16 in 28

Let me begin by saying the last 2 weeks have definitely been "holiday" in my life. I have been less than dedicated to my training and skipped the 20 mile run and only did 6 miles for my Christmas long run. I made a decision to throw caution to the wind in my eating for the Christmas season and it didn't help with my running routine. Well, what is behind me is behind me and I'm back on board for my March 21 commitment.

This morning we decided to drop back to 16 miles since it has been over 2 weeks since our last long run. I'm thankful for that because we were able to complete the run better than our first 16 mile attempt. We actually cut 5 minutes off the time with a 3 hour and 6 minute finish.

The temperature gauge on my car said 28 degrees at 6:15 this morning. There is this balance you have to achieve when running in the cold weather. Initially, you want to layer and layer because it is so freakin' cold. But you can't. After the first few miles, you generate so much heat that you are sweating and uncomfortable. Karen and I discussed our appropriate level of layering at length before going out. I probably could have handled a tank top under my shirt to add to my torso warmth, but all was well. The saving grace this week were handwarmers furnished to us from a friend of mine. We put them in our gloves and that piece of warmth kept us going. I found myself clenching the warmers everytime I felt a gust of cold wind as if that little piece of heat would provide full body comfort. It was probably all in my head, but I believe it did just that! Other than the unforgiving wind at the beach, nothing noteworthy occured on the trek. I'm really enjoying these long runs. I must admit, my legs started to get uber tired at mile 15, which at least says I'm comfortable at 16 miles.

Next weekend we begin the Distance Series Races. First up is a 20k. I'm hoping we do it in 2 hours exactly. That would make me pretty happy.