Snowstorm workout

  In my younger years, I would love running in a snowstorm. I'd pile on a couple pairs of shirts, a sweatshirt, and a windbreaker and trudge through just about anything. My workouts weren't at any great pace, but it felt good to conquer the elements to some degree, and I admit some pride when people used to tell me "I saw you out running in a foot of snow......you're crazy!" I'll plead guilty to that, I guess.
   As I've gotten older, I've lost the desire to test myself in that regard. Treadmills have also become more accessible and advanced, so I simply can get a better bad weather workout indoors than out.
   Today was the first snowstorm of the year in New Jersey, and it's been a doozy. Sideways snow, temperatures that have dropped 40 degrees in less than 24 hours, and 10-15 inches predicted before it's all over.
    I got the club open this morning, and was joined by a couple of die-hards. Armed with an early-morning Aleve in my bloodstream, I took to the treadmill. For the first time this winter (after a  hamstring pull in December) I did some mile repeats.
     Against my self-defeating instincts, I've adjusted my pacing according to my "VDOT rating" from the Jack Daniels' Running Formula textbook. It calculates your training pace based on your last 5-K race time (22 minutes for me, in November).
     Based on that, my "threshold" or repeat mile pace is 7:42, or 7.8 on the treadmill. I had six miles in mind today, so I started the first at 7.5 (8- minute pace), and kept the grade at 2 (equivalent to running outside) throughout.
     After a three-minute walk, the second was at 7.6; the third at 7.7; and the fourth at 7.8; all at the 2% grade. It felt "comfortably hard."
     The fifth mile I took to 7.9, but dropped the grade to 1%. The final interval was at 8.0 (7:30 pace), but a grade 0, and it felt the easiest of the six. I could have pushed it a little harder, but that would have risked injury that would result in many more missed workouts.
     A quarter-mile walk to finish, and it was 7.5 miles of total running. After the workout, I "rehabbed' on the foam roller for about 10 minutes. I felt good. The workout was within myself, but challenging enough. If I want to run harder in training, my next 5-K will have to be a little better, to improve my "VDOT." It's all very scientific.
     Part of me misses my outdoor snow runs, just for the exhilaration of finishing, and defrosting in a hot shower for about 15 minutes. However, I'm relying on science and common sense these days to keep me running, in my late 50's.
   (The VDOT Calculator can be found on the Runbayou website. It's well-worth following!)                
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