Dreaming of an early spring.....

I've been on a little bit of a hiatus. I think I have a touch of winter depression. I'm trying to stay positive and embrace the fun things that can be done during the winter and snow but any such feelings have since left :)

I went sledding with the kids and saw each of their personalities come out. Ava is full of adventure and the faster the better. Reese is cautious and needed some reassurance that he wouldn't hit the trees. Ty is something else! He is 21 months and has no fear. He wanted to run down the sledding hill at top speed. He brought the sleds over multiple times and was trying to go down the hill by himself until I saw what he was up to and joined him in the sled.

I also took the kids ice skating. It was the first time for Ava & Reese (6 & 4). It was an indoor rink and luckily they rented out holders for the kids to hang on to. I was out on the ice with them by myself while Jason entertained Ty. Again, Ava went full force and by the end was skating on her own for short times.

Reese impressed me with him speed at the end. Those little holders were flying! He would knock himself down and get right back up. I was a little worried at first having both of them trying to skate for the first time with just me helping them but they had a great time and impressed me with how quickly they picked it up.

While I'm trying to stay positive, winter running is really starting to wear on me. I despise the cold and the latest arctic air we've had does not inspire me to run outside. I have gone out a handful of times. Running on trails in the winter is always an adventure but it becomes hard to find places that are runnable. One time I headed out and had to turn around because the trails were more reminiscent of an ice rink.

I've been forced to run more roads but the roads are snow covered, which is actually better for me. While it's tougher to run because it feels like running in sand, it gives me the illusion of a trail. I'm also using my treadmill but I'm not running the distances I would like to.

Instead, I will try and focus on cross training and swimming. I will cling to the hope of an early spring. Soon I won't have to pile on layers of clothing, I will be able to feel the sun on my skin and wind in my hair.

Running Blues

This winter has been a little tougher on me than last year. I remember running last year in 2 degrees and having no problem. This year anything in single digits and I'm shaking like a leaf. Since having my thyroid removed, I have noticed I am more cold than I previously was and maybe that has made a difference.

I have abandoned my treadmill for almost two years now. I love running outside, specifically trails and just thinking about the treadmill was unsettling. I didn't know if I had it in me to run any length of distance but I knew it would at least be warm.

Last week, my 4 year old was home with a fever. I was planning on running trails after school with Jason but wouldn't be able to. I was wracking my brain thinking of how I could get a run in. This is the point where I realized I think I'm a true addict : )

The only option would be hopping on my treadmill but I didn't know how long I would last. My son was resting in my bedroom, getting the king size bed all to himself. I put on a dvd to watch during my run and hopped on the treadmill.

The one really nice thing about a treadmill in your house is you don't have to layer up. I threw on shorts and a sports bra and felt totally liberated that I didn't have to dig up my gloves, compression top, hat, jacket, tights, socks and so on.....

It had been a while since I've had a longer run and my goal was to run 6 miles. The longest I've ever run on a treadmill before is 7 miles and I remember that feeling like I ran twice that distance. I feel like I can run much farther outside but only when it's not frigid temperatures outside.

I was watching an episode of Nurse Jackie which I was really caught up in so that definitely helped. Each episode was around 30 minutes long so I figured if I could watch 2 episodes I would be golden.

The first episode flew by. My son was watching Caillou in the next room...don't get me started about that show. So many questions float in my head when I'm watching it with him. Why does each scene seem to be in dream sequence with the white blurred screen effect? Why is Caillou bald but his younger sister has hair? How on earth does Caillou's mom seemingly have so much patience..is it Xanax, alcohol or is she an emotional eater? But I digress....

The other nice thing about a treadmill is I can go potty any time I need to without scouting out a place to go. Last week while running trails I think I flashed my ass to a fellow trail runner when I thought I went off to the side to enjoy some privacy and heard voices behind me. Apparently the trail looped back around right where I was peeing. I just told myself he was probably looking at his feet and making sure he didn't fall on the snow covered path, right? :)

3 miles done and I was ready for episode number 2. Surprisingly that episode flew by as well. The run was feeling really good. It felt great to be enveloped in sweat and heat. Both I have missed since the temperatures dropped. I decided to go for episode number 3 for a total of 9 miles.

I know this probably doesn't sound like many miles to others than run on treadmills. I've heard of women training for marathon distance on treadmills alone which I cannot even imagine. If it weren't for the warmth of my house, I would gladly go outside and run instead.

At the end of 9 miles I felt like a rock star which is probably silly but I didn't think I could run 3 miles much less 9. I really needed the mileage to boost my spirits and calm the voices in my head.

I'm going to try and continue running when I can on the treadmill. I'm still much more motivated to run outside and on trails but the allure of warmth will always tempt me on days when the temperatures are in the single digits.

First Race of 2011!

Last year was an interesting year in running for me. I ran by far the most races in one year than any years past. I ran longer than I thought possible and faster. I kicked off 2010 by running Sgt. Preston (6 miles) with a finish time of 1:04:18 or a 10:43 pace. It was my first winter race and one I signed up for the night before. It was also my first race in Vibrams (KSO's). There was lots of snow on the ground last year and at times it was a bit slippery but I finished and I was happy that I tried something new.

This year I signed up for the race a little bit earlier (about a week)...I'm a huge procrastinator at times. I haven't been doing any hill work or speed work lately. Winter, snow and cold is a huge downer for me. I thought signing up for races would help motivate me but I haven't decided that December is just one of my blah months and I won't feel bad about my lack of running or cross training. I will just consider it my rest and recovery time and know that that fire will come back in time.

I knew I wasn't going to be as fast as I was in my previous 5k but I figured I would at least set a new PR. It was a perfect day for running. This is a road race but one with a huge hill at the beginning. The roads were clear and although it was cold it wasn't as cold as it could have been. I was wearing my KSO's again this year.

There were a few people running the race that I chatted with at the beginning. At the start of the race, I ran with Jason, who was running barefoot. He was going to wear his sports kilt but since it was really windy he worried he might show a little more skin than he should. I also started out with Brandon, who was wearing his Treks.

The first mile I felt great! I was running light and happy and keeping up with Jason and Brandon. The first mile includes the big hill. I slowed down near the top. I felt a little strange that morning, which I thought was low blood sugar but it came in waves even after eating. I think I had a touch of a bug or something because the rest of the day I had waves of nausea. Nothing too terrible, but enough to be annoying.

At this point, Jason and Brandon were ahead of me. There was a small window in which I thought I could catch up but that quickly closed. Miles 2 and 3 were very weird. I felt really bad. My stomach hurt and it wasn't due to running but I was still plugging along.

At mile 3 there was an aid station. I thought a little water would help perk me up so I grabbed a cup and it did seem to help. It was right after this aid station that I saw Stuart, a fellow Hobby Jogga holding up a sign. He is so awesome. Brandon captured a picture of Jason high fiving him with his camera. As I ran by him, I gave him a high five as well.


This is where I started feeling better. I picked up a the pace a little, glad that my bout of stomach issues had subsided for the time being. At mile 4, my right knee twinged a little. I did something to it about a week ago. What exactly I did is a mystery. I walked down a flight of stairs and turned it awkwardly and it's been an issue but only when I run roads. It wasn't hurting too badly but I knew I would have to rest it after this race.

At mile 5 I started to get excited to finish. I visualized running to the finish and really kicked in my pace. I passed a fellow running whom we had been passing each other a few times over the last mile and a half.

I was feeling good as I rounded the corner and headed into the finish. I heard Jason yelling in his teacher voice aka....loud "Go Shelly!" which always makes me smile. I finished strong at the end and checked the time. I thought I finished in 54 or 55 minutes but when they posted the results my finish time was 53:06 or an 8:51 pace. I was really pleased! My original goal going into the race was to maintain a 9 minute mile pace so this was a pleasant surprise. With my stomach issues I wasn't sure if I would be able to achieve that or not.

Me and Jason at the finish

Jason & Brandon at the finish

All in all, it was a great way to start off 2011. I beat my previous time by 11 minutes. Yeah! While my ultimate goal isn't necessarily speed it is a great feeling to get faster. I don't have any defined goals per say but I do have two goal races.

The first is Mind the Duck's 12 hour race in May. Last year I ran a hair over 40 miles and I would like to shoot for 50 this year.

The second is to finish a 50k. I haven't decided which race that will be since our summer plans are kind of up in the air right now. I do know that it will be some place warm! : )