Just Running Outside
Got out today for a run; beautiful sunny, cool day in the low 40s. My asthma was not an issue even though earlier today I was coughing a lot. Most of my running this season has been on the treadmill, so it was good to be outside in shorts and a double layer of long sleeves (had gloves for about half a mile).

My shoes now have over 500 miles on them, including workouts on the treadmill; it may be time to roll out the new pair I have in the closet??? As I was running around the neighborhood, I kept thinking, being this is Feb. 1st, that Spring was not far off. One can wish, right? More than that, though, I was looking for early signs of Spring. You know, tree buds and plant sprouts peeking through the snow covered ground. No such luck.

Between the cold, minor injuries and pressures on the budget, I have not been in a race or structured group event since Cow Harbor in September. Am really looking forward to some sort of race real soon. There are some interesting 15K and 25K runs coming up in March but I don't know if I have enough base. As it warms up, I will work on stretching out my long runs. I am setting my sights on a 10K (Long Island Festival of Races) on May 2nd and a 25K on May 9th.