Grr.

Not running makes Mommy very, very cranky.

Sick and Injured.

The day after I signed up for 3 races: a 4 miler, 10K and a half, I caught my toddler's cold. And the day after that I ran a quick 3 miler at a 10 min/mi pace and have a screaming case of bursitis in my left hip. *sigh* Rest and a massage are in my future. Hopefully I'll be on the road by Tuesday and only lose this week. I must train, train, train!

It's only getting more miserable out there!

Saturday was snowing and the roads were completely iced. I knew that there was no friggin way I could do a 9 mile with out a high risk of hurting myself. Sunday came with cold, sleet and wet roads. I enjoy running in the mornings, but everything was too iced. I spent all morning getting more and more antsy at the prospect of missing my long run. By the time I put my 2 year old down for a nap, the roads looked better and I actually saw a couple run past my house. I got dressed and headed out. As soon as I got going I realized it was freakin' cold (33 degrees)and drizzling freezing rain. I kept going anyway. About three miles out from the house I realized that *ahem* I was going to need a bathroom. And of course all the bathrooms in the parks are closed for the winter season. Misery. Mile 7 brought me back to the top of my loop course and back to my house. I kept going even though I really, really needed a bathroom. Probably the only reason I hadn't had an accident was that my ass was actually frozen. By mile 8 I was reaching emergency status, looked down at my Garmin and realized I was running 13:30 minute miles and decided to end the misery. Finished up at 8.25 miles and am impressed with my ability (insanity?) to make it that far. Yesterday sucked, but I got it done.

Winter Running

I'm a Wisconsin girl, born and bred. However, at 18 I enlisted in the Marine Corps and never looked back. Since then I've happily lived in California & Arizona and learned to dread cold weather. I've survived Virginia by staying inside and also putting on a nice layer of fat to keep me cozy. No longer an option, especially with a few big races on the horizon. So, I squeeze into my running tights, question my own sanity and stick to my training schedule. Winter is what seperates the runners from the posers.

Longest run yet!

Saturday I went for my farthest non-stop run ever! An easy 8 miles at a very comfortable 11:30 pace. I was just happy (and sometimes dancing, yes, dancing on the side of the road! What?) to be out in the sun, strong, and confident in my ability to move forward. Sunday and Monday are rest days for me, which means Tuesday (today) is my hard-to-move-my-ass day. I solved that problem by hitting iTunes, buying some new music, and making a new playlist. My music tastes are eclectic, and I just add whatever makes me want to move. Here's my latest list, it's about 33 minutes of playtime, perfect for my 3 milers:

I Gotta Feeling -The Black Eyed Peas
Sweet Dreams (are made of this) -Eurythmics
F**k You -Cee Lo Green
Sexy and I Know It -LMFAO
Good Feeling -Flo Rida
Moves Like Jagger -Maroon 5
Boom Boom Pow -The Black Eyed Peas
'Till I Collapse -Eminem & Nate Dogg
The Distance -Cake

Back to back 5K race report.

I was very excited to challenge myself for TWO races in a row. The weekend proved to be balmy warm (in the upper 50's!) which of course translates to running skirt weather. The New Year's Eve race was at an odd time, 3:30 in the afternoon. Which means husband and I sort of floated around the first half of the day, watching what we ate and waiting to leave. We got to Race #1 with about a half hour to spare. I love watching the young kids run the mile race that usually precedes 5Ks. It brings tears to my eyes, and I can hardly wait until my youngest is old enough to participate. When we were told to line up, there was some confusion as to which direction we were taking off, and instead of being in my favorite place at the back of the pack, I actually ended up at the very FRONT! Ack! This meant that I took off MUCH faster than my usual pace and ran the first mile in about 9 minutes. Oops. I knew that if I could relax and keep up a nice, reasonable pace for the next two miles, I'd get a PR. This was relatively easy until the bottle-neck at the Confederate Cemetery. Yes, I said cemetery. Don't ask. I peeked at my Garmin at that point and say I'd slowed to an 11 minute mile. *sigh* I picked it up at the end and finished with an official time of 30:46.





Day 2 was bound to be tougher. Hubs injured himself at the first race, so I was on my own. Plus, my legs were tired and sore. I showed up, picked up my timing chip, and wandered aimlessly until I ran into someone I knew to talk to. We lined up and were off. Immediately I felt fatigued. The course was a flat out-and-back. Through a parking lot, through a quick (but fun!) trail in the woods and around a big track. I was struggling to keep my pace, and sort of attached myself to the couple running in front of me, promising myself to not let them out of my sight. Before arriving at the turn around point I saw the old-grinning-running dude from my neighborhood. He's got to be in his 70's and he was completely Kicking. My. Ass. I made it back through the woods and when I hit the parking lot I saw my husband at the corner. He's driven all the way over there to clap for me at the finish. I felt a rush of energy, and finished at a sprint... passing the man in front of me and the couple in front of him. That man found me after the race and said "Nice kick! I heard you coming behind me, but couldn't do anything about it." Sha-weet! Official chip time: 30:45. A new PR, exactly ONE second faster than my PR the day before, thanks to that kick at the end. Yay!

I don't have another 5K until August. Wonder what my time will be by then?

Race #2

30:45! One second faster is still a PR, right? HA! Good way to start the year. Race report soon...