Brrr...

I will be so happy when it actually warms up! Despite predictions of relative warmth, last night's 4 mile run was surprisingly chilly. The cold weather was only exacerbated of course by the winds, which were gusting 50+ mph at some points during the day.

Needless to say, I'm ready for spring...now.

The good news is, the forecast for this weekend keeps getting warmer. It looks like our 17 mile run at White Rock should take place in near-ideal conditions: low to mid 60's, partly cloudy, next to no chance of rain, and only a slight wind. Bring it on!

15 miles, and 10 weeks to go

Our 15 mile run was yesterday, and I think it went really well. We chugged along at a slower than usual pace, but we finished, and it was a really enjoyable run. A lot of conversation, cool but not cold weather, and beautiful scenery like sail boats and birds made the run go by pretty quickly. I know my teammates are hurting some today, but I am really not. My legs feel great, much better than even after last week's 10. I think the lack of hills helped a lot. Those hills on the 13 mile route killed me.

The course for 15 miles was around White Rock Lake, with the addition of 5 or so extra miles of White Rock Creek Trail. This was our first time on the trail, and it was nice for a change. We plan on running the 7.5 miles up and back for 15 of next week's run, then running the other two miles at the lake.

We also have plans for a massage the day after this weekend's run. I think we're all long overdue.

This weekend also ends my chocolate hiatus, so you know where I'll be after Saturday's long run: Cold Stone. Oh yeah.

Spirit of the Marathon

David, Ashley and I went to the Cinemark at the Harbor in Rockwall to see this documentary about marathons and the people who run them called Spirit of the Marathon. It was only playing on this one date nationwide, but I'm sure they'll eventually do another movie showing and/or a DVD release. If you've ever run a marathon, are interested in running one, or are curious as to why your crazy friends do it, it's a great film. They profiled a wide cross-section of runners, from the first-time marathon to the 12-minute pace veteran to the Kenyan to the elite woman. They really captured the beauty of the marathon and the amazing rush that pushes people to finish them.

You know you're not hardcore, unless you live hardcore...

...and in the attempt to show how hardcore we are, David is organizing a group sky diving trip to a place in Caddo Mills, TX. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared. It's one of those things that you put on your bucket list, right next to running a marathon and learning to play the piano, but you don't actually intend to do it...at least not as soon as next month. But, I guess if all the other kids are jumping out of airplanes...

Sugar sugar

If anyone is at all interested in my struggle with all things sugary sweet, check out the post I made on my other blog: "Ode to Chocolate (and all things sweet)," a combination reassuring/complaining post about my junk food hiatus.

Almost 4 miles... and we thought Sunday was cold.

I'm pretty sure it must have been warmer than 30 degrees during our 10 miles run. Either that, or I was numbed completely. We did a quick mid-week run tonight before Lauren headed out for Lady's Night and I was colder than I have ever been running. Decked out in a beanie, running pants, a spandex top, a windproof coat, and gloves, I wish I had at least another layer.

We got home and the outdoor thermometer read 31 degrees. It's cold.

10 miles, 30ish degrees

Today we dropped back down to 10 miles to give ourselves a little break.  When we woke up this morning, it was below 30 degrees...not exactly encouraging.  Ashley had plans for the afternoon, though, so we had to get moving at 10:00.  Although it was still just above freezing when we left the house, it was still a really great run.  We ran from our house to Ashley's apartment and back, which David had mapped as being exactly 5 miles each way.  I warmed up pretty quickly, and David warmed up so much he was stripping off layers.  Even with a walk every 2.5 miles, we managed to keep the average around 10 minutes per mile, which is good for a long run, since we typically try to take it easy.

The funny thing about running around Rockwall rather than around White Rock Lake is the looks you get from people in passing cars.  White Rock Lake is a gathering place for people who are just as crazy as you.  In Rockwall, every other car's passengers are staring at us as if we were marching down the street in pink bunny suits.  

The run went well, although I could tell Ashley was pretty tired.  She had gone out to Crossfit in the freezing cold on Saturday morning when we skipped out.

This afternoon, we made this awesome recipe from the cookbook Ashley gave us for Christmas, The New American Plate.  It's full of great recipes that are equally healthy.  We made sweet potato chili with peanuts, and served it over brown rice.  It was delicious, and tasted especially good in the cold weather.  It makes 10 servings, so it's a good thing it was tasty, since we have a few servings in the fridge and some in the freezer left over.  

Following our run, both of us have been pretty lethargic.  Or maybe just lazy.  All I know is that my butt has spent an awful lot of time on the couch tonight.  Good thing I burned over 1,000 calories today.

Wow, that's cold

So, we're officially just a bit wimpy...when we woke up this morning and saw that the temperature was 28 with a wind chill of 20, we decided that it might not be in our best interest to go out to the Shores park for Crossfit.  I know, we're sissies, but hey, I am still coughing up some junk, so I need to take care of myself.  We're about to head into the garage to do a make-up workout session instead, so hopefully we'll get a similar experience.  I want to try an article I found in Runner's World for our ab workout, called "Elite Abs."  It's the core workout for Team Running USA, and if you saw the guy's abs on the cover, you would be tempted to try it too.  We need to start focusing more on our core.  David and I both have complained in the past of low back aches and pains during our long runs, and a strong core is supposed to keep that from happening, among other things.  

And now, to do as many of our workouts in the living room as we can before venturing out into the freezing garage...

Log

This is for us, not really for anyone else, but we need to keep track of how much we're running!

Saturday, 01/12/08: Crossfit. Two teams, each with a deck of cards. Twice through the deck. Every suit stands for a different workout: sprints, double-under jump ropes, pull-ups, mountain climbers. Each Ace is 10 burpees for the whole team. Our team won!

Sunday, 01/13/08: 13 miles, slow. This was Lauren's first run since getting the flu. Ran through Rockwall near Ashley's apartment. A lot of hills, but overall a good run. Ashley and David has some soreness in their feet, and Lauren had extreme soreness everywhere.

Monday, 01/14/08: Rest.

Tuesday, 01/15/08: Rest.

Wednesday, 01/16/08: 3.8 mile run around Lofland Farms and neighboring neighborhoods, with the dogs. Pull-ups, push-ups, single jump ropes and sit-ups in 4 stations, each lasting 4 minutes with a 1 minute break in between each. Do as many as possible.