Shorts and a T-Shirt!

The last couple of days have just been great. You couldn't have pre-ordered much better weather for the month of March than what we've experienced here in Madison the past two days. The "crowning jewel" of these days was yesterday. Temps got as high as 72 degrees which is pretty much unheard of for the middle of March in Wisconsin. Although Tuesday morning was pretty breezy, the sun was out and the temps were comfortably in the 50's. It was time to break out just shorts and a t-shirt. I have had the luxury of running in shorts a handful of times already this year but not a day wearing just a simple moisture wicking t-shirt. For whatever reason, the tree trunks I call my legs, never get too cold in chilly weather, however my upper body does at certain times. That's why I generally wear a couple of shirts and a wind jacket when I'm running in the milder temps of the winter months. That wasn't the case on Tuesday morning. Yes, it was a bit chilly starting out, clad in only shorts and a t-shirt on the breezy morning, but after I got in my first mile or two and out of the shaded areas, it was pretty darn comfortable. I truly felt like a free man, running without all the hindrances and restrictiveness of winter clothing. What a great way to start my first run of the week. And to top it off, I was able to get in a quality 16 miler. I wasn't originally planning on doing such a big long run being that I was only two days removed from doing an 18 miler, but when it comes to running, I always try to pick and choose the best days of the week to get in those real "longies." The more comfortable and accommodating the weather is, the better those long runs usually go. Plus, I figured that after taking a complete day off of running on Monday, my legs would most likely be up for the challenge, and they were. Sure, they did get a little achy from miles 11 thru 16, but hey, it's a long run... they are bound to get achy from time to time no matter how many miles you put in during a given week. That's the nature of the beast. When it does happen, I just look at it as a minor inconvenience and in the long run (no pun intended), I know it will me stronger, tougher and more race ready. Like I said in my previous post, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I know it's a cliche' but I'm a big believer in that... not only in running but life in general.

Today's workout: 5.1 miles > 41:44 > 8:11 pace

Tuesday's workout: 16.1 miles > 2:05:31 > 7:45 pace

Miles this week: 21.2