First snowy winter run!

Ok, so if anyone knows me they know that I hate winter.  I am not a fan, I do not like snow, I do not like to be cold, and I most certainly do not like to be cold AND wet.  Well, winter brings all of those things when you are outside but the one thing that I cannot fight is that I am most definitely a cold weather runner.  Whenever I get a new PR it's always cold out, I don't know if that's because my body isn't trying so hard to cool down or if I subconsciously just really want to get the run over and be done. Who knows.  Regardless of what the reasoning is I actually enjoy running outside when it's cold once I get past the point of "dear sweet Jesus it's cold and I should be back inside", once that part is over it is quite peaceful.  Another perk of running outside and in a nice neighborhood is the fact that people have started putting out their Christmas lights which means that running at 9:00pm is not only quiet, peaceful, and enjoyable, but it is also quite pretty.  

Something that I know that helps with running outside is that I do believe I have finally mastered the art of having the correct number of layers on for the appropriate temperature.  I used to make sure I was cozy no matter where I was and invariably ended up stripping off layers mid run and trying to figure out what to do with said layers once I didn't want to wear them anymore.  Well now I've realized that I can wear fewer layers and stay just as warm so long as I'm layering with the correct clothes.  If anyone is seriously considering running in the winter it is definitely a worthwhile investment to buy a good pair of running tights and a warm running top.  Yes they are expensive but they are definitely worth the money.  I have two pairs of running tights and I think the "cheap" pair were still $45 on sale and they are from when I was in 7th or maybe 8th grade, I am now 26 years old.  The other pair is thicker than my old pair which mean I think they were $60 and they are reebok but I love them.  My mom made the comment that I spend a lot of money on running gear but I tell her I never regret it because I definitely get my use out of everything.  I'm pretty rough on everything I own so it's a great idea for me to consider buying quality stuff over quantity.  Sure I could have bought something cheaper but it wouldn't work as well, wear as well, and I would probably be uncomfortable/cold and not want to run, thereby completely defeating the purpose of buying the stuff in the first place.  

Meanwhile.  After that little rant I do believe that I am going to go eat something then clean up the house and probably do something productive for a bit.  I started this post last night right after my run but then I got side tracked with dinner and a shower and forgot to finish until this morning.  Oh well.  So long as it gets done right?  My goal for tonight is to head to the gym and get some weight training in and see what all I can my my poor upper body do.  My body is very disproportional when it comes to strength.  My lower half is crazy strong for my size but my upper half leaves much to be desired.  I am strong yes but.....yeah...it still needs work.  

Post Thanksgiving Workout Goals

Ok, so Turkey Day was fantastic! Lots of food, family, and fun now it's time to get back into a real workout schedule and get something accomplished!  I feel like a slug because I haven't worked out since the day before Thanksgiving (Wednesday) because I've been crazy busy with work, travel, food, and more work.  Now I work again all day tomorrow but Monday is the beginning of a new week and it involves spin class!  I didn't go to spin last Monday but Red did and he said it wasn't too bad so I think I'll try it out and see what happens.  My idea goals for this week will be spinning Monday and Friday, running at lunch or lifting after class Tues/Thurs, and lifting/swimming/running after either early Wednesday morning or after work Wednesday.  I really would love to do something all 5 days next week plus play soccer after class on Thursday which will be fantastic!  If I could start and maintain this kind of a routine that would make me a very happy midget and would mean getting a lot accomplished on my journey/training for my crazy 2012 race year!  California is just 2 months away which means I really need to get training.  If I stop thinking of it as "next year" and start thinking of it realistically as two months away that may entice me to train more and quit being a couch potato.  My productivity has slacked severely and I need to work on that a lot.  I have a shirt that says "Every Damn Day" and another that says "Move Your Ass", I think I need to really think about wearing them more frequently and actually paying attention and listening to them when they say to move my ass. My new favorite quote just popped in my mind saying "I'm not done when I'm tired, I'm done when I'm finished" another variation is "Don't quit when you're tired, you can quit when you finish" but I don't like the quitting one because I don't like the idea of quitting.  I like the idea of being done with something because that is a feeling of accomplishment.  Now with that thought I shall go to bed and try to get some sleep.  I have another long day of work tomorrow and a couple of errands before even going to work plus I would like to attempt to go to church in the morning if at all possible.  Ugh, should probably go to sleep considering it's almost 1:30am.

Just keep spinning spinning spinning...

Ok, Fridays are officially my favorite spin days.  The music is awesome and keeps us pumped up and the instructor keeps us motivated and works hard herself.  She took us through a series yesterday that she called the "Upchuck" Series.  I do believe that her naming was completely and totally accurate, no I did not get sick but that's not without thinking about it strongly.  We had long sitting hills at a fast pace, then a standing 15 minute continuous hill and then an awesome series of jumps.  I say awesome with the largest amount of sarcasm that the word will allow.  She had a fast 4 count, slow 4 count, and a long 4 count.  The only one that allowed you to count to 4 without having to count by more than 2s was the long 4 count.  The fast "4 count" barely got you out of the saddle before you were supposed to attempt to sit again all the while spinning as hard as you could.  I was definitely tired by the time we were finished but I felt good too.  I'm starting to get used to what all I can and should do in spin class which makes life easier and I can get more out of it.  With Thanksgiving coming up my only option will be Monday morning spin class so we'll see how that works out and what that instructor is like.  If there are a ton of empty bikes a minute before the class I may be doing my own workout on different machines or something.

On a different note, I was talking to some of my friends that are also doing the Tough Mudder in April and I am stoked!  I can not wait until April to see what this race will throw at us!  The videos show ridiculous hills, ice cold water, monkey bars from hell, flaming piles of straw, and my personal favorite, the five yards of 10,000V wires dangling everywhere that you have to run through to get to the finish.  I'm not really excited about that part, more scared out of my mind.  I figure I'll just run like hell and hope to not get shocked like crazy.  The only part that I'm actually concerned about really is the water tube deals.  They have tubes that a large man can fit through but they are half submerged in water so you have to crawl through with water up to your chin in a small tight tube with people in front of and behind you.  I'm kind of claustrophobic despite my small size and have an ironic fear of drowning considering I love water and being a strong swimmer.  Ironic, I know.  But besides all of that nonsense I am seriously curious as to how hard this really will be.  Those are just two of the obstacles out of the 14 that we get to conquer.  I did the Warrior Dash this past summer and really didn't think it was that bad.  It was supposedly 3 miles but it felt like 1 or maybe 2 because of all the obstacles and it definitely was fun which helped.  I'm curious as to how bad this race will be considering it was designed by the british special forces....interesting.  Before I get too sidetracked though I need to remember that I am running a half marathon in California in February.  You know, on this side of the New Year February sounds really far away but I'm certain that will change here quickly, maybe even by December when someone goes "Hey, you only have 2 months until California" and I'll go "Oh yeah...crap." lol  Looks like cold winter runs coming up!

Food!

So I know that working out makes me hungry but I've found a way to fulfill that hunger and eat healthy!  Eating healthy is definitely one of my overall goals for my training, and actually for my life, but it tastes good, looks good, and feels good.  I was starving after my workout yesterday morning so I had my "shaka", it's just chocolate Carnation Instant Breakfast with original Silk soy milk, about 20oz and it tastes amazing!  I love that after my workouts.  A couple of hours later I had a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread which may have totaled about 250 calories and tastes great.  The egg has lots of protein (yeah!) and so does the bacon and the bread (surprise!).  On my way to work a little bit later I had a banana then at work I had a peanut butter and apple butter sandwich on whole wheat bread, a cup of Strawberry and Banana Chobani yogurt, and a bowl of Campbell's chicken and brown rice soup.  Some people poke fun at the fact that I eat so much but that's ok because then I'm not a starving grump and I'm not eating junk so it's not a bad thing.  Besides, I'm positive that me eating a little bit all the time over the course of an entire day is still less than a lot of people eat just sitting down to a couple of meals a day.  Each meal is important and I really do not like to skip meals but if I have to then lunch would be one I would give up before anything else.  My biggest meal is always dinner and last night I had Sizzilini which is my favorite pasta dish and Red makes it perfectly :D

Sizzilini is a pasta dish made with angel hair/thin pasta, bell peppers, crushed red pepper, red pasta sauce, and chicken.  Sometimes we season the chicken separately from the pasta and mix it in later so it gets extra seasoning, or sometimes we just cook it with the peppers.  If you ever come to our house you should try this pasta because it is fantastic!  Now today I'm not training much/at all because I have to work, class, and study for a biochem test but tomorrow I am planning on spinning in the morning and potentially running at noon before going to work at 3.  :D

Spinning!

Ok!  So I am brand new to spinning and so far I'm a huge fan!  Lifetime has a class Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 5:45am which is ridiculously early but not terrible.  I went for the first time last Friday and really liked it, actually almost enjoyed it being up that early and getting stuff done and felt great all day!  The instructor was kind of annoying at first by being so chipper but she was less annoying as the class went on.  Friday's instructor also had great music that was upbeat and kept us entertained, and in some cases sort of singing/humming along while she told us to climb, or run, or push on a flat.  Friday was what made me want to go to the spin class again this morning which had a different instructor.  Wednesday's class is not for me.  There were half as many people there, the instructor talked nonstop, and her music was terrible.  I may have been old enough to remember the 90's but that doesn't mean I enjoyed the music and want to relive it.  I still got a work out which is the important part, but I couldn't wait to get out of there because the music was so bad and the instructor wouldn't stop talking.  Red and I ended up leaving early because I could only tolerate 90's music and show tunes for so long when I'm trying to work out.  I still enjoyed Friday though so I'm going back this Friday again but Wednesday's instructor is not for me.  Obviously some people enjoy her but I am not a fan.
Until then I plan on running between working and attempting to study and plan for a wedding.

Let's get this started!

Ok, so this is the beginning of a long year of posting, thinking, training, and organizing!  Just last weekend I signed up with my fiance for the Florida Full Ironman 140.6 that will be November 3, 2012.  So since starting that up I have decided that even though the race is a year away I will call anything I do now official Ironman training lol.  This is a crazy distance to even think about doing in one week let alone all in one day so I figure early training won't kill me. Plus I'm doing other races between now and then so it's not all specifically for the Ironman.  I'm doing a half marathon in Feb, a Tough Mudder in April, full marathon in May, and a half Ironman in June.  I plan on adding something else between July and November so I'm not so packed in the beginning and empty the second half of the year!  All of the distances involved I have done before but never back to back so it's kind of nerve wracking.  I always say that fear is a strong motivator, and what could be more motivating than a race that they give you 16 hour to complete?

Of course I have an attack plan but it is a very rough attack plan!  I'm certain it will get more specific as the year progresses.  I figure eating clean will be a huge factor, obviously lots of endurance training, and I'm adding weight lifting to my resume of nonsense.  I'm not a very big person so I need to increase my power to weight ratio and see what I can come up with.  I also figure that adding weight training can't hurt anything so long as I can also gain and maintain flexibility to prevent injury!  I think I'm going to add recipes if I find something fun for clean dinners and what not and also my workouts when I remember to update on here.  I'm not really positive as to what I am doing with a blog so I'm certain that there will be other shenanigans listed in here as well.  I mean I have wedding plans, school, two jobs, training, and a slew of races going on between now and next November so all kinds of shenanigans and tom foolery shall ensue :D