The Plight of the Winter Runner

I'd very much like to run the Nation's Half Marathon in Washington, DC on March 26, 2011 for a number of reasons. My time in DC was unarguably two of the best years of my life, with the list of things to see/do/eat being seemingly endless. That being said, my confidence is wavering as to whether or not I would be able to achieve the goals I am after. To start, lets look at the goals...

Half Marathon Goals
(A) 1:51:21, 8:30 min/mile
(B) 1:48:05, 8:15 min/mile
(C) 1:44:48, 8:00 min/mile
(D) Complete training uninjured
(BONUS Vanity Goal) Finish in 1:45:00 or less!

Now, considering I averaged an 8:03 min/mile in my last race, the Detroit Turkey Trot 10k (my first 10k!), I am confident that with the proper time + training I could achieve ALL of the above-listed goals, and do so uninjured. The speed comes slower than the miles, but with over 3 months until race-day I'm not worried. However, it appears on the surface that the road to 1:45:00 at the Nation's Half Marathon isn't exactly paved in gold.

The first and largest hurdle is this fast-approaching winter weather. I've already thrown in the towel (tights?) when it comes to cycling outdoors, but I've been holding out with regards to my running-game. The lowest temperature dip to-date has been in the low-to-mid 30s, which was COMPLETELY fine. Sure, it's cold when you start, but that quickly turns to *perfect* after 0.5 miles or so in. What I'm more concerned with are the sub-30 temps, and what comes with them - SNOW. In the past, I usually just retreat indoors to the treadmills and grind it out 1 mile/song at a time. However, I'm very skeptical as to the ability to successfully train for a half-marathon via treadmill workouts. Plus, I've never run further than 6 miles on a treadmill... and that was mentally hard enough.

Speed work is a big-part of training plan and while cold conditions will wreak havoc on the looseness of my muscles and the comfort of my lungs, snow/ice my prove to be a more major limiting factor. To that effect, I picked up a pair of Yaktrax Pro to assist me in what will hopefully be many forays into the snowy wild.

Also good for hiking!

One benefit to training for a late-March (winter) race is that the weekends tend to be much more relaxed that time of year, which would hopefully translate into a much more comfortable, consistent workout schedule. Also, according to weather.com, the weather in February looks quite comparable to what I'm feeling now in December, meaning that in March things will be more like what they were in November! So, my longest training run will likely take-place just as the weather is taking a turn for the better!

Another positive I'm using to try and convince myself to sign up for the Nation's Half Marathon is the fact that the winter solstice is a mere two weeks away. This means that in only two short weeks our days will FINALLY start getting longer (and brighter!) again instead of shorter (and darker). Cold, dark and snowy is a tough combo for me to crack, but take one of those things out of the equation and I think I've got a fighting chance at GETTING THE WORK DONE.

With all of those excuses and bitching out of the way, I'm definitely leaning toward signing up for the race. The website says it's on-pace to sell out in the next 3 weeks so I'll have to make my mind up quick. Has anyone ever dealt with a situation similar to this and, if so, what advice would you have for me?