It Looks Like a Frickin' Christmas Card Out Here!

So I jumped back on the treadmill last week. It was a short, 30-minute walk but it was uneventful. No coughing, wheezing or shin splints. That gave me a little extra confidence to tackle some higher miles over the weekend.

On Saturday, The Pilot and I headed out to the trail. I was planning on 8 miles and I didn't think it was a good idea for him to go all 8 miles with me (he's not the one training for a race afterall!) so we drove separate cars. We headed out and realized that the trail hadn't been plowed after the second round of snow so there was about an inch of snow on the trail...for the first mile. After that there was a 2 mile section of path that hadn't been plowed at all. It was a little tricky trying to stay in a good race walk form while trudging through 2-3 inches of snow and ice. But I have to admit, it really was beautiful out on the trail...which prompted my "It looks like a frickin' Christmas card out here" comment. There were even cardinals flying around, seemingly on cue...but they would fly away every time The Pilot tried to take their picture. They must have been shy cardinals.

The Pilot was still good once we got to the 3 mile marker so he agreed to go out to the 4 mile marker and do all 8 miles with me. I know that he doesn't like me wandering around out there by myself and who am I to turn down someone to keep me company during the long miles?! It was pretty slow going (well below race pace) but it was my first outdoor workout since recovering from the World's Longest Cold in the History of Modern Medicine so I really just wanted to get through the whole workout.

I had a little pick up in the last 2 miles because I was trying to make it home before the Ironman World Championships was going to be on TV (that I had forgot to DVR before leaving the house). I love watching Ironman on TV even though it makes me feel like a slacker sometimes. I whine about not being able to get all of my training in or my gimpy knee or my cold, but there are people doing Ironman that have NO LEGS. It certainly puts things into perspective, that's for sure!

So glad that The Pilot is always up to walk with me when he's in town.
It would have been a very quiet and lonely 8 miles without him!

Sunday was a coaching day and I was so excited to see the Team! I had missed 2 practices and some other Team functions due to being sick so I was going through TNT withdrawal! I was scheduled for 16 miles but there just wasn't enough time. The Pilot and I were spending the afternoon with my brother's kiddos so I had to cut the workout short to go pick them up. I went out early (before the Team arrived) to get in 2 miles (and to check the road conditions). It was crazy cold out and my eyelashes kept sticking together. Once I met the Team, we did 3 miles together and then I headed back out. The wonderful Lisa D. joined me for nearly 2 miles (she's training for the Disney marathon!) and then I did another 2 miles on my own. I felt OK knowing that I did more miles Sunday than I did the day before but I still worry that it's not enough.

After 8 miles on Saturday, 10 miles on Sunday and then chasing my niece and nephew around on Sunday afternoon, I was tired by Monday! Luckily I had the day off and could lounge around with The Pilot all day. I was also surprisingly sore. Normally 8 and 10 milers wouldn't make me sore but walking in snow/ice is definitely more challenging.

So now it is the week of Christmas and I'm trying to figure out my game plan for the weekend. It's the big one for training...10 AND 20 miles. It's annoying that I have such high miles over the holiday weekend. Especially since I'm walking because 20 miles will take me at least 5 hours. That's five whole hours that I could be sitting around with my family and eating Christmas cookies and my mom's cheesy potatoes. Oh well.

At least I know I won't gain weight over the holidays, even if I'm not doing so hot at the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge. I only have about 94 points right now and some of the leaders are pushing 200! There are a handful that are well over 200 points but I'm convinced they are either lying or they workout 8 hours a day. I'm not going to win but again, I'm fairly certain I'll make it to the end of the challenge at the same weight (Probably won't lose any weight - damn that predisone for giving me the munchies while I was sick!)and definitely with a new awareness of WHAT I am eating. It is pretty difficult to get in 7 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. It's hard to do but you really do start to feel better! I challenge all of you to give that a whirl for a week and let me know how you feel!