Plan versus Weather

Just back from my nine-degree run

Running reality has been following the running plan quite well lately.  Easy days are easy, hills are climbed repeatedly once per week, and long runs highlight the weekends.  Best of all: feet, joints, brain and spirit are all happy!  Then, after a number of balmy days - including a run in shorts a few days ago -  the weather took an extreme turn.  Yesterday's run was in snow and a temperature all of nine degrees.  Today's run was in very welcome brilliant sunshine which made every one of the six degrees feel all so toasty (ha!).  But ya' know, with enough layers, the cold temps really are quite manageable.  I also recently treated myself to a new pair of Brooks Adrenaline trail shoes which have proven to be nicely grippy over the packed snow.  I did skip this week's hills, though...the shoes aren't quite that grippy and I didn't think the huffing and puffing that typically accompanies our hill workouts would be particularly beneficial to my lungs given that the huffing would be of extraordinarily frigid air.  So - it's been loopdy-loops of quiet neighborhoods as we hunker down within this deep freeze.  The mark of a good plan is its flexibility, eh?!