Long Run

I started training this week for marathon number 8. Depending on how China travel works out I hope to do the Bayshore Marathon in Northern Michigan. C's Aunt and Uncle live in Muskegon and we would stop by there on the way up, again, if it all works out.

Four days a week is my normal schedule with a long run on the weekend. I have been running since December after taking the Summer off. The weather was nice this morning and I headed out for a nice quick six miles. Unfortunately all of the snow from last week had not melted yet and it was some of the worse terrain to run on.

There are three options available for me to run:

1) The street. Not so bad when I run before work during the week, but a long run on the weekend can be terrifying because some people are morons and don't give you space. I haven't had people yell at me or throw things, but I've heard stories.

2) Des Plaines River Trail path. This is my favorite place to run. It is a path that follow the Des Plaines river through protected wetlands and savannas. It is absolutely beautiful when the weather is good. You only have to deal with moron cyclists that all think they have one testicle.

3) Treadmill. I hit this when the wind chill drops below zero. Very monotonous and scares the hell out of the dogs.

I try to take the camera with me when I go and that is where these shots are from. There is a lot of wildlife including deer and coyotes.

The path was horrible today. It is hard to run on packed snow and mud because it the terrain is very uneven and slippery. I am really going to feel it tomorrow. It wasn't icy enough to need the yak trax, but I could have used some help.

I am trying for a 9 minute pace but the snow kept me at 10:20. Oh well, it was nice to be outside for a bit and listen to some music.

The picture to the right is about as hilly as we get it in Illinois. You can see how crappy the running surface was today. I really miss the hilly and diverse topography STL.

We are taking it easy and going out to dinner with some friends tonight. C is going some projects tomorrow for Maya's room and I am doing some work and hopefully some writing.