Oh ya, I run too!

I love winter.. in my opinion, there is no better time of the year to run! It's the cool, crisp air I think. It's hard not to be excited when you walk outside into that air and take a deep breath feeling the air choke your lungs and your boogers freeze.. and your hands start the early stages of frost bite! Yessir!

I actually enjoy it because I can't get too hot, although, sweat is still entirely possible and expected. I enjoy having to focus on every step of the way to make sure I don't slip on the ice or sprain my ankle on an unexpected snow clump. I like knowing I wont have to worry about stopping every 2 miles for a drink of water or go into dehydration panic. I like feeling my legs warm up and cold nip at my cheeks. If you can get pumped up to run when it's 5 degrees outside and you know it's going to be brutal... you can run in anything. Like most of running, it's all about mental toughness.

There, of course, are some tricks I use to stay as warm as I can without adding too many layers. I don't leave home without my UA coldgear, the leggings are the must have. Well, for most cold days.. when it "heats" up into the 30s and 40s, I ditch the leggings and just wear the upper body long sleeve coldgear (which I also wear when it's colder.) Then, I just toss on a pair of shorts and shirt over them and nearly finished. I also happen to have UA snowboarding socks that aren't on the website anymore sadly (I bought them online at a clearance blowout sale they had). In addition, I have a UA hat and gloves that work very well. My hands are the worst part by far, I've considered heat packets but have never pulled the trigger on them.. I usually suck it up and get lucky after awhile that my hands warm up. On occasion, I've worn my UA running gloves AND my winter gloves over top of them to try to keep them warm.

If you're into running don't get suckered into a treadmill in the winter. I'm telling you, if you run outside all winter long the spring and summer is cakework compared to what you dealt with in regards to the elements and pressure/stress it puts on your body. It's well worth the effort and training.. if you don't push yourself, who will?

The Chicago Marathon

Have you ever run a marathon with 11 miles as your long training run? And on the same pair of shoes that you've run other marathons? I stupidly did that at the Chicago Marathon this past October. Between my back/hip (which the WEA thinks is apparently a joke for insurance purposes) and my lack of training I was in for a real dogfight from the get go.

The weather was cold.. I wore a hat and gloves the ENTIRE race, which I rarely to never do. Actually, it was a beautiful day to run; I enjoyed that part of it. As far as the rest goes? It was a blur. Somebody asked me shortly afterward, "What'd you think about the course?" I just looked at them in disbelief.. "I dunno, I guess the pavement looked the same." You see, when you go into a run and you're not prepared you stare at the ground. A LOT. The people, the crowds, the buildings, the neighborhoods.. they all blended together. Chicago was EASILY the biggest marathon that I've ever run (and it's not even close) and I felt like there was only a few people on the course. I struggled that much.

The sad part was.. I don't even think I ran my worst time.. Actually, I know I didn't because the Lewis and Clark in St. Louis is another story. I don't remember the time off the top of my head; in fact, I didn't even order my finisher certificate. I guess I'll have to give that a shot here soon :)

Highlights: Native Foods. Will at the finish line. The crowd at the start. Paying $50 to park for 30 seconds so I could get my packet after waiting in a traffic jam.

Lowlights: Using the bathroom every 3 miles so I could take a rest. Staring at my feet the entire run.

Figured since we had to pay $2502 to park we'd snap a few photos pre-race

Will likes the bling. I bet he can't wait til he gets some of his own.

Okay, I guess I didn't wear my hat and gloves the ENTIRE time.. but this was right at the finish and I needed them off to look good for the camera.