Even after only getting an hour of sleep

I still managed to put two miles in on the road today, despite only getting 60 minutes of sleep last night. So, the streak continues.
37 days and 125 miles down.

One month complete

Ok, I think with 31 straight days, the streak is officially back on. I still am not overly excited because, as I learned last year, it can all end with one really bad day. But I am please with the progress I've made - gradually increasing my weekly mileage at a rate that hasn't lead to injury.

But at the end of the first month I have run 102 miles and for 13 hours and 2 minutes. If I can repeat that in the 28 days of Frebruary, I will be well on my way to making the 1000 days happen.

Weird weather day

I mentioned in my last post that we had an ice storm coming and sure enough, we had over 1/2 inch of sleet and freezing rain. I was able to slide through a short run yesterday while the storm was in progress without too much difficulty because at that point it was all sleet and snow. But then the freezing rain came and put a 1/4 inch glaze on everything. So today I waited as long as I could for it to warm up and melt a little before heading out. At 4:30, I noticed the temperature had climbed above 35 but it was still raining - or so I thought. I decided that was going to be my last good opportunity to run before the refreeze. As I headed out the door, the sky looked as if it was clearing off and it was then that I realized the rain was actually melting ice falling off the wires and tree limbs. Ok, cool, it shouldn't be that bad of a run. And it wasn't except for the several patches of unmelted slush and ice. The wind was swirling and it was the most bizzare wind I've ever encountered. At times, it would blow out of the north and was quite chilly. Then it would switch directions and it was like standing downwind of a campfire. I would say the wind out of the south was easily 70 or 80 degrees. It felt like a summer breeze. As it would blow by, the ice on the trees would melt even faster and it was like a downpour. Then, the wind would switch back and it would get cool. I checked the temperature again when I got home and it had warmed to 41 degrees in 28 minutes. I'd expect that at sunrise, not as the sun was going down. Very, very weird.

running before the storm

With all the winter mess headed this way, I decided I needed to get a longer run in today. I was hesitant to do this run prior to today due to all the hills, but I took it slow and enjoyed the run.

I'm hoping the winter weather doesn't prevent me from getting to 100 miles this month. I needed 25 miles after Saturday and I've clicked off nine of those already, but icy roads could be a problem.

The Birthday Run

25 days into the new streak and another year older. Last year at this time I expected to be in much better shape than I am right now. Once the streak ended in September, I was on work travel for two months and gained almost 15 pounds. The travel ended almost two months ago now, but the weight sure doesn't fall off as fast as it goes on.

Last year on my birthday I ran a 3.6 mile run and it was 16 degrees. This year - 3.6 miles and 16 degrees. But I was not as fast - almost a minute and a half slower, but to be honest, I was just taking in the sunshine through my 3 layers of clothes.

I guess the point this year will be to try and lose some weight, run some miles, and maybe get a little faster.