So. Very. Cold.

Here I am, sitting on my tush, watching hockey.  Wait, hockey?  Yeah, I don't generally do that, but I did graduate college from a hockey school, and you have to tune in when they are playing outside, in Soldier Field, against Notre Dame.  So far, not so good, but they have a little more time to try and pull something out.  Funny (or not funny) fact:  I have never watched my Redhawks win when I watch them on TV... Yikes. (Update: my streak continues - booooo)

I feel like I earned my right to sit on the couch today because I am finally back into double digit long runs!  The last time I went 10 miles or more was Tough Mudder in October, so I was a little nervous and excited about today.  I made sure to not go out and drink heavy last night, and instead I had a pasta dinner.  I also got plenty of sleep, had a good breakfast of oatmeal, quinoa and chia.  I wanted to make sure that this run went as smooth and painless as possible.  Unfortunately, the temps were in the teens, and I do not do well in cold weather running, especially considering I need a couple pounds of extra gear on! 

I wish it had been this warm on my run.

 What did I wear?:  I got an app the other day that is specifically designed to help me decide what to wear.  You can find it in the app store under "What To Wear."  To be honest, I didn't really follow the app because it said to only wear running tights.  The weather on Saturday was similar to today, and I didn't like how long it took for my legs to get warmed up with just tights.  Today I added some track pants on top of the tights, along with my compression sleeves on my calves, compression shorts and two layers of socks.  Finally, I put on my Koppen long-sleeve tech shirt, North Face pullover fleece, skull cap, gloves and my full Camelbak. 

Overall, I felt like it was a good run.  I started out real real real slow, at just under 9 minute miles.  Again, my legs just wouldn't warm up!  In fact, I don't feel like I really got loose until mile 7!  Regardless, runners push through, and that is exactly what I did.  Besides, it was cold, but at least it was super gorgeous out!  I get so much energy from the sun, so I just fed off that.  I also decided to take a totally different route, which proved to be a great idea.  I found out that I have so much more safe running areas than I even realize, and all I have to do is head out my door.  I am excited to keep adding more and more distance to this new route, which will eventually include a scenic trip around a PGA golf course.

Try to get your chest as low to the floor as you can.

Yesterday I put together a training-prescribed 5 mile run, but again, it was slow.  I don't have much to say about it besides that it was cold, I was sluggish, and it wasn't even sunny.  At least I followed this disaster up with a quality gym-session.  I created two circuits that focused on my legs, chest, back and core.  For the first circuit, I did 10 push-ups with both hands on one medicine ball, 10 reverse push-ups using a bar, 30 crunches and 25 box-jumps to keep my heart-rate up between sets.  I did this circuit 4 times.  For the second, I did 5 squats with 115 pounds, 30 lateral jumps, 10 push-ups on each side with one hand on a medicine ball and 10 pull-ups.  I also did some machine work on the chest and back, as well as some extra core work.  Personally, I love circuits for the simple fact that my heart rate stays up, and I know I am getting a quality workout for my time-investment.

Diet Update:
I find myself constantly trying to figure out new ways to get protein into my diet, and I think I have come up with a delicious and simple way to do it.  Runner's World recently did a short article about canned fish, and how these are often forgotten or ignored ways to get fish into our diet.  Personally, I always find cooking fish to be a pain, especially when it is cold, and I can't use my grill, so the idea of a pre-cooked alternative was alluring.  I also grew up with canned fish because my dad always had it in the house.  Yesterday I went to Trader Joe's and grabbed a few examples: sardines, anchovies and salmon.  All of these fish were broken down in the magazine, and they all have some great advantages. 

Today I threw some anchovies onto post-run salad, and I was really impressed with how good it was.  These particular anchovies were salted, so it added some that flavor, which I liked.  I also thought the texture was just like having bits of chicken!  Some people are weird about texture, and I don't think you would have an issue.  The only problem for some people might come from the smell, which is very fishy.  I don't have a problem with it, but I also don't think I will be eating this in the teacher's lounge.  I may just reserve these for my post-run work, especially considering the salt will help with recovery.  If you like fish and are lazy like me, this is a great way to go.  I am excited to try all these different flavors! (Those worried about over-fishing, most companies have made tremendous efforts to maintain populations, so this is a much smaller issue these days)

Other Things:
I am super excited to have a three day weekend!  Having that extra day to sleep in tomorrow will be amazing!  I am also excited to have some close family friends over tonight for dinner.  We went over to their house last weekend, so it was our turn to host.  I love the idea of Sunday dinner, so this is awesome. Plus, I love hanging out with my friends' kids.

I also feel like I am in a state of limbo right now.  My parents have lived in Alabama for almost 10 years now, so I only see them one or two times a year.  Recently, my father has been searching for provost positions at universities back here in Ohio, and he might hear back about one this week.  If this were the case, we might be picking up and moving this summer.  Personally, I hate moving, but I would love to have my family close by.  I definitely have my fingers crossed!

Questions:
Have you ever had fish out of a can?  Do you like it or does the idea weird you out?

Are you the type that will try anything or are you picky?

Do you have to drive somewhere to go for a run or can you just go right out your door?

Anyone else have President's Day off?  What are your plans?