The Thrifty Ginger

Sometimes I amaze even myself, and one such occurrence happened Friday. Usually Dick's Sporting Goods is not known for good deals, and you are lucky to get out of there without spending 60 dollars on a shirt. This was not the case on Friday, and I am still shocked! I immediately hit the clearance racks, which are usually picked over and worthless. This time though, I got all the following items for about $60:











I have already used most of these on runs already. The Koppen long sleeve tech shirts are amazing! I got two of those for $9 each, and they are very comfortable and warm. I threw the yellow north face pullover on top, and I was perfectly comfortable in around 28 degree temps. The Koppen hat was $5 and I am super happy with it. All these cold weather clothes breathe while still keeping my cozy. The pullover was only $20... For North Face... What!? The Saucony run shorts were actually the most expensive, but I needed new ones now that my Under Armor shorts are falling apart. To sum up, I am now a Koppen fan for cold weather gear! Definitely take time to hit up those clearance racks folks! The women's selection was pitiful, which is a reversal of the norm at most stores, but that may just be my store.


Moving on, I came across this little tool by GNC to calculate how much protein you need. I would say it is pretty broad, but it might help you. I would just do a Google search for it if you are interested. I found out that I probably need to add more protein to my diet because I do so much lifting and cross training on top of just running. Part of this addition may be the addition of quinoa to my diet. I picked up a good sizes bag of the stuff at Sam's Club of all places, and it is even organic. I just need to figure out what I want to do with it. Quinoa is a good natural and organic source of protein, so that is a win! Maybe I can figure out a way to add it to my daily lunch, which is generally big on veggies and low on protein.


Funny Story Alert: Now that I said that, you won't find it funny, but I sure do. I have had this story for days now, but I keep forgetting to mention it. Recently I used this picture in a post for motivation:


I then mentioned how much I wanted to high five someone on a run. Well, guess what? Well? Okay, I will tell you. I high fived someone! Now, here is the thing, there are not many runners out and about around me, so I haven't had many opportunities, so I had been waiting for my opportunity. This came in the way of an older lady, and she had no idea what to make of it! She undoubtedly thought I was crazy, but felt bad for me and did it anyways. I was totally juiced for the rest of my run! I am guessing the experience was a bit like this for the woman though:


Training Stuff:

I continue to pluck away at my runs, and I am feeling great. I went on my long run yesterday, and it was easily the easiest 9.1 miles I have ever done. I feel like my whole body is strong now, so it takes punishment and recovery so much better.


I do really want my distance runs to be closer to 8:30 pacing, but I did have a lot of hills on that course, especially at the beginning. Also, on a side note, MapMyRun updated, so I was finally able to see all my splits! This new version is really phenomenal for a free app! If you don't have a garmin, or even if you do, get on this!

Another note, I had my first Gu ever on that run, and it was totally nasty. I promised myself that I would do my long runs just like I will do my marathons, so I brought fuel, and I strapped on a full Camelbak. I am just glad I had all that water to wash down the grossness! It did a good job though, and it made the second half the run easier. I will write a full review of the Camelbak in a few weeks, but I like it so far! I hated carrying a water bottle!


Beyond running, and almost as important, is my devotion to the gym and cross training. If carrying that big ass Christmas tree box is cross training, you can include that into my training log! I did do any gym over the weekend, but I went there today and hit it hard. I did the following Workout Of The Day:


I also included 30 reps of dead lifts at 155 pounds, 55 extra push-ups, 50 reps each on two back machines, 30 box jumps on a 24 inch box, side and front planks and 30 pull-ups.

I am happy with this one, and I am feeling the burn! My back is good sore from the dead lifts, and I love the challenge of power cleans! I also looked like a total but on those box jumps because I almost died several times - I am not coordinated enough! I am loving the new exercises and determination these workouts are giving me on my gym days!

Short Movie Review: Silver Linings Playbook:

I won't go too into this because I am not a movie blog, but this is a bit of a runner movie. I think we (runners) would all see a little of ourselves in both of the main characters. I know I saw a ton of myself in Bradley Cooper's character, and that was both scary and enlightening. To sum it up, the main characters are both suffering from mental illnesses, and they use running and eventually dancing to help them cope. These two things help unite both characters. I know running certainly helps me stay sane on a much lesser scale!

I really enjoyed the movie though because it was heartfelt but humorous at the same time. I love movies that take a potentially serious theme and make it appropriately funny.

Questions:

How was your Super Bowl experience? Good food? Good drink? Win any money?

Doing any challenges in February? If so, which ones?

What is your favorite cold weather gear?

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