Be careful but keep going!

Okay, Reader, I don't mean to get all "running in the winter is so hard boo hoo whomp whomp!" on you.

But, well, running through the winter can be really hard.  Right now in Minnesota, the snow falls a teeny bit at a time, enough to collect on the sidewalks but not enough so that every homeowner thinks, "Hmm!  I should head outside with my shovel and a bag of salt!"

That makes for a real slog on some stretches of my routes - I've compared it before to running on loose beach sand.  Ow!  My legs get tired just thinking about it.

And then if it's not snow on the sidewalks, the paths look like this:

Oh, it looks all glittery and pretty, Reader, but don't be fooled.  That's glare ice and bad news.  That stuff makes you run for the edge of the snowbanks real quick before you have to launch into an impromptu ice-dance routine down that slope.

And then it gets dark so early and you have to watch for your footing while you're watching for cars, who can't see you as easily.  And you have to kind of dress like a snowman and it is way harder to pack up your duffel bag before work than it is when you're packing clothes in the summer.  Add all of that up, and it can become a major deterrent to running outside in the winter, even for weirdos like me who actually like it 80 percent of the time.

But the purpose of this post is not to grouch about a hobby I choose to practice.  (Somewhere a reader is like "I know she complained about warm weather in the summer!  I know it!  Shut up!")

Today on my run I was thinking about new runners in wintry climates and how gutsy they are for working to establish a running routine in this very strange time of year.  It's January, after all, and I know there are people out there setting resolutions to run their first 5K or run a mile without stopping.  I am proud of people working on that on a treadmill, of course, but I know there are also a lot of people who are doing it without a gym, outside, on the same sidewalks I'm traversing.  

I get asked often whether I run outside through the winter, and for me, it's simply a routine and a habit formed over many years of doing it.  The fresh air does me a whole heap of good, it's not really a fancy choice to me, and as I've written before, I've learned through trial and error that you can dress for just about any conditions and be mostly comfortable.

But like running in the rest of the year - or just like any other challenge - it's not always easy.  Running in the winter can be exhilarating and refreshing.  It can also be dark and cold and lonely.  Skipping a workout can get so easy when a warm couch and warm dinner is beckoning after work.

I give real, serious kudos, therefore, to anyone out there who is just beginning to build a fitness routine this month, who is walking or running outside in the winter for the first time, making a firm choice each time he or she heads out onto slushy sidewalks.  

Be careful, but keep going!  It will get easier!  I'm rooting for you!

This time of year, running outside can definitely be a bear.  But every time, even if it's a trudgefest for most of the trip, I have at least one moment where it clicks for me that my muscles have been totally worked or my mind has been calmed - or an even tinier moment, when I just see streetlights against a darkening sky and think, I'm really glad I did this after all.  

I really hope all of the new runners feel that this winter, too.

Marvelous Monday (Vol. 4)

Here at Miles and Laurel, Marvelous Monday is usually a merge between a true Marvelous Monday (noting five nice things about Monday) and a weekend recap of highlights still on my mind.  This weekend started with a chilly but great long run with Molly on Saturday morning, and after that was done, I let the rainy, icy, chilly weather keep me mostly inside for the rest of the weekend in a cozy sort of way.  Thus, some of my Marvelous Monday notes are riffs on that theme.

1) Josh will either laugh or roll his eyes when he sees this because I've been crowing about nonstop, but I will now shout to the world that I downloaded Hulu Plus for my new phone and have been back on a Parks and Recreation kick.  It makes me laugh just thinking about it.

2) Today I signed up for the next six weeks of boot camp class through work.  This may not be marvelous exactly, but I came to terms with the idea that I just need a little more of a forced nudge to do strength training.  It felt good to act on that realization instead of just mumbling to myself over and over that tomorrow would be a perfect day to finally going on strength work.

3) We rented "Midnight in Paris" and watched it last night.  I kind of want to make Sunday movie nights a more regular occurrence!  It was a fun and festive way to end the weekend, especially because we were both utterly charmed by the movie.  It makes me want to listen to Cole Porter now, too.

4) Winter birthdays!  There are a ton in my family - more on this in the coming weeks - and among my friends.  I sounded the first birthday alarm over the weekend, but warm, happy birthday wishes go out to Nat (whose day was yesterday) and Dawn (whose is tomorrow)!

5) This morning I was attacking hacking demolishing scraping my windshield and a sheet of ice that was larger than an 8x11 piece of paper flew off.  It was pretty cool.

Fitness challenges

I have been reveling in my post-marathon off-season, shall we say, very enthusiastically: way less running, no spinning since my intro class, no strength work, and so on.  Don't worry - I have learned and truly believe that rest and recovery is a healthy, important component of a year-round training plan.  But now I'm ready to get moving again, bit by bit.

Last Tuesday, I pursued an exceptionally wise and intelligent schedule that included both my first day of boot camp and my first day of yoga class in months and months, five hours apart from each other.  Boot camp included the s-word (stairs) but was a little easier than I expected.  (Note: I feel comfortable saying that now because today I experienced the vast unknown that was Week Two, and it was A Whole Lot Harder.)  Yoga was wonderful - I loved the class and teacher - and I really, truly vow to work on that this winter.  Even one yoga class per week in the past has done great things for my flexibility and muscles and breathing (not to mention the brain benefits).  Josh came to class with me last week and I think he came away with a new appreciation for how darn challenging yoga can be. 

But then I was so sore the next day, and every hour it got worse instead of better.  Owowowowow.  Completely, utterly my own fault.  I'm still sorry, my sweet hamstrings.

I missed boot camp last Thursday, so today was my second session - and, as mentioned, it was a lot tougher.  There were basically two workout stations set up, each one with four exercises per station.  We'd have to do 20 repetitions of one exercise at one station (e.g. lunges) and then run fast across the gym to get to the other station and do another exercise (e.g. push-ups or whatever) and then run back to do another...and so on.  

I wrote "push-ups or whatever" because the upper body and core stuff was all via those TRX bands, which I have used before but not too frequently.  Do you know what those are, Reader?  They're basically these ropes/bands that you hook into a sturdy surface (a door frame or whatever) and you grab them and do strength work using your own body weight.  (Check out these people if I am not being remotely coherent.)  Ouch!  These things are serious.  But they're also very adaptable to what kind of challenge you need, so everyone can use them without adding or removing weights.  It seems like a really handy piece of fitness equipment to have at home.  Also, I have neither broken the bands nor fallen on my face yet, so I deem them productive.

I love being able to squeeze in a run or a class at lunch during the workday, because even though it's usually not too leisurely because of the quest to get back to my desk, it always clears my head and leaves me refreshed.  Sometimes I actually make big strides in a work project when I'm working out at lunch.  Today, though, I was mostly focusing on trying not to fall on my face with those little bands.

I will continue this sensible schedule of taking two classes per week (just both on Tuesdays) with more yoga later tonight - but I won't come crying to you, Reader, with words like "ouch" and "agony" and "sore" in tomorrow's post.  I promise.  It's only fair.

P.S. Hope you like the tinkering I did to spice up the blog's header!  This stuff is all new to me, but I'm having fun playing around with it.  This lady is the queen of it all and inspired me to try.  I reserve my right to completely change my mind and do something different in the future!