-9 degrees Celsius today, and some pretty chilly gusts of wind. But. The sun was out, and it wasn't so bad. Plus, my parents got me some nice, warm winter running gear for Christmas.

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I think it's important to run on days like this, when it's not exactly comfortable to get out there and do it. It kind of wakes me up inside. That said, the sun is out today, and it was actually pretty fun to feel the full on frigidness of those cold gusts of air, and the soft powder of the freshly fallen snow under my feet. The roads were already fully covered in a layer of white, packed snow after being plowed, and patches were were already becoming icy.

I wanted my wife to see the ice in my beard, as I had been telling her that the cold here by Chicago is different from the cold back in Niigata, Japan.

Had some good conversations with old friends the other night about marathon/ultramarathon running, and various ways to approach it.

Really looking forward to getting to the Ultramarathon around Fuji this Spring!

Today's Run:

DISTANCE: ~2 miles.
AVG. MILE TIME: ???

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Thanks for Reading!

~*~

PREVIOUS FUJI 5LAKES TRAINING BLOGS:

• A New Goal, A New Challenge, and A New Plan: THE FUJI 5LAKES ULTRAMARATHON!

• Fuji 5Lakes Training Blog! (mileage, music, thoughts and musings on running my first ultramarathon) 10/16/2017

• Runner's High: Love is a Choice, In This Reality.

• Fuji 5Lakes Training Blog - 10/25/2017 - Running with Joanna Newsom's "The Milk-Eyed Mender"

• F5LTB - 10/26/2017 - Shoegaze Church and Thoughts of Death on a Late Night Run

• F5LTB - 10.28.17 - The Beauty of Knees. Ambient Music. Other thoughts.

• Fuji 5Lakes Training Blog - 11.1.2017 - It's a Long Way to the Top, if You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll

• Fuji 5Lakes Training Blog - 11.5.2017 - The "Post-Poison 6 Mile" and Running as My Path to Serenity

• Fuji 5Lakes Training Blog - Flowers by the Bridge, 11.10.17

• Fuji 5Lakes Training Blog - 11.13.17- “May the Road Rise with You” (a much needed run with a super fun playlist!)

• Fuji 5Lakes Training Blog - 11.16.17 - SIGNED UP!

• Fuji 5Lakes Training Blog - 11.22.17 - Training in winter is tough / My own private marathon / Crypto ideas for the race

• Fuji 5Lakes Training Blog - 11.23.17 - Speaking in “Tongues” on a Runner’s High

• Fuji 5Lakes Ultramarathon Blog - 12.01.17 - Running in the Slush, Sleet, and Snow.

• Fuji 5Lakes Training Blog - 12.16.17 - Icy Rain / Fighting Winter Laziness / Thoughts from Church

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~KafkA

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Graham Smith is a Voluntaryist activist, creator, and peaceful parent residing in Niigata City, Japan. Graham runs the "Voluntary Japan" online initiative with a presence here on Steem, as well as Facebook and Twitter. (Hit me up so I can stop talking about myself in the third person!)