And I don't know why...
Well, December is mostly why! I hate winter!! The last couple of days were pretty sunny, but today is rainy and gross. At least it's not snowing today, though it was a bit earlier in the week.
This week was not a great one in terms of being active, but I didn't really beat myself up about it. I had two good runs at the beginning of the week, and then I had a dental procedure done on Wednesday which left me unable to exercise that day. I also took Thursday and Friday off because work was insane and I was just mentally and physically exhausted (I know, not really an excuse). Saturday I went to hot yoga which was great, and today I'm either going to go back to yoga at 5 or go running (probably running). I just want to wake myself up, and I know nothing does that like a good run.
I have also been eating like crap. I need to sort of stop that, or at least strike a better balance between treats and healthy options. I usually do try to eat healthily but when the weather gets bad like this it is really hard.
Yesterday my husband and I got our new La-Z-Boy chair (see below) - it is so great! I highly recommend this chair (the Lancer). The only annoying part was that the store that we had ordered it from almost gave us the wrong one when we went back to pick it up, and we had to go to another location to get it! But that's ok, because we stumbled upon a great taproom/smokehouse for dinner and drinks, called The Brew Kettle. It was awesome, because I just happened to be in the mood for beer AND barbecue! What's not to love?
Hopefully this week will be a more active one for me.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
This run was brought to you by the number 5 and the letter S
Don'tcha just love it when the run you are dreading turns out to be a great one?!?
This is what happened today. Man, I almost didn't do it. But then I realized (this is not the first time I've had this very same realization) that I'll feel worse about not doing it then actually doing it.
So. I tried something different today; it was great and I highly recommend you do it for your next musically-enhanced run! I went to the "Songs" list on the menu of my ipod, and picked a letter. I chose "S," because I had been looking for a song whose name I could remember but the artist of which had slipped my mind.*
Anyway, then I just started at a random "S" song, and then it went on, in alphabetical order, for my 5-mile run. The results? Totally awesome! I wasn't expecting half of them; I had never considered some of them running songs but they worked! Also, I was able to listen to good ones that I had almost forgotten were on there. So many of us, myself included, tend to listen to the same songs/albums/playlists over and over. So this was a nice dose of variety for a change. For all of you, this provides a sort of cross-section of my (varying) musical tastes.
Here's my list:
Somewhat Untitled - The Hysterics
Somewhere Along the Line - Billy Joel
Song #3 - Reel Big Fish
Song for the Dumped - Ben Folds Five
Song of Freedom - Sweet Honey in the Rock
The Song that Jane Likes - Dave Matthews Band
Songbird - Fleetwood Mac
Sons & Daughters - The Decemberists
Soon Forget - Pearl Jam
Sorry - Madonna
S.O.S. - Rihanna
Soul Surfing - Fatboy Slim
Sour Times - Portishead
Southern California Wants to be Western New York - Dar Williams
Souvenir - Billy Joel
Sowing the Seeds of Love - Tears for Fears
You guys definitely try this to shake up your run a bit. Any letter! It'll keep leaving you guessing what's next! Then you can share your lists on your blogs!
Oh, and one more reason this run was brought to you by the letter S...during this run, it started to...snow!
*The artist I had been trying to remember was Built to Spill, with "Strange."
This is what happened today. Man, I almost didn't do it. But then I realized (this is not the first time I've had this very same realization) that I'll feel worse about not doing it then actually doing it.
So. I tried something different today; it was great and I highly recommend you do it for your next musically-enhanced run! I went to the "Songs" list on the menu of my ipod, and picked a letter. I chose "S," because I had been looking for a song whose name I could remember but the artist of which had slipped my mind.*
Anyway, then I just started at a random "S" song, and then it went on, in alphabetical order, for my 5-mile run. The results? Totally awesome! I wasn't expecting half of them; I had never considered some of them running songs but they worked! Also, I was able to listen to good ones that I had almost forgotten were on there. So many of us, myself included, tend to listen to the same songs/albums/playlists over and over. So this was a nice dose of variety for a change. For all of you, this provides a sort of cross-section of my (varying) musical tastes.
Here's my list:
Somewhat Untitled - The Hysterics
Somewhere Along the Line - Billy Joel
Song #3 - Reel Big Fish
Song for the Dumped - Ben Folds Five
Song of Freedom - Sweet Honey in the Rock
The Song that Jane Likes - Dave Matthews Band
Songbird - Fleetwood Mac
Sons & Daughters - The Decemberists
Soon Forget - Pearl Jam
Sorry - Madonna
S.O.S. - Rihanna
Soul Surfing - Fatboy Slim
Sour Times - Portishead
Southern California Wants to be Western New York - Dar Williams
Souvenir - Billy Joel
Sowing the Seeds of Love - Tears for Fears
You guys definitely try this to shake up your run a bit. Any letter! It'll keep leaving you guessing what's next! Then you can share your lists on your blogs!
Oh, and one more reason this run was brought to you by the letter S...during this run, it started to...snow!
*The artist I had been trying to remember was Built to Spill, with "Strange."
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Run, Run, Rudolph
Hey guys! Here's the race report for the 10th Annual Reindeer Run 5k.
I went to Derek's company party on Friday night, and was a little annoyed that I couldn't really drink a lot because of this race. Oh well. I had one drink and then lots of water. It's probably a good thing I held back anyway, because I was really tired from the week.
Got up Saturday morning at 7, and for a minute there, considered bailing. It was just so warm in bed! But then I realized that I'm not only accountable to myself now, but to people reading this! (Thanks for motivating me by doing nothing other than reading this and checking up on me!)
I dragged myself out of bed, made a PB&J sandwich (pre-race meal o'choice), and skipped the coffee actually. I figured it might just make me have to go to the bathroom and that I'd consider it a treat for when I was done.
I didn't really know what to expect from this race. It was my first race post-marathon, and I didn't do any speed training leading up to it except for a little bit of a faster interval workout on Wednesday. I wanted to try my best, but also didn't want to risk further injuring my foot, which had just started to feel sorta normal. That being said, it's the last race of the year on the Hermes calendar, and I wanted to go out with a bang. Let's see how it went.
Left the house around 8 and got to Lakewood Park by 8:25. Got my stuff and thankfully it was warm inside the park's building, because it was FREEZING outside! 29 degrees! I wore my tights, a hat, and gloves and was still chilly getting there. I did a good, long warmup (according to Runner's World, you should do 15-30 minutes of warmup for a 5k because you start off pretty fast from the start). So I did about 20 minutes, then wanted to make sure I had enough time to drop off my heavy sweatshirt at the car and line up.
Felt nice at the beginning, not cold anymore and I could actually feel my fingers. A lot of people were dressed in goofy costumes, as I had predicted. Reindeer antlers, red and green outfits, etc. There were 800 runners there, too! Wow! Much bigger than any race at Lakewood Park I've done.
I wanted to go out pretty strong, but was tied up at the start and didn't cross the line for about a minute. No matter, because these race organizers had finally gotten the memo about the D-Tag chip timing (previous races in this park had just been start whenever, and rip off part of your bib at the end and give it to the guy in the chute). I had conveniently forgotten my watch today - D'oh! but I knew there'd be someone yelling out times at the mile markers.
I passed a bunch of people in the first mile, which I felt good about but also made me feel like I was going too fast. When I approached the first mile marker, I heard "9:56...9:58..." and when I crossed, "10 minutes." I was a little discouraged, as I thought I was going faster than a 10-minute mile, or at least my effort told me I might not be as ready to race as I had hoped. Then I thought about the delayed start and I felt ok.
I did my usual self-talk during a 5k....Mile 1: Hold back, Mile 2: Hold pace, Mile 3: Hold on. It worked to a certain degree, but it was really cold and I wasn't used to running fast in that just yet. At one point, I overheard an oft-told running joke:
Guy: Hey, How're you doing?
Girl: I can't seem to catch my breath.
Guy: Well, then you'd better keep running after it!
Ha, ha.
I got a little water but it had turned partially to ice - bleck! Forget that idea. The second mile marker was 19:20 according to the volunteer, which would be 9:20. That's more like it!
I always dread the last mile of a 5k. I feel like I'm crawling, yet I'm trying my best. I start seeing others who have finished, just chatting away. Arg, this is taking forever!
Plus, I was stuck directly in front of a woman with the louuuudest breathing EVER! And it was right on rhythm. I just kept hearing, "HUHHHHN [step step step} HUHHHN [step step step}" over and over. I had the feeling she was trying to catch up to me, or use me to pull her along because it was right over my left shoulder and I couldn't get rid of her. I used this to force myself to run a little bit faster just to get out of earshot. Finally the third mile marker came - 28:45 (same as last time!), or 9:25. Not bad considering I felt like crap. At the turn into Lakewood park I frickin' kicked it in like nobody's business and finally lost the loud breather! I felt like my kick was great yesterday. I ran in when the clock said 29:30 but I checked the actual results online today and it was actually 29:10! So, not a PR but 30 seconds faster than the last 5k I did.
I felt like I had gotten run over by a bus after that, though, and really had to cool down. I wasn't exactly thirsty or hungry, but I had a banana and a bottle of water for good measure. I just kept feeling the cold in my lungs. Plus, today I am actually sore! Haven't gotten sore after a race in a while...I guess it shows I wasn't that prepared this time and that the month of recovery actually did bring me a little bit out of the zone. It's ok though; I have never rested and recovered that well and now I feel fresh and happy about the upcoming months.
Then Derek and I did a little holiday shopping, as well as some furniture shopping for ourselves! We got a La-z-Boy - finally something else to sit on in the living room! This is the one we ordered:
The style is called the Lancer. It is so comfortable!!!! We're going to pick it up on Saturday.
Other than that, not much else to report. Having a great, relaxing weekend. By the way, does anybody else feel that it is much easier to get up early on weekends than on weekdays? What up with that!?
I went to Derek's company party on Friday night, and was a little annoyed that I couldn't really drink a lot because of this race. Oh well. I had one drink and then lots of water. It's probably a good thing I held back anyway, because I was really tired from the week.
Got up Saturday morning at 7, and for a minute there, considered bailing. It was just so warm in bed! But then I realized that I'm not only accountable to myself now, but to people reading this! (Thanks for motivating me by doing nothing other than reading this and checking up on me!)
I dragged myself out of bed, made a PB&J sandwich (pre-race meal o'choice), and skipped the coffee actually. I figured it might just make me have to go to the bathroom and that I'd consider it a treat for when I was done.
I didn't really know what to expect from this race. It was my first race post-marathon, and I didn't do any speed training leading up to it except for a little bit of a faster interval workout on Wednesday. I wanted to try my best, but also didn't want to risk further injuring my foot, which had just started to feel sorta normal. That being said, it's the last race of the year on the Hermes calendar, and I wanted to go out with a bang. Let's see how it went.
Left the house around 8 and got to Lakewood Park by 8:25. Got my stuff and thankfully it was warm inside the park's building, because it was FREEZING outside! 29 degrees! I wore my tights, a hat, and gloves and was still chilly getting there. I did a good, long warmup (according to Runner's World, you should do 15-30 minutes of warmup for a 5k because you start off pretty fast from the start). So I did about 20 minutes, then wanted to make sure I had enough time to drop off my heavy sweatshirt at the car and line up.
Felt nice at the beginning, not cold anymore and I could actually feel my fingers. A lot of people were dressed in goofy costumes, as I had predicted. Reindeer antlers, red and green outfits, etc. There were 800 runners there, too! Wow! Much bigger than any race at Lakewood Park I've done.
I wanted to go out pretty strong, but was tied up at the start and didn't cross the line for about a minute. No matter, because these race organizers had finally gotten the memo about the D-Tag chip timing (previous races in this park had just been start whenever, and rip off part of your bib at the end and give it to the guy in the chute). I had conveniently forgotten my watch today - D'oh! but I knew there'd be someone yelling out times at the mile markers.
I passed a bunch of people in the first mile, which I felt good about but also made me feel like I was going too fast. When I approached the first mile marker, I heard "9:56...9:58..." and when I crossed, "10 minutes." I was a little discouraged, as I thought I was going faster than a 10-minute mile, or at least my effort told me I might not be as ready to race as I had hoped. Then I thought about the delayed start and I felt ok.
I did my usual self-talk during a 5k....Mile 1: Hold back, Mile 2: Hold pace, Mile 3: Hold on. It worked to a certain degree, but it was really cold and I wasn't used to running fast in that just yet. At one point, I overheard an oft-told running joke:
Guy: Hey, How're you doing?
Girl: I can't seem to catch my breath.
Guy: Well, then you'd better keep running after it!
Ha, ha.
I got a little water but it had turned partially to ice - bleck! Forget that idea. The second mile marker was 19:20 according to the volunteer, which would be 9:20. That's more like it!
I always dread the last mile of a 5k. I feel like I'm crawling, yet I'm trying my best. I start seeing others who have finished, just chatting away. Arg, this is taking forever!
Plus, I was stuck directly in front of a woman with the louuuudest breathing EVER! And it was right on rhythm. I just kept hearing, "HUHHHHN [step step step} HUHHHN [step step step}" over and over. I had the feeling she was trying to catch up to me, or use me to pull her along because it was right over my left shoulder and I couldn't get rid of her. I used this to force myself to run a little bit faster just to get out of earshot. Finally the third mile marker came - 28:45 (same as last time!), or 9:25. Not bad considering I felt like crap. At the turn into Lakewood park I frickin' kicked it in like nobody's business and finally lost the loud breather! I felt like my kick was great yesterday. I ran in when the clock said 29:30 but I checked the actual results online today and it was actually 29:10! So, not a PR but 30 seconds faster than the last 5k I did.
I felt like I had gotten run over by a bus after that, though, and really had to cool down. I wasn't exactly thirsty or hungry, but I had a banana and a bottle of water for good measure. I just kept feeling the cold in my lungs. Plus, today I am actually sore! Haven't gotten sore after a race in a while...I guess it shows I wasn't that prepared this time and that the month of recovery actually did bring me a little bit out of the zone. It's ok though; I have never rested and recovered that well and now I feel fresh and happy about the upcoming months.
Then Derek and I did a little holiday shopping, as well as some furniture shopping for ourselves! We got a La-z-Boy - finally something else to sit on in the living room! This is the one we ordered:
Other than that, not much else to report. Having a great, relaxing weekend. By the way, does anybody else feel that it is much easier to get up early on weekends than on weekdays? What up with that!?
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
No Excuses
That's what my Gatorade bottle says, and I've been staring it in the face all day.
Have had an annoying headache since yesterday. Blah, blah, blah. No excuses.
Had a long day at work, filled with "normal" as well as "unusual" stress factors. I worked an hour later than I was supposed to. Blah, blah, blah. No exuses.
It's raining tonight, which makes me want to just curl up on the couch with my fleece throw and watch TV. Blah, blah, blah. No excuses.
Because...I brought my workout clothes with me to work today! I brought a snack for after work just so I would have one less excuse not to work out. And Derek's still out of town, so I don't really have a reason to go right home after work. And I brought that annoying reality check of a Gatorade bottle.
No excuses, then! I worked out in my "fake gym" (I'll just call it that from now on) and felt amazing. I know people say this all the time, but once I got started, I really wasn't tired, even though I first got on the treadmill at around 9 pm. The only problem now (like last night's hot yoga session) was that now I'm bouncing off the walls a little bit. I know that'll calm down in about an hour, and I'll sleep well tonight...
I'm glad I forced myself to be active tonight.
Have had an annoying headache since yesterday. Blah, blah, blah. No excuses.
Had a long day at work, filled with "normal" as well as "unusual" stress factors. I worked an hour later than I was supposed to. Blah, blah, blah. No exuses.
It's raining tonight, which makes me want to just curl up on the couch with my fleece throw and watch TV. Blah, blah, blah. No excuses.
Because...I brought my workout clothes with me to work today! I brought a snack for after work just so I would have one less excuse not to work out. And Derek's still out of town, so I don't really have a reason to go right home after work. And I brought that annoying reality check of a Gatorade bottle.
No excuses, then! I worked out in my "fake gym" (I'll just call it that from now on) and felt amazing. I know people say this all the time, but once I got started, I really wasn't tired, even though I first got on the treadmill at around 9 pm. The only problem now (like last night's hot yoga session) was that now I'm bouncing off the walls a little bit. I know that'll calm down in about an hour, and I'll sleep well tonight...
I'm glad I forced myself to be active tonight.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Just so no one starts to worry
Updates:
-Great Thanksgiving weekend
-Ate EVERYTHING. More than once.
-Was able to run every day from Thursday - Sunday.
-Starting to feel ready to end "recovery." Looking at a race this weekend (5k) -- we'll see how it goes...as today, Dec. 1, marks my one-month-after-the-marathon date and I am allowing myself to race again.
-Got offered more hours at work, putting me at pretty much full-time! It feels good to be working more.
On Tap:
-Starting my new part of my job today with more responsibility. A little nervous.
-Hot yoga with Claire tonight - LATE - 8:30-9:30 at Inner Bliss.
-Catching up on all my DVR from last week because Derek is out of town until Thursday.
Overall:
-Happy! Usually the winter months bring gross feelings, lethargy, overeating, and sadness my way. But I am trying to stay on top of my working out (and, to some extent, my eating habits although I kind of always need to eat more in the winter for whatever reason) and doing things to relax myself. I am also trying to just "roll with it;" the cold weather and the tired feelings will eventually pass. We need rest and recovery too, and winter is a good time to allow ourselves to rebuild in order to be active and strong for the spring. In fact, this article in December's Runner's World magazine gives some good ideas for how to maintain a certain level of fitness, while also giving ourselves a well-deserved break from hard training. (And it speaks well to one of your comments from my "No Running" post -- thanks, Jen!)
Have a great rest of the day!
-Great Thanksgiving weekend
-Ate EVERYTHING. More than once.
-Was able to run every day from Thursday - Sunday.
-Starting to feel ready to end "recovery." Looking at a race this weekend (5k) -- we'll see how it goes...as today, Dec. 1, marks my one-month-after-the-marathon date and I am allowing myself to race again.
-Got offered more hours at work, putting me at pretty much full-time! It feels good to be working more.
On Tap:
-Starting my new part of my job today with more responsibility. A little nervous.
-Hot yoga with Claire tonight - LATE - 8:30-9:30 at Inner Bliss.
-Catching up on all my DVR from last week because Derek is out of town until Thursday.
Overall:
-Happy! Usually the winter months bring gross feelings, lethargy, overeating, and sadness my way. But I am trying to stay on top of my working out (and, to some extent, my eating habits although I kind of always need to eat more in the winter for whatever reason) and doing things to relax myself. I am also trying to just "roll with it;" the cold weather and the tired feelings will eventually pass. We need rest and recovery too, and winter is a good time to allow ourselves to rebuild in order to be active and strong for the spring. In fact, this article in December's Runner's World magazine gives some good ideas for how to maintain a certain level of fitness, while also giving ourselves a well-deserved break from hard training. (And it speaks well to one of your comments from my "No Running" post -- thanks, Jen!)
Have a great rest of the day!
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