3.17 miles~~New Years' Eve!

I ate breakfast this morning and then decided I needed to head out and run.  Today was a sunny day, although it was breezy and cold--36 degrees.  It felt great to get out and run with the sun on my face.   I knew we had a party to attend later in the day, so I made this a shorter run.  I felt great and enjoyed stretching my legs and moving.  Happy New Years' Eve!

4.44 miles~~that's a nice number!

   I wanted to make sure I got a run in before flying out to California for Christmas with my daughter Laura.  I hope to run while I am there, but we will see how that goes.  At least today it wasn't such a slow run.  I didn't go as fast as the race, but definitely was a little faster than my last practice runs.  My lungs are doing well (although I have to chuckle, when I say "my lungs" I really mean my bronchial tubes.  My pulmonologist always reminds me that my lungs are not the issue with asthma!)  I was off work today, so I was able to run in the middle of the day instead of having to wait for work to be over and worrying about the little daylight left.  
I do like the number of today's run...4.44!

Jingle Bell 5K

This has been an extremely busy last few weeks.  I flew to California to see my daughter for Thanksgiving, then came back to finish papers for class and go to work.  After that, we flew to Copenhagen to pick up our daughter from her study abroad semester.  So getting runs in was very difficult.  It has been 11 days since I last ran.  I had hoped that wouldn't happen, but life just butted in.  
Today was the Jingle Bell 5K in our own county--it was held in (little) Washington, VA.  I dressed in a Santa apron and wore a Minnie Santa hat.  I was a little worried that the apron would get stuck between my legs or trip me or something.  Luckily nothing like that happened.  I didn't run as well as I had hoped, but 11 days of no running makes it hard to run well in a race.  There were a couple of hills, that I had to walk up, not run.  But overall this was a great race.  I had a lot of fun, got to see several old friends, and after it was all done, had my picture on the front page of the paper!

I made the front page of our local newspaper!  The caption reads: "Run with Bells On: A festively dressed runner -- and a few other runners and walkers -- pounded the pavements of Washington for the annual Jingle Bell 5 K".

2.61 miles in the snow

Today it snowed all day long.  I had to get out and breathe some clean fresh air.  It was pretty cold running, and of course I ran slow, but it felt great to get out and breathe.  Of course I had to wear my buff to warm the air as I ran. It works great to pull it up over my mouth and nose and breathe in warmer air.  Of course, if I have sunglasses on, it just fogs them up!  There is no perfect solution I guess.  But wearing a covering over my mouth and nose makes running much easier.   

2.32 miles~~it's not much!

 Today was Tuesday, and after a day of work, I got suited up to run.  It was another really slow day, running at a pace of 14 minutes per mile.  Ugh.  Part of the reason I was so slow was due to walking quite a bit.  The early sunset doesn't help much either.  I hate that I am constantly struggling to find the time to get in 30-40 minutes of running.  dI need to get more days in each week so there isn't so long a time between runs.    

10K~~Annapolis 10K

Today was the Annapolis 10K--6.2 miles.  It was a great run, even thought it was cold and breezy.  It was so cold that my lungs ached and hurt as I ran, but I made it the whole distance.  And since, it was a race, I wasn't too slow.  I finished in 1 hour and 6 minutes.  Not too shabby for a 50 year old!
  
The run took us through downtown area, past the Naval Academy, and to the harbor.  It was great scenery and a beautiful run, even though it was cold.  Once we finished, they gave us a silver mylar type wrap to put on to keep the wind off of us.  I ran to the car and changed shoes and put on a jacket in addition to the mylar blanket.  It definitely helped me stay warmer.  Once Chris and I met up, we claimed our premium.  Here it was a long sleeved running shirt with red arms.  I liked it!  We then toured the tent area, but there wasn't much to see. They had beer, but no root beer like they advertised (darn), and some tomato soup.  There was dj and a couple of stores selling things.  Since it was so cold, we stayed a very short time and headed home.  Another great run day.

3.72 miles~~too many days have passed...

Today is a Tuesday, and the first chance I've had at running since the last time.  Nine days, entirely too long.  With classes and homework and a full time job, it is hard to always get him ego run.  The lack of daylight also makes running harder.  It was definitely colder than it has been in the past.  I walked a longer way today just trying to warm my muscles and my body.  Somehow I need to get out more often and run, even if only for a short run.   

3.84 miles

Today was Sunday and instead of a long run, I took a slow shorter run.  Really slow.  I ran almost 4 miles and it took 49 minutes.  I just couldn't seem to go any faster, I just was slow and plugged along.  Sometimes that is better than nothing at all.  I haven't figured out how to push myself harder and speed myself up on some of my runs.  My practices and workouts here at home don't seem to give me inspiration to go fast.  But when I get in a race, I can be much speedier.  I think it is the whole air of excitement and spirit of competition that helps me to sped up.  One of my goals is to try to work on some speed practice runs.  

2 miles~~no time

Today we walked / ran 2 miles.  My iPod wasn't charged, my watch wasn't charged...so we just went out and moved.  With classes two days a week, getting out and running is difficult to fit in the schedule.  This week, I also went down to school extra day to have a learning session with the Curry librarian.  Very informative, but it cost me a running night. That is ok.  If I can just keep moving and not quit. 

3.81 miles--It's November!

It is Friday, and it is November 1st.  Halloween is gone, next up is Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years'.  Wow.  Time goes fast.

Since it was Friday, we suited up and headed out for a short run.  We logged 3.81 miles.  I am lucky since my asthma has been well under control while running.  I do believe that running a few times a week has helped make my lungs stronger (or the muscles around them), helps flush out allergens, and makes me healthier overall.   I had an asthma attack Monday while dismantling the  Book Fair.  Trying to load boxes, push heavy bookcases, and clean with an attack was tough.  Luckily it doesn't happen too often now.  Another reason to keep running.

After a couple of rough weeks,  TGIF!