Running Chick

I always thought that if I ran more than four days in a row, I'd end up with some horrible, injury that would end my running days. Now, here I am 28 days later and still going. I've had a few aches and twinges along the way, but nothing really sticks around for more than a couple of days. Maybe I haven't been giving my body enough credit for all these years?

I'm averaging right around 17 miles/week. Sometimes I'll throw in a longer 5+ mile run, but typically I've been keeping them short & sweet.  I've been running with the team /var/run folks during lunch at work more, and that restricts my run time to about 30-35 minutes. I didn't think I'd like running during lunchtime, but coming home and not having to get a run out of the way is pretty convenient. I'm not sure Zoe would agree, but she thinks we should be running all the time.

Here we are post run(ch). I believe this is the one where I made everybody run around campus until my mileage got to exactly 3.00. The previous run(ch) we ended on 2.99 and it made me twitchy for days. Payback, bitches.

Here's another one of our run where Amy and I are busting out our sweet moves. Note that we were under the bridge. Note that we might have been breaking the law ("No Pedestrians"). (photo by Amy)

And another one of our mid-run dance breaks. Or something. (photo by Josh)

Post-lunchtime runs also turn out to not be as bad as I thought they'd be, logistically speaking. It required a bit of trial an error the first few times, but now that I've been doing a few run(ch)s, I've finally got my system down.  My run(ch) kit contains a bag with spare make-up and toiletries, the ShowerPill (which is pretty much my savior), and my most important item - a post-run hat because there is no saving my hair after a run. I sit behind a desk and write code all day long, so it's okay to toss on a hat for an afternoon of tapping away on a keyboard, but if I'd probably skip run(ch) on a day where I had an afternoon meeting.

My treadmill and I are also becoming pretty good buddies, however, it doesn't matter that it's my own treadmill in my own basement, I still can't stand to log more than 30 minutes at a time on the thing. If I just need to tick off a mile or two, I'll just punch in a speed and go, but if I need a longer run or something a bit more challenging, I'll do an interval workout.

There's a 2nd page to that workout, one of these days I'll make it fit on one small piece of paper, but continually flipping it around makes life interesting. This is a pretty challenging workout for me, especially minutes 7-8 at 6.9mph (8:34 minute mile). I do not run that fast, ever, and I have all I can do to just hold that pace and keep from flailing myself onto the floor.  I'm also certain that timer pauses when I'm not staring at it every second because sometimes those intervals mighty long (*I'm giving you the side-eye, treadmill timer*).  But the interval workout sure does makes the time go by so much faster than when I'm just plodding along watching something silly on Hulu.

Fast forward to Christmas, where I got a swag update - new shoes and a headlamp!

The shoes are Brooks Cascadia 7s, my go-to winter running shoe.  This is the third pair I've had. The first one was a Cascadia 6 and it fit like a dream. When it was time to replace them, I went with the latest version (7s) in the same size, only to find out that they were just a smidge smaller than the 6s. They didn't cause me any problems, but my feet definitely felt swished when I wore thick winter socks. So, this time, I asked for a half-size up to accommodate my socks and, eventually, insoles. Sizing up was the right thing to do, I ran 4 miles in them last night and my feet felt very unrestricted and happy.

 I used the headlamp for the first time last night. I had to keep messing with it in order to get the light pointed the way I wanted to, and I didn't like that I have to turn all the way around to see what's going on behind me, but ultimately it's way better than running with a flashlight. I'll come in handy if we ever find enough people to put a team together for a Ragnar Relay, too.

One thing I discovered last night was how reflective Zoe's orange vest is.

I haven't noticed it before since we're typically running in daylight, but my headlamp was really making it glow. This is good because, it means cars can see us. She also wears a blinky light on her collar, so we're really hi-vis over here.

Speaking of Miz Zoe, she turned 1 yesterday! It took a while for her to settle into a routine, but now after 5 months, she's trained us pretty well.

She pesters me relentlessly when I'm doing yoga/stretching/whatever on the floor. If I'm doing situps, she'll sit on me. If I'm doing planks or pushups, she'll wiggle under me and squirm around. It's annoying, but pretty funny so I don't get too worked up over it.

She tolerates me dressing her up in little outfits. Here she is in her puffy coat and booties. She runs in the booties on super cold days. They don't have much traction so when we hit some slippery patches, she ends up looking like Bambi on the ice.

She loves riding in the car. Note the same posture of these two.

She loves running and will go wherever & whenever.

And she sometimes has to share her bed with Pippen, but she doesn't seem to mind.

We frequently get asked what kind of dog she is. We typically say that she's a German Shepherd mix, but I've always wanted to know her exact genetic makeup. Turns out you can get a DNA test for your dog - hello Wisdom Panel.

I think it'll be useful in determining whether she's predisposed to any genetic heath issues based on her breed profile. And also, I'm just really curious to know.  She already takes up too much room on the bed, so fingers crossed for some really small breed so she'll stop growing!

Today I completed Day 11 of the 2013 Runner's World Holiday Running Streak. I find it hard to believe that I've done this much running and nothing has fallen off. Granted, I've been taking it pretty easy this week, but my legs can usually find something to complain about which causes me to sit out a day. I've had a couple of niggles & twinges, but nothing major and now will you please excuse me while I go knock on some wood.

Here's my log, to-date:

• Day 3 - 1 mile
• Day 4 - 6.30 miles
• Day 5 - 3 miles
  
• Day 6 - 3.5 miles
• Day 7 - 1 miles
  
• Day 8 - 2.25 miles
• Day 9 - 2 miles
  
• Day 10 - 1 miles
• Day 11 - 5.50 miles 

The weather has been so crappy the last several days, that a lot of my miles have been on the treadmill.  Today, though, it was primo outside running weather.  Granted, it was only about 7 degrees, but for the first time in probably four days, there was no wind so Zoe and I headed out.  She's sporting her new high-visibility coat. Safety first!

She's not bothered by the cold or the snow. She's a machine.

When we finished, she was sporting an impressive ice goatee.

And then she crashed in front of the wood stove for the rest of the day.

I recovered by spending the day in my new festive compression socks. Keep it tight, man.

I've been finding myself lacking the motivation to run and gaining the motivation to sit on the couch.  This happens to me ever year, and then when I struggle to get back into shape when I start running again in January, I vow never to let that happen again.

This year, right around the time when I was falling right back into that same old black hole, along comes the 2013 Holiday Running Streak from Runner's World. The premise is simple - run at least 1 mile from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day.  Somehow my Team /var/run teammates didn't think I was nuts for suggesting we do it, so here we go!

Day 1 (Thanksgiving Day) - 6.25 miles for the Team /var/run Virtual Turkey Trot 10Tkay

Day 2 - 4.25 miles with Zoe and her ice whiskers

My legs are feeling pretty sore and tight after two days of hard-ish running on the squishy roads, so I think tomorrow might need to be a short day.