Out for 7 grueling miles today. 4 of the side streets that I run down were not yet plowed, so I had to run in tire tracks when and where possible. Overall pretty slow due to the conditions and wind ..... yes more cold blustery wind. I was thinking today that if I didn't run outside in the winter I'd never go out there - other than to get to work, the store, etc. Come on Spring!!!!

Ditto what Mary just said, I got in 8 miles in some nasty running conditions. Wind and freshly plowed snow along the shoulder of the road made for some heavy legs for a so called "easy run". It was one of those days the 25MPH wind was always in my face. I came home and when my wife asked how it went I just said it was a Michigan character building run. I need to catch up on the race reports Larry

Hi, guys! DS and I just got back from our long college visiting trip. We liked Susquehanna University (central PA) the best. The beautiful indoor track didn't hurt! Two of its walls are entirely glass, so you feel as if you're running outdoors. The campus is attractive, and the school has a good medical school acceptance rate. Everyone was very friendly, too. A new science building is under construction, which would be done the semester DS starts school. Oh, DS needed to run six 800-meter intervals at two-mile pace (sub-5 minute per mile), so he got to do it on the track! He said it was very fast. He had a bunch of girls watching him, which was fun. It is fascinating visiting campuses. Some just don't seem to have much energy, and it's hard to pinpoint a reason. One coach was kind of flaky, explaining his admittedly "unorthodox" training methods include not giving the runners a pace to hit, but telling them to run 3 steps per inhalation and 3 steps per exhalation. ?? Seems weird. We may end up taking advantage of my dad's connections at Texas - he works with the coaches there, and the track guys said they could get DS a small scholarship, meaning he'd pay in-state tuition ($7,0000) rather than out-of-state ($24,000). DS had already told me he'd rather be a small fish in a big pond, because he knows he'd improve faster that way. On our trip, I had to bite my tongue a lot, because most of the campuses and facilities just didn't compare favorably to UT at all! When the guides would say that small schools are better than large ones, I REALLY clamped down on my tongue, lol. I will always be an orange-blooded Longhorn. We both ran on treadmills at hotels. One fitness room was so hot I almost fainted, and ended up walking a good bit. I finally figured out that the HEATER was on, so I turned it to a cooling setting. Saturday morning, DS managed to get up at 7:45 am so he could get his 7-mile run in on the TM. I have to admit I stayed in bed. It was a wonderful trip, one that I will always remember. DS was very appreciative, and we learned a lot. If he does go to Texas, this was still a worthwhile experience, to make him appreciate the opportunity he's getting. And if he goes to Susquehanna, it will be positive, also!

Uggh!....painting all weekend and I finished up early this afternoon. It was a lot of work but we are really pleased with the way everything came out. After all the painting I really didn't feel like running but got my butt out there and at least did some running today albeit not what I originally had planned this weekend. 13.02 miles of hills @ 8:59 pace...very windy but a beautiful sunny day.

wow!! lots of great long runs out there today!! i did 4 miles continuing with my plan of 7 min walking alternating with 3 or 4 minute runs -- my walking segments avge 14:05 - 14:32 pace which i really need to get down.....my running segments were 9:05-9:33 pace.........looking forward to shortening the walking segments and increasing the runs!! total 4 miles in 49:51 i'm getting there slow but steady

wow!! lots of great long runs out there today!! i did 4 miles continuing with my plan of 7 min walking alternating with 3 or 4 minute runs -- my walking segments avge 14:05 - 14:32 pace which i really need to get down.....my running segments were 9:05-9:33 pace.........looking forward to shortening the walking segments and increasing the runs!! total 4 miles in 49:51 i'm getting there slow but steady

Good work Deez. A nice plan and you will get stronger every day, believe me. I love seeing someone with a good plan like this. Be very patient. Spareribs

In Jim's analysis referenced in the RA Forums: http://mysite.verizon.net/jim2wr/id209.html He states possible reasons why runners don't hit the McMillan predicted times based on half marathon results. One of the reasons he gives is: 3. There is a significant difference between runners with marathon result up to 3:30 and those over 3:30. It seems that running a marathon requires the ability to practice runs at a faster pace. Based on this I think Tramps has a good shot at his 3:30 marathon. What great runs this week and last!