Set the Tone For the Week

Today’s Numbers: Nancy's Total Movement Mileage: 318 (running: 268.3; walking: 13.5; biking: 36.2) Elly's miles: 126.7  Money Found For Food Bank: $46.73

Wow! WHAT a MONDAY! Now, before I go on talking about how very busy I was from the beginning of the day until, um, NOW, I have to make a confession. After my run (and shower and breakfast), I sat down to work which requires a quick scan of Facebook. That's when THIS caught my eye ...

... and, I had to take a minute to register myself, Pit Crew #2 AND text my virtual running partner extraordinaire Mary Kate to make sure she's IN. So, there was a delay in the productivity. Such control over my time is a perk of working from home. Of course, I put too many delays in the day, and I'm wrapping up work at 8:20 p.m. like I just did. Give. And. Take. I missed this registration last time they had it, so the delay was worth it.

So, yes, PC#2 and I are registered, we're counting on Mary Kate joining the bandwagon, and the week begins!!

Such virtual events are very worth the investment to give me some focus right now. I thoroughly enjoyed my outing with Elly this morning because I embraced the fact that I was just running versus running a training schedule. It was a GREAT decision to nix the May Half Marathon, but, I admit to needing that carrot in front of me for motivation.

We seriously enjoyed the outing, though. Elly had her sniffer on high gear. And, we heard all kinds of crazy chatter from this tree as we passed ...

The chatter stopped when we did and resumed when we got going. Those birds or squirrels (I couldn't tell) were chickens.

We also saw these:

Very cool!

It was a great way to get the blood flowing and my gears going on this Monday! That's also the plan for Tuesday -- another outing before possible rain on Wednesday! It's so gross and humid out tonight, though, that I wonder if some rain is creeping in. We'll see what morning brings ...

The Cupcake Run

Today’s Numbers: Nancy's Total Movement Mileage: 982.8 (running: 796.8; walking: 41.2; biking: 144.8) Money Found For Food Bank: $5.28

 

2,015 in 2015 Change Hounds progress: Nancy: 982.8 Aaron: 701.2 (b: 619.6; w: 79.6)  Elly: 285 Total: 1969

-- 46 miles remain in our 2,015 in 2015 Challenge --

It would have been totally cool had our total mileage landed on 1968 today since that's when I was born! Just sayin' ...!

So, WAHOO!!! I do so love my birthday!! And, what better way to start it off than with a run?! Okay, in truth, I would have been super happy sleeping in, too, but I really wanted to do this virtual Cupcake Run with Pit Crew #2 and virtual running partner extraordinaire, Mary Kate, so this was a huge winner, too!

Look what we were running for!!

I mean, really, there was no way I was passing up earning that!! And, PC#2, our very own cupcake queen, was totally ready to get out of bed for this one! I can't speak for Mary Kate's genuine level of interest in getting up for it (sounds like someone else I know ... oh, wait ... that's me ...), but I can speak to her enthusiasm for our continued trio adventures, so she was all in! Besides, as soon as she answered the phone when I called for our start, she did so with a lovely round of "Happy Birthday," so it was a great way to get this run rolling!

 

There we all are ready to go!



I'd warned PC#2 that we would be taking it really quite easy which is not something she's a fan of hearing. She tends to want to run harder than I do, but we've definitely found a mutual groove that works for both of us. But, to be warned that we needed to take it easy indicated we might be taking our normal pace down a notch, and I knew that she wasn't too excited about that. That's when I told her to trust me, that the additional mile and a half we're adding today from what we usually run together would make a big difference at the end. That, and she hasn't run in two weeks. That's not the best combo for any kind of running much less jumping into a 10K! Regardless, we were off!!

Can I just say today was not birthday weather? When you're born in December, you don't expect it to be 55 degrees at 8 a.m. and it feeling a little balmy! This was much more of a Spring-like morning than almost Winter, but whadda ya do. Mary Kate had 70 degrees surrounding her; yuck!

So, there we were plodding along just after the first mile when I found my long-sleeved shirt choice somewhat regrettable, and, out of the corner of my eye, I was catching PC#2 pull at her running jacket. She said she was going to take it off, and, because I assumed she would need to stop and tie it around her waist, I called out, "Save it for a hill! Save it for a hill!" One needs to learn to never stop on a straight away or down hill if an up hill is a possibility, amiright? She said she didn't need to stop to take care of it. But, right at mile two, we did need to make an unexpected one:

Just after our little detour, we were back on the route and facing my most hated hill of the whole thing. PC#2 has finally deemed it the worst on the route, too. It's three quarters of a mile steadily up hill. And, it sucks. Singing to myself for distraction helps quite a bit. High fiving each other at the top doesn't hurt, either! The vast majority of this particular route is up hill; I'm not quite sure why I ever think it's a good idea to use ...

I did know this was out there, though:

I'm gonna get you, penny! FINALLY!

It's been sitting in its intersection for weeks, and I see it when we drive by. This penny is precisely why I knew we'd use this route. Well, that and the fact that I know exactly where 6.2 miles is, and I don't have to spend time mapping it out. Win. Win. Add that penny to the other 17 cents we found, and I call that a banner day seeing as this is far from a target-rich stretch.

On and on we went finally to a point where we could hold fun conversation and not just grunt about another hill ...

And, then there was this time we had to stop when I got a rock in my shoe (drat!) as well as pause for just a brief moment when the boys drove by, and we waved them down to retrieve the aforementioned jacket PC#2 had been carrying:

THAT is some Pit Crew SERVICE!

When we got to the last mile, I was ready to be finished, but PC#2 was really ready. She never complains about running and certainly did not this time. But, I could see it in her face that the last mile caught up to her. How could it not?! She was a trooper, though, even the time I had us cross when traffic was completely clear but I picked a place that was more steep than probably any other spot to do so. It was one of those super-short-super-painful inclines. My eye was on the finish just ahead and not on the street. I earned the groan from both of us there!

But, the reward was worth it!

Of course, we had our end-of-race call with our teammate:

She's looking at me.

It's always fun to have those wrap-up calls where we can debrief and share any highlights. It's fun to know someone else is out there with you! Thanks again, Mary Kate!!!

I looked closer at our medal ribbons and noticed they have "5K" on them which is when I said out loud, "Huh. I wonder if I signed us up for a 5K ..." which is when PC#2 bugged her eyes out and stared straight ahead. I'm glad she wasn't looking at me at that moment, just sayin'!

So, that wrapped that part of the morning up, but there was some walking to do after breakfast because there's a certain puppy who was none too happy about being left behind. I knew a walk would do the trick:

"No run and no presents for me. You're darn-tootin' I get a walk!
Thanks for it, by the way. SLURP!!"

And, that's a wrap on the main event for the day! Truly, it was great, but I'm taking myself up on the idea of sleeping in tomorrow!!

Enjoy every part of the rest of your Saturday, and I'll be checking in!!

New Goals; New Fun!

Okay, I am so very excited for this entry! It's about time, too, amiright? MAN I've not been in the most motivating of moods lately!! The fact is, life is busy. It's been really busy for me lately -- not as compared to anyone else, just as compared to the rhythm of my world and when it does or does not make me feel like I'm in control or like I'm drowning. I think the word I've been using lately is that I feel 'swallowed.' That's not a complaint in any way, shape or form. It just is and has been!

As time goes toward new adventures and keeping up with the dailies, time is of the essence. What that has meant is that there are a few times, even though the runs have continued, I've had to cut a mile or two from what I really wanted to do. And, certainly, there hasn't been as much time to write as I would love. I'm re-reconciling (as I've fought resignation) that I might have to miss my end-of-the-year mileage goal, but just letting that go with nothing else to shoot for has not set well with me.

And, then came two opportunities. One was handed to me, and the other I created with Pit Crew #2.

I first share with you this:

Did you know (a) There's a National Cupcake Day, and (b) there's a Virtual Run Events page on Facebook? Yeah, I didn't know about either until a couple of weeks ago. And, now I'm all over both of them!

National Cupcake Day is -- evidently -- December 15, so, right around there, PC#2, virtual running partner extraordinaire Mary Kate and I will reunite for one of our very awesome virtual 10K runs! The 15th is a Tuesday, so it's not happening then. But, the 12th sounds good for all sorts of fabulous (eh-hem, it's my birthday) reasons! We still need to plan that one ...

In the meantime, you might have noticed on my race calendar that I recently added the 5K To Couch series. For real, I'm totally proud of that one! It's like this: This past weekend, PC#2 and I were talking about how fast October went and how we couldn't believe it was already November, blah blah. Then, one of us pointed out how the holiday movies are about to air (particularly the gushy ones on the Hallmark Channel), and we noted how we actually still have a few on the DVR from 2014 because we never found time to watch them.

THEN I told her about how, right after college, I spent Thanksgiving with a friend of mine at her aunt's house, and, for 4 straight days, she and I sprawled on a bed and watched as many talk shows as we could find on tv. We emerged to eat and were appropriately social, but, for the most part, we zombied ourselves in our over-indulgence of talk shows.

It was quite fabulous.

PC#2 said that sounded like a great idea over Thanksgiving Break, but swap "my friend" with "her" and "talk shows" with "Hallmark movies." We laughed about how nasty we'd feel by the end of the week having not moved ... that is, until I came up with flipping the couch-to-5K concept on its head. At that moment, she and I committed to at least a 5K daily during break (taking Sunday off; your body does need a day to rest!) before hitting the couch for as much of the rest of the day as possible to watch our sappy, fairy tale lovey-dovey movies! Buh-BAM! Sounds like a winning plan to us!!

I love that girl!

With those two plans in place, it's easier to consider letting go of a goal I made 11 months ago without having a full understanding of what all of the year would bring to either support or make unrealistic that long-term goal! I still haven't written it off, but I'm thankful to have other goals to shoot for if I can't hit that one.

It's just now hitting me, by the way, that making a goal that requires the entire year to complete is really, really lofty ... Not impossible, as I did it last year, but lofty ... Hmmm.

So, there's the current vision. Aaron and I will hit our 2015 Change Hounds goal of 2,015 combined miles in 2015. That's a team effort, and I'm more committed to that than to my individual one. I have these smaller goals between now and the end of the year regardless of what happens to my personal one. Re-evaluating and reconfiguring: there's nothing wrong with doing such things! I've found these strategies to be key in keeping my mind peaceful as life gets piled high with the busy! Be kind to yourself and do the same when necessary, and I'll check in after the morning run!

Just In Time

Today’s Numbers: Nancy's Total Movement Mileage: 796.4 (running: 618.2; walking: 33.4; biking: 144.8) Money Found For Food Bank: $68.61

2,015 in 2015 Change Hounds progress: Nancy: 796.4 Aaron: 521.1 (b: 460.1; w: 61)  Elly: 195.7 Total: 1513.2*

*Average monthly mileage required to hit year-end goal: Complete! I don't know how we pulled this one off ...

Seriously, I cannot seem to keep it all together these days!! All things are motoring along just fine, but that doesn't mean I ever really, truly know what day it is!! Everyone seems to always be where they're supposed to be when they're supposed to be there, though, so I guess that's saying something!

To that point, I have to admit the end of September totally snuck up on me! I even knew it was coming, but it just didn't register. And, the end of September is the end of the Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs Virtual Challenge I took on at the beginning of the month, so, ready or not, today was the day to up the miles to put in my 10K!

I had a beautiful morning for it, too. It was 53 degrees; that's darn-near perfect running weather! And, at the turn-around point at Mile 1, I turned to see this:

I literally gasped. That set the tone for the rest of how the day should be ...

I don't have much to report from the run itself because it was just a run on a nice day. But, I do want to report that the Virtual Challenge as a whole earned $6,640 to be donated to the Guardian Angels Service Dogs organization which will go a very long way to providing food and other supplies to train these dogs for our veterans. And, all I had to do was register and run. Pretty damn cool.

Oh, and the core strength training that was a part of this challenge? I sucked at it. I did what I could, but it was far from noteworthy. I'm good with that, too, because it bored me. My promise was to the miles, so honored that all the way through. I dabbled in the other which is leaps and bounds more than I've done prior to now. I say that counts. For something.

Elly congratulated me upon my arrival home. Of course I had to take a picture with her. She's my inspiration and all:

Indeed, I have Elly to blame thank for this running business.

While out there today, I was starting to get the itch -- the tiniest of ones -- to get back into a steadier training program. Yeah, you hear me, I'm about ready to gear up for a Half! Doing so right now, though, would be a mental disaster: see above inability to remember what day it is ... Not to mention, the last quarter of the year doesn't do anything like slow down, so starting up in January is well placed! Between now and then, though, there are miles to run, very likely another virtual race to join, family runs to schedule ... a whole host of options to keep the running going!

Have a great ride over the hump of the week, and I'll be checking in!

Strong Start!

WHEW!! What a Monday!! I've been non-stop busy since getting up today, and I'm surprised pleased to report that it's been a really productive and happy day even though I didn't start it off with a run! I began to notice a pattern around here that my better days started with running; I was beginning to think I'd better start moving every morning to ensure better odds for a happy day! And, if I didn't do it, it crossed my mind that the fam might consider shoving my shoes on me and leaving me outside until I did go run ... hahahaha ...!

ANYWAY, I hope the start to your week has been equally good. So much of mine has been spent in front of the computer which is less than ideal but very necessary. Fortunately, I have a number of fun things that sit on the computer desk and stare at me that make me happy. This is the latest member of the gang:

It's Origami Yoda that Pit Crew #3 made about 4 or 5 years ago. He recently brought it to me in a massive room clean-out asking if I wanted it because, if I didn't, it was going in the trash.

Was he out of his mind considering throwing it in the trash?! At least he's wise enough to first ask ...!

Okay, aside from all of the dailies around here, I wanted to share the latest event I signed up for!

The entire (only $5.95!) registration fee goes directly to Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, an organization that trains and donates medical service dogs to many returning veterans who have PTSD and/or other disabilities. The virtual run is sponsored by Run the Edge (the same group sponsoring the 2,015 in 2015 Challenge Aaron, Elly and I are doing). The virtual challenge is both a run and a 30-day challenge of core work, September 1-30.

*gulp* Consistent core work. I'm both excited and not about this part of it. But, like I told Aaron, maybe this will be a good kick start to actually incorporating more cross training into my routine because leaving me up to my own devices just isn't going to make it happen! Who'swithmethere?!

So, I've signed up for the challenge, and I'll keep you posted! I don't really even know what to expect for the core stuff, so here's to a great mystery!

The groove of the day hasn't stopped, so I need to get back on the ride! Take care of what you need to make your week start off great, and I'll check in after the morning run!

Frozen Bootie Warm Heart 10K!

Today’s Numbers: Nancy's Total Movement Mileage: 134.8 (running: 87.6; walking: 8.4; biking: 38.8) Money Found For Food Bank: $22.05

2,015 in 2015 Change Hounds progress: Nancy: 134.8  Aaron: 119.1 (b: 103.1; w: 16)  Elly: 25.9 Total: 270.7

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!! I've always liked this day; what could be wrong with a day to say I love you to anyone you love? I sent my brother a Peanuts Valentine like these I gave my fave peeps ...

He likely thought I was weird, but I don't really care. At least he didn't get one like Pit Crew #3 humorously exchanged with a friend of his as a vocabulary assignment in Spanish class. Both boys wrote sentiments to each other like, "You're tall" and "You're ugly." I'm still laughing about it!

ANYWAY, Valentine's Day started off around here with our Frozen Booty virtual run with Mary Kate! YAHOO!! Actually, Mary Kate renamed the event Frozen Booty Warm Heart 10K! Not only is she in a little warmer climate, but she also rules! We found out about the rename when we called to check in at the start time:

That's our team selfie. Mary Kate is in the phone. See her?

When she answered, I yelled into the phone, "Are you ready for some FOOTBAAAAAAAALL?!" She did not miss a beat before responding a very definitive, "Um ... no." I have to throw her some props for the quick response because it was, after all, morning. It was also the morning after she'd gotten home from a work trip, so I have extra props and kudos to shout out about her because how many of the rest of us would have been all, "Um, no, I have no plans to run with you the morning after being out of town because I have some not-running to do that day!" She's amazing!

So, we exchanged our morning greetings, and Mary Kate reported perfect, 40-degree running weather where she lives! She sounded totally upbeat and ready to roll, so we stopped the jabbing and headed out to do this thang ...

PC#2 and I usually do a bit of a walk to warm up, but not today! We hit it immediately. I probably should have warned her, but, whoops. It was 33 degrees for us, but with zero wind, we were warm really fast. Both of us shed our gloves almost immediately which was a shame because with our red gloves, we were so Valentiney. With this run, I also discovered I am woefully unprepared to run on Valentine's Day as I have only one red shirt that I thought would be too light for today. I had to go with a Christmas shirt. Oh the problems!

In other problematic moments, check out this action shot selfie I snagged at the beginning:

Whoops. We'll try that again later. In the meantime, states away, Mary Kate was having a fantastic time with the run-site-seeing combo you know I enjoy so much. Look what she saw!

Hot air balloons, baby! I know they were lovely in person; I
appreciated she knew I'd love to see them!

I know it's either hard to believe or just plain sounds weird, but I love these virtual race opportunities. It's fun to take a moment to (mentally) stop and really think about the fact that there is someone out there literally and purposely running with you. You get to share a goal at a distance, and you decided to do so together. It's a very cool thing. I was thinking about just that when PC#2 and I hit about the half way point, and I was sending all kinds of vibes to Mary Kate. It was at the same time she said she encountered this ...

And, I quote her: "Construction ahead! A truck blocking my path!
My turnaround spot has been compromised!
Finding another way!"

She was problem solving her situation while I was creating and trying to fix one I was causing:

Uh, whoops. I didn't learn a whole lot
from the earlier pic attempt, now, did I?
Let's try this again ...

There she is! I did it!

And, while we were running along and seeing this ...

How very thematic, right?! And, thank goodness I managed to
also capture trash in the foreground. Nice!

There. That's good for the frozen booty concept!

... Mary Kate was checking out this!

Awwwwwwww!

By the way, on this particular run, I worked hard to avert my eyes and not specifically scope for money. I keep working at not looking for it during actual Half Marathons so I'm not a total nuisance to those around me. So, I do need to practice the not-looking strategy on these training runs. For real. But, it just kept finding us! And, really, what were we to do but pick it up?! It's like it's our responsibility to collect it if it's going to throw itself at us. Even on our very last stretch when we were on an awesome pace, I just had to stop for the string of three pennies I spied in the street. We were on that pace where you're going along strong and hard, and such a sudden stop makes you want to throw up a little. But, it didn't make me as queasy as when PC#2 was going on about glazed donuts last weekend. Just sayin'.

In good, sound time, PC#2 and I called it a wrap!

And, we met the boys who presented us our Frozen Booty medals! Yay!!


Those medals are bling-a-licious. See?!

Very soon thereafter, the call came in from Mary Kate:

Nice to make her wait while I take a pic of the call coming in,
huh? I know ... great friend!!

We congratulated, we chatted, we laughed ... it was all so very good!!

We three togetherish!

That's a wrap to the Frozen Booty Warm Heart 10K! Thanks for coming along with us! Virtual runs, virtual fans!! We all work well together!

 

With that, it's time to continue on with the day and being with those we love! Enjoy your Valentine's Day, and I'll check in after the morning run!

Virtual Turkey Trottin'!!

Today’s Numbers: Nancy's Days Run: 188 Nancy's 2014 Mileage: 939.5 Elly's 2014 Mileage: 358.8 Money Found For Food Bank: $0.31

What a day! What a day!! And, the great part of it actually started yesterday when my Virtual Running Partner Extraordinaire, Mary Kate, was here!! YAHOO!!

Her travels with her family for Thanksgiving paid off big-time for me because I was along the route!! Our visit was twice as sweet as it was long, and I loved every minute of it!! And, what a great pre-kick off to our virtual run this morning!! Yes, she was here, but she also hit the road, so even though we were together, there was no running together. Besides, doesn't that just cut into talk time? It's so much higher quality of conversation when having it in a chair as opposed to while running. Just sayin'.

This morning, we were together in spirit ... and, on the phone!

The starting phone call is a must.
We're about ready to hit it!!

I was very excited to tell her about the snow we were getting
because it wasn't happening where she was.

Oh, and that turkey on a stick? I made those for us. It seemed absolutely necessary to carry one while running. Because it was. I gave Mary Kate hers yesterday, and she seemed genuinely enthused about it. She's used to me, so it came as no real surprise to receive something like that, too.

Thanks to Google images, I found a turkey running. You have
to have a turkey running when doing these things. (Oh, and
that isn't Elly's bandana; it's my pillow case. I had to find a
reason to use more of that fabric because it's awesome.)

Okay, anyway, we said our hellos and our good lucks and our call-you-when-I-finish jabber, took a quick selfie with my Pit Crew Chief and biggest fan ...

... and, off we went! The snow was really starting to come down as soon as I started. It was awesome ... so pretty!!!

It was also really quite wet, so I figured the camera should stay safe in its plastic bag in my pocket until the snow let up. I'd already gotten it kind of wet because the combination of carrying the stick and wearing a hat deluded me into thinking I was actually under an umbrella. For real. The next thing I knew, I was all, "Oh, crap, wet camera," and I reached into my pocket to get the plastic bag ... that was no longer there. DRAT! Fortunately, I found it upon a quick U-turn:

Finding it saved Aaron a frantic phone call to come bring me
another one ...

Except for the fact that one of my shoes finally gave in to the moisture by Mile 2 (and was totally saturated ... and, cold ... by the end), I was really quite warm and dry the entire way. It was fortunate that I was running on fresh snow because it allowed for a bit of grip. Any area where the snow had already been touched was slick. Yay for being up and out early in the game! That way, I could enjoy a lot of the scenery ...

Indeed, that is my turkey on a stick on the left. I used it to wave
at a handful of people in their cars. They did not wave back.

Along the way, I thought about Mary Kate and her husband who were out running 'with' me and hoping they were enjoying themselves. By the picture, I'd say, apparently, they were!

He totally cracks me up!!

Mary Kate sent me a great picture of her running showing a really cool scene, but Picasa is having a really big attitude about uploading it. Her coolness clearly broke it. I'll share it later if we can figure it out because I really like it, and she's awesome.

I enjoyed my outing, too, being out in the snow (often with my mouth open and tongue out just enough to catch hundreds of snowflakes -- perhaps why people wouldn't wave at me ...), being more entertained than annoyed by my foot getting wetter and wetter, finding 31 total cents to restart the Food Bank fund (yahoo!!) and giggling to myself that if it weren't for the fabulous turkey medal, I likely would not have gone 6 miles again until after the New Year. Sometimes, I need the bling to push me farther. It's a guilty running pleasure; I make no apologies.

Before I knew it, this run was a wrap!

Indeed, the medal is different from the one
eating the pie. It's a long story, but I knew
it before I entered. So, no harm, no ...
wait for it ... foul.

Aaron met me to present the medal and to get us bagels (sweeeeeet ...)

An everythingy-everything bagel, please. And, yes, that is
exactly how we order it because, sometimes, the everything
falls off and it's more of a little-bit-of-stuff bagel. And,
that's no good. They're used to us, too. Except when we get a
new person which is when we get the look ... They learn.

While we were waiting, Aaron noted the snow on my hat:

I would periodically hit my hat with my turkey stick, and snow
would slide off in front of my face like it does in front of a
window on your house.

With bagels from here and fruit-n-yogurt parfaits from McDonald's in hand, I got the call from Mary Kate!! This is probably my all-time favorite running call from her, too, as she explained with no apology the following: They did not go the full 10K distance and either weren't sure exactly how far they did go, or they really didn't care. They had to stop and look up directions as to where they were to go at one point, and the elevation of some of the hills they unexpectedly encountered was not what they were especially used to. Put all of that together, and this couple ran the run they decided would work for them, and that was that. She sounded happy, I got a huge kick out of it, and we both (all three!) had a great morning!

As. It. Should. Be.

Whatever the distance was, we all finished!

This lady rocks!!

I got off the phone from laughing with her to being greeted by my young Crewers and, of course, my retired-of-training-duties trainer:


Not much went as would have been expected for any of us this morning, but I think it turned about better than we could have planned as it seemed to work for all of us, too!! Thank you again, Mary Kate and Chad, for a great run and for inspiring me to keep going, and, to my Crew who all play their own parts in making me better!

And, tomorrow? The whole family is in it together!! We will all check in after the morning run!

Winter Is An Early Bird This Year!

Today’s Numbers: Nancy's Days Run: 180 Nancy's 2014 Mileage: 902.6 Elly's 2014 Mileage: 353.4 Money Found For Food Bank: $58.57

 

Hello 900 miles!

 

It wasn't just cold on this morning's run ... it was snowing!! Teeny little flakes just floated down for the entire run! It was fabulous! What really made it great running weather was the lack of wind. Had it been super-windy, well, we all know I'd be over here complaining about the wind and the cold. It was breezy enough to slap my cheeks around, but, duh, that's going to happen in the cold. So, instead of just getting through the run, I was able to enjoy! There was no way to capture the flakes in a pic, so I took this instead:

I was super-pleased that today's run was strong because, more often than not, the third day in a row run suffers a bit. I spent most of my time (a) being more careful than usual -- because I'm hardly if ever careful -- to not do something stupid that would send me flying to the ground because I'm not sure my banged-up knee would take it very well, and (b) pondering what route I want to create to complete my upcoming virtual 10K! I won't be running this one with my girl as she simply doesn't have time to train. BUT! She and I are both signed up for this event sponsored by Moms Run This Town:

Oh, yes! It says Frozen Booty!! Hahahahahaha! Its target date is to run between January 11 and February 11, 2015, as a way to stay motivated when it's the most difficult to be that way! Given that's right before (or, right when) my training schedule kicks in for April's Half, I suspect it, too, will be a 10K. Interested? Here's the link: http://momsrunthistown.com/frozen-booty-winter-virtual/

 

And, yes, I, too, think it's pretty cool that I'll watch out for Pit Crew #2's training ability, but, cold weather? Nahhhh ... Who cares, the medal says Frozen Booty!!!

 

So, those are the things I thought about while out and about today. Oh, and if you're looking for your 2-liter of Dr. Thunder, I know where it is:

Seeing as it was 25 degrees, it's also colder than if you had kept it in your fridge. Well done.

Tomorrow is a busybusybusy day, but it is a day off of running. Make your Friday Eve a great one, and I'll check in from mine!