September recap.

September was quite the month with some really solid runs and then, well, then it petered out.

Overall, the month was a win. But I had to scrap a planned 14-miler at the end of the month and take three full days off of running because my wonky hip decided to flare up.

Grrrr . . . 

So, the month ended a bit down, but not completely. After the rest and loading up with my favorite Deep Blue Rub, I bounced right back. I started October with two joyful runs! Pain free!!

Phew.

The month in numbers:

Running (miles): 123.1
Races: 0
Cross-training: some rehab on the hip and a realization that I have not been doing enough pre-hab!

This week, I am NOT going to let my mind obsess about missing my last long run last week.

Instead, I will obsess about the race day weather. Seems appropriate!

Oh . . . yeah! Looking good!! Fingers crossed that it stays that way.

Have a great week, everyone!

Four things Friday.

1. The weather this week has been terrific. Yesterday, the high was 52 and I ran in the morning wearing capris and a t-shirt. Glorious!

2. Alas, the warm December is not to last. Tomorrow, we're supposed to get 2-4 inches of snow. Snow! You know what that does to running plans? Well, it complicates them, that's for sure.


3.We have a packed weekend ahead so I'm really hoping that I get that long run in, even with the snow. Maybe the forecast is wrong -- it has happened before, I'm sure it will happen again! Fingers crossed . . .

4. I have to share my Spandits love with you all. Check out my capris:

I'm a headless wonder!

I'm jumping for joy! 

The tights (women's 3/4 tights in hyperspeed) are super cute and super comfy. I love my Spandits -- and I really love that they are made in Maine.

I try to buy US-made products and Spandits makes it easy because their products are high-quality and fun.


So . . . check them out. If you find anything you like, let them know I sent you!


Have a great weekend, everyone!

Spring!

Happy first day of spring!

We've been waiting and waiting for this day, with its promise of sunshine, flowers, and warmer days. And yet . . . here is what spring looks like this morning in Happy Runnerville:

Well, they've got their hockey sticks so they're happy!

Have a great day, everyone -- snow or no snow!

Half marathon obsessing.

Oh, yes. It is true. I'm just hanging out, obsessing over what I can't control: Sunday's weather.

It's a useless exercise. But I can't help myself.

Fortunately, the last time I checked the forecast, there was a 70% chance of rain on Sunday, with a projected high of 48. So, seeing the chance of rain go down to 50% and the high increase to 52 makes me happy. I'm hoping tomorrow the chance of rain will decrease yet again! Fingers crossed.

Of course, now I'm in a bit of a holding pattern regarding my race outfit. Running skirt? Capris? Long-sleeved top? Who knows?!? Not me. Not yet, anyway.

In other news, today is my last run before the race. Enjoy the rest, legs!

What kind of outfit would you wear for a race where the start temperature 

will likely be around 45 degrees? 

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Felice

Heatwave.

This has been one hot week of running. To beat the heat, I ran at 8:30pm on Monday and 8pm on Tuesday. Both nights were still pretty warm, but not nearly as hot as my Wednesday run.

Wednesday was hot as can be. Owen had the day off so he went out to play golf early in the morning and I was home with the boys. We had plans with friends at 4, for a BBQ and to watch the 4th of July fireworks, so when he got home at 2, I quickly got it together and went out for a run.

I had some grand plans to run 7.4 miles. You know, in honor of the day. But, yeah. That didn't happen.

Instead, I ran a nice-and-easy 4. And dripped with sweat the entire time.

Now, after all of these hot runs, I hope that we can enjoy some cooler temps on race day (Sunday!). As much as I can handle the heat, racing is just better when it is cooler.

Speaking of the Boilermaker race, I'm finalizing my race day plan and will share it tomorrow. So, until then, enjoy the day -- thanks for stopping by!

~ Felice

Winter marathon training

. . . means:

• 12 miles in 21 degree weather that feels like 5 degrees, thanks to Mr. Wind Chill.
• Layers: Sock layers. Legging layers. Pant layers. Shirt layers. Jacket layers. Glove layers. Mitten layers. Layers.
• Lots of laundry (see above).
• Frozen water bottles.
• Frozen gels.
• Frozen nose.
• Hot showers. Long hot showers.
• Becoming friends with the treadmill.
• Excitement when the forecast is for "sunny and 30 degrees."
• Outta-hand excitement when the temp is 40+.
• Happy dreams and scary nightmares about what the 26.2 on May 6th might bring.

Winter marathon training. It. Is. On.

Yup. On.

Have a great week!

~ Felice

Dedication.

Last week, I made a proclamation. On Facebook, because that's where those things happen these days. I wrote (proclaimed!) that I was going to run the New Jersey Marathon next May.

In response, one of my friends commented, "That's dedication to train in the winter."

Oh, right. Winter.

Yeah, the marathon takes place on May 6th, meaning my training starts January 2nd. The coldest, snowiest months in upstate New York? Those would be January and February. In other words, I will, without a doubt, be running -- far -- in snowy, windy, frigid conditions.

That's dedication.

I'm not too worried -- a little worried, sure, but not too worried. Last January, with a 3 month old baby, I started training for an early April half marathon. Yes, I understand that training for a half marathon is not the same as training for a full. It is, after all, 13.1 miles to a marathon's 26.2. However, my point is that I trained through a tough winter while sacrificing my sleep for the 'round-the-clock breastfeeding needs of my son. It was all worth it.

So I know that I can do it. I have a treadmill for days when the weather is just too crummy. I have friends who are training for the marathon with me. I can do it.

And I'm a little excited about it, to tell the truth.

Bring it, winter!

And, watch out, New Jersey Marathon, because I'm coming at you full of dedication!

Have you trained for a big race during the winter? 

Do you have any tips you could share? Lessons learned?

~ Felice

Half marathon obsessing.

As promised, I've been obsessing about Sunday's weather.  Every time I log on to my computer, my fingers seem to automatically start typing:   w-e-a-t-h-e-r-.-c-o-m. Go figure.

The forecast looked just perfect earlier this week and now, a little less so:

Not terrible. While I'd prefer to see 0% chance of rain I'm holding on to the fact that right now there is a 70% chance that it will not rain on Sunday.

No rain for Sunday. No rain for Sunday. No rain for Sunday.


I've also been obsessing about my feet and on that topic I've got good news and no news.

First, the good news: No more blisters! That's, I guess, what happens when you don't run for days. Huh. No running = no blisters. Amazing.

And now, the no news: Nothing new on the toe! Well, that's not completely true. It is no longer hurting all of the time. So, that's good. Very good, in fact. Tonight, I will try it out on a 4 mile run and hope that it is miraculously healed and ready to carry me through 13.1 fast miles on Sunday.

No pain in the toe. No pain in the toe. No pain in the toe.


Airborne, vitamin C, vitamin D and lots of water are my friends this week. Germy kids and public spaces are not.

No illness for Sunday. No illness for Sunday. No illness for Sunday. 


Yes, it is half marathon obsession time.

Three more sleeps!

~ Felice

Enough with the rain. And an August recap.

I can hardly keep track of all the tropical storms swirling about -- Jose, Katia, Lee, Maria, Nate -- I just know that they are dropping way too much rain on some already water-logged communities in upstate New York. Actually, they're causing problems from the Gulf of Mexico on up to Maine. Enough already!

Locally, towns very close to where I live have been evacuated several times over the past 10 or so days and there is flooding all around. Fortunately, we haven't had any flooding at my house and I hope we don't. My brother has had some water in his basement and I saw pictures of my sister-in-law's house in Mississippi with a completely flooded backyard.

Enough with the rain!


I'm requesting lots of sun for the rest of September to dry things out. We'll see what kind of pull I have with Mother Nature.

*     *     *

Now, a week late, I have my August recap. It was my highest mileage month all year! Actually, it was probably my highest mileage month in two years, considering I was pregnant for most of 2010.

August stats:


Running: 110.3 miles
Racing: 1 race, a 10-miler where I finished first female
Out of town runs: 2 runs in New Jersey
Cross training: 4 sessions with Jillian Micheals

I missed a few planned workouts, including two of my speed sessions, but I also ran a wicked fast mile (6:12.25) when I timed myself for the first time since early 2008 (when I ran right around 7 min). The one major downer of the month was being diagnosed with Lyme disease and starting treatment. The first week of treatment was really tough and I felt horrible but I am doing much better now.

Wow, as I finished this post, the sun came out. Woo hoo!  Maybe I need to request sunshine more often :-)

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Felice

Rainy runs and Sun(ny) Chlorella.

What a rainy weekend! Fortunately, there were pockets of clear skies so Saturday morning's soccer game was a go, as was Friday evening's easy run, a nice 4.5-miler.

Saturday's run, however, was a different story. We had the soccer game in the morning and then a birthday party and my plan was to go for a fast 5-miler in the afternoon. But it was rainy and I have a treadmill so I wimped out and headed down to the basement to run on the 'mill. I know, ridiculous.

Bad idea.

I ran for a bit, not really finding any sort of groove, and then Conal came down and started to play soccer. He was kicking the ball around and I was running when there was a loud SQUACK-type of noise and the treadmill abruptly stopped. I grabbed on to the safety bar, probably screamed a little, and didn't know what was going on.

And then I looked down and saw the soccer ball. It was lodged in between the treadmill belt and the motor. Great. Suffice it to say that I don't have the treadmill at my disposal anymore, at least not until we spend a little time trying to fix it. Ugh.

Since I had only run 1.75 miles when the 'mill stopped, I ran outside in the drizzly rain for another 3 miles, but never got up to the speed that my plan called for. For Sunday, then, I decided to go a little faster than usual. The rain, this time, worked to my advantage. I had 6 miles on the schedule and it is 6.6 miles to my parents' house so I decided to run there, since we were going over for dinner. It was only sprinkling out when I started my run but about a mile in to the run it was pouring.

Yikes. I was soaked and chilly, which made me speed up. Never-mind that the route to my parents' house is really hilly, I ran strong averaging an 8:45 pace for the 6.6 miles. Thanks, rain!


Overall, and poor treadmill aside, three good runs!


*     *     *

On the less rainy side of things, I've been trying out Sun Chlorella recently. I had first heard about chlorella from Ironman Brendan Brazier, either in his book Thrive (check it out here)or in an interview, not sure. Anyway, I was interested in it so when I was contacted to review Sun Chlorella I was happy to.

Here is some information on chlorella. It's a green algae that lives in fresh water as a single-celled plant. It's dubbed a "super-food" because it is nutrient dense (full of vitamin C, beta-carotene, chlorophyll, lutein, vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12, niacin, folic acid, biotin, choline, lipoic acid, calcium, zinc, magnesium, iron and chlorella growth factor, among others) and because it detoxifies your body. According to the material from Sun Chlorella, their chlorella granules can absorb pesticides in the food that you consume, helping to make what you eat healthier. The chlorella growth factor is "a nucleotide-peptide complex of substances found only in chlorella." It "may help to enhance your body's natural defense system activity, help to remove the multitude of impurities in your body, and renew cellular strength and integrity."

Yeah, sign me up for that!

Now, I have to confess that, at first, I was nervous to try the Sun Chlorella granules. Call me weird but I was a little apprehensive about eating algae. I first drank it in water, with my dinner and it was OK. But only so.

The next day I tried it in my smoothie (plain yogurt, frozen blueberries, frozen strawberries, chia seeds and, now, chlorella granules). It didn't change the look of my smoothie:

And the taste wasn't bad! In fact it tasted good, more or less like my regular smoothie. So that's how I've been having the granules, in my smoothies. My 3-year-old drinks a small cup of smoothie every day with me and he enjoys the ones made with chlorella just as much as the ones without. A win there, for sure.

Now, here's the question: Have a noticed any difference in my energy or overall health? Tough to say. Unfortunately, I think it is hard to judge how well supplements work, especially for someone like me. I'm still breastfeeding my 7-month old and I haven't had a full, uninterrupted night's sleep in I don't know how long.

I do know that I've been running well, even with so little sleep, and I've been recovering well from my workouts, even at my -- ahem -- advanced age. Could chlorella have something to do with those things? Maybe. People swear by it and the health claims are strong. I like it and haven't noticed any downside so I'm going to continue consuming it. 

My goal now is to find some new and different recipes and ways to use chlorella. Smoothies are great but it would be nice to eat it in other ways. I'm thinking that it might be good to add to salad dressing, for starters. I'll have to let you know how that works out!

You can learn a lot more about Sun Chlorella on their web site.

Have you tried chlorella? Do you have any good recipes to share? 

Review disclosure: I was sent samples of Sun Chlorella for review. I was not otherwise compensated and the opinions expressed are entirely my own.


*     *     *

I hope you all had a great weekend! Don't forget to enter my Running on Empty giveaway. AND! If you like my little blog, please vote for me on Circle of Moms! Thank you!

Have a good week.

~ Felice

Flexible Friday

It's all about flexibility today.

I have one son with an ear infection and the other son with a lingering cold and a mystery rash  .  .  .  they woke me up all night  .  .  .  I think I got about 3 hours of sleep total  .  .  .  I have 9 miles on the schedule for tomorrow but I'm going to swap it with next Saturday's scheduled 13-miler so my son can go to a birthday party he's been invited to  .  .  .  but it's supposed to rain tomorrow  .  .  .  and  there's the whole issue of the  no sleep thing  .  .  .  so I'll just have to head out early and get it done  .  .  .  the boys' illnesses have already caused me to miss two social events (and I really don't get out that much!) and it looks like I'll miss another tonight  .  .  .  but they need extra cuddle time  .  .  .  so what's a mom to do?

Stay at home. Take care of the boys. Hope they feel better (and hope I can get that run in tomorrow!).

Oh, and register for a few races. Sounds about right: When things are looking sketchy, sign up for a race. Or two. Or -- what the heck? -- three!

What's on your schedule for the weekend? Whatever it is, I hope it's a good one!

~ Felice

HMRRC Winter Marathon Relay 2011 race report. Part 1.

Note: I've never broken a race report into parts before but this one was getting too long so I decided to just go for it! Here's part 1!

After Sunday's race, I know what it is like to run 9.2 miles when the temperature is 16 degrees, but feels like 3.

This was the weather on Sunday (thanks, Suzy!):

16 degrees. And windy -- don't let the 12mph fool you. When it "feels like" 3 degrees and you're running into the wind, that 12mph "feels like" 50. No lie.

Yeah, the weather was the talk of the day but it didn't define it. Awesomeness did. Running the Winter Marathon Relay with Team Pink Ladies for the second year in a row was capital-A Awesome! For real.

But it didn't start out that way.

First, there was my sleep. Which lacked. Yup, the one night I really wanted some solid, uninterrupted sleep was the one night that everyone woke me up. Repeatedly. Life of a breastfeeding mom . . . 


Who needs sleep anyway, right? Not me, apparently.

As I've said before, I'm dealing with the less-than-ideal sleep so it wasn't a big deal. I got up, had a breakfast of two pieces of toast with peanut butter, a big glass of water and some coffee. And then a little more coffee. I had packed all of my gear the night before so I was more or less ready to go. But there was one glitch -- Conal woke up with a slight cold (sneezing, runny nose) so that botched the morning plan for the boys and meant I had to unexpectedly rush around before heading out the door to go to the race. And once I did get out the door -- later than I had planned -- the car wouldn't start. What the what?!?!?


I almost screamed. Instead, I ran inside and got Owen and he started the car, promising me that it would start fine later, and then off I went. I rushed and rushed but ended up getting to the race late and flustered. Fortunately, my friends were all there and all helpful. As I mentioned on Friday, the relay was shaping up to be a bit of a running party with so many of my friends running and it really was great to see them when I got there.

I was running the first leg of the relay so being late wasn't cool. Sure, Suzy or Amanda could have taken my leg if I didn't make it there on time but that would have been incredibly lame. Who can't make it to a 10:00 start on time? Fortunately, I made it, bag o' nerves though I was. And with Suzy's help, I pinned my number on my jacket and was ready to go.

First, of course, we had to make time for some group pics. Since I was so flustered, I didn't take any photos but Suzy busted out her camera and let me steal use her pics.

THE TEAM!! Suzy, Amanda, me.

Our team . . . with some of the competition :-)

(Amanda, Suzy, me, Janis, Bridget)

Pics done, we headed to the start line, which was not too far from the nice indoor gathering space but felt like it was miles away because of the cold (did I mention it was cold out?) wind.

We lined up with the rest of the nutty relay racers and the even nuttier full marathon racers. The relay is broken into three legs: 9.2, 5.7 and 11.3 miles. I was running the first leg, 9.2 miles. A decent race distance for this point in my half marathon training. I decided to use this as a tune-up race to check how my training really has been working and to see if I could hold my half marathon pace for the 9.2 miles. In my head, I've been thinking that I should be able to run at an 8:45 pace for the half. With 6 weeks to go until the half, I figured that if I could hold that pace over the 9.2 I would be in great shape to hold it over 13.1 miles. The most important thing would be to not start out too fast, since I'm prone to fast starts and end-of-race fades. Before the start, I told myself I didn't want to have any miles under an 8 min/mile pace. I drilled myself on that. Pace yourself. Pace yourself.

Here I am trying to stay warm before the start:

Futile efforts, for sure.

Just before the start of the race, we turned into uber-huggers and started sharing them all around. Then we lined up and listened to the barely audible instructions and the (no kidding) verbal call of, "On your mark. Get set. Go!"

And with that call, we were off . . .

A bust. And not.

The weekend was both great and a bit of a bust.

My guys had grand plans to go camping on Saturday -- Conal's first time. The kid was excited. Extremely excited. Owen had set up the tent with the blow-up mattresses earlier in the week and Conal couldn't wait to sleep outside.

My plan was to get to work as soon as they left, take a break for my long-anticipated massage and time to myself, and then get back to work and finish my book.

The weather's plan was to rain. And rain and rain and rain. But it didn't want to be up-front about it. Instead, it wanted to fool the weathermen and make it appear that the day was not going to be a wash out. So that's what it did. All forecasts called for "passing showers" or "maybe a quick thunderstorm" but "nothing to cancel plans over." Checking the radar map showed a line of heavy rain for early in the day with no major precipitation behind it.

Owen took that as a challenge and decided to stick to the plan and go camping. They planned for some rain and decided they could come home if it got too bad.

I settled in to work, then took a break for my massage, which, by the way, was AWESOME. Oh, wow. One of the best massages I've ever had. I loved it! I stopped at Starbucks for a chai tea latte on my way home and enjoyed every sip of it while sitting on the couch with my feet up. Ahh . . .

I went back to work, had some dinner, and listened as the rain poured down. It had been raining on and off all afternoon and had gotten very heavy after dinner. At 9:15 -- after I had just finished the book -- Owen called to say he and Conal were on their way home. Too much rain.

Yup, the rain won. It was just too much for them. But, they had given it a shot and now they know for next time. Since Conal came home with huge welts where mosquitoes had bitten him on the forehead, eye, neck and legs, they also knew to load up on the bug spray a little more.

Overall, I think it was stressful for Owen but Conal saw it as an adventure. A bit of a bust, but OK.

On Sunday, I went for a super 5-mile run that felt terrific the whole time. I loved every step, even the ones where I was walking up my hills. No biggie -- that's just where I am these days. It was a misty day yesterday; although it never actually rained, it never stopped misting. Weird. But, it made for a cool run.

And that was the weekend. Enjoyable run, relaxing massage, success with the book. On the flip side, a rain-out for the camping trip. Great and a bust. Good and bad. But, that's life, right? You just have to take it all.

Hope you all had a weekend that was more on the great side than bust!

~ Felice

PS: I posted a new giveaway over here.

What gives?

OK, I know that my favorite running pants are charcoal gray. And I know that my windbreaker is charcoal gray. And I had an inkling that my windbreaker was not the most streamlined jacket in the world.

What I did not know is that charcoal gray over charcoal gray is dreary. Worse, baggy charcoal gray over charcoal gray is dreary and frumpy.

And this, dear Internets, is how I apparently look while running in the winter: Dreary and frumpy.

I give you the evidence:


Ouch. Good thing I was wearing my pink cap. The black headband would have been too much!

So, this happy runner needs to rethink the running jacket. Maybe electric blue? Neon pink? Obnoxious orange? Definitely something with some color and maybe a little bit of a better fit. Sheesh!

Chalk this up to a lesson learned!

* * *

Post-race, I've been feeling great. I took Monday off completely and did an easy workout yesterday. We'll see what today brings. There will certainly be NO outdoor running because we're getting walloped with snow. It's pretty and all, but it a lot and it just isn't stopping. Yikes!

Have a great day, everyone!

~ Felice

PS: Don't forget my eggy giveaway!

Sunny Saturday run.

What was I thinking?

For some reason, I believed the weather report that said we'd have temperatures in the high 20s on Saturday. In my mind, that meant 29 degrees. Maybe even 30 if they were off a little. Oh, no. The high yesterday was 22. So, yeah. It was chilly and because I live in the windiest of windy neighborhoods it was . . . you guessed it! . . . windy.

Very, very windy.

But I wasn't blown off course! I headed out for a 6-miler yesterday afternoon and I'm glad I did. The sun shone the entire time I was running and I felt glad to be alive! Because of the whipping wind, my pace was on the slow side but I didn't mind since I wasn't running for time. I was running for fun. For the pleasure of the run.

Later, I made a winter-worthy dinner of roast chicken, brown rice with mushroon sauce, and spinach. Yummm . . .

Hope you're all enjoying the weekend!

~ Felice

PS: The Year of Sport Travel giveaway (here) ends tomorrow.

New Feature!

The Happy Runner has a new feature. OK, it's not like a feature feature but it's something new. I added a list!

Ground-breaking, I know. But this is a list of my virtual neighbors! Scroll down a bit and right there on the sidebar, right above the followers block, is a list of Upstate New York Running Bloggers! My happy neighbors:

• Age Groups Rock
• Chocolate Runner's Blog
• Fit to Wed
• I'm a Sleeper Baker
• Manderz Road to a New Life
• Morning Runner
• My First 5K
• Running on My Time

Are you a fellow upstater that I missed? Let me know so I can add you to the list :-)

Speaking of upstaters . . . I'm going to see Amanda and Suzy tomorrow at the Winter Series race. Yes, it will be frigid. It is supposed to be 8*, with a feels like temp of -1*. NEGATIVE ONE. I may just freeze instead of running.

I went for a test run in the c-c-cold today. It was super windy but the sun was out so it didn't feel too bad. I think I have a good idea what I should wear for the race based on today's run. Let's hope my plan works!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend, everyone!

~ Felice

Welcome, winter!

Here we are on the 21st of December, the first day of winter, Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. I'm all about this day because it signals a return to lengthening days. Even though today may be the shortest day, from here on out, the days will be getting longer.

Yay for longer days!

I need longer days. In my effort not to be a winter wimp and to run outdoors instead of in, I've been struggling with the dark. I feel that I've conquered the cold but the dark still has a hold on me. Last week, for example, I headed out for an evening run and even though I didn't think there would be any ice on the roads, there were a few slippery patches. In my neighborhood loop, there are some areas that get icy early in the season and just stay that way. For months. Those spots just don't get any sun.

So, on that evening run, when I slipped, I got a little scared. I could only imagine slipping for real and falling. On my butt. Or on my head. Or twisting my ankle. Fear makes for a great run. Or not!

Yeah, I need to deal with the dark. Since today is the shortest day of the year, tomorrow will be longer. Wednesday will be even longer and Thursday longer still. Before we know it, it will be light enough for comfortable, confident outdoor evening runs!

At least that's what I'm telling myself.

So, for now, cheers to you, winter. Your cold can't break me (did I mention my two awesome, super-chilly, super-windy runs this weekend?)! And I'll figure out how to deal with the dark, at some point.

To all of you dealing with the snow, I hope it isn't too bad (hate to say it, but we didn't even get a single snowflake here -- the storm missed us completely).

Happy Monday, everyone! Happy Winter Solstice!

~ Felice

Bracing for winter.

Saturday's snow seems to signal that our mild fall is over. We've been really, really lucky and have had tons of warm sunny days. More often than not, I ran in shorts in November. It was great.

But then, like I said, we got some snow. All of 2 inches but, still. Snow. And then it was cold. And I am normally a cold weather wimp.

However. This year, I proclaimed that I was no longer going to let my wimpy side win. This year, I would brave the cold. This year, I would be tough!

If you're going to make loud claims, I guess you have to follow up on them. So, on Sunday, with temps in the low 30s, I headed out. With a base layer of tights and a long sleeve shirt, a second layer of running pants and a wind jacket, topped off with gloves and a fleece headband over my forehead and ears, I felt perfectly comfortable.

Sure, the first mile was c-c-cold. Then I warmed up. By mile 3, I'd shed my gloves. At mile 4, I wanted to run all afternoon. But, to protect my usually wimpy self, I had planned to just run my neighborhood loop so at 5.21 miles, I called it a run.

I was SO happy that I went out there and ran in the cold. With the right gear, it wasn't tough. I need to recall this feeling whenever I'm convinced that a few miles on the dreadmill are preferable to some cold ones outside. Must channel my inner tough girl!

There you have it. I had a great weekend (Conal LOVED going to see the model trains yesterday and we had a nice dinner with some friends on Sat)! I hope you all did, too.

Happy Monday!

~ Felice

The snow came.

And I did not run.

I wimped out! I could have run in the snow but I just didn't. I ran 5 super-duper miles on Friday, in the sun, while my son played with the neighbor's kid. It was just great to get out there.

On Saturday, I had tons of errands to run in the morning and then I had to get ready to have some friends over for dinner. Still, I had time to run. And yet, once it started to snow I decided not to run.

Owen told me that I needed to get out there. Needed to prove my toughness. He was probably right but I didn't listen to him.

No biggie. It was a good day overall. Sunday will bring better running weather and I'll be out there, logging some miles. In the meantime, here's a peek at how much my son enjoyed the snow:

(We got about 2 inches of snow, but it was good packing snow, so it was perfect for snowman making!)

I hope you're all having a great weekend!

Oh, and THANKS for all the comments on Friday's post! My Cans for Comments is off to a good start!

~ Felice

Night runnin', night runnin'.

With apologies to the Bee Gees* . . .

Night runnin', night runnin'.

We know how to do it.
Gimme that night runnin', night runnin'
We know how to show it.

Since the time change, I've been night runnin'. Running in the pitch dark. I know, I know. It's only been since Sunday but here's the thing: Last year, I avoided dark runs and took refuge in the fluorescent safety of my basement treadmill. This year, I'm toughing it out. Running in the dark. And when it gets colder, I'll run in the cold, too. No wimping out this season!

And so far, so good. There is something almost soothing about running in the dark. There are fewer people out and about, for one thing. No lawn mowers. No dogs. Fewer cars in the neighborhood. When I'm running, there's little to distract me. I hear my breathing and the rhythm of my foot steps.

Sure, the fire hydrants still appear to be serial killers squatting on the side of the road, just waiting for me to get close enough so they can drag me into the woods. And, I'm considering getting a headlamp to avoid mistaking everyday objects for murders. But, overall, my night runs have been peaceful.

So, dark I can handle. Can I handle the cold? That will be the real test. Maybe we'll have a mild winter? In upstate New York? Not likely . . . but a girl can dream!

We'll see how it goes. For now, enjoy a little night runnin', everyone! Night runnin', night runnin' . . .

~ Felice

* For the real thing:

(When will someone bring the medallion-over-white-turtleneck look back?)