Week in Review

100 miles
3 doubles
20 mile long run
20k tempo run
2 runs with Pops
4 AFDs

Praise the Lord, I finally hit 100! The majority of the week was about as un-glamorous as any in recent memory, as I completed more runs on treadmills and by the light of my headlamp than I ever care to again. But where there's a will there's a way--and if that way has to come via a 38+ mile Saturday and Sunday, then so be it. That's right, I followed up Saturday's tempo run with an even longer (albeit much slower) run with Jordan and Dad on Sunday morning. Despite sleeping in for the second consecutive day, Sunday mid-morning brought literally breathtakingly cold weather, the first of its kind since we moved here. With an actual temperature of 20 and a wind chill in the single digits, it took a lot of mental fortitude and about a gallon of coffee to push the three of us out the door. (Trust me, any time you have to strap on this glove you know things are serious.) Two and a half hours later I was very nearly frozen solid and I couldn't feel my legs (which given the circumstances isn't necessarily a bad thing), but at least I got in the miles. At the beginning of this training cycle I wouldn't have even considered attempting a 20-miler immediately on the heels of an 18-mile workout, but by now it's almost feeling routine.

Mileage aside, the most important part of the weekend was spending time with my parents. Jordan and I had a great time showing them our charming New England town and hosting them in one of the fort's ocean view guest bedrooms. (Have I mentioned we have guest bedrooms? And that we want you to come and visit?? Please do!) Though unfortunately we won't be able to spend the official Christmas holiday with them, we will be reunited again in just four short weeks when they come cheer me on in Houston. While my mom may have single-handedly derailed our newfound gluten-free lifestyle with the siren's call of donuts and flapjacks, I don't recall either of us complaining. Life's too short to miss out on good food and good people, and we enjoyed plenty of both this weekend--in between a few miles, of course.