Through Rain and Sleet and Snow and Political Hangovers...

So, I'm a political junkie. With help from Google and NPR (Washington DC's WAMU is a fantastic station!)  I have stayed up on the political scenery, both nationally and locally, as well as I possibly could.  I was also very scared of what our political landscape could look like under the candidates I didn't support, and what it could mean for our country's continued existence (and lets NOT bring up the fiscal cliff and its frustrating absence in the discussions.)  So how this relates to running you ask?  Well, its more the lack of sleep that this caused last night.  I couldn't go to sleep until the "Fat Lady had Sung."

(as a side note - I am very proud of my new state, we passed Same Sex Marriage and the DREAM act!)

But on to the running.. As the Alarm went off this morning, the last thing my body wanted was to roll out of bed and go or a run.  But since, I blew it the day before - up I went.  It was 38 degrees out, so noticeably warmer than yesterday! Talk about a fantastic starting point.

St. Patricks 4 mile race in Binghamton NY!

Yesterday, I did my first "St. Pat's 4 miler!"  This a staple for runners in this area - with it being the 11th running of the race.  Let me start by saying that it was COLD.  We were running in 60 degree temperatures last week, and yesterday it was 24 degrees.  Despite (or maybe because of?) the odd distance, it gets a great showing, with 697 runners showing up this year.  I find this REALLY impressive, as it was pre-registrations ONLY.

For those that know the Binghamton Area, I have included a map of the course above.

There were a variety of outfits from the mundane, to green-haired kilt wearing runners.  The gymnasium was PACKED! (probably because people were avoiding the cold.)  I wasn't terribly impressed with the packet pickup.  First you stood in line and got your number (mine was 660.)  You were supposed to remember the number while you stood in a really

[caption id="attachment_1297" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Your standard cotton race shirt. Luckily, I like the standard cotton race shirt. Especially long-sleeve ones!"][/caption]

long line, for packet pickup.  Then toward the end of the line - you went to one of three - that was based on your number.. (Only one of which was actually long - but it was the reason the number pickup was long.)  Then, just in case you hadn't

Why run in the cold? Because the Zombie apocolypse may not come in summer!

This is a repost from my Wordpress Blog.

I couldn't even find a picture of a Zombie in snow!

Have you ever noticed that all of the zombie movies take place when it is warm out? Well, I think this is NOT indicative of the true threats we face from the Zombie Apocalypse and is filmed this way purely so that we can see the cute actors/actresses in scanty summer clothes. And while I may be okay with watching that on TV, I do believe that our mass media is getting us ill prepared for potential disaster! It is COLD out there for half of the year, and yet we are only prepared for the WARM Zombie apocalypse.

Even those runners that stick to an exercise program throughout the winter by going to a gym and running on a treadmill - are they really prepared? Does that elliptical help? Well, let me remind you about my blog post of several days ago - my ability to run was severely hampered by not being used to the cold. My lungs hurt and I had to stop and catch my breath. Now do you THINK the zombies are going to give you a "time-out?" I THINK NOT!!!

HOLY FRICKIN COLD BATMAN!

This is a repost from my Wordpress Blog.
So, I got home from work yesterday and after checking on the baby status (still no baby from my brother's family) I headed out to run. I knew it was cold - So I put on my compression shirt and pants (that sounds much more manly than "running tights"), lined running pants, work out jacket, shell and the infamous Perry the Platypus hat. I opened the door and started to set up my phone and..

HOLY CRIKEY ITS COLD!!!!!!!!!!

It was 12 degrees degrees out when I left for my run. For my Celsius-smart friends that is -11.1111111111111111 according to Google. No matter how you look at it, after running in 50 degree weather on friday it was REALLY REALLY COLD!!!!!!

Running in the cold – you may not be as fast as you feel you are.

This is a repost from my WordPress blog.

Last night I got out of work earlier than usual. That worked out quite nicely as I got to run in the light! I went with one less layer this time, no under-armour on the top. I regretted that for the first mile or so. I never hit the point that I was "warm," but I was not "cold." I think I may stop messing with WHAT to wear, I seem to have it figured out now.

I felt good out there last night, I was trying to concentrate on lifting my legs and letting them drop the whole way. I tried to lift them as soon as they hit the ground - as the POSE book said, and I felt like I was FLYING! I also quickly understood why the book says you need to focus on building your core muscles. I could feel it BIG TIME. When I got back - I was a little disappointed at my time. I felt like I was doing at MOST an 8 minute mile. This was slower than I ran at the beginning of November. Regardless of that, it was a good run - and my calves/legs are feeling it this morning. A little bit of soreness always lets you know it was a good workout!