Training Log: ernst

Bike to work, and then home via fish pick-up at 4 pm. Legs felt good on the two steep hills. (Live oysters today - they had a softer ride than the lobsters last week).

Run to work. 21 F Had to sprint in order to get warm, and then to keep warm. That felt good! Another record or near PR.

Running to work. Very cold. (~ 20).

Running home with a longish detour: W Foss Farm, loop on connector to SH, but then back to bike trails, to Packers F road to Betty Tompson loop and home via Griffith. Needed lights during the last 2 miles. Arrived at 5 pm exactly.

Jogging from garage to office - and back in the evening.

Just needed to go for a quick cruise 15 minutes before the start in order to warm up (15 F !), since I arrived a bit late.

Jingle Bell Half at Atkinson Country Club. That was faster than I expected. The course has considerable climb and start/finish is at the top!

I was surprised to be able to settle in a 6:30 pace on the beginning downs (where I held back a bit) and the mostly flat sections. Not much movement in the remainder : 2 guys passed me ever so slowly, otherwise I was just behind with two other guys whom I did not dare to pass. I slowed down at the water stops - kind of silly to take 2 gulps of ice water or gatorade, and two squeezes of goo at the half. It was just too cold to be thirsty, and then afterwards I was burping,huffing and puffing trying to catch some air.

Eventually I lost a bit of push, so did the 2 guys in front of me. Just kept trucking along with not much reserve energy, but the hills in the last 2 miles ended up not being too bad. The cold weather helped. In the end, this was a good time for a half, perhaps my third best over the 12 years when I have been racing these. (need to dig out the old stats). I was 15th overall out of about 600 (my guess), 1st in my age class and just 3 seconds or so behind the first M50 - he actually finished behind me, but had started behind in the pack.

C • impressive 4