Lake Johanna Four Mile: It's Goal Time!

Time for a quick last minute post. In about two hours I'll be running the MDRA 4 Mile for the second year in a row. There's really no chance of a PR today--I'm not in near the shape I was in last year. As per usual, I'll  be doing some A B C goals.

2015 MDRA 4 Mile

A. Last year I ran 22:05. This year I'll be happy with 24:00 or faster.

B. Break 24:30

C. Break 25:00

This will be a good early season test to see how my training is going and how far I have to go. I have no big plans for spring races--I've got my sights set on the fall this year along with avoiding the summer injuries that killed my fall training last year.

Happy Running!

Spingtime!

This past weekend we got an early dose of spring weather. We were staying down in Rochester, Minnesota, and on my morning run the temperature hit 50 degrees.

Spring running in Minnesota is a welcome change. Actually running in the cold is OK--in fact, if it's not super windy it's actually more enjoyable than running when it's super hot. The hard thing for me, however, is getting out for a run. Some days after work when the cold hurts my face walking to and from my car, there's nothing I want to do more than relax inside where it's nice and warm. Bundling up and going back out into the cold for forty five minutes to an hour--not so much.

It has helped that I've started running in the morning before work again. It's easier to bundle up and head out into the unknown cold knowing I'll have to go outside eventually anyway.

As the weather gets warmer, heading out for a run gets easier and easier--no more deciding how many layers, which hat, which gloves, and which direction to run so I can finish with the wind at my back. Soon, I'll be able to throw on shorts and a tee shirt and head right out the door.

It's still been pretty chilly the past few days. On Tuesday morning it was an icy 15 degrees with a windchill of 6. At times the gusts of wind made me feel like I was running in place.

Still, I'm looking forward to some warmer spring temperatures. Starting on Saturday it's supposed to be at least 50 for the next week. Bring on spring.

Happy Running.

Back at It

So for the first part of this year, my running had really been going in fits and starts--10 miles one week, 30 miles another. I have been riding my indoor bike trainer as well, so even on the short weeks it's not like I've been doing nothing, but the running just hasn't been consistent.

Last week I hit 40 miles and this week I'll get 35. I'm trying to make my running more routine and my mileage a little more regular. It'd be great to do a reverse of what I did last year and have the second half of my year be the better half for running. In order for that to happen, I have to get at least reasonably decent mileage run between now and June, so I'm shooting for between 35 - 45 a week until then.

On a different note, is anyone else anxious about these new Facebook "like" buttons? Which one do I hit? Do I "like" a status, or do I "heart icon" a status? And how much funnier does a status have to be to move itself from the "like" to the "laugh icon?" Worse yet, what if I mean to hit the sad button when someone posts about losing a job or some such thing, and I accidentally hit the "laugh icon?"

Stressful, right? I'm thankful that I've been spending more time running lately to ponder these philosophical questions.

If you haven't heard, Laura and I also welcomed another addition to the family. Calvin has been a pretty fun baby, though at this point he doesn't do much. I was hoping to get a bike trailer for my trainer in the basement so he could go on stationary rides with me, but since that wasn't in the budget he's had to settle for sitting next to the bike in his rock and play.

Happy Running!