Hop, skip and a JUMP!

Little steps, baby steps, then JUMP! That was pretty much my mantra during yesterday's run. The sidewalks were a mix of hard packed snow, ice and mounds of slushy snow. I realized pretty fast that it was the perfect day for Yak Tracks, but alas, mine were sitting at home, not on my feet. So I made my best effort to take small little steps so I could control my center of gravity as best I could. The odd little leap over mounds of snow felt like cross training lol. It took forever to cover 7km (a little over an hour) but I got it done.
Once I stopped running though the full effect of the -18C temps shot right through me. When I finally got home I tried something new to try and warm up, I exercised. I threw on one of Livestrong's Stronger HIIT training sessions and after 5 minutes I had warmed up enough that I didn't need 10 blankets on my shoulders. I finished the workout, because, you know, Type A personality and all, then chowed down on salmon and salad and watched Aftermath (after I made everyone else's supper, packed lunches and did laundry ;-).
Today it is supposed to warm up to a balmy -6C so I brought both my outside running shoes and my track shoes. I hate the thought of running like a hamster around a track but it's also much safer and warmer than outside. I have 2.5 hours to kill though so I certainly have the time to drive to the other gym's track if I want. Decisions, decisions.
Speaking of which, I am still trying to figure out where I'll do my ultra this year. I am doing the Moose 25km on March 18th but after that my kid's dance competitions get in the way of the regular marathon season. I could do the Bay of Fundy International 52km Ultra, or try to complete two loops at Brookvale in August (BRUTAL 50km) or I could wait until the fall and run the Valley Harvest Ultra (snore fest but much easier than Brookvale with cooler temps). UGH. I just wish I knew if my favorite ultra was out of the question or not but as of today the RDs haven't picked a date in June. Wait and see I guess, but until then I'll  keep training for the Moose Run!