Chilly 9 miles

Yesterday I had my 9 miles to run and decided to run around Lake Hefner. I had waited hoping the weather would be better. It was about 3 pm when I started and 37 degrees with little to no wind. The first 6 miles went alright. They were cold but manageable. The sun even peaked out for a bit. Then I hit a wall of cold. The sun was going down and I was very sweaty. The last 3 miles were a struggle but I managed to make it. I hope to avoid cold if possible but it probably will be cold again this winter. My new socks really helped with my blister as it didn't pop or get any bigger. I decided to pop it when I got home because I was tired of looking at it. I am hoping it heals quickly.

Ice storm.

Bricks be gone!

This is a short story about listing on craigslist. We removed a planter earlier in the year that was all brick and really was an eyesore. In doing this there was a lot of leftover bricks. I didn't really know how to get rid of them as we are not supposed to put them in the garbage.
Well this last weekend we were getting things ready for my in-laws visit and I was not happy they were there. I have been reading a homesteading blog and they mentioned free stuff on craigslist. I decided to try and see if someone wanted these bricks.
 

pretty brick

I listed the bricks stating they were from a demolished planter with mortar attached. Within 15-30 minutes someone had contacted me about the listing. I gave him the info. and he stopped by. He didn't even want any help. He took all of the brick material and there was only a small amount of mortar left to clean up. I learned a valuable lesson, people will always want free stuff. The next time there is something I do not want, especially if it messy, I will list it as free and you haul away.

Wind anyone?

Last weekends 8 miles went pretty well. They were into the wind for about 4 miles though. I did go on Friday since it was warm. I had run 4 on Thursday so I was slightly tired but pushed on through. With winter upon us here in Oklahoma the winds have returned. At around 20 mph on a good day, ok maybe some days, it makes running a bit of a trial. I was able to finish 8 miles no problem.

8 miles by the lake

Today's run was 4 miler in the strong Southerly wind. It was warm though so the long sleeve shirt I had on was too much. I might need to start some time work one day a week to increase my speed. my times are not terrible around 12 min per mile but I would like to be closer to 10. I am happy most days with just finishing. I know it is the days like today running in the wind that are making me stronger and will pull me through when the marathon comes.

Christmas time is here!

 Happy Thanksgiving! Hope y'all are running a turkey trot on Thursday!

Treadmill TrialsI I

Yesterday was my first run for week 5 or mile week 8. From here on out I am going to refer to the week by the mileage on my long run. This week is week 8. I needed to run 4 miles. The weather wasn't so great to run outside. A front had just moved through in the morning and brought cooler temps and wind. Lots of wind. You would think I would be used to the wind by now but not when it comes to running.
Instead of running outside and fighting the wind I decided to run on the gym treadmills. I am sure this winter I will need to run inside more as we have ice here. There is no way I am running on ice if I can help it. I am just too clumsy.
I got all ready and headed to the treadmill for my run. I saw there was a new program on the treadmill in which you can run on trails through parks. I chose to run through New Zealand. I thought I selected the incline up to 2%. I did not. I got up to 4% on the inclines.
Now let's talk about speed. I started at 5 mph, which for me is about a middle of the road speed. I don't know what it is about running on a treadmill but it seems impossible. I was doing ok until I hit my first major incline. The scenery was very pretty but I think some bird or nature sounds would help with running. Anyway back to the incline. I don't want to admit but I struggled the rest of the run. I stuck to 4.8 mph the rest of the time and was able to finish 4 miles in a pitiful 55 minutes. I know I can do better than this. Heck I should be able and have run 4 miles in 45 minutes.
I am going to stick to running outside as much as possible. I just hope I don't have to run a long run on the treadmill or I am going to be in big trouble.

The next few days should be interesting. I am going to run my other 4 miles on Thursday and then immediately run 8 miles on Friday as we are busy this weekend. I have a run with colleagues scheduled for Monday and do not want to try and run 4 miles with them tired. The weather is supposed to be nice as well the next few days and cold this weekend.

Have a good weekend.

Where's the bathroom?

Well today's run was eventful for sure. The weather wasn't so great. The wind was blowing and the temperatures were in the 50s. I bit the bullet around 9:30 am or so and decided to get dressed ans head out.
When I finally made it to the car I decided to do some hill work. I went to the Oklahoma River trail. The run went fine for the first few miles. I then needed to go to the bathroom. I had already passed the only restrooms I knew about on the side of the river I was on. I didn't want to turn around so I pushed forward. I saw some soccer fields so I headed for them. There were port-o-jons but non tissue. I decided to keep on going. The next area I came across was the skate park before crossing back to the other side of the river. Again no tp. I headed back to my car thinking there were restrooms there. Well wouldn't ya know I get back to the area and no restrooms. I gave up and headed to whole foods to pick up a few things and lunch. I did get to use the restroom there. I picked up a few things and headed home.
I ended up completing 7.5 miles with all the running around trying to find a bathroom. Next time I will remember to bring Tp. I should also not eat Mexican food before a run.
Have a good night.

7 cold, windy miles done

Running by the glow of the neon lights

This week I am increasing my mileage to 4 miles on my week day runs. Yesterday I ran after work since I had a meeting at lunch. I forgot home fast the sun was going to go down. I was only about 2 miles in when the darkness really set in. I managed to make it back to work without any problems but I think I will be sticking to running at lunch. I discussed this with my boss and sounds like I am good to take a longer lunch to run. I can finish in an hour but changing and showering takes a little longer than I would like.
I am feeling pretty good on my runs. My left ankle is still a little sore so I am still icing it at night to help the healing process. Here is a photo of the end of my run last night.

Week 3 6 miles

The miles are starting to add up. I finished 6 miles this week.

still smiling after 6 miles

I decided to run at Lake Heffner. Luckily there wasn't much wind. It was a beautiful fall day. I know I won't have many more nice days outside running so I am trying to appreciate them. This week I will be increasing my mid week runs to 4 miles. I am feeling pretty good so far. I have a hot spot on foot where I may need to wear another pair of socks. I am going to try this next week and see if this helps. My right calf is sore but I am hoping yoga, ice, and nightly stretching will help.

Have a great week!

Halloween Costume/Cosplay

About a month before Halloween we got an invite to a party. We decide to go as Yennefer and Geralt from Witcher 3. 

Geralt

Yennefer

I got to work right away scouring the Goodwill stores for parts of my costume. I was able to find everything I needed including shoes. I found some feathers from an etsy store, Stuffnfeathers, to sew on my shirt. I had to buy a few things from craft stores and hair. Here is my finished product. 

Me as Yennefer

Husband as Geralt

I also made some treats for the party. I covered Pumpkin spice oreos in pumpkin spice and vanilla chocolate to make pumpkins. I covered regular oreos in vanilla chocolate to make ghosts. I used rice krispies as hay stacks. I was going for more of a graveyard and pumpkin patch scene but I think it turned out alright.

treats for the party

Overall it was a really fun time and I look forward to doing it again next year.

Running update

Running update

Yikes I am bad about updating regularly on my progress. My weekly runs have been going well. My schedule has gotten off a bit but I am sticking to my plan. This weekend I will be running on Sunday so my schedule will still be off next week. I did hurt my ankle earlier this week when doing yoga but it didn't affect my run today.

after my run today

I have fully committed to running the memorial marathon in May as I signed up this week

My "what have I done" face

Tommorrow should be fun as we are going to Dallas to meet friends and drop off some of their things from their wedding. I will post updates after my run on Sunday.