December Lull, Running gifts, and dogs, of course

I'm honestly a little embarrassed by my running so far in December...up until this last week, it has not been a good month! We've been hit with some really cold weather and snow. I know, weather should not be an excuse, especially since I still have a gym membership.

Beautiful morning run from early December.

The runs that I have done have all been just okay.  Besides the standard 4-6 mile runs, I have done a couple of workouts on the treadmill-two miles warm up and then .7 miles hard (about 6:22 pace) and .3 easy x 4, and a mile CD. Running a workout on the treadmill is so much easier than going for a distance run.  Those people that can do that (a long run on the treadmill) must have a special sense for ignoring the time/distance slowly ticking by, or have a really amazing playlist to listen to. Mr. B ran ten on the treadmill the other night like it was no big deal...at least he admitted to me later that he wasn't a fan. After that he has done his runs outside- even the long 17 milers in close to 0 degrees!

Hardcore.

That is why I got him a running jacket for Christmas- the Nike Element Shield full zip:

from Nike.com

I went to Run N Fun, of course, and they had so many options! It took me a long time to pick out a jacket for him. Running clothes can be tough to buy for others since there are so many options and everyone likes different features. But I knew I wanted to get him one with the cuffs that extend over the hand with thumb holes, wind and water resistance, reflective strips, and a longer back than front. This one met all those requirements, plus it wasn't as flashy as some of the others. So far I think he really likes it!

Mr. B provided me with some of my own running goodies for my birthday and Christmas! My birthday present was a Garmin Forerunner 10. I love it. It is the most simple option they have, and that is perfect for me. All I want is the time, pace, and distance, and that is exactly what I get. I think you can download the runs onto the Garmin site too so that you can see splits and other stats. I always used my watch and online mapping site to figure out my runs, and then I started using the map my run app when I got my new phone. But the Garmin is a lot less bulky than my phone so no more running with the phone!
 
He also gave me the Nike Element Shield pants:

Photo from Nike.com- mine do not fit this snugly; I like my pants to have a little room.

And the Nike element half zip:

pic also from nike.com. I can't get enough shirts with thumb holes!!

Plus, some Smartwool socks! Very nice and warm. I think there's a saying that goes something like "there's no bad weather, just bad clothing" (or did I make that up? Did my college coach make it up to trick the team into running outside?). In any case, the new gear definitely makes outdoor running more tolerable when it's frigid and windy. 

Rodgy did not get any running stuff for Christmas; he got a new rope toy and he loves it. 

Here are some more pictures of dogs, since one dog picture is clearly not enough:

 

I found this black dog wandering the streets of St. Paul on my way to run some errands. He had a collar on so he clearly belonged to someone but there were no tags or anything. He was a sweetie, and jumped right into my car when I called him. I took him to the Animal Humane Society where they scanned him for a microchip, and luckily the information was current, so dog and owner were reunited.

Ari, my old running buddy. His mileage these days is even lower than mine so he's put on a few pounds. Still a lover though!!!

Thumb holes in running tops: Yay or Nay?
Did you get any running gear for a holiday gift? What kind?

Smells like cross country....and poor preparation

Do you ever associate smells with a specific season? To me, fall smells crisp, cool, and fresh (if that is even possible....). The summer humidity is *finally* gone, the mornings are slightly chilly, and running feels so GOOD!! I love love love running in the fall.

Hello St. Paul Fall Scenery..

 I loved running cross country, and still get nervous flutters in my stomach if I go running on certain routes in the fall. The smell of the season plus being on a route where I used to do workouts just brings me back to my more competitive days. Weird? Probably..but also pretty motivating!

Too bad the fall motivation didn't kick in earlier this summer for me- maybe then I would feel more ready for the TC 10 Mile this weekend! About six weeks ago I thought, oh six weeks left, no big deal I'll kick it into high gear and be fine...and then last weekend I thought, SHIT. Next weekend is the race. My preliminary goal was 70:00 but at this point...I'm not sure that is going to happen.

Running since September 10:

13 miles the week of the 8th
14.6 miles the week of the 15th
10 (!wtf) miles the week of the 22nd
10 miles so far this week.

Is that a recipe for disaster? Yes, probably, yes. Most of my runs are at around 6:55 pace so at least I have that going for me? I guess?! Yikes. I think this is my lowest mileage...ever. Or at least since 7th grade. Oh, and did I mention that a good friend's birthday party is Saturday night? Yeah this might not be my best race.

At least I have fancy new shoes to get me going! I went to Run N Fun to see if they had any of my beloved Ravenna 3s in stock...of course not, but I found a new shoe!

Conveniently advertising for Run N Fun on my socks.

These are the New Balance 870s (last year's model, I believe). I have worn them twice and really like them! They aren't as light as the Mizuno Inspires and are definitely more "shoe" than the Ravennas. But I think they'll do just fine, though I think I might still wear my Nike racing shoes for the 10 mile (I need every advantage I can get).

Non running related:

Rodgy and I went to a local self-serve dog "spa" (Bubbly Paws on Grand Avenue) and clearly he loved it:

 

Look at that face. So betrayed.

I actually did love it- I got a clean dog and my bathroom didn't look like a disaster. And since I'm clearly obsessed with dogs, this past Saturday I volunteered at the Great Minnesota Pet Together, which is an annual adoption bonanza with the Animal Humane Society and a ton of other shelter and rescue groups, at the State Fairgrounds. And I was thisclose to adopting this lover:

Gah those eyes...that tail....that scruffy little guy

Fortunately, I didn't get a chance to adopt him, because the sweetest little boy took him home as a gift from his grandma. So, it was still a happy ending! The event was a huge success despite the weather, and I was glad to be a part of it!

* If you are ill-prepared for a race, what do you do? Drop out? Suck it up and run?
* What is your favorite season & why?

Racing into shape

Happy Friday! It has been a crazy week and I haven't been this excited for the weekend in a while.

The track workout on Tuesday was successful, and really fun! However...it was also very hot out.


When I got into my car after work...yikes.

I'm not used to running in the heat yet! But there was a pretty stiff breeze so it wasn't terrible. I met up with Meg, her husband, and Larissa, and we decided to run eight 400 meter repeats with 2:00 recovery. We warmed up for about 12 minutes and then hit the track. Our intent was to run the intervals at 1:42. However, my pacing for our first one sucked so we ran 1:31. Since we all felt good, and 1:42 seemed too slow anyway, we just maintained 1:30 for the repeats.

The track was really busy- there was a triathlon group training, some college bros playing 500 on the infield, and some other random folks jogging in lane 7. It was a little crazy but I loved seeing all the people enjoying the nice weather!

Wednesday is my half day so I bought new running shoes (I found a pair of the Ravenna 3s in my size at a local store! yes!!) and ran 7 miles in Minneapolis, around the lakes.

Hello gorgeous.

I took yesterday off and will only go about 4 tonight..because tomorrow I am running a 10 mile race! Yes, I am trying to race myself into shape for the half marathon! Runner's World can explain this concept better than me...but basically, you use races as quality workouts to improve your fitness before the goal race. I'd like to run the race tomorrow in 70:00- the course is supposed to flat so that shouldn't be too much of a problem. Is this a good idea? I guess I'll find out on June 22!

Could you have resisted????

NRR (not running related): the Animal Humane Society had a plethora of adorable puppies when I volunteered on Wednesday, including the little lover above. I am so impressed that I did not walk out of there with another dog.

And a new beer! This is an oatmeal milk stout. It is pretty good- I'd rate it a 7.5 out of 10. It is a little heavy for summer- it might be time to switch to some lighter stuff (or margaritas)!

Favorite summer drink?
- Gin and Tonic with lime

TC One Mile Race Report

Last night was the TC 1 Mile race! It was so much fun (they had a photo booth type area set up!) even though right up to the gun I was cursing my friend for convincing me to run it. I guess I'll never get over the pre-race jitters!

We don't look nervous, just awesome.

It was the ninth annual running of this event, which is held on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis. The race is limited to 3,300 runners who compete in seven different waves (imagine 3000 people all starting a one mile race at once...).

The first two waves (Friends & Family and Corporate Team Challenge) are pretty crazy and packed with runners. The first year I ran this I had no clue what to do so I ran the Friends & Family wave. There was a lot of child dodging involved and there were not a lot of people to run with towards the end.

This year my friend Meg and I entered in the Open wave (described as for "competitive runners under 40). We figured it would be a good field that we could hold our own in. I met Meg at her house and we ran the 2 miles over the start of the race. I had picked up our packets on Wednesday so we didn't have to check in or anything. We got there really early and stood around for a little while with some of my coworkers who I badgered into running the race. It was way colder and windier than I had expected, and I did not dress appropriately! I had planned on racing in a tank top and shorts but wound up keeping my super non-technical hoodie on for the race. I also wore my kick ass new shoes: 


Nike Lunaracer. Just as pink in real life.

I was a little nervous about these since I bought them on Wednesday (yes the night before the race). But I love them! They are super comfortable and still felt fast. There are some other great color combos on the Nike web site...so I might get another pair!

Anyway. Meg and I warmed up by jogging around the block a few times before it was time to get in the chute. They had pace markers so you could line up where you think you should be. We were just behind the 6:00 group. The Open Wave was definitely not as big as the other waves and for a while there we were nervous that we were going to look like idiots and get our butts kicked. I guess everyone was also warming up because more people filtered into the corral and I was confident that I could beat at least some of them.

Our plan was to run comfortably hard for the first 400 and not sprint out and die. Well it felt hard, and not comfortable. My legs were cold and felt all locked up for the first 400- I think we hit that in 1:23/24 ish. However, from that point I got into a good rhythm and just kept rolling. I think we hit the half mile at 2:50/51. No idea what we hit 1200 in, but this is where Meg typically pulls away from me in short races like this- and  yesterday was no exception. She finished in 5:43 and I was done in 5:45. Not too bad, although I was hoping for under 5:40 (next year!). We had a pretty generous tailwind so that helped of course!

Overall this was a great, well organized race. Mile races are pretty rare these days, and I love how many people participate in this one!
For runner nerds: Nick Willis won the men's race in 3:56, and Sarah Brown won the women's in 4:33.3. For a good recap, check out Down the Backstretch.
***********************************
Photo booths: love them or leave them?
-I love them. The more props, the better.

Do you still get nervous before races?

Eleven days in a row.

As of yesterday, I have gone for a run 11 days in a row. Full disclosure: I'm not sure if running 2.5 miles with Rodgy can actually count as a run. The first 1.5 miles definitely counts- he loves to go out hard- but at that point he puts on the brakes and it is a slow jog back in. But at least I got out, right??


Are you blaming me for short runs? I'll kill you with my laser eyes.

Anyway. This week I am at 28.75 miles. I know that is not a lot compared to some crazies...but I'll take it!

Sunday: 6.75 miles @ 7:24 pace. I ran from my house and I'll never do this route again. West 7th between St. Clair & Randolph is sketchy by car...and even worse on foot. Broken glass? Old undies on the sidewalk? Pass!

Monday: 4 miles @ 7:45 pace. Treadmill. Nice and easy

Tuesday: 6 miles @ 7:24 pace. I'm nothing if not pace-consistent. I did a treadmill workout- 10 minutes WU, followed by 3 min hard/2 min moderate (six times) and then a short CD to get me to 6 miles. I think my 3 min portions were at 6:50 and the 2 min were at 7:30.

Wednesday: 7 miles @ 7:01 pace. Somehow this run ended up faster overall than my workout. I'll chalk it up to running outdoors, by the lakes, in the beautiful sunny weather, on my half day (oh yeah every Wednesday is a half work day for me!). I also ran about 2.5 miles with Rodgy after but I didn't log those.

** BONUS I bought a new running shirt on Wednesday! It is just a simple one from Nike but I love these shirts. Loose enough to be comfy but not too baggy.


I even got it in this crazy hot pink color.

Thursday: 5 miles @ 7:15 pace. Another nice outdoor run. I went to the river in St. Paul. It was crazy packed with runners and walkers! That always makes me so happy, seeing everyone out and about.

So, am I going to keep this streak alive? Run everyday for the rest of my life? Ha. No. My legs are feeling a little sad, and I am stressed out about work and therefore did not get good sleep at all last night. So, tonight I will grant myself a day off. Have a nice weekend!

***
Sketchiest place you have every gone running?
Where do you draw the line at counting miles as "runs"? Is it a certain pace? Distance? I usually say it has to be three miles... but I made an exception for my 2.5 mile Rodgy run.

I'm In!

I got in to the Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon! I'm actually not too surprised...I've gotten in every year I've registered and I actually wonder if everyone gets in. The fact that you have to enter the lottery might just be how they entice people to enter- because you might not get in! My sister got in and we'll see if Mr. B decides to run it. He would get "elite" status and a free hotel room! So I hope he does because hello free hotel! I just hope that he doesn't have to share a room with another runner because then I am out of luck!!

Mr. B loves chocolate chip cookies. He has been trying to perfect his recipe for a while. Here is his latest attempt:

Not great. The dough is delicious....but the cookies are so flat!!! I think it is because the recipe has butter and so the dough just spreads out. Any tips for making thicker, more substantial cookies???

Could I bring more stuff with me to the gym?? Two sports bras, two shirts (I change between my run and core work/stretching...I sweat a lot okay?!?! it is totally normal), a sweat towel (I'm serious....a lot), deodorant, sweatpants, sweatshirt, headphones, Ipod, tablet,  makeup remover, socks, headband....

Packing up

I ran about 6 miles outside yesterday- more ice hurdles and dodging slush. I ran hard up the hills on my route to give myself a little more of a workout. Tonight I went 6 miles in 44:20 on the treadmill. I felt bad because the gym was pretty full and there was a lady trolling the cardio machines, waiting for someone to get off their machine. But this gym doesn't have time limit signs or anything so...wait your turn!

I will leave you with one of the cutest Rodgy pics (of February):

So so cute!!! He is wiping his nose or something. Rodgy went a little too hard at the dog park yesterday and hurt his hip. He really exploits his injury and demands extra treats. What a lover.