Chaire Herodikos Selymbriaios!

Well that's more like winter. Frozen puddles and, by the end, tiny snow crystals falling on the dry leaves with a crackle, more easily heard than seen. Word has it there will be some accumulation today, not the first of the year (we had a freak snowstorm in October) but the first of the season. The riverside was teeming with runners getting their miles in before the weather hits.

Out to the Northeastern boathouse. Felt pretty good considering it was three days in a row, and more miles than I'd logged, probably, in a year or so.  There were moments where the legs felt dead and my stride was labored at best, but also some nice stretches and all in all I'm pleased with where things are.

Weekend dietary fail. Need to stay away from the pate.

Out to the Harvard boathouse; drizzle and fog, mid-30s. Nice winter weather -- for Seattle!

3 in the pm to the Harvard Boathouse. A bit warmer, still drizzling. Are our December snowstorms in Puget Sound?

Out to Arsenal Mall in the early am. Nice run, legs a bit sluggish - i.e. felt about right. Plan is to finish off the week at 26 miles, then to 30 miles next week and maintain there for a bit mixing in some xtraining cardio until the weight is down and the legs are in better shape.

 six days in a row - first such streak in a while.

xtrain - 50 min on the bike and elliptical, which is about all I can stand. Moderate effort, dial read ~650 cal in all. The Mayflower Hotel on Connecticut by M Street, very cushy gym.

Short run in the morning to Rock Ridge Creek Park. Found a very informal trail (though it had some rudimentary engineering) along the riverside, washed out in a few places and with some fun obstacles like tree roots and whatnot, in full view of the Beltway Parkway. Did a quick meditation for Chandra Levy RIP, fellow runner.

In other news, our political system is in deep trouble. The debate in Congress last night was horrifying. Serious economists (I heard this first hand in the last few days) are preparing the governments in  developing countries for the possibility that no deal will be reached and the markets will tank. I can't believe our representatives are willing to risk mass starvation to indulge what is to me at least a mystifying hostility to public services, but this may in fact be the case. 

Well I will keep running in any event. Got a good streak going! 

Back in Boston: flew home, took a nap, then a run. New Shoe Day x 2, auditioning New Balance's remake of the the 890 with some Nimbus 13s for comparison. I ran in the Nimbus a lot when my miles were high a few years ago - they're clunky but comfortable. Reasoning was that training in a heavy shoe with lots of foam would be good while I am still over weight and ramping up the distance, and would also make the feet feel light when I switched to a more advanced shoe.

The problem is, the only colors anyone had for a reasonable price were "Arcade Fire" or something: godawful ugly. And the 890s are a sweet purple (almost literally!). They've gotten mixed reviews I guess, but seemed to fit my feet, and after a short run I can say that they feel great. The upper is a bit snug, but with sensitive lacing it didn't bother me at all, and the bottoms feel great.  So it looks like the Asics go back - maybe I'll wait around for a sale on a slightly less hideous color.

Otherwise nothing special to report: cold and beautiful on the river at sunset a few days before Christmas. Had slight discomfort in the old familiar spot by my left ankle, no doubt from adding 7 miles this week, a bit more than intended. Pretty sure it's that and not the shoes, as the other foot felt just fine. Stretched it a few minutes extra and will monitor.

The diet is really an issue at this point; I should be losing more. Gal just got a vegetarian cookbook and I'm going to experiment with alternating veggie and omni for two week stretches, see how it affects things.