Entries from December, 2009

It is so fitting that my last run of 2009 was a microcosm of the entire running year. Continue Reading

It’s that time of year … time to reflect and project! 2009 was a year of transition. In essence, it was the tale of two running seasons. Continue Reading

I just could not get out of bed this morning. Part of the reason is I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t fall back asleep until early this morning. I didn’t hit the streets until 6:55am. LATE!!! Day was breaking as I took my first step. Thank goodness all is quiet at the office during this holiday week and I could slip in later without any issues. Continue Reading

Well, that was fast. Sunday I was in shorts taking care of the intervals business. This morning I was back to double layers. Old Man Winter reappeared with a vengence today. 11* with the wind chill including gusts up to 20 mph. Good times. Despite all that, I definitely have struck the right balance with protective gear and still feeling light. That is until the last lap. Continue Reading

Looking back at my running log, I had not done intervals since December 1^st.  That is too much time in between speed workouts.  Therefore, even though I hit double digits less than 20 hours ago, I had Yasso’s on the morning docket.  Oh, joy.  I know I have a looooooongggggg way to go to hit my goal pacing, so speedwork has to become much more apart of the weekly routine.  I’m thinking Sunday’s for intervals and another day during the week for a partial tempo. Continue Reading

I knew I would pay for being lazy this morning.  I had the opportunity to get up at 8:00 and bang out the run.  Nope.  I blame Fredrico Fellini and a very nice bottle of Bordeaux.  [BTW – I find it impossible to watch an Italian film without drinking wine.]   I cannot remember the last time I had wine, but it being Christmas … I was justified.  Both the film (Le notti di Cabiria) and the wine were terrific.  [BTW Part 2: One of my selfish New Year’s resolutions will include watching every Fellini film in 2010.]  The point is that I had even less incentive to pop out of bed and get with the program.  I knew rain showers were on the horizon, but frankly, I didn’t care.  I’ve run in the rain many times before (my 10K PR occurred in the rain), so I would deal with it. Continue Reading

Presents opened.  Kids happy.  Successful Christmas.  Well, almost successful.  I needed to bang out the run.  Ha!  You know when you are a long distance runner when you voluntarily wake up an hour before your kids on Christmas morning.  At 7:00 am I was wondering where they were until the youngest bopped on in.  Anyway, we survived and the living room is a messy between toys, boxes, etc.  What was my present you may be wondering?  It was the serenity of a nice run in the park. Continue Reading

When the temps are in the low teens, every degree change is meaningful.  You would not think there is a huge difference between 10* and 13*, but I definitely felt it today.  At 6:20 am and 13*, when I hit the streets, it certainly wasn’t balmy, but it was better.  Maybe the shock to the system from yesterday brought about a quick adjustment. Continue Reading

By the title, you can surmise that I did get out for a run this morning and it was cold. 10* with the wind chill at 6:00am. That’s no joke. I was kicking myself because after the RD yesterday, there was no way I could sit out today. Therefore, I mosied out of bed and got dressed. I was appropriately bundled with light layers. I thought double socks would be bothersome, but I noticed no change. I went out with my double gloves not imagining a problem would arise. Wrong. Continue Reading