Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Northern MN has had overcast skies but couple of days, the sun peeked through mid-day but temps hovering between 25 - 45 degrees.

With those temps, easy to just stay indoors but thinking about my next race: gasping for breath ........ well, I get my cold gear on & get myself on the mostly paved road which I really don't care for. I so miss my trails in northern AZ, yes with the snow & slush & mud at 7,000+ elevation.

So here I am, running on paved flat road, working on my endurance mostly, intervals & tempo runs & keeping a base of at least 10 miles. I hope to increase it to 12 miles by next week before my business trip back to northern AZ. Cold there too but warmer Phx is about two hours away :)) to visit the grandbaby & run a race or two, trail &/or road. My hectic work schedule keeps me traveling all over the SW but somehow I get in some running mileage.

It is a challenge to deal with the winter conditions but experience & maturity has its perks! Been active all my life & running is exhilarating! At 52 yrs young, I absolutely feel blessed for my health & the unconditional support of family & friends ......... including the awesome support system on this thread!

Thank you for your motivation everyone!

Congrats to all who ran a race & sharing your stories.

Stay safe & warm & healthy!

Tony~Motivaton is difficult enough after a big race, much less dealing with toe pain that continues to be a problem.  So sorry!  I remember only logging 14 measly miles for the month after my first HM in May.  Decided to follow Jeff Galloway's suggestion of getting in my running clothes,  then stepping outside the door to check on the weather,  then walking to the end of the drive way, then running down to the end of the block to see what was going on in the neighborhood, and then as long as I was out, to keep going.  Before I knew it I had run 3 miles. Each of the steps was a "little victory".  I had to repeat this every other day for a couple of weeks to get into a pattern, but it worked.  You will be back at it soon, and can't wait to read all about your upcoming St. Pete R 'n R HM training.

AZ~You are an inspiration!  All the traveling and still finding time to log in the miles.

Ray~Congratulations on another great race and time!  Wow -- your hard work has paid off big!

Steve~The mild November temps we have been enjoying has extended the biking season, but I bettter dust off the snowshoes/skis soon!

Mary Kay~Hope the Philly HM and visit with DD was great, can't wait to read your RR!

Welcome to all the new posters~sounds like you all have a lot of experience and wisdom to share!

Enjoyed perfect temperatures for an 8 mile run on the bike trail yesterday.  Too much on my "to do" list, because I could have gone on for miles more.  Normally, this time of the year the trail would be empty.  So many bikers, runners and walkers taking advantage of the mild weather.  They know it won't last!  Looking forward to a family 5k run on Thursday before we sit down to dinner.  So thankful for all the inspiration and sharing on this thread!  Blessed Thanksgiving to all and run strong, friends!

Short run today:  4.10 miles, 39:52. 

'Warmer' today, about 47 degrees, had to shed a layer when I did my minute walk.  Had to walk when a couple of neighbor dogs came up barking, but hubby also informed me that the in-laws, and sister-in-law and her family are traveling here instead of us traveling 5 hrs for the weekend.  YAY!!  I WILL be keeping up with my running for sure.  Love his family but keeping them 'busy' is a challenge as they are not active by any means.  Nice temps and no snow predicted so we hope to take them walking or play WII ...........does that count? LOL!

Wish they had a turkey trot/run here but I'll run for sure.  We aren't much into the holidays except for the New Year but really, we don't need a holiday to give thanks and we give food to help the food banks from going empty throughout the year no matter where we live.

Steve:  when does the 'lottery' open for the Grandma's HM event?

Hail, Mighty Masters! Had a really busy weekend and haven't caught up yet. So sorry! So glad you've been busy!

Philadelphia was wonderful and I will definitely do it again! Probably the best organized of all but also has the most difficult prerace to navigate if you're not familiar. Course was very scenic with rolling hills, none daunting. It had good cheer spots, music, and live high fives from Mayor Nutter who for some reason didn't recognize me. What?? I ran 3:1 for two miles, 2:1 for next 3 mi. and switched to 1:1s with a few 2 min. breaks. My gadgets all said my splits were under 12 min. Somewhere between 7 and 10, the one that was giving me notices jumped a mile and ended up recording the course as 14 mi. So, I relaxed and started taking pix. Probably burned 5-10 min. but thought I had the time. All programs had radically different times and distances. Official time ended up being 1 min. slower than Columbus. RATS! Live and learn. Still loved the race, though.

Of course I could be just a little biased. DD and I had a wonderful visit and ate/drank every good food neighborhood from Broad and Market Streets south. No sammys for us. *Kids* in their 30s have gentrified the area and the food scene is A-Mazing. If you go, be sure to see East Passyunk and Hawthorne and the Italian Market. DD was fantastically generous with time and pleasantries but she's clearly stressed beyond her personal limits. She promised to run me in AND actually showed up. That was a moment to remember and certainly made my last miles a lot easier. No cry face for me! but I did leave it all. Whole left leg was threatening to give out, hip to ankle. Mayor Nutter was still there at the Finish slapping high fives. I always liked his civic pride.

Left leg pain disappeared the next day but right leg is now screaming. Strange. I am very very tired but still high on the trip/race. Got some decent pix. You're welcome to view on fb: Mary Kay Chuey. They are public so friend request is not required but totally welcome. Hope to catch up on your fantabulous progress tonight.

Run strong and fierce, my friends!!

Want to wish everyone who is racing tomorrow (Thanksgiving) a wonderful experience and a great time!  The wife and I will be doing the Thankyou Run in 4s Ranch (San Diego).  She's walking the 5k and I'm running the 10k. Enjoy folks!

Dan - Ha, I laugh (but also sympathize with how much this sux) at you needing to run the TM during deer season. Maybe that's why high viz wear has become so popular. Here in OH and KY it's hunting season also so I'll be sticking to the roads or running with a pack. Double Ha! Hope you and Debra get to meet! Glad to hear you're back to running regularly!!

Debra - A 5k under 30 min sounds great! You're so close at 30:31, it's just a matter of time. You'll kill that goal and need a new one soon!! Love your attitude!! Thanks for the well wishes on my Philly race. It was a great visit! Hope your Thanksgiving run and day with family was great!!

URun - Congratulations on your marathon!!!! Heat is nothing to play around with and we all know our body limits. Good decision to be cut back, IMHO. The fact that your time wasn't a whole lot longer was a huge success!

Sally - I know that feeling of loss at the end of the season. I'm there, also. I'm trying to remember this is a grand opportunity but am not feeling it yet. I trained last winter for my first HM on May 6th. A lot of the runs were inside but there were weekend afternoons when it felt fantastic to be out. Started with a group but just couldn't enjoy the dark cold morning runs. It might be easier if you could find a race in May. March weather can be great or windy but it's usually warm enough. Let us know what you decide?

GaryLewisPT - Amazed by your goal! What have you done so far? Have you been running a long time? Love hearing these stories bc there is very little info on what folks can expect from their bodies after 50.

Steve - Your bike club? Are you thinking of doing a Tri or Duathalon?  I always have trouble posting also and get my best results when I'm up in the middle of the night. Hope you're post-race blahs break soon. "We have much to be thankful for, including being active at our ages when so many of our peers are not." AMEN! ...including being active at my age when I wasn't two years ago at this time. The hospice race sounds inspirational.

Ray - No worries, I was teasing about the weather. It's hardly your fault that it's warm there. Congratulations on your race time! Kinda fun to think we can beat PRs from many years ago.Did the 

PGDave - Welcome and good luck with your goals!

SipSip - Welcome! Is your LV run the one in December? If you've finished 12 mi, you are ready. Trust you're training because you will do this!! I plan my race with almost sprint runs for the first two miles, a little slower for the next two miles and then race pace for the rest but I know I can do that and still finish bc I've run 6 this season. General advice is to run your race pace consistently for the first 3/4 of the race and then do a body inventory. If you feel the strength, pump it up but incrementally so you can still run the last mile.

MacDillMike - Welcome! You have accomplished a lot in a little time!! You must have been very fit!! You can run longer or you can run faster or you can build both but all this takes time. It sounds like you're priority has been distance. After your mudder, you can focus on speed. Look at times for men in your age group on races you'd like to do and compare. Balancing life demands is a problem. I haven't got an answer for that yet. I'm at a similar crossroad, trying to decide whether to complete a full or focus on speed. You can do both but it will take longer and I am not patient. Think I'll go for a full for spring and then work on speed.

justamaniac - Welcome! "My goal has been to make sure that I'll still be able to run when I'm 75+." I am right there with you.

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Tony - So sorry about your toe. Hope this period of blahs gets it healing. Enjoy your Philly visit!! Wish I could be there, too!!!

az1414 - Along with everyone else, I am amazed at how you find time for runs with your travels and work. Wii used to be my only exercise before running and there are folks who think it's too much work, so yes, it counts.

kathruns - Great time!

Rich - What a great way to start Thanksgiving!

Bill - Congratulations on your race!

Thank you all for your wonderful support throughout this past race season! Many times the thought of being able to to report that I had done this or that and received your kudos is what kept me running.

Ran a 10k yesterday with a friend and then had dinner with her family. It was a good day. Felt out of breath from the beginning of the race and so. very. tired.  It was asking too much to do that four days after the HM but live and learn. I gave up on time and just plugged on to finish, happy knowing that my friend was way ahead and would be very happy with her race. Ended up with a PR. It was only 2 min. shorter but it was so unexpected. I never was happier to see the end of a race but am very pleased with this season and am looking forward to next year. Goals: Run a 5k in under 30 min., Run a HM in under 2 hr. Run a full. It may take more than one year but that's what I want.

Run strong and fierce out there!

Steve,  I have the same problem with IE crashing when I try to post a photo here.  Try using Safari instead - that's what I wound up doing for my last post and no troubles at all.