Spring has Sprung!

This week was exciting for me as I opened my shorts drawers for the first time in months. It was a weird feeling and I definitely felt bad for any passersby that might have been blinded by all my pale skin, but it was a delight! And so much easier than the layers I have been wearing. My track workout this week was nothing stellar, but I was happy to be able to run on a non-snow covered track for the first time in a while

This week was also a good week for the cross training segment of training. On Monday,I went to free hot yoga in Shadyside (only one free week left...) and Wednesday I bribed my sister into going to our first Zumba class. ah, the joys of exercising while feeling like a fool! It was definitely fun (basic line dancing with a Latin flair) and had A LOT of hip shaking. We were both laughing since we had thought that we should bring our men sometime...Geoff would probably actually have a good time, but all the regular women might not be happy about a male presence.

As mentioned below by Megan, our long run was not plagued by cold temps and snow, but by sheeting rain that just wouldn't stop. After we called our run early, I had a yummy brunch at Square Cafe and spent the afternoon stalking radar maps to attempt to avoid getting drenched on Part II. After not having rain all afternoon, even with the radar maps being bright green solidly over my house, I set out for my second nine miles around four pm. Part way through my Short Beechwood Loop, it started to sprinkle and eventually got a bit harder. It didn't compare to the morning rain but I did get a bit wet since I was in the rain for another 45 minutes. Just knowing that I had only four miles remaining vs. fourteen, made the miserable weather tolerable. I am happy to be done with the long run for the weekend, although it looks like today is going to be dry, albeit gloomy.

As I write, there are 48 days, 21 hours until the start of the marathon. It seems like that is too soon! But we've put in some solid runs, I'm not taking several vacations to hinder the long runs, and I know the course so well that I just have to get up early that morning and perform!

The new goal will be to stay and marathon shape all year and find some summer/fall marathons to do.