I'm back in the saddle again....

or "I'm just stubborn enough to run anyway".  Either way, I have slogged through 2 decent runs.  Yesterday I was just so mad (scared? I've been derailed by smaller things in the past) about being down and out on days that should have been run days.  Hell, I only have 3 days a week that I can run that it really torques me to miss one...even if I am really sick and running really isn't an option.  Anyway, yesterday I learned that 5 miles & cold weather really clears the sinuses.  Yeah, I know that's gross, but when your best friend becomes Vick's scented tissues because it's the only thing you can smell, even a temporary reprieve to the smelling world is something I was gratetful for! I wasn't out to break any speed records...just to get out there and survive.  I did. 

So today, I discovered, after sitting around the house all morning waiting for the cable guy to fix my internet, that it had turned into a gorgeous warm day! 35F....holy crap! That's practically balmy...I threw off my sweatshirt and left the house with only a long sleeve shirt & my running jacket.  What a thrill to run without the bulk of what I call my 'staypuff marshmallow' outfit...quite a relief for the folks I pass too, I'm sure ;-D  So out I go.  I had asked my teenager, who runs everyday after school at track practise about the bike path they run on so set my Nike + for 10km and out I went.  It turned out to be icy in patches, but the weather was so nice I found myself deaking down other streets here and there just because I was enjoying the sun so much.  I got to 10km and was still about 3km out so obviously I HAD to do those extra 3. Trouble was, once I did the 3, I thought 'wow, I'm close to 10 miles...it's only 3 more'. So, yeah, I did 16km or 10 miles.....OR SO I THOUGHT.

Now here's my beef with the Nike + system....which I normally love & has been my new favorite gadget since Christmas. I love the voice prompts & encouragement along the way...my own personal cheering squad.  I especially love the days Lance Armstrong congratulates me on a good run ;-D. (Why is a cyclist doing this????)  Anyway, I digress.  Like anything, I am certainly aware of the limitations of this gadget and that it is not exact....but boy it just bugged me that I thought I was going to see 10 miles when I uploaded it....nope....9.97miles.  Crap, I did the math wrong!  Then I thought I'd map it on my log site and it was even worse! Geez...can't a girl get a break?!? 9.9 miles.....well, now I know. I'm going to try to stay positive and say that it was the longest run of the year, so far, and I didn't feel like I was going to hack up a lung. 

Now that I can feel the hint of spring...even though it is still very faint...I need to start searching out some races.  I think a half-marathon in April/May is in order.

Happy Running!