GLC, I think you nailed one of the fundamental issues a lot of women have with running (and other activities that require a high energy expenditure): they don't eat enough. It's a struggle to figure out how much to eat to fuel running and reconcile that with whatever programming each of us has in our head (and even harder if one is trying to lose weight). I am very sensitive to trying to keep my weight at a maintenance level, but I will often not eat enough. I'm getting better about eating foods with good fat and not freaking out; for years I ate too little fat of any kind. And there is no doubt that I run much stronger when I've had several days of good, balanced eating. Most importantly, in the fall I discovered that I run really, really strong the day after moderate red wine consumption. It was not a one-time experience!

Hubs and I ran out on the island in the Great Salt Lake today (Antelope Island). Conditions were sketchy but manageable; lots of old snow, ice, and some mud and it looked like the bison have been having parties on the trails (big bison foot holes everywhere). It was slow going, which was good. I don't need to be running fast these days. We saw a huge herd of pronghorn, probably 70-80 animals. Very beautiful. And we saw a grand total of one other person on the trail. I love running out there.