Thaw Out

I am tired of this ice. Seriously. Tomorrow is supposed to warm up but then there is more snow predicted for Tuesday. While I have been dreading my trip to Argentina, I would be lying if I said I'm not looking forward to some summer weather. That's the beauty of going to the southern hemisphere - its winter here and summer there. If I can manage to get some good runs in, I will be very happy.
The ice this week made running a challenge, but I couldn't take the treadmill. Our group met downtown on Wednesday and did two 2.5 mile loops. We ran mostly in the street and it really wasn't bad. I really pushed it and did 9:15 miles almost the entire way. The only uncomfortable moments were running across the purple people bridge where there was still lots of snow and ice, and also freezing wind. I was happy just to get out. I will do just about anything to avoid the treadmill.
I skipped out on a "wine and cheese" event after my training at work to go running. The CEO of the company came to speak, but after I had already been sitting for 9 hours listening to people talk, I had to get out of there and get moving. Maybe not the most career savvy decision, but it was for my sanity. I had two more days of talking to sit through. Who knew that listening could be so exhausting? Luckily, we wrapped up early on Friday afternoon and I was able to get to the gym and do 40 minutes on the elliptical. When I found out this training was in Cincinnati, I was kind of sad. Another girl in my department go to go to Montreal for this same thing last year, and I thought that sounded kind of fun. On Friday, though, I was so happy to be able to get in my car and drive home. The rest of the people who had flown in were mostly all stuck here for another night because of all the cancelled flights due to weather.
Yesterday there was still plenty of ice and snow on the sidewalks, so I was kind of curious about how the coaches were going to pull of the group run. We met at Crossroads in Oakley and the plan was to run 11.5 through Mariemont back to Oakley. The coaches actually drove through the streets earlier that morning to check on the road conditions and modified the route so that we would only be running where there is decent footing. Sometimes I question the motives of the training group (I'm sure they make tons of money and get tons of free advertising on top of that because everything they give us has a gigantic store logo on it.) Yesterday, though, I thought they really showed that they cared about our safety. Our head coach has a big mouth and loves to hear himself talk, but I think he is a good person at heart. My efforts to dislike him are failing. I can't hate a good guy.
The run went well, although none of the friends I usually run with showed up, so I ended up running most of the way alone. I took advantage of the time alone to clear my head of all the work stuff my brain had been filled with during the past week. Running through Mariemont is fun, too, because it is such a cute neighborhood. I had one strawberry banana GU left, which I used about 4 miles into the run. The group also supplied some Clif products. The gels are not my favorite because of the thick consistency (even thicker when they are cold) but as bad as it tastes, I can't deny the effectiveness of the double espresso Clif Shot. I think it has 100 mg of caffeine. I had one of these at about mile 7 of the run and I felt so energized for the last few miles. That's not the first time that has happened either. Last year on our 20 miler during fall marathon training the same thing happened. I guess I will keep choking them down because nothing beats the wave of energy. My average mile pace was 9:40 for that run. Very good for me. I am happy. I am thinking that a 4:30 marathon might actually be possible if I can pace myself well. That and if I can keep up with my training while I am away for a few weeks.
Hopefully some of this ice will melt tomorrow so I can get a run in after work. If not, I guess its treadmill time once again. This Thursday I will be two weeks away from leaving for warm and sunny weather. Woohoo!