100th post and wow is it cold & wet

I can’t believe I have actually made this many posts to this blog. I never thought I would keep it up which was my main initial reluctance to writing one. But here we are, six months later and I am still posting, Of course I say that and watch me never write again!

This morning I woke an hour before my alarm went off. I almost got up and headed out, but I thought nah, it will be too dark out, plus I was comfy. So I dozed until the alarm finally reared its head. I went through my morning routine of a cup of coffee, the start of an emergen-C (I usually finish the rest after my run) and half a clif bar. I can usually finish all this up and get dressed in a leisurely hour, but for some reason I was Johnny on the spot today. I walked out the door and turned around to get my light because it was still so dark. I have a flashing clip-on light that I attach to my hat for dark runs. I think it makes me more visible and also gives me a sense of safety especially when I also wear my bright orange running jacket.

In addition to the dark it was also pretty cold, windy and rainy. It was interesting weather-wise, about a third of a way through the wind and the rain died down and it got much colder, so I think some sort of cold front moved in. It amazes me to see weather move so quickly. By this time I was thoroughly soaked and cold to boot. My running slowed down a bit as I fought the chill. Of course that could have been the last mile or so of my course that is all up-hill, one of the benefits to having flood plains around me but lower than my house. The hills I am forced to run no matter where I go have been a great training boon.

The nutrition book I am reading suggests a protein supplement that contains whey. I think I will try that. I have always been a bit concerned about my protein intake even though I get a good amount of soy. The other thing I read was a recommendation to utilize creatine in some form for recovery. The author plans to talk more of this in later chapters. BTW, the book is called Runner’s World Performance Nutrition for Runners: How to Fuel Your Body for Stronger Workouts, Faster Recovery, and Your Best Race Times Ever by Matt Fitzgerald.

100th post and wow is it cold & wet

I can’t believe I have actually made this many posts to this blog. I never thought I would keep it up which was my main initial reluctance to writing one. But here we are, six months later and I am still posting, Of course I say that and watch me never write again!

This morning I woke an hour before my alarm went off. I almost got up and headed out, but I thought nah, it will be too dark out, plus I was comfy. So I dozed until the alarm finally reared its head. I went through my morning routine of a cup of coffee, the start of an emergen-C (I usually finish the rest after my run) and half a clif bar. I can usually finish all this up and get dressed in a leisurely hour, but for some reason I was Johnny on the spot today. I walked out the door and turned around to get my light because it was still so dark. I have a flashing clip-on light that I attach to my hat for dark runs. I think it makes me more visible and also gives me a sense of safety especially when I also wear my bright orange running jacket.

In addition to the dark it was also pretty cold, windy and rainy. It was interesting weather-wise, about a third of a way through the wind and the rain died down and it got much colder, so I think some sort of cold front moved in. It amazes me to see weather move so quickly. By this time I was thoroughly soaked and cold to boot. My running slowed down a bit as I fought the chill. Of course that could have been the last mile or so of my course that is all up-hill, one of the benefits to having flood plains around me but lower than my house. The hills I am forced to run no matter where I go have been a great training boon.

The nutrition book I am reading suggests a protein supplement that contains whey. I think I will try that. I have always been a bit concerned about my protein intake even though I get a good amount of soy. The other thing I read was a recommendation to utilize creatine in some form for recovery. The author plans to talk more of this in later chapters. BTW, the book is called Runner’s World Performance Nutrition for Runners: How to Fuel Your Body for Stronger Workouts, Faster Recovery, and Your Best Race Times Ever by Matt Fitzgerald.

Cold morning run

We have had some sun this week after having so much rain, or at least rain during my runs. What was 6 straight rainy runs has now turned into 3 straight runs with no rain. It’s hard to call them sunny as they have been mostly foggy. I like the foggy runs almost as much as the drizzle. There is a blanket of quiet that sits on top of me and a creepy sense of running nowhere. I love it!

I deviated from my 6.5 mile course and ran the canyon this morning. I don’t get to do that too often in the winter as I don’t want to tear up the paths (though they do a really good job there with putting organic material down, bark chips, leaves, saw dust, etc.) But since we have had some sun lately, I thought I would take advantage. With the leaves all fallen it is hard to tell where the path is, but I have run it so often that I just naturally stay on the covered path.

I just started a book on running nutrition last night. My diet is not the greatest in the world and I am hoping this has some good ideas in it. My main problem is I tend to eat what is easiest and quickest to prepare. As a vegetarian this tends towards a lot of bread and cheese which helps me keep my belly at the proper roundness. You would think that with all the running I do it would melt away, but no such luck. I guess that is what my dedication to bread and cheese does for me. One area I know I can do better in is eating more fresh vegetables. I really need to commit to working them into my diet. Yeah I am a vegetarian, but that doesn’t mean I eat vegetables! Well it needs to. I probably get enough fruit, though a lot of the fruit I eat is dried. I probably need to mix in more fresh fruits. Two areas I am pretty good in are whole grains and soy. So there is at least that to celebrate! This book is interesting, I’ll post the title at some point. The author is very realistic about personal nutrition and knows that we can’t do everything. He suggests doing whatever you can, which will be better than nothing. That is an attitude I can ascribe to!

Cold morning run

We have had some sun this week after having so much rain, or at least rain during my runs. What was 6 straight rainy runs has now turned into 3 straight runs with no rain. It’s hard to call them sunny as they have been mostly foggy. I like the foggy runs almost as much as the drizzle. There is a blanket of quiet that sits on top of me and a creepy sense of running nowhere. I love it!

I deviated from my 6.5 mile course and ran the canyon this morning. I don’t get to do that too often in the winter as I don’t want to tear up the paths (though they do a really good job there with putting organic material down, bark chips, leaves, saw dust, etc.) But since we have had some sun lately, I thought I would take advantage. With the leaves all fallen it is hard to tell where the path is, but I have run it so often that I just naturally stay on the covered path.

I just started a book on running nutrition last night. My diet is not the greatest in the world and I am hoping this has some good ideas in it. My main problem is I tend to eat what is easiest and quickest to prepare. As a vegetarian this tends towards a lot of bread and cheese which helps me keep my belly at the proper roundness. You would think that with all the running I do it would melt away, but no such luck. I guess that is what my dedication to bread and cheese does for me. One area I know I can do better in is eating more fresh vegetables. I really need to commit to working them into my diet. Yeah I am a vegetarian, but that doesn’t mean I eat vegetables! Well it needs to. I probably get enough fruit, though a lot of the fruit I eat is dried. I probably need to mix in more fresh fruits. Two areas I am pretty good in are whole grains and soy. So there is at least that to celebrate! This book is interesting, I’ll post the title at some point. The author is very realistic about personal nutrition and knows that we can’t do everything. He suggests doing whatever you can, which will be better than nothing. That is an attitude I can ascribe to!