Training Week 64
My next race is the Frozen Zucchini Snowshoe Adventure (5K) on January 30th.
Day 442 | January 3, 2011: 5 m run
This run made me regret all the junky food I consumed over the month of December. I felt very “blah” and stopped to rest quite a few times. Sad.
I also stopped to check out the progress on the bridge being built for the new trail by our house:
Happy! It’s coming along!
But this trail? Kicks my butt. Here’s the elevation profile (same route, just upped the scale):
Maybe running it regularly will make me a stronger runner?
And P.S.:
Distance: 5.0 | Start Temp: 35° | End Temp: 34° | Time: 49:33 | Avg Pace: 9:54 | 1: 9:54 | 2: 9:40 | 3: 10:01 | 4: 9:59 | 5: 9:55
Day 443 | January 4, 2011: rest
Day 444 | January 5, 2011: cross
Recumbent Bike Time: 40:00 | Distance: 6.80 | Set on “Forest Ride”
When I was changing my socks in the gym I noticed the toenail on my second toe on my left foot was loose. Upon further examination at home, I found there was another toenail growing underneath, so I clipped the top one off. My first lost toenail! I feel like I should have a little badge or something.
So I made one. Feel free to use it if you want. Ha ha.
Day 445 | January 6, 2011: 4 m run
I felt like I was running in to the wind this entire run. How is that even possible? At least I didn’t stop at all… I just slowed down. A lot.
But… I did wear the new Tek Gear jacket from my Grandma. I love it! It has a nifty little pocket in the arm for your MP3 player, and has thumb holes. And it’s a beautiful purple color (or as Tek Gear calls it “blue iris”).
Distance: 4.0 | Start Temp: 23° | End Temp: 24° | Time: 39:31 | Avg Pace: 9:52 | 1: 9:26 | 2: 9:58 | 3: 10:05 | 4: 9:59
Day 446 | January 7, 2011: strength + cross
I did Level 1 of The 30 Day Shred with 2-lb weights. So, I am not sure when the last time I did the Shred was, and I am not looking it up, but DAMN. DAMN DAMN DAMN it was hard. A good workout for sure, I felt like I could actually feel my muscles stretching out. Maybe I will stick with it? Ha.
Steven and I went on a 2.5 mile walk in the afternoon. It was 20°F and lightly snowing. Brr!
Day 447 | January 8, 2011: 7.3 m run + stretch
Saturday was my first virtual 5K and my first run with the Grayslake Running Club! Twelve of us showed up, and I instantly found myself with 11 new friends. Everyone was very friendly and chatty, and someone (various people) ran with me the entire time, despite my slowing down. I can’t wait to get to know everyone better!
I ran 7.3 miles total, and ran the first 5K for Adam‘s Freeze Your Thorns Off Virtual 5K. I slowed down after the 5K point, and the group meet again at mile 4 (7 people stopped at 4 miles). Then I ran 3.3 more, even slower. It was cold, I was sore from doing The 30 Day Shred, it was windy, I felt out of breath, and… I’m heavy. Things will get better! I really enjoyed meeting new people and having someone to run with.
Run stats: I wore the Asics Cumulus 12s. I drank 6 ounces of water and ate a Vanilla Bean GU at mile 4. I had on wool socks, tights, pants, Under Armour ColdGear, my green Fila jacket, Under Armour Hood, Tek Gear beanie, and gloves. I took the gloves on and off a few times.
Distance: 7.3 | Start Temp: 10° | End Temp: 19° | Time: 1:15:27 | Avg Pace: 10:17 | 1: 10:09 | 2: 10:16 | 3: 9:49 | .1 : 00:59 | 4.1: 10:29 | 5.1: 10:18| 6.1: 10:31 | 7: 10:20 | .2: 2:31
In the evening I decided to try Jillian Michaels’ Yoga Meltdown (which I received for the holiday) to stretch out my muscles. Um, no. That DVD is like yoga CARDIO, and I did not need another cardio workout! I will have to try it another day.
Has anyone else done the Yoga Meltdown DVD? What did you think of it?
Day 448 | January 9, 2011: yoga
The first thing I thought when I woke up is “I am so sore and stiff!” I wasn’t planning on doing yoga first thing in the morning, but I thought it would make my day a lot better if I did! I did the YogaWorks Beginners DVD.
I wore a cute new yoga outfit that my mom gave me for the holiday. It’s Tek Gear (love!) from Kohl’s. It was perfect for yoga – it stayed right in place and allowed me a full range of motion.
Steven was in the garage on Saturday night, so that was where I had to go to have my picture taken. I first put this outfit on to use in the Yoga Meltdown, then quit 6 minutes in!
Week Summary: 16.3 miles
Despite all of my whining about my hard runs this week, I actually felt pretty motivated and energetic, so let’s hope that sticks around!
I really enjoyed running with the group on Saturday. It put me in a very good mood that lasted all day!
Freeze Your Thorns Off Virtual 5K Race Report
One of my favorite bloggers, Adam, hosted a virtual/real 5K today – the Freeze Your Thorns Off 5K. I decided to participate as my first virtual race!
Have you ever done a virtual race before?
Those lucky enough to live near Phoenix (not me) got to run the 5K, with friends, in a beautiful setting, in 45°F weather. I am not really sure if they can say they froze their thorns off.
Me though? I did (wait, do I have thorns?!). It was 10°F where I was running, with nasty wind. I was so cold, the only picture I took was when I got done running, in my car. Now, you know that is not like me. I am the Queen of Taking Too Many Pictures.
That is how cold it was – no cheesy running photos.
While I did not have the same weather conditions as the real 5K, I did get to run with friends. In fact, 11 new ones! It was my first run with the Grayslake Running Club, and I really enjoyed it.
Oh yeah, my time? Did I mention it was cold? And I did the 30 Day Shred yesterday and felt super sore? Pretty sure I didn’t mention that. Oh yeah, and that I am a bit heavier now than I was before the holiday…
Do you still want to hear my time? 31:13 (10:09, 10:16, 9:49, 00:59)
Gulp. Um, I was running slow because that was the start of my run? I went on to run 7.3 miles? Ha ha. Just kidding! That is a good time for me, right now! I am happy with it!
Clothes purge
I had four large rubber maid boxes full of clothes in my closet, so I decided to go through them yesterday, and get rid of the stuff that is the wrong size (too big OR small) or that I just don’t like anymore. I LOVE getting rid of things.
The aftermath:
I realize that is a lot of clothes. A lot of it is pants and tops that are way too big for me, and I was still holding on to for some reason.
I got down to two rubber maid boxes – one for seasonal/miscellaneous stuff (tank tops, skirts, dress suits, sweaters) and one for sentimental stuff that I can’t seem to get rid of. Stuff like sports shirts,
vegetarian themed shirts,
travel shirts,
Iowa State University shirts,
Architecture themed shirts,
this shirt I never wear because Steven hates,
and race shirts I hope to have made in to a quilt or something.
How often do you “purge” your clothes? Does you hold on to any sentimental clothing items?
Friday Question #143
What do you use for your alarm clock – an actual alarm clock or your phone (or maybe the sun, your kids, your pet, other)?
On the days I have to go to work or get up for a run, I use my phone. On other days, Data wakes me up.* Too early.
I have been using my cell phone as an alarm clock since college (2002). But I still kept my old alarm clock around:
The last time my sister, Christina, visited, she noticed that I was still using this alarm clock from middle school… and thought that was pretty sad. So she got me a schweet new alarm clock for the holiday!
(the red light is not always on)
Now, I think I WILL use an alarm clock!
Notice the other Star Wars stuff on my book stand?
We have Darth Tater (Spud Trooper is on the dresser), an R2D2 Pez**,
and even my memory board is Star Wars themed (Christina made it for me – I love it).
Yes, I am a big dork.
*Yesterday was a work at home day for me, and Data woke me up at 5:00 am. Thanks Data. The bonus of working at home is that I get to sleep in until 6:30!
**My Uncle Tom gave this to me the last Christmas I saw him, in 2005, before he unexpectedly passed away. I like to keep it where I can see it each day.
A friend is…
Check out this neat piece of art my friend Courtney gave me this holiday. It’s about an inch thick piece of glass with these words about friendship etched in it. And it’s even personalized with my name!
I love it! I put it on the shelf where we keep all of our sentimental treasures, so I can see it when I am working at my desk.
I really like its definition of friendship. Especially the emphasis of being a supporter, and a “person with whom one can laugh or cry, share hopes and dreams.” I think that sums up the type of friend/spouse/family member I want to be.
What characteristics define a friend for you?
Beside what is listed above, I also value honesty in friendship/relationships. As in, if I am being crazy about something, tell me. If I am doing something you don’t like, tell me. Be honest with me! And that is not a complaint against any friendship/relationship I am in now, just another characteristic I value.
Bad salesmanship
What comes in a box this size?
Not something for Data!
My new snowshoes!!!
Or shall I say, air guitar?
One more:
It looks like this outside:
But I know (sadly) we will get more snow. And I am going to embrace it!
I just hope that snow comes in time for the Frozen Zucchini Snowshoe Adventure I signed up to “run” on January 30th.
Okay, enough photos. I have two interesting stories to tell about these snowshoes. The first is when I tried to buy them. My brother-in-law, Andrew, gave me a Sports Authority giftcard for Christmas, and took me to Sports Authority in Kansas City to look at snowshoes. I though they sold them there, since the Sports Authority in our town does. So…
Sales Dude: Can I help you find something?
Me: Hi, where are your snowshoes?
Sales Dude (with sarcasm): Do you mean boots for walking on the snow?
Me: No, I mean snowshoes for snowshoeing.
Sales Dude (being a d-bag): We don’t sell those here! You have to be close to the mountains to use those! Muah ha ha. (Chuckles at me) I think there is another place that sells them… (tries to remember)
Me (the bitch comes out): That’s okay. You DO sell them online, so I will buy them THERE.
I am not good at re-telling stories, and Andrew may remember the exact words better than me, but basically this guy was MAKING FUN OF ME for asking him if they sold snowshoes. And being a dick by saying you can only use them near the mountain…? It was weird.
BAD SALESMANSHIP!!!
Do you have any bad salesmanship stories?
The second interesting story – I immediately went back to the house to order snowshoes. I was bummed to have to order the 8×25 Women’s Version:
because the Men’s was not available online. At all. I wasn’t digging the flowers. Well, guess what? The Men’s ones were what I received in the mail! Schweet! That is one mistake I am happy with.
Bargain shopper
For avocados…
My mom really likes avocados. And they are sometimes inexpensive where I live. So whenever I see them at a good price, I snap a picture with my phone and send it to her to tease her (so nice, I know).
I like avocados too – in the form of guacamole.
I sent this picture to my mom with the title “98¢ Guacamole” (after buying two of the 49¢ avocados). Such a brat.
We* came up with a pretty good guac recipe. It goes something like: scoop out and smash two avocados, mix in 1/2 tsp. lemon juice, 3/4 tsp. garlic power, 1/2 tsp. onion powder, 3/8 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. oregano… chill (if you want). Nom away.
Anyway, now that I have seen how low avocado prices go, I don’t really buy them when they are over $1 each (and it’s not like I buy them every shopping trip, anyway). I am an avocado bargain shopper.
There are a few other things I only buy when the price is right too – like pineapple (not in a can, the actual funky looking fruit) and pears. And apples. And toilet paper.**
Are you a bargain shopper? Do you pay attention to the price when you shop for groceries?
I used to not pay attention very closely, but I sure do now!
*Steven
**Just kidding
Data: I do what I want
Be warned, if you set a web camera up to watch your pet while you are away, they will figure it out:
And let you know they are not happy being watched by making some adjustments to the camera:
Me: I swear I didn’t leave the house upside down when we left, or tell Data he could go on the counter…
Even if you tell the pet sitter to fix the camera, your pet will find a way to let you know that he DOES NOT approve of being watched and does not want the camera fixed.
In fact, he is happy sitting on top of the expensive plasma tv (where the camera sits). The tv he gets yelled at for going on top of… or even looking at.
He wants you to turn the camera off so he can sit on the counter (naughty!) in peace.
Okay, I have to admit, even though Data was being naughty, I was just happy to see him on camera! We were gone from December 24th until January 2nd, and that is a long time to be away! I missed him!
We ended up using a pet sitting (well, check-in service) for the first time. I was nervous that leaving Data somewhere else would stress him out, and giving his licking tendencies lately, I didn’t think he needed any extra stress. So we contacted Snaggle Foot Pet Care to check in on Data. They came by for a consultation before we left, and checked in on Data four times. They left notes on how he was doing, checked for packages, watered the plants, and swept Data’s room! (Of course, they fed Data, played with him, cleaned his litter, and even gave him his Christmas present on Christmas Day). I am really pleased with their services! They did a great job, and are professional, and friendly. I recommend checking Snaggle Foot out if you are local. It looks like they have locations in other states as well.
And of course, nothing beats Tori and her kids stopping by to check on Data as well. Thanks Tori! Data loves it when you visit!
So, we’re home. The holidays and fun/festivities are over. I took today off, then it’s back to reality tomorrow. Luckily, I have a pretty full calendar ahead of me, with a lot of fun things to look forward to… otherwise, I might be feeling pretty down right now. I always feel a bit bummed after December ends. I get wrapped up in all the excitement of the month, and find that hard to match in the next few gloomy months.
How did you spend your holidays? Do you feel a bit bummed when they are over?
We were in Iowa with my family from December 24th to the 29th, then in Kansas City with Steven’s family from the 29th until yesterday, the 2nd. Since you’re dying for the day-by-day breakdown, I put it in an extended post below (of course, the whole thing always shows up in Google Reader!).
Training Week 62 & 63
A training recap in not many words… not much going on!
Day 428 | December 20, 2010: cross
Recumbent Bike Time: 45:00 | Distance: 7.59 | Set on “Forest Ride”
Day 429-433 | December 21-25, 2010: rest (just being lazy)
Day 434 | December 26, 2010: cross
I went ice skating with my entire immediate family and my aunt Sue.
Nick (my older brother) and I helped each other learn how to “skate backwards.”
No one wanted to hold my hand.
Sue brushed me off every time I fell over – that would be twice. I had quite the bruise on one knee!
Day 435 | December 27, 2010: 3.25 m run
Distance: 3.25 | Start Temp: 6° | End Temp: 7° | Time: 34:13 | Avg Pace: 10:32 | 1: 10:34 | 2: 10:55 | 3: 10:19 | 4: 2:23
Day 436 | December 28, 2010: cross
Only a few wanted to go snowshoeing with me (Aunt Sue, Mom, Dad and me).
I think it’s really fun! Enough that I used a giftcard from my brother-in-law, Andrew, and holiday money to buy my own pair of snowshoes.
Day 437 | December 29, 2010: rest
Day 438 | December 30, 2010: 2.3 m run + cross
Andrew and I ran while Steven and his dad walked.
We ran 2.3 miles and walked about 1.7.
Steven’s dad got me new running shoes for Christmas!!!
Distance: 2.32 | Start Temp: 59° | End Temp: 61° | Time: 23:49 | Avg Pace: 10:16 | 1: 9:23 | 2: 10:57 | 3: 3:28
Day 439 | December 31, 2010: rest
Day 440 | January 1, 2011: 5 m run
Andrew and I decided to tackle the hills. True hills!
Distance: 5.0 | Start Temp: 29° | End Temp: 27° | Time: 57:47 | Avg Pace: 11:35 | 1: 10:21 | 2: 11:07 | 3: 12:12 | 4: 12:11 | 5: 12:05
Day 441 | January 2, 2011: rest
Summary: 10.55 miles
Training Week 62 & 63
A training recap in not many words… not much going on!
Day 428 | December 20, 2010: cross
Recumbent Bike Time: 45:00 | Distance: 7.59 | Set on “Forest Ride”
Day 429-433 | December 21-25, 2010: rest (just being lazy)
Day 434 | December 26, 2010: cross
I went ice skating with my entire immediate family and my aunt Sue.
Nick (my older brother) and I helped each other learn how to “skate backwards.”
No one wanted to hold my hand.
Sue brushed me off every time I fell over – that would be twice. I had quite the bruise on one knee!
Day 435 | December 27, 2010: 3.25 m run
Distance: 3.25 | Start Temp: 6° | End Temp: 7° | Time: 34:13 | Avg Pace: 10:32 | 1: 10:34 | 2: 10:55 | 3: 10:19 | 4: 2:23
Day 436 | December 28, 2010: cross
Only a few wanted to go snowshoeing with me (Aunt Sue, Mom, Dad and me).
I think it’s really fun! Enough that I used a giftcard from my brother-in-law, Andrew, and holiday money to buy my own pair of snowshoes.
Day 437 | December 29, 2010: rest
Day 438 | December 30, 2010: 2.3 m run + cross
Andrew and I ran while Steven and his dad walked.
We ran 2.3 miles and walked about 1.7.
Steven’s dad got me new running shoes for Christmas!!!
Distance: 2.32 | Start Temp: 59° | End Temp: 61° | Time: 23:49 | Avg Pace: 10:16 | 1: 9:23 | 2: 10:57 | 3: 3:28
Day 439 | December 31, 2010: rest
Day 440 | January 1, 2011: 5 m run
Andrew and I decided to tackle the hills. True hills!
Distance: 5.0 | Start Temp: 29° | End Temp: 27° | Time: 57:47 | Avg Pace: 11:35 | 1: 10:21 | 2: 11:07 | 3: 12:12 | 4: 12:11 | 5: 12:05
Day 441 | January 2, 2011: rest
Summary: 10.55 miles
Hi! I’m Kim, a 40-something-year-old living in northeastern Illinois with my husband Steven, and our cats, Khaleesi, Apollo, Starbuck, and Eddard aka Ned. My current main hobbies are running, painting rocks, flying, reading, and eating. I follow a vegan lifestyle and work in an account management role. I write about a variety of topics and consider this a “life” blog – a place I can share anything that’s on my mind. Please visit the “About” page to get a better idea of who I am! 🙂
