20 Mile Long Run - Snow

Ran my 20 mile long run today. Outside in the snow. There was 2 - 4 inches of snow on the paths most of the run. I put on my Yak Trax and ran about 9:15 this morning. I briefly considered a treadmill at the rec center, but I do not think I could run a treadmill for 20 miles.

I really didn't know if I could run 20 miles in that snow either. I thought maybe run for 3 hours and see where I was.

This was one of the hardest long runs I think I've ever done. It was very painful. I've never run over about 7 miles in snow that deep. My pace was slow and got slower. My legs and feet were so sore and fatigued after the first hour, but I kept pushing. I had my Garmin, but my pace was so slow, I didn't really worry about it.

I altered my 20 mile course to start the same through CC Park to the DAM road and on the other side of the dam, but rather than take the Kennedy leg over to CC Trail, I looped around the Park and then down to the trail by the camping area, around tower loop and then back along the beach to the woods, then looped through the trail and back onto the patch and home the way I came. A good 20 mile course, especially in the summer where it's hot, but no so much with the snow. At one point in the woods, there was a mile path with about 6 inches of snow built up, that was some tough running and wore me out.

The last 5 miles was tough and I was really fatigued and drained of calories. I took some extra Gu and had 3 of them in the last 5 miles.

The last mile and a half from the Club House to my house, I took off the yak trax because they plowed the sidewalk. That was tough running too though, it seemed so hard and difficult to run on the concrete after 18+ miles of slipping on the snow.


20 Miles