I just felt like running

Last day in Wisconsin with decent weather.  Supposed to get cold tomorrow.

Ran 7 summits.   Up Irma Hill Jr. to top of Rock Falls Rd. Firetower hill and back hom - 7.5 miles and refueled.   Up Irma Hill Sr. down on H to Chase Hill Rd.  Over Chase hill to and down to dead end and then returned.  All but ~3 miles were either climbing or descending.   Long straight climbs with summit in distance.   Weather was in the teens again.

 I got back and did the Wisconsin cool down .  Can of Miller Genuine Draft out of the basement fridge.  I was ready to sit down and rest when Fiona reminded me I had promised to pull her in the sled outside.  Once I changed out of my sweaty clothes, that was a nice cool down. 

Cold!!!!   -18F at 8am.  In the lowlands, it dropped to minus 29F!   Nice day to rest.  Watched nephew play hockey in Antigo.  Went to Lee Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau  and the overate a bit at Applebees (Lunch and Dinner in one sitting).

Back at work.  Its cold in Alabama now too.

Going to do trails at lunch as much as possible to get me climbing muscles tuned up for Mtn Mist.

More trails at work.  Pushed some of the hills.  Garmin says 950 ft of climb but it overestimates.

Running to and from work tomorrow to get some mid-week mileage in.

Mtn mist trail this weekend.

4 Repeats of Waterline lower hill, took a side trail and came up onto Governor's drive most the way down the mtn so I climbed that too.   Icy and snowy trail.

neck has been sore for 6 days now.  Uncomfortable sleeping and running.

Went to the doctor about my neck.   Muscle spasms.  Got some meds.  I should now sleep well and be on the road to recovery.

My neck is almost back to 100%.  Felt good to get out running again.  Looking back at the month so far, I've really been slacking off.  I'm real curious how my body will respond on Mtn Mist.

Nice run.   Perfect weather-  40's.  

ran the trails at work.  Listened to Radio Lab.   All about whether non-human animals  can have human like feelings and empathy.  Very good.

Weather is awesome.  Right around 60.  7:40 pace.

easy run at lunch 

My fourth try at Mountain Mist.  Recent rain and snow made the trail sloppy and slow.  No falls! Amazing for me.   Ran a fast first split to Aid #1.  Once I got into the hills, I didn't have the climbing strength of last year.  My norm is when I start to really breath heavily I switch to walking - I did this much more often.    I normally rely on aid station gatorade for half my carbs and I don't think the HEED they were giving out had much sugar.  It wasn't sweet at all.  By the time, this sunk in I was contemplating quitting at mile 18.  The slipping and rocks were getting to me and I dejectedly started walking.   After several people past me, my friend Jon came by followed closely by a guy and a petite lady in pig tails, pink arm sleeves, and black pleated skirt.    I got the urge to catch up with Jon and I found the strength to get back my stride.  At the aid station, I was still dizzy and uncoordinated.  I slammed two cups of mello yello, two salt tabs, a Gu, and filled my bottle again with the Heed junk.  Jon had transitioned through the aid station fast and told me to catch up.  I made up a 75 yard gap in about 2 minutes and then trotted behind him and a line of 4 others who had passed me during my zombie walk.  I had found my second wind and it carried the remaining 10 miles.  This race is so tough its hard to believe.  Terrible footing in many many spots and stretches.  I feel good about my effort.  My second fastest Mtn Mist.  30 minutes slower than last year. 

The CWX tights I wore yesterday for Mtn Mist worked their wonders.  I was fatigued for sure but muscle soreness was almost non-existent.

Stuck on the roads at work.  Picked up the pace on one mile - 7:20 to see how it would feel.  OK.

Nice morning run.  Did some mile repeats followed by a 2 mile tempo.  Not super hard- slightly sub marathon pace but hard enough to know I was working.  6:53, 6:47 , (6:59+7:02).  Felt cold towards the end.  35F and misting.

 Thinking back at my mtn mist, it is very clear what happened.  After getting injured early in my marathon training, I never really have had a decent string of training for 3-4 months.  That takes is toll.  My endurance is still there but I've slid back on my Lactate Threshold and  VO2 max.

My car got another flat so I had to drive it to Big 10 tires and run home (the long way).  Very easy run to recover from yesterday.  Will run home tomorrow from work due to lack of a car.

Ran from work to Big Ten Tires to pick up my car after work.  Got chilly by the time I got there at 5:45pm.

Hill repeats in the 3M park.  Not super hard--- at a stride pace.

I've been enjoying "Wire Tap" which is a hilarious radio program from the CBC produced by Jonathan Goldstein. 

Evening run in the rain.  Used it as an opportunity to try and clean the Mtn Mist mud off of my trail shoes.

lunch run in the cold rain.  Did two marathon pace mile repeats after WU.  6:50 , 6:51.

Good morning run with some fast miles.  I got a call in the middle and ended up standing out in the cold for 10 minutes.  I never quite got warmed up again after that.

Parked at Fiona's school and got in a quick six miles.  Felt good.   Gradually sped up from 8:00, to 7:30, and then finished the last 4 miles at 7 min/mile pace.   Sleet and Rain.

Lunchtime 5 miler on the trails.  Ran 3 miles at Delano after I got my haircut.

Easy lunch run.  8:10/mile average.

Paced Kelly Elmore in her First Marathon!  She did awesomely- 4:41.   She raised money for National Tay Sachs  (NTSAD) .  We all wore  "Running for Elliott" shirts with Elliott's picture on the back.  Great morning.

easy lunch run.  Felt decent.  Big toe got  a nice bruise yesterday.

4th time running this nice 50k.   I got in a nice comfortable pace and was able to keep moving.  Was in third place by the 1st aid station and got into 2nd by the 2nd aid station.   Eric Patterson kept within a minute or so of me until the 3rd aid station (17 miles) but I was able to pull away a bit.    As in previous years, this race gives you lots of alone time in the woods. 

recovery run

Today kicks off my Strolling Jim 40 training and the 3M fitness challenge.  It is a corporate wide competition with incentives based on exercise minutes, pedometer steps, and weight loss.  I'm doing the first two.  As of 1:20pm, I'm almost to 12,000 steps.

Run to and from work

Lunch run.  Three 3/4mile tempo intervals

catching up my mileage

catching up my mileage.  This is weekly.  I wish it was for a day.

weekly mileage.   Work and timing a race got in the way of big mileage this week. Feeling healthy though.  I've done two 5K's in the last month in 18:30-18:55.   I'm happy that I'm still able to turn in 6 minute miles.  

weekly mileage

Weekly mileage. 

weekly mileage

weekly mileage.  I may actually start blogging again soon.

Morning run. 

Did some 1/3-1/2 mile strides  at 6:30 pace.

Morning 5 miler and then ran home after work.   Humid.  I'm still adjusting to the heat and humidity.   Emptied my hydration pack and needed more.

Ran to work.  Felt great.  Once I got warmed up, I stayed at or below 8min/mile.

1:18 

lunch run.  very hot.  didn't feel strong but still nice to get out on the trails.

Did Negative Split Temp Run

Miles (consecutive w/ no rest): 8:48 , 8:04, 7:41, 6:55, 6:41, 6:15

2 mile cooldown at 8:20 pace 

Ran over to check out the Jubilee and ran through refuge.

Evening run around neighborhood.  Did the hills on Stratford Place and by Dr. Bishop's office a few times.    I'm slowly getting used to the heat again.

Power out at home after brief thunderstorm.  Limb down and hot wire strewn across backyard.  Nice time for candles and a run.  Went on 16th ave over to Old Decatur and then back home via bike bath, Park Place Subdivision, and the alley behind Pennylane.  Nice Run.      DU was working on the line when I got back.  Power back on a little after 9pm.

Lunch run + evening run over to Wilson Morgan /Central Pkwy/RR crossing by 14th st bridge

Meeting with Jim Barnett from Toray on Friday to discuss a 5k to benefit Rebuilding together.     There is good potential for a course at Wilson Morgan + surrounding neighborhoods. 

Lunch run  and family fun runs over at point mallard.  Elmore's and Rawlings did a great job putting it on..  Fun time and good turnout.

 Ran the 1 mile and 2 mile  .  

Going to take it easy on Friday .  Eurocross 5K/8K on Saturday. 

Fiona and I went to Huntsville for the Eurocross.  With its grass, haybales, muddy stream crossings, and single track  , it is always the slowest and most fun 5K of the year.   Finished in under 22 minutes.  The streams were especially hard this year -  in the 5K there are 10 stream crossings and I had to get on my hands and knees to get out of it each time.  In prior years, I was able to get through it with out ever putting my hands down (just powering out of the water).   The crossings must be getting deeper every year the race is run.

I had planned on doing the companion 8K as well but I let Fiona choose whether to watch me do the 8K or cross the streams twice.  After initally saying 8K, she eventually was up to her waist and slogged through the muck while holding my hand.

Hot afternoon run over to point mallard. and on the trails.   Didn't push it.  Felt good. 

In past runs, I've found that running the alley's is easier in the heat.  I ran another one over there.  Of the 1.5 miles over to the park, a good 1/2 mile or more is on trail or alleyway.

Evening run over to point mallard.  Ran a few laps and then back via the powerline along pennylane.  The powerline was so well kept up in places I was marveling at how people took ownership in land that belonged to the power company.  Once I got back home, I looked up the owners and saw that it was private property.  Oh well.   Only the alley road is public.

Felt decent.  Not trying to push it . Settled in to 8:00-8:15/mile pace. 

I know I'm getting geared up for training when I feel guilty only running 4.5 miles in a day.

Easy evening run in the rain.  Found more alleys and grass to run on.   I probably only ran 2 miles pavement at the most.  Nice change of pace.

Not trying to set any speed records.

My goals right now are to get down closer to "racing" weight (~155-160 lbs) and build my mileage.  Adding in speed work would be asking too much of my body and willpower at this point. 

Did a short 2 mile run this morning and then took a run on the Sunset Drive path along Lake Guntersville.  I was over there to watch Fiona's "graduation" from swimming lessons.  After 8 days, Fiona did a decent rendition of the front crawl, back stroke, butterfly, and breast stroke.  Best of all she has had a huge confidence boost with the water. 

Morning long run.  Tried to get as far from home as possible to avoid the temptation of cutting the run short due to the heat.   Got a boost at mile 12 - snickers bar and cold gatorade from the gas station across from BK on the beltline.   I had gone the 2 Gu Packets and three water bottles (that wasn't enough).

Air temp wasn't too hot yet -  85F but it was really humid.   I lost five pounds during the run which is typical. 

I saw John Bolding at 13.5 miles  and he looked fresh as a daisy-  just striding along shirtless showing no strain .  At the time, I took solace in the guess that he was just getting started but in all likelihood he was returning from a 10 miler over to Pt.Mallard.

Ran over to point mallard and the trails.  Did a mile and a half at 7 minute pace, the rest nice and easy- enjoying the heat. 

Hot today.  Lunch run was at 94F.   This 4.5 miler was about the limit for one water bottle at this temp.

Ran home from work.   Didn't feel particularly strong but I got home.

It had just rained hard so it wasn't particularly hot but really humid. 

This link has a picture of a truck I saw disabled about 2.5 miles from home at the corner of 2nd St. and Central Parkway.  I thought it was pretty funny so I snapped a picture.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1432595&l=c16f279841&id=1321608463 

Ran back to work.  Very leisurely run.  Rained a little off and on.

Lunch run- felt cooler because it was cloudy.  Air temp still 90F.

Evening - did the 1 and 3 miles at the RCR family fun runs on the trails.  Felt decent.   5:45   and then 18:45.  Skipped the 2 mile and took Fiona to the water park.  

Nice long run.  First 5 was hot (high 80's),  2nd 5 was a thunderstorm, and last 5 was awesome- temps down to the 70's.  

Started feeling good late in the run -

Mile 12 8:06

Mile 13 7:46

Mile 14 7:23

Mile 15 6:44

Most of the early miles were around 8:30-9:00.  Ran some through the Decatur Cemetery-  nice roads and hills there. 

Ran 6 miles over to pt. mallard to meet Liza and Fiona at the water park.  After meeting them in the parking lot, we locked our keys, cell phones, towels, running shoes, etc.. in car.  I ran home in my TEVA's and swimming suit to get into house with our spare key and drive our car back to the water park.  Very hot!  96F.  Wave pool felt nice.

Drove to Wilson Morgan but locked keys in Accord.  Ran to Honda Dealership and picked up our Honda Pilot.  Drove that back home and got a spare set of keys.  Drove to BigTen Tires to get the Pilot's tire repaired.  Ran from there to Wilson Morgan park. Got Accord. Drove to Big Ten Tires.  Free Repair.  Drove back home  and then ran back to Big Ten Tires to get the Pilot.   Whew!   9 miles of running.

 Ran over to the RCR fun runs in evening.  Ran 1 mile hard - 5:40.  Did 3 mile as a hard tempo run- 19:15.  Cool down and then ran back home.  

Good day of running.   It hit 94F today. 

Ran from home over to pt. mallard, ran the Spirit of America course (race tomorrow!) and then ran back.  We had some rain so temp dropped into the high 70's.  Felt nice.

Long ultra pace run.  Took it a little easy and started at 5pm when it was a little cooler.  I got rained for 30 minutes and saw some lightning in the distance but the thunderstorms skirted around me.  Ended up running at about 51 mile / 8 hour pace.

I've run 48 miles in the last three days.  I'm due for an easy week to finish out June. 

Easy recovery week.   Lunch run.

Lunch run.  Easy...

So much for the "easy" week.  Mid-week, I remembered that a year ago  Jon, Eric, and I were starting our run across alabama.  I had to commemorate this and remember Elliott by running a big chunk of the course.  I ended up running from Hartselle to the west through the scenic Morgan county hills  and finishing in Arab at the intersection of Ruth Rd. and 231.

Run went great.   My friend, Cynthia, met me at mile 18 to refuel me and stashed a drop bag at mile 24.   Nothing like cold Mtn Dew, Gatorade, and snickers.

Cynthia got an interrogation at the side of some country road.  Very similar to the one that Liza and Kelly got during our Run Across Morgan County back in 2007 or 2008.

 She is park on the side of the road when a lady drives up..

 Lady:  What are you doing?  (stare)

Cynthia: Hi, I'm meeting a friend.  

L: (stare)  Really?  (sarcastic)

C: For a snack.

L: (skeptical stare) Really?  (sarcastic)

C: He's running to Arab.....  From Hartselle.

L: Sure. (sarcastic)

In the ladies mind, Cynthia was either going to sell drugs  or have some secret backwoods fling.

Somehow (I wasn't there), Cynthia then explained herself and then the two chatted for the next 45 minutes like the best of friends.    I was within a mile of my 24 mile food drop point when she drove by on her way to it.   I had started to wonder if she got lost.

Liza and Fiona met me at the finish.  Large chocolate milkshake!!!!  Nice run. 

Easy run.  Did manage one 7:30 mile towards the end. a little sore.

ran home from work.  Felt good.  Held 8:00-8:30 pace until the last mile.

Hot.  When I left work it was 95F, it was 88 when I got home.  Drained my camelback dry.  Heat was bearable though.  Some shade and/or a light breeze for a good 2/3 of the way home. 

Melting point of a 3 Musketeers is  less than 95F.  I tucked the bar in my camel back pocket and got it out after a mile.  I had to squeeze it out of the wrapper.  Still good.

Ran back to work.   Route got blocked by two trains along the way so I added extra mileage running laps while waiting.  It was already 84F by the time I got to work at 7:30am.

Family Fun Runs at pt mallard.  1 mile : ~6:00  , 3 mile:  18:45ish ,   2 mile: 13:45

It finally cooled down by the time the 2 mile started.    Fun. 

Met Shane at Parkway Hospital after he finished a night shift and ran over to Jon's.  We ran the Chapel Hill, Mud Tavern, Central Pkwy Loop   .  Jon ended up with 11.5.    Shane and I cooled down with a run back to parkway.  Good run at a good pace.  

Morning run over to point mallard.  Easy pace.  8:30's.

Ran from home over to Wilson Morgan.  Met up with Jon and ran a new 5K course I put together over there.  It was so hot.  At 1/4 mile in, it downpoured.  By 3/4 miles, it stopped and was a sauna for the rest of the run.   Pushed it pretty hard - 6:24,6:55,6:57 miles.  The course is a keeper - now we need a race to use it.  Ran home as a cool down. 

Lunch run.  95F.   Felt good.  8:00-8:10 pace.

Ran over to pt. mallard and did the summer fun runs.  Felt good.  1 mile was going well but got a phone call at 0.7 miles.   I ran behind Matthew Dunn in the 3 mile and came in 2nd at 18:45.  He was definitely holding back.   In the two mile, I chatted with Wayne for the 1st quarter mile and  let Larry Dickerson get about 50 yards.  I picked it up and tried to catch him.  It took awhile but I caught him eventually.  13:30

These fun runs are great.  Now they are my speed work of choice.  I'll go into withdrawl after July.

First time racing on the UAH course used by the Twilight and Turkey Trot.  Also, first road race over in huntsville since the Marathon (Dec-09)

 Course is rolling with the biggest incline coming at ~2.75 miles.    Ran with Dink through the turnaround until he pulled away.  I caught Greg Reynolds on the final climb and got within sight of Marty.  Felt pretty good.  happy with my time and effort.

Did a cool down around campus afterwards. 

took the day off , ran in the morning while Liza and Fiona went to Kroger and Target.

evening run,  didn't feel strong but it got better towards the end.  Should have brought a Gu or gatorade.

lunch run and evening run

Ran from home over to the Brooke Hill training runs (5K course run at 6am, 6:45, 7:30).

Nice turnout and great aid by the Elmore's.

The middle 5K turned into a 10K .  I was able to finish with two minutes to spare before the final 5K started.  It got hotter as the day went on.  I should have stopped at 19 miles, instead I ran home and was borderline nauseous when I got there.  After a shower and 30 minute nap, I was feeling much better.

Predict your time race for the final day of family fun runs at Pt. Mallard.  I didn't feel particularly strong on the 1 mile warmup with a 6:05 mile.  I started the 3 mile when the count down clock was down to 18:45.    Patrick was ahead of me and acted as a great rabbit for the 1st mile.  I passed him and kept going at a comfortably hard pace.  This probably was the first fast run I'd done without a watch in several years.   At about 1/2 mile from the finish, I started to work my way past other runners who had started before me.  When I crested the final steep climb leading to the finish, eased up a little thinking I was ahead of schedule and cruised across the finish line.  The countdown was still around 0:30 and Jon shook his head at me.  Too fast.   A young kid cross right at 0:00 and took home a years supply of Pepsi.

Second attempt at this race.  New course -  hillier and hotter.

Very slow treadmill run after a warmup of elliptical and walking.  Most of the mile was at 6-6.5mph.  Did run a little at 7.5 mph (8:00/mile) but it hurt.

Easy lunch run.    Billboard said 101F when I ran past.  Hottest run of the year.  Went through my 20oz. bottle of water after 2miles.  Recovering well.

standard lunch run course.  Tried some pickups for couldn't get much faster than 6:30 miles.

Ran over to point mallard. 

First mile felt decent but the heat, fast start, and lack of recent speed work caught up with me on the last mile and could only manage a 6:30 final mile.

 Great turnout for first year race.  Great cause. 

Putting the finishing touches on the new route for the Austin CC meet at 3M.

Ran five miles in the morning in my neighborhood.  Hamstring is still sore- sciatica I think.  I need to get into my MT.   did a lot of stretching afterwards.

Ran the cross country course at lunch.  Its in good shape.  I'm excited about the meet on Thursday.  9 teams so far , maybe 160 kids.

Ran around while at the 3M Austing CC meet

pt mallard and neighborhood. Some with Fiona in short bursts.

Ran around Eau Claire , WI .  Nice paths along the Chippewa River.  Got lost.  Extra 4 miles.  Drizzle. then Rain.  Lightning, Darkness, Downpour.  Got into the Hampton Inn pool area and toweled off.  Free cookies gone.   Snickers Dark  bar from Walgreens.

St. Paul.  Ran around Capitol building.  University to Dale to Selby to Downtown.  Ran past Fitzgerald Theatre.

Ran from hotel to Kellogg and climbed out of downtown to Mounds and climbed some more up through Mounds park to the top of the bluff.  Ran down the other side and got on the Mississippi River Path that took me back to downtown.

Very small , low key marathon in Michigan which was an easy drive from my parents house.  This was so low key that within 25 minutes of the race start, there was no sign that a race was going to take place apart from about 15 cars in a small park outside of town.  The race director and family showed up and things got moving.

I wanted a venue for a good training run and this was perfect. Having the clock and competition kept me motivated to push.

After I opened up a 10 yard lead after 100 yards,  I realized I would likely be running alone if I could keep a nice pace.  The race started with a 0.7 mile out and back so I got a good view of the field when I turned around.  I had a safe lead by that point.  The remainder of the course was a 2.8 mile loop around Sunday Lake to be completed 9 times.  The 1st third was the hardest with a head wind and two rolling hills.  I stayed steady and completed the lap over 20 minutes pretty consistently.  The first 20 miles were right around 7:15/mile pace.   I started to labor a little then and slowed to 7:25-7:45/mile the rest of the way.  By the time I was 1 mile from the finish, I had lapped the entire field and ended up winning by nearly 30 minutes.

I was pleased with my time and the workout.  I didn't blow it out and should be able to pick up with normal training next week.  I do need to do some hard tempo runs to make sure I can get back under 3 hours at Chickmauga.

In Woodbury, MN.

Calves pretty sore but they got better.    Ran for an hour and made it over to Battle Creek park where there is a nice curvy rolling bike path through the woods.

Body felt good.  Marathon recovery is going well.  I should be ready for the 5K on Sunday.

in wausau, WI.  Have an morning flight on Wednesday.  Ran over to Marathon Park and to downtown and checked out some of the paths along the river.

7 miles at marathon pace

easy lunch run with a couple 1/2 mile jaunts at tempo pace

2 mile warmup and then a 20:04 5K  (tempo pace , 6:27/mile), Training schedule had me doing another 5K but I didn't have it in me.  Finished out the rest of the 10 miles at easy pace.

easy lunch run,   Daniels running formula tells me that EASY is 8 min/mile so I tried to pay attention and run at that pace,   My not-thinking easy pace is a little slower than that.

Long Run.  Ran over to Pt. Mallard to watch some of the cross country races (Decatur High's "Dew It on the Trails" meet.  Lots of kids (1300 or so).     Got fatigued at 15-16 miles but kept at it.  Kept it around 8 min/mile mostly.

3.04

tough tough tough.  lots of climbing.  

Recovering OK.

tried a new route.   Parked on Red Bank,  ran across 31 and then to Norris Mill (Central Parkway), headed back east on Bowles Bridge Rd, Kayo Rd, Burleson Mtn Rd, to  Indian Hills.  Nice Climbs.      Return on Red Bank Rd.

 Saw 4 women putting furniture in the middle of the road taking photographs of themselves.

I need a hard week of training.  My marathon is coming up fast. 

nice run.  Inner thighs are sore.  Need to stretch 

Nice race.   Beautiful course.  hard tough, you have to like constant rolling hills  and minimal spectators.

California Trip--    

Ran in Point Pinole Park   which juts out into San Pablo Bay.   This is near Giant,CA  and Richmond.  Nice Park.   Great trails right by the water.

Ran in a nice park in Windsor,CA.  Foothill Park.   A very nice trail system with a lot of steep hills.

In Elk,CA.   Ran up Philo-Greenwood road from our B&B.  Uphill for about 2.5 mile --  1,200 ft.  Great view.

Got smart on this day and had Liza drop me off on top of the hill and I ran down.

Ran from hotel in Tiburon,  through Mill  Valley and Sausalito, and climbed up to the Golden Gate bridge.  I went across the bridge (1.5 miles) and then along the bay to Fisherman's wharf where I caught a ferry back to Tiburon at Pier 41.

nice workout.  I was definitely still feeling the effects of my trip and my long run but all-in-all it was good.   Trent Dean passed me like a freight train in the last 0.1 miles.   I had a gear that i don't think I have at the beginning of a 5K.

I knew I didn't want to race another marathon in December so pacing the 3:15 group was a fun day to spend a Saturday morning.  I couldn't slack off much but this pace was slowed enough so I felt decent the entire way.   I had quite a crowd following me nearly all the way.  As we got past 18 miles , we dropped people gradually.

Note to self:   Do not wear Lunar Racers on this length of race again.  The top of my right foot was hurting the last 13 miles of this race and for over a week afterwards.

It was sooooo cold.  I ran on the treadmill.  Felt decent.

Up in Cincinatti for Christmas.    Ran around the streets of Wyoming,OH as the sun went down.  Snow here but not too cold.   29F or so.

After picking up donuts at the local bakery, I ran around Wyoming,OH again.  This time on the east side of Springfield Pike.   Nice area.  Fun place to run.    Donut tasted really good once I got back home. 

Final run up in Cinci.  Fresh snow.  Its been fun exploring.

Back at work.  I was about to bail on my lunch run - it was way past noon and I was dragging a bit  but I headed out and ended up having a great run.  Kept all miles under 8 min.  Listened to This American Life and the end of the Mac Break Weekly podcast.   The prize was hearing how to print from the iPad which was our family's favorite gift from Santa.  

I couldn't get the iPad browser to update this website though while in Cinci.   

Nice easy run at lunch.    I feel pretty fresh so it will be interesting how the 50K goes tomorrow.  I'm not expecting miracles since my training and fitness is not great but decent.  My weight is up about 15 pounds from where I'm normally at my best.  I want to get back down between 160 and 165.   This morning I was 177.    not unhealthy by any means but cutting a little weight sure makes it easier to run fast.