Frigid Five Race

Running:

Frigid Five 10k, 6.2 mi in 51:03, pace 8:13. An inch of slippy-slidey fresh snow on top of already-icy road surface, four loops inside the Minnesota State Fair Grounds. It was a difficult course to be sure, and I may have run a PW (personal worst) 10k, but so did everyone else and I feel terrific. Life is good, endorphins rule!

The snow absorbed all bounce from every footfall, and also allowed my shoes to slip backward at every toe-off. It felt like two steps forward and one backward. What excellent conditioning! And the snow was falling as we ran; that’s a magical Minnesota thrill of its own, running through falling snow. Winter at its best, 21 degrees all morning. Eagle Momma and Sweet Pea enjoyed the 5k.

I used the Nike Miler shoes again; their aggressive tread just packed itself full of snow today and didn’t seem to help much, but the low-ventilation toes kept my feet dry and warm. I met another runner who intended to run in shoes with steel studs, designed specifically for snow and ice, but I suspect the snow was probably a little too thick to let those studs reach the ice below. Three light shirts under the wind jacket was the right garb for me; zipped up going into the 4-mph wind, unzipped going away. Tights and knee warmers below; most people wore running slacks but I did see some tights and even a few bare legs.

Myeloma:

Tomorrow I will see the oncologist and find out if the 28-day course of thalidomide made any difference. I expect to be taking it for at least a couple of months more.