Cross Country Skiing

It was a freezing cold day at about -15 degrees.  I went for a 2 1/2 mile cross country ski workout with my friend Diane.  I didn't warm up until she decided to put the crazy dog back in the car.  It's hard to stay warm in those temperatures with a silly dog who likes to stop and start and try to trip you or hit you with the biggest sticks he can find. But Sombra is a sweetheart even if he is just about the most obnoxious hiking and skiing partner a person can have.  It was a gorgeous day even if it was a bit chilly though.

Freezing Rain

I am a prisoner in my house today.  There is freezing rain and really not safe to get out on the roads.  I had hoped to get to the Sports Center today but I'm just going to be lazy and take another rest day.

A friend in Greece wrote a nice little article about me in the Minoan Runner.
It's very cute.  It reminds me why I run - to fight cancer, and find a cure.
Here is the story Minoan Runner.

Ran Indoors

It was -10 degrees and very windy and of course the roads are very icy.  I went over to the Sports Center and ran 5 miles inside.  There was no way I wanted to run outdoors if there was any other option.  I'm still really worn out from my trip for some reason.

I did get my marathon pictures back from the Athens Marathon.  I actually liked some of them so decided to buy the whole package since the price was quite reasonable.

Here is my finishers certificate.  I'm not too proud of that time, but at least I did finish.  That's really what counts.

Athens Classic Marathon

What a wonderful run this was!  It was a tough one though and I must say I was extremely disappointed with my finish time of 6:20.  The course was very deceptive because even though at least half of it was uphill, it really didn't feel like it was uphill.  But I did notice that the uphill section seemed to slow me down considerably.  But more than likely it was just the air temperature that was slowing me down.  It was around 75 degrees.  The wind came up around mile 20 and the last 6 miles or so were either flat or slightly downhill.  So at that point I had kind of a second wind and was able to run faster than I normally run during any marathon.  But certainly not fast enough to make up for my slow speed in the first half.  But for me, it isn't about having some record breaking speed.  I just want to finish before the cutoff time, collect my medal, and enjoy myself.  The course was amazing and the best part was just knowing that I was running the original marathon from Marathon, Greece to the stadium in Athens.  The time limit for the race was 8 hours so there was never any question that I would finish. 

Acropolis Sunrise

How can you possibly improve upon running in the shadow of the Acropolis?

Long Run

I started out intending to only run 5 or 6 miles.  But after I reached about 3 miles I just couldn't seem to stop.  I ended up running 11.6 miles before I found myself back home again.  It was just perfect temperature, about 33 degrees but with no wind, and too warm for ice on the road.  It was kind of foggy most of the time which actually made it more interesting. I love running along the bicycle trail on the Old Glenn Highway.  On Clark Wolverine Road I have to contend with lots of hills.  But those hills are the best running workout I can do.  I know by running up and down that hilly road, I am getting stronger for when I encounter hills in my upcoming marathons.  Especially the Athens Classic Marathon that I am running next weekend.  I hear it has some very long hills.  They will still be tough but at least they will feel familiar.

It was rather pretty out there today as I was crossing the Matanuska River Bridge.