Head Bangin' AM

I slammed my head into the corner of a shelf near my front door after having bent over to slip my shoes on. I wasn't too pleased about that although it did wake me up from the morning haze I was in. I now have a small but highly visible gash on my head. Ouch! No one at my work has said anything yet so either they haven't noticed it or they're being polite by not bringing it up. Anyway, it was 40°F for this mornings 10-miler, which felt very comfortable. I may have overdressed slightly but not too much. Finished in 1:18 on the nose (7:48's). Legs felt good. Hips, feet, etc. are all cool. I love my yellow shoes!

Another Pleasant Run

It was 42°F with light winds at 4:30 so I threw on my favorite running apparrel, shorts and a long sleeve tech top. Also had the winter hat and gloves to keep the extremities warm. There was a light rain but not enough to require a waterproof shell. While running, I became completely wrapped up in a story I was telling and was amazed at how the miles flew by. We were at our 5 mile turnaround before I knew it. I must have been pretty wired because I'm usually pretty quiet and focused on the business of running, especially in the morning.

We met at Kevin's house even though he is still sidelined with an injured achilles. I wonder if he saw our cars and how he felt not being able to join us. I know it's really been eating at him. Kevin's a guy who was in Boston Marathon shape a short 8 months ago! Any way, 10 miles this AM in just just under 1:18. Great run!

Two-a-Day Tuesday

Ran a light 8 miles this morning starting at 4:45. Temps were around 35°F and mild. Pretty nice conditions actually. The day brought with it sunshine and temps in the mid 40's, which was really nice. It may be a little cold but you can't help but feel good when the sun is shining. I had planned on making it to Garfield Park in the evening to run with the old gang and was relieved to get out of work on time to make the 6:15 start. I believe there were 10 of us tonight. A few old faces and a few new. We did two laps around the 2 mile loop and regrouped at the base of the large hill to do some ladders. 1/3 up hard (jog down), 2/3 up hard (jog down), all the way up hard (jog down). Repeat, except in reverse. I was surprsed at how well I handled the "speedwork" given the time of year. Wore my New Balance in the AM and Brooks in the PM and both are feeling great!

Short Sleeve December

I woke up on Sunday morning to 55° weather. Instinctively, I began digging through my running drawer for a thermal layer but thought better of it and went with the short sleeve top and some light arm warmers. The five of us who met for a 12 miler were in shock. One of the many things that's cool about being from Ohio is having the ability to appreciate warm weather when we're fortunate to have it. We all stretched for a few minutes extra afterwards and a few of us went together to a local bakery for some post-run treats.

The run itself went well. I've been consistent enough with my running of late to be content although I wouldn't mind picking it up a notch. Perhaps signing up for a spring marathon will inspire me to run a few extra miles during the week.

Everything's Gonna Be Alright

I knew today was going to be awesome when the first song I heard on the radio was Bob Marley's No Woman, No Cry. It's only 7:30, but so far so good! Ran 8 miles this morning. Temps were in the mid-40's, which for me is a little tricky to dress for. Ended up being a little warm with a thermal layer under a long sleeve tech top. I have plenty more cold weather mornings to get it right. The Geminid meteor shower was in full effect this morning and I was fortunate enough to see three meteors! T minus 26 days and counting until my 30th birthday and I need to start getting my head together for XXX Marathon 1/10/07. I'm hoping to recruit some friends to keep me company during the final miles.

Follow the Blue Light!

I arrived a few minutes late to my planned 14 mile run on Sunday morning and found 2 familiar cars but no familiar people (i.e. they took off without me). Since we run out and backs, I knew we'd cross paths eventually so I set out at a pretty brisk pace to get the blood flowing. About 3/4 mile in, I saw ahead of me a blinking blue light and remembered that Cathy had recently purchased this light to clip on to her fuel belt, warning cars of our presence since 90% of our running is done in the dark. It was still about a mile ahead but I couldn't resist the challenge of chasing it down as fast as possible. Part of the fun was in trying to sneak up on them as I approached. By mile 3, I was even with them and running easy. Thank goodness because running at 10K pace 25 minutes after waking up is not a whole lot of fun. To be honest, it took a little out of me and the balance of the run was a little hard to stomach (literally).