I started my 15 miles at about 5:15 so that I could finish up and get to work by 10. This was a good plan, as I only had to contend with cold drizzle. The torrential rains and wind are arriving now. This is my longest run since Hartford, and I faced it with some trepidation. I took it pretty slow, and it was fine. I'm at work 'til midnight tonight, and will likely be a whimpering mess by then.

5 rainy drippy miles. I would rather have the snow storms of last week back. cheers all, cfli

6.33 foggy miles in 1:32:08 for a avg. 14:34 m/m. Now, this is not a speedy outing even for this slow gal, but this is the first time I have been able to do that and not be limping afterwards. Especially with the pain that I was feeling after the MRI. That seems to have vanished. It felt good, so good. Yippee Splits: 15:10 14:50 13:53 14:45 14:19 14:05 15:49 It is so foggy here today that I could not see the top of the Washington Monument and visibility was about 1/10th of a mile. This was at 10 a.m. But a nice balmy 50F with no wind. I am sure this will change soon. Mr. Ribs, you are correct in stating that the PF pain often comes after the run. That has been the consistent experience for me. Please be careful. DH: I drink coffee in the a.m. and green tea in the p.m. Not sure if the coffee wipes out the antioxidants of the tea…but I think I am doing good. Nice to see everyone. Happy holidays

12 miles for me today. Not quite a stepback week at 45 miles but almost. I think it's because my coach and I have different ideas on when the "week" should start. Windy, wet (not raining), but not too cold at 40F. I started in tights and after 2.5 decided it was hot, so ran back to the house to remove the extra layers. Workout: 11.2M, 8:47/mi. Target 140(2), 145(3), 150(3), 155-160(3), actual 139, 145, 151, 157. Overall: 12.2M, 1:47 Good runs!

Travel safe MC!! and Happy Holidays! cfli

Predawnrunner......do you get caught working like this at this time of year, every year? That is a tough schedule that you have been working from the last couple of days.

No - this year is "special". Our company is actually shut down from 12/22 until 12/31. But our team is bringing a new satellite online and the timing just worked out this way. The hours are long, but the work is exciting - we've been waiting a long time for this.

All kinds of great runs today.... Today...out at 8:00 Am...21 degrees....17 miler with 14 at pace. The weather forecast called for a low of 21....slight SW winds 8-10mph and a high of 51....clear and sunny. Beautiful morning. My friend Kevin showed up...to help me get through my final hard LR...with MP.. I wore tights, and, long sleeve tech. shirt, vest...gloves etc.... He was smart...wore less and running shorts... My training plan called for a race yesterday and a 17 miler today..I opted for a easy recovery run on Saturday and a MP run today. The one thing about a Pfitz plan, imho, is he does not include enough MP runs... Here are my splits... Goal...7:48 pace (changed from my original plan of a 7:40) Mile 1 and 2, warmup...8:38, 8:41, Mile 3, 7:48 ( I am already warm and overdressed) Mile 4, 7:43 Mile 5, 7:44 Mile 6, 7:42 Mile 7, 7:58 (stopped at my truck and changed into sorts, removed the vest) Mile 8, 7:44 Mile 9, 7:47 Mile 10, 7:40 Mile 11, 8:01 (uphill against the wind...we both thought we were doing better than an 8...we had nasty things to say) Mile 12, 7:33 (over compensated for previous cruddy mile) Mile 13, 7:54 Mile 14, 7:35 Mile 15, 7:41 Mile 16, 7:31 ( I started to pick up the pace for the final mile..then backed off a bit) Mile 17, 9:57 (cooldown) Mile 18, slow walk back to the truck. Overall MP was 7:42...slightly fast This was a great way to begin my Taper....the only problem is I was unable to home in on my MP (which is not normal for me)....I am not "feeling" the pace....so I will have to be very careful at Houston... Now it is time to grab something to eat and wrap packages....then just be lazy....the maddening taper begins.....NOW...Bring it on HOUSTON!!!! Good running to all... Tim, Ardmore, OK.

Geez Dark Horse, what'd I ever do to you? Hmph. Gonna have to call my fren Arf with her pointy little fist to come take care of you! Heh. Larry, thanks! Yes, #6 is less than a month away now. Looking forward to running outside in shorts (there, that's not such a crazy idea, is it DH??) It's warmed up to -8 so looks like the run is a "go!" Yeah. Gotta figure out where I'll go, but goal is 14 (I'll be happy with anything over 10)... will post back later.