Jan. 23 to Jan. 31

An easy week of work should yield a great week of running. At this point, the public production of my running efforts is keeping the determination to become a better/faster runner this  year. The story goes that once you put "it" out there, then you are more likely to stick with "it"....whatever "it" is.

Monday; Jan. 24: Today was an easy effort of 5 miles, quite a bit short, but the legs were very tired as was the rest of the mind and body. An early weight lifting session of back, shoulders and abs went fairly well. I find it frustrating sometimes when my head wants to run a long distance or a faster run, but the body and mental fortitude need an easy effort. Today was that kind of day. Visions of a nice 10 miler were there while weight lifting; however, once out the door, the body just wasn't up to the task.

Tuesday; Jan. 25: A howling wind and a cool 20 degrees made for a chilly start to a great 10 miler. The focus of this run was to run strong on all the uphills (10 hills total of various distances) and to run the entire 10 without stopping. Well, the first goal was easily accomplished, but the second was sent astray with a coffee pit stop. (I really shouldn't drink 3 cups before running!) A good effort all around.
Luckily after so many years of running, I try not to get too wrapped up over a run that does not go well. The last two days are proof that if one day proves to be a "sloppy" outing, then most likely the next day (or sometimes the even the third day) will be an excellent run.

Wednesday; Jan. 26: An early doc appointment forced a skipped run this morning; however, as I was buzzing out the door with Traysen, I grabbed our running gear. Good thing too, because we had an awesome 7 miler in Garden of the Gods. These afternoon runs are not my cup of tea. The excuses can range from too hot, too late, too tired, too much to do besides running, etc. but as is usual, once out the door, the run almost always goes better than expected. In  fact, some great outings have occurred with an afternoon start. There was one such run in Milwaukee that started about 2pm; it was  430pm and a beautiful 14 miles later that I returned to the hotel. The lake, the sun, the old neighborhoods made the run an enjoyable outing and the miles just whizzed by with very little effort on my part. Today's journey was especially good since we covered the miles on trails and both Traysen and I had plenty of pep in our step. He is getting better at the trail running and so far, has not sent me face first into the dirt.

Thursday; Jan. 27: A scheduled off day due to work. Sometimes I treasure these off days but other times, I would rather keep the momentum going.  As the saying goes, our bodies get stronger with the rest between workouts, but being a nonstop, over achiever, addictive person, rest is not my best activity.

Friday; Jan. 28: Being in downtown St. Paul, MN  and with an early morning start for work, it was a day on the treadmill. The old gym at the Crowne Plaza resembles a large closet with old equipment that is too scrunched together, but at least it is better than nothing and better than slogging through the 3 feet of icy, crunchy, slippery, snow on the ground! (I do love running in the snow, but this goop in Minneapolis has been rained on, plowed on, slopped on and is basically not very worthy of running. ) Nevertheless, the treadmill yielded a good effort of a 5 mile warm up at about 6.5 mph pace and then 2 miles of sprints. The sprints ranged in distances of .3 to .5 mile with a .2 rest; then repeat until it was time to head to the shower and work. I labeled these sprints verses a tempo run since the pace was quite a bit quicker than a basic tempo run; at least that is how the lungs and legs were interpreting the effort!



A typical winter day in the Twin Cities! Gray and white is the only color to speak of!

Saturday; Jan. 29: After a full day of work and the commute home, today was a 6 mile slog fest. The normal routine after a few days of work. Seems that regardless of the number of days of work, the first day home is always a slow/lethargic day. It was good to get out with Traysen and see our "squirrels" that look like deer....although we did see a real squirrel....It was almost spring like with temps in the upper 30s and clear blue skies. 

Sunday; Jan. 30: Woooo Hoooo....today was an awesome outing!!!! Andrea and Steve, RDs for the Cheyenne Mtn 25k/50K, were hosting a run on the course in an effort to get  feedback from experienced runners. A bit of a late start for this early bird, but it was worth the wait until 845am., as it was a shorts and light weight fleece on top.  About 10-13 of us shuffled off on what turned out to be a very twisting, but not too hilly or technical (by Rocky Mtn standards) 15 miles of pure bliss. The first 5 mile loop sent us mostly up into a scrub oak type of trail with a bit of packed snow and ice but mostly solid dirt and rocks. Upon passing the parking lot (and dumping an assortment of clothes...thanks Andrea), it was onto the 10 mile loop which gently climbed up into the beautiful forest areas, complete with many twisting turns and some undulating relief from the climb. A mostly dry trail with brief sections of packed snow and ice. I opted to knock off about a two mile section on the far side of the course and headed back towards the parking lot where I was feeling way too good and took off on another twisting route, again with plenty of rocks and hills! A great morning of running with some like minded running psychos! 15 miles total in 3:10.


The race course! 25k per lap.....almost  enough twists to make a girl dizzy!!

http://epicenduranceevents.com/index.php/race-information

Cheyenne Mtn.

Summary: This week was good in terms of running; however, the weight lifting was not up to par with only one session! While living in Alaska in the late 90s, I used to lift weights 4 days a week! Now, it seems that if I get two days in, I am doing good. Not sure if the reduced effort is due to time constraints, age, living at 8500', or some other combination of excuses! Nevertheless, I will remain committed to keep trying since the benefits far outweigh the negative effects of letting the muscles go unused.
This was a good week of running..the first 50 mile effort since last fall. With the 15 miler under the feet, the motivation is strong to press on with the miles and with a commitment to run the Cheyenne 50k in late April. Even with slog fests (such as the one on Saturday), the motivation is always there to get back out the next day since almost without a doubt, the outing (such as the 15 miler on Sunday) will redeem the overall running mania.  I find one of the movtivations to keep running is not just in the daily mental and physical benefits, but in the resolve to never give in to what is most likely a bad day or even a bad week.  The running continues without getting too wrapped up in one bad event.

Jan. 17 to Jan. 23

This will be a "slacker" week. These usually crop up about every 4th to 5th week and most likely occur due to work, life, or some other lame/unknown reason. One of the keys to training is to sometimes reduce the volume of running but not the intensity. Hopefully, I can stick to that plan!

Monday, Jan. 17: An off day since I left the house at 4am, flew to Seattle, drove to Puyallup, picked up my doberman from the dog show, drove to Seattle, and flew home...Whewwwww....a long 22 hour day, but Traysen is home for good  now.

Tuesday, Jan. 18: With Monday being very exhausting,  I took the day off! Wow...two days off in a row...happens to even the most hardheaded amongst us!

Wednesday, Jan. 19: An early start to the day with two running partners. The first was the doberman, Traysen. He can run forever and never gets tired, winded, or slow on the up hills. The second was Dee Cooper, founder of our Colorado Springs Women's Running Group. She and I met at the north parking lot in Garden of the Gods at 6am, still dark and about 25 degrees. Perfect!! To say the least, she kicked my butt on the uphill start and she didn't let up until we were almost the end of her 5 miles! The training was good as it forced me get the pace going early verses my usual slog of a first mile....or two! After dumping about half of the wardrobe, Traysen and I took off for another 3 miles on the trails. A good outing for him on trails where we saw a few "squirrels" with antlers and weighing about 200 pounds. Total run was 8 miles in about 1:35...

Thursday: Jan. 20: A bit of  snow yesterday afternoon with a clearing overnight, dropped the temps to negative numbers. At -10 degrees, it would have been easy to blow the run off and curl up with four warm dogs, but that's not me! So, after a weight lifting session of legs and P90X abs, it was a few more layers of clothes and out the door at 645am. A much slower start than yesterday's adventure but the bones started working within the first two miles and it was a beautiful adventure of 8 miles. Around my house there are nothing but hills...no flats to speak of....so I get hill training every day of running; however, the difference about today's run was that I was able to sprint  seven of those hills....which left me gasping for oxygen near the top of each one. The distances range from about 1 minute to about 4 minutes and it was a good effort at gauging the pace for each hill so that I could make it to the top. Total run time was 1:34.

Friday; Jan. 21:  Up n at'em early this morning! A good start with a weight lifting session of biceps, triceps, and abs. It's always an extra challenge trying to abs with two dogs crawling all over the stomach, especially the 85 pound doberman! Out the door with said dog and a basic 7 miler, with the last mile being very sluggish. It always amazes me that Traysen the doberman can smell deer long before we see them. Today we had two very nice bucks napping along our route. Being used to humans, they just gave us the "deer in the headlights" stare as we passed.

Saturday; Jan. 22: Today was another adventure back in Garden of the Gods. An early start, just before sunrise,limited the run to 31st street for about 1.5 miles, but as the light grew, I was pounding trails with a vengence.  There is nothing more breathtaking than sunrise in Garden of the Gods. The sun slowly coming up from the east hits the rocks with a golden to orange glow and on this run, the diversion was nice since the winds were howling...and it was about 30 degrees! The run of 13 miles was excellent, with plenty of pep in the step, even on the uphills, and no tumbles on the trail! One highlight of the run was towards the end when I was at the northern edge of the park. It is known that there are big horn sheep in this section, but of all the years I have run there, they have remained hidden. As I was descending a steep section, I looked up on a high ridge and there were three of them...one ram and two ewes!

Below is a view of Garden of the Gods as taken facing west; Pikes Peak in the background. A link to the park:
http://www.gardenofgods.com/home/index.cfm?flash=1



Sunday; Jan. 22:  Being lazy girl today by sleeping in to 6am! And that was after going to bed at 7pm! Must have needed the rest. Speaking of rest: I take a nap every day....even while working. With the volume of miles covered, a nap seems to be necessary each day and is such a relazing treat; even a 20 minute power will revive the energy levels and I can press on with a productive day.
Today's run consisted of a 9 miler at a steady but slower pace, finishing in 1:52. The late start of 7am still yielded cold temps of about 15 degrees but it was a quick warmup and I was soon leaving the wardrobe roadside. Even after the 13 miler of yesterday, today was a nice, easy effort with no issues with hills or energy levels.

Summary: A good week after all...Total running miles was 45.0, which brings the yearly total to 156.0. A few running friends from the CS Women's Group are planning on running in the Cheyenne Mtn State Park 25k/50K. With the running going well and with dog showing put on an indefinite hold, this could be a worthy goal for a spring race. A few of the attractions of this race is that it is limited to 300 runners, is in my backyard and requires no travel/hotels and the 50K would be a perfect distance to get my behind back in a race.
http://www.active.com/running/colorado-springs-co/cheyenne-mountain-25k-and-50k-trail-race-2011
One question that has come up before is how many races I do throughout the year. Well, not that many ...most  years, my racing is usually limited to two or three key events. These events are typically low key in nature, trail races and longer than a marathon. It is the training/daily running that is most enjoyed verses gearing myself up for an assortment of races. It is in the daily training that I find inspiration and peace while I find racing sometimes more stressful than beneficial. On the other side of the coin, completing a racing distance is very satisifying, especially when the effort has gone well.  The completion is also affirmation that the training is paying off in terms of miles covered and that my body is capable of new/longer distances.
So, given that I can run the Cheyenne 50K in April, what will be next? One of my favorite races is Le Grizz 50 miler in Kalispell, MT. The event is very rustic, traveling along Hungry Horse Resevior and literally has a shot gun start. It all starts on an early October morning when most runners (less than 100) climb aboard an old school bus and ride the 50 miles out to the start. Packet pick up is in the back of the race director's old truck, there are no porta potties and when that gun goes off, away we go. Aid stations are few and far between (although well stocked). Last year, I had to miss the event due to a hamstring injury, so this race is definitely on the list for the year. One other off the chart event is the Ring the Peak Run in July. An informal adventure that amounts to more or less bushwacking your way around Pikes Peak for a total of about 64 miles, this is not necessairly a "race" but an outing amongst psycho runners who have nothing better to do than to wander through the woods on a summer day...sounds like my kind of fun!

Jan. 10 to Jan 16

Into our second week of the year already! Can't believe the Walmart has Valentine and Easter stuff out!

Monday; Jan. 10: An off day due to work. Started a trip in Salt Lake early and ended up in Philly very late.

Tuesday; Jan. 11: Being in downtown Philly, the workouts are confined to the hotel "gym" or as most hotels call them, "fitness center." Some of the spaces resemble a closet with a few run down pieces of equipment, but I always make it work. The theory is that some type of workout/run, etc is better than sitting in the hotel room with the remote glued to my hand. Today's effort was a good arm weight lifting with 15 minutes of abs and then it was onto the ellipitcal for 6.0 miles at fairly hard level in a time of 54:00. Switching to the treadmill the run went like this: 3.0 miles total at 5.7 to 6.5 mph; 4 sets of hills at 3% incline for 3/10ths of a mile each, all at 6.0mph; total run time was 27:00. So, a good start to the week

Below is a pic of a typical day at the airport in a snowstorm....an airplane looking like a popcicle!

Wednesday; Jan. 12: After an all nighter of flying in the snowstorms of the northeast, today's run was an easy effort to say the least. Being once again confined to the hotel gym, the ellitpicical was the choice. A fairly nondescript effort of 6 miles, lasting right at 54 minutes. Even as motivated as I am, there are days when the exercise could just as  well be disregarded, but I always think of the overall results of staying consistent. Also, knowing I am going to spend the rest of the day sitting in an airplane, is motivation enough to get some version of a run in. Not enough time for an actual weight lifting session, but I did manage to get about 15 minutes of ab scrunching.

Thursday; Jan. 13: What a nice break from the cold and snow of winter! My overnight was in Costa Mesa, CA, near the Orange County Airport. This is one of my favorite running areas with a short trot down to the back bay trails and then several miles of either dirt or paved trail. The back bay is home to a number of wildlife species that live along the water and make nests in the surrounding marshes. So far, I have not had the time to run all the way to the beach (and the return run), but hopefully someday I can make the 20 mile loop. Today's run of 7 miles consisted of about a mile warmup and then 40  minutes at a pace similar to a 10K race pace...a good tempo run. All body parts were working, there was a spring in the step,  and the cool morning air made the running easy. Total run time was 1:05. Here is a link to the back bay area in Costa Mesa/Newport Beach: http://www.daytrippen.com/newportbackbay.html

Friday; Jan. 14: This was a 22 hour day so to say that it was long was an understatement. I did manage a basic 6 miler, which was a good recovery run after yesterday's tempo.

Saturday; Jan. 15: Another first day home after a trip and it was the usual slog fest. Not much sleep, cranky, sluggish...the same as always. But as always, it was good to get out the door and get some form of movement going. Today's effort was simply a 6 mile walk in about 1:30. Nothing fancy, just a fast walk, enjoying being back home and watching the deer and squirrels.

Sunday; Jan. 16: Despite not sleeping well, it was quite a workout today. A weight lifting session started the day at 5am; P90X abs and Bill Philips style chest and back. Out the door by 615am revealed a beautiful sunrise and 20 degree temps. This was a longer run of 11 miles, along the dirt roads around my house. Many hills made for a hard effort as I pushed the pace on a few short stretches. What was also good to see was that even though I have only been at 8500' for two days since Dec. 27th, the altitude was not an issue. Seems the ole body has adapted to being away from home and then returning to a normal workout effort.

Summary: This was a good week, even though I was working most of it. A few more miles would have been good but with a hill run, a tempo run, and a long run, it was successful. Another key ingredient to improving the running is the nutrition. As we all know, this is often the hardest part, with all of the temptations out there and sometimes a full schedule that finds us making bad food choices without thinking about what we are doing. For  several years, my diet has continued to be rather lean and healthy with the 3-4 times a month splurge. I try to stick to fresh/frozen veges/fruit and lean proteins such as cottage cheese, eggs, and very limited turkey, tuna, and chicken. Also, as I have aged and the metabolism has slowed, therefore, I have gradually cut out certain items such as condiments, flour products, processed foods/sugar as much as possible. Unfortunately, I will be the first to admit that I can be a sugar addict....just pure white sugar or corn syrup....usually in the form of hard candy such as life savers, tootsie pops, ricolas, lemon drops...it's all the same.....and as with most addiction, I can't have one piece of candy...it's gotta be the darn bag or the whole roll of lifesavers....therefore, it is a conscience choice to just not have any form of candy with its sugar/corn syrup. Speaking of choices: that is how I look at maintaining a healthy diet...it's all about food choices. .....choices regarding the types of foods we eat and the amount of food we eat....it's about choosing to eat healthy and not about feeling as though we are depriving ourselves. I never feel like I am depriving myself of eating certain foods; I always feel like I am fueling my body/mind with foods to make it all work better and to maintain that size 4 figure. Oh, don't get me wrong..there is nothing more tasty than a pizza or a cheesecake or a huge cadbury bar, but those foods will not fuel me properly nor will they keep me in the size 4 jeans! It is a choice to eat healthy. As for the splurge days. those usually occur right after a trip when I am tired, impatient, grumpy, homesick and the foods usually consist of something with flour and sugar...cookies, candy, pasta, cheese....a good dose of the gooey stuff for one meal and I am done.

Jan. 1 to Jan. 9

The training log spans from Monday to Sunday each week. So as to start with the beginning of the year, this week will incorporate Saturday, Jan. 1st and Sunday, Jan. 2 as well.

Saturday; Jan. 1: It's always good to start the new year with a run (verses a forced day off.) No exception this year; although my morning outing was really an "inning: event. Being in Salt Lake with it's very icy roads (after a good snowfall on Friday), I was relegated to the treadmill and ellipitcal. Most folks despise these devices; however, I find them a welcome change if given in limited doses. These efforts give my body the break from the pounding of running and allow me to focus on leg turnover, knee lifts, and a brainless repetitive motion where I can get lost in thought and music.
 The first 5.5 miles was completed on the ellipitical; a hill adventure at a level 3-5. All the while listening to some Cherry Pie (rap), Cyndi Lauper (pop?), Chris Young, Lady A (country), and some Keith Urban (pop/country). The next 4.5 miles, I swtiched over to the treadmill where the hill workout of 5 repeats of 3-5% grade at 5.5 MPH was an excellent wrap up to the run. The music choice here changed to AC/DC, Motely Crue, Led Zeppelin, and Too Live Crew. Without tunes, these indoor efforts would be a bit more boring that I can handle and my run would end up being quite sloppy.

Sunday; Jan 2: This outdoor effort in Jackson Hole, WY more than made up for being confined to the great indoors of Saturday. Arriving mid day in a moderate snow storm, I put on as many layers as I had in my overnight bag and out the door. It was a balmy 5 degrees and still snowing. A quick mile through the icy streets of town brought me to the National Elk Refuse.  http://www.fws.gov/nationalelkrefuge/

The Elk Refuge Road runs along the southeast border of the refuge and extends for many miles. Along the way to completing this 8.5 mile out n back, I watched huge herds of elk, a few dall sheep and quite a few tourists all cooped up in their too warm cars. Yep, they gawked at the weird form of wildlife, on two legs, dressed in fleece, and sporting a wide grin despite a frozen chin. This was one of the memorable runs that floated along and was characterized by the wildlife and a beautiful snowy afternoon.

Monday; Jan. 3: An off day. Left Jackson Hole early and worked all day. The above pic is from the cockpit and is an early morning view of the Tetons.

Tuesday; Jan. 4: Being the first day after a trip, today was an easy day of 6 miles of plain ole running. It was great to get outside in the clear air and pound some hard packed snow at home. This is a typical day after flying for several days. I am usually tired, jet lagged, cranky, bloated, and have very little pep in the step; plus, the flying usually keeps somewhere between sea level and 1500' MSL and my house is at 8500'MSL, so there is some sucking wind going on!

Wednesday; Jan. 5: A cool 10 degrees with a good north wind greeted the morning today. After 45 minutes of weight lifting it was out the door by not quite daylight for a hard 10 miler. With a mile or so warmup, the next 7.5 miles were at a nice marathon type pace, with a good steady pace on the up hills (many of those near my house.)  On the return, a brief stop to chat with a neighbor caused me to actually look at my watch and realize I could  make it back to the house in under 2 hours. That last 1.5 miles was fairly challenging since lately, 10 miles has been the long run and the energy level was starting to wane. Nevertheless, at the end of the driveway, the watch read 1:59! This was a good effort with the cold temps and the return to the high altitude effects. In the last few days there had been a slight twinge in the right hip, so hopefully it is one of those aches that if I give it a few days, it will go away. I often find this is the case with many "small twinges." Given a day or two and continued movement (running,etc), the ache goes away and does not become a full blown injury. Personally, I find that not moving that portion of the body that is aching is worse than actually working through it.

Thursday; Jan. 6: Off to Palm Springs, CA today. A nice and easy 8 miler, tooling around the hills, green grasses, and gated neighborhoods of southern CA. Although a bit warm for this Colorado mountain girl, wearing shorts and tshirt in the early part of Januray can't be all bad!

Friday; Jan. 7: In Palm Springs, CA to watch my doberman, Traysen, in a dog show. He is going for his third champion title.  An amazingly beautiful morning started the day and a nice, steady uphill 9 mile  run was in order. The start from the hotel kept me on concrete for just a bit and then it was pavement until venturing into a ritzy neighborhood that had a sandy trail. The run consisted of 4.5 miles of non stop uphill and then the ensuing graceful downhill back to the hotel. I was also able to easily push the pace the entire distance and even accomplished three half mile pickups and a couple of quick quarter mile pickups. I must say that Palm Springs is very beautiful with its green grass/desert backdrop/golf course settings  and ritzy neighborhoods!

Saturday; Jan. 8: Another wonderful 8 miler in 40 degree temps in Palm Springs. Up the same hill with a continuation into yet another ritzy setting. I purposefully kept the pace slower on this outing..which allowed a visit with humming birds, huge cactus of several types, and many flower beds of petunias....yes! petunias in January! That is something we Colorado folks don't see! With the travels of work, I am often very blessed in the fact that my running allows me to experience sights/sounds that cannot be found in a normal stationary working life. Many times it is the anticipation of what awaits the eyes and ears that provides the inspiration for the daily run. .

Sunday; Jan. 9: With blizzard conditions in Salt Lake, it was a morning for the ellipitical. A non descript effort  of 6 miles to basically get the job done and wrap up the week. Musical tunes once again make the miles go by rather quickly and I always tell myself I can survive most anything for an hour or so.

The first 9 days of 2011 have started out well. One day was a good hill workout, even though it was on the treadmill and one day was a good effort of 1/2 and 1/4 mile fartlek/pickups. Also, the runs on Saturday and Sunday in Palm Springs went well at a better than slow effort. The legs, energy, and confidence levels were all strong throughout the week.

I have often been asked, "what is your motivation for running?" A complex answer to say the least but in a nutshell, this is the scoop: Basically, running is part of my every day; part of me as well as part of my life. I find great joy in just getting the body to move for a long period of time, while usually seeing/hearing the great outdoors. Even  on the days on the treadmill, the movement and resulting dose of endorphins create a sense of calm not found by any other means. Also, the running allows the cobwebs, troubles, thoughts to clear in the head. I often find that if some issue is occupying the thoughts, an outing of running will put things in perspective ..or at least allow me to see the situation more logically. I suppose one last and always wonderful side effect of running is that it make these size 4 jeans fit very well at the ripe old age of 45. Olympic swimmer, Dara Torres, wrote Age Is Just A Number after her return to the Games at the age of 41. Her account and words of wisdom reflect many of my own thoughts toward age and continuing to run high mileage and to remain young at heart and young in the body. Getting the workouts in and keeping a tight diet all starts between the ears and that is also part of the motivation in that it keeps the brain working as well as the body.

total for the week: 47 miles

total for 2011: 65.5 miles

Welcome to gon4run!

Hello Ya'll,
Ya'll...that's southern for everyone.
Welcome to my newly created blog. At the suggestion of a few running buddies, it was decided  that 2011 was best started by sharing my running ventures with the world. Having been completely inspired by a couple of other running blogs: http://antonkrupicka.blogspot.com/ and http://anitamariefromm.blogspot.com/, this is a chance to hopefully inspire others in the name of running and maybe in the process, provide a few laughs! Another inspiration has been the Colorado Springs Women's Running Group, started by Dee Cooper. The Yahoo group has several members who provide each other with support, advice and sometimes much needed "ribbing." Many of us have been lucky enough to get together to  run countless miles of training and some challenging races.
If I understand all of this blogging correctly, you all ...or rather, Ya'll....can read my profile and see where this whole running thing got started. Hopefully over the next twelve months I can share many of my running adventures and inspire folks to see their own running in a new view.
An addition to giving inspiration to others, critics often say that one way to hold yourself accountable to a previous commitment is to make that commitment known to others. Well, it is also a goal of 2011 for my running to improve. Even at the ripe old age of 45, I truly believe that a runner can improve within the context of his/her given age. Now, I have no problem with getting out for a run, six days a week and I have no problem putting in many miles, 2779 miles in 2010. My training has been lackluster in terms of quality ......which equates to, even though enjoyable, lackluster running. My performance in the few yearly races  usually doesn't measure up to my expectations in regards to the mileage I have done in training.  Oh yes, somewhere about January (now) I make big plans for hill training and interval training...and then there is the "I need a treadmill" around late February.  (no treadmill in the home gym  yet) Somehow, around late March, with the snow melting, the temps climbing, I am out there for another dose of wonderul long slow distance...and thus, the hills and intervals get tossed in the ditch.  So, with this blog, I thee vow to continue with my dedicated training and not slog my way through another year of slow running. I vow to be a bit quicker at the end of 2011 and do so without getting injured or overly obsessive about it! Wish me luck!
Please feel free to leave comments and give me "swift kicks in the behind" when I slack off and blow lame excuses. Share your running ventures and explore where the passion can take you.