Mornings! Whaaaa!!!

Why is it so hard for me to get up and do any physical activity in the morning?!?!? Every night I set my alarm for 5:40 so I can head to the gym by 6am....and every morning I roll back over and reset the clock for 7:30. It's so crazy to me! Especially since I am in bed most nights by 10 - 10:30! I need to incorporate mornings if I want to have any chance of maintaining a decent sched. My life is so busy that most nights I am booked, meaning no time for a workout. Weekends are shot because of skiing.....ahh...luxury problems! I need a sound strategy, or a kick in the ass...not sure which will work better!!

6ish Miles/6ish Degrees

Woa, so Long Island was crazy cold this weekend, like stay under the covers and don't leave the house cold. BUT, because I'm working on my fitness in a big way this winter, I was up and out to meet my club at 7am on Sat. It was great to see everyone and be back on the trail (it's been awhile). We ran the Dirty Sock 10k route which is right in my town and luckily is covered by trees to block most of the wind. I purposely didn't wear my Garmin, I wanted this to be fun and stress free, I also didn't want to obsess about how slow I have gotten. It proved to be a great decision. I was pretty happy with the run, I held my own, stayed middle of the pack for most of it and generally felt good. The most I have run in the last few weeks has been 3 miles in the dark, so this was huge for me! The only downside was the fact that my poor thighs were crazy red and a little itchy for hours after. I wore the right base layers, but I guess running in 6 degree temps will do that to ya!

Back Out There!

So after my little non-running break, I decided to get back on the old horse and run! We've had mild temps the past few days so I figured a little night running would be ok. I ran just under 3 miles on a pretty well lit out and back course. I did wear my trusty head lamp (I so heart that thing) for good measure, which definitely helped. My times sucked and I felt a little out of breath, but I'm still pleased. My knee felt good, which was my main reason for taking a break. I'm thinking of taking this weekend off skiing, which means a nice run with either my club who I have neglected or a new running store in town. Woo-hoo!

Did We Breakup?

Umm...I think I may have broken up with running, I didn't mean to and at first I thought I was just casually flirting with other activities, but now I think it's more like full on cheating....what would Dear Abby say? Am I an adulterer of the very sport that has sort of catapulted me into this whole fitness...well, thing I do? Gah! It's just so complicated. At first our early days were so so, then we hit the hot and heavy stage, then I got hurt and now the hurt is still lingering, so I needed a break, but now I feel guilty...and maybe a little angry....so I've resorted to cheating!

Ok, so here is the real story, I used to love running, got fast, tore my acl, got slow, then got fast again, then gained some weight, got slower and more annoyed, followed by knee pain, followed by frustration, followed by lots of yoga and no running (except for a mile here and there on the mill).

Now what? I'm in this in-between stage where I'm ready to get out there and hit the pavement, but I'm loving some of this other stuff more, and really, there are just so many hours in the day! So my grand plan is to.....just take it easy! What a concept! Winter is hard for me, between skiing and no light after work so instead of getting stressed, I'm going to roll with it. If I was sedentary, that would be a whole other story, but I'm eating right, spinning, doing some weight training, mixed in with easy running and lots of yoga....so maybe cheating isn't so bad after all!!

Umm...Not Sure What to Name This One...

I'm starting to miss not regularly running. It's been a little snowy and cold, plus I've been away, so it's been treadmill hell. I was up in Boston this past weekend, hoping maybe to run outside, but again, the weather held me back so I ran a bit on the 'mill. Oh, how I HATE the 'mill.

This weekend I'm off to VT to ski, so it looks like another run-free weekend. The following weekend I'm planing on a Sun run with an old group I used to run with, they do Tue night track workouts and a long Sun run...I've also decided to jump back on the Team in Training band wagon. They have a new group for alums called Team Deep Purple, sounds fun, I can train for multiple events and the fundraising is pretty low. So it's a win win!!

I think this winter, like the past few will be hard for me, but I'm determined to get as many runs in as possible. Trying to figure out a March race to keep me motivated, maybe a half somewhere not too far? I'm willing to travel, so I'll have to check out what's out there. I wish the NYC Half was not a lottery...

2009 - Year End Review

Wow, what can I say about 2009 - it was... well, one of those years! I wish I could say I hit all of my fitness goals (I didn't), or that I met the man of my dreams and got hitched (nope) or had twins (what?!?) BUT, I did manage to have one hell of a year!!

First off, I ran... a lot....I also biked, embarked on a new journey through yoga, finished a du in the freezing, pouring rain and managed to have a smile on my face most of the time! I am grateful for all of those experiences, even the ones where I was cranky (the rainy du and the womens 5k...actually most of the rainy races kind of blew).

Some highlights - not puking during my first Bikram class, volunteering for the Montauk Century (even if I only did it so I could ride free), the summer run series, all 4 half marathons (holla!!). I mean, what wasn't a highlight (Ok, having to poop on a golf course) This was a great year!!!!

So I guess this is where I write out my 0-10 goals...
1. lose this damn weight!
2. build a better running base
3. have an injury free ski season
4. go on a fitness vacation (paddle boarding and yoga excursion anyone...)
5. get faster
6. COMMIT, COMMIT, COMMIT!!!
7. be a better blogger, reach out and connect more, there are tons of great people here!

I can't wait to see where I am a year form now, but most of all, I can't wait to experience 2010 one day at a time! Really relishing in all that is offered to me...whew...it's gonna be a great year!!

Woa, Hello Snow!

Well, my plans of street running have been squashed by nearly 2 feet of snow, with more on the way (allegedly). I spent most of yesterday shoveling out with my neighbors, we live on a very tiny, blink if you miss it street so we were out there in full force as a team! I had to take a Doc that lives on my street to the hospital, she couldn't dig her tiny car out and since I have a SUV I took her out...you know those December to Remember commercials for Lexus where you see the silver SUV barreling through TONS of snow...well, that was me...too funny!

Although I was hoping for some street time, I'm ok with the gym. I know that I can pretty much handle only 3 miles on the treadmill, but I figure with some spinning added in I should be good to go. I'm still on my yoga kick, and now that I am back on the no sugar, flour, wheat thing, I will be good to go for spring races!! Woo hoo!!