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[/caption] Nov. 25, 2010–Winnipeg–Winter has officially arrived here in Winnipeg, and for now I’m happy with the white wonderland. The piles of snow give me extra hurdles to jump over and plow through during my outdoor running excursions. On Wednesday that is exactly what I did! I only had about 25 minutes to get my run in, so I headed outside for a quick and snowy run through Armstrong’s Point. It turned out to be way more fun and challenging than I had anticipated. The ground was freshly covered with wet, mucky and unplowed snow, which forced me to work extra hard for every step. The sky was pelting me with snow (it felt more like hail), and by the end of the run I looked like a red-eyed raccoon. The run itself was fast and picked up momentum with every minute. I didn’t want it to end! It reminded me of the old days, when I was weak but could bang out a 19-minute 5K no problem.  I’m happy to feel that speed and endurance returning. At home, I stretched and worked with my tennis ball, doing drills from Kelly Starrett’s MobilityWOD website. This has become an essential component of my training, thanks to Mike. Today was light squats (low-bar back squat, 3×5 at 165), followed by good mornings (3×5 at 135, 155, 175). Next I worked on my chest to bar pull-ups and got 3×10. I haven’t worked on these, so I was pleased there wasn’t a significant drop-off. I finished with 3 sets of max push-ups, (20, 20, 12), and 3 sets of GHD sit-ups (10, 12, 15). My push-ups were a bit weak, but I think that was to be expected after the pull-ups. I also did stretching and mobility work at home. A challenge I face everyday is getting enough rest. I go to school full time and work two jobs. I often have 18-hour days. Sometimes I have to make a decision on whether I need an extra day of rest simply so I can function or if I can push through and still get a quality workout. It’s important to me when I’m at school or work that I am giving my best with my full attention and all my energy. I’m creating a future for myself in a profession that I am very exited to be a part of. If that suffers as a result of over-training, then I’m not doing anyone, especially myself, any favors. One of the greatest accomplishments I have achieved in my training is recognizing the value of a day off!