It hurts to good!

Today I took my first real winter run.

PRE-RUN:
I laid out two outfits. One for running and one for post run.

Running outfit:
Lululemon Alpine tights
Nike dri-fit tank top
Nike dri-fit long sleeve running shirt
Bright orange reflective windbreaker with turtleneck
Socks(nothing special....yet)
Shoes
Hat and gloves

Post run outfit:
Lululemon yoga pants
Ohio State hoodie
Clean and dry socks

Now it may sound like that's not enough layers. I mean it's 31 degrees and snowing. But it was plenty. I still got a sweat, a good sweat. The only thing really exposed was my face. I put some heavy duty lotion on my face before I headed out the door and it seemed to do me just fine. Some people wear balaclavas but I don't know if I'll invest in one yet.

I also made sure before I left to put a mug with water in the microwave and my jar of peppermint cocoa that my friend made on the counter.


RUN:
First, my Ipod wasn't charged, I threw it on the charger for a bit before I left so I had just enough battery to run about 30 minutes. THEN, I broke my stupid headphones on the way out the door. The cord got caught on the door knob which yanked them from my ears AND the little part that plugs into your Ipod, was still in there. The cord had separated but that little metal adapter stuck out like a little middle finger. Ugh. So I pulled it out and decided to run without headphones. I just put my Ipod on loud enough I could hear it but it wouldn't disturb anyone, even though there was no one out, lol.

The cold weather and snow was really exhilarating. The cold air burns as it fills your lungs but feels great as it goes out warm. You can count your breathing by seeing the little puff of steam in front of you when you exhale. Winter has a beautiful calm about it, which I don't think I've ever appreciated until today. Everything has a fresh coat of white, our roads were already plowed so I had a clear, mostly dry path. It was fun to see everyone's holiday decorations; the lights, one house had holiday music, little inflatable characters. It wasn't just a usual stroll through the same neighborhood that I've always run through. It was much more fun and festive.

POST RUN:
As soon as I walked in the house, I hit the button on the microwave to warm the water in my mug. I went and stripped all workout clothes(since everything is wet and cold) and put on my sweats I had laid out. Now I'm curled up in my sweats with my warm peppermint cocoa.

You may ask why I didn't get straight into the shower as most would normally do post run. I've read a lot about winter running and they actually recommend you let your body temp return to normal(time allowing) before jumping in the warm shower. Taking your skin from cold to warm, even though it may not feel too cold, can be kind of painful. Have you ever run cold hands or toes under warm water and you get that "pins and needles" feeling? The pricks, tingles, and itchiness is nothing I really want to deal with so I'll shower here shortly when my temps return to normal.

The cold air is going to take a little getting used to. My lungs hurt a bit and I'm coughing a bit. It's a good burn though!

This is going to be long

HI! I'm alive! I'm so not good at this blogging thing. So, let's catch up shall we?

Work is amazing. I LOVE, absolutely LOVE my job. I mainly do case work for SLANT(state-line anti narcotics team) but also help them with busts. When we do a bust I help them go through all the evidence, look for any ties to other cases/suspects we have and so on. Analyst work. The more I see what they do and the more I work with these guys, the MORE I want to be a cop. I'm trying but with one department laying off 21-35 cops next month and the state not looking to hire until next year, it's kinda tough. So I'm working on improving my scores for testing and being as prepared as I can be. I'm also abusing this job and taking all the training, classes, experience they'll give me. I take my POWER(Police Officer Wellness Evaluation Report) next month which is 1.5 mi run(easy peasy) 1 bench press, 31 sit ups and a sit 'n' reach. Once I finish that I will test with a PD in December and hopefully again in Jan. Someday....

Today I ran another 5K. I got a personal record(PR) of 34:47. Which surprised me because it was COLD! I'm talking probably freezing or less, but oh well. I "ran for the athletes" with the Aurora, IL police department. We raised $9,000 for the 2011 IL Special Olympics. The best part was when the last runner crossed the finish, he was a teenage boy with special needs. I had passed him and his mom as she helped him with his inhaler and he gave me a high five. I told him to keep going. 30 minutes or so later, he came around the bend for the last 1/4 of a mile, the police department and fire department ran around and formed a group around him and he started running, they encouraged him the whole way. Every person who was there crowded the finish line; clapping, cheering, whistling and he sprinted. He crossed the finish and threw his hands up in the air in victory. It was amazing. And some race photos.





















Lastly, my spaghetti recipe by request. We like spicy but I wanted to make sure it tasted "italian" so here's the list of what I used.

Jar of generic meat sauce
1 lb of ground beef(browned)
1 bag of pepperonis(chopped)
Now, spices are approximate, I recommend using them to taste.
1 Tbsp basil
1 tbsp Oregano
1 Tbsp Cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp Chili powder
1/2 Tbsp sea salt
1 Tsp black pepper
1 clove garlic
1/2 white onion(minced)
1/4 C of low fat cream cheese to make it creamy(Thanks Maria for the tip!)

I browned the ground beef then threw everything in the crockpot, put it on low for 4 hours then warm until dinner. It was amazing and it got the husbands seal of approval(which is huge b/c he has no taste buds/sense of smell).

Now I'm off to nap then out with friends later. Have a great weekend!

I did it!

I did the 5k! I ran my first mile right about 10 minutes, 2nd mile I was at 22 so I figured I'd finish just after 30 mins. Then, my calf cramped. Bad. So I started walking and once I started walking, getting back into my momentum of running was hard. But I finished none the less, with a time of 35:08. Not too shabby for my first 5K!

Went to eat with some friends afterward to celebrate. Hopefully I can dig up some pics soon. Off to bed, I'm beat!

Ha! Two posts in one day!

But I have to talk about my ice bath experience.

So after my PT test yesterday, I'm sore. Like really sore. I'm not sure why, since my workouts are usually harder but maybe it's because I pushed myself to run a much faster pace for my 2 miles. Anyway, I read on runnersworld.com that an ice bath can be helpful to speed up the recovery process of muscles.

To me.....a bath equals warm water, relaxing music, maybe a book. Not freezing my toosh off in some ice. But alas, I gave it a shot.

It was weird. There's the initial shock as your skin hits the freezing water, then you sit still so you get used it and it doesn't feel as cold. But then you move slightly and HOLY COW! The cold sensation is back all over again. And in full force.

So I settled in to my freezing tub with a book, hoping to distract myself from the cold. The article said they recommend anywhere from 10-20 minutes. I made it 18 whole minutes! I jumped out, dried off and went straight into sweat pants and a hoodie.

I think it really did help, I don't feel nearly as sore, or didn't once I stopped shaking and got my feeling back. Ha! Guess this is something that will become almost habit if I keep running. A lot of marathoners use this technique after a "long run." Oh boy.