A clydesdale no more!

I read this morning that a guy that I used to work with who is my age passed away.  It gave me a lot to think about during my run.  I actually felt strong during the run this morning.  Most likely because my mind was focused on something other than how my body felt.  This is my last run of the year.  I finished the year with 2,888.2 miles and PR's in all distances.  The end of the year leaves me facing some new challenges but hopefully running will help me get through them.  Happy new year to everyone.

Total time: 1:08:22 (7:18/mile) 

Didn't feel particularly great this morning but I guess that is expected for a New Year's day run after staying up late.  My Garmin was dead this morning so I ran without a watch which was probably a good thing.  The cold temperature (6 degrees) certainly didn't help.  Despite all the negatives, it felt good to get out and put in a few miles to start the new year.

Brrrrr..... It felt so much colder this morning that it did yesterday but the temperature was higher.  Everything was frozen by the end of the run.  The run itself went pretty well.  I was a little concerned because I really didn't eat very much yesterday and I didn't think that I would have enough fuel for today.  

Total Time: 1:06:43 (7:25/mile) 

I was so sleepy this morning I had a real hard time just getting out of bed.  I decided that today would be a recovery run even though I have nothing to recover from.  Energy was low and I felt a little nauseous during the run.  I'm pretty sure that it is diet related.  As I was leaving the house, I saw the garbage truck coming down the street.  I had to loop around the block to take out the 2nd can.  Discovered that the inside loop around my neighborhood is exactly 0.5 miles.  This is good to know for future speed work.

Total Time: 50:25 (7:45/mile) 

Dressed for 10 degree weather but ran in 39 degrees.  I was a little warm to say the least.  Ran into a pretty stiff head wind for the first half of the run but enjoyed the tail wind on the return trip.  I still feel a little fatigued but better than I have the past couple of days.  

Total Time: 1:12:26 (7:47/mile) 

Finally broke down and bought a new pair of shoes last night.  What better way to break them in than run in a snowy slushy mess.  I probably shouldn't have worn them today but my other shoes were starting to cause problems (hips, hamstrings, knee, etc.).  I always find it funny that we should be pretty resilient because of what we put our bodies through but when we wear shoes too long or don't have the right pair then it wreaks havoc on our body.  

Started off in a light snow that only laid a thin layer of slush on the ground.  Met the South Davis Road Runners at the rec center and headed out for the 5.5 mile loop with them.  Was able to run with a few other runners which was nice.  The snow really started to fall and accumulate on the roads.  There was a couple of inches on the road by the time we were done.  Ran another 5 miles after the club run and it was treacherous.  I was soaked from head to toe and had at least 5 pound of water absorbed in my clothes.  Pace was slow because it was impossible to find a clean path to run on.

Total Time:  1:43:09 (7:56/mile)