Another blinding sunny day but with a cool breeze even in 32 degrees when I got out the door.  Ran in the neighborhood where half is paved and dry, the other half is dirt road and snow, slush and muddy.  Feet loved both surfaces.  Ran another easy comfortable 6.1 miles, 1:06 taking one minute walk breaks at 2 and 4 miles. Just wonderful throughout the run.

This second day I have tried out my new running shoes, ACIS gel kinsei4, that DH got me for Valentine's/Birthday gift (my idea). So I tried to keep these babies pretty by avoiding the muddy areas, .

Felt a blister on side of big right toe yesterday.  I wore thin Feetures socks underneath thicker ones so that may have been a bit much.  So today, I wore Inijini socks underneath a thinner pair of socks and it felt so much better.  I will stay with that and see if it works for me on longer runs.  Too early to tell if shoes are working for me but they felt good today.

Just haven't found a good pair of road course shoes so I am keeping fingers crossed for these ASICs.  I always get really bad blisters with road shoes.  DH doesn't like to see my "you use to have nice feet" after road HMs and FMs, haha!! It doesn't seem to happen when I run/train on technical trails especially since finding Brooks Cascadia a few years ago and even better since wearing the Shoe-Dog insoles.  So I think it's the shoes and surface.  Really miss my trails.  The 'trails' around here are mostly dirt roads, usually around a lake so no hills and about an hour or so away.  So I am resigning myself to the fact that it's all I have to look forward to, just hugging the dirt portion of the shoulder on the roads here.

Mkayc:  Agree with kathy, Awesome mileage but be careful on those long runs.

gito57:  Did you get the sunshine sent today? Easy runs can be 'uneasy' sometimes but always glad you did them, right?  My quads are feeling the 3 days of consecutive runs but I can't wait for tomorrow's run! Then rest day on TGIF !!!

Hey gang!  Beautiful sunny skies over WI today. Did my LSD (which I may change to LVSD-LongVerySlowDay)  today due to weather Predicted for tomorrow. Ran a different 11 mile route, trying to keep it slower and steady c/w last weeks.  Turned down a country lane to add mileage and got scolded VERY loudly by a trio of Sandhill cranes as I ran by. Every curve led me a little further and found a nice hill to pound up and then walk/turn around and head back to the highway.  Took me 2:20 for the 11, but I got it in and am closing in on 100 miles for March.

Taxied DW to her school to get a few things done so she can take a few more days off before returning to work. Gotta run to grocery store now,  will reply later.  Run strong this weekend friends.

Debra- big smile re: your Warriors reference.  The year they won it all with Al McGuire was my second year med school, and was still down on Marquette campus.  Pretty nuts there for awhile!   Since the Badgers & KU are out I'll be rooting for Wichita State and Marquette.  We had a good Maunday Thursday service and great Good Friday service last night, really looking forward to tomorrow morning service.  Our church does a good job celebrating!!  Have a good run tomorrow, only 5 weeks to DCHM.  Yikes!

az2mn- hope you had a good LSD today.  I followed your lead and did some of my LSD run on the shoulder to reduce the pounding on my feet. We're due for colder weather next 2-3 days also, but then back in 40-50 range.

Got DS out for 4.5 mile slow recovery run today.  Once the weather improves consistently I think he'll get into more of a routine.  DW&DDIL made the most amazing colored eggs. I have got to get on photobucket so I can post photos!

Easter service tomorrow then to DW family gathering for the Easter feast!

Have a blessed Easter everyone.  Run strong!!

AZ~Great job toughing out your 12 miler dealing with the wind!  It has been the same here along Lake Michigan.  Time to go kite flying!

Dan~Hope your Easter celebration was wonderful.  Our old church has fantastic acoustics and a group of gifted musicians to take full advantage of it.  The sanctuary was filled with every type of spring flower--it resembled an indoor garden.  A joyous morning!

Like AZ, my LSD this weekend was hard fought.  I took walk breaks every mile, and thankfully DH was along on his bike to keep me

company.   The weather conditions were excellent,  sunny 50F with a SW10mph breeze . I guess all the weekend's activities and lack of sleep took it's toll, but was worth it all to be together with my family for the holiday.  Today I'll do a very easy 2 mile recovery run to work out the kinks.

Have a great week, and run strong friends!

AZ~ FOR REAL?!?!?  PLEASE tell us this isn't an April Fool's prank!?!?!

Az - if true, Congratulations!  That would be great news!  Kudos for getting your long run in this weekend.

Dan - Sounds like good news for your wife and good runs this weekend!

Art - Checking things is good.

Debra - Way to get the run in this weekend.

Took the long drive up to Vacaville this weekend, picking my brother up along the way, also on the trip was my oldest son. We pulled into the Lagoon Valley park just before 8AM, just in time to hear the 1/2 marathoners.  My brother and I headed over to get our numbers while my son slept in the car (he hadn't slept until we started driving).  We ambled back to the car and listened as the 10K runners started.  Son wakes up and decides he needs to make a pit stop.  So, we slowly make our way to the start and as we're approaching they start the 5K.  It's chipped so the 3 of us are waiting for things to spread out while the volunteers start to close up the start area behind us.  It isn't thinning out as fast as we hoped and my son starts to get a bit antsy and I say just wait.  We see the leaders loop back on the other side of the creek and the tail end walkers just starting to clear the first turn and decide to go (3:10 behind the people at the front).  My brother quickly jumps out, while my son and I fall a bit behind him.  As we hit the first part of the turn of what is large u-turn we have already caught up with the backend of the pack.  There's plenty of room to pass people as the trail is a good 5 people across here.  We finish the U and are passing lots of walkers and as we make our way back to the road the slower joggers.  My brother is still in site and my son is sticking with me, tho it's pretty clear he would rather be going full out.  As we make the left turn on to the road an 8yo decides to step in front of me.  Fortunately, there's just enough time for me to pirouette around him - giving my son a good laugh.

We on the road now and moving well with my son keeping about 20-40 feet in front, he's going up the inside of everyone and I'm going up the outside with the lagoon lake on our right.  This is the only pavement and as we start to turn around the lake we make our way onto a wide dirt trail (fire road?).  We've hit the first mile at just under 7:30 mpm and my son says "Dad, I'm going try and catch Fred" and I reply "go for it".  He leaves me in the dust and the runners are thinning out.  Mile 2 is mostly flat and we've got the wind at our backs, it feels easier, but I'm working to maintain pace.  Most of the people are running now, but we all moving up nicely, although I can only see my son.

I hit mile 2 (15:02) and smile for the photographer and we get our first taste of the ascent.  There are a fair number of small kids running with their parents and they seem to be moving well.  At 2.2 miles we hit the hill, I start jogging up it, but realize I'm just totally sucking wind and I probably can walk faster.  So I walk.  No one is running up the hill and I pass several people walking as quickly as I can past them.

You can hear me coming by the large amounts of air I'm sucking in as I climb nearly 200 feet in just under .25 miles (15% grade).  As I get closer to the top it levels out and I start jogging and catching people as their more spread out.  I'm still catching my breath as I start going down and my speed picks way up.  About 1/2 way down a 10yo wanders from the right to left just in front of me, but there's plenty of time to step briskly to the right and I can hear his mother admonishing him behind me - he's a kid, give him a break...I'm going pretty fast and the trail is close to single track and very twisty.  As we're turning a young lady (with headphones) starts to cut me off, so I put the back of my right hand on the leftside of her shoulder to keep her from completely cutting me off as I go by.  Whoa, if looks could kill I'd be a dead man for sure!  She was not happy, but I'm kicking it out pretty good.  As I hit the bottom of saddle back I'm a bit surprised when same woman passes me on the uphill.  My legs still move fast, but I've got no power left.  So, I just go at my pace and just tracking her.  As we continuing, we hit the summit and she realizes I'm still there and starts to pick it up.  I'm pretty good at going downhill and so I have no problem keeping up and I'm thinking just follow her in, let her finish ahead of you.  The I start thinking, you started 3 minutes after her and she's going to think she beat you, just sprint.  So, I kick it into high gear and she can feel me coming (probably can hear me breathing) so she's speeding up too.  Did I say I can move fast going downhill?  With 5-10 yards to go I just  past her accelerating through the finish.

Son and brother are there and I grab some water.  Checking stats 3rd mile was a 9:34 mpm and last .1+ was done at 5:30 mpm.  I wore my hr monitor and it hit 168 on the uphill, 162 in the sprint at the end with an average of about 152 bpm.  Son finished 8th (23:53) overall, brother 9th (24:11) and me 17th (25:21).  I had no time goal, but I was hoping to be in the top 25. Son and brother took 1st in their AG and I got 2nd in mine (brother beat me...)

Don't know if this will work, but hopefully.  These were taken around mile 2...

Ray, that was a thrilling finish!!  Thanks for the detailed report, felt like I was there!!  CONGRATS to you, your brother and son, WOW!!  That will be a cherished event for sure!!

And ........... that is why I DON'T WEAR HEADPHONES in races, especially ON TRAILS!!  'Real' trail runners know this ....... glad you passed her!! It's racing, nothing to do with gender when it comes to racing to the finish.

Will share an incident from about 3 yrs. ago. At the end of a 10k technical trail race, there was a female trail runner who blocked me when I was trying to pass her, like, SERIOUSLY?!? Single rutted narrow trail but I kept right behind her.  I tried to pass her again about 25 yards from the finish line when she blocked me again, this time her HEEL hit me in the knee for a millisecond but just enough that I got off balance. This ain't NASCAR, lady!!! I was amazed I didn't hit the dirt face on, it was soooo Matrix-like the way I caught myself with my arms spread out like the wings of a bird, haha!!!  She beat me by .01 of a second!!! Some of the people came over to make sure I was ok and to tell me how it was not right for what she did. I still went over and patted her on the back when she is bent over, gasping for air, 'nice run' I said, but she gave me the same look you got and she just walked away.  Some of the people in the crowd booed her when she got her award for 3rd place. She left pretty quickly.

Anyway, again, WAY TO GO!!

AZ~"Gullible" is my middle name! I guess you won't be flying us all to some exotic location to run together, huh?

Ray~Awesome trail run and loved reading your race report!  Always fun when its a family affair.  By your awesome time (25:21-in my dreams!) it looks like your leg is in full working order--great!   Re: headphone girl:  seriously?

Registration opened for the Door County Fall 50 Mile in October today.  Nimble fingers at the ready, I was able to get our 5 person relay team signed up.  Relay registration filled to capacity of 350 teams in 3.5 hours!   Still room in the solo runner category if any one is interested in running 50 miles!    The last 2 years a man has run 50 miles to the start line on Friday and then completed the 50 race the following day.  Incredible!

Run strong friends!