Miles and Miles

Well now that the word is out I can announce that I have a new passenger for my joggy stroller. Miles Iain Armstrong has joined the family and will be joining me for future workouts. None right now, I'm going to wait until it gets a little warmer to bring him along. I did 5 miles today on my own as Elijah was due for a nap. I felt like a nap too, but I decided that a run would do me just as much good, if not more. I really pushed hard and I got the 5 miles done in 40 minutes. Pretty good for the hills and the wind I was facing.

Rollercoaster

Our weather is like a rollercoaster. Today I did 5 miles and it was 60 degrees out. I was in a T-shirt and shorts, and even with a really strong wind it was still really nice. Unfortunately it's not going to last. We are due to get a blizzard tonight which may or may not dump a lot of snow on us. 2 inches is a best case scenario at this point. So since it will be difficult to get out over the next couple of days I took advantage of the calm before the storm.

The Road Less Traveled

I did 5.5 miles today on a route that I have not been able to do for a long time. There were still some patches that were pretty snowy but for the most part it was clear. For those that may not know we just missed the all-time record for most number of days with more than an inch of snow on the ground. The record was 63 days and we made it to 61. It was really nice to not have to run on the road. It's been a couple of days since I have been able to go so I was happy to get the break. Tomorrow I might have some company for my run as a couple of guys said they would go.

Neighborhood Run

I did a run around the neighborhood with Elijah and Caley in the double jogger and with Shaun and Chad running alongside today. It was a good 4 miles with lots of hills as usual. It was nice to have someone to chat with on the run. All in all a good way to closeout the weekend. I did wash the car today as well, as the weather was so nice and I put air in the tires too. It is so nice to be able to enjoy nice warm weather for a change.

Cold Wind

Today I did 7 miles with Elijah in the joggy stroller. With all the hills it was a great workout, but the wind was pretty cold. I was glad I had brought my jacket as I needed it for most of the run. Only a few patches of snow left and the stroller handled it well. Looks like I will probably go out for another 3 with Shaun tomorrow, which will be a good recovery run. I'm trying to increase my long run each week so that I can get back up to 10 miles. With a little more snow melt I can start varying my routes a little more too.

On Track

Well we've had bad weather the past few days so I have been relegated to the track once again. I swam on Wednesday and did 5 miles on Thursday and Friday. But the weather is due to improve this weekend and next week so I should be able to get back outside. That is assuming there is no baby arrival. I'm not sure exactly how my running is going to go once the baby arrives, but with the early rising I may find that early morning is my best time. I remember taking Elijah out in the stroller a few times when he did not want to sleep past 5 and mommy did, perhaps those kind of bonding runs will be in my future.

One Day, Thirty Degrees

Today it was 30 degrees colder outside for my run than yesterday. That's right it was 15 today when I ventured out for the same 4.5 mile circuit as yesterday. I was prepared though, I had my pants, my headband and touque, and my new gloves from Christmas. Everything was nice and toasty and warm, although at some points I was wishing I had brought my long sleeve shirt. At the end of the run I was feeling like I could have done more, but time did not allow, and I did not want to get too cold. It was nice as I had forgotten how much I like winter running. Now I just have to get myself used to the heat!

Quick Change

I went for a run today at 1:30 and it was beautiful out, sunny and in the mid 40s. It was a good run and I went for 4.5 miles around the campus. Not nearly as much mud today as I avoided the campus roadways as much as possible. With all the construction going on the roads seem to be perpetually covered in mud. When I left work, the weather had taken a pretty severe turn for the worse. The fog had rolled in and the temperature had dropped at least 10 degrees. We are supposed to get some flurries tonight I guess and over the next few days, but according to the weather it will not add up to much. I don't mind the snow as much now as we have our front street back now, with just a few piles of ice left to melt. The snow in our front yard is another story and will take a few good warm weeks to get rid of. At least progress is being made.

Boy where to start!

Today was a beautiful day and we spent a lot of it outside as a family. We were up pretty early this morning so we decided to head to Boulder to catch some of the cross-country championships. We caught the first race, which was the masters women. You know how sometimes you look at someone who has been smoking for a long time, and they look older than they are? Running seems to have the opposite effect. When we first saw the woman who eventually came in second, Melissa could not believe that she was 40. And there was one lady who was making her way around the course who was 71!!! After we watched the first few runners come in we headed out to go to Peet's for coffee and walk around the 29th street mall.



We came back home and ate lunch, then Elijah and I got ready for a run. We had to pump up the tires on the joggy stroller, and once we had done that we were off. We ran a route based mostly on where they sidewalks were clear and ended up going for 6 miles. It was slow going at times with the hills and the snow, but it was a good "long" run. It was also the first run with the double joggy stroller. It performed flawlessly, and was much easier to handle than the old stroller despite being larger. The boys and I are going to have fun with that for sure!

Road Running

I went running at lunch today, mostly because Melissa needed the car and I would not be able to get to the gym. As much as I like running outside, I really dislike running on the road as I feel every car that is coming towards me is going to try to run me off the road. So I'll probably do my longer runs at the gym until more snow melts off the sidewalks. Today I did 4 miles and when I got back my calves were covered in mud (some people pay good money for that kind of thing). I figure I need to get some mud flaps or something. It's okay though as it will just get me in the mood for the USA Cross Country Championships that are going to be in Boulder on Saturday. We might head down there to check it out if the weather is not bad, but if not they are televising it on Sunday afternoon.

Let's Go Outside

I went out for a run at work today for the first time in 8 weeks. I was hoping that the snow around the golf course would not be too bad, but there were places where it was still several inches deep. I ended up switching over to a road so that I could run on bare pavement for most of it. I went 3 miles and was pretty muddy at the end of it, but happy to have had some time outdoors. I also hit the pool this morning for a half hour workout and ended up swimming a half mile freestyle. It was nice to get some cross-training in like that.

Picnic

I had to go to Boulder today, and I took advantage of the nice weather there to eat my lunch outside. I was able to sit out without my jacket on it was so warm. I hope this will go a long way towards melting the snow. I was this close to running outside today but I decided that in the interest of time I would just hit the gym. I went 5 miles at a pretty slow pace as my lower back has kind of been bothering me lately. It actually feels more like my hip, which is weird and it doesn't hurt when I run, just when I've been sitting for a while. Maybe tomorrow I will try to get a couple of laps around the golf course in.

Beautiful Day

The weather is gorgeous here right now and it sucks that there is still so much snow everywhere. I might try to run around the golf course later this week, but for now I still have to hit the track before work in the morning. I went for 4 miles today and I have updated my totals in the sidebar (thanks for the idea Cate)so that I don't have to keep looking for where I am every day. I had a little swim on Sunday while Melissa took the boy into the little pool, then I helped him blow his bubbles and practice his kicking. I hope he takes to it as I think that knowing how to swim at least a little is a good skill to have. We had fun and I imagine there will be more trips to the pool in the future if I need to get him out of mommy's hair for a little while. That and trips out in the joggy stroller, I can't wait!

Speedwork

I went to the gym this morning after shoveling and decided to mix in some speedwork into my week. I did 4x800m repeats at a little less than 7 minutes per mile. I had 400m of recovery between each, and a mile warmup and cooldown on each end. So that added up to 5 miles for 72.5 total. It was a good start to the day and it helped me get warm after the cold shoveling. It is supposed to be getting warmer tomorrow and by Monday we are supposed to be in the 40s again! It will feel like 80s with all the nasty weather we've been having. God I hope Punxsatawney Phil had it right.

Nasty Commute

I went to the gym for 5.5 miles this morning as we were expecting snow this evening and I didn't want to deal with traffic. I was glad I did as the drive was terrible. The snow really wasn't coming down too hard so I don't know why traffic was at a standstill most of the way. I think it is because drivers are used to the big storms we have had so many of that they just slow way down when even a trace of snow starts falling. I guess that's better than driving like maniacs. The snow is supposed to last all night so we'll see how much we have when we get up. If I do go to the gym tomorrow I'll be doing a "shoveling warmup" again. 67.5 Total.

Some days...

Some days it's harder than others to motivate myself to keep going while on the track. Today was one of those days. But I pushed through and did the full 45 minutes. So 5.5 miles makes it 62 for the month of January (I'll probably just do the pool tomorrow). It's a little short on my mileage goal but not bad considering how much of this month I have been on the injured list. The rest of my week should settle down now which is good considering it feels like it should be Thursday by now.

Evening Run

I had to go to Boulder early this morning so I went to the gym this evening after the boy went to sleep. I went 4 miles for 56.5 for the year. I realized that that tomorrow is going to be busy as well so I would not be able to go in the morning. I might go for another run tomorrow after work if things work out. This weekend turned out to be pretty good when all was said and done. The snow was not too bad, although it made everything really slippery. Sunday was actually sunny and warm so I was able to finally clear the snow and ice off the back patio. It's the little victories that give me hope in times like these.

Pushing the pace

I decided to see if I could keep my pace up at the gym today and I ended up doing 6 miles in the 45 minutes I ran. That gives me 52.5 miles for the year. It was a really good workout and I am so glad to be off the treadmill. It's weird how 15 minutes on the treadmill seems like an eternity, but on the track it just flies by. If the snow holds off tomorrow I may go out to the Cherry Creek State Park to run, but it doesn't look like that's going to be the case. Ideally the snow will have tapered off by Sunday so that we can go to the pool as a family.

Morning Workout

Yesterday was busy again so I didn't get a chance to post my workout. I went to the gym in the morning and did another 4 miles in 31:30 (46.5 total). I actually counted the laps this time to see how my splits were during the run. After that I hit the pool for a 20 minute swim. I really like my trips to the gym in the morning, but I find it gets me to work too late, so I will be looking forward to the day when I can do my afternoon run at work. I may try to venture out into the Cherry Creek Reservoir on Saturday if the weather's not too bad. We are supposed to get snow again this weekend, so if I want to run outside I guess I'm just going to have to get used to doing it on snow and ice.

Slammed!

Wow, these past couple of days have been crazy! I've barely had a chance to check my email and everyone knows what an email junky I am. I have been able to get to the gym though so that has been good. Yesterday I did 4 miles on the track plus a few laps in the pool, and today I did 5.5 miles on the track. That gives me 42.5 miles and things are starting to look up. My back feels good and although I'm not yet running outside I'm at least I'm off the "dreadmill." Even though I'm just going around and around the track still is more interesting than the treadmill. There are people to pass and people passing me (although fewer of the latter).


I did go skiing on Saturday which was nice. It was really busy and the lines were long, but at least the snow was good. It felt good to get out on the slopes, and it was good exercise. I'll have to find the time to get out again this season, preferably on a day that's less busy.