As I mentioned, school starts on Monday. I'll be a little more pressed for time in getting my training runs in, but sometimes a routine helps me. I was in the my office today. I posted my training schedule and also my race plan for the spring above my desk. I am planning to do half marathons in April, June, August, and October--maybe more races, not sure. I am hoping that posting them in my office will force me to stay accountable.
I also put up a string of lights in the treadmill room and cleaned that up room a little. Tonight I burned a CD to use when I'm on the treadmill. It's almost 4 hours of music--should do me for a while. I am hoping I can make the treadmill a little more appealing until we get out of the extreme winter weather we are having. I've realized that I do better with music than with TV.
I've always struggled with treadmill running. Maybe these new strategies will help me out...I've got an 8 mile run tomorrow and I think it's going to be a treadmill run. That will be further than I've ever run on a treadmill before. I think the longest treadmill run I've ever done is about 6 miles. I'm not sure what sounds less appealing--running in my basement for an hour and half and going nowhere or running outside for an hour and a half and not being able to feel my face and extremities. I have a new rule for myself, however, and that's that I won't be running outside if there is a wind chill warning.
I had to give a speech at transfer student orientation today. I wanted to start by saying, "I know there are places colder than Cedar Falls, but the only one I can think of right now is hell." In the end, I wasn't sure it would go over well, so I didn't say it.
Ironically, after I gave in to the treadmill last night, I came upstairs to find my new issues of Runner's World. It had an article on treadmill running and how to fight boredom. It also talked a lot about how it can be great for parents. Kids can play nearby while mom or dad runs. There was also an article about winter running, and I was disappointed that Yaktrax were not mentioned. In my mind, you cannot mention winter running with mentioning Yaktrax. Have I mentioned that I love Yaktrax? Maybe the state government should give everyone who moves to Iowa a pair. I think we'd probably see about 25% less emergency room visits in the winter.
Speaking of half marathons (wasn't I speaking of half marathons at some point?), the April, June, and October ones are in Des Moines--keeping travel and cost to a minimum. August is a fun one in Chicago that Bill will be doing as well. There are also a couple of local ones (in Waterloo or Cedar Falls) that I don't have on my race calendar. One is the Sturgis Falls 1/2 and the other is the Park to Park 1/2. I may consider doing those...I don't have dates for them at this point. Of course, I could also do some local 10ks if I want to.
I'm thinking I'll not do any full marathons, but I'm not 100% sure and still have time to change my mind. It's not the full marathon that frightens me; it's getting injured doing the training. I've been there, and I swore I'd be smarter this time around.
I also have the option of triathlons. The cross-training involved is great for me, but the truth is that they sort of stress me out. When I go to a race that only includes running, I need my shoes and some weather appropriate gear. When I go to a triathlon, the list of stuff I need to remember is ridiculous--for swimming, biking, and running. There's the bike, any tools for the bike, the helmet, swimsuit, goggles, cycling shoes, running shoes... When you are getting ready to leave for a race at 4 in the morning, it's a little overwhelming. I'm not sure everyone feels that way, but I like just getting up and grabbing my shoes when I am headed to a race.
My husband, our friend Dan, and I did a triathlon as a team in September. I did the swim. It was nice to only have to focus on one of the events, rather than three. The cool thing about that was the swim is first, so I was finished and got to support the guys while they biked and ran. It was a half ironman (I am now trying to get Bill to do the whole thing by himself in 2010. I'm not sure if he'll do it.). I recommend the race that we did if you are interested in triathlons. It was in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, which is a beautiful area, close to the Illinois border. It reminded me a little of Lake Tahoe, if you can believe it. The half ironman was the longest tri they offered; they also had Olympic distance, sprint, and super sprint.
On the healthy eating front...I am making a soup in the crockpot. Here is my very simple recipe:
1 can of kidney beans (drained)
1 can of black beans (drained)
1 can of corn (drained)
1 can of tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
2 green peppers (chopped)
1 yellow pepper (chopped)
1 red pepper (chopped)
Dump all of this in your crockpot. I then added some garlic salt. (I think I may have added too much to this batch.) Another idea would be to add green beans. I didn't have any to add tonight but they'd be a good addition. Onions would work well, too. You really only need to cook it in your crockpot until the peppers soften up a little, but you can certainly leave it on low for 8-9 hours if you like. I'm trying a little in a mug right now--topped with fat free cheddar cheese. It's sort of a vegetarian chili, very colorful and very healthy. This would be the first time I've really cooked anything in quite some time. If this even counts as cooking...I used to make soup like this one the stove when I lived in Kansas City. However, once Bill moved in with me, I basically gave up cooking since he is so much better at it than I am.
Bill has made two soups this week: a white bean and sundried tomato soup and also a minestrone. Our idea is to have a bunch of individual frozen portions of soup that we can take to work. We don't meat, and it seems like many of the same ingredients go into each soup: particularly beans and veggies. I am hoping we are not all "souped" out in a couple of weeks. Soup goes a long way, and our soups are healthy and filling, so it is a good cost effective choice for us. So far, the new crockpot has been a great purchase.
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