Catching my breath, letting it go

That song is so catchy I may just have to add it to my workout songs list.  I feel like I spend most of my time doing just that anyways. Moving right along though, that winter storm finally came through last night.  It must have turned to snow around 11 pm but luckily it wasn't too bad this morning, just a few inches at the most.
Now, usually Ryan walks the dogs every morning before work.  So when he's not home that responsibility falls to me, and I won't even pretend to like it. In fact, I hate it.  I know, I made the choice to have dogs so obviously I have to take care of them, and I do, I just hate getting up and having to walk first thing in the morning.  Luckily they aren't walking me up at 5 am like they do for him, so there's always that.  It's not that I don't like walking the dogs either, it's just that I don't particularly enjoy walking them together.  You know how sometimes you see someone walking down the street with two dogs and they're all walking the same pace and the dogs are sitting and walking nicely? That's not us.  When we walk, it's more like Nala running ahead and Stella dragging behind to sniff something or the reverse.  If we're all going the same pace, Stella's pulling left and Nala's pulling right and then suddenly without warning, one of them jets across you to the other side, crisscrossing the leashes.  In short, it's not the ideal walking situation.  Just to clarify, I'm not sure how they ended up like this.  Stella was fairly well-trained before Nala came along and I spent 3 months with Nala when we first got her, training her for walking.  But as she's gotten older, she's become stubborn and I think it's rubbing off on Stella.
Today though, I decided to walk the dogs separately.  Nala and I went around the neighborhood and Stella and I walked to get coffee.  Both were around 30 minute walks.  Then after that, of course, I had to shovel out.  As I said, since the snow wasn't too deep, it wasn't so bad.  Enough to sweat, not enough for a heart attack, to put it in perspective.  Originally I hadn't planned on running today.  I was going to walk, shovel, and dance.  But then I remembered that the next 5K is on Tuesday, so I figured I would go and get one more run in beforehand. If you're following dates, yes I did sign up for a 5K on New Years Day.  I thought it would be a good way to start off the year, plus you get a free hat!  For my run today I decided to hit the beach.  I knew that there wouldn't be much snow there and at the very least, I could run on the sand without worrying about ice and soaking wet shoes.  I also took Nala just to get her energy out.  Luckily there weren't too many other dogs on the beach and we were able to avoid them all.

Right before I made my decision to go running I happened to read an article about what to wear for winter running.  Check it out here.  I decided to try their tips out and layered out my shirts, starting with an Adidas wicking climalite shirt.  It's basically this one, but the back is a bit different.  I then layered that with a plain t-shirt and an Adidas zip-up fleece.  I love the zip-up fleece because it's long and has zipper pockets. So I can wear it with my running leggings and keep my keys safe.  It also zips up over the neck, straight to the chin, which I love. However, this particular fleece has a zipper pull on it that keeps flopping up and down in my face when running, so I always have to fold the collar down to prevent this annoyance.  It was driving me crazy that Adidas made a running jacket that would have such a flaw.  Until today, when I finally came to my senses and realized I can just unhook the zipper pull and resolve the issue.  I know, I'm wicked smart, what can I say.  So, without the zipper pull the fleece is fantastic because it keeps my neck warm AND holds all my other valuables safely. Of course, I threw on my climawarms as well.
 Enough about what I was wearing though.  The beach itself was freezing, as I assumed it would be.  On my run down towards Nahant I was having a grand old time.  There were some icy patches so I went down to the sand it was smooth sailing from there.  Nala was keeping up, my neck was warm, my music was going, and my feet were dry.  Things couldn't have been any better.  And then we turned around to go back to the car and BAM, there was the wind.  Suddenly it all made sense why running was so easy in the other direction. There was a strong wind and it was blowing the same way I was running.  Now suddenly we were running against the wind.  (Another great song, but not really run-mix worthy, sorry Bob.)  The run back to the car wasn't terrible, but we had to run on the pavement due to other dogs roaming the beach.  Luckily the snow had sort of iced over on top of the ice so it was just crunchy enough to lend traction without being slippery, but not soft enough to be soaking through my sneakers.  When we got back to the car I was quite happy with the time and the run, though I really could have done without the wind.  Remember a few posts ago how I said I liked the beauty of the beach?  Well today I managed to grab some pictures, so you can see for yourself.  You can also see the zip-up I was wearing, in case you're interested.  Enjoy! (Oh and there's two of the dogs enjoying the snow too!)

After the run.  Facing the wind...BRRR. Note the tangled head-phones. Can't wait for my zip-ups to come in!

See the waves crashing? 

Stella loves the snow

Nala just loves to run, snow or not.

Not so snowy Saturday

I'll just start by saying there's supposed to be a winter storm coming through.  Perhaps it truly is hitting other parts of the state, but right now, where I sit, it's just a light dusting and some rain.  Why must the weather always be lame here? I wouldn't mind a bit of snow tonight.  Shoveling would be a great workout!

Since it was (is) supposed to snow, I've made it a night of sitting on the couch, watching Disney movies, and eating mac and cheese and chocolate.  (Not at the same time, that would be gross.)

Yesterday I went for a run in the woods but it ended poorly due to the fact that dear old Nala can't handle seeing/smelling another dog within 50 feet of her.  We kept having to change trails and double back, and eventually I just got sick of it.  I think we made it about 2.4 miles total.  

I decided that I would skip a day of running today, since it was supposed to snow and all.  If you're wondering what I did all day, which I'm sure you are, I watched soccer. For 4 hours.  I wish I was kidding.  I originally planned to just watch the Arsenal/Newcastle match.  Fantastic match by the way, final time was 7-3 Gunners! Then they aired the Aston Villa/Wigan match, which I did not intend to watch, but I kept hearing about how awful AV was, so I decided to see for myself.  By the end of that match I came to the conclusion that AV reminds me of the Sox.  They're not bad necessarily, they just make the wrong moves at the wrong time.  Solidarity my friends, you'll win one again eventually.
Lest you think I was ridiculously lazy today, I assure you, I got some work in.  I cut out a hundred little laminated board game pieces to use next week, (don't you wish you were a teacher??) and I also winter-proofed my dining room windows.  Oh, and I took down all the Christmas decorations.  So, not a total wash  and I got to see some fairly fantastic soccer matches.  Honestly, I don't know why I'm sharing any of this, as it's not really blog worthy, but it's done now, so there you go.

Running buddies

The other day I went for a 4 mile run through Lynn Woods.  Here's a shot of my route, thanks to Charity Miles.  If you've never used Charity Miles, it's a free app that tracks your run and donates to the charity of your choice.  I recommend it.  I also use Map My Run as a back up just to make sure I'm keeping track.

Trail running isn't something I do very often because I'm a bit nervous about tripping over the rocks, tumbling down the hill, and breaking a leg or worse. But I do love the beauty of the woods and it is a nice 4 mile loop at the same time.  The worst part of it all, without a doubt, is the hills.  They're not necessarily steep, but there are quite a few. Generally I don't mind hills.  I hate hills, but I do them, because I know that if I can make it up, it's easy running back down.  Of course, this mind set sort of goes out the window when you're heading down and you can see the next hill in the distance, but that's neither here nor there.  

Now usually if I work out, I want to do it alone.  I hate looking like a fool in front of tons of other people, and I know that if I'm paying attention to the people around me, the same is probably true for them.  The only time my alone while working out rule comes out of play is when I go running.  I have found that it is so much easier to run and keep pace with a buddy than alone.  That's not to say that I can't do it alone, I just prefer not too. Usually I'll try to go running with a friend or a group of friends, but that isn't always possible.  We all work different schedules and we all have busy lives, so it can be hard to find a time and a day that works for more than one person.  I also can't see my friends joining me on the trails or on the beach; that type of terrain doesn't seem to be their thing.  I like it because I feel like it helps with my speed on flat pavement, but I'm not sure if that's actually true. But when we can go together, it is nice to have someone there.  We don't usually talk save a few minutes at the beginning and we almost all have earphones in too.  I think it's just the solidarity in having someone else beside you, so you're not suffering having a great time by yourself. It really helps me to have that someone there to keep up with as well. Running alongside a partner pushes me through the cramps and forces me to keep going even if I want to quit.  I can't be left behind after all!

Since I was out on my own the other day though, I had ample time to think, while I was trying to ignore the fact that my knees were killing me and that there was a large hill looming in the distance.  As it were, I happened to be thinking about running buddies; more importantly, a running buddy I would choose if I could pick any one person in the world.  (Well, first I would choose Ryan, but he never wants to go running, so I guess this would be my 2nd choice.)  I know there are tons of people in the world and plenty of professional sports stars that I'm sure would be great running buddies.  Not for me, because I could never keep up, but for someone out there.  After much deliberation, because after all, what else is there to do when running alone, I have settled on my choice.  If I had the opportunity to pick one person in the world to do a training run with (Ryan aside), I would choose Oliver Phelps. I've read his Triathlon diary and I feel like he would be a great running buddy.  Sure he's got some tendinitis, but that would probably be better for me, as I might actually be able to keep up. Of course he lives halfway around the world and he's quite famous, so it would most probably never happen, but a person can dream right?  If you have no idea who or what I'm talking about, take a trip back to JOP World and check out the Triathlon diaries.  And if you feel like getting crazy, you can tell me who would be your top choice as a workout buddy.

Weather, wind, and back-up plans

Today was a bit crazy in the weather department.  A lovely winter storm headed up through the East coast last night and into today. It was a lovely storm.  Here in my part of the state we only got rain and tons of wind though I know in other places plenty of snow came through as well.  In fact, I was supposed to go snowboarding today but because of the storm we ended up cancelling.  I'm a little disappointed because I was really looking forward to it.  I was also planning on using that as my workout for the day.

Lucky for me, one of the first things you learn as a teacher, is to always have a back-up plan, and back-up plan to that plan as well.  So, even though I was planning on boarding, I had other options for a workout. At first I thought I would walk the dogs on the beach.  After all, I did the woods yesterday so it would be a nice change of pace.  So I packed up the pups and we drove to the beach.  Now, I had seen the wind advisory but after going out and doing errands I chose to ignore it.  It really didn't seem the bad out, I swear!  I should've known better when I got to our regular parking lot at the beach and it was completely flooded out. Quite a feat considering it was low tide.  In hind-sight, I should've turned the car around and gone home right then, but I did not.  Instead I headed down the causeway into the other parking lot.  When we first got out, it was fine as we walked down the sidewalk behind a Dunkin Donuts.  Then we turned the corner and the wind hit me like a ton of bricks.  I've been to the beach during hurricanes before and I would say this wind was about the equivalent of that. The dogs loved it, I was not a fan.  Walking against the wind was hard enough, but the pelting rain was really what killed it.  (On a side note, there really is nothing like the beach in the middle of a raging storm.  If you haven't experienced it and you get the chance, go do it.)

Fairly soon after arrival I realized I was being ridiculous, so I cut my losses and turned back.  Once home I hit-up my back-up back-up.  What I'm about to tell you may surprise you, but I swear to you, if you have one, use it.  My back-up, my stand-by for whenever I can't go out and run is Just Dance on Xbox Kinect.  (Now is also a good time to add that I don't belong to a gym.) If you have a Kinect and you're just letting it sit there, you are missing out.  Last year for Christmas I got Just Dance 3 and I really enjoyed it.  I'm most definitely not a professional dancer and I have a blast playing this game.  I upgraded to 4 this fall, but either one works for a workout.  There are some features I like better about 3 and some I like better about 4, so I can't really rate one higher than the other.  What I can do is tell you that you will get a full body workout playing this game.  Both versions have a Just Sweat mode, as well as a free dance mode.  I usually do the Sweat mode first and then switch to free dance just to have a bit of fun.  I really liked the way the Sweat mode in 3 was set up in terms of randomizing songs and choosing your workouts. However, in 4, you actually go through a timed workout with aerobic breaks in between each song, which I really find helpful.  My biggest problem with the Sweat mode in 4 is that the songs seem to repeat a lot. There are a ton of songs in the game but I seem to constantly get the same 4 or 5 songs during my workout.  If I could change one thing about this game it would be the option to randomize your songs.  All in all though, this is a fun back-up plan whenever you're feeling stuck or just not in workout mode.  Now, for a wrap-up, I'm going to leave you with a little video of the wind earlier today.  

Running songs

I've been tossing around two ideas to post about today, but I can only pick one.  That way, I have something  to post about later as well. So after much very little debate, I've settled on my running playlist.  As you might have seen earlier my love for Google music basically hinges on the fact that I can store my music there and access it anywhere, including my iPhone, which will be retired later today.  I've been using the same playlists I've had since I got my first iPod in 2004....
That doesn't mean I haven't added more music, I just haven't really changed the playlists.  I keep transferring all my music from one computer to another.  A real pain actually, if your settings are wrong, and the last time I did this, my iPod/tunes went all wonky and now a good portion of my songs have no title, but instead, a jumble of random letters.  But that's not the point, I'm not here to discuss the lesser points of Apple, though I'm sure I could.  Sorry Apple, as you can probably tell, I'm a Google person through and through.
Back to my playlists though.  For the longest time I used my Rockin Songs playlist. Not a bad playlist, but it was made back in 04/05, and it covers a wide variety of music, some not as rockin as others, as it were.  This year I decided to make a new playlist (thanks to Google Music....) that I could use solely for working out/running.  I really like my rockin songs playlist, but it doesn't do to have The Hollies come on in the middle of your run. It's not exactly upbeat.  So I created my workout songs playlist.  Here's a run down of what's on this list, in no particular order.
Accidentally In love - Counting Crows
Holding out for  Hero - Jennifer Saunders
7 Things - Miley Cyrus
99 Red Balloons - Goldfinger
All Star - Smashmouth
All the Small Things - Blink 182
Sk8r Boi - Avril Lavigne
Back in the USSR - The Beatles
Barbie Girl - Aqua
Beer for my Horses - Toby Keith
Birdhouse in Your Soul - They Might be Giants
Black Betty - Tom Jones
Blame it - T. Pain/Jamie Foxx
Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
Boom Boom Pow - Black Eyed Peas
Can't stop this thing we started - Bryan Adams
Can't Hold Us Down - Christina Aguilera
Crazy in Love - Beyonce/Jay-Z
December 1963 - Four Seasons
Defying Gravity - Wicked Soundtrack
He Loves You Not  - Dream
Just Lose it - Eminem
Without Me - Eminem
Encore/Curtains Down - Eminem
Everybody - Backstreet Boys
Everything I Do (Punk Cover)
Sugar We're going Down - Fallout Boy
Get Low - Lil Jon etc.
Get Rhythm - Johnny Cash
Gettin Jiggy Wit It - Will Smith
Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) -  C.C. & the Music Factory
Hollaback Girl - Gwen Stefani
Hit 'em Up Style - Blu Cantrell
I Go to Extremes - Billy Joel
Shipping up To Boston - Dropkick Murphy's
It Ain't me Babe - Johnny Cash/June Carter
It's Five O'clock Somewhere - Alan Jackson/Jimmy Buffet
Encore - Jay-Z/Linkin Park
Livin La Vida Loca - Ricky Martin
Mambo No. 5 - Lou Vega
Men in Black - Will Smith
My Friends Over You - (?)
Ob - la -di, Ob - la- da - The Beatles
Old Blue Jeans - Hannah Montanna
Paradise City - Guns N' Roses
Party in the U.S.A - Miley Cyrus
Picture to Burn - Taylor Swift
Pon De Replay - Rhianna
See You Again - Miley Cyrus
Sexyback - Justin Timberlake
Shake That - Eminem/Nate Dogg
Smack That - Akon/Eminem
Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
Umbrella - Rhianna/Jay-Z
Under Pressure - David Bowie/Queen
Uptown Girl - Billy Joel
Wake Up Call - Maroon 5
Wannabe - Spice Girls
We Didn't Start the Fire - Billy Joel
We Got the Party With Us - Hannah Montana
Puke - Eminem
My 1st Single - Eminem

If you read that whole list, I applaud you and beg you not to judge me based on this one playlist.  I chose these songs because they have peppy beats and keep me moving.  I definitely don't make it through this entire playlist, I usually just hit shuffle and go.  However, I am getting quite bored with these songs and I would love to get some new ones on there.  Of course I have my own opinions, but I thought I would take this time to find out what OTHER people have on their playlists.  What gets you up and moving? What song pushes you through just when you think you can't go another step?  Feel free to share, and don't be embarrassed.  After all, it can't be much worse than Hannah Montana can it?

Short and quick, like I wish my workouts were

Merry Christmas!
As an added bonus, we here on the East Coast woke up to snow this morning.  It just doesn't get any Christmas-ier than that.  Not exactly a white Christmas, but at least it's a bit more festive than the 50 degree weather we've been having.  That being said, snow = not a fun running surface, so I guess there's the other side of that coin.
Took to the woods yesterday in my awesome Adidas climacools, (see previous post) and found them even better for traction over the iced up puddles and rocks.  They may be ripped, but they can still grip!
I must say I got the best new gift this Christmas, a brand new phone.  I've been using the iPhone 4 and I will just come out and say it, I hated it.  I need my Google apps and I hated having to run everything through a 3rd party.  Especially Google music.  That's what I use to pump my jams when I'm trying to ignore the fact that I hate running even though I'm halfway into my 3 miles.  However, on the iPhone, it takes forever to load and half the time it doesn't work on it's own.  I have to pull it out in the middle of my run to switch songs or restart.  Not exactly helpful when you're trying to focus on making better time.  So I'm pretty excited to switch to the Galaxy and be able to access my music straight from Google.  Of course the phone came with headphones, but what I'm really aiming for are the zip ups from JOP World  I wouldn't say no to the gloves either actually.  It's not necessarily that I NEED new headphones, but I have been hoping to get these.  I like to keep one headphone out while running. (Safety precaution, I like to hear what's happening around me.) When I do though, the other phone is just floating and bouncing all over the place.  I'm hoping that the zip-ups will stop this by holding the free phone in place.  If not, well, at least I'll have some pretty sweet phones. I can't find them at any of the stores here in the States, so I figured if I was getting them off the internet, I might as well get them from a site I like, which is why I plan to go through JOP World.  If I buy these (read: when), I'll be sure to let you know how well they work.

Brand recognition

I have to admit, usually I don't particularly favor one brand over another.  When it comes to food and clothing, I eat what tastes good and I wear what fits, regardless of who made it or where it came from.  I have one exception to this general rule and that is running gear.  Since this is now going to be an important part of my life, I know I need to be choosy in my brands.
If I go back to my track days in high school, my first pair of running shoes were Adidas.  They were nothing fancy, just white with red and grey stripes, lightweight and perfect for running track.  I bought these shoes (or more likely, my mom did) and wore them freshman year up through college.  Yes, you read that right.  I got these shoes freshman year of high school and they lasted me all the way up until senior year of college.  If that doesn't say well made shoe, well then I don't know what does.  Eventually though, I had to give up these beloved shoes.  They smelled awful if I'm being honest, which is probably the only reason I actually got rid of them.  I mean, aside from the smell, the shoe itself was still holding up quite well.
After I made the heart wrenching decision to toss my beloved shoes someone convinced me to buy a pair of Nikes.  As it were, I also had a pair of Nike Zoom waffles in high school.  I used them for sprinting and nothing more.  They may be in the back of my closet at home actually. So when I bought new shoes, I got the Nikes. The fancy ones, with the air bubbles in them.  The shoes were nice, as far as shoes go.  Unfortunately, after about a year, the air bubbles had popped (something I was quite unaware could happen) and suddenly, my shoe was just a flat mess.  Let's stop for a moment and compare now. Adidas lasted me upwards of 8 years, Nike lasted me one. If there was one thing I knew for sure it was that my new shoes were going to be Adidas.  So, for the past 4 years I have been buying nothing but Adidas sneakers.  I started with the Kanadia trail shoes.  Not ideal for running, but at the time I was doing a lot of trail walking.  These shoes lasted but through my own fault, the sole started peeling away from the heel.  I have a bad habit of pulling off my shoes by pushing my toe down against the back heel instead of just untying the shoe and removing it like a normal person should.
After my Kanadia's bit the dust, I went back to running shoes. I got a lovely bright pink pair of Adizero's.  I really enjoyed these shoes and wore them basically everywhere for the better part of 2011 and 2012.  However, when my family went camping last summer, we hit up the Adidas outlet and there I found the gem of my collection.  Plain black Climacools, with ombre purple stripes.  These shoes changed my life.  For serious. I was a light runner before, but the moment I put on these shoes, I became a real runner.  I wore these shoes to work, I used these shoes to run my first 5K, and I use these shoes to walk the beach.  The saddest moment I had with these shoes was when I discovered that both shoes had ripped on the edges, right where my foot bends when running.  I still wear them, but I do with they had lasted a bit longer.
My most recent purchase of Adidas shoes came just one month ago when I was preparing for the Jingle Bell Run.  I love my climacools, but I really wanted a warmer shoe for the winter months.  After two minutes on the Adidas website I found the ClimaWarms. These are a smaller shoe similar to the Climacool.  The difference is in the name.  One is meant to keep your feet cool, the other warm.  I admit, I was skeptical. How warm can my feet be when they're in a shoe if it's snowing out?  But, I was sold, because Adidas has yet to fail me, and so I bought them.  THEY ARE FANTASTIC.  There's not a lot I love about running in the cold; in fact, there is nothing I love about it, except that I get to wear these shoes.  The first time I ran in them, my feet started sweating.  These shoes are no joke.  I broke them in and wore them during the Jingle Bell Run, where I also came in with my best time in a 5K.  That has to be a sign right?
In short, though I am not usually a one brand kind of girl, when it comes to workout gear, Adidas is my crutch. I have their running shorts, yoga pants, gym pants (?), climacool shirts, a hat, and a zip-up fleece just for running.  If you saw me out, you might think I was being paid to advertise. (On a side note, my Adidas originals also remain one of my favorite shoes to wear to work, they're comfortable and easy to stand in, a must when teaching all day.) So if you're looking for a new pair of running shoes or just a new pair of shoes in general, try the Adidas.  They'll last you a life time, as long as you let them.
Here's a picture of my ClimaWarms, just for fun.

New Year, new blog

So technically, I'm a bit early.  It's not quite the new year yet, but I wanted to get a head start.  I've had this blog for a little over a year and a half and it has been updated sporadically at best.  The problem, I find, is that I've never quite decided on a topic for the blog.  Lots of people have reasons for blogging; DIY ideas, family updates, baking, sharing teaching ideas, the list goes on and on.  Realistically, I could use this for all of the above.  However, I don't think I would ever be able to find the time to blog on one subject repeatedly enough to have it become meaningful.  I'd love to share my DIY projects, my delicious baking experiments, and my teacher ideas, but I know I'd start strong and taper off into nothingness as my life became busier.
At this point you may be asking yourself, why is she even keeping a blog? It would seem that I've copped out of everything that most people would be interested in reading about.  Not to worry though, I do have a plan.  It may not be well put together, but it's a plan all the same.  Instead of blogging about all the exciting things I do in my days, I've decided to go a different route.  After all, if I wanted to write about my days, I'd keep a diary.
Without further ado, I present to you, my travelling and fitness blog.  If I've just lost you, take a second and keep going, it's not quite what it sounds like, I just don't have a better description at the moment.  You see, ever since I can remember, there have been hundreds of places I'd like to visit. Some I've made it to, others are still just spots on a map to me.  So I've decided to record these places, the places I've gone and what I enjoyed, the places I want to go, and why.  But that's not all.  At the same time, I've decided to go on a 5K kick.  It started out simple, just doing the Color Run, but as time went on, I thought it would be nice to do another.  Recently I've found myself signing up for not just one, but 7 more 5ks.  So I thought I might as well record the experiences I have while training.  I use that term loosely, because I'm not sure how much of my workouts can be considered training, but more on that later.  How do travel and fitness tie together then?  Well, here's my final outcome.  I really, really, desperately, want to run the Disney World Marathon.  I'm thinking 2014.  Right now, I can run 3 miles in 30 minutes.  That means I still have 23.2 miles left to train for.  And so, I've decided to train and travel.  Perhaps combining the two will encourage me to go further.  We'll see.  But what better time to start thinking this through than in the brand new year? If you ask me, there isn't one.