Everyday is My St. Patrick's Day

I opened all weekend at work and committed to run with Becky Sunday after work.  I know I wouldn't have gone otherwise.  We only had to do 5 miles, but it has been a long, long time since I've gone that far.

It was St. Patrick's Day, so of course I had to wear my favorite color, GREEN!

And, yes, I wore my hair down. Long hair, don't care.

I really didn't dress as warm as I should have.  I knew it was only 30 out, but for some reason I thought it was warmer.  I have my mind set on Spring.

The run was a good one.  It was windy most of the way, but I felt good.  Maybe it was from the cup of black tea I drank before I left.  It must have given me an extra kick after being up since 4 a.m.

I didn't look at my watch except to see how far we were, so I had no idea we had been going at that pace.  I mean, maybe Becky mentioned that we were going a little fast, but besides that...lol.  I'm happy with the splits and it felt good to go out for longer than 3 miles for once.

After I took a scalding hot shower and drank some hot tea, I realized that I was exhausted.  So, like any responsible adult, I had guacamole and tortilla chips for supper and went straight to bed.

On another note, Becky has me drinking classy coffee now.  I can tell the difference.  I only need one cup of the fancy stuff as opposed to a whole pot of the cheap stuff.  Here's my new favorite.

I got it from Target.  I like their Archer Farms brand of pretty much everything.  They make a salsa that I practically eat by the jar.

As I was shopping today, I came across this Chardonnay.

I don't like Chardonnay and I didn't see this brand in any other types of wine.  I totally would have bought it.  I'm the middle sister of two brothers and I am a definite smarty pants.

Happy Monday!

What are your workout plans?  Today is a rest day for me.

Did Wonder Woman Just Run By?

Wonder Woman

The recipe to a successful long run:
Working a LOT, little sleep, and tired legs.

I did my long run yesterday evening after work.  I work all weekend and didn't really want to run 13 miles before that.

I am definitely a person that enjoys running later in the day, but I was a little worried about going so far after a busy few days at work with little sleep.

My plan for the day was to eat well and drink copious amounts of caffeine.  For breakfast I had coffee and two toaster waffles with syrup (not the definition of healthy, but it was fast).  On my break at work I had cake and a clementine.  They get a cake the first Friday of the month to celebrate the months anniversaries and birthdays.  Can't go wrong with sugar, right?  For lunch I brought rice that I cooked in veggie broth and broccoli.  Work also got pizza from Toppers.  I had two pieces.  A cheese and one macaroni and cheese.  It was more delicious then I though possible.

After work, I had to quick buy some Clif shot blocks: strawberry and black cherry.  I got home, changed, ate a banana and drank some water and headed out.

I wasn't sure how to dress.  It was about 50 out, but the temps would only go down as it got later.  I decided on running tights, a running skirt, fleece lined long sleeved shirt, a bright yellow shirt, and a fleece zip vest because of the pockets.

Kevin was sleeping so I had to take a picture of myself.

I keep forgetting that I need to buy new rubberbands.  The ones I have I love, but they are old and stretched out.  My hair refuses to stay up in them.  So, after about 1 or 2 miles I took my hair down.  That's right, I ran with my hair flowing free in the wind.  I had a head band on to keep it out of my eyes.  At first, it felt weird, but I really liked it.  I felt like a superstar and Becky said she thinks it made me speedy.

I blame the speedy part on not looking at my watch.  I asked Becky to be in charge of walk breaks.  Otherwise, I become obsessed with time and pace.  It was fun to just run and run.

The first half really flew by.  At the turnaround, we went through this little subdivision that was all decorated in Christmas lights.  I tried to take a picture, but it didn't turn out so good since I was running.

At about mile 9 or 10 we stopped at a gas station so Becky could go to the bathroom and we got some Gatorades.  And I blame holding the Gatorade for the few miles I carried it for the pain in my fore arm today.  How pathetic is that?  I guess I really need to start doing arm exercises.

The last mile was through down town.  All the smells of food made me hungry and there were horse drawn carriage rides and Christmas carolers.    It was a nice distraction from the pain I was starting to feel.

Somehow my fastest half ever.

We walked about half a mile home for a cool down.  As soon as I got home, I stripped and hopped in the shower.  I was drenched in sweat and knew I was going to start freezing any minute.  I stretched after that and logged my miles while sitting on the floor stretching.

Getting up was the hard part.  I knew that I should eat something.  I had a cheese sandwich, a salad with italian dressing, and a shit load of fritos.  I was craving salt like no body's business.

Too lazy to take a picture of anything else I ate.

I started to crash quickly and could barely keep my eyes open by about nine.  I finally dragged myself to bed at around ten and slept solid until nine the next morning.

My legs are a little sore today and my lower back is a little achy, but otherwise I'm feeling ok.  I'm glad we didn't wait until today to go.  It's been raining all morning and I can't imagine how much a half marathon in the cold and rain would suck.

What are your plans for the weekend?