I was excited to run in the falling snow for the first time yesterday, in that brief imitation of a blizzard, but by the time I got home and we got out there, it was completely over. As we started, the trees were pretty, covered in snow, but they were all bare by the time we'd done a couple miles, the stuff was melting away so fast -- or falling or blowing or eaten by squirrels or whatever happened to it.

re: cold hands This afternoon I ran in cold rain for the first time, and as I started and thought about the rain and my watch, I folded back the little hand/glove part on that side to cover the watch. The other one I wore over my hand as normal. So it wasn't long before I was very aware of the the difference between my hands -- one covered and one not. I experimented with sticking my uncovered hand into the hand/glove on the other side by holding out my hands in front, and then with sticking it into my pants pocket, but as is no surprise, neither was a comfortable running position. So I just ran with one cold hand. Maybe next time I'll think about it before I go out, and devise some tactic.

Yesterday was one long, late-lasting workout, and all the more so since I wasn't able to sneak out of work as early this time. It was also one of those days that's very difficult to dress appropriately for. I brought a whole bundle of apparel with me so as to give myself options, but it was still hard to decide when I stepped out of my car in the Ryken parking lot. The temperature was hovering in the low 40s, and although it'd been raining hard during the drive down, the precipitation had diminished into a sporadic drizzle. I went overboard and put on athletic pants, a sweatshirt, and my heavy synthetic running jacket over that. Needless to say, I was burning up by the end of my 1.5-mile warm up around campus. So I then ditched the jacket and pants and felt great in just shorts and a light sweatshirt. Thence I headed over to the track, which was not quite so deserted this time since lacrosse was practicing on the infield. Regardless of them, I launched into my epic workout --- 12 X 400. Once again I aspired to run them 1:40-1:45, but only three or four of the intervals went over 1:40. The average was probably 1:38, and I did the 12th and final 400 in 1:33. It was already exceedingly dark by then --- the lacrosse team long gone --- and I couldn't bear doing more than a 10-minute cool down around the track. Thus I amassed maybe 5.6 or so miles for the day.

Which post office? Piney Point or Valley Lee? I'm going to assume Valley Lee, because the lighthouse is only about two miles away from the Piney Point post office, and the ground between is completely flat. And around what time were you out there running? During the early afternoon by any chance? It would've been pretty funny if we'd unexpectedly passed each other by out on the rural highway. Anyways, yesterday I completed the longest run of my life --- not by a whole lot distance wise, but certainly time wise: 20 miles in 02:45:19, which comes out to an average pace of 8:16/mi. Beginning by my usual stop sign behind the Callaway Food Lion, I ran the entire length of Rt. 249, crossed the St. George's Island bridge (there's a nice but narrow pedestrian sidewalk on both sides), and continued on the island road for about 1.75 miles, making my U-turn when my watch registered 10 miles (01:22:##). It had been a long journey there, and the return would feel even longer. The conditions were getting better, though. It'd been cold and dreary for most the way there, but now it was sunny and warm to the point that I felt hot underneath my light sweatshirt and sweat wicker. I was also getting the feeling of being followed; some guy on a bicycle passed me by at four points, shouting words of encouragement each time, and overhead a F18 (I think) fighter jet kept circling the area at a very low altitude. Nary a single other runner was spotted, unfortuantely. Last time --- at Greenwell --- I must've taken at least five brief breaks to pause and drink water, but this time I only broke the flow of the run three times. Around mile two I had to dart into the woods and release some excess water weight, but I didn't stop again until mile seventeen --- and then again for the third and final time at mile nineteen (right in front of that gas station) where I emptied my mini-water jug and renewed my resolve to finish strong. Yes, I'd been hoping to achieve negative splits, but there was nothing I could do to stop myself from slowing down once I hit those rolling hills leading back to Callaway. Those two breaks did, however, help me run the final 2.5 miles in 20 minutes --- a solid 8:00/mi pace. Somehow some distance had been lost along the way, so to round out 20 miles I had keep going past my starting point and all the way back to my car. Upon coming to a concluding halt, I almost felt disappointed that running 20 miles didn't leave me feeling more righteously exhausted. It only took attempting to do one stride, however, to make me realize that the run had had more than enough impact. I don't think I've ever felt so wiped out from a run as I did last night, and I've adopted a strict policy of icing BEFORE and after these epic long runs. The marathon is just six weeks away today!

Rather than returning to Ryken for more 400s last night, I went home and ran five continuous miles with a two-mile tempo in the middle. Basically I ran at a 9:30 pace for 1.5 miles, then abruptly brought the pace down to 7:10 --- running the distance between the 1.5 mile point and the 3.5 mile point in 14:20. Then for the final 1.5 miles I resumed my slow, 9:30 pace. The overall time was 42:##. Next week I want to go back to the track and do 7 X 800 with a goal of running each 3:25-3:30.

Indeed, I check the forum several times a day for updates. Personally, DR, if I ever train for a marathon again, I'll run a 26 or 27 mile long run in preparation. That's just a personal preference and not based in anything I've read. Almost everything I read, in fact, says you shouldn't go longer than about 20 miles - probably, as you said, because it really does tear down your body. However, all that said, I am intrigued by the concept of running for time rather than distance - something you have done while training for this marathon. If I decided not to run a marathon-distance practice run, I'd probably go out and run for 3:30 or 4:00 hrs straight, even if it was only 20 or 22 miles. That's my 2 cents, at least.

Last Tue I did 14 on my own slow. Sun two days ago I did 17. 9 of that was with some of the tri ppl, and that averaged 8:15, but the first half averaged more like 8:30, and the second part was getting faster, dipping below 8. Then after they finished, I continued but slowly to round out to 17. So next week may be a bit too soon for me to do another long run, esp a fast one.

Saturday's run wasn't nearly the longest of my life, but it was still long enough. I repeated the 16.22 mile run I did at the end of December, albeit at a significantly easier pace (sub-8:00 then, 8:30 this time). I finished in 2:17:56. I must say that this run didn't leave me feeling very confident. The last three or four miles were miserably fatiguing, and, upon finishing, I simply couldn't fathom what it would be like to continue for another ten. Is this a sign of burnout?? I have been training since September, after all. It is possible, however, that my legs were still feeling the 7 X 800 workout from last Tuesday. In that case, I've suspended all speed-intensive running this week in lieu of the this weekend's slated 22 (or so)-miler. And I've committed myself to icing every day. The marathon is less than a month away!