Heatin' Up!

As wintry as CO can get, the glorious part is that it can heat up just as quickly! After a chilly and snowy week or so, the temps are on the rise! Which makes running outside that much more enjoyable.

Because I decided I just had to run another 5k this weekend (put on by the same as my race last week) I knew I needed to get my long run out of the way either this week or early on next week. I had 7 miles to put in and I wasn't quite sure if I was ready for it.  My legs have been a little bit on the sore side, thanks to this...

I thoroughly enjoy weightlifting and heard nothing but good things about this book.

It includes a workout/weightlifting plan for at least 6 months and really shows women how to up the weights.

There's even a meal plan involved, with lots of recipes... not that I use it :)

It gives you the weekly/monthly plans

and a description of ALL the workouts.

This little exercise right here is the main culprit for my sore legs and extremely sore triceps... putting on a shirt has become a bit of a hassle...

Anyway.. back to the long run. Today was sunny and 40... perfection.

Showin' a little skin today... my longsleeve got warm in about 2 minutes so I was down to the capris and t-shirt and I was still beyond warm.

(By the way... those running tight/capri things you see?? best 19.99 I've ever spent. Thank You JC Penney's)

I can see the apt. buildings when I'm half a mile away... that's when I notice a HUGE increase of speed in my pace.

Another amazing purchase.. my camelbak. Colorado is DRY people... after 10 minutes I have cotton mouth and feel the pain. But with this lightweight/barely noticeable baby on my back... not a problem

The only downside of the heat is that the snow is becoming more compacted, slippery, and somewhat sketchy. All of that compact snow/ice is not so much fun on my knees.

So I took an ice bath to a whole new level

The snow felt so dang good on my swollen/ achy muscles and joints. Running in the winter definitely has it's benefits :)

I am just in love with the views as I run.

Overall, I'd say it was a successful run keeping at a 10:04 pace and doing some negative splits in the last half!

The rest of the day has been spent studying, lounging, eating pizza, and getting geared up for a book signing tomorrow!!!

One of my absolute FAVORITE bloggers will be in Denver promoting her new book and Jon get's to be dragged along... yes I owe him big :)

Any big plans for the weekend for the rest of you!?

Freezin' my buns off!

Today we got a little more chilly in Littleton, it was a solid 1 degree when I decided I should probably go on my run.

See... I haven't been extremely prudent in my training. I've been doing the long runs, and all that jazz but I've been a bit lazy during the week.

Which is a HUGE turn around for last years half. I didn't allow myself to miss ANY runs during the week. So I dragged my lazy, warm butt up of the couch and decided to brave the cold.

All bundled up with numerous layers. Except on my legs. See, I always figure my legs will get super warm because they're actually working. So then I wear numerous layers on top and end up dying half way through the run!? Other than my measly little arms swingin' back and forth, the upper half doesn't do much... so why is it always way to warm and my legs are always freezing???

Any tips?

The snow mound in front of the walking path

yay for snow!

My lovely snowy path

The only thing that really kept me going was seeing all the ducks in the water. I mean seriously if they can freeze their feathers off sitting in a frigid stream, I guess I can keep my body movin' a bit longer.

You probably can't see it now, but my eyelashes had frost covering them, my eyes kept trying to freeze shut.

Thank Goodness I had a yummy dinner awaiting me :)

I'm praying for a wee bit of warmth and sunshine tomorrow!!

Hope ya'll are staying warm!

Superbowl Sunday

As part of the training plan for the 1/2 marathon in April there were a few other races mixed in and one just happened to be a 5k.  I found on for Superbowl Sunday and went for it, not knowing how my lungs would be in their acclimation, not knowing what the weather would entail, and truthfully not knowing where in the world it was even taking place.

Fortunately it was only a 10 minute drive and the race was set up really well. But as far as weather goes... we got a little more wonderland in our winter...

It was beautiful, and the weather was actually pretty warm... but I was still waiting to see how my lungs would function when I was actually pushing them faster than a 10 min/mile

Ok it was warm... but not warm enough for SHORTS!? Seriously... 

feelin good (granted we're only a 1/2 mile in)

Yeah... I saw this guy finishing when I was at mile 2... at minute 19. Sick.

Finally, here I come!

My lungs have never been so happy to stop overworking themselves.

I realized that while my legs are prepped to get going faster, my lungs are not. I'm sure the cold had a lil' something to do with that as well... but I'm hoping they'll keep improving.

So happy to be done!

And of course the best part of any race??

The free samples at the end :) Jon and I may have taken a little more than we were supposed too.

Overall I was really hoping to keep it at 9:30 a mile  as it was my first race since last May.

I ended up finishing 29:29 and my Garmin said it was 3.18 miles which put me at a solid 9:17/mile!

and I may or may not have signed up for one next Sunday... and a 5 miler in 3 weeks.

The racing bug has hit!!!

Life in Denver

Jon and I've been living in Denver for a solid 3.5 weeks and we are LOVIN it :)  For the most part the weather has been gorgeous (ummmm hello 50 degree weather) and we've really been enjoying our classes.

We're finally gettin' settled into a routine and school is flying by already. We've been so fortunate to meet some amazing people in our classes and have been able to meet out of class with them. It's been so nice to have community again!!! My social nature is loving the hustle and bustle and I think we're fitting in splendidly!

As far as the amazing weather it has made running AWESOME. There is a path literally 15 feet from our door. It goes all along he South Platte River and it is BUSY!!! I love how outdoorsy CO is and already have 3 races in the line-up. I have a 5k this Sunday, a half-marathon in April, and I've convinced Jon to run a 5k in May with me... trust me it took  A LOT of convincing... but I managed.  I'm hoping for some more races this summer and fall, but we'll see how my lungs keep acclimating to the insanely high altitude.

And as nice as the weather has been, we've also had our fair share of winter too.  In fact school was cancelled on Tuesday for 3 inches of snow and -11 degrees. I found it a bit on the humorous side... I mean really?? But it did make me think of how lovely the winter is with all the ice and snow on the trees... so I had to whip out some the MN winter photos from December... enjoy :)

Oh winter... I love your snowy glory... but man I'm happy it'll be 49 in CO tomorrow :)