Groundhog Day

Now I know that was 2 weeks ago (my son's birthday, btw), but it seems like my morning runs are taking a rather repetitive posture, as in deja vu type of familiarity. I ran 7.5 miles this morning, as I did the past 2 mornings, doing the same 3x2.5 mile neighborhood loop. On Tuesday for some reason in the blizzard I ran pretty quick. Yesterday was slow, probably b/c the freshly plowed roads had that layer of glaze ice and snow and was really slippery. Today was a bit better, but there still were some slick spots. And the temperature the last two days was at or below zero, with the wind chill definitely below zero. I probably could've used an extra layer of shorts, b/c I was pretty red and raw there when I finished.

I've found that if the temp is below 15 degrees, I really can't use my MP3 player. I also discovered that if I run w/ the mp3 for 2 or more days in a row, I develop an earache, esp in my right ear. So I don't obsess over it.

What I am obsessing a little bit about is my attempts to coordinate a training plan for the Milton Boys High School Cross Country team. I have spoken to 9 of the boys, and they all seem enthused about the prospect of training spring and summer to get a solid base in for next fall's season. I just don't see them getting that from there coach, so since many of them went to my son and asked if I'd help out with the team, I said I'd do what I could. I'm not planning anything fancy, just a program to get them to 40-50 mpw by mid August, when their CC team practices begin. I figure 6 days a week (2 steady, 2 hard-long run and tempo run, and 2 recovery runs) ought to do it, and I'll try to organize it so that 2-3 times a week the bulk of the boys are running together. They want to go to state and I think if 8-9 of the 12 returning runners (10 were under 19 minutes for 5K last season) do the work, they have a real shot at it. Heck, I never got to go to state, so I'd like to see somebody I know do it!