Patience; the new endurance sport.

Today's run was brought to you by ICE.  I don't mind the stuff that packs down. That's like running on cork board.  It's the rest of it.  The slushy footprints that freeze into chunks, the thin black ice (melting snow on the pavement that freezes), the thick block of ice just underneath the surface of what appears to be untouched powder.  As you can tell I spent a good deal of energy negotiating the trail.  But there was untouched powder along on the sides of the trail.  That tells me, that the Grizzly Ridge and Goldfinger are still powdery. C-ya.

tread/push ups/core

And now a word about Asics Gel Kinsei 2.  I bought these shoes the third week of July.  They were really expensive, but I was running through shoes like every 4 weeks so I got these after eyeing the huge heel and midsole.  I ran about 200 miles in these shoes and I attribute the ultimate breakdown of my back/hip/ham to these shoes.  The heel is too lifted and shortens the ham.  I thought the extra support would be good, but for me, it turns out shortening my hamstring ie. extra padding on the heel did damage to my ham/and then back and hip.  I've reserved this judgement but on Saturday when it was so snowy outside, I wore these shoes again for their great traction.  AFter 9 miles in those shoes, I got that familiar ache in my hip.  I don't know how these things work exactly, but I think that all that extra heel padding/material isn't as good for you as you think.  I've been running on the much cheaper Saucony Ride's (mostly treadmill mind you) but they are sort of the purist running shoe--not a lot of big padding. But I think that's been better for me.  So I have a pair of $130 running shoes with less than 300 miles in my closet. It's a pity, they are good looking shoes.  That'll teach me not to buy such expensive running shoes.  What a waste.  ANYway, I ran 4 on the treadmill and then 2 out on the trail in pitch black night.  The dogs saw my running shoes and started going crazy and it made me feel really bad about running on the treadmill so I went those last 2 miles in the black of night.  But the stars were breathtaking and twinkly as I've ever seen them (even in the desert near Ocatillo Wells).  It was so spectacular to witness that dark clear winter sky.  So glad I have dogs.

Maiden voyage of the ProGrid V's.  They've been my favorite shoe so far.  My little Sage was really sick all night and through the day.  It was so tragic to be ill on a day so beautiful.  We laid in big bed and I worked while she threw up around 100 times.  Around 4:30 a full sized crystal prizm I keep in a west window went crazy and threw a gazillion rainbows all around the room.  It was magic and I felt I couldn't stay indoors another second.  I got out with the Dogs and did a run on the trail.  The sky was so blue.  It was a short run, out of mother-guilt, but I walked on the treadmill a bit, and did extra sit ups/push ups/stretches while my feaverish catatonic daughter looked at me from the bed. How long you gonna do that? she asked. She's seen me in action now (usually she's still in bed at 5:30 a.m. when I normally do this routine)  She may have guessed I was crazy before, but now she KNOWS.

The Jury is in.  Saucony PRoGrid 4/5 are officially my favorite, never fail-me shoe.  I didn't get to run in the morning because I've been up two nights in a row trying to keep the vomit off the carpet (everyone's go stomach flu....).  So I got a mintue in the evening, but couldn't bear the thought of the treadmill. So once again I tried the pitch black winter night running. I ran as fast as I could in the dark.  Seemed fast anyway.  All those sparkeling stars against the black moonless sky were such a sight.

For Marion's benefit alone, I wore the Garmin-- which I have not used in a few months (according to the history setting-- 5 miles on November 26th). Anyway, I got to run this morning with the famously friendly and lovely Marion!  I haven't run more than 8 miles in a while, so I brought the Garmin to gauge it.  I never can tell how far I'm going when I don't give myself a time limit or care about the M/M.  It was so fun to chat up Marion.  She now knows my life story, and I know she likes Golden Retreivers.  Not exactly a fair exchange (looks like I need to get out of the house more often).  I thought we we'rent going to get in enough miles going my regular route, so I had us double up on one segment of the trail and by the time we'd turned around we'd already done the 9 we were supposed to be running.  So we ended doing 11.18 oops.  Never run with me if you actually care about mileage, or speed. There is a reason I have not kept track using my Garmin since my hip gave out and this is it, but I told Marion I'd post for her sake:

   10:10/10:18/10:28/11:09/11:06/11:49/11:01/12:23/11:49/11:50/13:01 and 12:/58 for .50

But the Garmin guaged I'd used over 1,000 calories-- at least all that ice cream I ate yesterday didn't go to waste.....:)  Thank you Marion!  Let me know when we can trek again in some fabulous new location.