Today's Run

I can't remember the last time a twelve mile run has been so painful! What happened to the girl who could run an easy twenty just a few weeks ago? I suppose adding some new leg work to my morning workout didn't help matters, but I still think the main culprits are those two weeks of suboptimal training while sick and while nursing that tight quad. I know I'll be back up to par soon, but while patience may be a virtue, it's not one of mine.

I'm not coughing today though, so there's always a bright side.

And it was a nice day to be out running. Not too warm, not too cold. Squirrels and robins bopping around in the grass getting their breakfast. Winter pansies. And cyclists. Lots of cyclists. I had never noticed it before, but you can almost draw a line on the calendar separating the "running season" from the "cycling season." It seems that the bikes come out just as soon as the last marathoner has crossed the finish line.

I hope the weather is good for FrostBike next weekend, and I hope my legs are feeling better. It's embarrassing to get dropped, although having been sick at least provides me with a good excuse. I'm trying to remember something about next weekend's ride, since I did it last year, but I'm drawing a blank. It must not be one of the ones with lots of homemade treats at the rest stops, then. I make a careful mental note about those! Who can resist a gooey chocolate-chip brownie at a tough part of a long course? Or the surprise of being offered a popsicle toward the end of a long hot summer ride? Of course there's also the downside of cycling, like long miles of headwind howling through the slots of your helmet, slowing you to 10 mph with 30 miles to go. There are a lot of days when the headwind seems to actually follow you, granting you the occasional blow-you-into-traffic crosswind but never providing a tailwind, even on a looped course. The wind doesn't read weather.com, apparently. But good scenery and a well-stocked aid station can make up for so much. Can make up for nearly all of it, in fact. The good memories are all we usually remember from out toughest endeavors, anyway.

But enough rambling. Tomorrow will be cold and since I can't seem to trust my legs these days it's the trainer and Coach Troy for me.

Today's Workouts
12 mile run