Procrastination, Yoga and Beer

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The school I teach at on Mondays is on their mid-winter break this week, so I had the day off. 

I actually planned ahead for tonight's dinner when I was at the store yesterday (which pretty much never happens). Pot roast and veggies were cooking away in the Instant Pot by 10am. That thing is seriously handy - especially with our limited kitchen and the sub-zero temperatures we've been having.

Negative wind chills just don't scream grilling weather.

Our weather is supposed to be all over the place this week. We were down to -10 this weekend (not counting the wind chill), and it's supposed to be around 53 tomorrow. It snowed this morning and is supposed to turn to rain sometime in the night.

I changed into my running gear this morning and then proceeded to sit around and play on my computer for a while. I can't just head straight out the door. That would be weird.

After about an hour of procrastination, I finally hit the road. It was not warm.

Running in the cold is tricky. I always manage to be too hot in some places, and too cold in others. I kept pulling my neck gaiter down because it would be too much, and then it would freeze, and my face would freeze, so I would pull it back up again.

I have been really good about rolling out my yoga mat lately, even after Yoga Camp ended. Seriously, I've done at least 10 minutes (usually more) of yoga every day this month. I'm convinced it is helping my running and recovery since it is a good combination of strength and stretching - two things I pretty much don't do otherwise.

I had to try this beer. I kept seeing it at the store, and I finally bought some yesterday.

This beer smells amazing, but sadly does not taste as good as it smells. It was ok, but not anything I would buy again. 

A Frigid Weekend Wrap-up

This is a little bit of a random post, but I'm pretty sure you're used to it by now.

This used to be a window. Now the other side of that wall is the master bathroom. 

Tom made a delicious deep-dish pizza in the cast iron pan on Thursday. There were no leftovers.

It was COLD this weekend. I did a little pre-run layering strategizing on Saturday. I ended up wearing all of this except for the New Balance half-zip. I was almost too hot.

This was the weather a bit before I left the house:

It actually got colder by the time I got home. The wind was the worst part, but I'm glad I got my 8 miles in.

When I woke up today (Sunday) it was -10 degrees. That was the actual temperature, not the feels like temperature. Thank goodness it was a running rest day, because there was no way I was going outside to run.

Buddy is not a fan of the cold. He's been spending even more time than usual hiding in his cave bed.

The addition is really starting to look like a real house!

This is in our new bedroom. The doorway on the right is the hallway, the doorway on the left is the master bathroom.

This is from the other side of the room, the doorway is the same hall doorway in the picture up above.  The big opening is going to be our closet.

We can officially access the new attic space without a ladder! Tom and our neighbor put the stairs in this weekend.

And Buddy did this.

It's possible that I registered for another half marathon this weekend too. That means I have 2 half marathons and a trail 10k coming up, and there are several other races on my radar. I will probably end up with at least one more half and a full in the fall.

But then, the plan can always change!

Running on Empty

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I have been terrible about getting enough sleep this week. I keep saying I am going to go to bed early, and then time gets away from me and it just doesn't happen. I'm working on it. 

In theory.

I had a really good run yesterday! It almost didn't happen, because I was full of excuses and really didn't want to run, but I was happy after about a mile. 

My training plan called for a 40 minute tempo run, and due to my procrastination, I did not have 40 minutes of daylight left. Fortunately, I had my super cool light up vest and my Knuckle lights that Tom got me for Christmas. The combo definitely made me highly visible and I had no problem seeing the road. Pretty cool!

I felt super strong on this run, and ended up with just over 5 miles at an 8:59 pace. 8:39 pace if you don't include my warm up mile.

And then there's today's run. It was only supposed to be 3 miles at an easy pace, but I had nothing left.

Apparently if I race a 10k, a 5k, and have a killer tempo run over the course of five days, it will catch up to me.

I managed 2.5 miles at a 10:22 pace.

Most of the sheetrock is up in the addition now, they started taping and mudding in the living room today.

In even more exciting news: Tom fixed our bathtub today! The shower has been draining more and more slowly for a while now. Every time anyone showered they ended up standing in several inches of water. It was getting pretty gross. Now it drains better than ever and I'm weirdly excited for my shower tomorrow! 

It's the little things. :)

Clashing and Running

Some randomness from my day:

My car has a little spot that is just right for a container of Nuun. 

I'm not sure I could clash any more if I tried. In my defense, I don't go out looking like this.

You can't tell, but it was snowing really hard when I took this picture.

So I quite naturally changed really quickly to go for a run in the snow. It was snowing harder than I thought it was and I had snow flying in my eyes for the first half mile. It was fun though!

I can't believe that Yoga Camp is almost over! There are only two days left, and I'm very seriously considering signing up for Adriene's streaming subscription. She has tons of videos on YouTube, but there are a lot more (and longer ones) on her member site.

I haven't done any headstands in a while. I got a little in my own head after I fell out of one last year and tweaked my neck. I decided it was time to start working on them again, because I really do like doing them. After yoga camp today I managed to kick up (near a wall, but without using the wall) into a headstand. Hopefully soon I'll get back to doing them in the middle of the room.

Buddy's ready for the weekend. He's been running with Tom a lot lately, so he's even sleepier than usual. I'm sleepier than usual too, but that's mostly my own fault since I can't seem to get to bed at a reasonable hour lately.

More Snow

We ended up getting around 8 inches of snow yesterday, which is much nicer than the 18 inches they thought we were going to get. 

I threw on some trail running shoes (for added traction) and hit the road for four miles this morning.

The roads were clear for the most part. There were just a few areas of slush and snow. The real danger was the people driving like maniacs through the neighborhood. One car flew by way too fast and way too close and ended up kicking a (small) rock up into my face.

Thanks.

On the bright side, it didn't leave a mark, but it definitely stung.

It was really pretty out though!

I took Buddy out to run around the yard when I got home. It doesn't take much to wipe him out for the rest of the day.

I can't believe how fast this month has gone. There is only a week left, which means only a week of yoga camp left! I'm already trying to decide what I'm going to do when yoga camp is over. I want to keep doing yoga, and it's been proven that I'm more likely to stick to something if I have a plan.

Snow Day

My training plan called for 5k at race pace today. That didn't end up happening. Barely anything ended up happening. 

The snow started at 8am and pretty much hasn't stopped. If it were just snow, I probably would have gone out for a run, but the wind made that a little lot less appealing. 

Buddy and I ran around the yard this afternoon - we've gotten a lot more snow since I took these pictures. 

It seemed like a good day to try out one of the hot chocolates that Tom's parents gave us for Christmas.

We only had jumbo marshmallows from making s'mores this summer, so I tore one up to add to my mug.

I did today's yoga camp video and 3 minutes of planks (not all at once), but otherwise spent a lot of time playing on my computer and watching Harry Potter.

There are worse ways to spend a day.

Windy Running

I miss my treadmill. 

The wind is SO cold right now, which makes me really miss the temperature controlled basement where my treadmill used to live. I didn't have to wear all the layers, I could just go downstairs. 

Yes, I realize that I was just saying I wanted it to be winter, but I am not a fan of the wind we have had the last few days. 

I don't mind the cold - I have gear for that, but the wind just cuts through everything. 

Running outside definitely provides a prettier view than the treadmill though. 

The 100 day fitness challenge group that I'm in is in the middle of a plank challenge. I hate planks. We're up to 2 1/2 minutes and I just cannot hold my plank that long. I made it about 1:45 today and did a couple more after for a total of 3 minutes of planks.

I know core work is good for me, I just don't like it.

Do you have a favorite way to work your core? Or do you just ignore yours like I do?

Winter Warrior

There's something extra tough feeling about running when it's stupid cold out. I mean, not really stupid cold, I did wait until the "feels like" temperature was above zero.

After having a freezing pair of legs on my run yesterday, I tracked down my serious winter tights (this is the newer version of what I have) - they're fleecy on the inside! They feel super restrictive at first, especially compared to the shorts I was wearing a few weeks ago, but they definitely do the trick when it's frigid out.

My training plan had speed work for today. Running faster is so much more mental than anything else for me. I get in my head and convince myself I can't do it. I can't run fast. Woe is me.

But I know I can if I try. I figured out how to set intervals on my watch (which I didn't know it could do) and ran my warm up to the flattest area in our neighborhood to run some 400m repeats.

The repeats were supposed to be at 5k pace, but I haven't run a 5k in so long I just ran them comfortably fast (if that makes sense). I don't know if I could maintain that pace for a 5k right now, but I was happy with my repeats, and now I have a baseline to compare future workouts to. The training plan I'm following alternates repeats and tempo runs every week.

I baked a potato in the wood stove tonight. It's hard coming up with one person meals with our limited cooking options. Tom has been working in the city this week, so I've been on my own for dinner the last couple days.

I tend to have snack meals when left to my own devices. This mish mash was my lunch today.

Grapes, strawberries, almonds, bell pepper, chips and queso. Don't be like me.

It was delicious.

Are you an all weather runner?

What's your favorite dinner? I need inspiration.

Back At It

I had just enough of a break from work to start sleeping in again. The alarm this morning was definitely a rude awakening.

I spent a ridiculous amount of time wandering around the grocery store after work. I am the queen of indecision and I couldn't think of anything that sounded good for dinner. I'm a little surprised no one asked me if I needed help...or if I was lost.

It got COLD today!

Half marathon training has begun! Not that I've actually registered yet, but Sleepy Hollow is a small race, so I don't have to worry about it selling out. I did register for a 5k the other day though. I haven't raced a 5k in...years I think. It's not my strongest distance, but some friends are going to be running it, and I convinced Tom to sign up too!

I had to dig out my one pair of full length tights for my run today. I even wore a long sleeve shirt under my jacket, which never happens. The wind was super cold.

I had to keep turning my neck gaiter - every time I pulled it down it would freeze. The funny thing was that it didn't even cross my mind to not run today. I'm sure our neighbors think I'm crazy.

Most of the time I do my yoga upstairs in the office, but I was so cold after my run today that I brought my mat downstairs and set up by the wood stove. I pretty much love all of Adriene's videos (which is why I never stop talking about them), but I am really enjoying Yoga Camp!

I absolutely refused to wear five layers to go outside and cook dinner, so I used the wood stove instead. It actually turned out pretty tasty - and I was warm the whole time! I count that as a win.

Apparently the roaring fire I have going isn't good enough for Buddy tonight. He kept pawing at his bed and looking at me sadly until I helped him get in his cave. He hasn't moved since.

Are you a shopping list maker or do you wander the store like me?

Have you started registering for races yet? 

Wintery Weather

It snowed last night!

Ok, so it mostly sleeted and made a mess around the neighborhood, but that's a step toward some actual winter weather! I'm not complaining. I've been waiting all summer/fall for some cooler running weather. Bring it on!

We spent the morning waiting for the building inspector to come, and after several hours we found out he had his schedule all messed up and would come in the afternoon instead.

Tom is on the hunt for some new running shoes, so we took a bit of time before lunch to check out a few stores around us. The holidays must have wiped everybody's stock out, because there were hardly any options.

Then we had to rush home to eat some lunch before the inspector arrived. On the bright side, we didn't have to rush to get lunch eaten. He was late again. But at least the rough plumbing inspection is done and now we can move on to the next step.

With a half hour before sunset, Tom and I hit the road for a quick run, and managed to avoid the icy patches.

After laying around for longer than I should have post-run, I did a little yoga (with Adriene - she's my favorite). I was really sore after Sunday's yoga class and run. I'm not sure if it was just the yoga class (which was challenging) or the combination of a tough class followed by a run, but either way, the only thing I wanted to do yesterday was some really gentle yoga/stretching.

I still find it a little strange that I like yoga all of a sudden, but I'm just going with it.

My mom gave us more Blue Apron for Christmas, which we're really excited about! I had so much fun with the recipes last time. I can't wait to see what we get this time around. Our next box will be here tomorrow! For tonight though, we're planning on Chinese food, which I'm also excited about. :)

What's for dinner at your house? 

Are you excited for winter weather?

Apparently Consistent Training Helps

Think winter is over? The weather has other plans.

We're supposed to get another 3-5 inches of snow tomorrow. And it was almost all melted off too! On the bright side, it's not supposed to stick around. 

Today's run was a tempo. I started off watching netflix and ended up playing angry music (think Linkin Park) instead. I needed loud music to keep me going. This is how it played out: 1 mile warm up, 4 miles @ 7:54, 1 mile cool down. I was definitely ready to stop when I hit my miles, but I was still feeling strong

I spent some time looking at my training plans from my races last year, and I can't get over how much faster my average pace is! My tempos were 9:30-10:00 miles - it's amazing what consistent training can do!

Something about this week is making me constantly hungry. It's not like I suddenly increased my mileage or anything, but I'm just hungry ALL. THE. TIME.

Since my mom complained about the lack of Buddy pictures yesterday, here's a picture of him surveying the yard in the sunshine.

And then he got tangled in his leash.

10 days until the West Point Half Marathon!