Even the weather channel was mocking my canceled trip to NYC. 

Joke’s on YOU, Weather Channel! I prefer running in the 30s! I don’t need no stinkin’ 40s.

Shudder. Just writing that double negative… yuck. 

I was really surprised I was able to do this run. I had a crappy day and treated myself to a lot of sweets.  

So on on the workout. 2 mile warm-up, followed by 5×4 minutes between 7:30-7:40, and a 1 mile cool-down. How did I do? My 5 4-minute splits were: 7:35, 7:30, 7:34, 7:39 and 7:40. Right on target.

This workout made me feel like I could actually met my 5K goal. That doesn’t mean it was easy. I had to remind myself to pump my arms and work through it! But I didn’t wimp out, and that makes me happy.

Distance: 6.5 | Start Temp: 30° | End Temp: 29° | Time: 56:36 | Avg Pace: 8:42

Day 842 | February 7, 2012: rest

I loved having this Tuesday off. Steven surprised me by bringing home sandwiches and we ate them on the couch while watching a movie. Soooo relaxing.

Day 843 | February 8, 2012: 6 m run + strength class

Since it was light out when I was running I decided to run the hilly trail by my house. 

Yep. Hills still suck. Ha ha. I think this is the fastest I’ve ever run that route though. 

I had a nagging feeling on the right side of my right foot during the run. I hope that doesn’t turn in to anything. 

Distance: 6.0 | Start Temp: 35° | End Temp: 33° | Time: 56:32 | Avg Pace: 9:25

After my run I took a hot bath. Then went to strength class. I knew it was  bad idea but I did it anyway. I was wiped during class and my foot hurt too. I was not able to give class my all and had to modify some of the moves. 

Day 844 | February 9, 2012: cross

I used the recumbent bike in the gym – I am not even recall the last time I did that! It was a nice, relaxing ride (set on manual, 5.98 miles in 35 minutes). I read Getting a Grip while I was riding.

Day 845 | February 10, 2012: 6 m run (easy w/5×10-15 sec strides)

Yay, I actually got my butt out of bed to run before work! And my foot felt fine too! Double Yay!!!

I actually saw another runner during this run, all decked out in reflective gear and lights. We said good morning and waved. I think that was the highlight of this run!

I did 5 x 15 second strides from miles 2-4. Those are always a good pick-up!

Distance: 6.0 | Start Temp: 32° | End Temp: 32° | Time: 54:43 | Avg Pace: 9:07

Day 846 | February 11, 2012: 14 m run (easy)

I was nervous about this run because the forecast said cold and windy. But the sun was out so the 10°F temp didn’t seem so bad. And the wind was bearable (15mph dusting to 23mph). Plus, I ran ran 3 loops in my neighborhood so I didn’t have to carry water or GU (which would never work in the summer) and it was nice to have my hands free. 

What was challenging was the footing! We got a few inches of snow late Friday so I had to wear my Yak Trax. The left one started to feel funny around mile 3.5, so I stopped and one of the rubber pieces and coils had broken! I tried to loop it together, but it completely came off at mile 5.5 (the coil). So I took the left Yak Trax off and just ran with one on my right foot and none on my left. So I would slip with my left foot then regain stability on my right. That made the run… interesting. 

Has anyone else had their Yak Trax fall apart like that?

Overall though, it was a good pace for me, in the snow and cold – 10:18 mm.

Distance: 14.0 | Start Temp: 10° | End Temp: 15° | Time: 2:24:06 | Avg Pace: 10:18

Day 847 | February 12, 2012: 6 m run (easy)

My legs felt a bit tired during this run, but I felt okay overall.

Later on in the day, I noticed my weird-o bruise on my right foot moved to a pain in my ankle. Yay, fun times. I talked to my coach about it, and we are going to modify my schedule this week if necessary.

Distance: 6.0 | Start Temp: 20° | End Temp: 24° | Time: 56:04 | Avg Pace: 9:20

Week Summary: 38.5 miles

During strength class, it was not comfortable to do moves that put pressure on my right foot.

Today I can feel the irritation when I wear running shoes and walk around.

It doesn’t feel like a bone or muscle, and lo and behold, you can see the irritation on the outside of my foot.

Sock still on to hide my scary toenails

What the heck is this?

Time for you all to analyze…

And… GO!

Already someone has asked me if it’s my shoes. I thought not, but maybe it is? Also, I should note, this is not the foot I have plantar fasciitis* in (that is my left foot, and it’s been feeling good, except for a flareup last Saturday).

Oh! And edited to add: I did roll this foot when I was walking outside during my lunch break on Tuesday.

*Boo yah, spelled it right on the first try!

Two mile warm-up, followed by 10×1 minute hard/1 minute recovery, and 1.5 mile cool-down. 

The minute “hard” segments were at goal 5K pace – between 7:25-7:40. My minutes: 7:30, 7:29, 7:22, 7:22, 7:12, 7:14, 7:14, 7:18, 7:29, 7:08.

Felt okay while I was doing it, but have no idea how I will sustain that for an entire 5K (under) 23 minutes!

Distance: 6.0 | Start Temp: 41° | End Temp: 38° | Time: 52:07 | Avg Pace: 8:41

Day 835 | January 31, 2012: cross

Erin and I took the cardio kickboxing class together. I was feeling really strong, except for my stomach. I had a snack attack and the afternoon and that was not playing well with class. 

Day 836 | February 1, 2012: 6 m run (easy) + strength class

I was too tired to get out of bed in the morning to do my run so I did it right before strength class. 

Distance: 6.0 | Start Temp: 43° | End Temp: 37° | Time: 54:41 | Avg Pace: 9:07

In strength class we did stations with medicine balls, then used soft balls in between. I really like the soft balls – they are just big enough that it is challenging to grip one with one hand. We do all sorts of things with them – punches, side raises, squats… I have one soft ball of my own at home. I think it’s fun to toss it to someone while doing crunches. 

Day 837 | February 2, 2012: rest

Day 838 | February 3, 2012: 5.5 m run (easy)

I met Bobbi at the Rollins Savanna for a 5 mile (turned into 5.5 mile) run. I feel bad – Bobbi asked how things were at work and I let it all out. Then bitched about some other things. Thanks for listening, Bobbi! We went to Dunkin’ Donuts after our run for drinks (hence the awesome background in our photo).

I love Bobbi’s new haircut! I want to chop my hair off!!!

Oh! I almost forgot to mention – we saw a few coyotes while we were running. That was pretty cool (photo from Bobbi):

Distance: 5.5 | Start Temp: 31° | Time: 55:32 | Avg Pace: 10:06

In the late afternoon I had a personal strength training session at Brian’s. I thought it was pretty easy at first – just ketllebells, soft balls, and walking pushups (okay, that was not easy) – until Brian had me put on a weighted vest to do some moves again and some new ones!

Day 839 | February 4, 2012: 13 m run (easy w/last 2 miles @ MP)

My younger brother and his wife were visiting, so I woke up early to get my 13 miles in before we all started our day. Reminds of of long runs in the summer – waking up early to beat the heat! Only this time, it was in the 30s the entire run (which was quite nice). 

Not quite so nice – my stomach was in knots for this entire run. Hmm, maybe my trail mix is not doing me any favors. Bummer. Whatever was going on, I completed the run and ran my last two miles just under marathon pace (9:00mm) at 8:55 and 8:41. I am always amazed when I can pull those “fast” miles out after a long slow run, but I think I am just anxious to finish!

Distance: 13.0 | Start Temp: 36° | End Temp: 36° | Time: 2:12:15 | Avg Pace: 10:10

Day 840 | February 5, 2012: 5.5 m run (easy)

I cut .5 miles off of my scheduled 6 easy 6 miler to subtract for the .5 extra I ran on Friday. It felt so weird (in a good way) to be out running in the beginning of February, with no hat or gloves, a long sleeved tee, and capris. I had to dodge a lot of cars covering the sidewalks for this run. I think a lot of people were having parties to watch some football game?

Distance: 5.5 | Start Temp: 39° | End Temp: 35° | Time: 49:00 | Avg Pace: 8:55

Week Summary: 36.0 miles

Seriously though, I was leaving Brian’s studio last night, and thought about how I would likely not do any of the strength moves he has me try unless I was working with him. Before we started working together, I would do The 30 Day Shred from time to time. Then I met him for the first time last January and he gave me (and the rest of the club people in attendance) a little book of exercises. I used that for awhile. But I was not doing this:

What is that? I don’t recall the name of the piece of equipment but I thought it was fun. And tough. And you guys remember I work for the CIA, right? I decided to wear my bullet proof vest to our session:

Just kidding! That is a 10-lb weighted vest that I wore for the last half of our session. Brian said something like, “I don’t ever want you to gain back the weight you have lost, but here is a reminder of what it used to feel like” (he said it more cool and eloquent than that of course). 

What is the point of all this babbling? Well, I was just thinking – I have been taking Brian’s strength class on and off since March 1, 2011, and working with him personally since May 26, 2011 (first session June 3, 2011)- and it has made a huge improvement on my overall fitness level and how I feel. And here is the strange thing:

I really, really, really like doing strength training now. 

I never did it before because I thought it was boring and I didn’t get a high from it, like I do from running. But I leave a strength session now feeling energetic and strong. I LOVE IT!

What do you do for strength training?

Are you motivated enough to do it on your own, or do you have to take a class/use a trainer like I do?

Have you guys seen “Shit Women Say to Personal Trainers”? Kind of funny. I don’t think I have said any of that stuff though. Have you?

*Alright, I do get myself to kickboxing and on the bike trainer from time to time. On my own.

• Congrats to everyone who signed up for the Chicago Marathon! It’s an amazing race! I did not sign up. I am not planning on signing up for a marathon until I get to a healthy weight and keep it off for awhile. That does not mean I am not doing long runs – I am just not training for a marathon.
• For dinner last night Steven made BBQ Soy Curls! They were so good and easy to make! I think even I could make them (if you are new to my blog, you should know that my husband does all the cooking). All Steven did was let the soy curls soak in water, then saute them with BBQ sauce. 

• Data has been so needy and talkative (more than normal) since we got back from Kansas City. I think he actually missed us!

Also, this post is about binge eating – if you find that triggering, please skip this post!

I ate so much snacky food Saturday afternoon that I could not finish my dinner – my stomach hurt that bad (and it was vegan masala that I really wanted to finish – from a restaurant in Kansas City that also serves meat, hmm, imagine that).

I was really upset by this – not that I couldn’t finish dinner – but that I was so full I physically hurt. I felt dizzy and light-headed and my stomach ached. That had not happened to me in a long time. I had been doing so well with my eating. Sure, I had little mini binges on food now and then, but nothing that made me feel this way.

It’s not carrots I am binging on!

I need to figure this out NOW before it gets out of control or I am going to forever be in a cycle of lose weight/gain weight, up and down.

I am going to try to go the entire 29 days of February without binge eating, and see what happens from there. And binge eating is not to be confused with overeating or indulging – I am okay with those things. Binge eating is described as (from wikipedia):

Binge eating is a pattern of disordered eating which consists of episodes of uncontrollable eating. It is sometimes as a symptom of binge eating disorder or compulsive overeating disorder. During such binges, a person rapidly consumes an excessive amount of food. Most people who have eating binges try to hide this behavior from others, and often feel ashamed about being overweight or depressed about their overeating.

When I binge eat, I feel out of control, like I cannot stop putting food in my mouth. It usually starts with a craving for something sweet, then salty, then sweet, then salty, until I eat enough that my stomach hurts and I feel confused and dazed that it all just happened. 

Generally, I don’t like making monthly goals. But I am putting this out there for accountability. So feel free to ask me how it’s going. Or not!

(I do think I will put a little widget on the side to track my binge free days Updated to add – I took this down because it was not helping me)

Hey! Let’s celebrate something cool! I ran 142 miles in January! In January of 2011, I ran less – 86.8. The running year is off to an awesome start! Maybe I won’t have any months under 100 miles this year. That would be cool. But I want to be smart. So I won’t make that a goal. 

Would you rather run in the dark:

• on the snow-covered streets? or
• on clear streets but with 30 mph winds?

Distance: 5.0 | Start Temp: 30° | End Temp: 30° | Time: 42:50 | Avg Pace: 8:34

Day 828 | January 24, 2011: cross

I went to cardio kickboxing and used it to work out the day’s frustrations again! I started to feel pretty drained during the middle of the class and wasn’t kicking as high as the start of class.

Day 829 | January 25, 2011: 5 m run (easy) + strength

I think I was still tired from kickboxing when I got up before work to run 5 miles. But at least the sidewalks were clear! Well, mostly. My headlamp warned me about the huge ice patches. 

Distance: 5.0 | Start Temp: 20° | End Temp: 20° | Time: 45:54 | Avg Pace: 9:11

At strength class in the evening, we did a kettleball + step workout. Which happens to = torture. I was wiped. Good wiped. 

Day 830 | January 26, 2011: 5 m run (easy) + strength

I was surprised by how warm it was for this run I did before work – 32°F! In January! I was also surprised to see another runner – since we’ve gotten snow I haven’t seen many in my neighborhood. 

I also saw another type of runner when I first started my run – a deer! He was running through someones yard. It was kind of creepy, since it was still dark out, and it took me awhile to register what I was seeing. 

Distance: 5.0 | Start Temp: 32° | End Temp: 32° | Time: 47:49 | Avg Pace: 9:33

During my lunch break, Brian came over and we did a workout with weighted sticks (not bars, but shorter) and the bench.  The weighted sticks made me feel like a ninja. A tired ninja!

Day 831 | January 27, 2011: 8 m run

I ran 8 hilly miles in Kansas City with my BiL, Andrew. We basically chatted it up the whole time. I love running with Andrew! Except for those damn hills. I don’t blame him for them. Too much, anyway. Ha! Who am I kidding? Andrew, I blame you for everything. 

Distance: 8.0 | Start Temp: 33° | End Temp: 37° | Time: 1:24:27 | Avg Pace: 10:33

Day 832 | January 28, 2011: 5 m run (easy)

On Saturday I was also lucky enough to have a running partner – my friend Laura, who drove a really long distance to come run with me. We ran on the same trail that I ran on with Andrew the day before. We ran at dawn and saw about 9 deer cross the trail in front of us. So neat!

After our run we ate breakfast at HyVee – then our chat session was quickly over! We never have enough time together. Laura is such a sweetie. I want to spend a whole day hanging out with her!

I see a lot of visits to Kansas City in my future, especially since my sister wants to move there! I know I will have more time with Laura… hopefully sooner rather than later!

Distance: 5.0 | Start Temp: 26° | End Temp: 26° | Time: 48:01 | Avg Pace: 9:36

Day 833 | January 29, 2011: rest

Week Summary: 28.0 miles

RelaxReflect’s Mission is to be the world’s most recognizable graphic clothing brand to combine cool design with functional purpose. Featuring retro, edgy and innovative reflective graphics that illuminate when exposed to light, our customers can relax in the notion that they are always seen in the coolest clothes on the planet. RelaxReflect™ is also about clothes that feel and look great while utilizing attractive designs that inspire our customers to choose to be seen and those who value individualism and uniqueness in their daily lives.

All of their clothing has reflective graphics on it, so you can be outside in the dark (for me, working out) and worry a little less about not being visible. 

I contacted RelaxReflect the same day I read that blog post and inquired about doing a review of one of their products. They responded right away, and we had a fun conversation about their inspiration for the company and how they got started.  I ordered the Badass reflective running leggings as a Christmas gift to myself, but they also recently sent me a reflective skull cap to review!

Here is what it looks like not lit up (UA Hood mine, not part of hat):

I really like the hat. It comes in a few different materials (and colors!), and this one is Brush Dryflex – it wicks wonderfully and still keeps my head warm!

Relax Reflect Skull Cap Review:

Pros:

• snug
• comfortable
• pony tail slot
• cute design
• reflective!

I ordered one of the skull caps for Erin for her birthday, and asked her to take some pictures so I can show you that the hat does fit people with normal sized heads (and actually, Erin said her head is very small, so it will fit a medium sized head person perfectly!).

I’ve been really excited about RelaxReflect, because running in the dark makes me nervous, but I feel better about it when I run with my reflective leggings and skull cap (and headlamp) and know that it looks cooler than wearing a vest. Ha ha.

So! To share my love for the company, I am sponsoring my own giveaway (they sent me the skull cap, but I am buying one for one of you!).

One reader will receive a Skull Cap of their own. There are four styles to choose from – All American, Criss Cross, Honeycomb and Stars Stars. See them here for women and here for men. 

RelaxReflect Giveaway Rules

1. One reader will receive a RelaxReflect Skull Cap. 
2. Required to enter the giveaway: visit the RelaxReflect website and leave me a comment telling me which product is your favorite! 
3. This giveaway is open until 5:00 PM CST on Wednesday January 25. I will use random.org to select the winner. I will announce the winner on Thursday January 26. 
4. This giveaway is open to all readers.

Two mile warm-up,  followed by 6 x 3:00 minutes fast (7:45-8:00 pace) with 2:00 minute recoveries, and a mile+ cool down. Same workout as last week, with one extra interval. The snow was melted off the streets and conditions were good for speedwork. Except for the wind. Yuck. The first two intervals felt comfortable, the next three were hard because of the hills, and the last one… I just wanted to be done. Sigh. Still a lot of work to do here! I took the recovery super slow because I felt wiped out.

3:00 times: 7:54, 7:58, 8:00, 7:57, 7:55, 7:53

Distance: 7.0 | Start Temp: 35° | End Temp: 40° | Time: 1:07:57 | Avg Pace: 9:43

I went to Brian’s studio for a strength session a few hours after my run. Remind me NOT to go to his studio. Ha – when I do that, he has all of his torture devices handy – he can’t bring all of that stuff when he comes to my house!

We did a lot with steps, resistance bands, and weights. And more ab focused work. Plank ups, walking across the floor. Ugh. A lot of cardio (jumping over things) too. I got very out of breath a few times!

It’s all good for me. But damn. Brian knows how to make me work!

Day 821 | January 17, 2012: cross

Cardio kickboxing! This is only my third time attending class, and I have never gone twice in a row (or even twice in three weeks), but it keeps getting easier. At first, I thought I was getting better, but I really just think it feels easier because I’ve lost weight. WHATEVER! I’ll take it. I really needed to punch and kick Tuesday night – I didn’t have the best day at work. Class. Felt. Good!!!

Day 822 | January 18, 2012: 5 m run (easy) + strength

I ran my five miles before work. It was kind of cold (8°F) so it was my first time wearing my UA hood to cover most of my face. I was happy there was not much wind!

Also, I mentioned last year that my bluetooth running headset did not work well in the cold. It’s so much better this year – I think because I put my phone in my bra! Somehow, that seems to help… maybe because I am keeping my phone warm? Who knows!

Distance: 5.0 | Start Temp: 8° | End Temp: 7° | Time: 48:48 | Avg Pace: 9:45

At my strength class in the evening we did kettlebells – my favorite! Brian taught us a new move where we were passing it around our legs (think basketball style) – I am surprised I only hit my leg once doing that.

Day 823 | January 19, 2012: rest

Day 824 | January 20, 2012: 6 m run (easy)

I was pleasantly surprised by how warm it was when I woke up (0°F)! The forecast had actually predicted the weather to be a bit cooler, so it was nice not to freeze during my easy 6 miler (I wore two layers).

Distance: 6.0 | Start Temp: 0° | End Temp: 2° | Time: 1:01:28 | Avg Pace: 10:15

Day 825 | January 21, 2012: 14 m run (easy)

14 easy miles… This was a nice, fun run, listening to some podcasts, stopping in the house at mile 10 to go to the bathroom and realizing I needed to charge my phone to keep listening to podcasts… ho hum. 

I am annoyed at how slow the snow makes me though. I wore my Yak Trax for the first time this season for this run. They really helped, but running through the snow still slows me down. By the end of my run, a lot of snow had melted off the streets, so that was nice!

Distance: 14.0 | Start Temp: 7° | End Temp: 19° | Time: 2:28:00 | Avg Pace: 10:34

Day 826 | January 22, 2012: 6 m run (easy) + strength

I’m not sure what my problem is, but I was not feeling this run. I was bored with the new podcasts I downloaded, the wind was making me crazy and I just wasn’t in to it. Ugh. I felt better when I turned on music for the last .4 miles. I’ll remember that for next time. 

Distance: 6.0 | Start Temp: 23° | End Temp: 26° | Time: 1:02:25 | Avg Pace: 10:24

Updated to add: Steven and I did Circuit 1 and 2 of Level 1 of Shred It with Weights (the Jillian Michaels Kettlebell DVD) in the evening.

Week Summary: 38.0 miles

I saw an interesting article on Monday and wanted to share it – Workouts Have Their Limits, Recognized Or Not. The article is about recreational athletes overdoing it and not giving their body any rest. A good reminder to take a true rest day! I know I am a lot better at that now that Britt is coaching me!

I’ve actually been working with a running coach - Britt from Chicago Runner Girl  – since December 5, 2011. I was going to write that I’ve always thought it would be fun to work with a running coach, but never had, but… I actually found this not so old blog post of mine where I said I wouldn’t be any good at working with a coach – because I like my schedule to be flexible, and I wouldn’t do the workout if they weren’t there! Ha! How untrue that has turned out to be. Anyway, more on that in a bit.

That short article on what to look for in a coach got me thinking about why I asked Britt to work with me. I didn’t actually look at any lists or suggestions for how to hire a coach. I had been reading Britt’s blog for awhile and had a feeling we would be compatible – she lives in Chicago (proximity), she’s married without children and has fur babies (understands my similar lifestyle), she’s very optimistic (I can use some encouragement) she really pushes herself (runs high mileage weeks/5+ runs a week) and she encourages strength training (knows I want to fit that in to my schedule). Oh! And she has a rockin’ runner’s bod… which lets me fantasize that I could look like that someday if I workout like her (ha ha).

We met in late November to chat about my goals and how we would structure the communication. We discussed a few options, and I ultimately decided I would like a customized running schedule each week (instead of all of the program up front). I give her my schedule for each week a few days in advance of the week starting, and she develops a running schedule based on my availability. We talk on the phone once a week to touch base, and we email a few times a week too. 

So far, it’s worked out wonderfully! It’s funny – I was chatting with Britt on Saturday and telling her how much I liked working with her, when she said how fun it is for her to create a schedule then not have to run it! Ha! I have been thinking the exact opposite – how nice it is to have someone give me a schedule so I don’t have to think about what I am doing, but just get out there and do it. See? Compatibility!

I love being coached.  When I finish a challenging workout it makes me feel strong and confident. And Britt is extremely supportive and encouraging too, which I now realize is beneficial to my running. 

It’s really funny to me to look at that old blog post where I said I like my running to be sporadic, so I am not stressing about fitting things in. That was so true for me at the time! But now, it’s working so well – I get my schedule on the weekend, put it on a special exercise calendar in google (which I share with Steven) and I plan my week out. It’s less stress because Britt knows what I have going on, and made sure the workouts fit my schedule.

Trying to beat my PR from this race!

Right now, we are working on a 5K PR on February 26. We are also maintaining my endurance base too (that was a request of mine). I suppose the real test will be if I make the 5K PR! I think I will be able to unless we have some crazy freak snowstorm.

After the 5K, we’ll see what I tackle next, hopefully with Britt’s coaching again!

What would you look for in a running coach?