Weather - 21 degrees, sunny, not much wind. Still a lot of snow on the ground, which I was hoping for, as I believe running in snow is one way to improve strength and speed. I woke up this morning with the fever gone, and I was surprised that I felt back to normal so quickly. Whatever I had decided it wanted no part of me. Feeling invigorated I was looking forward to my run this morning. I began by running 3 easy miles to the country club. I was having a better go of plodding through the snow compared to yesterday, and when I got to the 7th fairway I took off on a fartlek workout. It felt good to run hard again, it has been 8 or 9 days since I pushed the needle to the red line. The snow on the golf course was untrod, so I was working hard to push through it. During the hard parts of the run I felt I was moving too slow, but the energy output was high, so I knew I was putting in the necessary effort. I was able to finish 9 fairways, which is my record thus far. Total time for the run was 71 minutes, so I am guessing I did at least 7.5 miles (My iPod does not calibrate accurately when I run in snow). Afterwards 3 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 50 minute walk home. My endurance is starting to get where it needs to be. I wore a lot of clothing today, not because of the cold so much, but rather adding 2 or 3 pounds to my body will force me to work harder, and maybe this will result in a fitness gain. I can't wait until spring when I can run in shorts and a singlet again.
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