spring's cameo

It was a balmy 55 degrees with a hint of sunshine on Sunday afternoon. I'm sure that weather was special-ordered for the beating of the New York Jets by our Indianapolis Colts. (HelLO Super Bowl XLIV!) Monday morning we awoke to a friendly reminder that it IS January, and this IS Indiana. I had another friendly reminder staring me in the face all day: my training schedule.

Week 1 - Monday: Run 30 minutes or 2 miles.

Last time around I mentioned that I preferred running outside in the cold to running on a treadmill. But for the most part our winter was considerably un-Indiana like last year and I wasn't sure how I'd handle below freezing temps paired with the white stuff. No time to dwell though, by afternoon the snow was falling, the wind was blowing and I see this come up on my Facebook newsfeed from the 500 Festival.

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With the winter weather hitting Indianapolis again, don't be afraid to train in the snow. A few tips would be to run with a partner and wear moisture-wicking fabrics on the inside and moisture-shedding fabrics on the outside. Also, don't worry about running fast, just cover the distance. The extra fabrics will slow you down but add resistance.
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Well darn't, no excuse now. Plus, I did spend a few dollars at Dick's Sporting Goods in recent weeks on cold weather running attire. So I ran. It was cold. And my Droid was not playing music as I had instructed it to do. (Must set up playlists on my iPod. Must.) The very rare human sighting resulted in odd stares that said "I'm walking my dog, what's your excuse?" But you know, I'm going to stand by my claim of cold-weather running. The snow in my face sucked, true. But the cold kept me running, it was my source of warmth.

I did 2 miles instead of 30 minutes. But I did 2 miles, which is 2 miles more than I ran last week. And 2 miles closer to 13. Oh happy cold day in Indiana.

back at it

I started to think about training a couple weeks ago. Which means I spent some time reacquainting myself with the treadmill one Saturday morning, and I bought some new running clothes. It may sound ridiculous - it did to me at first - but spending a little bit of money on good equipment (read: cotton-free everything and fit-to-your-foot-by-someone who knows what he (or she) is talking about shoes) helps. A lot. I suggest raiding the clearance rack at Dick's Sporting Goods. Having well-fitting, good-looking running clothes doesn't mean dropping THAT much money on a pair of running tights. Seriously. They do not flatter thee thighs. And personally, I'd much rather spend THAT much money on a fabulous pair of boots or new skirt!

So anyhoo - I digress. (If you know me in real life you are not surprised right now.)

I did actually do more than just think about training. I ran! Two whole miles. My training program with The Running Company starts on Saturday, and I didn't want to show up having not put the left foot in front of the right foot, at an above-normal pace, in several more months than I care to admit. I made it a running date with my old roommate, it'd been too long since we'd gotten together to chat. We successfully accomplished both. Catching up with her was great, and chatting for two miles helped us both keep pace.

A couple observances so far. First, this part is familiar. The anticipation, completing the first mile(s), feeling like I own those thirteen(pointone)miles. The day-after sore muscles (Yes, I stretched!). I know there will be some hard days when the feet don't really want to keep going and my breath can't come fast enough. The difference is I now know I will get through them. Second, I just feel stronger. I've been going to Pilates class once a week for much of the past year. And having moved downtown last summer, I walk more often than I drive. While I know those two activities alone are not enough to keep me in tip top shape and good health, it's more than I was doing before I started training last year. I'm going to up the Pilates class to twice a week while I'm training, and since I'm fortunate to have a pretty decent workout room in my apartment building, I'm going to make use of it. I know now that having a strong core is key to my being a strong runner.

One last thing, if you're still with me. Visit my friend Joyce and give her a shout out of support too. She's taking on these thirteen(pointone)miles too, and I found a few smiles spread across my face while reading through her posts.