I hate it when things don't go my way

I have a pretty busy life, and so when I started this journey I decided I would do my runs this winter on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, barring any unforeseen circumstances.  So I've gone running in the cold, and the rain, and the wind, because if I commit to doing something on a certain day then I will do it no matter what.

This week put a crimp in my style, in that I was stuck working until after 5 PM on Wednesday this week.  I was outside working from 8 AM until almost 4:45 PM on a cold, late autumn day (at least it wasn't like the day before, when the wind chills were still in the single digits).  It gets pretty dark pretty early around these parts and the drivers around here suck big time and I feel very uncomfortable running after dark on the roads.  I guess I could have gone to the Y and run on the dreadmill, but I like to do that as only a VERY last resort.

So, I didn't run Wednesday, and I felt slightly guilty.  I didn't run Thursday, as the BF Barbado and I went to the Cities for a concert (which was totally awesome and SO MUCH FUN), and I felt really guilty and a little bit sick about it.  So today, on a day off from work because of the awesome fun-time concert, I went for a run.  And it was way harder than it should have been.  But now I fell much better.

Now I just hope I can get my run in tomorrow.

Today's Run

Today I ran the neighborhood route, down the Big Hill, for a distance of approximately 3.6 miles in 31:10, for an average pace of 8:38.  I hope I get this money that I have coming from a previous job so I can buy my shiny Garmin and get some more accurate numbers...

I have a serious case of beard envy

Today was Veteran's Day, a holiday in which we celebrate the sacrifices of the men and women of the armed services by taking a day off from work.  And it was glorious, in that I actually was able to sleep in for once.  I essentially got paid to sleep.

It was also the coldest day in a very long time, with wind chills in the single digits.  I love running in the winter, but my face does not.  I can keep my body comfortable while on a run pretty easily, but I usually end up with a partially frozen face.  I've tried face masks, but since I wear glasses I end up not being able to see from the steam from my breath.  And I refuse to stick my finger in my eyes to wear contacts.  All this could be solved if I could just grow a beard.  I see these men (BF Barbado included) with all this warm and cozy hair on their faces and I get jealous of their genetics.  Some day I hope to find something to keep my cheeks and nose warm on the coldest days, but until then I will turn super rosy and curse not being hairy.

Today's Run

Today I ran the neighborhood route, up the Big Hill, during what would be my normal working hours so I also got paid to run.  But it was COLD, 23 F with a windchill of 9 F, so it wasn't very pleasant.  I ran approximately 3.5 miles in 30:45, for an average pace of 8:36.  I just hope it will be a bit warmer on Wednesday...

Challenge conquered

On Thursday night my friend Roja and I tried the Core Challenge class again at the Y.  Because we're crazy.  And I think we both wanted to see how much we've improved in the last 2 weeks (I've been lifting weights and she's been doing pilates).  The class was still pretty hard - there were times when I just had to stop doing a certain exercise because I just physically couldn't do it - but we both finished without feeling like we were going to die and, at least for me, I could move normally the next day.  I really like the class.  Unfortunately I won't be able to go this next week (going down to the Cities with BF Barbado), so maybe this will just be an every other week thing for now.  I'm pretty sure if I went every week that in no time I'd be super buff, or at least really strong through my core.

Today's Run

Today I ran the Lakewalk from at the Y again.  This time of year is so hard in that it is really easy to overdress.  Before I left I checked the weather and it was 34 F with a windchill of 25 F, so I decided to wear my lined running pants.  Big mistake.  Thank goodness for moisture-wicking clothes because if I didn't wear them I would have been completely drenched in sweat.  But today's run was awesome - I ran about 6.1 miles in 54:10 for an average pace of 8:49.  That was a whole 2 MINUTES faster than last week.  And this past week I averaged a 8:46 pace, compared to 9:01 for the previous week.  I must be doing something right.  I'm not where I need to be, but at least I can definitely see some improvement. 

It's beginning to feel a lot like...

One of the things that I've been procrastinating on lately is making my list of christmas cookies that I'm going to make and share with my friends and family.  This is a pretty big deal.  I will be spending a lot of time and effort on these packages, and I have heard only compliments on my baked goodies.  So, this year I will be making the following:

• White sugar cutout cookies (decorated by The Boy)
• Ninja-bread cookies (chocolate gingerbread in the shape of ninjas)
• Cranberry oatmeal cookies
• Shortbread cookies
• Brown sugar cherry white chocolate cookies
• Peanut butter kiss cookies
• Holiday ginger cookies
• Spritz cookies
• Jello cookies
• Cream cheese cutout cookies (in the shape of dinosaurs - I need to come up with a good pun yet) - new for this year
• Fudge

As an idea of what I will need to get to make all these, I will need 14 sticks of butter, 5 pounds of sugar, 8 pounds of flour... the list goes on.

But I do it because I love baking.  And I love to see the looks on people's faces when they are enjoying the yummy treats I give them.  And then I also get my baking fix out of the way.... until 2 weeks after christmas when I have to make The Boy's birthday cake.

Today's Run

Today I ran the normal neighborhood route, down the Big Hill.  I've been trying to speed up my turnover, making my running more efficient and faster.  I don't know if it's truly working, but today I ran approximately 3.6 miles in 31:15, for an average pace of 8:39.  I corrected my stride to be more of a mid-foot strike rather than a heal strike; I'm pretty sure I can improve my turnover....

Where did the year go?

It is hard to believe it's already four days into November, even though I keep a pretty thorough calendar that I look at every day.  There is just way too much to do before the end of the year and Christmas celebrations, and shortly after The Boy's birthday.  I'm normally not a procrastinator, but the sheer quantity of things left to do has left me paralyzed.

In other news, I spent a goodly amount of time in my attic over the weekend adding insulation, in the hopes of possibly lowering my heating bill this winter.  Crawl space attics are DEFINITELY not for people over 3 feet tall.

Today's Run

I was originally going to try a new route for today's run, but as I was leaving work I realized two things: 1) trying a new route in the rain could be a bad idea, and 2) now that it's no longer Daylight Savings Time it gets dark EARLY.  So I ran the normal neighborhood route, up the Big Hill.  Today I ran approximately 3.5 miles in 31:30, for an average pace of 8:49.  Not too shabby.

The Internets ARE good for something...

One of the things I have been trying to work on for a long time is to get out there and meet people; specifically to meet and date people.  This is especially hard when working full time and being a mom full time, and living in a place that is a bit limited in social opportunities.

My good friend Roja has, pretty much since I met her, tried to convince me to try online dating.  She has gone on some nice dates, and some not-so-nice ones, and was even dating someone exclusively for quite a few months.  After our last Nacho Night, she basically peer pressured me into creating a profile on one of the online dating sites.  And as Mr. Gaiman says, I need to be willing to make mistakes in all aspects of my life, including love, which for me has been the hardest area in my life to be willing to put myself out there and be ok with making a mistake.

When I tried to sign up for an account it turned out that I had apparently created one quite a few years ago B.C. (Before Child).  And I don't remember doing it.  Luckily I didn't really do anything with the account, so there weren't any horrible photos or profile statements to get rid of.  One thing that amazed me was the sheer quantity of apparently single men in this town.  And the creepy things they feel they can send to a girl in a message.  But it wasn't all bad...

I redid my profile on a Sunday.  I got a really nice message from a guy, let's call him Barbado, on the next day, Monday.  On Friday of that week we had our first date.

And I have disabled my online dating profile.  Barbado is pretty amazing.  We have a lot in common, and we have a lot of fun together.

Now, if I can only guilt trip him into running with me... :-)

Today's Run

Today I dropped The Boy off for his Gym & Swim class, and I went for a run on the Lakewalk.  It was an OK run, but I think my body is adjusting to adding more workouts to my week and so my pace isn't where I'd like it to be.  Today I ran about 6.1 miles in 56:10, for an average pace of 9:08.

For the month of October I ran a total of about 54.5 miles, spending over 8 hours running.  Not too shabby.  For the year, after today's run, I have a total of about 465 miles in, and will need 54 more miles to surpass last year's total!

Ooh! Shiny!

After hours and hours of research, I have decided on the GPS running watch that I wish to purchase.

I went into this whole thing with an open mind, without a prejudice for brand or model.  The more I read, and the more I talked to people, the consensus was that Garmin makes the best GPS running watches out there.  They are more likely to connect and hold onto satellites, and provides the kind of data I'm looking for.

As for the specific model of Garmin I have decided to purchase, I wanted something that wasn't too basic, but that didn't have so many bells and whistles that it would piss me off and I'd stop using it.  And so, I would like to present my new shiny toy that I hope to get before the end of November:

Shiny!

This is the Garmin Forerunner 110.  It will show your distance, time, average pace for the last mile, average pace overall, and heartrate if you wear the heartrate monitor (which I probably won't).  I like that it doesn't appear to be so huge that it will be like wearing a 5 pound weight on my wrist, and that it is controlled by easily pressed buttons, which will be useful when wearing gloves in the winter.  I haven't been able to find any information on how it will hold up in the cold, but I'm hoping that it will since I will be out when it's up to -10F windchill (or even colder depending on other factors).

Today's Run

Today was rainy and drizzly, and I ran the same route as Monday as I couldn't be bothered to do anything else.  I'm still chilled, and it's been hours and it really wasn't that cold.  Today I ran up the Big Hill, approximately 3.5 miles, in 31:45, for an average pace of 8:52.  Better than Monday, but I know I can move it much faster up that stupid Big Hill...

*Insert witty title here*

The past few days have been a blur of activity, and my brain isn't up to the challenge of being witty.  I went to the Y on Sunday and did my first ActiveTrax workout; I'm normally a take-charge kind of person, but being told exactly what exercises to do and how much was kinda nice.  I'm going to do the second workout tomorrow. I'm hoping to see some strength improvement in a couple of weeks.

And since I haven't posted a picture recently, I hope you enjoy this little thing I found on the Internets:

Hahahahahahaha!  Oh wait, after next summer I'll be one of those people...

Next post I'll write about the GPS running watch that I've decided to buy.  Yay!

Today's Run

Today I ran the neighborhood run, up the Big Hill.  And, like last time, I ran the 3.5 miles in 31:55, for an average pace of 8:56.  I think for my next run I'm going to change things up a bit, try a different route outside my neighborhood.  I'm not disappointed, I just think I need change in my shorter runs.

It wouldn't be called a "challenge" if it weren't difficult

On Thursday, my friend Roja and I decided to try out this group exercise class at the Y called "Core Challenge." I'm usually not a big group exercise kind of person, at least not historically, but this one sounded interesting.  And since I am trying to Do Something, going outside of my comfort zone and attending this class sounded like a good opportunity.  It didn't hurt that I had a partner in crime...

Holy cow, for a class that is listed as for Everyone/Advanced it was HARD!  I did not think I was that out of shape but there were times that I thought my muscles would give out and I'd collapse on the mat, looking like a fool and whimpering in pain.  But I made it through, and am only suffering a little bit today... I think before I try the class again I'm going to have to hit the weight machines in the wellness center a few times.  But when I wasn't dying from exertion it was pretty fun and, yes, challenging.

Today's Run

I decided to go for a run today, take it pretty easy, just to get my muscles moving and not so stiff.  For the most part it worked, except my right hamstring would not loosen up, which caused my right quad to start yelling at me.  By the end I was OK, so I'm just going to have to take it easy this afternoon.  Today I ran about 6.1 miles on the Lakewalk from the Y in about 56:45, for an average pace of 9:14.

I'b fibe, thanks for asking

After over a month of keeping the plague at bay, I got sick with a nasty head cold this week, courtesy of The Boy.  If they weren't so damn cute...

Anyway, even though I've spent the last 36 hours or so blowing my nose pretty much constantly I've managed to still do the things I wanted to this week.  I finished up my orientation thingie at the Y on Tuesday night, and I'm pretty excited about their computerized make-a-workout program.  You click a few buttons, and a computer tells you what strengthening exercises you should do.  I've decided to start out with an endurance program, alternating the focus between the upper and lower body.  And I got my run in this afternoon before dinner, which was all I had planned for today.  Thank goodness for Cold-Eeze, vitamin C, and tons of water for being able to kick this thing in the butt.  So far at least...

Today's Run

Today I did the neighborhood run, down the Big Hill, in what I felt was a pretty easy pace, considering I'm possibly dying.  I ran about 3.6 miles in 32:10, or an average pace of 8:54.  Which is a faster average pace than Monday, but on Monday I ran UP the Big Hill, so that does make a difference.  And there is nothing worse than breathing in cold air through a nose that has been rubbed raw by constant kleenex use.  Or nothing worse right now.