Long Run

I can't remember having done a run more than four hours in training since way back in '05 before H2H which, I think, lead to my first bout of shin splints. That one was around 5:15 all on the road. It makes me cringe just thinking about all that pounding on the hard surfaces. Never again will I go that distance unless it's in a race and even then that's once or maybe twice a year.
Last weekend I did 4:40 on the trails, throwing in four long 2 mile repeat hills. It was only 28 miles and due to the slower speed I felt pretty good after. It was starting to snow at the top of the mountain and it was only then I realized how freezing my hands felt. I didn't dare stop for fear of cooling down and getting even colder. Seeing as I had my pack on with extra bottles, it would have been too easy to throw in a toque and gloves before I left home but I figured it was the end of March, how cold could it be?? Lesson learned.
This weekend is a run between 5 and 5.5 hours which I'm going to do closer to home out on the country roads where the roads have softer grass or gravel shoulders to run on. This is also to prevent the legs from getting too thrashed in the trails a week before Diez. Hopefully with less steep climbs I won't be too beat up.