Hills for breakfast, hold the gnats

The signs are good. There is a bit of congestion, but just a bit.  I want to go outside. I suddenly care what my hair looks like (dreadful).  My head no longer weighs 50 lbs. My day planner beckons rather than frightens.  And.... I want to run!  Mr. Sno wisely advises me to get one more day of rest.  Ok.  But I can dream...

Would you kind folks take a look at this elevation profile for me?  I have the worst track record when it comes to judging courses by their elevation profiles.  The Portland Marathon (the other fall marathon I'm considering) is offering a discount for early registration (code=ff20), but the cutoff is April 30, coming right up.  I know I can run well at Portland (my PR was there), but not sure I want to run it for a 4th time.  There are pros & cons.  

Anyway, what I need help with is determining whether Winthrop is a net downhill the way that, say, Western States 100 is a net downhill? ie Yikes.  Or is it more like the way CIM is a net downhill (my second fastest marathon and my best in terms of smart running)?  "250 feet of elevation gain" doesn't seem like much, but like I said I am so bad at judging.  And will all that downhill murder my quads? What's the fun-o-meter on this course? 

I think I've posted this before, but here is my recipe for fighting off colds. It really only works if done within about 12 hours of the first signs of illness (that back-of-throat feeling):  rest (obviously), extra vit D3, glass of water every half-hour, echinacea every 60-120 minutes*,  & no sugar or starches!  That includes orange juice.  Eat red bell peppers instead if you want dietary vitamin C. 

*I am aware that the studies on echinacea have yielded mixed results. I just want to say that I have never found it helpful when used as directed, and I have always found it helpful when taken throughout the day, as suggested to me long ago by a friend. If it's a placebo, it's an awfully consistent one.   

58F; overcast and windy at times (~15 mph w/ gusts to 29). Easy run. 20 min strength work. 

A fine and pleasant ride on the SnotnSniffle Express.  I was surprised by my energy level. I left enough time to get at least 8 miles, maybe a little over, but must have been moving faster than I thought to get 8.41.  Good little immune system, good, good. 

About strength training... I have several friends whom I respect and trust, who swear they "love lifting weights."  I'm sure they're telling the truth. I wonder if they know I'm telling the truth when I say "I love running."  Anyway, how can they love lifting weights?  I absolutely hate it, though I am 100% convinced that it is important.   I don't expect an answer; I'm just whining.  I also take cod liver oil, because I'm convinced it's important.  If someone said, "I love cod liver oil!" --that would give you an idea of how bizarre this love-lifting sentiment seems to me.  

50F;  a few showers. Easy run. 20 min. strength.

I forgot how nice it is to have some daylight on every run. I'm still starting out in darkness every day, but the daylight comes quickly.  

44F; steady rain. VO2 max workout - w.u., 4 x half mile @ 5K effort*, c.d. 

*see second paragraph, below 

So, there I am warming up: wet, sniffly, somewhat breathless (psychosomatic I think), with a cycling jacket to keep some of the water and self-pity out, soaking feet... And I'm running along thinking, "this is a bad day for a speed workout."  Yesterday or even Monday would have been better.  I mentally curse the inaccuracy of "Five Day Weather" outlooks.  I spend my entire warm up talking myself out of blowing off the planned workout.  

In the end, I went with the ol' standby of Something is Better than Nothing.  My results for the 4 reps were:  whine, sigh, struggle, and hang-in-there.  Oh. You wanted actual pace splits? Ok. 9:22, 8:49, 8:25, 8:20.  Goal was 7:50-8:00, but at least I got faster as I went along.  

Best not to dwell on it.  Instead, how about we amuse ourselves over... My Very Own Special Brand of OCD.  I have a very specific, benign little OCD thing regarding sidewalks.  I have had this sidewalk thing since I was a small child.  It may have come from the "step on a crack, break your mother's back" rhyme.  (What kind of monster teaches that kind of crap to little children?)  From the time I started walking to school (1st or 2nd grade),  I have had this compulsion to make the cracks "even" between my two feet: one steps on a crack, the other had to as well.     

Now that I'm an adult, and presumably more logical and mature,  it only bothers me when I step on one of those bulging sidewalk separations. I always want to find one for the other foot. Real mature, I know.  I think this may be one of the reasons I like running in the street so much. ("Yes, Officer. But you see, there were so many cracks on the sidewalk...") It's great when I remember to just hold up my head and not pay attention to the ground.  Only, that can lead to tripping over things you know. 

Into this tiny quirk in my otherwise sane existence,  add: worms.  I don't know if it's because of Spring, or what, but with the rain falling steadily, the sidewalks are totally covered with worms today.  Oy. Maybe we should just not discuss this anymore... 

We're halfway through the week, folks!  :D   

44F, cloudy, dry, calm.  Easy run w/ form drills.  10 min core, pushups, pullups. 

Nice morning for a run.  Mr. Sno has the day off so I ran in complete daylight - such a pleasure!  

Happy Earth Day, everyone! We're off to DD's Science Fair, appropriately I think.  Just coincidentally, the socks I finished last night are a sort of multi-color scheme of browns, greens, and purple, which the yarn company calls "Treehugger."   So of course I'm wearing them today. :)  

Low 40s to mid 40s, mostly rainy with some breaks.  Endurance run w/ MP: 5 x (alternating 1 mile @9:00-9:15,  1 mile easy) + Leg Builder Hill.  MP miles: 9:03, 8:50 (part down L.B. hill), 9:02, 9:00. 

We learned Thursday night that a very close friend of ours had died Wednesday.  Grief does not necessarily preclude running, but I didn't feel like being with people and skipped my club run today.  This friend was the most influential person in my whole life, other than my own family.  And mourning someone seems to dredge up all the grief from past losses, you know what I mean? My parents, a favorite aunt, our little nephew, even the cats I've lost, all seem to come to mind and make the new loss harder. It's a balancing act to let yourself grieve but not fall to pieces.