Do-Over

Yah, so Mrs. FA and I had a slightly excessive Friday night at home, and I headed out to run this morning at 11:30a feeling fat and mildly hung-over. The Great Hill put me on my ass. I ran for six minutes, turned around and headed home, for 11 minutes altogether. To be fair, it was cold, and I was not dressed for the weather. Still, the fact that I bagged on the run put me in a crabby mood for much of the afternoon. So at 5:00 I bundled up for a do-over.

I ran down the West Side of the Park and cut over on the 65th Street Transverse and then around the bottom loop of the Park, stopping at Columbus Circle. It was a little over 3 miles in a little under 30 minutes. The big storm had begun and the snow was beautiful and I waved at every runner, mad cyclist and handsome cabbie out there with me. A few more than usual smiled and waved back. Must be the season. It was great to be out and running.

That's three runs for this past week, on-track with A's challenge. This coming week I aim to get out tomorrow (Sunday), Tuesday, and Christmas Eve. Re: Phat's challenge, my baseline weight is 225 pounds, recorded this afternoon. There will be no photos, but I'll aim to post weight again next Saturday. It'll be after much feasting and flagons of wine. I won't be the biggest loser.

The FAs went out for our Christmas tree today, decorated it and started wrapping presents. I hope you guys have a holy and festive week with your families.

Peace, fellas.

Mind games

I ran 15 miles today. Solo. 2:20. In a snowstorm. I'm proud of that.

I almost turned back about three times in the first three minutes because running on unplowed roads in a snowstorm seemed ridiculous. I felt like I should be skiing or doing something fun. Then I convinced myself that running in the snow really isn't that different from snowshoeing or cross country skiing. All are great workouts that take place outdoors in the snow. Once I made the mental shift, the run got way easier. I didn't give the tough footing a second thought, took the wind in stride, and went with it. It was actually fun on those stretches when the endorphins kicked in. Plus, I knew this run would be tucked away as "what are you made of" material for the marathon. I am glad I stuck with the plan and got it in.

One other note on this run. I ate a huge biwl of oatmeal with bananas and strawberries and drank a big mug of coffee about an hour before starting. I felt the energy from that meal through most of the run, and I supplemented along the way with almost a full package of Shotblocks. It's all about the fuel, and I'm sticking with oatmeal for long runs from here on out.

Still snowing up here, by the way. We got about 8 inches already today, and it's supposed to snow throughout the night. And that's on top of about 10 inches a day at the ski resorts from Thursday - Saturday. Bring on the spring skiing...in about a month!