So...what do you do on the coldest night of the year?

If you are a member of our run club...you start hill training.

I was smart enough to have 2 layers on the bottom and 3 on the top but forgot my neck warmer so it was not pleasant at the beginning of the warm up but once we moved into the valley we were training in, I was fine. I really wish I had a camera to take a picture of all of us - more than 20 - all running in the dark with our headlights on, reflective gear, flashing lights etc. I tested out my newest purchase last night:

I liked it - it didn't give me a headache, it didn't move around and .... it was a light. There you go.

We were quite the show running up and down, back and forth in the freezing cold -I actually passed someone coming out of their house when I was running back to the parking lot who asked: "what is all the running about?" I told him we were training, specifically the Around the Bay race. He wished me luck.....I think he meant well.

We did 6 repeats total for a distance of about 7km. We did a warm up from the parking lot, downhill to the first hill that is part of the Bay route known as "Heartbreak hill" (it isn't that bad...people can be drama queens..) THis part is now closed to traffic so we didn't have to worry about cars (or plows like last year) but the street lights are also hence the need on this section for headlamps. From there we did 3 repeats on this side, making sure that we DIDN'T use the downhill as recovery. This is still supposed to be a Zone3 run so hard the whole time. Once this was done, we went back to the other side and did 3 repeats there.

Overall I was really happy with the training last night. I am in way better shape than last year. I didn't walk at all and actually felt like I could have done another - but am glad I didn't as I hauled ass home for a shower and PJs.

Mmmm shower and PJs are on tap for tonight as well. The hubs is away so the cats are clinging on to me like I too will leave so it makes for good insulation now that Winter has finally arrived.

Friday relax, Sat torture and Sunday gift

Rest day on Friday was throughly enjoyed. We hit up the movies and saw Sherlock Holmes which we both loved. We hit the hay early as I knew I was in for a brutal spin/conditioning class on Saturday. And brutal it was. Spin was a full 60 min with 3 Zone3 repeats (total of 37 min HARD) and short break and then ending with 2 Zone 5 repeats. I was actually scared to get off the bike at the end as I thought my legs might give out. But they didn't so we started in on our conditioning class which is getting harder and harder each week:
15 min straight of abs
walking lunges
wall sits - 3 sets of 1 min, 1.5 min and 2 min. 2 freakin' minutes ain't easy..trust me.
pushups, low pushups, tricep pushups
bridges, planks etc.
Yep...fun. We then headed up and cleaned the house and did a full body crash for the night.
Sunday's gift was the amazing weather we had for the end of January...overcast but no snow and temps on the plus side. It was a good run overall. The last 3km were tough and we did some complaining - i.e. "Man I hate this street.." "where the hell is the turn?" and the Fbomb may have been dropped but we still had fun and a great way to spend a Sunday morning in my opinion.
This week is another tough week as .....hill training starts.
Eeeeppp.

6 days of training X 2 adults = how much laundry?

A crapload apparently...
I have been trying to be more diligent about washing all our technical running/biking stuff together using actual sport wash:





The main reason is not so much to try to get the stink out of our technical stuff (in the end technical fabrics smell when you sweat as much as we do) but more so to ensure that the fabric doesn't get clogged up. No clog = better wicking ability=sweat absorption=better skin.
Also, a lot of this costs beaucoup de $$ so I am adament about trying to get everything out of the stuff that I can. Specifically the husband Tri's bib shorts. Holy crap these are expensive...and funny looking.

Remind you of anything?



The hubs' outfit isn't green though...

Anyway, I held off since Sunday doing any 'sport' laundry until last night.
The calculations:
8 runs + 2 spin classes + 2 core workouts + 2 weight workouts + 4 cycle workouts + 1 yoga session
=
24 technical shirts (short sleeve, long sleeve and running layers), 3 running jackets, 4 bib short outfits, 1 pair of bike shorts, 4 running hats, 4 pairs of gloves, 3 sport bras, 3 pairs of shorts, 2 sport towels, 6 pairs of running tights....
and a partridge in a pair tree.

Yes, it all fit into one load. Thank god for spending the money on a front end wash machine. It is now all hanging to dry on our banister or coat hangers:





Today is rest day and tonight date night. Dinner at Sweetsmoke for the best Cobb salad ever and a movie. (I believe Sherlock Holmes for a little RDjr - yum)

One more training day and 7 things

A busy week work and training wise means a tired Laura and I cannot wait for Friday. No one cares about the work stuff so here is a training recap:
Sun: 20km run
Mon: 7km recovery run at the gym. There were a lot of excuses not to do but I did and it was good.
Tue: 50 mins weights/abs; 7km Zone 5 run - a-may-zing said in the Hot Fuzz fashion (5:04 into the clip). Double workout day was actually really easy to fit in and I think helped my evening run. Who knew?
Wed: 45 min killer spin calls + 45 min core class
Thurs (tonight): Easy yoga session followed by our 60 min Zone3 run - target is for 10km.....
Friday is rest day which I need as our coach is already alluding to a killer spin class and conditioning session on Saturday. Great.......

The awesome Lynn gave me a Beautiful blogger award...I always feel like a cool kid on the Blog block when I get these so THANK YOU Lynn.

I am supposed to share 7 things about myself you don't know...Hmm..

1. I met the hubs when we were 19 in our first week of University. We actually lived on the same floor in residence so even though he saw early on what I looked like trucking to the showers after a late night, he still married me when we were 24 and blissfully together MANY years later.

2. I love fashion, specifcally shoes. You probably wouldn't really glean this from my blog which all about run/spin/core etc. but I do. Some of the favs from my closet:

3. I am pretty much an introvert. I am getting better but put me in a room with a bunch of extroverts/Type As and I shrink into the woodwork. Good thing I live with a raging extrovert to keep me in the loop.


4. The hubs and I are serious foodies. Other than bugs, I would pretty much try anything and have eaten things like mushroom ice cream, heart, lamb testicle, calf brains and other such weirdness - and yet I HATE broccoli. If you don't try, you will never know...


5. I love to read. I have to read something every night before bed and can plow through a novel easily in a day if I really get into it.


6. I hate waiting...seriously hate it. Conversely, I hate being late so I am usually early for everything...and end up waiting for others, things to start etc..


7. I love to laugh as exemplified on this blog.

Most people who I read have already had the awesomeness/beautiful award given to them so if you haven't and read this bit of fluff in the Internet world, consider yourself tagged.

Saturday torture, Sunday Spring Run and 'mean' hellos

Friday's rest day was much needed but of course went by too quickly. Saturday morning came and I found myself on a spin bike by 8am. It was tough..as usual. The mantra of the morning was: "Well, if you got up this early, you might as well work hard". And work hard we did -our coach even threw in some Zone 5s near the end of the class (2 min really hard both tension and cadence wise). It wasn't pretty and we then moved into our 45 min core/conditioning class which consisted of:

-10 min straight of abs (cruches, reverse crunch curls etc)
-walking lunges
-pushups - slow set, regulard and 'tricep'
-wall sits
-planks
-bridges
and other such torturous stuff. It was brutal...
and then I got to clean the house...WooHoo!

Sunday was our group 20km run. I woke up pretty stiff from Saturday but overall it turned into a great run. The temps were on the (+) side and there was approx 10 of us that stuck together and chatted the whole time. I finished really strong and there was for the first time a glimmer that I can finish the 30km Bay race without crawling into the finish colisseum.
There were a ton of people out and as usual, we said a "Hello" to everyone we met. Most of the runners returned the hello but there were a lot of other people out that didn't even return the hello...or else it was a 'mean' hello - a grunt, groan or some other unitelligible response. Really? I mean we were the ones out there without coffee, many of us sore and we still tried to be friendly. Oh well for you...Karma's a bitch you know.
For my part, I found a lottery ticket from Christmas that I forgot about and when I checked it I had one $4.00. I never win so I have coffee $$ for two days this week. Say hellos - get coffee?
Sweet.

Thursday Tempo complete with lost keys and a TGIF

Finally Friday..which means rest day. Thank goodness as I am bagged. This was a long but week of training so I am happy to not be doing anything...other than commuting, work, light cleaning etc. WNTW better be on tonight so I am concentrate on veggie out and avoiding the husband whose cold seems to be getting worse. (and whose suckiness is worsening as well. grr)

Last night was our usual group run which means a 60 min tempo run - Zone3 for me. (10 min warm up, 3 repeats of between 6:05-6:20 per km, 10 min cool down) Overall it was a great run. I felt very....runner-ish last night and not like my usual plodding along self. Maybe it was because it was so warm out or maybe, just maybe all this crazy training is paying off. Post run, we were back at our clinic when one of our buddies realized he had lost his keys. We headed back out to the route armed with cars, cell phones etc. I did another 1km run at the beginning of the route kicking leaves and other stuff out of the way. Luckily, they were found so crisis averted. Too much stress for a Thursday night! Now he knows even if he is in a rush to drop the keys off at the clinic or make sure his pocket is zipped. Actually it was a good reminder for all of us. I am the master of never actually losing my keys but having that 2 min freakout of:
"where are my keys?! Oh no what am I going to do...oh wait. Here they are...never mind."

I am relishing today's rest day as I am back at it tomorrow for spin @ 8am and core training at 9. Sunday is a 20km run.
20km already. Holy crap. 2010 is flying by already.....

SunShine-y Run and my cold is pretty much gone..

... onto the husband. Sorry about that dear. Please feel free to NOT pass it back to me.
After Sunday's 18km, I was a bit sore on Monday but nothing what I thought I would be so I hit up the gym for an easy run and weights. The run went great - nice and easy and I felt like I could have kept on going so that is always a plus in my books. Weights were boring..nothing new.
Last night was our run club which is usually a 7pm talk and then run after. When I got home, it was still daylight and the sun was amazing so I decided to head out for my run then and there. (after eating a few CarbBoom Chews while getting ready...I love these things..)
Last night was a Zone5 run - 1o min warmup, 2 min @ 5:05/km or faster pace, 2 min walk, 4 min ramp up run...repeat 2/2/4 3 times and 10 mil cool down. While I didn't quite hit my 2 min interval pace, all 4 repeats were averaged the same - 5:30/km and were barf-tastic so I am happy. I know that when the 2 min start, I have to really focus on just running them and not be all "checking-my-Garmin-how-long-is-it-oh-god-i-am-going-to-die". You know, that kind of mantra.
Tonight is spin and I think I am going to stay for core as well. Not because I don't want to be around Captain Sick either. Husbands make great sick people don't they......

Fighting off the cold - 'inside' and out

Monday I started off with a sore throat out of nowhere. I still hit up spin and core but felt ... off. Tuesday night I went out for a 45 min tempo run that was just ok - there is no way I hit my 5:05min pace though I came close on a couple of the repeats. Wednesday was just awful - coughing and a very foggy/stuffy head. Deferring to the husband's better judgement (i.e. "if you think working out is a good idea, you are wrong..") I took Wed-Friday off and loaded up with ColdFx, vitamins, OJ, water and anything else I could think of. Saturday I was feeling better so I hit up spin and core which was tough but good. Core was brutal actually... our coach said we looked like 'carnage' 10 minutes into the workout. Of course I didn't feel it yesterday but today it hurts to laugh.

Yesterday was an 18km group run. It was cold again like last week but the sun was out and I added a different layer of clothing on the bottom so it was a bit more pleasant. (it was still -20 with the windchill...) There is always that little voice that wants you to not run when it is that cold out but as our coach says, it might be like this on race day so suck it up. "Runner's Run!" So I always try to remember that and really, am I going to run 18km on a treadmill or alone when it might be warmer? Probably not....

There were a lot of people out which was nice to see and I ran with 5 others which for me was great as I now have a group I can at least keep up with and who can pull me through the upcoming long distances we have scheduled. (Jan 31st will mark my longest run ever - 24km - tminus 20days) The husband does double training on Sundays - 60 min run followed by 60 min bike) so we were pretty bagged at the end of day .... as in we were in bed by 9pm and asleep before 10pm.
Man...are we exciting or what? I love it though.

I have decided to change my schedule around a bit and do spin+core on Sat instead of Mondays. This frees a day up to do my 'alone' run of the week on either Mondays or Fridays instead of just Fridays. I think an easy run will help loosen my legs up rather than a tough Monday spin class.
Famous last words....I know.....

My 10 Selfish Happy stuff

The awesome Lacey over at Common Objects and Everyday Events tagged me for 10 things that make me happy. Tagging me makes me happy in and of itself but I won't count that. There are a ton of the usual things that make me happy - family, friends, working hard at my job, helping people out, giving to charity etc. - but I am going to give you my totally selfish 10 things that make me happy. I am sick with a cold so give me some slack.

1. My husband. He is the best and just as goofy as me. We joke that we have been together so long (since we were 19) because we couldn't find anyone else you could put up with each other's crap. Joking...but serious.
2. My cats aka the kids. They come to the door when we come home, curl up with us on the couch, walk under my feet when I go down the stairs, yell at me when I wait to long to feed and sit on my heating vents in the winter. And love me no matter what.
3. High Fives. Who doesn't love a High Five? Our running group always gives then out after a run or if you pass each other. Mel gives them out every Friday and it makes me smile everytime. Check out this video - who would not want to start a day with a High Five?
4. Shoes. I have lots and lub them. Deal with it.
5. Running. I get what I put into it....that makes me happy.
6. A shower after a tough, sweaty workout.
7. That first sip of really good coffee.
8. Good Food - be it at home or at some of favorite places: Blacktree, Indiana Tea House, any place we ate in Italy...
9. Indulgences like pedicures, manicures, facials. God love the people who can tackle my runners' feet.
10. Comments and visits to all of you who take the time to read this blog. I truly appreciate it and love the support this community has given to me.

I tag all of you super people to think of your selfish happy things.

Good luck to everyone doing to Goofy this weekend! You are amazing and one day I hope to join you....
9.

Helllloooooo 2010

I have been having trouble writing out my goals for 2010...basically because they aren't that exciting I guess.

I guess the ultimate goal for 2010 is to run a Full Marathon. This is a big goal for me so most of my training will ramp to this.

Fitness and Health:

Run: 4 times/week; spin 2/week; core 1/week; weights 1/week

Sunday - long run

Monday - spin+core

Tuesday - tempo run

Wed: spin - need to incorporate weights in here somehow...

Thursday - tempo run or hills when they start...

Friday: mid range run

Sat: REST

Winter/Spring Races:

I have my races lined up for the beginning of the year as well as my training schedule in line:

March:

7th: Chilly half marathon - this is my goal race and my coach says I am getting a PB in this one even if she has to chase me through the last 10km. She rocks

30th: Around the Bay 30km. Gulp...longest race to date....

May:

2nd: Flying Pig 1/2 marathon - more a fun race but will still aim for the best I can do.

Fall Races:

I came into running late in my life so this is a big step for me. I think that a fall marathon is my best bet as there are a ton to choose from and I will hopefully learn some valuable lessons from the ATB 30km and how I survive it.

I am also going to track my workouts better and really focus on them. I am also participating in in Mel's 1000 miles in 2010 'challenge'. She is awesome and so is her blog.

Personal stuff:

• Be more 'organized' at work/home: I am a huge planner but let a lot of stuff slide like organizing receipts, putting small stuff off rather than do it immediately etc so this is going to change.
• Reach out more to family/friends: we are super busy but that doesn't mean I can't work in coffee/lunch with friends and family or even a phone call/email more than I do now.

So nothing earth shattering or world changing. This is a big year for me (bday wise) so I am concentrating on squeezing everything out of life I can.

So I do have high hopes for 2010 though thus far it is letting me down as I have a cold that is either on the tipping point of being gone or turning into me being a sucky, whiny, pj wearing mess. I am voting for the former and am running tonight come hell or high water. I took last night off so I need to bust a move and see if that chases the phelgm and snot away.

Mmmm...hope you were eating oatmeal when you read that last sentence....

As some extra motivation, I tacked up some awesome running posters at my desk:

Running is 90% mental - and 10% crazy

Never, Never, Never, Never give up ...but take a second pair of shoes.

It goes along nicely with my "Shoe-A-Day" calendar the husband got me for my stocking:

NYE review and first long run of January

NYE was a lot of fun...The husband and I and a couple of friends to Blacktree restaurant for a 4 course meal, drinks, dancing, merriment etc...Food was amazing as usual and we had the usual problem of being able to get a cab so ended up at home at 3:45am. We were all feeling relatively ok and up early..I even made it to the gym for an 8km run. Go me.

Husband and I gussied up.

Fun hats:

Official countdown thanks to iPhone

Champagne (and other cocktails) were enjoyed:

shots of Grappa were 'enjoyed'

Today was our first long run of 2010. Apparently Mother Nature wanted to test us so she sent out temperatures of -24 with the windchill. She was nice enough to not include snow that thanks for that....Overall it was a good run. A group of 6 of us stuck together and finished under 2 hrs so for an LSD, I will take that. My legs were freezing midway until the end as the wind had picked up a ton. I definitely needed my Winter wind tights and not the ones I had on. Lesson learned.

I am not a resolution person but I have some goals/plans up for 2010 which I will post about tomorrow. (not procrastinating may be on that list....)