Notes
Good run today, despite the cold, wind and rain. I'm used to battling with myself, but the battle with the elements overshadowed my own personal struggles today. At times I felt like the Bishop in Caddyshack (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A3M-d_eIqo), in fact, it's the one thing that kept playing over and over in my head! "RATFARTS!" Only I didn't get struck by lightning... After about mile 6, I felt like I was running in a wetsuit. It was a big lift to see Lex and Isabelle join me for moral support around mile 9. They posted ahead of me every couple of miles giving me something to look forward to and shouting encouragement along the way. They were at the donut shop where I had to make my regular pit stop. i was jealous they were having hot chocolate and a blueberry muffin! Lex offered to go home and get some warm, dry clothes for me, but I didn't see the point. Around mile 13 they warned my of a technical stream crossing coming-up as one of the river tributaries had crested and was crossing the road. It actually felt good running through the ankle-deep ice-cold water! My feet didn't start to bother me until mile 15 when I started to hit my "physical" wall, when everything else hurt too. Good news is, I pushed that wall back by a mile this week! After I started to break through, I picked-up the pace a bit and finished with my fastest mile split of the run (9:44). It really felt good getting into the ice bath after this run!