Base miles

The snow that's been on the ground for nearly a month is melting in earnest now. Snow has been unusual in the UK since I've been here, so it's presence is a reminder of winters in the Ohio (where I grew up) and New England (where I worked for 6 years before moving to the UK). For my children, it's an opportunity for sleding - or sledging, as it's referred to here.

I've been following a modified McMillan running plan that I found in a helpful interactive feature on the New York Times web-site.

At the moment I'm doing base miles. But I'm trying to up my weekly miles a bit. Christmas week was a bit low, but we had family staying. I had a stomach bug two weeks after, so took that week easy as well.

Today I was scheduled for 10 miles. I ran from my house up to a local woodland park, where I met some running friends. We usually do a 6 mile loop through the woods, with a couple of good hills thrown in. Running from my house adds 2.5 miles, so call it 8.5 for the day.

And I'm tired. Maybe it's running through the snow and mud. I'm looking forward to a rest day tomorrow.

Even though the distance was a little less than I wanted, I ran for 1:38. My thinking is that this cross-country running is good for building toughness, even if the mileage isn't always there.


Tonight, I want to relax, have a beer, watch TV or read. Then go to bed early.