Happy New Year!
As much as I would love to race this year, the weather conditions kept me away. Slick ice, and single digit temperature races don’t interest me. Racing safely will be there and next weekend looks promising.
Anyway, last week was fine. I got workouts in, but I can’t say it was my most enjoyable experience. Running fast on the treadmill is always humbling, and I feel as though I’m counting down the minutes until the workout is done.
Mentally, I’m staying positive through the winter. I’m not a cold weather loving person, and the weather has got me in a funk, but you can only control so much. Instead of focusing on the negative, I have been focusing on the positive and what I can do.
I think it’s good advice for anyone, fitness related or not.
| Monday: | 90 minute Christmas Run with my Dad and brother |
| Tuesday: | Easy 60 minutes |
| Wednesday: | Easy 60 minutes |
| Thursday: | 12X400s on the treadmill at 6:00 min pace |
| Friday: | Easy 12 to pick up my car |
| Saturday: | OFF |
| Sunday: | 14 mile long run with 7 mile at 7:10 pace |
Thoughts:
Last week brought a lot more free time, and I didn’t intentionally mean to run as much as I did but here we are. Even with the increased mileage, my body feels decent. Instead of taking a taxi or ubering, I ran to pick up my car on Friday. It was an interesting but fun experience and got me out of monotonous miles.
12X400s at 6:00 min pace
I’ve done faster, however, on the treadmill, I’m very cautious. I find you don’t know if you feel good to continue or the treadmill is blinding you with pace and ability. I would prefer to aire on the side of caution and set the pace to faster than I’ve currently run is the best fit for me. It takes a split second to get injured, and slower workouts will get you, fitter…just slower.
14 mile Long Run with 7 miles at 7:10
I had started the day thinking I would do another workout on the treadmill but my brain and body wasn’t feeling it. I knew if I stayed on, then I would be miserable. So I bundled up and ran outside. While it wasn’t icy, the “feels like” temperature was 2 degrees. I was proud of myself for getting out there and getting the run done.
I guess I’ll write a December recap soon, but January brings me a lot more free time. It will be a tough month for me for a few reasons I’ve mentioned. I’m not a winter person and of course, my husband is gone, but I do have more free time to see family and friends (and diners LOL) which I’ll take advantage of. I’ve been practicing a lot of positive self-talk lately which has been great.
It’s a hard lesson to learn, but you can truly only focus on the positive! Edit to add: I’m doing fine, and I appreciate people reaching out. I won’t lie and say I like winter over fall, spring, or summer, but as mentioned I’m focusing on the positive.
Questions for you:
Are you a winter runner?
How was your New Years?
Running when it is two degrees ?!? I am impressed! I don’t like th cold at all. Today windchill -14. THats just ridiculous but getting lots of time inside warm with the kiddo 🙂
Running when it is 2 degrees: Joining the More Miles Than Degrees club.
If I had to run in that I would not like winter running at all. Normally I do like winter running in Charleston because it’s like 40 degrees and perfect. It’s been colder than that lately and I am treadmilling because I’m scared to run in the cold with my injuries. And I know it’s not cold here, but part of it is also mental that I dont want to be 2-3 miles from home and my knee or hamstring start hurting. This weather isn’t doing much to make me want to start back running. I have a gym membership and the treadmill, arc trainer, elliptical, and weights are more appealing.
The weather people are actually calling for snow here on Wednesday and I kinda want to run in it if it happens… so if it happens, I’ll bundle up and run ONE MILE to say I ran in the Charleston snow (which will probably be 3 flakes but shut down all bridges).