Sunday was one of our long runs on the course, starting in Hopkinton all the way to Wellesley.  While weather had been a concern, it turned out to not be too bad, since it wasn't very windy, the sun was out, and the temperature was at least 20 degrees.  (Okay, I know I'm losing my mind when I start describing 20 degree weather in positive terms.)

My feet were pretty cold when we started due to waiting around for too long, but they warmed up within a couple of miles and in short order, I took off my arm things (I don't know what else to call the awesome disembodied sleeves I have) and eased up on the headgear.  I wasn't very high-energy and lagged behind the group, but whatever.  Although it's not always the case, I like to say that I come in last so that you don't have to.  Plus I had DD along to keep me company.  (He's in much better running shape than I am, but he's also not really training, so has it in some ways easier and in some ways harder.)  Still, I was having an unexpectedly hard time.

Then somewhere along the way, my left foot started to hurt.  Of course, pain while running is to be expected at times, but it was hurting pretty badly, radiating to various places.  I finally slowed to a walk hoping it would pass, and it faded a bit after a while, but as soon as I tried running again, it flared and I knew it wasn't a good idea to limp the rest of the way in.  So with a heavy heart, I bailed and got on the bus, having done only about 10.5 miles.  (I think use of the word "only" before "10.5 miles" is a sign that I may have already lost my mind.)

The worst part is that my legs weren't even particularly sore; I had plenty more in me.  Injuries really suck.  I have an appointment to see the trainer this week and we'll see how it goes.  Thusfar, I've managed to avoid collapsing into tears and only cried a little once.  (I wish I had a pair of crutches because it'd be much faster than the odd shuffle I'm stuck with now to avoid too much weight on the foot.)

Anyway, I'm trying to avoid being totally down right now.  This is, after all, the time when marathon hopefuls start seeing issues pop up, and there are a number of folks on the team rehabilitating.  I have a guess as to what is wrong, but we'll see what the expert says.

On the up side, I just passed the $1000 mark for fundraising, so am approaching the halfway point.  Thanks again everyone.

The weather hasnt been all that bad the past couple of weeks, except for the annoyance of all the ice and snow on the ground.  Last week's rain did a nice job of washing it all away.  Today I did ~8 miles starting from home, but hooking in with the usual around-the-lakes route and it felt good (and safe) to actually be able to use the now-clear path and sidewalks rather than the shoulder.

Naturally, that couldn't last.  The snow began, of course, while I was running, and by the time I returned home, I was soaked to the skin.  (On the up side, running eight miles in heavy snow makes it very easy to catch lots of flakes on one's tongue.)

Then tonight was a lecture on assorted training topics, and while I biked over, we were hit by a snowsquall.  Visibility was quite suddenly cut short and the combination of factors made the roads extremely slippery, which I noticed both in myself and watching cars and people slide around, so I walked the last few blocks and arrived late looking like the abonimable snowman, albeit much shorter.

By the time I headed home, the roads were once again clear but the temperature had dropped and winds gusted so hard that I had to pedal the last downhill to my street instead of the usual coasting.

At this point, it's below freezing, will continue to get colder, and the forecast doesn't go above 32 until *Wednesday*.  This Sunday, of course, is one of our special long runs on the Marathon course.  I'm starting to wonder if we are cursed!

Signs it might be too cold to run:

= Coach starts out with a few words on how to recognize frostbite.

= At the water stop, the water is frozen and the cups of Gatorade are slushies.

= You don't notice the bloody friction abrasion on your ankle until three hours later when your body has finally warmed up enough to feel pain.

On Sunday, we met with the John Hancock team for a long run along the marathon route.  I ended up doing 12 miles with a very nice woman from Hancock named Fran.  Thank goodness for Fran!  The run was hard enough, being my longest so far and on the heels of inconsistent training over the holidays, and the company was invaluable.

And it was COLD!  Under 10 degrees (Fahrenheit) when we started and *maybe* as high as 15 by the time we were done.  Insanely cold.  We saw other people running on our way to Wellesley and I thought to myself, "These people are nuts!"  Well, it's true.

But hey, I did 12 miles!