Second

I had a really nice race Saturday. I took second in my age group in a 5K for the first time. A friend of mine ran the two mile and also took second in his age group. It was a rolling hills run in a small town nearby. It was challenging enough, and the 20/30ish degree morning air was a nice reminder of how unpredictable mornings can be in this mountain town.

I still think these Altra's are carrying me to a whole new level... Intuition 1.5. Nothing like them...

Feel the burn

Who thinks about their toenails? If you're a runner, you definitely do. I keep mine at a "healthy" length... My typical 2 are driving me crazy- go figure 2.5 weeks before a big race.... I have them "lifted" to allow the pressure to equalize. The blood comes out and they feel a whole lot better... Except not at all. My local wore off exactly 19 minutes ago, at which point I awoke in a good bit of pain. I feel so stupid and weak for having it done. Last time the relief was extraordinary. This time, not so much. I still have 2,2,3,6 and 10 left this week, and I'm hell bent on finishing at 2:10 or better this year. I need every ounce of training I can get.

Hills hills hills...

Who would've thought you could actually grow to love hill workouts?

This, coming from the kid who used to tie her shoes as many times as possible during pre-practice running in pee wee basketball.

I never thought I would be into the challenge of running hills. It's been proven invaluable in training- particularly now that I've started using it in interval training.

Great 8

Had a really enjoyable road run yesterday- an 8 mile long slow distance run. The cold has made treadmill training an all too-familiar ritual. This outdoor run felt much shorter than my 7 mile treadmill run Wednesday night. Funny how your surroundings make all the difference in your workout.

There are 4 weeks left in training, and the benefits of core training are more obvious than ever. It's got to be the best feeling to progress like this. This coming week has a long run of 9 miles, with 4 shorter runs ranging from 2-7 miles in length.

Looking forward, always :)