Month: January 2013

So, when I got up this morning, with plans for 8 miles outside I knew it was going to be cold. The app on my phone was giving me single digits, though it looks like it might have been a little warmer…

Still too cold for snow, so I wouldn’t get my “I’m a bad ass running in snow flurries” feeling. *sniff* But I was determined I was running this today and I was doing it outside. (1) I HATE the treadmill. Anything longer than 4-5 miles on the treadmill makes me want to kill something and (2) once I move I won’t readily have treadmill access, and it’s still winter in PA for a couple more months. I’ve got to suck it up. So, I got dressed…

Hey, I don’t play around. You saw the temperature. And I thought it was colder than that. I head to the mall to run (which is why I couldn’t wait until it was warmer. Waiting til later = traffic at the mall = almost dying). I’m mildly amused at the progression of my Sunday running attire over the past 3 weeks–I’ve gone from capris and a t-shirt, to tights and heat tech top, to OMG THE LAYERS. In the above, I’m wearing: a long sleeve tech shirt, short sleeve tech shirt, running jacket, fleece, vest, two pairs of tights, gloves, and a hat UNDER the hood of my jacket.

So anyway, I head to the mall. And it’s effing cold for the first mile, but I do it. And I keep going. And I’m not keeping the pace I would really like, but I’m still going. And the miles pass. And I take a GU. And more miles pass. And soon the delightful voice in my ear chirps “8 miles” and I happen to be near my car so I stop. I was a little irritated when I saw that I had only actually run 7.97, but hey, close enough. I had really, REALLY wanted to do the 8 in 1:30 or less, but I’m happy with my 1:35–my PR for 7 miles up to this point was 1:38, so doing 8 in 1:35 was a high point of the day. I’ll shoot for 1:30 again next week (when my long run is 8 again).

My current running playlist (RMAO = Running My Ass Off):

• Black and Yellow ~ Wiz Khalifa
• S&M ~ Rihanna
• In the Ayer ~ Flo Rida (feat. will.I.am)
• Bonfire ~ Childish Gambino
• Slut Like You ~ P!nk
• Run This Town ~ Jay Z (feat. Kanye & Rihanna)
• Merchant of Death ~ Iron Man Soundtrack
• Lucky Strike ~ Maroon 5
• Run ~ Flo Rida (feat. Redfoo of LMFAO)
• Sex Hair ~ Mouse Rat
• How Far We’ve Come ~ Matchbox Twenty
• Blow Me (One Last Kiss) ~ P!nk
• Wake Up Call ~ Maroon 5
• Low ~ Flo Rida (feat. T Pain)
• Moves Like Jagger ~ Maroon 5
• The New Workout Plan ~ Kanye West
• Stronger ~ Kanye West
• One More Night ~ Maroon 5
• Gold Digger ~ Kanye West (feat. Jamie Foxx)

Little over an hour, but I’m gonna need more as I know that this will not get me through 8 miles next weekend. Open for suggestions. Bring it on. Clearly I like the Rap and the Hip Hop. 🙂

Went to the mall to run today. It was chilly, windy, but not awful. I wasn’t bundled to the hilt. As you can see…

The only things I added were my phone armband and a hat. And kudos to Columbia–that top is from their OmniHeat line and it did keep me comfortable while I was running. I wasn’t too cold or too hot. Mad props, yo, ‘cause I was a little worried.

So roomie and I head out. She’s got 4 on her schedule, says she’ll walk until I’m done. Cool. We CRUSH the first mile with a totally unintentional sub-10:00 pace (9:58). I’m always happy to see a 10:00 or less, but doing it in the first mile usually blows me out. Today it did not. I barely felt it. Maybe I was just numb from the wind, but while we did slow down for the next couple of miles (12:14 and 12:12), I still felt good and strong and didn’t need to walk at all. She is recovering from The Sickness still and needed to walk at one point so she waved me on and I sped up a little (as I do). The rest of the run was solid (11:18, 11:26, 11:34) and my average pace was 11:33, so I was happy. I’m always shooting for average pace between 11 and 11:30, so I’ll take being that close when my first mile was sub-10:00. Felt really, really good. Though admittedly, when I got home my knees said “WHAT?!” when they saw the stairs in from the basement. So…tomorrow will be a rest day and I will make sure I sleep properly tonight.

Back to four running days per week, even though two of them are only 2 mile days, and I have to psych myself up for those because for a distance freak like me 2 miles is not something I get excited about. But my long run next weekend–8 miles. CAN’T WAIT. Real distance! Finally! So pumped. 😀

I’m signed up for 5 races ALREADY this year. FIVE. That’s how many I did total last year (and most of those were 5k). Three of the races I’m signed up for so far are half marathons. And there will be more. Oh, there will be more.

WHO AM I?! Sometimes I’m not sure, but I know that I like it. 😀

Yeah, 4.46 miles isn’t long, at least not to me. But after being sick all week it felt triumphant. I was too weak to get through even a mile on Friday, so doing more than 4 straight felt really, really good.

Ran outside again. It was cloudy and overcast, in the 60s. A rarity for January in PA to be sure. Not good, from a global climate standpoint, but I will take it. Capris and a tee in January? I’m in.

Looking forward to getting back on schedule this week–5 easy on Tuesday, 4 tempo on Thursday, 6 miles on Sunday (my longest run of this training cycle–can’t wait!). My last week of 3 training runs, then I’m back to 4 days a week, and I can’t wait. I’m really working on getting the XT in there because I know I need it for other reasons, but I can not WAIT to run more. I ::heart:: running.

After the run I came back, bantered with a friend, took a nap, had some food, and got caught up on my Steelers reading for the week (hey, if I can’t watch ‘em, I gotta get my fix).

Got to run outside today. After treadmilling it for the past week or two, I was so happy that I could just go outside, even though I was flying solo. I was nervous about it because pacing has always been my weak point. In Vermont (and sometimes even on trips home to Ohio) I tend to go slower and not push because I’m by myself. Or I start off way to fast and run out of gas after the first mile and have to walk for awhile to recover. But today was golden.

1) I love running in the cold. I don’t mind bundling up to run. I’d rather run in cold than heat. True facts.

2) It flurried while I was running. I love running in snow flurries. It makes me feel bad ass. Adding to the bad ass feeling? The hardest flurries were while the Iron Man theme was playing on my phone. Rock. On.

3) My splits and pacing were awesome. Not negative, but I don’t care. I was solidly in 11-11:30 territory for the entire run. By myself. I was relatively consistent. By myself. I really am improving. I didn’t blow out too fast, and I kept pushing. If I started to flag I kept my goals in mind (race times and knowing that I’ve challenged a male friend of mine and I’m determined to chick his ass).

I’m having the LAZIEST day ever. EVER. I didn’t change out of pajamas until 5:30 this evening. And then I put on new pajamas because I needed to wash the old ones. I can’t tell you the last time I did NOTHING at all when I wasn’t sick. It feels amazing. I really needed it today. I’ve done nothing but chill with the cat and play on the internet.

So I have this bikini. It will likely never see the light of day because I can’t imagine getting my body to a point I’d be comfortable enough wearing it in public, but hey, never say never, right? At any rate, I occasionally take pics in it just to see progress. I usually do, but being me, it’s not dramatic or ‘enough’ really. Today while going through some files on my computer I found the pics I took in it last January.

Holy. Fuck.

I look completely different. I’ve lost 30 pounds (which to me doesn’t sound like a lot, even though I know it’s a significant amount) since I took last year’s pictures but the difference is astounding. I won’t post them (sorry), because I’m not comfortable with that, but damn, being able to actually see the difference in my body makes me feel really good.

Maybe I’ll share them someday, but I’m not ready yet. Right now the girl in the before picture is a little too fresh. I still *feel* more like her than the girl in the during picture (it’s not really an after because I’m not ‘done’ yet). Putting that out there will make me feel a little more naked, a little more exposed than I’m comfortable with.

I am learning so much. Which is awesome, because I’ve never been a dater, and I have much to learn.

149.5 this morning.
I have not been below 150 in 7-8 years.
*does happy dance*

Everyone in the office is bringing in their leftover holiday junk food. So far it has been easy to resist. It looks delicious but it’s sweet stuff that is easier for me to pass on. Smelling the marshmallows at the grocery store seems to do enough for me. LOL

Today Fed Ex brought us bagels. From Panera. With cream cheese. I still passed. I wanted one, to be sure, but I’m so freakin close to the 140s and I want that more.