This month I did 180 miles. I haven’t had a month this low in mileage since 2008. I’m not overly concerned with that, but I do have some casual goals to keep it above 200 miles per month. Part of its a game, part of it’s to give me incentive to get the miles in on the days I’m not really motivated. But mostly, I find that the months I have higher mileage are the ones preceding the months where I have my best races. Being I just had a good half marathon and strep throat this month, I can let this go. I’ll try to get 220 miles for February though :)

I finished off the month with a 5 mile recovery run along the Bronx River Parkway. It was the first time I put a windbreaker jacket over my usual cold weather running attire. With the temps around the mid teens I didn’t think I would be able to keep warm going at my planned recovery pace without the windbreaker; and I was right.

It’s not that the cold bothers me. In fact, I enjoy it. But yesterday, I had 20 miles planned in the same low temperatures as today. With the amount of time I would need to do the 20 miles I was worried I would be putting some extremities at risk for frostbite. I tell you I learn from my mistakes, and that is one mistake I never want to make again, at least not there again.

So with the weather yesterday, I wimped out by doing my long run indoors. All 20 miles of it on the treadmill for about 2 1/2 hours. Incline 1.5, varying speed of 7.5mph (8:00min/mi) to 8.0mph (7:30min/mi). Certainly not fun. Watching the TVs they have mounted on the treadmill directly at face level about 6 inches away makes me sea-sick, so I tend to just listen to my iPod and zone out. Or at least I try to. That is until I accidentally make eye contact with someone on an opposite facing treadmill and I get knocked out of my trance. Then, for a few seconds, I become paranoid wondering if the other person thinks I was staring at them. Normally, I wouldn’t think for more than two seconds in a situation like this. Except, in a situation like this that person isn’t going anywhere, and neither am I since we’re both basically running in place. So instead, I spend mental effort trying to avoid letting my line of vision drift that way again.

What’s worse is if in my peripheral vision it seems as if that same person may be staring at me. Naturally, this gives me a strong urge to check to see whether they are. But, always when I look over to check, I find they’re not actually looking at me, but they immediately notice that I’m looking at them and then comes the even more awkward eye contact; a second time. It’s at that point I can literally read their mind wondering, “Why does that creep keep staring at me?”

So, two and half hours of that. Next time, I’ll take some Dramamine and watch TV.