No snowshoe today.  Eldora Mountain called a “wind down”.  This is their term for shutting down the mountain due to strong winds.  They reported gusts from 35 to 80 mph!  A real bummer, it wasn’t cold at all.  The girls got in about an hour though boarding on a small hill waiting for the call.  They boarded a bit after as well since they could walk up the hill.  So not a complete bust.  Although I didn’t get a chance to snowshoe, I got some good pics of the girls.

Perhaps just as well I didn’t snowshoe.  I ran seven miles later in the day and could barely pick up my legs.  I wasn’t fully recovered from Saturday’s twenty miles.  I’m feeling good to have finally gotten in a big run.  The ice is melted well enough now north of Hwy 52.  The trail was still mostly ice south of 52.  I would tell you it slowed me down but I still averaged a nine minute pace – that’s good for me.  Of course, I’m hoping to run the Austin Marathon in an eight minute pace, but those will be more favorable race conditions.

Countdown is exactly four weeks.  I’m five pounds over where my race weight was in the Denver Marathon.  Winter comfort.  I tried abstaining from cheese and ice cream as a New Year’s resolution but gave up.  Totally unrealistic.  I’m also abstaining from alcohol and have maintained that resolution.  Beer and Dairy together was biting off more than I could chew.  I thought the dietary resolutions would help me with weight control knowing my mileage would drop over the winter.  The lower altitude might compensate for the extra pounds.