Coldest Run Ever?

Time: 68:55
Distance: 16.90 km
Pace: 4:05/km
Map

I've had my fair share of cold runs this winter and braved quite a few while in college at Brown. There were even days back when this blog started in Oklahoma when the temps reached below freezing and the wind whipped across the plains. However, I can't ever remember starting a run when the thermometer read 6. Now I know there are much colder places in the US and on the planet than 6 degrees and understand runners head out the door when it's below zero, but until today I had never had actually had the pleasure.

I left Salem this morning early so that I could arrive in Albany for a footwear showing around 9:30 AM. I had hoped to run with the footwear buyer, but he wasn't running until later in the afternoon. I then ventured on through Utica and arrived in Syracuse to meet with the local store. I had about 90 minutes before a planned staff run that almost didn't happen due to the snow and cold weather. I opted to lace up my shoes and head out for about an hour before the staff run and just see if I could boost the weekly total.

From the store, I headed off in the direction of the Erie Canal Trail hoping the snow was packed down enough to run along. It wasn't. I slipped and fought my way through 100 meters of the surface only to pop back out on the road. I then found the remainder of my run on neighborhood streets and side roads of East Syracuse. Fortunately, there wasn't much traffic and the wind was remarkably calm. I ended up feeling surprisingly good on most of the run despite forming a sweet ice beard.

Ran today on a street called Summer Haven. It was nothing like June twitter.com/JoKinRuns/stat…
— Jordan Kinley (@JoKinRuns) January 24, 2013

I ended back at the store with a full 16 km on the legs and was ready to chat with staff and run again.

Old Erie Canal & Green Lakes

Time: 69:55
Distance: 16.02 km
Pace: 4:22/km
Map

After running in Albany, we jumped back on I-90 and headed out to Syracuse. This morning we met up with Justin Wager who is the footwear buyer at Fleet Feet and a member of Stotan Racing until he leaves to head back to school at the end of the month. We met up at one of the parking lots along the Old Erie Canal which runs from Buffalo (Lake Erie) to Albany. The crushed gravel path is perfectly flat and wide enough to fit a fair sized group of runners. We headed out with a couple other members of Stotan Racing for about 10 minutes before we turned off for a loop around Green Lakes. It was Meagan's first time here and I always enjoy getting back to these sites.

Columbia, SC Canal Run

Time: 41:50
Distance: 6.13 miles
Pace: 6:49
Map

I got up this morning after a luxurious stay at the Scottish Inn in Columbia, SC. It was quite lovely. Just what I thought Scotland would be like minus the bed bugs, alcoholics and shoddy coffee. Actually, I think I'm talking about Ireland. Anyway, I drove over to Riverfront Park near downtown for a run along the canal. I ended up completing the entire circuit which was nice for the day, but would get old after awhile. Out and back on a roughly 2.8 mile path would be brutal. The legs weren't too beat up after the workout yesterday too.

The event at Fleet Feet North Augusta ran all day and I wasn't able to get out for a second run. No big deal as I'll be able to double tomorrow.

Tokyo Excursion

Time: 35:11
Distance: 5 miles

Woke up at some ungodly hour multiple times during the night. Ben Stern described how he slept ast, "it was like a baby... i woke up every 2 hours and cried." That was pretty much how it went. Finally at 5:30 am I got up and headed out the hotel door shortly thereafter. I knew there had to be a decent place to run b/c there was so much water around. Where there is water, there is a bike path. I ended up heading through some little mall along a busy street, but soon I found a canal with a small pedestrian walkway. I ran on that in toward a busier part of Tokyo. I know we were pretty far out on the outskirts of town but the run brought me closer to the urban environment. The streets were pretty quiet while I was out. I got to see some store owners cleaning their store fronts and some other citizens were out walking there dogs. A few people were out for a jog. It was a very easy run effort wise and a great way to see some of what Tokyo had to offer.