Shorts and melting snow

Wednesday: run 5.0 miles. Big, long hill halfway through my run.
Thursday: rest.
Friday: run 4.05 miles. Lovely running day. I'm in the zone.
Saturday: run 6.0 miles with Mike.
Sunday: rest. I'm watching the Suns/Cavs play on TV. Go Suns!

Yesterday I had a great run with Mike. It was surreal running in shorts and a long sleeve T-shirt in late January. We ran with the sun shining on us and the sound of melting snow and ice. I was worried about running for a fifth day this week (I haven't done that since last September), but I couldn't let the perfect running weather slip by without getting out there. So for the first time in a long time, I've run over 20 miles in a week. And it was painless.

Slushy sidewalks and sunshine

Friday: run 4.05 miles
Saturday-Sunday: rest. I did think about yoga on Saturday morning though.
Monday: run 5.0 miles on treadmill. Weights (3 sets).

• 6 minutes @ 6.0 mph
• 6 minutes @ 6.1 mph
• 6 minutes @6.2 mph
• 6 minutes @ 6.3 mph
• 2 minutes @ 2.0% incline
• 2 minutes rest @ 1.0% incline
• 2 minutes @ 3.0% incline
• repeat until I reached 6.0% incline
• Cool down @ 6.2 mph

Tuesday: run 4.05 miles

After yesterday's hill workout, my legs are a little tired. As I start my run, I concentrate on running slow because I need an easy day. It wasn't too difficult because of all the melting, mushy snow on the ground and sidewalks. Although the sidewalks weren't great, they were more manageable than I thought. And the sun was shining and making the snow a brilliant, almost blinding, white.

Political comment of the day: Every heard of signing statements? When the Presidents signs a bill into law he (or she) can add a signing statement which is basically his attitude towards the law. In essence, he signs provisions that he believes should be in there. I thought Congress made law, the President signed the bill into law, and that the Supreme Court interpreted the law. Silly me. I suppose we don't really need those checks and balances. (Credit to Time Magazine January 23, 2006).

Ode to the Brevards

Wednesday: rest
Thursday: run 4.05 miles

How does one find the perfect shoe? Is it luck or the wisdom of a trained salesperson in a running store? I had my perfect shoe once--the Adidas Brevard. It was the shoe that cradled my foot just the right way. Snug in the midfoot, a wider toebox and just the right amount of arch support and cushioning. It was the shoe that I trained in for my third marathon and it carried me through the heat of Maui and a month later it was on my feet for my accidental Boston Qualifying time. I kept training in that shoe and it was with me for a horrible 26.2 mile journey from Hopkinton to Boston. But when I went to train for the NYC Marathon it was mysteriously gone. Vanished. I frantically searched the shoe stores for my beloved Brevards, but they never surfaced. I had to give up and try to love another shoe. I've been in Mizuno Alchemy, Brooks Adrenaline GTS, Asics 1090 (or something like that), a $140 pair of shoes that hurt my feet more than any shoe I've ever worn, Nike Air Structure Triax, and I'm sure there are more I can't remember. And none of them fit me just right. This arch is too high, the shoe is too supportive, not enough support, not enough cushioning... And then my Brevards came back, but reincarnated into a completely different shoe. One that didn't fit my feet. The redesign was a cruel joke. And then it was made over again--more like the original--but not quite. It's not the same exact fit and they did some funky thing with the cushioning. Every pair I buy feels flat. I've been wearing dead shoes for over a year. And so with great hope I walk into Marathon Sports hoping I'll get the pair of shoes built just for me. And after two runs I remember exactly why I didn't like the Mizunos. But you know what? It's been redesigned.

New shoes

Friday: run 4.05 miles
Sat.-Sunday: rest
Monday: run 4.05 miles
Tuesday: run 4.05 miles; elliptical machine 2.0 miles; weights (3 sets)

The pleasant warm weather last week has been replaced by bitterly cold, biting wind on Monday. Tuesday is much better, but still cold. I can't complain though because it's January in Massachusetts. My run was good and faster than usual (36 minutes). The hip is doing okay. Stretching seems to irritate it, so I've stopped doing that and I've seen improvement.

But the big running news is that I didn't buy another pair of Adidas Brevards. I switched to Mizuno Alchemy. I ran in these shoes during my training for the NYC marathon , but decided to abandon them. They were recommended to me by Marathon Sports (again), so I thought I would give them another try. The Brevards are okay, but not great. If only they had more cushioning... Well in my one run, I determined the Mizunos are perfect for my left foot, but too stiff for my right foot. Ah well, perhaps I'll try lacing them up differently.

53 degrees!

Jan. 1-2: run 4 miles x 2. Break from running due to sore/weak hip.
Tuesday: run 4 miles and weights
Wednesday: run 4.05 miles
Thursday: run 4.05 miles

Today the sun is shining and it's a balmy fifty three degrees in January. We started a massive study at my work and I can't run at lunch, but we have some glitches so I was able to get outside twice this week. What did I do to be this lucky?

Yesterday's run was good through two miles, but then I just didn't feel like running anymore. Unfortunately, I was two miles away from work and I had no choice but to keep going. But today everything was beautiful. I started out kind of quick and then slowed down some because I didn't want a repeat of yesterday's events. I felt fabulous the whole time (minus that tightness in my left calf in the beginning of the run). And after my run I ate homemade beef stew. It's a very good day!