Monthly Archives: January 2014

15 miles and More Snow

Daily Life!, Running, ,

Happy Sunday! It’s a snowy one once again here in Springfield. We’ve been hibernating all day, and I’m loving it. Sometimes it’s nice to be forced to stay home and just relax!

Today has consisted of cleaning, cooking, and learning new Jazzercise routines! I learned almost 10 new routines so my mind was on overload. Therefore some baking needed to happen. You know… To let my mind relax and regroup. Haha

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I was craving chocolate! So Nick and I had an awesome dessert tonight. Brownies are always a good thing.

And I couldn’t feel that guilty about having some sweets. I did run 15 miles yesterday after all. 🙂

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This was my most physically and mentally challenging run so far. I expected that though. I made it through and even beat the winter blast that came Saturday night. So I’m happy with that!

I spent the rest of the day trying to recoup and rehydrate while lounging around in sweats and my compression sleeves.

This morning my Jazzercise class was cancelled (obviously!) but I was determined to move my stiff and sore body just a little. I thought I would attempt to run. It was the worst idea ever.

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I’ve run in snow several times and made it just fine. But today was hopeless. The roads hadn’t been plowed. And there was about 4.5 inches of snow on them. Needless to say, I made it less than 3 miles before heading home and making some coffee!

Tomorrow morning should be interesting as we try to make it to work. Slow and steady should hopefully get me there safe!

Be careful out there and have a good night. I’ll see you all later!

Awkward Hydration Belts

Running, , , ,

Happy Friday everyone! I’m so excited that we’ve made it around to the weekend again. It’s been a crazy past 2 weeks with the holidays, so I am MORE than ready for a normal weekend at home for a change.

Sickness update: I’m still sick. Ugh. Still fever-free, but I’m coughing/congested/sneezy. My throat was pretty sore after teaching Jazzercise last night, so I’m hoping class tonight will go smoothly. If I have a small class, I’ll just cue with as few words as possible. 🙂

Awkward Hydration Belts

For anyone that has ever been a runner or watched some long-distance races, you know what I’m talking about. Those huge, tacky, 4-8 bottle hydration belts that are basically fanny packs on crack.

1363894005_3503_imagesYes, they are kinda a necessity for 26.2 miles, but no one looks good in that. And no one really wants to have all that business going on around their waist when there are already so many other things that have the potential to cause chafing.

Nathan-beltHoly smokes.

IMG_3967The backpack type is also a little too over the top for me. So I may just buy the awkward one and get a nice, thick dog to carry it for me.

IMG_0163HA! Just kidding. Mac would be jealous.

I’ve been avoiding buying one up to this point because I honestly just don’t want to wear it. My waist is so slim in comparison to my hips that I’m guaranteed to have a hard time keeping that sucker in place while I bounce up and down. Hence the reason I wear a wireless mic for Jazzercise and not the wired type that require a battery pack belt. It won’t stay in place!

I’ve come to terms with the fact that I will need one to get me by during my first marathon. There will be aid stations every mile but having a bottle with me at all times seems like a good idea. So I’m thinking about something fairly small like this:

SwiftsThe purple one is pretty! I just want enough water to get my gels down between stations. Other than that, I can use the water and Gatorade on the course to keep me going.

Any suggestions from other runners out there? My runner friend, Heather, said she tried one but it leaked all over her. So I’m hoping I can get a nice, quality belt with a good bottle that I will just love (and that doesn’t leak!). And look super awesome wearing it too, of course.

Tomorrow’s long run would probably benefit from having a belt, but since I haven’t found one yet I love, I’ll just make a pit stop by my porch to get a good drink around the mid-way point. I’m shooting for 15 miles to set me on the right track for my full marathon training, but the sidewalks and side roads are still covered in snow and black ice. So if I can scope out some good/safe paths, I’ll be good to finish. If not, I’ll get as far as I can without getting stuck in the middle of a crowded road!

Have a great night and a great weekend everyone. See ya later!

The Great Letdown

Daily Life!, Running, , , ,

So today is January 2nd. And what does that mean?! It means today could be (and most likely is) one of the biggest letdowns you’ve felt in quite a few months. The holidays are over. We had to go back to work. We have no major holidays coming up to look forward to. We’re all of a sudden on crazy diets so we can’t even eat the leftover sweets to self-soothe (HA!).

BUT, I’m not trying throw you into a further depression. I’m trying to motivate you stay happy! It’s a new year, and we have a lot to look forward to! If one of your New Year’s Resolutions was to work out more, I want you to stay positive and not let this photo become a reality today/tonight:

photo(129)If you made a commitment to yourself to exercise, get your booty to the gym tonight and just do it. Your Endorphins will be an awesome reward after our first full day back to work in the new year anyways. 🙂 Push through today’s ‘post-holiday letdown’ and you’ll have a happier tomorrow!

Morning Run

This morning’s 4-miler was a snowy one! And because of the snow, it also made it a sloooowww one. My pace all week has been about :45 – 1:15 slower than normal (even without the snow). My 10-mile race on Saturday wore me out and I’ve had a touch of the flu, so I’m just going to blame it on all that. I absolutely hate feeling like I’m running fairly fast, only to look down at my gps and realize I’m crawling compared to normal.

I suppose after training for months, I’m going to have a slower week here or there. I’m at the end of Week 11 in my half-marathon training plan, and up to here I’ve stayed pretty healthy. I didn’t know what it would be like to run with a cough/congestion/fever, but now I know I can do it – just a touch slower than normal. 🙂

Once I was home from my run and warm again, I was hungry and luckily snagged the last Clif bar from the cabinet for my breakfast!

photo(130)Gingerbread Clif Bar! I had some Greek yogurt and a banana on the side. My stomach tolerated it well, which is fantastic. Dinner last night wasn’t tolerated so well.

photo(131)I made some chicken and sausage in the Crockpot for our dinner, but my stomach wasn’t wanting any part of that. SO I just ‘indulged’ in some black-eyed peas and unsweetened applesauce. Geez, my New Years was exciting!

The rest of today has been pretty normal minus the snowy start. Mac still loves the snow each time it shows up.

image(22)And I’m thankful for my polka dot rain boots to keep me and my dress pants dry during our midday outing!

image(21)I’m off to teach Jazzercise soon. I don’t feel too sick, but I can’t stop coughing. So send good vibes my way so I can make it through class without hacking up a lung! For my sake and my students’ sake. 🙂

Have a wonderful evening!