Weather - 36 degrees, cloudy, light rain/mist. Had to put in 8 hours at the park district today, so did my first run in the dark. Some of the snow had melted, but there was still 1-2 inches on the golf course, so visibility was excellent. I was feeling sick yesterday with a fever and upset stomach, but I had a quick recovery as my energy was good and the fever was gone, although my stomach was still giving me problems. When I started the run my legs felt as if they had recovered from the hard snow runs done earlier in the week, and they felt supercharged, and my lungs were loose and at full capacity, probably because of the warmer temperature. After running to Crystal Lake park I decided on another round of fartlek at the golf course, so I crossed into Busey Woods and then to the fairways. I wanted to practice my "surge" pace, so I imagined I was running a 7 mile race and when I reached a fairway I would make a surge and try to hold it until reaching the green. I would then slow to a little below race pace, then surge again upon reaching the next fairway. There was 1-2 inches of snow still on the ground, which was good for leg resistance, although not as tough as a few days ago when 4-5 inches was still present. I managed to complete 12 fairways, which surpassed my previous high amount by 2, so I am getting stronger. I felt I could have run more fairways, but I thought I would be overdoing it. I am finally beginning to feel fit, now I can really begin to work hard. | 