Sunday long slow

Up bright and early again today, although it was HARD to get out of bed. After all, I had one cat snuggled in one ear purring, and the other on the other side, purring...very, very, very hard to get out of bed! It had snowed overnight, that nice fine, powdery snow, and it was cold. Think it was -12C when we started.
After 'sploding my oatmeal all over the microwave (this does not bode well for the rest of the day), I ate a quick slice of bread with nutella, a half a banana (that didn't make into said oatmeal), 2 sips of my latte and a glass of milk, before running out the door to make group run in time. Just made it!
Today our run was 16km, and we were running straight out to Shouldice Park from Eau Claire, and then turning around and coming home. The wind was on our back the whole way out, and we trucked along at a pretty good pace, I think. Feels a little slow (I always feel like I'm about to step on one of the other ladies...granted, I'm about a foot taller than them all!), but I'm sure we'll be picking up the pace soon. After all, our average pace today isn't much faster than what I did when I completed Vancouver last year!
Turned around, and discovered the wind and the windchill. It's listed at -17C right now, but coming right off the river first?? BRRRRRRR!!!! And we're nice and sweaty from running 9km so far...made for a chilly run back. But we all stuck to it (we call ourselves the Tailfeathers...we may be last, but we look good!) and finished 17.25km (we were trying to hit 18 for one of our group, who's also Half training right now) in 2:39. Did some serious stretching (my hamstrings were feeling all the loose snow running - it's like running on a beach, but not nearly as warm and sunny!), and then went a met a friend for lunch.
We met at the Diner Deluxe, this awesome little hole-in-the-wall place that is always lined up, and busy, busy, busy. They have every piece of '50s furniture and stuff that was thrown away by our grandparents, and that's how the place is decorated. Their coffee is strong and hot, and their food is GOOD! I had meatloaf hash on home fries & spinach (pan-fried hash browns, that had both white and sweet potatoes), with some sort of sweet salsa on it, and two poached eggs (poached the good old-fashioned way), with whole grain toast. It was perfectly cooked and perfectly proportioned, as I left satisfied and not full. My friend, who is a diabetic, hinted that she may want dessert, but we went next door to the bakery (where the diner gets all of it's bread and goodies) and she left with a piece of carrot cake. I left with nothing! After all, didn't just burn over a 1,000 calories to gain it all back with a piece of chocolate cake now, did I?
Waiting on a new tenant, who will "be right by with her damage deposit (that was 30 minutes ago), and then out to shovel the walks and then off to the hospital again. While I am happy Dad is getting the medical attention he needs right now, I am seriously getting very tired of the trucking back and forth. My poor little car didn't work this hard all year!!!
Will post about dinner later...maybe it'll even include pictures!
Later,