February blahs

This February has been particularly brutal as far as weather goes. Freezing temps, snow all the time, and, worst of all, cold sunshine. You look outside and see the sun, but then you get out there, and it's not warm at all. I hate that so much! To put it another way, I feel horrible these days!

Fortunately, the cold weather hasn't put a crimp in my running too much. I've managed two 10-milers and assorted long runs between 7 and 9 miles since the new year, and I am getting back into a familiar mileage buildup/maintenance pattern. I intend to hold that for the summer, see if the knee is still good, and then, maybe (big maybe), begin training up for something big. I should be able to race this summer again, too, which will be cool. I'm aiming for the Skunk Cabbage half marathon in early April, the Utica Boilermaker in early July, and maybe one more race in the fall. We'll see.

The rest of of this post is dedicated to the memory of young Virgil Butler, who died unexpectedly this past December. I only found out a few weeks ago, because I have not been keeping up with comings and goings in the animal advocacy movement, something I have been slowly remedying. But I knew of him, and it is a shock. Mr. Butler was a great voice for animals, especially farmed animals, whose lives are so callously disregarded by most. A Tyson slaughterhouse worker turned animal activist, he bore witness to unspeakable cruelty, let his conscience lead him to change himself and the world, and weathered Tyson's attempts to discredit his character. His incredible courage and bravery continue to inspire. I hope you have found peace, Virgil. We are still seeking it here on earth, for ourselves and for our animal brethren.