The creative process...

...happens on the floor. Remember the Awesome Quilt? The one documenting my running events last year? I was stymied as to how I would make a layout work with 17 blocks... But then, as I was putting away my Bonnie Hunter flimsy, Roll Roll Cotton Boll, I thought: oooo, on point! And I was inspired by that quilt's string blocks with how to do he triangles here, too.
The Awesome Quilt is going to be awesome! Especially since it chronicles the year of PRs, with that New Year's 5k I squeaked in!
On a side note, I finished January up with a 3.5 mile treadmill run that brought my monthly total to 73.31 miles. Thank you, sturdy peasant legs, for those miles, and here's to 926.69 more this year.

Confession!

I don't like fruit in winter. I just don't. None of it tastes as good, and it is a lot more expensive. But, starting in late January, we start getting some semi-appealing fruit again, and I know fruit is good for me, so I try to eat some. But it just isn't something I crave....
Enter the blender! Today, I drank a pound of strawberries and 2 mandarins. Easiest smoothie ever- the only other ingredients are ice, a little water to help it blend, and a spoonful of raspberry preserves for sweetness.
The best part is since it is so cold, it takes me at least an hour to drink, and it keeps me full longer than most of my other snacks would.

Anyone else find it hard to get your daily dose of fruit?
Favorite smoothie ingredients?

Stupid

Normally, I have the sense to come in out of the rain... Especially when it's storming, complete with thunder and lightning. But, when one of the other runners is my husband's boss, and out-ranks pretty much everyone else, if he wants to keep running, the group keeps running! Even those of us who are just married to a military member! I must admit, though- it felt kind of awesome to be running in the storm. Stupid, dangerous, yes... But awesome!

Happy mail!

Look what came today! And, I'm happy to report that after visiting the dr yesterday and getting antibiotics, I'm feeling much better. Time to play with fabric tonight, and an easy treadmill run wearing one of my new headbands tomorrow.

Sick Day 2

When it's only 16 degrees and looks like this outside, I don't mind staying in so much.

Well, that explains it...

...woke up with aches, sore throat, and that general "nothing feels well" malaise. That explains why yesterday, I just couldn't get that run done!

And now, I shall flush my system with tea, and hope that this is the strain of flu that was covered in the shot.

I don't have time to be sick for a week; I'm training for my second marathon!

107 lb tick

He's been glued to my side tonight. Mom used to call my brother and me tick babies when we got clingy... Guess I have my own tick babies now in the form of our dogs!

Taking the "easier" long route

Last week, I was downright excited to go for a long run. It was 54 degrees in January, in Indiana, which, frankly, should be a runner's holiday. I got in 14.5 miles on Friday before teaching zumba. If I hadn't had class, I probably would have ran another 3 mile loop at the base just because I felt so great and the weather felt so great.

Fast forward to midnight last night when my husband got home: the wind had picked up enough to be howling outside our bedroom window. And it's still howling. Sustained winds of 25-35 mph. Also know as, strong enough to send me backwards at times. It's also making what would have felt like a warm-for-winter day feel closer to cold-enough-I'm-not leaving-this-blanket.

I bet you figured out I don't want to run outside. At all.

The problem is that I need to log 16-18 miles for my long run today. Normally, I allow myself flexibility with long run days so I can pick the best weather. But, tonight, things will go from windy to freeze-your-@$$-off.

And so, I will suck it up, and do my least-favorite thing: a long run on the treadmill. I would almost always rather run outside, but with this kind of wind, it will make 3 miles feel like 6, and so forth. Plus, it will leave me with a raw throat and headache- the treadmill just leaves me so bored I could put a fist through the wall for a change of scenery.

Dear Netflix, it is on days like today that I am eternally grateful for you. And I see there's a new season of "My Strange Addiction," or, as I like to call it, why everyone needs therapy if they go through a family divorce (seriously, most of them are children of divorce. If your marriage doesn't work out, seek help for your kids or we'll all be watching with horror as they eat laundry detergent and couch cushions). I think that might be enough to entertain me for 3+ hours of the human hamster wheel.

I leave you with pictures of food. Healthy food.

 Like my strawberry-blueberry smoothie, and kale chips,

 and the beet chips my husband demolished.

 And quite possibly one of the most delicious, nutritious meals I've made this month- turkey, baked potato with cheese, and beet greens.

Time to start thawing the leftover chili I froze so I'll have something to eat when I'm done on the 'mill.


EDITED TO ADD: I gave up after 3.2 miles. I KNOW. slacker extraordinaire. But, when you feel like your legs weigh 400 pounds each, and it was a struggle to get that far in 40 minutes, sometimes you need to listen to your body. Mine was clearly screaming, "WTH, oh no, ain't gonna happen today, lady!" I may attempt a long run tomorrow. I may not. But listening to my body last year I believe was the biggest key to staying injury free, and so I will continue to listen this year. After all, my marathon goals are all about finishing. I am not a fast distance runner, just a dogged finisher.

I've been way more consistent with training this time around, so yeah. Nap time. Time to give these bones the rest they clearly think they deserve.

New socks

It's getting cold again tonight- goodbye, warm weather, back to winter. Perfect time to finish another pair of socks... And what a perfect amount of yarn! I had just enough. Now, what to do with the other skein since I only needed one instead of two? Perhaps another set of hand warmers... We shall see.

Slacker

I've been waiting to post, hoping I'd have an announcement of sorts, but no such luck. This has been a pretty normal week in other arenas. Started a baby quilt for Husbeast's coworker, started making a braided rug, ran a couple times, including 14.5 miles before I taught zumba. The sun came out enough to make my freckles pop and I was wearing a tshirt and skirt. In January! Crazy.

Enjoy your weekend!

5 by the 5th, round 1

On New Year's Day, my husbeast asked if I wanted a movie from Redbox. Immediately, I agreed, with the caveat that I could run them back on Wednesday. Literally.

Our closest Redbox is just under 1.5 miles by foot, so I knew if I ran them back, I could simply tack on a little extra and I'd have completed the first 5 by the 5th run.

Two birds, one stone!

So, I put on the hat that I knit on NYE (it's an alpaca/acrylic blend) and my neck gaiter that I made last year.....

Lack of visible face seems to exaggerate the size difference of my eyes!

and off I went. It was only 10 degrees out, but after a half mile, my head was sweaty! Alpaca is niiiiiice and waaaaaaarm. I made it to the Redbox kiosk in 12 minutes (1.3 miles away, according to my Garmin), then waited what seemed like forever for the machine to be "ready." After both movies were returned (Looper, which was just meh, and Brave, which was good), I headed back to the trail and carefully ran far enough down before turning so I knew I'd hit at least 3.1 when I got home.

I slowed significantly the second part of my run because the trail had a lot of nasty spots of black ice- I even slipped once, but I always feel kind of cat-like in that 9 times out of 10, I handle ice really well.

I ended up with a cold, icy 5K finished in 29:55. Yup, a helluva lot slower than Monday, but not every run is a race. Some are simply for fun-- or to run an errand!

Bring on 2013!!!

I have BIG goals for this year. VERY BIG, AMBITIOUS GOALS. Which is part of why I decided to rest today.

*gasp*

Yeah, I know, I thought I would at least log a mile or 3, but given that I have insane big goals for this year, I need to listen to my body from the beginning. My legs are killing me after running the Huff 10 miler on Saturday, and then smashing my 5k PR yesterday... which, I am excited to say, is even better than I had thought- the official time listed by the race website is 25:15!!!! That's a 56 second improvement!!!

So I rested today. I am listening to my body so I can run a full marathon in March, and September, and November, and the Huff ultra in December.

Circular Logic, Air Force Marathon (rematch!), Veteran's Marathon (also known as my birthday bash, since it falls a week before my birthday). 3 full marathons.

You may be right.
I may be crazy.
but it just may be a lunatic you're running with!

This should make reaching 1000 miles a breeze.