rest day for me but I just wanted to say hooray to PDR!!

dale, I missed a couple of weeks... what's going on with your ankle?? I'm glad it's getting better, but still, .

just a little sprain that's on the way to healing...just messin' with my 'taper' I'll be fine. (Thanks for noticing)

I haven't poked my tibia once yet today! but the day is still young out here . . . i'm just having my coffee now . . . haven't even started working yet. . . going to the gym during lunch for a 4 mile run, then tomorrow is a 10 mile race. Labduck and his wife will be here for this one, so i'll meet up with them for a bit in the a.m., but he's fast, so I'll only see him on the turnaround as he flies by me. Perfect weather in the forecast tomorrow - clear blue skies, about 55 degrees at the start. Perfect weather for a running skirt I think

My legs are feeling all the laps I have done this week. A mere 6 for the morning. Our students are in 3rd place out of the 5 elementary schools in our district so we are middle of the packers. We are less than 2 miles out of second so silver is our goal. The gold looks out of reach but gives kids something to shoot for. I chuckle when kids come up to me telling me they need to go to the nurse because they are getting really warm or their side hurts. Welcome to running my young friends. It is hard to convince a 7 year old that a side stitch is not a fatal injury, especially one who rarely gets to play outside. That is why I value every day in my job. The even better news is that we have already collected over $3,000 for the local childhood cancer organization and suspect we will top $6,000 by the time we collect all of the donations!

Hi Camel. Wiener dogs. Darn wiener dogs. One bit me on my bom-bom a week before the VCM last year. The little schnitzel was wagging her tail and smiling so I bent down to pat her and "CHOMP". The Saint: Is she going to run in Prada? Isn't this the heels and hills half? The RS and DS2 are kayaking. I have to go pull the weeds that are growing between the bricks in my patio. 0527 58 F 100% humidity 3.32 miles running followed by 7.25 miles on the bike that doesn't move. (the rest of the 0530 group swims. I bike)

When you've been running on and off for as many years as I have, you learn little tricks to get out of running. I am now using one of my favorites to skip running today. I found a 5k not too far from here that takes place tomorrow morning. So I am taking off today to go run in that. But when I wake up tomorrow, there will probably be a "good" reason for not running the 5k and by then it will be too late to run today. If I do go, I could set a personal worst. Other than the times I am not running at all, I am probably in my worst shape ever. But, I am motivated to start things back up with training and eating healthier and a 5k now would be a good base point for the year that would be easy to improve on. Actually, I probably won't set a personal worst because that came in Houston during my 2 year exile in hades. I ran a 5k on the 4th of July when the heat index was pushing 200°.

Hi Deb! I did make it home last night... well early this morning. Plane landed uneventfully if not a few minutes late at 12:45 a.m. Was sort of a bummer to see all the new SNOW out there! Jeez, it looks like January around here. Oh well. 10 degrees F on the drive in to work... but could be 45F by Sunday. Good news on PDR's hammy, and yeah to Tammy for not poking her tibia... hope she doesn't feel it when the inevitable poking occurs! Dave59, I like your rationale. Go do that 5k. Like you said, at least you'll have a reference point to base improvement on this year. Seems like so many of you "taperers" are doing some pretty high mileage intensive running still... Not sure I'd like plans like those. But then again, today should be a rest day for me, but with all the travel I did this week I do feel a need to run a little bit. Might take the spikey's out for one last run on my hilly road--which was all dirt last week and now it's all white. Hmmmm. Our renters backed out. I guess just as well since we're having major clogged up plumbing problems in the kitchen/laundry drains. We had a plumber out for hours yesterday to snake/pressure-jet the drains and install more vents. He thinks our problem is lack of adequate venting. I say if that's the problem, why did it take 25 years to cause a problem? I think it's a clog he can't reach. The saga continues. I hate my house.

TGIF! yesterday... eliz- good for you for getting out for your run yesterday! I'm glad it helped! evanflein- it sounds like you had a productive trip. How was first class!? Cool! At least you got some consolation for all the pain in the butt stuff you've had to deal with. How is your son feeling today? Stay clear of him! dromedary- how'd the run go yesterday? Were you nekkid, and could you breathe? runningindc- that's encouraging that your foot rebounded as quickly as it did. It's getting the kinks out perhaps? mainerunnah- dang those were some fast mile splits! halllar- bummer about work. It's like trying to follow the Master's golf online. JJJ- You're gonna need all of those calories you scarfed for the weekend you have planned! nonoruns- I loved the sound of your run, on the deserted streets, and with your babysitter and dog. Very nice! Teresa- glad you're having such a great time, and having good runs! today... breger- the fact that you got another run in and are feeling good is great! CNY- good luck and have fun with grandma! She sounds very cool! Roy- HI! Good to see you post! May 25th is a ways away yet. Please keep us posted with your progress and good luck! perch- can't wait to see how you do in Boston. Your training has been perfect! hopeful4ever- you will love those rest days even more as your training progresses! Enjoy! PJH- was a fort involved with the sleepover? I agree with the MP only for next week, not that my opinion matters, just wanted to give your coaches plan a thumbs up. I haven't seen "Spirit" yet, but from all accounts, it sounds like it was great. Thanks for the review. lyndenrunner- thanks for posting. I see you have been running, but didn't want to bug you. Enjoy your warm weekend in the sun, doing what you love to do. I will admit, I still watch Sesame Street from time to time. Was Count there to help you count the miles? Craneium- why are you tired? Big time congrats on the fundraising and of course on the inspiration you give these kids. Peter- boxers can be stubborn dogs. I'm glad you stood your ground and got away without incident. Of course you were at the top of a hill when this happened. I'm glad the run turned out well. Jeanne- Got your rowboat and lifevest ready? I was gonna bring my copy of RW with me to Boston and if I had an Aamos sighting was gonna have her autograph it. dg- your plan sounded good, sorry it didn't work out. Never heard of the precor stretch trainer... gotta check it out. Keep at it please, I'm rooting for you! Tall- sounds like a great weekend in store for you. Enjoy! Good luck with your column! Holly- while the boss is away, Holly will play. What was so bizarre about that dream? Sounds like a typical race morning to me. PDR- One smile for each mile you will fly through at Boston! I'm happy with you! WRFB- your job is to keep the freaking out in your house to a minimum, ok? Mariposai- I hope you were able to give your workshop without incident. Feel better! dtoce- I didn't know you were hurting! What is your prognosis? halllar- hoping your calf is happy with the rest today! Tammy- best of luck with your race/run tomorrow! I hope it goes well and am looking forward to hearing about it! TomS- No mention of any hip problems, so I'll assume no news is good news. Dromedary- you HAVE to get a picture of that dog running! I'm laughing just thinking about it. I wonder what it's stride rate is? Good luck with your asthma in your warm weather. Hugs to you.... just because. LaVita- nice to see a post here from you today! Make it a habit please! munch- welcome home. It sounds like you are doing well. I wish I could say the same for your husband though. Hope he feels better soon, and I hope things continue to go well for you. Dave- good thing I don't live closer to you... I want your race report posted here first thing Monday! As Craneium said, who cares about the time, get out there and see or make some friends. evanflein- welcome home! Glad you made it! I'll bet all the fresh snow looked beautiful. :P Sorry about the house woes... you and Holly need to have a house bashing talk in Boston. Get it out of your systems. Ribs- good Boston advice. But if the Boston runners can't check the weather every 10 minutes, that means they have to channel their energy somewhere else, and you saw where that lead Aamos. Keep checking the weather guys! Congrats on achieving the 8 min/mile barrier! Continued good run wishes to you and the Saint! Twocat- here kitty kitty. Come out come out wherever you are. THinking of you, hope all is well. Talking about oldie bands, Judy Collins is playing at a local high school next month. Got my ticket yesterday... "Send in the Clowns". Good stuff. Had a very nice long walk early this morning with pooch. Cloudy skies, but no wind and mild temps. It's sooo good to finally have things start to feel springy. The air was filled with tons of bird sounds, but even with all that racket, the screech of a far off hawk pierced right through it all. Lots of deer and rabbits out grazing. I could've stayed out there forever. These walks are so good for the soul. A good friend told me last night that her dad had to go into the hospital yet again, he's been battling cancer for a few years now, but it doesn't look too promising, so thats been weighing heavily on me. She has such an awesome relationship with her parents, they are her best friends. Took a side trip during the hike to my favorite spot on the cliffs and sat there for a long time and prayed. Jake, my dog, knew something was up, normally he'd be all over the place sniffing away, but today he layed down next to me the whole time. I'm sure I'm giving him too much credit, he was probably just tired! Snapped some photos... A pocket of wild daffodils, giving a burst of color to otherwise brown surroundings. A very rare calmness to the water. The dark line on the horizon is Connecticut. I think I see Twocat and SueT waving! A nice mix of muted colors in the water and the sky. Thanks for looking and for reading. I appreciate you guys every day! A good rest of the day to everyone.