Merry Christmas.....and a goal acheived!

According to my training schedule, Week 2 ends with a 9-mile run.  When I got up yesterday morning, I was feeling drained from the week in school, and it was really cold (around 20 degrees), so the longer I sat around, the less likely it was that I was going to go out.  Not feeling good about my choice, but still feeling like it was better to fight again another day, I opted for a day off.  I really enjoyed the time with my family, and watching the Patriots come back against the Dolphins was great, but it put the pressure on to get out and run today.

Christmas Day dawned overcast and cold......20 degrees again, only this time, there was to be no reprieve.....I would have to get out and do my run.  I'm still working out the layering thing on top, but before I knew it (ok, it was 8:45 am), I was stepping out from my warm and cozy house into a decidedly frosty morning.  Naturally, I warmed up pretty quickly, but it still took about 20 minutes before my hands were normal.  The gloves I have work great, but only down to about 30 degrees, so I think I'm going to have to go shopping for more.....perhaps simple neoprene liners will do?  Anyway, I'm not 10 minutes into my run and a light snow starts falling....not enough to accumulate, but enough to tickle one's tongue.  The run was good, as I kept my pace firmly under control (between 9:30 and 10:00 per mile), which allowed me to run almost the entire 9.3 miles without any walking.  Ordinarily, I would run faster, and then take frequent walk breaks, so maybe this time I got it right!  It felt great to be out there on the deserted roads, but felt even better to be finished.  In addition to finishing Week 2 of marathon training, this run also took me over the 1000 mile threshold for the first time in my running "career"........it's been a great year, but I'm definitely looking forward to 2012 for an even better year!

So, to all of my friends.......a very Merry Christmas and a wonderfully happy New Year!