Hahahhaha! I made it out again today! Snow, you beautiful but annoyingly slushy and slippery beast, I have defeated you.
My run was not long, nor was it particularly special in any way, BUT: I completed it. I came out of my morning funk and decided to just get on with it and run. Because it's what I love!
I decided not to care if my feet got wet, or if I had to walk at certain times when the snow or ice was abundant.
I even decided not to care if I had to stop, or move to the side, when a car approached. Furthermore, I didn't care that I was practically running at a snail's pace. I was running!
And, during my last stretch, when I decided to take it a little faster, I knew I couldn't maintain it like I could in the fall. But it was nice to attempt a little speedwork.
I am happy.
Maybe March will mean...the end of my self-imposed hibernation?
Hopefully this crap melts away soon....I am itching to buy a new pair of running shoes and get out there consistently!
Happy Sunday, everyone.
Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
And...it's STILL February!
..But not for long!
I don't know about you, but March just sounds, and feels, so much better to me than (shudder) FEBRUARY. Ugh.
Highlights of the week:
And bring on March!
The 'rents rescheduled for the weekend of the 20th, so...I am crossing my fingers for good weather!
That's all for now.
I don't know about you, but March just sounds, and feels, so much better to me than (shudder) FEBRUARY. Ugh.
Highlights of the week:
- it was actually really nice last weekend, so Claire and I went out for a 4-mile run in Rocky River! Yessss!
- ...followed by blecchy flurries, followed by another huge snowstorm! (or maybe two? I can't count, but we definitely got over a foot of snow in the last few days).
- So, my parents had scheduled a visit to good ol' Cleveland Thursday (which, by the way, is supposedly the "most miserable U.S. city" according to Forbes), but their flight got canceled. :(
- Derek left on a business trip to NY Wednesday...and got stuck there too! Wah! Now, my whole family is in NY and I am here in Cleve-o.
- Um, as if that wasn't bad enough, our heat went off late Thursday night and I had to sleep in like five layers!
- Drove to work and back in a blizzard. The Cleveland schools were all actually closed for once, so it woulda been a good time to be a teacher. Our office was open, so....oh well!
And bring on March!
The 'rents rescheduled for the weekend of the 20th, so...I am crossing my fingers for good weather!
That's all for now.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Doing Fine!
That's all!
Weird that when I don't have an event to train for, I find myself with less and less to write. Especially since I have been working more and working out less. Meh.
But I did get in a quality yoga workout yesterday, and ran 4 miles on the treadmill today. (Seems like the only option these days; we just got dumped with another 4-5 inches of snow this weekend....) I think the key to going to the "fake gym" is to just get up and go really early (i.e., whenever I wake up). This way, I get it out of the way. Somehow, I always find myself feeling more sluggish in the mid-afternoon and I'm more likely to skip out on a workout than if I just do it first thing in the morning.
So it felt great to run, even though it was all hot and...treadmilly. No icy cool breeze, no flush in the cheeks (well there was, but it was because I was hot instead of because of the wind!), no seeing your breath in the crisp winter air. Gee, it really sounds like I enjoy running outside even in the wintertime. I guess I do! I just don't want to risk slipping on ice and falling.
Superbowl plans are yet undefined...might go hang out with friends, might not. And I'm really ok with either one, because I don't even like football! Just doing it for the hubby. Ah, the things we do for love.
Weird that when I don't have an event to train for, I find myself with less and less to write. Especially since I have been working more and working out less. Meh.
But I did get in a quality yoga workout yesterday, and ran 4 miles on the treadmill today. (Seems like the only option these days; we just got dumped with another 4-5 inches of snow this weekend....) I think the key to going to the "fake gym" is to just get up and go really early (i.e., whenever I wake up). This way, I get it out of the way. Somehow, I always find myself feeling more sluggish in the mid-afternoon and I'm more likely to skip out on a workout than if I just do it first thing in the morning.
So it felt great to run, even though it was all hot and...treadmilly. No icy cool breeze, no flush in the cheeks (well there was, but it was because I was hot instead of because of the wind!), no seeing your breath in the crisp winter air. Gee, it really sounds like I enjoy running outside even in the wintertime. I guess I do! I just don't want to risk slipping on ice and falling.
Superbowl plans are yet undefined...might go hang out with friends, might not. And I'm really ok with either one, because I don't even like football! Just doing it for the hubby. Ah, the things we do for love.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Takin' it Easy....
Yeah, okay, I admit it. I am slacking. (With regard to both blogging and running.) But I'm tired! :)
This week was an okay one; nothing much to report. Work was crazy as usual. I used the crockpot pretty much every day to make our meals - thanks to this site (well, to be more specific, the book that was created out of the site, called Make It Fast, Cook It Slow by Stephanie O'Dea.
Here's a list of the delicious, fool-proof (no, seriously, fool-proof) recipes I have tried thus far using my slow cooker:
Vegetarian No-Noodle Lasagna
Cranberry Beef
Pomegranate Beef
So, that's been making me really happy over the past few weeks.
Recipes on tap for this week include White bean and turkey sausage soup and Buffalo Chicken Lasagna. Nom nom!!
In other activity-related news, I've been doing a lot of yoga lately. It's suiting the winter blues just fine. And running is still happening, just on a lesser scale. The weird thing is that I think I still haven't recovered physically from the marathon in November, not necessarily only because I trained hard and it was a tough course. I realize that I have never truly taken a break from running, even when I knew it was best. So it's not just this past race that has me all tired, it's years of running without a set period of recovery. Hence, recurring injuries and overtraining blues.
I am also finding myself, for the first time in the winter, without a gym membership (well, if you count the "fake gym," I guess I do), and it's forcing me to come to terms with the limitations I naturally want - need? to put on my body this season. I have said this before, but I think that in the past I have never taken time off at all because I was always nervous that I would "lose it" and that I would never come back. Well, I know better now. But I'm still taking some time off from heavy training.
Hope you guys are having a great end to the weekend! :)
This week was an okay one; nothing much to report. Work was crazy as usual. I used the crockpot pretty much every day to make our meals - thanks to this site (well, to be more specific, the book that was created out of the site, called Make It Fast, Cook It Slow by Stephanie O'Dea.
Here's a list of the delicious, fool-proof (no, seriously, fool-proof) recipes I have tried thus far using my slow cooker:
- Basic chili
- Vegetarian "No-Noodle" Lasagna (eggplant and yellow squash slices act as "noodles")
- Chicken and dumpling soup
- Pork stew with peppers and eggplant
- Cranberry beef
- Korean ribs (aaamaaaaaazzzzing!!)
- Pineapple pork tenderloin
- Pomegranate beef
Vegetarian No-Noodle Lasagna
Cranberry Beef
Pineapple Pork Tenderloin
Pomegranate Beef
So, that's been making me really happy over the past few weeks.
Recipes on tap for this week include White bean and turkey sausage soup and Buffalo Chicken Lasagna. Nom nom!!
In other activity-related news, I've been doing a lot of yoga lately. It's suiting the winter blues just fine. And running is still happening, just on a lesser scale. The weird thing is that I think I still haven't recovered physically from the marathon in November, not necessarily only because I trained hard and it was a tough course. I realize that I have never truly taken a break from running, even when I knew it was best. So it's not just this past race that has me all tired, it's years of running without a set period of recovery. Hence, recurring injuries and overtraining blues.
I am also finding myself, for the first time in the winter, without a gym membership (well, if you count the "fake gym," I guess I do), and it's forcing me to come to terms with the limitations I naturally want - need? to put on my body this season. I have said this before, but I think that in the past I have never taken time off at all because I was always nervous that I would "lose it" and that I would never come back. Well, I know better now. But I'm still taking some time off from heavy training.
Hope you guys are having a great end to the weekend! :)
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Winter Warriors of the Human and Auto Kind
Today, my husband and I did something amazing. We both went out for a three-mile run in the snow!!!!
I say this is amazing because...a) we did it before 9 am. b) we BOTH had the motivation and desire to get dressed in our warmest clothes and go out. and c) neither one of us complained the entire time!
In fact, we were going to do only 2 miles, because it was really coming down and the trail hadn't been cleared. However, we went an extra half-mile or so in, making it 3 total.
I must admit that I have been really bad about exercising this week. REALLY bad! In fact, I kept thinking that I started the year off on a bad note by not running on January 1st. However, I have been thinking lately that I always push myself, and never really give myself a "vacation" from running. I've only ever been sidelined because of injury, not because I chose to take it easy for a month or two. Not only that, but I have always beaten myself up about it. I am trying not to do that anymore. At first, I used to get worried that if I strayed from running for a few days or a week, I'd "lose the urge." That's just not true. I may lose fitness -- and I am prepared to deal with that while I take January as an easier month -- but it's finally hit me that I will not lose the runner I've become, because it's too important to me now to ditch!
The other VERY EXCITING NEWS...we got a new car yesterday!! It was kind of unexpected. We didn't really think we were going to drive it out of the lot, either! But we did. Of course, we're really going to have to cut corners now, but it's worth it because first of all, having only one car, in a city where you NEED to drive everywhere sucks. Secondly, our Ford Focus, Sheila, is awesome and I love her, but only when the weather is nice. I get a little frightened driving a small car like that in midwestern winters. Derek and I have been saying that the next time we get a car, it'll be either an all-wheel drive vehicle, or at least a bigger car more equipped to handle snow and ice. So....here it is!
A 2010 Toyota Rav 4! As you can see, I am really excited.
And here I am getting nice and friendly with our new buddy.
2010 rocks so far.
I say this is amazing because...a) we did it before 9 am. b) we BOTH had the motivation and desire to get dressed in our warmest clothes and go out. and c) neither one of us complained the entire time!
In fact, we were going to do only 2 miles, because it was really coming down and the trail hadn't been cleared. However, we went an extra half-mile or so in, making it 3 total.
I must admit that I have been really bad about exercising this week. REALLY bad! In fact, I kept thinking that I started the year off on a bad note by not running on January 1st. However, I have been thinking lately that I always push myself, and never really give myself a "vacation" from running. I've only ever been sidelined because of injury, not because I chose to take it easy for a month or two. Not only that, but I have always beaten myself up about it. I am trying not to do that anymore. At first, I used to get worried that if I strayed from running for a few days or a week, I'd "lose the urge." That's just not true. I may lose fitness -- and I am prepared to deal with that while I take January as an easier month -- but it's finally hit me that I will not lose the runner I've become, because it's too important to me now to ditch!
The other VERY EXCITING NEWS...we got a new car yesterday!! It was kind of unexpected. We didn't really think we were going to drive it out of the lot, either! But we did. Of course, we're really going to have to cut corners now, but it's worth it because first of all, having only one car, in a city where you NEED to drive everywhere sucks. Secondly, our Ford Focus, Sheila, is awesome and I love her, but only when the weather is nice. I get a little frightened driving a small car like that in midwestern winters. Derek and I have been saying that the next time we get a car, it'll be either an all-wheel drive vehicle, or at least a bigger car more equipped to handle snow and ice. So....here it is!
A 2010 Toyota Rav 4! As you can see, I am really excited.
And here I am getting nice and friendly with our new buddy.
2010 rocks so far.
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