Frozen Toe-zen

Yesterday marked the completion of my 30 day challenge.  And today marked Day 31 straight.  Now that I have gotten used to running everyday, it was kind of hard to break my typical weekly breakdown.  Wednesdays are my LONG-ish days.  I say LONG-ISH because to me, it’s running long.  To others, it’s the shortest run of their life.  But since The Glass City Half Marathon is April 22, I figure a gentle increase in long run distance seems to be what’s best for my bionic knees.  Bionic knees are my #1 reason to not participate in most activities that I don’t want to participate in.

Run a marathon?  No thanks, I had 2 ACL surgeries already.

Go skiing/snowboard? No thanks, my knees would probably spontaneously combust.

Go ice skating?  No thanks, do you really want to see me collapse in a hot, screaming mess of a person?

Eat mushrooms? I think my knees are allergic to those.

Anyways, so today marked Day #31.  I decided my task at hand was to run 8 solid miles, aiming to keep a somewhat “half-marathonish” pace.

Gotta love a bathroom picture. So totally excited to run outside in 30 degree weather!

So I got all dressed in my most favorite of cold weather gear: My long sleeve Nike DriFit complete with thumb holes.  Placed my earwrap on.  Got my windbreaker out.  Fired up Garmy…and then realized….where in the H E DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS ARE MY GLOVES?  30 degree weather is not friendly to you or your hands if you don’t respect it with gloves.  So, I did what any good runner chick does.  I manned up and ran without my gloves.

Fingers swollen--CHECK! Fingers Red/white---CHECK! Ability to move hand in any direction---FAIL!

After a 20 minute shower and gentle range of motion exercises to my fingercicles, I was finally able to check out my final time and mile splits.

Blazing Speed right there...Blazing speedy paint drying that is...

What I have done today Garmin classifies as a "Slow Run". WTF, my breathing pattern did not declare I was slowly running. Also, the huge spike at the end was when I slowed down to hock a lugey.

Although slightly disheartened that I am only “slowly running” per Garmin’s standards, I must be running fast enough to be creating some friction in my shoes.  Saddened that Nimbus-12′s may have to be retired in the near future.

Rubbing holes through all of the Asics millions of layers of cushioning is my favorite activity. I like when my heel touches pure plastic.

Tomorrow I go for Day #32 of running due to Thursday being doubleheader soccer games.    Girl’s on a mission to score some goals this week!

Happy Running!

I Like Big Butts and I Cannot Lie

So one of my favorite Christmas presents this year was receiving the Kinect for Xbox.  Today I decided to spend a gift card on a new game: Dance Central 2.  Having played many an interactive game before (Rock Band, Guitar Hero, Donkey Kong Bongos–i.e. THE ORIGINAL SWEET INTERACTIVE GAME IN WHICH NO ONE COULD BEAT ME) I figured it wouldn’t be too hard.

Holy lack of coordination, Eli.

Dance Central is fun and freaking challenging.  Not to mention, my legs didn’t particularly enjoy it after having just placed myself through a killer workout.   I played only on Easy mode and managed to 4-5 star everything but the picture reel at the end doesn’t lie.  I usually envision myself being this is secret amazing dancer who could win “So You Think You Can Dance?” if I ever tried out.  Sadly, I am mistaken.

This is how I imagine I look while dancing, minus the crap Paint editing

What I usually look like while dancing...Not artistic. Not hot. And 100% Kissy Face.

Speaking of workouts, today was Day #4 of my 30 Day Challenge.  So far, so good.  When I attempted the #RWChallenge it took until about day 10 before soreness started to hit.  Today’s workout involved all of the following:
1) 30 minute Fartlek=3.8 miles
2) Hamstring Curls 50# x30
3) Leg Press 180# 3×20
4) Toe Press 180# x50
5) Leg Extension 40# x30
6) Walking Lunges 2 laps
7) Squat Jumps x20
8) Plyo Box Jumps x20
9) Core Stability exercises on the Swiss Ball

Why did I keep track of all of this total and utter nonsense?!  Because my New Year’s Resolution to myself is to become “whole body fit”.  I realize cardio exercise is my strength.  But my goal for 2012 is to begin incorporating total body fitness into my life.  Which means hitting up the weights, working on plyometrics, and working on agility.  Since my current agile state is equivalent of a young, wooly mammoth.

What be this lateral type movement? I only move forwards and backwards...Eek!

Happy Running!

A Christmas Surprise

So after the death flu illness of 2011 finished its course in the depths of my stomach and intestines, I was able to resume running up until Christmas to complete my running streak.         Except it was a totally disjointed, not really a streak, streak that Will Ferrell would totally be sad about.  So I have decided to start a new streak (to replace my failed, pathetic attempt to run >11 days in a row).  I have decided to kick off my post-Christmas fun with a 30 day challenge to myself.  30 days in a row.  No excuses.  Vomiting and Montezuma’s angry revenge discouraged.  I think I can do it.

If determination had a face, it would sort of resemble this. Except with smoke coming out the ears.

In other news, Christmas has come and went.  And an extra merry one it was as Hubs and I celebrated our 1st Christmas together.  I got all kinds of super awesome gifts.  Plenty of running gear, the Kinect for XBOX, a new winter coat, and tons of candy.

Classing it up with a Whitman's Sampler. Biggest box of chocolates ever.

Being gifted a baby on Christmas. Good thing I had a gift receipt (just my nephew). Babies obviously cry in my presence. It only took 5 minutes and Ewan hated my angry eyebrows.

Hubs going crazy for my new ice scraper. It's name is "The Monster" and it will be coming to a semi-truck near you.

These might fit...if Hubs were living in Thailand.

The best gift, however, was Hubs and my gifts to each other.  We each thought we were being particularly clever.  And decided to both purchase each other brand spankin new laptops.  My rationale: make Hubs quit using my current laptop.  His rationale: buy wife a new laptop so I can steal her current laptop.   Obviously, neither plan totally worked out.

But in a way it did.  Because now we both get to sit on the couch, with laptop a-clickin, while watching Monday Night Football, and drinking my new favorite drink: Bailey’s and Hot Chocolate.  All while the apartment stands a complete wreck from the tornado of presents that came through the past 2 days.  Could a more perfect Day After Christmas be had? I submit that it could NOT!!

Happy Running!