Too Much

The good news.. I'm on vacation for a week! Besides teaching yoga twice this weekend and writing up a couple of invoices, I am off until Friday!

The bad news... I'm sick. I can't even follow my own advice. I always stress the importance of rest days in a running schedule and increasing mileage 10-15% a week. The past few weeks I have increased mileage almost 30% and have added more yoga and weight training to my schedule and it has caught up with me. Add in subbing extra classes at the gym, two new accounts and a crazy week at the store (did I mention I also manage a boutique? Yes I think it's time I simplify my work schedule).

Okay, enough with the poor me, poor me.  I ran five miles on the treadmill last night and felt great! My body is really appreciating this rest day today. I think Jack is, too. We spent the whole day together and had an awesome time! Had lunch and played at Zachary's (classy) with our awesometastic neighbors, Ashley and Ella. I don't think I'm going to refer to them as neighbors anymore. They are friends who happen to live two doors down from us. How awesome is that?

We visited Papa (my grandfather) this afternoon and cruised a couple of shoe stores, Marshall's and Toys R Us. A pretty great day in my book.

Out of Order

35 minutes on elliptical
5K on treadmill

I arrived at the gym right at the height of the rush-hour with the after-work crowd. I dropped Jack off and sprinted to the treadmill sign up sheet. They were all being used, except for two but one had already been signed up for. The next available time wasn't until 6:00. I don't understand people. Why sign up for a treadmill if you're not going to use it? There are many of use who would put it to good use and log some miles. But wait... #9 is open. The pink treadmill. I look on the sign up sheet and it isn't signed up for so I write my initials into three 15 minute slots (45 minute time limit) and then write "Dan" into two slots. I'm so tricky. I go over and hop on pink treadmill #9, and what do I see?!? OUT OF ORDER. DO NOT USE. Oh man, this blows. I stared at that sign up sheet for a good five minutes trying to find a loophole, but to no avail had to sign up for a 6:00 slot on #7. I head upstairs to use the elliptical. I come back down at 6:00, and what do I see? Someone using my #7 treadmill. She teaches yoga here, too, so she's an employee and should know the sign up policy. #1 is not in use, but somebody had signed up for it, but I decided to erase their name and write mine in. It ended up being a good choice because I got to run next to a guy in cargo shorts who fist pumped the whole time and cheered for himself when he was finished.

Twenty Five Inches?!?

 4 miles on treadmill

Holy snow yesterday. If this had been in the beginning of the snow season, I would have been psyched to have a legitimate excuse to stay inside and hang in my pajamas all day. Yesterday, on the other hand, I had total cabin fever.

Jack and I went outside with the sled and did a few laps with our neighbors Ashley and Ella. Ella is just two weeks older than Jack.

Don't they look thrilled???

After spending a good amount of time shoveling my car out I decided to venture to the store for supplies... i.e. milk, pizza and wine.

Jack and I went over to the gym later on since they opened late- at 3:00 and the playspace was open, too. Jack got to hang out with the most awesome babysitter ever- Ryan. He must be about 20 years old and he's a trainer who also works in the playspace sometimes. Jack loves him and doesn't have a problem with me leaving him with Ryan. As soon as we walked in, Jack had to find a toy to hand to Ryan (a sure sign of affection). 

I ran four miles, my legs felt pretty tired from the longish run the day before but I stretched well after and I'm feeling fine today. The four miles flew by- Kourtney and Kim Take New York was on.

Squirrels?

Taught Yoga
8 mile treadmill run

I taught yoga this morning, subbing for someone. I wasn't really feeling it. I love taking this class, but don't like teaching it. I've subbed this class a few times before and every time I just get bad vibes. I don't know what it is. First, I couldn't get the stereo to work with my iPod.  I brought a back-up CD just in case and I got it to play, but the sound quality was awful. It stopped playing half way through class, which was fine though because the room was really warm and it was a tough class so all anyone could hear was breathing. We get through the standing postures, balances, etc and get to the finishing poses. A really strange noise comes through from overhead. It sort of sounded like feedback from the stereo, but not quite. It continued on for a while. It sounded like an animal dying. And guess what?!? It was! Probably two animals fighting, I think one lost. They were in the pipes and it sounded like they were going to come flying into the room at any moment. It made savasana nearly impossible.

Later I went back to the gym, because with the rain/sleet/snow we're having today, a run outside wasn't going to happen. I went planning on doing eight miles so I was mentally prepared. I made a rocking playlist and lucked out because Bravo was running reruns of Real Housewives of Orange County (new season starts tonight- yes!).

I ran at an easy pace but had to speed up at the end because I started to get bored keeping the same pace. I always feel the need to be pushing buttons when I'm on the treadmill. Overall I felt like I had a good run and am feeling good about my longest run of the season. It's daunting when I start into the longer runs, but once I get past the half way point it gets easier. The last four miles today were easier than the first four.

Ice, wind and sun

Yoga
4 mile "easy" run

Jack went down for a nap and Adam was still sleeping (ah, the restaurant business). I headed out for a four mile easy run. I'm so glad I decided against taking the jogger. I planned a nice, flat loop with a highlight of running by Al's and smelling their glorious aromas in he air. Yum, corndogs. The sidewalks were so icy! I had to slow down to a crawl sometimes, which ended up being okay because the wind was ridiculous, too. And then the sun... Didn't wear my sunglasses (can't find them) and my eyes were burning. Definitely had tears streaming down my face the whole time. A run is a run, right?

The Old Stomping Grounds

3 mile run

With the days being so short and all here in the winter in Vermont, running outside on days I work is usally impossible. But with the sun now setting at 5:43, things are going to change.

I changed into my running gear at work and skipped out a few minutes early. I work right in the village in Shelburne, so there are so many great places to run. When Adam and I first moved in together, we lived in the cutest little apartment right in the village.

I can't find a picture of the outside, but I'll post as soon as I do. It was the upstairs apartment of a 200 year old farmhouse. It had a ton of charm a lot of quirks.

I ran down Harbor Road to Falls Road, to Mt. Philo Road and through some neighborhoods to Route 7 and back to Harbor Road. It was a route I used to run all the time. It really made me feel sentimental. It's part of the route I took on my first run after finding out I was pregnant. I have so many emotions and memories tied to that year when we first moved in together. For a year we worked and lived together and it was the best year (well the best year pre-Jack).

I felt really strong on the run and ran fast (fast for me). I'm slowly learning the importance of speedwork in training. I need to practice running fast in order to run fast. All these years I just throught I could magically bust out fast numbers in races. It doesn't work that way. I've become faster and stronger in the past year since having Jack than I did in the years running before I had him. When I started running last winter, three months post partum, it was basically like starting over. Even so, I managed to PR at the Shelburne Half Marathon this fall (but the half at KBVCM last year- not so much). I am by no means fast, but I guess you could say I'm getting quicker.

Gemini Vegetarians

5 miles on treadmill

This is what I felt like today after I ran:

Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands, they just don't.
I am such a happier person when I run.  I took a rest day yesterday and although I needed it, I just felt blah. I was grumpy this morning. This afternoon, five miles (even if they were on a treadmill) and I am back. I just feel so much more like me when I can sweat it out.