onto running.

Here in Anchorage we finished up with one of the coldest and snowiest April's ever, but this week is finally warming up with lows above freezing and highs forecasted in the 50's.  Even with this weather though the snow just today cleared off most of the coastal trail.  It probably would have melted yesterday if not for the fresh snow, but luckily that turned to rain by the end of the day which also helped melt the snow.  The snowpack in the mountains is a quite different story.  Here we are in May and hardly anything up high has melted, so I expect it will be June until any trails open up, good thing I didn't get into Western States this year!

As for my running it is going quite well actually.  The warmer temps and less snow means I can go out in normal running shoes and gear which requires less prep time, so that means more running.  My morning runs are a standard 6 mile route over some hills that has about 200 ft of gain and decent, not much but it is better than nothing and I think it is really helping add strength.  I am back on my Wednesday hill climb day and this year I have been going up the Wolverine Peak trail.  This week I plan to get the bikes up and running and also start running to work.

Overall though not much to report, here are my weekly April totals and a few pictures.

April 1 - 41 miles, 7:40, 2700 ft
April 8 - 52 miles, 9:47, 2800 ft
April 15 - 50 miles, 8:22, 2700 ft
April 22 - 34 miles, 5:29, 1700 ft
April 29 - 68 miles, 11:21, 4700 ft

April total: 195 miles, 33:53, 10,600 ft

10 April, yup, still quite a bit of snow to melt. 

10 April, Prospect Heights parking lot trailhead entry to Powerline and Wolverine Peak trails.

11 April, Earthquake Park entrance to the Coastal Trail. 

11 April, a snow covered bench on my morning run. 

16 April, sunrise over Anchorage from Pt Woronzof.  Boston Marathon was heaving on my mind that morning. 

19 April, another sunrise over Pt Woronzof.  Notice the difference in sunlight in just 3 days, pictures were taken the same time of the morning. 

4 May, woke up to fresh snow. 

Spring Training

Last year we had record snowfall, 135 inches if I remember correctly.  This year we were below average until the end of March when we got 14 inches.  Then the days after got really cold, -5 at my house.  Just over this past weekend (less than 2 weeks after we got 14 inches) we got another 10 inches, so now we are nearly 1 foot above average snowfall for the season.  To add to that, we have another 12+ inches on the way starting tomorrow, which means we could have as much as 3 feet of snowfall in as many weeks.

Despite this however, I have managed to at least get some running in, although not as much as I would like.  However, I do feel that I am building a strong base (about 40 miles per week) that will enable me to quickly ramp up to 50, 60, and 70+ miles per week once the snow melts.  Running lately with all of this snow has been tough, and slow. But, I keep telling myself some is better than nothing when it comes to running and that the snow will melt eventually.  Another positive note is that other than a small flare up of a nerve issue and some sore muscles now and then, my body is holding up well and responding nicely to the demands of snow running.

With that said, here are a few pics I have taken and my totals for the first 3 months of the year.

January - 89 miles, 15:50, 3,700 ft
February - 104 miles, 18:50, 5,000 ft
March - 141 miles, 25:29, 5,300 ft

The short section of single track by my house.  This was taken a few days ago just after we got the 14" of snow at the end of March. 

Powerline pass on a gorgeous evening a little over a week ago.  Still a lot of snow to melt.  

This is what running in April in Alaska is like.