Mile Long Skating Rink

St. Croix Valley Recreation Center 4.0 miles in 32:00 minutes, pace 8:00. I may have missed counting a lap and run one extra, and if so then the pace was 7:38. I did time a couple of individual laps at that pace. For sure I didn’t count one too many laps. A very invigorating run, with LOTS of other runners and walkers, many more than we ever see at the NSP Community Center. There were people practicing fly casting, too. The track is padded and not banked, much like the track of the upcoming marathon. Temperature in the inflated dome building was maybe 45 degrees; my eyes watered at the start and my hands got cold before the end. I wore a technical short-sleeved shirt and shorts; next time I’ll wear a long sleeved shirt and add gloves too. I wonder what it’s like in there in the summer. Breathing was mostly four footfalls per breath. Plenty vigorous for the last week of pre-marathon taper, but I feel great now and I’m sure no harm was done, hopefully the opposite.

Lake Woebegone froze over solid yesterday; it’s a skating rink a half mile wide and a mile long. No doubt the ice is too thin to skate safely, though. Beautiful sunset last night. I love winter. And summer, spring, and fall for that matter.

My waking heart rate hit a new low of 38 this morning, three days after finishing the thalidomide. Interesting how that stuff keeps on going and going and going ...

I just finished a big bowl of excellent chicken soup. A touch of sausage; Eagle Momma is such a great cook.