After the recent cold spell, today is balmy! 4 miles in 33 minutes in 35 degrees and no wind. NFL second season starts today...Go Pats! Fran

It's a balmy 25F with no wind

Hmm, I ran after PDR got back and my weather widget said 19F at the start. 5 miles at GA effort today. It was nice to run in daylight for a change. Today I keg my english pale ale that I brewed two weeks ago. Should be ready to drink in a few days. Yum. Workout: 4.1 miles, 8:10/mi, AHR 152 (target 150) Overall: 5.1 miles, 41:41 Good runs!

Tramps, just so you know, if I ever do run on a track, I will probably bring my Garmin, so that I don't have to count or push buttons (but don't let SR know!). It would be interesting to see how much spurious elevation the unit picks up. I figure since I will never do a race on a track, why get used to running on one? A track is just a big round ruler, and my Garmin frees me from ever having to use it. You can do intervals on a relatively flat bike path, or whatever.

I hear ya. The problem is that I have very few options running from home and they all involve hills. I live on a ridge, in an area full of ridges, so I immediately hit hills in either direction. I just grin and bear it for tempo runs and generally think this is good for my training. But since I'm doing shorter distances this Spring, I'm thinking of working in some intervals more regularly and it would seem to undermine the purpose of the workout to be struggling with hills at the same time. As a result, I'll probably be hitting the track (or at least a flatter park) to do these.

Good morning, masters. Windy and rainy here and for once I don't have a long run planned! I have group friends out there now, though. Heh heh. Hope they're having fun. I'll get out for 6 miles later. I definitely have a full blown cold now. Not in my chest though. Knock on wood. Tim, I've had several injuries over the past 6 years that have kept me from running for a while -- Plantar fasciitis, 2 stress fractures, painful morton's neuroma, sciatica... Oh boy, I think I know all the emotions you feel not being able to run. It may help to remember that most of us are injured at one time or another. Now is just your time. It will pass and you'll be back out there. I once read an article about one of the women elite runners (I think it was Carrie Tollefson) and she said that she now thinks much more positively about time being injured -- because she knows it will mean time of rest and she'll only be stronger when she gets back out there running. I try to remember that, too. I've learned not to take running healthy for granted, either. Each day I have a pain-free run, I am thankful. Anything could happen tomorrow! I haven't had calf issues, but I'd say your plan to try out 1-2 miles in the next few days sounds reasonable. Run and if you feel pain, stop. Or run until you start to feel any discomfort, then stop. Tramps, etc. -- okay, I should have qualified my statement in that I don't run short intervals anymore. All of my intervals I do now are no shorter than 1200m. or mile repeats. And for the past year or so, nothing shorter than 2-mile repeats. Tempo runs obviously aren't intervals. Sooooooo, that helps in the memory bank big time because I don't do more than 3-5 intervals. One day soon when I stop training for marathons and focus on 5-10ks, I'll have to figure out my watch and I'll come looking for you. CNY and 'posa -- you're killing me with all of this xc skiing talk! I need a road trip to the Methow Valley this spring. Who's in? http://www.mvsta.com/

One hour 12 minute and forty seconds to run 8.07 miles (sorry DH) Good for a 9:01 pace or thereabouts. I saw drivers from my neck of the woods heading out as I began my run and returning after I had made the turn and headed home. 40s and partial sun made for a pleasant long run. Chris

CNYrunner - "Groovy" ...now that made me laugh! MC - What was 'carb depletion' supposed to do? Didn't hear of that before. 2 hour easy run this morning in nice temps. Total 12.3 miles @ 9:46 pace. HR of 132 was a nice surprise ... it's slowly dropping. PJ

Beautiful in Maine today. It was 8 degrees at 8 am when my running partner and I did 5.0 miles in 1:03. I love my Garmin!! We just took off down neighborhood streets and enjoyed the bright sunshine and white snow. We just had to be careful going around corners- the snow banks are so high that cars can't see you! It's the snowiest start to a winter in southern Maine since 1970. I love it! That's only the fourth time I've ever run 5 miles (my first was in August), and it felt great! I never had that, "Ack, I can't go any farther!" feeling. I can't believe I'm doing this! Next week I will increase to 5.5 miles. Have a great weekend! Teresa