Weekly Wrap (Weekly Wrap-up Edition)

Before I get started I wanted to see if there was anyone out there that has an Apple Watch and participate in the Activity Sharing, I'm looking for Activity Friends.  You can find my email in my profile or leave a comment.  

Another busy week.  This was my high mileage week before Princess.  I am officially on taper.

Monday I got up to run 3 miles.  As I was watching the local news for the current weather they were talking about all the ice on the roads from the rain that came through overnight.  They were talking about all of the accidents, naming at least 5 accidents on major highways.  I thought it best not to go out, slip on some ice, and bust my behind.  I mentioned the ice and not running at work and a coworker said that she went out for a run and it was very slick.  But apparently she has special shoes to help with the ice.  I felt like I made the right decision.  I had also found out that my friend that wasn't sure if he was being laid off, is being laid off.  He is there till the summer and has severance, so he has awhile to find another job.  I know he will find something quickly.

Tuesday was my FT class.  Well sort of.  Instead of letting us have our class till the end of February like they said we would, they forced us into the Strive area.  This area is small and out in the middle of the place.  It's made for 5-7 people and when we normally have over 10 we were in other member's way.  On top of that the classroom was empty.  Yup, they'd rather have us out in the middle of the gym then in a room.  I didn't feel like I got the workout I normally do.  It's very disappointing and no one but the manager of the gym was happy.  That afternoon I heard from a different friend of mine that worked with me at my last job.  She said that she found a new one.  I was so happy for her because where we used to work is so dysfunctional.  She is going to be so much happier.

Wednesday morning I absolutely couldn't sleep.  I kept waking up and finally at 4 I decided to go find a book to read.  I read for about an hour and was starting to get sleepy.  My alarm was to go off at 5:30.  I fell asleep for 15 minutes and awoke before my alarm.  I was actually refreshed so I just got up to start my run.  With missing my Monday run, I had to up my mileage for Wednesday to 5, so getting an earlier start was a good thing. 

I woke up with a sore throat, but didn't think much about it.  Throughout the winter I tend to have a lot of sore throats, especially in the morning.  But they never turn into anything.  During my run it didn't hurt at all and that usually is all there is.  After my run I noticed it again.  Throughout the day it just got worse.  When I got home I checked my temp, and no temp, which was good.  I took some NyQuil and went to bed early.

Thursday I headed to the new gym class.  We did the same thing we did on Tuesday.  It was boring and it was so motivating that I barely got my 30 minutes in of activity by the end of the day.  Yes, it only tracked 10 minutes of activity for the 45 minute class.  My throat was still hurting, so that didn't help.  In fact most of the day my throat hurt, again with no fever.  Bleck, this was too busy of a week to get sick.  I ended up emailing the director of the gym (cc'ing those that take the class as well) asking several questions that we all have been wondering.  She replied that she wouldn't answer the questions via email and will only see us individually.  This is very frustrating!!!

Friday I had another 5 mile run on the docket.  My sore throat was going away, but my head was very stuffy.  Like how your ears are stuffy when you are on a plane.  I was glad that I got out for a run.  I took it slow, but getting the heart pumping.  I kept thinking that the faster my heart pumped the quicker this bug would make it out of me. I did see another beautiful sunrise.



Saturday I was supposed to do 10 miles.  While it would be in the 40's throughout the morning, there was rain predicted to start at some point in the morning.  I decided to start earlier then the running group.  I knew it would take me awhile to get the miles in and I wanted to try and beat the rain.  I ended up really liking the 10 mile route that the group had planned.  It took us over the river and back then up through part of the city and back.  While my throat felt fine and my head wasn't very stuffy, I had mucus - ick!  So it was good that I could bail the run half way through if I needed.

While I love going over the river, I hate this particular bridge.  You can see all the way down and with my fear of heights I HATE it.



But seeing the river, even with the cloudy skies, can be very beautiful.



And I do like this bridge because it has a good hill down and a good hill up.



I got through the neighborhood and I saw this in someone’s yard. It reminded me of my grandmother who loved dead trees.

Then back over the bridge.



After crossing the bridge I saw the big group of runners I would be behind if I started with them.  I headed back through the city and felt good enough to continue on.  About mile 6 1/2 I felt a few drops.  Before I knew it, it had started raining.  Not a sprinkle, but not quite a rain.  I decided to push on.  While it was somewhere in the 40's the rain didn't make it colder.

After the turn around I had a couple miles to go and the rain became a true rain.  At this point I was just really tired of the rain and the run.  About a mile to go and the rain started to really come down.  Man that sucked.  It did make my last mile quick.  I was soaked by the time I got back to my car.  A hot shower was on the docket when I got home.  And then a nap.  I couldn't sleep, but a couple hours laying down helped.

That afternoon I had an appointment to get my hair cut.  I'm growing it out so that I can give it away to someone that needs it.  I finally felt like my hair was starting to grow, finally.  She trimmed and thinned it.  It's good for another 12 weeks.

That evening I went to see "Brave New World", a local play.  We usually get dinner before, but I wanted the extra time to just relax.  While I wasn't feeling bad, I was tired.  The play was good, it was 1984-ish.  While it was written back in the early 1900's it was about a future world where the "proper society" was perfect, well at least their Alphas and Betas were perfect, and everyone belonged to everyone.  And the "savages" believed in God and had families.  The word "Mother" and "Father" were profane words.  It was interesting, but I think I liked 1984 better.

Sunday is usually my day to stay home and get things done around the house.  I was finally starting to feel better.  Still some flem and mucus, but nothing annoying like Saturday.  But Sunday was my big fun of the weekend.  I met a friend for lunch and then we went to see Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone with the music played by the symphony.  They played the movie on a screen without the music track and the symphony played live.



The symphony was great.  They didn't miss a beat throughout the whole movie.  They were so good that half the time I forgot there was a symphony there to play and got sucked into the movie.  I had to keep reminding myself that I payed a lot more then a regular movie ticket to see this and I should really appreciate the live music.  During the last scene people started leaving.  I know that almost everyone there probably has seen the movie, but why miss the credits where the symphony plays and you can really appreciate it?  Oh well, their loss.

Monday is right around the corner and there is another busy work week.  Last full week till Princess.

How sick do you have to be to not get out and run?  Do you like to go to the symphony?

Linking up with Holly and Tricia's Weekly Wrap Up.

Weekly Wrap (Weekly Wrap-up Edition)

I keep thinking that each week will be a little less crazy then the one before and I am just wrong about it.  It's fine, I just don't seem to be getting things done like I need to, like getting blog posts written.  One day I'll get ahead of it and not behind. :)

I had 4 miles planned on Monday, but I swapped it out for my rest day on Wednesday because it was very cold out and raining all morning.  I don't mind running in the rain, but not when it's cold out as well.  It was fine as I felt bad all day long.  I had a sore throat and just felt like crap all day long.  I thought I was getting something that a co-worker brought into the office.  I took NyQuil and went to bed early.

Tuesday I woke up feeling much better, though not 100%.  I still didn't have a fever, so I headed off to the gym.  The week before we were told that the gym class that I have been going to for over 5 years was being cancelled at the end of February.  We had plans to have the manager of the gym come talk to us on Thursday.  Everyone was very upset by this news.

Wednesday I went out for a 4 mile run.  It was another run that was below 20 degrees.  I wore my new fleece face mask and it kept my face warm the whole time.  It was a bit warm towards the end, but I didn't mind.  I'd rather be too warm then too cold. The Super Blue Blood Moon was out for the start of my run.  I tried to get pictures of it, but there was a lot of clouds out.



I also saw a very beautiful sunrise through the last couple miles of my run.



We had a lunch planned for the team at work.  This was the first time we did anything social as a group since I started.  It was nice to get to know some of my co-workers some outside of work.

Thursday I headed to the gym, knowing that we were going to have to really make them understand how important the class was to everyone.  The class has been happening at this same gym for almost 18 years.  There are people in the class that have been taking it for over 10 years.  One person had been taking it for 15.  That tells you how much of a family this class is.  Half way through the class the gym manager as well as the class coordinator came up for a few minutes.  They insisted that this was not the right place to discuss the details, but our class would move down to the Strive area (where they have machine weights and aerobic equipment in a circle and you do them as stations, rotating aerobic and weights to get the high interval training in).  We were not happy about that idea so after class a few of us stopped by their office to discuss further.  Basically they consider this class to be a "personal training" class.  None of us were sure what was meant by that, but I have always seen it more like a boot camp type of class.  They said that because sometimes we use stations, where we don't do the same movements at the same time, it's not to their standards.  Basically we are not a per-choreographed class that they pay money for.  They are trying to offer different classes for us to try on Monday and Wednesday, but currently we have been banished to the Strive area.  They are fine for the room to be empty and no one use it on Tuesday and Thursday.

I did another 4 mile run on Friday morning.  I waited a little later to start my run to have the rain finish and I seemed to time it perfectly.  It actually was a bit warmer out and I didn't have to wear the layers I have been wearing.  It's gotten to the point that it feels odd not having several layers on for a run.

Friday night I went to see Finding Neverland.  I knew I had seen the movie before, but the movie was so unremarkable to me that I actually mixed it up with Hook in my head.  When the play started I realized that it wasn't Hook, but I do vaguely remember seeing the movie.   I have to say, the play was amazing.  Something I won't remember if I've seen before or not.  The music and choreograph were a lot of fun.  And there were some amazing voices.  I highly recommend that one.

Saturday was another cold morning.  I had 10 miles on the schedule and a lot to do that day so I couldn't wait till later in the morning when it warmed up a little to get it done.  At the start of the run it was only 14 degrees.  I knew that it would be above 20 the second half of the run, so I didn't wear my fleece face mask as I wanted some flexibility.  I wore just my buff which is just a thin cloth that I can put over my nose and mouth.  I haven't done 10 miles since my last half marathon in April, so it was interesting to see how I felt.  By the end of the run I didn't feel fatigued, but really I was just tired of being cold.  I ran for a little over 2 hours and it didn't get warmer then 26 degrees.  I actually saw someone out running that didn't even have a hat on.  That I didn't understand at all.  All I could think about on the way home was taking a hot shower.

That afternoon I was invited over to a neighbor's house for lunch.  I got cleaned up and stretched and rolled and headed over there.  They are an older Indian couple have lived there about 4 years longer then I have.  And in all of this time, we have never really done anything together.  She invited one of her friends and while her husband went to pray, us girls had a great lunch.  She cooked up all this delicious Indian food and I can't remember what anything was called, but it was all amazing.

I then went out to dinner with a friend of mine (glad I ran 10 miles with all this food).  He isn't sure if he is being laid off or not as there were two meetings, one for those being let go and one for those who weren't - and he was not invited to either.  And two days later no one can give him an answer.  But he was actually in a good mood so we had fun catching up.

Sunday was a very lazy day for me.  It worked out as it rained all day long.  I got a few things done around the house, but not as much as I wish I had.  But it was nice to relax.

How was your week?  Have you seen Finding Neverland (either the play or movie)? Did you see the Super Blue Blood Moon?

Linking up with Holly and Tricia's Weekly Wrap Up.

Frostbite 15k Race Recap (Tuesdays on the Run Edition)

On Sunday I ran the Frostbite 15k.  This was a last minute decision to do.  The mileage fit pretty well within my training schedule so I had thought about it.  And when I found out that the weather was going to be really nice, I pulled the trigger on Thursday.

The night before I kept asking why I had signed up for it.  I didn't want to get up early.  I knew I would be one of the last runners to come in.  I didn't know anyone else that was running it.  The normal butterflies the night before races.

I decided to do packet pickup the morning of the race.  I got up early and ready and headed out nice and early.  I still wasn't sure why I had signed up for the race, but at least the weather was going to be nice.  I got to the race around 7:30 and found parking very easy and very close.  Packet pickup was in the school and there were absolutely no lines.  I then realized I forgot my race belt so that I wouldn't have to pin the bib to my shirt.  Oh well, there were plenty of safety pins.  I asked if I could use the bathrooms inside and the answer was no.  Oh well, there is always the fun port-a-potties.

There was over an hour till the start of the race, so I went back to my car and played games on my phone.  Around 8:30 I ate my Honey Stinger cookie and put on my running shoes and headed toward the start to find the port-a-potties.  When I got up to them I could not believe the line.  It was huge!  I still had 30 minutes to the start and I had to go so I headed toward the back of the line.  I ended up passing one of my friends who was half way through the line.  I stopped to talk to her and catch up.  We talked so long I ended up cutting in line.  I hope no one cared.

We were getting closer to the front of the line as it was nearing 9 AM - race start time.  It didn't matter to me, I wasn't going to be able to run the race without going to the bathroom.  The race was chipped, not that my time mattered either, I wasn't going to win the race.  So I stayed in line.  I finished just in time to get to the start and have the gun go off.  It was nice to just start the race.

The temperature at start time was about 45 degrees.  Great running temperatures.  I wore tights, a short sleeve shirt, and a jacket.  I knew it would be somewhere in the 50s by the time I finished, so I wanted to be able to take some layers off as it got warmer.

The course started through the local neighborhoods.  We passed by Hollywood Cemetery.  I love that place.  I know it sounds creepy, but in college my friend and I would take our lunch and hang out there.  It is so beautiful and peaceful there.  Our favorite part was to visit the Iron Dog.  It's a cast-iron Newfoundland dog that stands guard over the grave of a little girl that died in 1862.  It is the second most visited cemetery behind Arlington.  The views of the river are amazing.  There are two US Presidents buried there and it has a 90 foot pyramid that is a monument to the 18,000 Confederate soldiers buried there.  Passing by just brought up memories from that time in college.

When we passed mile 3, the lead runners were heading back and were almost at mile 8.  For me, seeing the front runners so close to the finish when I'm just starting defeats me a little.  I pushed that out of my mind as we were now heading towards Byrd Park.  Byrd Park is an area that has 3 different parks clustered together with 3 different lakes.  It's a popular place to run, bike, and have time outdoors with the family.  Our Saturday runs tend to take us through or pass these parks.  To get 9 miles out of the neighborhood and park, we circled the lakes what felt like a few times.  Thankfully the signs, rope, and volunteers did a good job to make sure that we didn't follow the wrong person and go the wrong way.

The weather was warming up to the mid-50's and was so nice.  The sun was bright and it was nice to be out after all the cold we have had the last month.  As I look around I realized I was really glad that I signed up for the race.  It got me out to enjoy the weather.

I was defiantly at the back of the pack, I still saw a handful of people behind me, so I knew I wouldn't be last.  Once we had gotten into the parks no one passed me and I was able to pass a handful of people.  It wasn't a very fast race for me, about normal, but I felt strong.

I notice that my balls of my left foot really started hurting me.  I noticed the same pain the week before.  Both times it started the last few miles and stopped when I was done.  I think it is my Morton's Neuroma acting up.  I haven't had that problem in years.  I'll have to bring it up to my PT tomorrow.

Once we were done circling the lakes we headed back to the school.  All the sudden we had so many hills to go up.  I didn't remember all the down hills at the start, but now all we had were up hills.  I still felt strong and ran all my run segments, even on the up hills.  We zigged and zagged through every street.  There were about 3 points where I could see the school just to be turned back around.  I guess it was the only way to get the mileage in and still stay in the neighborhood that didn't have any traffic.  We finally got back to the school and we hit the last hill.  It sort of reminded me of the end of MCM marathon having a huge uphill right at the end of the race.

I crossed the finish line and got my medal.  There weren't many people left out as I was at the very end of the pack.  I looked around and ended up seeing my friends that I ran into in the port-a-potty line.  It turns out that one of their mom's was running the race.  We hung out about 10 more minutes to see her cross the finish.  She is 72 and kicked ass running this race.  What an inspiration!

We headed into the school to get our finish line doughnuts.  I also wanted to see if I could get a shirt.  I signed up too late to get one ordered, but they said that if there was extras after the race we could have one.  I went up to the front of the room and asked the first person I saw.  One of the ladies at the side of the table told me to come see her.  Apparently they had been telling people that they didn't have anymore left as there were some very rude and disrespectful people demanding a shirt.  They were saving them for nice people, like me. :)

I did realize that I got a PR for this race.  Nothing special, but this was the first 15k that I have done, so it's an automatic PR.

I would probably do this race again, but I think I would wait like I did and see how the weather would be before I signed up.  But it was good to see some of my running friends.  They talked about doing the Sweetheart 8k next month.  I'll have to see if it works with my training cycle to hang with them some more.

After I got home I realized I was a little sore.  Not just muscle sore, but I chafed myself.  I haven't gotten back into the habit of using Glide.  I have to remember to put it on for my long runs.  Especially as the weather starts to warm up on a regular basis.

Have you ever run a 15k?  How late have you ever signed up for a race?  Do you get the race butterflies before a race and wonder why you signed up?

I’m linking up with with MCM Mama Runs, Marcia’s Healthy Slice, and My No Guilt Life for the Tuesdays on the Run linkup.

Weekly Update (Weekly Wrap-up Edition)

It was another busy week.  The kind where you can't believe it's Friday already.  I haven't had many of those in the last year, so to have two back to back has been odd.

Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  I haven't had that day off since I was in school, so it was a happy surprise to have it off.  It was another chilly day and I was glad that I was able to wait till mid-morning to get my run in.  I did get a new face mask for running and was excited to try it out.  It was soft and comfortable, but I found that by the last half of my 3 miles, I was getting hot.  It is fleece lined and really too hot to use, even in 25 degree weather.  But since it was a shorter run, I was fine with it.  I really did like the face mask part of it as it was more of a shape and unlike the others that I have warn, the material didn't feel like it was getting sucked into my mouth.  A good purchase, but will only be able to use in the really really cold weather.

Tuesday was back to the work week.  Nothing special, but I did get to the class for my FT class.

We got snow again on Wednesday.  Unlike two weeks ago, this one wasn't as bad.  Though it seemed to have a little more ice to it then snow.  Thankfully my run schedule called for a rest day, so I didn't have to worry about the roads or getting to the gym.  Even though I could have worked from home, I made it into the office with a handful of people.  It was nice to be in a quiet office to get work done.  Though I did have to scrape all the ice/snow off my car when I went home.

Thursday morning I looked out my window and my road didn't have that much snow or ice on it, so I knew I'd be heading out.  The gym said that it wasn't going to open till 7 that morning.  My normal class starts at 7, so I thought I would head there.  I brought my running shoes and iPad just in case we didn't have class.  I stuck to my normal morning schedule and got to the gym about 5 minutes before 7.  There already was a handful of cars waiting for them to open up the doors.  The instructor was there as well as other regulars for the class I take.  So we started a little late, but still had our class.

During the day on Thursday I had made the decision to run the Frostbite 15k that Sunday.  My long run for the weekend was slated to be 10 miles and since the race was 9.3 I thought that would make due.  The weather for the weekend, and especially for Sunday morning looked amazing.  Without much thought I signed up.  This is the latest I have ever signed up for a race.  The site said that I wouldn't get a shirt, but that's OK, I have plenty of race shirts.  The site also said that we could check after the race to see if there were any left, so I planned on doing that.

Driving home Thursday night I made a special effort to look at the side of the roads to determine if I was going to run outside or if I had to head to the gym on Friday morning.  They looked fine enough to run on, so I ran outside Friday morning.  Since I was running the 15k on Sunday, I decided to up my 3 miles to 4 to compensate.  The run was interesting as the first 3 miles were in the dark.  So I was judging if the dark areas were shadows or ice and if the white areas were salt or snow.  Most everything was shadows and salt.  There was only one area where the whole width of the road was ice which I carefully walked slowly over.

Since the race was on Sunday, I decided to get out early and run my errands as the stores opened.  I hate crowds, so this is when I like to get out and get things done.  One of my stops was Michael's as I have decided to try and give Bullet Journaling a try.  I've needed a better way to organize my many Post-its and scraps of paper worth of lists.  While I love my lists, I hate that they are all over the place.  I have tried to keep a notebook with everything there, but found that it was hard to organize what still needed to be done, especially if it needed to be done by a specific date.  I ran across someone's post mentioning it a few weeks back and liked the idea.  I wasn't sure if it was for me until I saw the disc notebook at an office supply store.  It is a morph between a spiral notebook and a three ring binder.  It acts and feels like a spiral notebook, but the system allows you to remove and add pages through out the notebook.

With the Bullet Journal the ideas are endless so I spent some time looking through my scrap booking items as well as at Michael's to get inspiration on what I could do with it.  By the end of the day on Saturday I had a basic layout that I cannot wait to put to use.  My main use for it will be organizing items that I need and want to get done, as well as having one place for my training schedule.  Also a place to make notes on my day or events that I go to.  I also want to try and organize my blog thoughts.  I have so many ideas that roll through my brain that I want to blog about but I never remember them when I sit down to type.  If I find that I'm still using it in a couple of months, I'll go into more detail of how I've been using it.

Sunday I was up bright and early to run the Frostbite 15k.  I'll have a full post about it, but here is a sneak peak.  I kinda dreaded this race.  I dread most races the night before and morning of, but I think I am a little out of practice, which is good that I did this race.  I did packet pickup the morning of and it was very simple.  The weather was wonderful and running around the lakes was beautiful.  Couldn't have had a better morning.  I ran into running friends and it was good to catch up with them.  I did end up getting a race shirt after the race.  There were a handful left and I was able to get one in my size.  I got a PR!  Well not as exciting as it might sound, because I have never raced this distance.  I was glad I did it.

How was your week?  Have you tried Bullet Journaling before?  Did you get snow?  What was the latest that you have ever signed up for a race?  Have you ever done race day sign up?

Linking up with Holly and Tricia's Weekly Wrap Up.

How I Have Been Surviving the Cold and Snow (Friday Five Edition)

This winter has been unusually cold for us here in Virginia.  So much so that I just don't understand how people live further north where it's like this for 3-5 months strait.  While we do get part of those arctic freezes that come down from Canada, they usually only last a couple of days.  Our normal high for right now is in the low 40's and we probably hit or exceeded that only 5-6 times this month.  My new thermostat will tell me when my auxiliary heat runs for more then 6 hours and my system kicks on the auxiliary heat when it's below 20 degrees outside.  I've had to hit OK to that message every day but 2 this month.  We have also had a few snow storms this year.  None of them more then a few inches, but we don't have the amount of plows cities up north do, so our roads are usually a mess for a few days.  These are the challenges I have when I'm in a training cycle during the winter months and how I combat them.



1.  Not signing up for any race that happens between December and March.  But that's not the best option, especially if running a race in the warmer part of the country.

2.  This is the time of year when cross training is important.  Sometimes I end up cross training a little bit more and run a little less when it comes to the winter months.  This lets you keep up your cardio even if you are not running.  And a great cross training idea is water jogging.  I've done it while I was hurt and was able to keep up my training.  But I have to say it is so very boring and very hard to jump into a pull when it is this cold outside.

3.  The dreaded treadmill.  I don't mind using the treadmill once in awhile, it just seems to be an inconvenience.  Every winter I think I should just chalk up the money and buy one for the house, but I can't see spending all that money for something I would only use a few times a year.  I have a gym membership, where they have plenty of treadmills to use.  But I don't even like to drive someplace to run outside, so to have to drive someplace to run on a treadmill is so unappealing.  This season I've only headed to the gym when there was snow and ice on the road.  I've actually ventured out when it dropped below freezing.



4. Layers, Layers, Layers.  When I do laundry, I usually do one load that is just my workout clothes.  This past time I did laundry, I had so many pieces of workout clothes, I had to do two loads because I wore so many layers.  I've been looking into finding a fleece lined pair of pants, but haven't found one that fits me well.  I'm sure the moment I find a pair I like, it won't be cold enough to wear them.  I guess I should find a pair soon.  It's still a balance of wearing enough cloths and not too many when  going out when it's below 20 degrees.  And also not ending up like the kid from A Christmas Story who couldn't put his arms down when his mom dressed him to go to school.  Though I don't think I could have put on enough clothes to keep me warm on my 10 degree run.

5.  This year has been the first year that I have done more then one run a season in temps below 20 (don't laugh at me northerns!) as I usually op for the treadmill.  But this year I found that I'd rather deal with the cold then go to the gym to use the treadmill.  My biggest issue with running in temperatures below freezing is that I can't breath.  Even if I'm not out there running, the moment I step outside in freezing temperatures I start coughing.  Then I come inside and I start coughing.  My lungs just can't deal with it.  So while digging for running hats and gloves I came across this running buff that I got with a Runner Box.  I've never used it before so I thought I'd give it a try to help keep my face warm.  Well I have to say that it worked.  Though it did get hard to breath with it over my mouth after it started to get wet due to the moisture in my breath.  But it was much better then not having something.

I started looking for something that was made to go over your face and be able to handle the moisture of my breath.  I found one on Amazon that was fleece lined and bought it.  I used it for the first time when it was in the mid 20's and it worked great.  I didn't get the breathing issues at all.  Though with it being fleece lined, it was actually a bit warm, even at 25 degrees.  And the problem with this design is that if I took it off, I wouldn't have anything on my head and it was way too cold to not have something on my ears.  It was only a 3 mile run, so I survived with my head being hot.  I'll have to look for something that's not fleece lined and/or able to separate to hat and face mask.

How have you stayed warm on your outdoor runs?  Any other tips to help out a winter training cycle?  What conditions will get you on the treadmill?  

I'm linking up with Fairytales and Fitness and Running on Happy for Friday Five 2.0

Weekly Update - Even If It's 2 Days Late (Weekly Wrap-up Edition)

Last week was a very busy week.  So busy it flew by.  As in, when Friday hit, I couldn't even remember if I worked on Monday or not.

Monday we still had snow and ice on the streets, so I took off to the gym before work for my second in a row treadmill run.  At least this time I knew what I needed to do for the treadmill, that is until I noticed that it was going to end my run after 20 mins.  Well, poo.  So I decided to end that run at one mile and then start it up without it counting down the time.  I did 3 miles watching The Sopranos and it really wasn't too bad.  I feel like I really only work on speed work when I use the treadmill.  But again, I didn't want to push it too much as I'm still really early into a training cycle (one with no real base to work from).

Tuesday I got to the gym and took my class.  That evening I went to an Agile User Group.  I'm not sure if they have them for outside IT, but basically it's groups that get together once a month and have someone give a presentation.  They have them for all different jobs within IT.  They are great networking tools as well as getting fresh ideas about your job.  I did run into someone from my last job.  It was fun catching up to see how my old team was doing.

Wednesday was a planned rest day.  I had a longer run to do that weekend and am watching how many miles I run during the week when I do have longer long runs.  I also had someone coming into upgrade my security system.  While he was there he was testing the window sensors and he leaned over my kitchen table and knocked over a full, unopened bottle of vodka.  It was from a distillery in Virginia and I was really looking forward to trying it.  Not only was it all over the floor, but landed were the cat food dishes are.  It all had to be cleaned up as I not only wanted them around the vodka, but there was also broken glass everywhere.   I wasn't really upset that he did that and he did clean most of it up.  I just wish that he would have offered to repay me.  I wouldn't have let him, but the offer would have been nice.

Thursday I went to my gym class at the gym.  Friday I got out and got a 3 mile run in.  It was 65 degrees and raining.  A huge change from the week before when it was below freezing.  I got a little bit of a late start as I was watching the radar and local news and saw that if I did wait just a little bit, most of the rain would be gone.  And then a little bit of a later start as I found my head lamp's batteries were dead.  I went back into the house to get my second one.  Dead too.  I grabbed some extra batteries but neither one of them would work with the new batteries either.  I really didn't want to waste more time as I did eventually have to get to work, so I thought I would see what blinky lights I had and see if they would light up enough to see the road.  Then I saw and remembered my knuckle lights.  And the first on I pulled out was dead.  Well this looked like something was telling me I shouldn't run.  But I wanted to run more then anything because it was so warm out.  I wouldn't have this opportunity tomorrow as it was supposed to be cold again.  But as luck would have it the second knuckle light worked.  And out the door I went.

It was a little later then I planed, but it seemed like most of the rain was gone, so it probably was a good thing I had a little extra time running around the house.  When I started it was a little bit of a drizzle.  Not bad at all.  By the time I got to the end of the first mile, it was really starting to rain.  If it had been any colder I would have been upset, but it was so warm out that the rain felt good.  I'm sure the people driving by as they went to work thought I was even more crazy then normal to run in the dark and the rain.  By the end of the second mile it had gone back to a drizzle and had stopped by the time I finished.  I so cannot wait for the weather to get warmer.

Saturday I planned on doing 8 miles.  The running group had 5 and 9 miles planned.  I took their 9 mile route and guesstimated on where to turn back to make it 8 miles.  I knew that we would start off warm and then just get colder as the morning and day progress.  When I turned on the news when I woke up they said that we had already hit the high for the day at 55.  So what to wear was something I himmed and hawed about.  Since I'm a morning runner, I'm used to preparing for temperature during my run to get warmer, not colder.  So I decided to dress for the coldest temperature that I would be out there for.  And from what I could tell it would be between 35-40 by the end of my run.

I decided that I would give myself a head start and get out there about 30 minutes before the rest of the group.  With as slow as I run, I wanted to try and get the run done as soon as possible so I wouldn't be out there when it got really cold.  And I really don't run with anyone in the group.  I'm usually doing more miles then the slower people and I'm not fast enough to keep up with those doing longer runs.  As I drove to our meeting place I noticed that some people still had their decorations up.  I thought to myself that this weekend was probably time to take them down.  When I got out there and started my run, the temperature had already dropped almost 10 degrees.  There was no way I was going to be over dressed.  I brought my hat and sun glasses (as it started off cloudy, but the news said that they were going to part soon).  I put on my hat sooner then I anticipated and never needed my sunglasses.  I really had wished I brought a pair of gloves too.

I read the directions and knew where I was going and knew I needed to turn on Grace Street.  When I got to Grace Street I pulled out the directions to read the next few turns.  Well I realized when I read Grace Street, I really should have turned on Grove.  Not a huge deal, I know the area well enough that I knew how to get myself back to the route without backtracking.  So I ran on.  I ended up passing a house that still had their Christmas decorations up and had to laugh at myself.  I was glad they did as they do the "Nightmare Before Christmas" theme.  I have run by it the last couple of years, but since I had not been training for a January race, I had not seen it this season.  I then had to take back my, "it's time to take down Christmas decorations" as I was happy to see these.





As I got closer and closer to the turn around point I needed to figure out where I was going to turn around.  I didn't know the mileage difference between what I ended up running and what the route was, so I decided to just turn around where I had planned to.  And then I second guessed myself and went down to the next light.  I wanted to make sure I got in the whole 8 miles and didn't want to run around the block over and over to just hit that.  Well it turned out I really didn't need to worry about that as I ended up getting 9 miles in instead.  The extra mile wasn't too bad, but by the end, I was ready to be done.  It had gotten really cold and had dropped down to 37 degrees with a wind chill of 28 and I just wanted a hot shower.

The clouds we so beautiful as I finished up the run.  This picture does not do it justice.

Sunday was a planned rest day.  I had Monday off and I knew I wanted to get my kitchen clean.  It wasn't really dirty per say, but it was cluttered.  I have very little storage in my kitchen, so a lot of stuff ends up on the counters and kitchen table.  Which is how my vodka bottle was broken as it should have been in the cabinet but it was as full as it could get.  So really, I wanted to reorganize and see how I could get as much as I could put away.  I got the eat in section, including my table done.  I even got on my hands and knees and scrubbed the floor.  I thought that when I shoveled snow the week before that I used muscles that I never used.  But scrubbing the floor showed me even different muscles.  I'm still sore today.  Getting my kitchen cleaned meant that I stayed off the computer so that I wouldn't get distracted.  Which is why my post is two days after I planned it.  But when I look at a clean and organized kitchen, it was well worth it!

Did you get a warm day to run last week?  For those who run in the evening, how do you dress as it gets colder on your run?  When stuck on the treadmill, what do you like to watch or listen to to help pass the time?

Linking up with Holly and Tricia's Weekly Wrap Up.

First Weekly Wrap of 2018 (Weekly Wrap-up Edition)

I can't believe that the New Year was just a week ago.  It just seems like it was forever ago, or maybe I can't believe we are already a week into 2018. It's been a busy week with Snow and below freezing temperatures.

Despite freezing temperatures, I ended 2017 and began 2018 with runs.  I was very proud on getting out there even if the high temperature wasn't going to get out of the 20's.  On New Year's Eve I got out there and did my longest run since the Baltimore Marathon Relay.  With the temperatures around 25 degrees and the wind chill at about 16 degrees.  I bundled up with many layers and even found something to put over my face.  I have such a hard time breathing when it's below 35 and I was glad I found the face mask as I wouldn't have been able to finish it.  The run actually wasn't bad at all.  I feel like I dressed well and everything felt good for the whole run.



On New Year's Day I decided to get out there again.  I was carrying my top layer of clothing downstairs where I would finish getting dressed and I dropped something on the stairs and stepped on it and slipped most of the way down.  Beyond the stupid feeling, I also got rug burn on the top of my foot.  What a way to start off the year.  I walked it off and really nothing hurt, so I decided to go through with my run.

Taken a couple days after

The temperatures were about the same from the day before.  The run was another good one.  Getting a normal 3 miles in and just shaking it out from my long run the day before.  I made sure that I didn't push it and just tried to enjoy being outside.  My foot only hurt every so often and that was more of my sock rubbing the tender rug burn area.



Tuesday was my regular gym class day.

Wednesday I debated about going out for a run.  It as 10 degrees!  Yes, 10 degrees, which is the real temperature and not the wind chill.  Thankfully there was no wind, or it would have been worse.  We don't see these types of temperatures here on a normal basis.  I debated on if I should run, but I knew we were to get snow on Thursday and even if it was a little, the roads wouldn't be good for running.  I debated on going to the gym to run on the treadmill, but I hated that thought.  So after much hemming and hawing, I bundled up and headed out for 3 miles.  It was dark and it was cold, but I got out there and got it done.  I could have used some fleece pants or a third layer cause my thighs and buns were cold by the end of the run.  I'm glad I only had 3 miles on the calendar or I would have been an ice cycle.



I woke up Thursday to snow.  Here in Virginia we do not do snow very well.  We do not have the plows or cleanup like other areas do.  So I passed on going to the gym, even though they were open.  It just wouldn't be worth it if something happened on the way there.  So I went out and shoveled the drive way and that was my workout of the day.  And I have to tell you, I used muscles I hadn't used since probably the last time we had snow last year.  I was able to work from home and snuggled on the couch with the Old Lady as we stayed warm.

Taking advantage of the snow day

Since I had done my run on Wednesday I didn't have to worry about a run on Friday.  I was able to get out and go to work.  Though I have to say they hadn't plowed my neighborhood, so that was fun.  But once I was out on the main roads everything was good.  Schools around here were closed for a second day though.

Saturday I decided to push my long run off till Sunday.  I had a bunch of errands I had to run and wanted to get them done first thing.  And I am such a first thing exerciser that I knew I wouldn't do it after.  Plus they still had not plowed the neighborhood so there was no way I was going to get outside to run.  I also kept up on Social Media with those running some cold races down in Disney World.  Congrats to those who participated!!

Sunday came and I knew I wasn't going to be able to make it outside for a run.  They hadn't plowed the neighborhood and at this point I knew they weren't going to.  I don't think we had made it above 25 degrees since Tuesday and it was just ice all over the roads.  I was not going to break my neck just to get a training run in.  So that meant I either had to skip the run or go to the gym.  I really hate going to the gym to run on the treadmill.  I'd more likely run on a treadmill if I had one in my house, but I really don't have the space and can't justify spending the money to just use a handful of times throughout the year.  But times like this, I wish I had one.  So after a lot of hemming and hawing, I got my but in gear and made it to the gym.  I have to say it was packed!  I forgot that it was the New Year's Resolution gang was in full force on top of the normal upswing of people on the weekend.  This was a fallback week, so I only had 4 miles to do.  After I figured out the treadmill, I got to almost half a mile and I knocked out that stupid emergency plug and it stopped.  Once I got it started again, I just decided to start over.  I could handle doing a little extra.  I played around and did different speeds and got into a good rhythm and got the 4 miles done.  It did help that I was able to watch The Sopranos on my iPad.  Though when one of the many scenes came on with ladies with no clothes on I had to look around and make sure no one noticed.  I'd hate to think that others would think I was watching porn or something like that while getting my workout in.

Less then 2 months from Princess weekend.  Even though it took me longer then expected to get into a good training routine, I think the last few weeks have shown me that I could do it.  It feels good to get back into the swing of things again.  I hope that I can keep it up (and not get hurt)!

Oh, and I had to mention how I'm giving more money to runDisney.  Under normal years, if you ran the Star Wars Half in Disneyland and the Star Wars Half in Disney World, you completed the Kessel Run challenge.  And you get the coolest medal of them all, The Mellenium Falcon! 

They just announced that they are putting out the Star Wars Virtual Half Marathon.  You can complete that, just like the Shorts Virtual runs and get a medal at the end.  Now if you do the Star Wars Virtual Half and the Star Wars Disney World Half, you complete the Kessel Run Challenge.  With that, you get your Virtual Run medal, all the medals from the completed Star Wars Disney World races, and the Kessel Run challenge medal (plus a "Star Wars-themed Keepsake").  So I had to do it.  I have completed the first two challenges and I need to continue my streak.  Plus I'm just going to use the Princess Half as my Virtual Run.  Is that bad?  It also gives me hope that they are going to bring back the Disneyland races.

Did you get the arctic cold weather or snow this past week?  Do you have a treadmill just for these freezing occasions?  Are you training for any spring races?  

Linking up with Holly and Tricia's Weekly Wrap Up.