Who took whom's name? What?.......

Ok, so every post on my blog appears to be signed by my crazy wife, Kathleen. We can't seem to figure out how to have our own names on our own postings. As far as I'm concerned, she can keep her name on my posts....I just wish she'd start running MY miles in addition to her own. This whole dang thing was her idea, afterall. I was perfectly content to be running 4 miles every day of my life, until she and all her zanny running group pals somehow swept me into this back in 2006.

As for the names on the posts, we'll get that fixed at some point. In the meantime, Kathleen's blog is more interesting anyway! You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and other publicly accessible stalking tools. Good grief, maybe I SHOULD just keep signing these as "Kathleen!" :-) Happy running.....

Flood forecast? Just another factor.....

Ok, so the flood forecast is worsening. Yet another factor to keep in mind while training for Fargo! Anyone coming in from out of town need not worry. The water will be tamed far in advance of race day. However, those of us here in the Valley could be in for some serious upper body work with the sandbags. That counts as cross-training, right, Hal H? In the meantime, we continue to search out running options that get us through the snow, ice, and cold.

I ran my medium-long run last Saturday at the South High ice arena. There are a growing number of runners taking refuge there. Can't help but envy a couple of them who make it look so effortless. Please tell me they also get side-aches, shin splints and tight thighs. Anyway, running inside at the area tracks is a decent option, but at 8 laps per mile, the outdoors look pretty inviting! So, I moved it outside on Sunday for the weekend's long run. Ran 12 miles on one of my favorite rural roads. Bliss! The temps we can all deal with, but we need some serious road clearing in the next few weeks. It is time to get outside for good!

Also, it's the start of week 6 in the 18 week training plan. Time to start buckling down a little and make sure that we are all getting in most of the planned runs/distances. It's still early, so don't fret if you haven't been religious about following a training plan. That said, take a peek at the caledar and start to get a little more focussed on training. Race week will be here in a little over 12 weeks. We'll all have a lot more fun (this IS fun, remember?) if we prepare. How is your training going?

Cold weather options (and keep smiling!).

Week 5 already! The minor aches and pains are already making their way into the daily routine, but push through that. It will only get worse! :-) Hey, if this were easy, everyone would do it, and nobody would come out to watch, right? The challenge is what makes finishing your race so special, no matter the distance, marathon, 1/2 marathon, 10k, 5k, or relay.

My long run was 11 miles this past weekend and I just want to share a simple rule I've followed during each of my previous 3 marathon training periods: don't miss or significantly shorten too many of the weekly long runs. Get those in, whatever else you decide to "adjust." The weekly long run mileage will escalate until I will spend two days dreading the weekend, but there really is no short cut around those long runs. They hurt the body but boost the confidence, no doubt about it.

I've seen a good number of runners at the Fargo South arena lately. It's a great place to get in the miles while we wait for the roads to dry off. Of course, we'll be running in the cold with piles of snow for many more weeks, but the roads and sidewalks will dry off for us by the end of February, if this is a year like most.

I actually ran my 11-miler outside last weekend. It was cold, but calm on Saturday morning. Proper clothing can always tame a day like that, and it felt great to be outside running again after more than a month running inside.

We're 1/4 of the way through with the 18 week training plan. The next weeks will go fast. Stay optimistic--train with a happy heart!!