March 4-10

Very happy with how this week went. 

I ran 6 days, with 5 core sessions and one lower body strength session on my rest day. 

My strength is really improving - which is to say, my speed is.  I had a couple of good sessions, including a great progression tempo run on Wednesday. 

Monday's run was a strong run.  I followed it up with a run with Neb on Tuesday, so a slower pace, but it set me up for Wednesday, and it was a great pace for Nebbers.  He's improving, just in time for it to get hot and for his running to be absolutely destroyed.  Humidity is not the friend of the Husky. 

Wednesday is showing me that my top end speed has improved a hell of a lot, now it's just a matter of getting that speed consistent and holding it for longer runs. 

Thursday was a trot - there's no other way of putting it.  I felt terrible though - on the way home from work I was hit with terrible nausea.  I managed to get some rice in me, watch 'Unbreakable' (the ultra running movie, not the other one), and then go for a run on my brand-spanking new road shoes I'd picked up at lunch that day - Brooks Ghost 5s. 

They're comfortable.  What can I say.  They are shoes.  It's not like trail shoes where you care about grip, not really.  But they are comfy and that's what matters.  Not too heavy. 

Friday was a rest day, so I did lower body strength. 

Saturday I was up eaaaaaaarly.  I was out Friday night - my cousin was in town for reading week and we took her out for dinner - and Kelly had invited me to run with her and some folk on Saturday morning.  We met at 7 am up in Palgrave so I got up at 5:40 am get out there - I'd packed up everything after work on Friday.  It was forecasted to be about -3C on Saturday morning, but driving out there the car thermometer dropped to -6.5C. 

I got there and a few other runners showed up - and who should be there but Marylou!  I know her through Toby, so it was really cool to see her and get to run with her that day.  She'd just gotten into Badwater, which is amazing.  Kelly and I ran for 3 hours, everyone else ran for 8.  One day, one day.  We ran a mix of trail and country road.  To be honest, the post-holing was so brutal at one point when the trail popped out onto road someone suggested sticking to road for a bit and it was a relief.  I love running on trails, but running is the operative word.  Running was very difficult.  I didn't need my microspikes though, and if my ankle held up under that beating, well - I think we can say it is healed.  Or as healed as it's gonna get. 

I have strengthened as a runner though.  The run was an easy run that I felt fresh afterwards - my legs felt great. 

Sunday was an easy run.  To be honest, we were out Saturday night too and I was feeling terribly tired - so sleepy.  I was up early, plus it was 'spring forward' time change and I'm just sleep deprived.  I wore the Brooks for their second run - figured I'd go to High Park and run on the roads/paved paths - but as I was heading down the hill on Spring - water flowing - and I saw how slushy the ice was (and the trails have all been icy) I decided to run on the trails through the mud and ice-slush.  And massive pools of water.  It was awesome.  I came home covered with mud splatter.  And dirty, dirty shoes.  The road shoes have been baptised.  Ran up one hill on trail this time last year I thought was steep - now my reaction is that it is a bit of an incline.  So that was pretty cool to realize that.  Plus I was just thrilled at my pace, for trail period, let alone mud and slush covered trail with crappy footing.  Yes, some path sections in there, but still.  A great run.  All the better because I started off feeling crappy and ended feeling strong and great.  

Another reminder this week of how much stronger of a runner I am becoming.