Month in Review: December

Here's the best of the final month of 2014 from the Runner's World Page-a-day calendar.

Contrary to popular belief, running downhill is harder than running uphill.

I hate the texture of yogurt, so maybe I can try tempeh instead.

And make sure to add vitamin D to this list as well.

I wish I was better at taking this advice. I tend to push through any pain.

And if that won't motivate you, nothing will!

The last thing you want is to be waiting at the port-o-potty line during the race.

My hips tend to ache in the cold weather. I'm definitely getting old.

I must drink more green tea!

Mmmm...I love gargling Gatorade and then spitting it out. So refreshing!

Miles logged: 0.0

Baby, it's cold outside

Baby, it's cold outside and I'm ready for a night run! Now it isn't nearly as cold as my peeps in Dallas will be experiencing this week, but winter has finally arrived on the Central Coast. And what do you do you celebrate the coldest temperatures of the year? You guessed it, go for a run after dark!

Unfortunately, I do not arrive home from work before the sun sets (right about 5pm this time of the year) and I haven't joined a gym yet. So my only options are to sit on my butt and catch up on "House of Cards" (extremely tempting) or go out in the cold dark wilderness and get some exercise (we do live way out in the country with wild turkeys and deer meandering about). After a couple of weeks of the former, I decided it was time for the latter. 

My husband and I have discussed running after dark together and we bought ourselves clip on night lights for Christmas. Tonight was the night we decided to try them out! Here I am decked out in my night gear wih my light clipped to the brim of my hat. Note: I do not recommend wearing all black when running at night since it makes it difficult for cars to see you (we ran on a trail, so this was not a concern tonight, plus, the back of me is lit up with reflective strips.)

Running in the dark with no overhead lights was definitely weird. While not super bright, the head light did a fine job of lighting the path. However, I found that I had absolutely no depth perception in the dark. As you well know, I tend to fall a lot, so I was concerned about that this evening. I made it through without so much as a tweaked ankle. Yay me! 

We will run again at night, but will focus our time on paved streets and the part of the trail that has a little more reliable footing. 

Miles logged: 2.0

Music Monday: Burnin' Up

Artist: Jessie J
Title: Burnin' Up
Fave Line: "Drippin' in sweat, I'm losing my breath"

Miles Logged: 0.0

Running in Cambria

I've been completely absent from running, and blogging, over the last couple of weeks. I've been consumed with packing, moving (including a 3 day drive across the country), unpacking, and starting a new job. It's been a rollercoaster, but I'm so happy we've made it here.

I haven't joined a gym yet, and it's dark when I get home from work, and finding time to run has been challenging all around. But, today, finally, I treated myself to a run. We are living about 1.5 miles away from the beach, on a hilly 2 lane road waaaaay out in the country.  My plan this morning was to run down to the beach, navigate the park, then run home. I was afraid of how much fitness I've lost with my complete lack of physical fitness, so I didn't want to push it.

I made it about a quarter mile down the road before turning around and coming home. Not because I was too out of shape to run (thank goodness), but because I was too afraid of being run over on the almost 6-inch shoulder of the busy road. Instead, I drove down to the coast, ran for a bit, then drove home. Much safer that way! And look how beautiful!

Miles logged: 0.0

Running in Delray Beach

It's been a busy few weeks for me. In addition to accepting a new job, selling my house to move across the country, I celebrated my 35th birthday, packed up my house, and took a weekend trip to Florida. We drive across the country this week. But in the meantime, I booked a quick trip to the east coast of Florida to spend my birthday weekend with a friend of mind from the 6th grade. It was a weekend of excess, both drinking and eating. I managed to squeeze in a run this morning before we had to board a plane to come "home". 

I can't decide if I prefer a sunrise on the beach or a sunset. I'll let you know next week!

If any of you are Vanilla Ice fans (and, come on, who isn't??), I ran on the infamous A1A-Beachfront Avenue referred to in "Ice Ice Baby."

Miles logged: 4.8

Music Monday: Uptown Funk

Artist: Mark Ronson
Title: Uptown Funk
Fave Line: If you sexy then flaunt it. If you freaky then own it!

Miles Logged: 0.0