Too Cold!

Yesterday went skiing in 0º. Today it stayed below zero so I stayed inside. Good thing I have a gym membership! Looks like I'm gonna spend a lot of time on the treadmill this winter!

Snow Run #1

We finally got a warming spell. It was 33º today, no wind chill, so I made it outside for a run. This was my first run on snow ever. I didn't try the trails because they are snowmobile trails during winter, and I don't want to share the road with them. So I stuck to the plowed roads around my house. It was really slippery at first, I found out I had to take small steps and look for the packed snow, but once I got the hang of it, it was actually fun. It's so quiet with snow everywhere, peaceful. And I think I got a few of those "are you crazy?" looks from motorists going by. Love that. I went slow so I wouldn't slip, and just did 3 miles. I took some pictures of the lake and all the ice houses and snowmobiles. Tomorrow we are having below zero wind chill temps again. As always, I'm so glad I went when I had the chance. First run in the snow and first run with my Garmin. Hope to do lots more soon!

Merry Christmas!

It has been a beautiful Christmas, our first in Minnesota.  My son is in town visiting from college, so all five of us are home together. That is enough in itself honestly, but with the snowfall, cut your own Christmas tree farm, and arboretum light display, it's been a really wonderful season. I got a couple of great running related gifts, fleece lined athletic pants and a Garmin Forerunner 10. I'm excited to try out the Garmin, but it's too cold to run outside most days. It will be good motivation to try to get outside any day that I can though. I also ordered two running related books today, "Run Like a Mother" and "Train Like a Mother". I realized I need a training plan to follow if I want to go further, faster and without injury. I just ran all summer, really not with a focused goal, just trying to get into better shape. The result was that I did go farther and get faster, but I also hurt myself. I'm hoping that with a plan to follow, I won't overdue it and keep injuries at bay. My hip does feel better, but it's been a couple of weeks since I've tried to run. I have to get back into training if I'm going to complete the virtual 10K in February I already registered for. Also, the first big race of this area, Run For the Lakes, is in April. I haven't decided which distance I want to do in that race, it will depend on my hip and how I feel by then, but I definitely want to participate in it because it's a big deal for the runners in this area. I'm still looking for a mom/womens running group in my area. The closest I've found is St. Cloud, but that's an hour away, which is too far for training runs. Pretty soon I'll sit down and plan out more races for 2014. I'm excited to actually make a plan for the upcoming year, it will be the first time I ever start the year with running goals already in place! Usually, I just run to get in shape. It's fine, but I like having specific events to train for better, then the getting in shape part just happens as you train to compete. :-)
Happy Holidays!

Street view

This is my street right now. I wish I could go for a run on it, doesn't it look beautiful? We got all this snow the week after Thanksgiving, and frigid temps to match. I'd love to try a snow run, but I think the warmest it has been lately is 8. Seriously? Brrrrr!

Speed Bump

I try not to let the cold affect me, but it totally does. It is finally above zero today. 13 F right now. I want to go to the gym, but I don't even want to go outside. I am really missing my treadmill these days! Then again, with my hip hurting, I probably couldn't use it either. Tuesday I used the elliptical at the gym (hurt) then switched to the spin bike which didn't hurt. Managed to do 100 squats, pain free, too. After the spin I was able to really stretch my hip very well, and actually have felt better ever since. So, I guess it's off to the gym with me so I can spin and then stretch. Hurry, because now I have to wear clothes, change at the gym, then change back because it is so COOOOOOOOOld outside!!!

First Run Related Injury

So I finally had to admit that the nagging pain in my hip wasn't going to go away, so I went to the chiropractor Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Apparently, all the running and workouts I have been doing are great- but not when you forget to stretch afterwards, which I regularly forgot to do. I was told no running for the week of TG, but I did run 3.7 miles on Thanksgiving morning, just because I felt I needed to for my own sanity and because I'd been envisioning myself running on Tgiving morning ever since the season changed. It was 20 degrees outside that morning, and my knees were aching at the end of the run. I think that is as cold as I can run with the gear I own.

So this is what my chiropractor was working on:

Right Sacroiliac joint

left L3 and sacrum

right glutial medius muscle

right quadratus lumborum muscle

I still feel a hitch in that place, although it's better than before. Of course he gave me stretching exercises, told me to do them four times a day, and I have yet to do them. So I have to put myself on a regimen to do them, and I don't want to go back to him until I've tried them a little while.

Last week I didn't work out partly because my hip still hurt, partly because I was exhausted from hosting company for the holiday and partly because it was below zero all week and snowing and icy and so i was avoiding driving. Actually,  I did spend a good amount of time shoveling snow last week, probably 3-4 hours over the course of the week, so it's not like I really rested and did nothing! That is much more tiring than I expected it to be!

Now, the roads should be OK, it's still below zero but at least it's not snowing so I can go to the gym. I also have DVDs that I could have done, which I don't know why I didn't think to do, but I guess I just wasn't in the mode. This morning I am up 3 pounds from Thanksgiving, which is due to the carbs I've been eating and the workouts I haven't been doing. And I can already feel my leg muscles softening up from not running, doing step aerobics or the 100 squats a day. So I will put myself back on a plan today to maintain for the month of December.

I liked that Nov challenge of 100 squats a day, it seemed to really help my legs and butt tone up, so I am going to do that again this month. 

Also- I learned to SKI!!! It was so much fun! I hope I can do that a lot more this winter, but it's sooo cold now I don't know how I could. Today the sun is shining and it is -5 degrees. How does that even happen? Crazy!!