Battling the elements

What a week its been.  Busy in all fronts.  It's been a tough week training in these wintery conditions.  Tough staying upright on the roads and trails and a few tricky moments along the way.  The wind has been bitterly cold and on Saturday I headed out for a 19km run with my pal Stu.  It was -4 but a strong wind meant that after a few Kms I couldn't feel my face and could hardly speak as my lips were numb.  It was tough run but it was good to get a decent distance at a reasonable pace.  I didn't feel tired after the run but on Sunday it was a diffent matter.  Perhaps the bottle of wine on Saturday night didn't help. 
Sunday was a real struggle and when my coach saw the stats, she told me to rest for the balance of the day- happy to follow those orders as my next day off training isn't till Wednesday and I have a 1 hour run tomorrow and double gym session.
The highlight of my week was taking part in a live webcast with Maggie's Cancer Centre in Lanakshire where we were celbrating the success of all the participants in the Maggie's 50 mile run challenge in January.  They raised just over £180,000 and I followed the progress during January of the runners and walkers.  They were inspirational and in one case the runner was undergoing chemo - WOW, just WOW.  It certainly inspired me to get out in the shit weather and get on with my training.  A lot of those taking part would never have considered running or walking 50 miles so their achievement is just incredible.
The weather forecast for next week is much warmer so hopefully that will be the end of the snow and ice.  I've got a day off on Wednesday from training and I'm really looking forward to it.  My body needs a rest.  I've said it before, preparing for 6 marathons in 7 days in the Romanian mountains is similar to tenderising a piece of meat.  Batter it, rest, batter it, rest and repeat.  This peace of meat is going to sleep tonight!