Tomorrow is the first of April, but I can hardly believe it. Today's weather was anything but springlike. Charlie and I got out for a nice long walk with Deb in mittens and winter jackets for the 21 degree weather. After church, we attended Haley's second outdoor meet of the season complete with double coats, mittens, hats, blankets and sunglasses! (Her first outdoor meet was in Texas, but it was similar weather to today minus the snowbanks around the venue.). To add a little insult to the cold (31 degrees) conditions, it started to snow partway through shot-put and got heavier during discus. Even Charlie looked around like, "What the heck!!!" He did thoroughly enjoy getting out to the track meet and loved his 6 cheese balls that my dad brought him in a baggie...only 6 because Charlie is supposed to lose a little weight. He is finding out what runners know...you can't outrun a poor diet.
A couple weeks ago, I suggested that we all quit looking at the weather apps and just go with the flow. Well right now, my "flow" is frozen solid and I could use a good thaw. Please, a little warmer weather!!! I did just peek ahead and we are due for a steady warmup for the next week with highs in the upper 50's to low 60's by Friday. One good thing with our slow spring is that the anticipated flooding along the Minnesota and Red Rivers has been much less severe than predicted. I don't live in an area that floods, but many others in our state do and watch the spring melt very carefully. Yesterday I enjoyed a cold but very solid 12 mile run at 9:03 average pace. I'm feeling like if I can do that on a training run, I may be able to aim for around 1:55 in my upcoming half marathon or around 8:50 per mile. I've run 2 halves in the 1:55-1:56 range in the past year, so if I was even able to beat that by a few seconds, I would be very satisfied. In all honesty, keeping it under 2:00 is nearly always better than 50% of more of the pack which I would consider very good for me. The longer I run, the more I appreciate that everyone has a different story and goal. I would never knock on someone whose whole goal is to finish even if they are the last finisher. Each runner has their own story and sometimes those are filled with medical miracles, weight loss wins, heartaches and obstacles. And to the runner who finishes last, I also marvel at how long they have been running since the winners finished. Considering we all got the word "Go!" at the same time, that last guy or gal across the line has been running a lot longer than the first one. Now that April is a mere 2 1/2 hours away and outdoor track is in full swing, spring has to be coming soon. Earth Day Half Marathon is coming up April 20. There is another price increase on April 1st, so if you haven't registered yet and catch this before midnight, one last chance to save a few dollars. It looks like neither Blake nor Deb will be able to participate so I'll be mostly on my own. Maybe a few family members will make it out to give me a little peppy cheer along the route. If it's snowing like today, I'll give them a pass to stay in where it is warm. Here's to hoping for some April showers that are rain and not snow! Happy running--Missee
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AuthorMissee and Stephanie are two Minnesota sisters and moms who love to run. We are not experts in running, parenting or anything else, but we do have years of experiences that may be helpful or entertaining to others. Archives
May 2020
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