Although this week started a little rocky it turned out pretty good. The weather warmed up a bit and started melting some of the snow during the day. By evening the temperatures dropped enough to freeze the water left behind. Monday night I ran through the streets in my neighborhood, but unfortunately they were filled with deeply rutted frozen slush. It was nearly impossible to run on this without the fear of twisting an ankle. The sidewalks were no better as they were coated with black ice. I ended up cutting my run short by about two miles.

By Wednesday the water on most of the streets and sidewalks had dried up. About two miles in my left knee started bothering me. It seemed to be a different problem than before, and I decided not to push it and headed for home. Almost immediately the pain went away, so I turned around and finished all six miles with no problems. I found that I have a tendency to tighten the muscles in my left leg at the first sign of discomfort. I think this reaction is left over from the ACL surgery I had years ago. I am trying to stay on top of this and focus on running with a relaxed stride. It seems to work.

I did the third weeknight run on Friday evening. The sky was clear and the full moon looked gorgeous. It was one of those times where I felt I could run forever. It reminded me of hitting a great shot in golf. It's what keeps me coming back for more. Knowing I had a long run to do on Sunday, I forced myself to stop at a little over four miles.

I had to do this week's long run on Sunday, so I missed the Saturday group run. It was cold (nothing new) and very windy. I knew when I started that I would be running into the wind at the end of my run. I know that "they" say I should start my runs into the wind when I'm strongest. My thinking is that on race day I have to follow the route no matter what the wind is doing. I could end up running a good part of the last thirteen miles into a headwind. I would like to have some experience at this before the race.

The first six miles were great. I took a short walk break after five miles and ate a gel. This really felt refreshing and the run continued to be quite enjoyable. Then the turn back toward home. I ran the last four miles into the wind, and man that was hard. My pace slowed to a very slow jog. My legs felt incredibly heavy, and I worried about tripping over any uneven spots in the pavement. I completed the ten miles, but it took a little longer than I would have liked. I haven't received the schedule for the next six weeks yet. I'm excited to see how many miles we will be doing next.

As they say on Monty Python, "and now for something completely different." I saw this and thought of my oldest brother who is a big Red Green fan. I hope you enjoy it Dave.

I'd like to thank everyone for the encouragement and support. I appreciate it very much.