As predicted in my blog last night, the group long run this morning was indeed, very cold. I also said in that blog, that I would be prepared for the cold, and I was.  I didn’t get chilled at all on the run. What I wasn’t prepared for however, was how my legs would feel this afternoon.  They are way more tired than I thought they should be.

Road running isn’t usually that hard on my legs.  I didn’t go particularly long today, so what happened.  The conditions underfoot happened!!!

We ran in the Schenley Park / Squirrel Hill part of Pittsburgh, and the sidewalks were in terrible shape.  Large portions of the sidewalks were covered in snow and ice. Running on this is what has impacted my legs.  On snow and ice, running without the help of things like Yak-Tracks, is tough.   My legs stiffen to protect myself from slipping and injury. This utilizes my leg muscles much more than normal and fatigues them more than expected.

I guess it is kind of like running trails, which also work your legs hard. The difference was that, this morning, my pace was much faster than I typically run on trails.  I think this is what is making my legs feel way more tired than I expected.

Despite the cold and how my legs feel, I had a great time this morning.  The sun was out and we got lots of encouragement from people we passed on the street.  It was a great start to the weekend.