THOU SHALT BE A COMEBACK

Longest run ever today.  It went really well.  It was 6 degrees when I started and 9 degrees when I finished.  I felt strong through the whole run and  never felt like stopping.  My husband met me 3 times with water and that is all I did for fuel.  I never felt fatigued, although my legs were a bit stiff at the end.  Breakfast was one of my nutrition-packed homemade granola bars and some coffee a half hour before I started running.  I now know I will be able to finish my half-marathon!  Time was 2:06:30 for 14.07 miles--8:59 pace.  Ice bath for feet and ankles and hot shower afterward.

WOW!  My run today was totally crazy!  A winter storm rolled through and it snowed all night and was still snowing this morning.  We live out in the country on dirt roads so there is no plowing or salting on these roads!  I didn't want to mess with digging my car out and driving into town to look for dry land so I decided to be a snow bunny.  I had to run incredibly slow but it was still a challenging workout.  At times I was literally hopping up and down through snowdrifts, and at other times I was zigzagging through tire tracks that weren't completely snowed in yet trying to find the best traction.  The traction was terrible.  It was almost like running through slippery sand.  Twice a car actually came down the road and I could run in the fresh tire track for a few minutes to get some better footing.  I wasn't enjoying it much in the middle, and got a little disconcerted when I realized that the blowing snow had frozen my eyelashes together.  I felt like I was on an episode of an extreme running reality show.  Towards the end though, I was feeling quite gleeful and very thankful that God has blessed me with such a strong and healthy body, despite the abuses I have inflicted on it in the past.  I finished with a sprint through the powder in my driveway and came in the house covered in snow and ice with a big grin on my face.  10 minute ice bath for feet and ankles, nice hot shower to defrost my face(Ah, that felt nice), and, once again, a massive breakfast cooked by my wonderful husband(eggs, jalapenos, salsa, bacon, and potatoes all mixed in a bowl and cup of hot coffee).  Soon it will be off to work, which I am not looking forward to.  People will be driving too fast and wrecking their cars.  Last night at work I had a fatality and it was just a teenager driving way too fast for the conditions.  His poor parents.  My partner is in his rookie year and needs to have this experience so I gave him the pleasure of putting on gear and crawling underneath the heap of twisted metal with a flashlight and stethescope and reaching up to see if the kid was alive or not.  Needless to say the kid's injuries were incompatible with life so we pronounced him on the scene.  I hate it when they are so young and the tragedy is so preventable.

6.15 miles today/8:51 pace.  I ran in town on the sidewalks--not the greatest traction, but nothing like yesterday--and no blowing snow!  In fact it was 18 degrees, which is downright warm compared to the rest of this week.  I was actually getting too warm toward the end and wishing there was somewhere I could ditch my jacket.  I started out slow and it took a long time to warm up.  I tried to pick up the pace for the last couple of miles but it wasn't happening.  I need to do a 5 or 6 mile tempo run this week, maybe Friday?  It looks like the weather will be warming up and I may have decent roads to run on by then.

It was foggy today so I decided to run in town on the sidewalks so I wouldn't get run over by a car.  There was also freezing drizzle so there where a lot of slippery spots, particularly on patches with not enough snow to give some traction.   It all made for a very slow run--it was treacherous to run fast.  I slipped and fell once but didn't get hurt.  It is starting to warm up though, and may be above freezing this afternoon and tomorrow, so perhaps the roads will be decent enought for a tempo run tomorrow!

Tempo run day!  A south wind came through starting yesterday evening and melted all the snow!  It was so bizarre!  By the time I left work around midnight the snow was almost all gone and it was wet!  When I got up this morning the roads were dry and it was twenty-something degrees--good day for a tempo run.  I ran my whole run on dirt roads--4 miles of my half marathon will be dirt and gravel so it would behoove me to stay acclimated.  I picked a route that incorporated the most hills that I have around here--they are not very steep but are about 400 meters each at least.  I jogged slowly one mile, then launched into a 5.4 mile tempo which I completed in 42:52/7:56 pace.  I was pretty happy with that.  Jogged a slow mile to cool down.  It was a great run--my legs were fresh and ready to go.  The second half was harder(hills and wind), but I am not exhausted and could have gone further.

Windy today with temperatures plunging down to single digits and maybe further--no snow though!  Did 6.4 very easy at recovery pace--did not bother to time the run or bring a watch.  I found a nicely priced polyester long sleeve running shirt at Target yesterday and wore it with a t-shirt over it and it kept me warm--even with the wind!  I am pleased with my purchase.  Felt great today--nothing hurts--taking it easy though since this is a new level of mileage for me and I am trying to be careful!  Day off tomorrow and long run Monday(weather permitting).