A Real Runner

Well, a lot has happened since I last posted. 

Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire primary. 
The Clean Power Plan was stayed by the Supreme Court.
But, looks like Obama will be appointing a new justice after the passing of Scalia.

I put in a 6 mile run last weekend (after a night out to send-off my roommate!). And, that's the farthest I've ran since February 2013!

And, probably most importantly, Beyoncé dropped a new single, "Formation". 
And, if iTunes were selling the song...
And, if I still had an iPod to run with...
Then, I probably would've had that ish on repeat while I ran (a very cold) 5 miles today.

Instead, I had to settle for repeating "Cause I slay, cause I slay" over and over to myself for the last couple miles.

3 of my 4 top layers!

I was supposed to run 7 miles today. I knew it was going to be really cold today, so I decided in advance that I would run in the early afternoon. Honestly, I prefer running first thing in the morning. Some days, though, that's just not realistic. 

It was 9 F when I woke up this morning. So, I waited for it warm up to 18 F at 1:30. Then I looked at the "feels like" part of the weather app.

Feels like 9 F! 
So much for waiting for "warmer" temps.

At that point, I decided to do my cut-back mileage this week and switch my 7 mile run to next weekend. I wore 4 layers on the top and 2 layers on the bottom. It might have been overkill, but I'm really not a cold-weather person, so I was playing it safe. I've ran in colder temps, but not in a very long time. And with the El Nino weather this year, I've been quite spoiled with decent running weather.   

When I wasn't singing Beyoncé to myself, I was thinking about running because today's run wasn't spectacular. I felt a bit sluggish and heavy. Sometimes when the going gets rough, I start to question if I'm a "real runner", whatever that means. Especially when it's cold, and I'm not feeling very motivated to get out the door, then falling into the trap of "who do I think I am? I'm not really a "runner", I didn't run in high school or college, I'm not that fast, etc." becomes a little too easy. Sometimes, I forget that I've been running on and off (mostly on) for over ten years. 

Ten years.

How did that happen? 

And almost always, after the first or second mile, I find my rhythm and settle in for the run. About halfway through today, I thought, well I really should've just done the original 7 miles. Really, this is true for most aspects of my life. The "getting started" is often the hardest part for me.  
Overall, though the 5 miles went ok. More or less negative splits, though not as fast as previous weeks. But, I was wearing A LOT of clothes! :) 

Lou! Always ready for play time. 

However, my post-run stretching was pretty fabulous. My back was hurting a little bit, but glute bridges and side leg-lifts (I should really figure out the real name of these) seem to help a lot. The next step is to make them a nightly habit. 

And, of course, the moment I pulled out the foam roller and got on the floor, Louie thought it was play time. This always cracks me up. Maybe one of these days I'll get a video of his shenanigans. 

Tomorrow I'm planning to attend a yoga class and put in a recovery run at the gym (after putting in some time at the lab). Sometimes, in the winter, the treadmill is just a necessity, especially since I'm trying to avoid falling and injuring myself. 

Countdown to the Hoosier Half: 8 weeks