Baby, It's Cold Outside

So I have been making use of my tennis shoes for more than just ankle support and there's one thing I've noticed about jogging in the cold: it hurts like a f*cking b. Every inhale in is like daggers to the lungs. Every exhale is just as bad. With the weather like this, I don't even break a sweat. It could be that I am not trying very hard... details.

I have incorporated hill running into my daily jogs which has presented an even bigger challenge. Yes, they are necessary... But they're also hard. And the hills, which are small to walk and/or drive up, seem to get bigger and steeper when running. Pack on a couple of layers and a windbreaker and I might as well be the Michelin man climbing that hill. At least my ponytail is super cute & perky.

Ummmm.....

So yeah, I was a little motivated in that last post. The truth is, I didn't started running again. I also didn't sign up for the SF marathon that just passed - - I saw my friends pictures on facebook of the people who DID run it and thought... Oh yeah, that was supposed to be me. Fail.

The good news is I did loose a ton of weight, I had to give away all my big clothes (you're welcome, sister!), and I feel super comfortable with my body. Huzzzaaaah!

The bad news... I still can't run. Add that to my list of being tone death, having the voice of a seagull, and not being able to dance, you'd think I wouldn't mind. It's just one more can't... No! I do mind! I do! I wanna be a runner! It's like the easiest way to keep in shape and I am, by every definition of the word, lazy. I am also incredibly vain. Put the two together, you have girl that wants to run...

If only my lungs and chicken drumstick legs felt the same way....

My Next Race

Well, I haven't run since October and by the sounds of my last post, it was pretty challenging. However, the weather here has turned and I have been tempted to shed my winter jacket and use my running shoes. In fact, I've decided on my next race:

http://inside.nike.com/blogs/nikerunning_events-en_US/2010/02/26/2010-race-weekend-and-registration-information

I am not going to do the full marathon, just the half. It's a pretty penny in itself: $115. In the words of Nicole Jae Brown, that's bananas. Nonetheless, it was a promise to my sister after she gave me two sweet little nephews so I guess I have to. According to her, "You get really neat free stuff." That's her motivation... I don't have the heart to tell her a $115 is not free. My motivation? I already told you, keeping a promise. Duh.

So tomorrow, it all begins. Again.

Blowing The Cobwebs Off My Tennis Shoes

So today went as follows: woke up at five thirty, refused to get out of bed until six thirty, stressed stressed stressed, made a cup of tea, did some yoga, took a brief shower, put on some running gear, stressed stressed stressed, waited for my boss to pick me up. At eight thirty on the money, we made our way down to the 5k.

I had to chug some Pepto-Bismol before my boss arrived, followed by some water (hydration is key), because I was super anxious. It wasn't, "Oh, I am going on a light jog with Jen" but more of a "What the f*, I am going to a competitive race in the pouring rain WITH MY BOSS." In this case, only the strong survive.

When I popped in the car, I pretended to be happy to see her even though I secretly wished she had cancelled. We talked about throwing the entire thing off and just going to breakfast but we were already dressed so we made the effort. Upon arrival to the Lehigh Valley Parkway, the scene was chipper despite the rain. There were balloons (knocked over by the wind), pink shirts everywhere (hidden by ponchos), and a festive strech session (led by an overweight man). We made use of the toliets before starting to run our freezing toes off but I wasn't sure what was rain water and what was human water... Nonetheless, the coffers were empty, we lined up, the gun sounded, and out feet hit the pavement.... Errr... Mud.

The route was similar the Lehigh Valley Half Marathon but a little crueler. Right at the end of the first mile, there were two MASSIVE hills. The first mile is always the hardest for me with my body protesting the sudden movement. Objects at rest, for about twenty six years, like to stay at rest. The onset of the hills hurt. I admit, I had to walk at the top but once I hit the peak, I began to run again.

A similar thing happened at mile two but the hill was less steep so I managed to walk a little less and ran the rest of the way. Overall, I think I walked less than a quarter of a mile, which is pretty good considering that I haven't ran seriously since visiting Costa Rica in July. It's amazing what we can put our bodies through. Three months of drinking, occasionally smoking, and lots pizza still equates to an ok runner.

When we crossed the finished line, they yelled the time out to us. I heard 25 minutes, Jen heard 45, turns out we finished at 39 minutes. That's a 12.6 mile which I really don't mind since it was in the rain, uphill, both ways.

As soon as we got out of the herd of people that crowded around the end of the race, Jen looked to me and said, "Let's go." We did make an effort to pick up a free items, like water and a bagel, but beyond that, we had to bounce. Jen then took me out for a Mimosa breakfast. Nice.

There's No Bad Weather, Only Bad Gear

Ok REI, your motto is bull crap. Tell that to anyone who's been in a car accident. Did they just have bad all weather tires?? Surely that's driving gear!!

Here I am awake and petrified about running a 5k in 40 degree weather with INTENSE rain. The event is rain or shine and I'm running it with my boss so even though I want to chicken out, I can't. Layers. Lots of rain proof layers.

Yikes... Just Yikes

So tomorrow, I am off to run a 5k and it's SNOWING! The snow isn't sticking but it feels like ice outside. Brrr... And what's more, I haven't been running since Costa Rica (and I am not sure I ran more than three miles the entire time I was there) and I am running said 5k with my boss. This will definitely get me back in the game but I am curious how it will turn out... Any takers that I run the entire thing to prove I can?

Running in Circles Is SO Applicable

While I have not been running for some time, I have been very, very busy. This has allowed me to maintain my weight loss as being crazy is an excellent appetite suppressant. Firstly, my little sister had twins. YAY! Two big boys with red and black hair (fraternal twins - obviously). When I have down time, I am constantly shopping for them on diapers.com or the nursery section of gap.com. I NEVER thought I would be visiting sites of such a nature.

Secondly, I have severely upped my hours at the ad agency and this, in combo with the shoe store, has kept me busy. So busy that by the time I get home at night, I want to go to sleep rather than study for the GRE's - - which are coming up in seven, that's right, seven weeks. Yikes! So needless to say, running has not been the top of my priorities. I will, however, need to step up my game SINCE I am still running a 5K on Oct. 17th. Oh what a tangle web we weave...