Hey good Job! I did 6 miles with a pretty good uphill mile and a few strides at the end. Thanks guys for that suggestion. I was standing at a corner fixing my head light and heard a loud popping noise. I didn't feel anything when I heard it but a couple of minutes later the back of my shoulder starting aching and now there's a constant dull ache. Don't know what that's about but will have to baby it for a few days. It was a beautiful, star-filled -2 degree morning and I loved every minute of it!

I almost always wear a head lamp but I rarely turn it on. When I run there's very little traffic so I run in the middle of the road where it is flattest. I will turn on the headlamp if it's cloudy and the moon isn't out or if I need to see the road for ice or snow drifts, as was the case today. Usually I prefer not to use it because I feel like it makes my world too small since I can only see what's in the light but it's helpful for safety or if you drop something or bad road conditions. Some of my firends wear light-weight reflective vests which helps a little but my experience is that most drivers at that time are half asleep and they aren't really watching for you anyway. I just make sure I get out of the way,even if that means I stop moving long enough for them to pass. Both of these things you can purchase pretty cheaply at a walmart or target type store. I think it's the trapezius, I need to brush up on my anatomy, but I just had lunch with a runner/coach friend of mine and she said there is some stress point back there and she thinks maybe it just released whatever fluid it holds. I do tend to hold tension in my back and across my shoulders so it kind of makes sense to me but like I said, I'm not much for anatomy anymore. Maybe what I'm feeling now is the bad stuff working it's way out of that area???? Any ideas?

What is your qualifying time for Boston?

Good evening!

I just went out for my chilly little run with pup dog Jack it was 2 degrees. I'm sorry to hear about your injury jen... remember to take good care of yourself and to ice and stretch. Dave I'm glad to hear you braved the weather. I'm going to be out joining you in the early morning on friday because I'm leaving that evening for fargo... I hope the temp is alright. I'm up to about a two mile run/jog. Its slow, but i'm starting to get there. Terry where are you from that the weather is quite a bit warmer?

I ran in the early afternoon and it was perfect: 40 degrees and sunny. I logged 16 miles.

ps - Thanks for your quick reply regarding the use of heart-rate monitors and GPS watches in USATF events. I continue to slog through the iPod thread because I feel that the most frequently visited thread in the running community should have some moderator presence, but it really is getting out of hand.

DaveVause wrote:You did 16? Mid-week? What's your total weekly mileage? Mine's at 40.

I was able to get in the 16 due to a fluke in my school's final exam schedule which gave me a two and a half hour planning block yesterday (but no planning break for the other exam days). I don't track my weekly mileage because I extensively use an elliptical trainer or stationary bike in the place of recovery runs.