Chill

Even though we have snow, it has not been terribly cold here until the last couple of days.

2 days ago I was still running in shorts
29F
I didn't notice it until I uploaded the picture, but there is a ferocious cat beside me, waiting for the right moment to pounce on its prey.....stupid cat.

I had a short and sweet Christmas run this morning, but the weather was much different.

8F / -4 windchill

The photographer refused to go outside in the deadly cold for this picture.

Enter the Running Ninja!

I am grateful for my winter running gear. 

It is quite the assembly of brands including Under Armour (hat, baklava, pants, and undershirt), Manzella windproof gloves, Mizuno breth thermo shirt, and breath thermo shirt and socks, and my Road Runner Sports wind blocking jacket. 

It is not always easy to muster up enough will to get outside when it is this cold but I am always glad when I do.

Are you a cold weather runner?

What is your favorite winter running gear?

Winter Trail

Winter trail is here again

Stress

I had a great workout on the treadmill last night. When I am not able to run for a few days the anxiety seems to build up. I made some time last night and hopped onto the treadmill with my "Hard Workouts" playlist.

My song list contains a lot of "angry" music including Papa Roach. They really seem to get me pumped.

I put in an hour on the treadmill. Worked hard on keeping good form and proper foot strike.

All is better in the world now.

I weighed in at 182.4 this morning. I have not lost a lot, but it seems to be a steady progression and I am headed the right way.

Balance

I took off from work a little early yesterday thinking that I would go easy out on the trails and get a couple of hours in on my feet. I struggled a little from the start but kept pushing on, I figured that I would loosen up and   fall into a nice comfort zone in my run.
After about two miles it just wasn't happening for me. It was colder and windier than I had expected and had not brought a hat with me. I was in a hurry getting out the door and forgot to grab my trail shoes. I decided that maybe this run just wasn't meant to be.
Maybe I needed a rest day.
So I took it today.

I hired a coach a couple of years ago because I find it difficult to not over train  I was at a point back then that I was running twice a day and sometimes felt like it wasn't enough. I knew that I wasn't doing myself any good.

I have 142 days to train for this.

My first attempt at running 50 miles.

Therefore I must listen to my body, train smart, and do my best to remain injury free.

That may be the toughest challenge of all.

The Next 145

145 Days until the Ice Age Trail 50

6 miles mostly power hiking

There is a short window of training so I have do my best to be smart about it

183 lbs

24 miles for the week

Here are some photos from the trail today

No snow yet

Lots of critters on the trail, and a few hunters...

Lots of mud...

Even a little blood...

The Next Journey

I signed up for my first 50 mile trail run today.

The Ice Age Trail 50

I haven't been running or working out very regularly and have gained some weight.

146 days of training

184.6 lbs

I ran 8 miles on the trails tonight in the dark.

If you have never run the trails at night....put it on your bucket list.

Seriously, it's awesome.

It's time to become focused again.

Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot

I had the opportunity for the second year in a row to be the race director for our local Turkey Trot. I believe that this is the 4th year that this event has been around. By taking this race over last year I decided to use it as a fund raiser for our local food pantry. We had a nice turnout last year of about 120 people. This year with the great weather on Thanksgiving we had close to 180 runners and walkers!

There is a lot to organizing and directing a race but I had several great volunteers to help me make it happen.

Through sponsors, registrations, and donations, we were able to raise over $2,500 for the food pantry this year. This is about $500 more than last year!

We had a local business design and print the shirts for us, I thought they turned out well and participants were excited to receive a nice long sleeve t-shirt.