Inauspicious beginning

With every intention of striding through about eight miles I headed out the door around 8:30 this morning. There was a thin layer of snow on the ground but I thought nothing of it. When you run high school track in Minnesota you accept snow as a way of life, not an impediment.

Until I lost my feet.

What I failed to mention about the thin later of snow is that the salt trucks hadn't been out yet. So within my first few strides I slipped once, then regained footing and went on. The second time I slipped I felt my hamstring stretch unnecessarily. That's when I turned around and headed home.

My hammy is fine, but the workout lasted about three minutes. No way I was putting myself at risk in that way. At the same time I needed to run and feel good about my fitness. Tomorrow's a four-miler I'll do on the treadmill at Half Acre Gym and Tuesday's some speedwork ("speed" being a relative term). My goals for the St. Louis Marathon get more and more realistic every day.