Baby it's cold outside....

It's no secret that I HATE the cold weather. My toes and hands freeze in seconds after being out in the cold, only to take hours to warm back up again. I cringe when I know I have to get out of bed and walk on the cold tile in the bathroom. The only time that I like cold is when it's 100 degrees outside and I need to cool off. Although I do like to ski, and I love the snow, I could deal without the cold weather freezing my lips,ears, and causing pain when I breathe in.

We had a cold front come through yesterday, and it snowed. Needless to say, we had our first freeze this morning, and it's going to get colder. So when I got up this morning, I decided to stay in bed (BIG surprise I'm sure) instead of getting out and facing the freezing weather. I worked this morning, and then came home and sat under a blanket spending the day working on the computer. I knew I needed to go running, but I just couldn't bring myself to get out from underneath the blanket.

When I finally decided to get my lazy butt up, it was 5:30...sun was starting to go down, and it was getting colder..so i bundled up and told myself I had to do it. Within 5 minutes of running, it had turned pitch black outside. Now I don't know what it is about the cold, but it always makes my nose run...A LOT! So I am running and constantly wiping my nose on my sweatshirt (lady-like, I know). What is it about the cold that increases my snot production??

I really wanted to run 4 miles today, but I knew that probably wasn't going to happen because I was going to get too cold. Surprisingly, I felt good out there! My 3 miles happened so fast, that I just kept running...I think I could have ran a half marathon tonight! I ended up running my 4 miles tonight, in the pitch black darkness of night and almost freezing weather....it was like something came over me and I felt like I could run forever....hoping that this feeling continues!!

~Pocahontas

My new name: Defeated N. Lethargic

The craziness of the holidays got in the way of being able to run as much as I would have liked. I ran last Saturday at my parent's house, which was a nice change of scenery. I'm not sure if it was the weather, my body lethargic from food and travel, or just pure unconscious somatization of my feelings of being at home with my family (yes, I just went psychoanalytic on you) that made that run the most awful run, but I felt like my legs were 50 pound weights that were hard to carry. I felt like I couldn't move and I could have fallen asleep while running. I'm not kidding, it was that bad. So after my run I spent the rest of the day with my family and then came home and slept amazing in my own bed after 3 days away from it. It made me realize I am officially a "grown-up" because I love my "own" bed, not sleeping at my parent's house anymore...I'm a big girl now!!

So I skipped workout yesterday because 6:00 am came to early, and then I dealt with some crazy people at work and didn't want to do anything but drink wine and sit by the fire last night. I woke up this morning and thought...mmmm....gonna go back to bed. So after my longest day EVER I came home and decided to run. By this time, the temperature has dropped to somewhere between 38 and 42 degrees and it is raining. Off to the treadmill I go! I dread running on that stupid thing....how do people do it everyday? So I put on my music and tried not to feel like a hamster. I was the only one in the workout room...looking at myself in the mirror in front of me, no TV...nothing. Of course the oldest treadmill available is in our workout room, so I get to watch the red arrows move around the track in front of my face as I trot in place and have nothing but myself to look at. I hate those stupid red arrows...why don't they move any faster?? In the middle of my run, my fiance texts me about dinner. Have you ever tried texting while running...or while running on a treadmill? Don't! I couldn't even see what I was typing because I couldn't figure out how to keep my hand still enough while running to see the screen. Can I say "nauseating?" Ugh, it was the worst!

So to motivate myself towards the end of my run (and to try and make the red arrows move faster), I decided to try and finish my 3 miles in under 28 minutes. On the last lap, I notice that the arrows aren't moving any faster, even though I increased my speed...so for the last quarter of a lap, I was all out sprinting on a treadmill trying to beat the clock with the red arrows. I didn't do it, I finished in 28:03. Pissed, about to vomit, and dizzy from running on the treadmill...I walk out of the steaming 80 degree workout room in spandex and a sweaty t-shirt into the drizzling rain and 38 degree weather back to my apartment. Recipe for a cold, anyone?

~Pocahontas

You Can't Teach An Old Dog New Tricks...Or Can You?

Today I managed to get a short run in this time with my older sister's yellow lab "Cash." To his (and her) credit he is a MUCH better runner than the puppy was, however, that is likely because those dogs are trained and ruled with an iron fist. The nicest part was that he walks with a "loose leash" meaning he basically stays beside you the whole time. He also sits and stays prior to crossing the street and won't release unless you give him the command. (FYI, my brother-in-law is trained almost as well as their dogs.)

Its a nice run with little traffic around my parents neighborhood in my Small Town, North Carolina. Cash set a good pace for the first 1/2 mile or so. You could tell he was happy to be out in the sun and nice weather. We were making good time, and on this route there is only one hill. (Obviously this route was chosen on purpose). However, this is one heck of a hill. I haven't ran the last two days as I was distracted by my 3-week old nephew who I did not want to put down. Because of this, the 1.5 miles I was running was a bit difficult. Running with Cash was a nice distraction, that is until he decided to stop. 1/2 way up the hill. At that point, Cash decided he was tired of running, and sat down. I'm sure it was quite a sight to see me trying to pull the 80 pound yellow lab the rest of the way up that hill. And once we got to the top, Cash was ready to go again...setting the pace for the rest of the way home. In short, he unknowingly (or knowingly) foiled my plan to have him pull me up the hill. Instead he turned the tables. Out-smarted by a yellow lab. Yep, that's me.

Tomorrow's run will be a family affair. My mom, sisters, nephew, and the 3 dogs are all heading down to the park. My plan, one dog per mile. That is, unless the dogs gang up on me, and out smart me again...

*Belle*

Pure Torture

I didn't do anything this weekend...probably because I have had some personal things going on that kept me curled up in a ball and not wanting to deal with reality. Since I knew Belle wouldn't be able to call me with a "pep-talk" early morning phone call on Monday, I had my fiance do it. He works at Starbucks and often opens the store early...so I knew it would work. Well....not so much. He called, I answered, then went back to sleep. So after a long day on Monday, I came home and did a quick Biggest Loser "Power Sculpt" workout. (Love you Bob and Jillian!!)

Today I woke up on my own (praise God!) and headed out the door to greet the chilly crisp fall air that felt great. I started my ipod to get going....and it said "No battery power remains. Please connect ipod to power." Then it started playing "Gold Digger." I thought, "Sweet, its going to give me a little juice to get started." Nope, it stopped before I even started running. So there I am, running with an ipod in tow...but no music. I thought about singing to myself, but that quickly ended when I started hearing myself breathe. I thought, "Oh, I'll listen to the rustling of the fall leaves...but wait, I can't hear them over myself BREATHING!" What torture! The whole run sucked, needless to say. I did run 3.1 miles....so be proud of me for that.

The Hills Are Alive...

So I was horrible in my training last week and hadn't run since Monday. I'm in North Carolina all this week, so trying to get ready to leave work for a week, and my new found social life caused running to be put on the backburner. In my defense, I did play volleyball, so I wasn't a total lazy worthless couch-potato. On Friday, at volleyball, I pulled my quad because I jumped in to play without warming up. (I'm obviously not as young as I used to be.) Taking yesterday off, left me feeling ready to go today. So I grabbed my little sister's 7 month old puppy and took off for a run around her apartment complex. (I made her drive around the complex yesterday to measure the distance -- accurate I'm sure.)

The puppy and hills of western North Carolina made an interesting run. First, the puppy set the pace of: Sprint. Stop. Sprint. Stop. Sprint...you get the picture. So by default I ended up running intervals. Second, I have forgotten what its like to run up a hill. My Town Near the Beach is FLAT. The only hills you are going to find where I live on on the bridges, and I haven't graduated to bridge runs yet. Western North Carolina is the foothills of the Appalachian -- pronounced "App-a-latch-in" for you Yankees -- so its ALL hills and boy does that make a difference. On the bright side, when I head back to Florida next Saturday, my 6 am runs should be a piece of cake. Mmmmmmmm, cake...anyway...since I am home and both my sisters have dogs I plan on kidnapping one of the dogs each day and taking them on my runs. The plan: the dog can pull my tired body up all those hills.

*Belle*

Lessons.

So this week has been insane, and my running has suffered greatly. My "come hell or high water" statement yesterday. FAIL. Its been a lot of late nights and early mornings trying to get ready to go on a week vacation, as well as super busy at work. Lessons learned:

1) There is always a reason not to run.
2) Its easy to decide not work out.
3) I'm lazy.
4) I'm lazy.
5) Thank god for volleyball.

Hopefully I can get all my excuses out this week. If not its going to be a long race or a waste of a good chunk of money.

*Belle*

All my hexes live in Texas

I woke up this morning just in time to get ready for my part-time job..so of course I didn't run this morning. After I got done, I came home and decided the weather was nice enough to run outside, plus I didn't want to chance a 10 year old being on the treadmill again. So I mapped out my 3.1 mile run, walked to the front of my apartment complex, and started running.

Now let me say that I love the state of Texas, I was born and bred here, and I plan on staying here for a very long time (don't worry Belle...Florida is still an open door!). This morning when I got up, it was about 45 degrees out, sun was shining...felt pretty nice. By the time I started running, it had probably warmed up to about 55 or 60, so I wore a shirt and yoga pants. So I take off running, and the wind decides to start blowing like nobody's business. I thought "Did I just transport myself to Chicago? It must suck to run in Chicago....this sucks!" My hair was blowing in my face, out of my face, and sideways. Great....where was this wind this morning? I would have chanced the "broken" treadmill had I known I was going to be running in place! So I turn down a street, thinking "Finally...the wind will be at my back." Nope, wind turns directions...and guess which way? That's right - AGAINST ME! Not only against me, but gusting at probably 30 mph....(could be slightly exaggerating...)

Then what to my surprise is ahead of me on my run? A hill. Are there supposed to be hills in Texas? Where the crap am I? So I start up the hill....

[cue gusting wind in my face]

I make it up the hill, and turn around to run back down the hill. All the sudden, the wind stops and now it's like 80 degrees outside. I am in black pants! I'm thinking, "What just happened here? Does Mother Nature hate me? I swear I don't litter...and I scoop the poop!" So I continue on, now sweating like crazy and thinking the black pants were a bad choice. Then I feel a knot start to form in my shoulder blade....

[cue wind, cue pain]

I am thinking "I'm almost done, about a mile left to go...I can do this!" So I press on, feeling pain and practically running in place. I turn down the last street and I am on the homestretch, but wait...now what?

[cue ridiculous heat, wind exits, cue pain in neck and shoulder]

I am now experiencing pain in a weird region, right between your neck and shoulder in the front...right above your collarbone. Ya, that's me, the weird one with all the weird ailments...ask Belle, she'll tell you ALL about my weird illnesses....

I finally finish my run - look at my stopwatch, and.....

[cue excitement]

I ran 3.18 miles in 28:51....sweet! Maybe pain is gain...and wind is my friend!

~Pocahontas~