Weekend Recap - It's a Girl!

I realize I'm a little late on this post, but it was a very busy and exhausting weekend.

Friday morning started with a very early two mile run before going to physical therapy at 8:00 a.m. and then straight to work.  I finally left work a little after 5:00 p.m., ran a few errands, packed some clothes and picked up Tully, then headed to Gardendale.  When I finally arrived home around 8:30, my friend came over to relax and hang out for an uneventful Valentine's evening.  That was all about to change, though.

I checked my phone around 9:45 and saw the text message that my cousin, Maddie, was in labor.  Yay!  I cleaned up our dinner and said goodbye to my friend and left for the hospital.  When I found my family at about 11:30, I was just in time to be sent home.  They had just broken her water and weren't expecting a baby until 3-4:00 a.m. at the earliest, and then there would be a two hour bonding period for the parents.  So, we all headed home for a few hours of sleep.  After a restless few hours in bed, I received my next text at 5:03 a.m.  It was simple:

I was up!  I left my house, grabbed a large latte from the 24 hour McDonald's outside of St.Vincent's and was back in labor and delivery in an hour.  

She was is perfect!  Weighing in at a tiny 6 lb. 6 oz., she was a light weight by Weber standards.  And with a head full of dark hair and blue eyes, she is absolutely adorable!  And such a content little thing (at least that morning).  I was so honored to be one of the first people to meet this blessing.  I introduce you to Annalee Elizabeth Lott!

Isn't she beautiful?  Needless to say, she had a couple of exhausted parents, so we all left the hospital around 8:00 a.m. to let them try to get a little sleep.

 I had a day full of plans with girlfriends, though, and no time to waste.  I went straight to the park for a 3 mile run.  Then I went home to get ready for my friend to pick me up at 11:00.  We met our other girlfriends at the outlet mall for lunch and an afternoon of shopping, then on to a party full of games (our husbands were invited to his part only).  The Dance Dance Revolution at 11:00 p.m. was a hysterical end to a very long day.

I planned to get up Sunday morning and go watch some of the Mercedes Marathon/Half in Birmingham.  But the weekend just filled up too much.  However,  I did make sure to keep up with all of my friends running in it, and they did great.  When my husband and I met friends for lunch and a movie the next day, I was rather jealous of all of the runners I saw in their race shirts.  But I am going to "trust the taper," so I kept reminding myself that the Gulf Coast Half was in one week.

Whew!  By the time I finally made it back to Huntsville Sunday evening, I was beat!  I hammered out a 10 minute mile just to keep my streak alive, then collapsed on the couch to finally watch some House of Cards.  I told myself that I would use the first three days of this week to get some good runs in before I rested at the beach (we leave on Thursday!).  

It was raining and very dark when I finally left work yesterday, so I hit the treadmill.  As a tradeoff for not taking to the street, I pushed myself on the 'mill.  A 5K in 29:33 isn't too shabby.  Is it possible that I might have finally reached the point of continuous sub-30 5Ks?  

5 days until the Gulf Coast Half!  And I am so stoked to trade in snow for sand!!

Cross Country

As winter presses on, my training continues to take a hit.  I find myself on the treadmill more and the roads and trails less.  Tully is especially frustrated since he loves the cold weather and is stuck inside way too much.  But the cold has just been too much to handle for this warm weather fan.

Wednesday was a tough day.  Work was stressful.  Then I was late getting home, and I really just didn't feel like running.  Of course, those days do come around every once in a while, but with a streak, there's no room for them.  So I drug myself up to the treadmill assuming it would be a one-mile minimum kind of day.  I was so mentally exhausted, that I set the pace to 10 min. and just wanted to get it over with and get back to my couch.  To my surprise, I was handling the pace quite well, even better than the day before.  I was really booking it and feeling pretty good as I finished mile one.  So I decided to see if I could hang in for another mile.  I was trucking on pretty well.  However, it was late, so I still planned on a short run.  I increased my speed to finish my second mile at a 9:13 pace!  Now, I realize that this is nothing compared to real competitive runners and their 6-7 minute miles.  But for someone like me, it was awesome.  And I found myself hopeful that I might achieve my secret goal of setting a new PR in a 5K next weekend.

Yesterday (Thursday), the temperature finally warmed up a bit.  Knowing that my poor pup desperately needed to get some exercise, I made the decision to go straight from work to get him and run in the last bit of daylight.  Huntsville has a public cross country track that is 3 miles long and winds around a golf course.  That's where we headed.

As the sun began to fall in the sky, the temperature started to fall just as quickly.  I love this track, but the beginning and end run through an open field that provides no protection from the chilling wind.  I was prepared for this though, and dressed appropriately.  After the first mile, I warmed up, and it was a good run.  Nothing fast, but an enjoyable trip for Tully and me.  It was really nice for both of us to get out and get some fresh air.  And the colors of the clear sky at sunset as we finished up were beautiful.  

I'm looking forward to a whole lot more of these runs in the coming month as we get closer to spring.  And let's face it, nobody really wants to read about me running on a treadmill!  A treadmill run is exactly what I put in for today, however.  I ran two easy miles this morning.  But it was enough to keep my streak alive.  Today marked Day 21 and the conclusion of 3 weeks solid so far!  My plan is to let my legs have the rest of the day off and go for my long run tomorrow afternoon.  Wish me luck!

Snow Shuts Us Down

Winter Storm in Alabama = State of Emergency. Ironically, what we got in North Alabama was nothing compared to our southern counties. My friends and family in Birmingham really had a nightmare to deal with! I heard of 20-30 minute commutes taking 3-7 hours! I even heard of some friends who had to walk home! And sadly there are many who couldn't get home at all! My husband had to go pick up his nephews from daycare and is now staying at his parents' house because he can't get back home. We are from the South - the Deep South. We can't handle snow. And I can promise that we certainly can't drive in it!

However, while my state may be lacking in a lot of things, it is number one in kindness and good ol' southern hospitality. For all of the nightmares I saw on Facebook today, there were so many wonderful stories of total strangers lending helping hands. I heard of people opening their homes and businesses to stranded drivers. People with 4-wheel drives were picking up pedestrians and using ATVs to shuttle elderly people to warm safety. People were walking down crowded streets handing out coffee to freezing drivers. I am so proud to live in a place where people come together in times of need. This is just a glimpse of the chaos people were dealing with in Birmingham.

Knowing most of the snow was supposed to be south of me, I didn't expect anything but maybe a few passing flurries today. So I was certainly surprised to step outside to a white cloud of snow blowing in what seemed like all directions. It was granular almost, and when the wind blew it on the sidewalks, it looked like someone had gone around throwing sand everywhere. It never accumulated more than maybe an eighth of an inch, and most of that was not on the road. So travel wasn't much of a problem up here. That was a welcome relief for me since I live on a mountain. 

I thought about trying to run in it after work. I've run in snow before, and it was actually a lot of fun. But when I left work today, the "feels like" temperature was 5 degrees. 5! Where is that global warming people used to talk about?

Needless to say, it was back to the treadmill for me. Tonight's 3 miles took a little longer, but the change up I did actually made for a tougher workout. I ran the first mile at a 10 min pace which was tiring in itself. Then, I slowed to a 12 min pace for the second mile. I ran the first quarter of mile 2 on a incline of 4. There were times I was sure I was going to just slide right off the back. I lowered to an incline of 2 for the next quarter mile then ran an easy flat 12 min pace for the last half of mile 2. I kicked it back up to a 10 min pace for the first half of mile 3, back down to a 12 min for a third, and finished at a 10 min pace again. Whew! That was tiring just trying to explain it! Those inclines really work my calves, though. And why is it that I can manage a 10 min pace so much easier outdoors? Am I the only one that finds that the treadmill is harder to run? I'm so ready for spring!

Treadmill Training

"Feels like 16." That's crazy!! And it's only getting worse. Well, I guess it's back to the treadmill. I am trying to break up the monotony of running like a gerbil on a wheel. So, combining some tips from my husband and a few things I got from a Runner's World article, I'm trying to mix it up a bit. 

It is the only time that running and TV are combined, so I use that as my distraction and my pacing. Currently, I have been mixing speed and hills. First, I find something on TV to keep my attention. I personally like the Food Network and Travel channels. I run at a 10 min pace while the show is on. When it switches to commercial, I slow down to about a 12 min pace and up the incline to a 2 or 2.5. Then back to speed again when the show comes back on. I was hoping this would mimic the feeling of running downhill, but nothing can really substitute the feeling of real terrain under your feet. 

At least this does give me an outlet for my running when the weather is so awful.  I was able to get in 3 miles that I probably couldn't do in this cold. 

This concludes Day 17 of my streak. Still going strong! It does wear on my legs, though, especially the joints. I really need to start incorporating some yoga again. 

I have four weeks until my next half marathon. I really hope it warms up soon!