I was awakened at 5:00 this morning when the kids' school called to inform us that there was a two-hour fog delay. Ugh, I appreciate the call, I just wish it didn't come until at least 6:00. Of course, I couldn't go back to sleep, so I got up and just read some blogs for a little while.
It wasn't as foggy this morning as it was yesterday, but there was frost all over everything outside. I prepared for an uber-cold run--my UA Cold Gear running tights, a tech shirt, and a fleece jacket over top; headband to cover my ears, and gloves. When I stepped outside, it actually wasn't as cold as it looked. It was 28 degrees, but it felt more like 38. So I ditched the gloves before I even left.
Today was a tempo run--5 minute warm-up and then 30 minutes at tempo pace (comfortably hard). I wanted to keep the same pace or better as my last tempo run a couple of weeks ago--my tempo pace then was 8:32/mi for 25 minutes.
As I ran, I glanced at my Garmin a few times, just to make sure I was on track, but I didn't obsess over it. I'm not going to lie, today's run was HARD. I think I hated every second of it, but when it was over, I felt amazing!! I pushed myself really hard, and I wanted to quit so many times while running, but I just kept reminding myself it would be over soon. And my pace was awesome!
Five minute warm-up at 9:22/mi, then 30 minutes at 8:19/mi. I'm continuing to get faster, and it's so much fun to SEE progress like this! The whole time I was marathon training, I was doing so much work, but wasn't seeing results. Training for speed is so rewarding, because the numbers are right there showing me that it's working.
When I finished, I was dripping sweat (the fleece was too much--I should have just worn a long sleeved shirt). The sweat soaked through the fleece and froze--leaving white frost on my jacket :)
When I was weighing out my oatmeal on my kitchen scale this morning, the batteries went dead. I absolutely hate that scale, and instead of buying new batteries, I just decided to get a new scale. This is what my old one looked like--don't ever buy it, because it was awful.
Taylor is a great brand for scales, but that particular model is awful. It would frequently shut off in the middle of measuring something, and it drove me crazy. Anyway, I went to three stores looking for a new scale (I wanted digital, and I could only find the scales with the dials on them). Finally found a whole bunch of them at Meijer, and bought one similar to one I'd had many years ago, and loved.
Taylor makes some scales with The Biggest Loser brand on them, and those ones looked good too--although you pay more, because of the brand I'm sure. This one was $25 (not labeled with Biggest Loser). It's everything that I loved about my old scale from years ago! I'll try this one out for a while and then write about whether I'd recommend it.
I also got a package in the mail today. I had ordered a handheld water bottle for running. Now that I'm done with marathons, I don't need a hydration belt. But on runs longer than 10 miles or so, it's nice to have water, so I wanted a handheld.
Lots of people seem to like the Nathan Quickdraw Plus, but a few months ago, I bought one, and had to return it because the water leaked out of the bottle even when the tip was pushed down tight. The hydration belt I have is from Amphipod, and I really like it. No complaints with it whatsoever. My only complaint with Amphipod is their customer service. I e-mailed them before, and they never responded. So I never really rave about my belt for that reason.
But I like the belt and bottle so much that I decided to check out their handhelds. And I ended up buying the Hydraform Handheld Ergo-Lite. As soon as I opened it, I absolutely loved it! It's the perfect size, the fit is adjustable, so that was perfect as well. And it even has a thumb hole!
It holds 10.5 oz, which is just right for the amount I will need for when I use it. I'm so excited to try it out, that I may just take it out on my "easy three-miler" tomorrow ;)
I've been really into peppermint lately--it started with the Peppermint Stick flavored CLIF Bars (which I've been eating almost daily without bloating, so I don't think those were the culprit, thank goodness). I've been seeking out other peppermint things, and today I made a Peppermint Pattie protein shake--it was SO good, and definitely gave me the peppermint fix I was looking for.
I did add a little Reddi-whip on top after I took the pic ;) I posted the recipe to my recipe blog, and you can find it here: Peppermint Pattie Protein Shake. I bet the perfect addition to sprinkle on top would be those broken up Andes mints that you can find with the chocolate chips in the grocery store. I'm going to have to pick some up, just for that purpose!
It wasn't as foggy this morning as it was yesterday, but there was frost all over everything outside. I prepared for an uber-cold run--my UA Cold Gear running tights, a tech shirt, and a fleece jacket over top; headband to cover my ears, and gloves. When I stepped outside, it actually wasn't as cold as it looked. It was 28 degrees, but it felt more like 38. So I ditched the gloves before I even left.
Today was a tempo run--5 minute warm-up and then 30 minutes at tempo pace (comfortably hard). I wanted to keep the same pace or better as my last tempo run a couple of weeks ago--my tempo pace then was 8:32/mi for 25 minutes.
As I ran, I glanced at my Garmin a few times, just to make sure I was on track, but I didn't obsess over it. I'm not going to lie, today's run was HARD. I think I hated every second of it, but when it was over, I felt amazing!! I pushed myself really hard, and I wanted to quit so many times while running, but I just kept reminding myself it would be over soon. And my pace was awesome!
When I finished, I was dripping sweat (the fleece was too much--I should have just worn a long sleeved shirt). The sweat soaked through the fleece and froze--leaving white frost on my jacket :)
I also got a package in the mail today. I had ordered a handheld water bottle for running. Now that I'm done with marathons, I don't need a hydration belt. But on runs longer than 10 miles or so, it's nice to have water, so I wanted a handheld.
Lots of people seem to like the Nathan Quickdraw Plus, but a few months ago, I bought one, and had to return it because the water leaked out of the bottle even when the tip was pushed down tight. The hydration belt I have is from Amphipod, and I really like it. No complaints with it whatsoever. My only complaint with Amphipod is their customer service. I e-mailed them before, and they never responded. So I never really rave about my belt for that reason.
But I like the belt and bottle so much that I decided to check out their handhelds. And I ended up buying the Hydraform Handheld Ergo-Lite. As soon as I opened it, I absolutely loved it! It's the perfect size, the fit is adjustable, so that was perfect as well. And it even has a thumb hole!
I've been really into peppermint lately--it started with the Peppermint Stick flavored CLIF Bars (which I've been eating almost daily without bloating, so I don't think those were the culprit, thank goodness). I've been seeking out other peppermint things, and today I made a Peppermint Pattie protein shake--it was SO good, and definitely gave me the peppermint fix I was looking for.
