Encouraging run

I got out of work by 4:30 yesterday and headed for the bike path along Lake Champlain. A friend had told me that the path was nearly clear of ice and snow, except for one stretch that gets lots of shade and was still icy. I decided to go with road shoes and take my chances. My plan was to run outbound for either 6 miles or 60 minutes, whichever came first. Considering that the first mile from my office to the path itself was downhill, I hoped I would hit 6 miles first.

My legs were still a little bit sore from lunges, but I didn't feel it at all while running. I was happy that my left hamstring/piriformis area felt much looser than the day before. I felt like I was moving really slowly - 10mpm+, but every time I looked at my Forerunner, I was in the 9:30mpm range.

The one long icy patch wasn't too slick, probably because it was fairly cold out, and I got through it just fine. I hit the 6 mile mark in just under 57 minutes and turned and headed back to the office. I was slower on the way back, but most of that was due to going uphill in the last mile. Overall, I felt fairly strong for the entire run, which was very encouraging after being so sick last week. This was the first time I'd run on 4 consecutive days in a while, so feeling good was an extra bonus.

Tonight, I'll lift weights after work. Then, I'll ski over the weekend (of course). There are no snow storms (or any storms, really) on the horizon, and the days are supposed to be relatively warm for a while. A big field near my house is mostly clear of snow, although my yard still has about 18" of snow. If things stay warm and we don't get any more snowstorms, this will be an unusual March here in Vermont. March is typically a fairly snowy month for us, but we've only had one small snowstorm so far, along with 2 rainstorms. If we don't get a snowstorm or two soon, ski season could end fairly early this year.

After I'm done teaching on 3/29, I don't know how many more days I'll ski, but the mountain usually manages to keep at least a few trails open into early May.