Mileage reporting 9th week 2014

Wednesday aft, quick run-through of my three main Row day exercises: bent-over rows with lat-blaster bar, landmines, and bent-over rows with dumbbell, skipping the other, secondary exercises, then 7 miles up in the fairgrounds on the way to picking up the kids. It was 20F but pretty windy at times, (in)accuweather said it was 3F windchill, but it didn't feel that cold. Still, went into the car twice to warm up the footsies. Windchill numbness seems to dissipate a lot quicker than contact numbness, which penetrates into the bones. Surface conditions varied between dryish pavement, ice, and some compacted, semi-slushy snow.

This morning, -15F/-33F windchill. These Arctic blasts have kept coming, wave upon wave, since the beginning of January. I thought about getting in my regularly scheduled 3.1-mile run, but wimped out and ran straight to my office. Besides, I'm a bit sore from yesterday's double, my first double ever I think, unless you count my one-mile run-commutes, which I don't.

They say we'll approach seasonal highs at the end of next week, but I've heard them sing that tune before, a few too many times in fact. I'm resigned to sub-zero temps until Memorial Day.
 
They say we'll approach seasonal highs at the end of next week, but I've heard them sing that tune before, a few too many times in fact. I'm resigned to sub-zero temps until Memorial Day.

It's been some winter, huh? I know I've been complaining a lot about it, but then, while it's been cold here, it's not been Minnesota cold. I know how much I'm looking forward to a change to spring, but I probably can't even imagine how much all of you up thataway are looking forward to it.

Wasn't able to squeeze in a run last evening. I need 6.4 miles over the next 2 days to make 100 miles for the month. Hopefully I can tough it out this evening in the predicted wind and cold to get me close and then just a short run on Friday evening to do it. Then I'll start worrying about the snow they're talking about now late Sunday and Monday. Where's the crying emoticon?
 
It's been some winter, huh? I know I've been complaining a lot about it, but then, while it's been cold here, it's not been Minnesota cold. I know how much I'm looking forward to a change to spring, but I probably can't even imagine how much all of you up thataway are looking forward to it.

Wasn't able to squeeze in a run last evening. I need 6.4 miles over the next 2 days to make 100 miles for the month. Hopefully I can tough it out this evening in the predicted wind and cold to get me close and then just a short run on Friday evening to do it. Then I'll start worrying about the snow they're talking about now late Sunday and Monday. Where's the crying emoticon?
Yah, and then there's the folks up in Winterpeg! :eek: I think you folks out East get more snow than us though. :p

Last week's snowfall began with an hour of drizzle, then 10 inches of heavy, wet snow, and then overnight the Arctic blast came down and froze everything. So driving conditions have been horrible since then and won't get much better until next Thursday when it's supposed to get up around freezing. There's a lot of glare ice and compacted snow ruts, and more potholes than I can ever remember seeing. It takes 10-15 minutes longer to drive anyway near my house, everyone is going so slow and cautiously.

Still, I'm glad this week I've finally stopped being a baby about it and am getting in some fairly consistent early morning running. I love the peace and quiet at that hour and it's such a good way to start the day. Today I just ran the one mile straight to work and it doesn't feel right. I wish I would have motivated at the beginning of the year when I first got the idea to reset and try running several miles every morning. At that time I still had decent running fitness. Sad to say, but I guess it took the Sockwa G4s for me to embrace shod/winter running. Oh well, the conditioning is starting to return now that I'm back in the exercise saddle again, no regrets.

I don't know how March will go, I may try longer runs in the afternoon in order to take advantage of (hopefully) bareable conditions, but I think long-term, the short, early morning run and short, afternoon st session, with an optional, short plyometrics/mobility session in between, has good potential for becoming my daily routine. By decoupling the running and lifting schedules, I gain flexibility and consistency, and no longer feel the pressure to get a full hour of lifting or running in at any given time. Then on the weekend I can always get in a longer run when I feel like it. I also think I'll probably get more metabolic benefit from spreading out the exercise over two or three sessions throughout the day, and there doesn't seem to be much of any recovery involved. In fact, my stretching and rolling has been pretty minimal, although I should get back at it anyway in order to stay/get more limber, regardless of recovery needs.
 
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thurs am: tried a run, but my eyeballs couldn't take it. got 1.5. On the way back, into the wind and blowing snow, my eyes hurt just too much. Needed goggles or something. So I bailed and went home. Temps in single digits but strong winds with snow froze my eyes. Nasty.
a few squats and weights afterwards.
I've been enjoying my bad weather connection with you, Scratch, and others this winter. Seems you get our stuff about a day later, and Scratch two days later. I'll let you know when it warms up again.

OK, time for some box jumps . . .
 
1.5 miles with 3 hill repeats up a steep a@$ hill on my lunch break. Thought I was gonna die by the third time up it. Good hill training and it gives me some confidence for the Shamrock 15k Run in 3 weeks that I am doing. I know the 7 mile long hill has no parts that are as steep as what I am training on so mentally that is a great thing to know. Really digging the hill training. Don't have hills where I live now so I only get short runs with hills, but I guess thats better than none. Will try to do a flatter easier run tomorrow and then on Saturday will try to get a long run in.
 
11.5km this morning, on the beach to start with, and then onto the streets when I started getting bogged in the soft sand. My first run for the week, and it's Friday! My right foot felt a little bit sore after last weekend's long run, so I rested for a few days until it felt right. L to the B and all that. Today I have a day off work, so I got up later and ran a little longer than my usual morning run. I passed a couple of ladies walking to the beach and one of them gave me the "You forgot your shoes" line. I laughed and said "I'm always forgetting stuff".

Today I'm taking the little one to a local waterslide park - www.adventurepark.com.au - should be fun.
 
I didn't run this morning and got to leave work early so I had the time, and energy, for another couple of loops of Central Park - in my Samsons.
What a change from last Saturday - then it was a warm Spring day and today was back to Winter (well, all of -3C but the 20 mph wind was challenging). Stayed warm and did the 13+ miles at an AHR of 130 at about 8 minute pace.
 
Great 8 mile run at 5:00 am., 30 deg. f.. Camel back hose kept freezing up!
Hard getting motivated to get out there this morning but very glad I did!!
 
1.5 miles with 3 hill repeats up a steep a@$ hill on my lunch break. Thought I was gonna die by the third time up it. Good hill training and it gives me some confidence for the Shamrock 15k Run in 3 weeks that I am doing. I know the 7 mile long hill has no parts that are as steep as what I am training on so mentally that is a great thing to know. Really digging the hill training. Don't have hills where I live now so I only get short runs with hills, but I guess thats better than none. Will try to do a flatter easier run tomorrow and then on Saturday will try to get a long run in.

OMG -it IS only 3 weeks already! Where does the time go? Mike's running it too, right? Anyone else?
 
Wednesday, swam 30 minutes total, a 5 minute interval, then 25 straight without stopping, then a final 5 a touch faster. 15 minutes later I was on the spin bike for 60 minutes.

Thursday, 4.5 miles in wet, puddle jumping weather with a daughter and son. Ended up going a bit faster than I might have by myself, but it was pleasant and not gasping pave by any means. I do find my usual knee acting up a bit the last 3 days or so, so am kind of bummed about that. Can't see anything, but it feels odd. Hope to take it easy tomorrow and hopefully be up for a long slow run with hubby on Saturday..
 
It's actually about 2.5 weeks Jen....

ahhh! i'm not feeling ready! Helen and Christy are signed up. or is Christy signed up for rtr? maybe that's it.

m-weights
t-shod run on the road
w-weights. hurt myself with single leg dead lifts. thank god we get free care at school. still a little sore but i can move freely
th-shod trail run gadget free.

someone stole my garmin! i left it charging at school and obviously forgot to grab it. someone took it. i talked the school into sending out a mass email. if that doesn't work i will try to get the cops involved. since it's gps you'd think they could track it.
 
Wed pm: did 2 squat reps at 225 for the first time! OK, according to ExRx.net (http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/SquatStandards.html) that makes me a novice, and it's pathetic that I can't squat more than I can bench press (which is at ExRx's intermediate level). Still, it's encouraging, since I am in fact a novice with the squats; I'd never taken them seriously until last year, when Abide convinced me of their benefits. Part of the reason I haven't pushed the squats since then is that it's kinda scary without a spotter, but I'm getting a better feel for the exercise with heavier weights, and I guess I can always dump the weights behind my back if I stall.

I think I'll make deadlifts and squats my ST priorities for the next several months, and see if I can get both up to ExRx.net's intermediate levels for my body weight--350 lbs (deadlifts) & 300 lbs (squats). That would be cool, and that along with keeping most of my runs at 3-4 miles or less will hopefully get may pace up too, finally. Last year was great for seeing how far I can go, now I'd like to see if I can't go a little faster. Zap Mama says not to overdo the distance runs, and I sense this is correct for me. I probably shouldn't run more than 4-5 miles more than once a week. Most of my runs should be shorter distances run somewhere between aerobic and tempo pace, or as fartleks.

But not while it's still so icy. Got in 3.1 relaxed miles this morning, at -12F/-22F windchill. I really felt like crap after only run-commuting yesterday :couchpotato:. Now I feel much better :singing: . I may try to get in a few bare miles in later on the way to picking up the kids if the forecast flurries fail to dust us.

Now they're saying we've broken into the top-ten for coldest winter :arghh:, the coldest in 35 years :bawling:, and the most sub-zero nights (46) since 1935-36 :banghead:, and we may set a few low-temp records this weekend :stop: (so by early next week we should have the third-most sub-zero nights since 1883 :rage:). If we do, I want to be out running in it :wacky:! And we're 17 inches above our normal snowfall now :grumpy:. Since so little of the snow that has fallen has had a chance to melt, the snow banks are huge:wtf:. With the combination of cold temps and snow, I'm officially declaring this the worst winter for barefoot running on record.:cigar:
 
Bare Lee, when I've squatted, what I used to do was use a couple of sawhorses and set the bar on that. Then I start from the bottom like that and knew that I could always squat right back down to the sawhorses. That gave me a way of always being able to safely squat. Or the other squat I would do was Zercher squats.

I did around 4.1 miles last evening. The wind was terrible and near the end, there's an open field to the side and the wind was blowing across that and picking up the dry powdery snow left over from the bit of snow earlier in the week. I saw a wall of white curling up over the top of the bank and down into the road. Yow, that was painful and scary some because I worried if a car were to come along towards me, he might have trouble seeing. But just need a few miles tonight to get 100 miles for the month.

And they're now forecasting 6 to 12 inches of snow on Monday, and maybe even more in the area where I live. I don't think I can remember a winter here where I will have had to shovel snow December, January, February and March. It's gotta start getting better here at some point. It has to. That bright yellow ball has got to start having some effect, right?
 
Bare Lee, when I've squatted, what I used to do was use a couple of sawhorses and set the bar on that. Then I start from the bottom like that and knew that I could always squat right back down to the sawhorses. That gave me a way of always being able to safely squat. Or the other squat I would do was Zercher squats.

I did around 4.1 miles last evening. The wind was terrible and near the end, there's an open field to the side and the wind was blowing across that and picking up the dry powdery snow left over from the bit of snow earlier in the week. I saw a wall of white curling up over the top of the bank and down into the road. Yow, that was painful and scary some because I worried if a car were to come along towards me, he might have trouble seeing. But just need a few miles tonight to get 100 miles for the month.

And they're now forecasting 6 to 12 inches of snow on Monday, and maybe even more in the area where I live. I don't think I can remember a winter here where I will have had to shovel snow December, January, February and March. It's gotta start getting better here at some point. It has to. That bright yellow ball has got to start having some effect, right?
Thanks Scratch, great idea! My bench has an adjustable rack, so I can start the squats in standing position (I have to take out the two top parts and turn the square tubes 180 degrees, so that the rack opens towards the back of the bench). There's a safety catch on the other side of the base, in case I stall on the bench press, but none on the other side, for squats, so sawhorses will work great. Just have to trudge through the backyard snow to get them in the shed. I might also be able to use them for hang cleans.

Tell me, what was your experience with squats? Did you feel like they benefited your running?

We're supposed to get above freezing by next Thursday, which means you guys should be OK by the weekend, right? One thing's for sure, I've never spent so much time reading forecasts!