too cold

The weather is always a hot topic amongst runners. Living in the north I get to complain about how hot and humid it is or bitter cold nasty it is outside :) Last week was a little teaser of what a mild winter might be like with January temperatures reaching the 40's one day! How quickly we forget what true winter weather in Chicago feels like. Today we are back to a high of 13 degrees, real feel -1. Brrr... and even more so after the temporary "warmup". Yet on my drive home from the suburbs this afternoon I saw people running the lakefront path. I know it's sunny today and we haven't seen that orange ball in the sky for awhile but a wind chill of -1 is just too cold for me to get outside. The cold and wind hurt, my jaw goes number, and overall it is uncomfortable and not a lot of fun. Yes, treadmill running is mundane and frustrating (for me) but a necessary evil. I'm usually okay with running short to mid distances outside with temps in the 20's and I run in snow and slush. However, once it hits the teen's or is iced over I'm heading to the gym.

How cold is too cold for you? Or will you run outside in nearly anything?

the picture courtesy of flickr of lake michigan on a day much like today.

hibernation

Ever since returning from vacation/starting the new year I haven't felt like doing much of anything! My motivation to get dressed, leave the house, and do anything other than watch tv or read is severely lacking. Part of the reason is my full travel schedule right now. After a couple days of travel I am exhausted! Also, after staring down a computer screen and patient charts the last thing I want to do is be on the computer. The dreary weather is also playing a role. It's the time of year we hibernate :) So that's what I've been doing...

I haven't been missing too many runs because of my temporary laziness; though I have been pushing them off to much later in the day. Luckily the running path is well lit and there are several other cold weather runners so I'm not alone. Once I'm out there and moving I feel good and am happy it's just the 'getting out there' that is the issue. I've been averaging around 20+ miles a week and doing much better with cross-training and weights so far. I won't be setting any records in New Orleans in a month but at least I will be able to finish without hurting myself.

Finally some great news happened today... My dad is officially in remission! Happy day!

new year quick catch-up

When we last left off I was taking a break from the computer. So to catch you up on my life now and over these last few weeks I'm installing the ever helpful and effective bullet point system.

• We visited central Illinois family, Ohio family over a span of 7 days. I scored some great loot at both places :) Apparently I was a good kid this year!
• I ate a lot. It still hurts.
• Long hours in the car and little time at home. Family is worth it but sometimes it's a bit much.
• My dad had his last chemo treatment the week before Christmas. We find out this month whether or not he's in remission or it's time for the next step.
• In Ohio, there were drunken plans of my friend's husband pacing me in Cleveland this year to break 4 hours. After a disappointing 4:23 last year there I'm tempted to head back in May. Decisions, decisions.
• Sister and the brother-in-law came to stay with us over New Years. Way, way, way too much drinking and food intake. It's what we do best.
• I discovered my love of Mario Kart. 4 year olds kick my butt but it's all good. Although, I have to watch it because those cute little Nintendo characters make me swear up a storm.
• I re-discovered my love of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I can't get enough of the cheesy, campy, butt-kicking goodness. And Angel (David Boreanez) is nice on the eyes :)
• My husband left for 2 days after New Years and those two days were some of the most boring, wonderfully lazy days of my time off.
• I'm stuck in Atlanta thanks to the first storm of 2010. My Thursday 4:21 pm flight was cancelled a full 22 hours before take-off, before any weather hit... what the hell?!?
• I love United text updates. I was able to book a crappy hotel and extend my rental car with plenty o' time. Now no sleeping in the airport :)
• I packed extra underwear... that's really the only plus of this trip.
• I ripped my running shoes this afternoon. It made for an interesting 4+ interval miles.
• The New Orleans 1/2 is in 7 weeks. I'm sooooo not ready
• I ran outside in the frozen tundra in Chicago several times. I don't mind it until my lungs start to burn and I can no longer feel my chin.
• This day delay left me with time to hit up the treadmill/get another run done this week. So yea! another positive!
• I'm working hard to keep better track of my miles this year. I went old school and bought a runner's calender to record the details. I can't always take multiple computers with me when I travel so writing the details down works best. I think this might help keep me motivated.
• I can't wait to get home.
• I'm hoping some snow fairy dug my car out of the outside O'Hare parking lot. I don't really have appropriate digging your car out the snow apparel with me. Maybe I'll count the digging as cross-training for the day :)

It doesn't seem like much but it kept me busy enough. Honestly it was very nice to not have to do anything if I didn't want to. But now it's time to get back on the wagon! Oh and to start planning my next true vacation. I need a true, lay on the beach with a good book, vacation.

Be Back Soon

You may have noticed but I have seriously slacked in the blogging, reading blogs, and commenting departments. I'm taking a short break from the computer and will be back in January. I hope everyone has a wonderful (and safe) New Year!

Decisions

When you only see 5 other runners on a normally steady to busy running trail are you considered hardcore or crazy? I think it might be a mixture especially when the path is a bit slick from the snow shower and the temperatures are in the 20's.

I can't say it's too hardcore considering I've logged a total of 7 miles over 2 weeks. Sad...yes... Thanks to last minute shopping, shopping taking longer than expected due to crowds and traffic, traveling for early holiday celebrations, and a general lack of desire to run in 10 degrees I haven't logged much road or 'mill time. But that's all going to change soon. Over the weekend I signed up for the New Orleans rock n' roll half-marathon Feb 28th so I need to find the time or I'm going to be hurting in 9 weeks! It's going to be more of a fun run but I still need to be ready.

So now I have a motivating goal to work towards in early 2010 but I still need to figure out what else to put on the race calendar. I know I want to run a marathon and raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society to honor my dad. Other than that I don't know what I want to run or how close/far to travel. Do I want to make the first half of 2010 the time to run my favorite distance - 1/2 marathon? Or do I want to run a spring and fall marathon again? Decisions, decisions! If you have a suggestion leave it for me in the comments!

beyond cold and good luck

It's flipping cold here! Like 5 degrees cold and I have no idea about the wind chill. Sometimes things like that are best left unknown. I know it's cold I don't need specifics. I canceled my last trip today to snowy and even colder Madison, WI so I am now officially done traveling until 2010! Seems so far away ;) It's amazing how much calmer I feel knowing I don't have to travel for work over the next few weeks. January will be nuts but no need to dwell on that now! Time to enjoy the mini-break!

Today I am spending the day catching up on work, cleaning, and making chex mix in preparation for my sister and brother-in-law visit. They will be in town for a very cold wedding tomorrow. brrr... It has me chilled to the bone just thinking about taking pictures around Chicago in this weather!

And since I probably won't post in the next few days I want to give a huge shout-out to my old roomie. She is running her first marathon this weekend in Dallas! H went from non-runner to runner in a year using the Galloway method and advice from her tri-sister. So far this year she has done an 8K and half-mary. Now it's time for the Dallas White Rock full where she will be surrounded by her family and friends. I know she is freaking out (as we all do and probably did before our first marathon) but I hope she has the most amazing experience despite the nerves! Good luck H! I wish I could be there but I'll be cheering you on virtually. And on a side note if any of you are getting married definitely check out her website. She has handmade maps and invitation making talent. I only wish she had discovered her talent before I had gotten married :)

Delayed... but now I have time to post!

Most of my big weekend plans went bust with the exception of wrapping presents, decorating, and visiting my friends and their new baby (so cute!). I had hoped to find time for some running... so I'm going to make a confession. I just did not want to go. My motivation and running desire is severely lacking these days. I'm in a funk and I need to find something to break me out. Any suggestions? Maybe with the upcoming travel break I'll find my running mojo again. Or maybe I'll stuff my face with delicious holiday treats ;)

Monday I took off of work (and everything else I needed to do) to drive to the outlet mall where I met my friend Jami for the J & J annual Christmas shopping trip! 4 years running now we drive an hour out of our way to find some deals and see each other. Last year we smartened up and took a day off during the week instead of fighting the weekend crowds. So much better! Usually we end up shopping more for ourselves than anyone else and again this year was no different :) We both left we some new goodies but way behind on our Christmas lists.

Currently I should be 30,000 feet in the air onward to St. Louis but thanks to the snow and wind I'm delayed nearly 5 hours. The good news, I found out before I had to leave for the airport so I am waiting at home instead of chaotic O'Hare. And bonus - I had time to run! The lakefront path is clear of the fluffy white stuff so it was safe. I'm glad they do such a good job of keeping the path clear or I probably would never go. Maybe that's not true, I do have YakTrax. So I would probably just use the the path being covered as another excuse to not run. I'm doing fine finding reasons not to run no need to add another!

The run started off chilly and I was annoyed with my new Nike tights. They were sliding down giving me the MC Hammer drop crotch pant look. Oh so very attractive and conducive to running! Also, they were not doing a very good job of keeping my knees/thighs very warm. My legs warmed up as I moved along. I really don't know why I keep buying Nike tights; I've had nothing but problems. I always think "this pair might be different!" Now I know... No more Nike tights. I still love Nike even if they can't make a decent pair of running tights. The winter fleece lined running jacket I picked up at the outlet yesterday was amazing so it totally made up for my tight frustration.

Alright on to finish packing and make my way to hang out with thousands of pissed off/frustrated travelers! This is my last trip to O'Hare for the month so I'm feeling good.