Pounding The Cheez-Its Trail

Brrrr! It's cold out! I actually had to consider how much clothing to put on before running today. Haven't done that in a while. In case you're on the edge of your seat wondering, for the 50-ish degree temps this early afternoon, I opted for shorts and a long sleeved tshirt over my trusty stretchy, "compression" short-sleeved undershirt. Ah, I love that thing! It's so snug and cozy. And as much as I've complained about summer being over, it was nice to get geared up for a run instead of just thinking about how I'm going to avoid heat stroke.

Today I opted for another trip to Lunken for a Week 1 Bridge to 10K run, and I dragged my mom along with me (she walked, of course). I started at the southern end of the loop so I didn't have to worry about the short, crazy-steep hill midway through the run.

Good choice, Becks.

As my elementary and high school classmate (and running guru), Liz, says, Lunken is pancake flat. And that was just what I needed after my shin-wrecking runs of the past two weeks. No shin pain today!

My favorite part of today's run had to be during the second and third legs of my W1 workout. (For those familiar with the course, this was back on the part that runs parallel with Kellogg and then along some of the long backstretch.)

As I was staring at the ground (not the most healthy posture) and pounding away, I started to notice Cheez-Its. At first I thought it would be funny if these few Cheez-Its turned into some kind of "breadcrumb" trail. Then of course I started dreaming up the image of a runner with a baggie of snacks in his pocket. Or maybe a snot-nosed sweet little spawn of satan  toddler, screeching giggling and throwing snacks out of her stroller while her mom pushed her along on her workout.

Dontchya just love kids?

Well, in this case I do love kids, because the daydreaming kept my mind off my running for a little bit. The Cheez-It trail continued for probably about a half-mile, each one deposited maybe 50-100 feet from the other. And only one at a time. Finally, I reached the smashed Cheez-It, marking the end of the trail and, coincidentally, the almost-end of the "out" portion of my out-and-back path.

By the end of my run, I was wobbly-kneed but not dizzy, and I had cycled from freezing to frying and back to freezing again. My ears hurt from the wind and I was prepared for the upcoming nose-dive my body temperature was about to take.

Fortunately, my mom finished her walk just a smidge before me and popped over to the farmer's market next door to buy us an apple a piece. Yum! Then, as is becoming an unfortunate habit of mine following an Armleder or Lunken weekend workout, I stopped at Big Apple Bagels and got an everything bagel with veggie cream cheese. O-M-G. So good.

So, that's that! Good run.

In Run Like Hell news, the former coworker has officially registered for his very first 5K. I'm so stinkin' excited for him! And I'm excited about the event in general.

I picked up a few pieces to my costume yesterday. I'm actually excited about a costume for once in a very long time. I usually despise costumes. My typical explanation of those feelings goes something like this: "I have a hard enough time feeling comfortable in everyday clothes. How can you expect me to be remotely comfortable in a costume?" But, seeing as how this is a running event and everyone will be nasty and sweaty, I can definitely get on board.

PS, are you following me on Twitter yet? If not, I don't blame you.  =)  Nah, I'm actually trying to keep up with posting, including a few reposts of some great articles and quotes from the pages I follow. So, there's an option for you. My Twitter info is somewhere on that ---> side of the page. @MTLRunning

Later!  (feel free to point out typos ... I totally ran out of time to proofread)

A Cavity, A Redemption Run, And New-To-Me Running Gear

My tooth hurts. I believe, at the ripe old age of 29, I've just gotten my first cavity. Ugh! I've been grinding and flicking my teeth all day to try to pin-point exactly which one it is. I'm sure by the time my Monday appointment rolls around, I will have aggravated my TMJ issue (self-diagnosed) as well. Good ... two birds, one stone, right?

RIGHT!

On a much more positive note. I just ran a wonderfully redeeming run this evening. I've been itching to get out since I saw the forecast for a "heat wave" a few days ago. My car's thermometer read a whopping 40 degrees on the way home! Granted, my car's thermometer is usually a few degrees off, but STILL! 40 degrees, give or take a few, is still better than 23 degrees with a windchill of -18, amiright?

Besides, 40 degrees, give or take, is enough for me to be confident my footfalls aren't happening on black ice. What ice there was, I could see plainly as it crept out from a parking lot glacier (iced-over snow plow pile), and those spots are easy to dodge.

Plus, I got to run in my new-to-me pullover jacket. Back in my Kings Island days (somewhere between May 2001 and July 2003), a friend of mine, Eddy, insisted that I keep his Adidas pullover windbreaker. I don't know what he was thinking, but I was thinking "score!" I've had it this whole time and never wore it. Well, when I was getting ready to head out this evening, I spotted the jacket in my closet and did a little happy dance.

Wicking/compression undershirt + Adidas pullover windbreaker = perfect (okay maybe a little warm) for this weather.

Plus I felt like an Adidas spokesperson in both the windbreaker and my Adidas running pants. Die Weltmarke mit den drei Streifen! (The brand with the three stripes. Yes, I remembered that from some dude's shirt/hat/whatever in my high school German class.)

I also got to wear my brand new reflective vest. (Thank Santa/Mom!) I never felt unsafe in my parking lot, but I definitely felt safer tonight. And, honestly, a bit geeky. All I need now is a fanny pack with water bottles strapped to it and a few sweat bands and my runner image is complete. =)

Oh, the run was so nice! I ran around my apartment complex's parking lot, just like the good ol' days (two or three weeks ago). I hurt a little more than I did last time I did that route, but I'm just so happy to have completed the 30-minute run without stopping (minus the three times I had to take about 5 walking steps to make way for cars). My recent runs have been brutal on my confidence and morale, so I needed this "win" so badly. I think I can get two more outdoor runs in this week and that is so exciting. If I have to get through two or three more months of cold, I at least need little weather breaks like this to relieve the treadmill humdrums.

Thanks for reading. Wish me luck for my dentist appointment Monday. I have a feeling I'm going to meet my first dental drill very soon. Help!

Warm Goopy Feelings In Week 9

I love, love, LOVE the warm goopy feeling I get after running. Actually, it sets in immediately following any physically demanding exercise. I sit down after a run and I just want to melt away. It's so relaxing.

I firmly believe that there's no better way to relax your mind AND every muscle in your body than to beat the hell out of it. Sometimes it's hard to remember this excellent side effect of running, most notably when it's 26 degrees and dark outside. I forgot about the warm-goopiness today. I was too scared of the potential for black ice in my parking lot and of the equally frightening potential for yet another running failure.

Well, good news. I'm currently in the warm, goopy post-run stage and I didn't encounter any ice to get here. Ladies and gentlemen, I just completed a Week 9 workout of Couch to 5K (run 30 minutes without stopping), and I truly did it this time--without stopping!

[applause]

Thank you, thank you ...

Actually, I was seriously starting to doubt if I could do it at all, at least until the weather warmed up. My body is just not dealing with the cold very well. I feel like I've gotten used to the cold much quicker in years past, but maybe I'm getting old. Or maybe the cold just got here much faster this year? Who knows. What I do know is that I've been miserable in the mornings this week. I just can't seem to get warm, inside and out. I don't think it helps that my winter coats are like tents on me now and let all kinds of cold air up inside of them. BRRRRR!

(Who wants to buy me a new coat?)

My co-worker and fellow running newbie passed an article along to me today. The blog is for marathoners (and desperately needs to be proofread), but I think we can all find something to help us cope with the cold.

Here it is: Top Winter Marathon Training Tips

And I'll also share a link to Runner's World's website, which is FULL of info. There's so much on there that I don't think I'll ever get through it all, but it won't stop me from trying. By the way, the magazine is pretty fantastic. I recommend it. This particular page has links to all kinds of extreme weather articles/blogs, etc.

And, here's that one: Runner's World Running in Cold or Heat home page

So, that's all I have today. Don't give up through the cold stuff, and PLEASE don't let me give up either. Special thanks to the person who bargained with me this afternoon to make sure we both ran. I really truly appreciate it, and all the warm, goopy feelings I got because I took your challenge. =)

By the way, have I ever talked to you all about what happens after the warm goopy-ness goes away? No? I get absolutely freezing cold, complete with shivers. Sad, freezing Beckey. I want the warm-goopies back! And a heated blanket.

Sticking To The Plan

First, I want to say a big congratulations to Zach for completing his half-marathon this weekend! I'll let him post his numbers in the comments if he wants to, but he did very well in my eyes. I'm jealous. It actually makes me think of the half Pig "commitment" that I made a few months ago and how I'm wavering on that goal. Meh, this is not the time for that.

Congrats Zach!

On to the topic at hand. I'm finding some peace and some success with my plan to stick to the plan. What? The plan ... the Couch t0 5K (C25K) plan, that is. I've been distracted since before I started boot camp back in June, drifting away from the gradual stepping up of C25K's intervals and focusing on things like minutes/mile pace and making up my own intervals. But after a dip in my confidence and the onset of burn-out after not seeing progress for so long, I decided to commit to sticking with my man, Mr. C25K.

This week I revisited Week 4 twice before stepping up to Week 5, Day 1 again this morning. It's going well. Really well. It's exhausting me and pushing me to my limits, but I also feel myself getting better. I feel like I can move up to Week 5 Day 2's 8-minute intervals in the not-too-distant future. I'm so confident in my decision to rekindle my relationship with Mr. C25K* that I may or may not have told him I love him this morning. This probably has something to do with him piping up and telling me to "walk now" as I started my jog up a daunting mini-hill. He loves me back, clearly.

*I forgot that some people may be reading this that haven't been reading from the beginning. Mr. C25K is the friendly voice of the dude that tells me when to run and walk on my Couch to 5K app on my iPhone. He's a nice guy. I recommend getting to know him.

It's also helping immensely that my friend, Caitlin, is progressing through C25K as well, but is kicking major butt and is already at Week 4. Considering how recently she started, this is huge. Hopefully we can do Week 4 together soon.

I'll end today's post with that thought. But I'll be posting later this week about cold weather running. Please be prepared to let me know what your cold weather running tactics are and what equipment/apparel you swear by. Okay? Thanks!