Simple.

This morning I did an easy 3 mile run.  I'm enjoying the great weather and running conditions.  Most of the snow has melted, and the temperatures aren't too cold (30's) ~ perfect.  I warmed up for a few minutes before leaving the house, then I just did a simple out and back run.  When I got home I did 35 minutes of Pilates.

Saturday morning run.

Today I did a 10 mile run.  It went pretty well.  I felt really good mentally and aerobically, but my legs did get pretty tired.  I think that might have something to do with the fact that, since we've remedied our computer situation, last evening I was eager to catch up on an episode of The Biggest Loser, so I spent 85 minutes doing a slow jog on the treadmill while I watched it.  Probably not the smartest thing to do the night before a long run, but I guess it's all training in the end.  I enjoyed my run today.  The roads were actually clear, it's cold, but not too cold, and not too windy ~ so more or less perfect running conditions.  When I got home, I spent about 10 minutes stretching.  I need to work on doing more stretching.

Fridays are (not) fun days.

This morning my body is feeling tired and sore.  I'm not sure why; I haven't done anything particularly strenuous this week.  At any rate, it's a rest day.  I did do 20 minutes of Pilates this morning, and I would have liked to do more but I have to get ready to go to Cub Scouts in a few minutes.  I so wish Fridays could be a day of rest and relaxation for me and my kids, since they are on the four day school week.  Instead, Fridays are always one of our busiest days.  Blah.  Hopefully I can get some rest later today and feel good for a (medium) long run tomorrow of 9-10 miles.

Coming up next week....I have a very long run scheduled with my runner friend ~ she said she wants to do at least 20 miles, and I'm actually looking forward to it!

Easy day.

This morning I set out to do a 3 mile run.  I guess it's par for the course that since I had a great run yesterday, that today would be so-so.  I had the "legs o' lead" syndrome going on.  Plus, still dealing with the dang slippery roads.  Oh, well.  Not every run can be a great one.  At least I did it, and when I came home I did 30 minutes of Pilates, which made me feel a little better.  I still don't have our PC fixed, after spending literally all day yesterday running scan after scan and patch after patch.  It's very frustrating.  At least this laptop is holding out, so I can post on this blog!  It's part of what keeps me sane, you know.  ;)

5 mile run.

Today my schedule had me doing a 5 mile run.  I had originally planned to do a speed workout on the treadmill, but yesterday our PC got a virus or malware of some kind, and I'm still trying to fix it.  Without the computer working, I can't watch Hulu.com while I'm on the treadmill, and I wasn't about to do a 5 mile speed workout without something to distract and entertain me.  Anyway, the weather is decent enough that I was able to do my run outside.  It actually ended up being one of the best runs I've had in a while.  I felt good the whole time, my legs were strong, and I finished the 5.01 miles in just 54 minutes, which means I maintained a pace between 10 and 11 min/mile the whole time.  I can live with that, considering the roads are still icy and slick.  I had bought some simple Saucony track shoes with spikes in them for running in the winter, and I wore them today for the first time.  I have to say, the shoes were the only thing I didn't like about today's run.  They are too minimalistic for me, and the spikes didn't keep me from slipping any time I hit a slick spot.  I think I'll stick with my Asics and look for some of those winter spikes you can get that snap into the treads.  I wanted to do Pilates after my run today, but I need to work on fixing the other computer first.  Right now only our laptop is working, and it's got a dying power source or something and will spontaneously shut down while I'm using it.  Too bad we've become so dependant on electronics and technology!

Off day.

Today is a cross training/rest day.  For some reason I slept horribly last night, and woke up (early) this morning with a bad headache.  I've been nursing it with Motrin and Tylenol, and I hardly felt like doing a workout this morning...but of course, I did.  I did 30 minutes on the elliptical, then walked on the treadmill for 15 minutes.  Not much of a workout, but I got sweaty, so I guess it did something.  Plus, I have to go grocery shopping today, and I figure that's a whole workout in and of itself!

Another Day, Another nickel.

This morning I did a 4 miler.  After taking the kids to school, I headed out into the falling snow and over to the park.  Once again, the roads were slippery, especially with a fresh new layer of powdery snow over them.  It makes it difficult to run normally, or attempt to increase my speed at all, because I'm nervous about my feet flying out from underneath me and landing on my backside.  After my run, I came home and did 35 minutes of Pilates.

Busy weekend.

Yesterday was a rest day, and I used it to take a rest from running, at least.  I was busy doing other things, like Cub Scouts in the morning from 9-11:30, then I spent the remainder of the day cooking cleaning and generally getting things ready to have several house guests for a couple of days for my daughter's baptism today.  This morning, all I had slotted was a 3 miler, since I had done my long run of the week on Thursday.  I did have to get up at 6am in order to have time to fit it in.  I decided to do my run outside, so I wouldn't wake everyone in the house up by using the loud treadmill.  It was still dark outside and the roads were a bit icy, so I made my way around at the park using a flashlight.  It was a good run, and it felt really nice to get outside.  I definitely needed that to start my day, and help me get through all the stuff we had going on.  Tomorrow's another rest day, then I look forward to a new week starting Monday.

It's a new day...

But, the weather is the same: cold, wet, icy, windy...did I mention windy?  Oh, well.  This is life here in southeastern Idaho.  I braved the opposition and headed out this morning for a long run of 12 miles.  It was a tough run, but I made it through.  Just like last week, the first half went well, I was able to run the whole time and felt pretty strong.  After I made the turn into the "wind tunnel" again, I had to walk on and off for about a  mile until I finally reached a point when the wind let up a little.  I did have fun, even though it was hard.  It is very difficult and tiring on the leg muscles to run in the snow/ice/slush, I have decided.  I hope my diligence in running through it all will help me be a stronger runner in the end, because it's certainly not making me any faster...for the moment.

Winter workout, with a slow start.

This morning is a cross-training/rest day.  It took me a little time to get going on my workout.  I've been feeling tired lately, and since I plan to do a long run tomorrow morning, I took advantage of getting a little extra rest.  I didn't get to sleep in, of course, since I had to get the kids off to school.  Once I felt ready, I started out with a 30 minute Pilates workout, then I did 30 minutes on the elliptical followed by 30 minutes of walking on the treadmill.  I'm excited to get outside for my run tomorrow.  Hopefully the snow will let up, although it doesn't look promising.  We'll see...