Reading Recap: January

I swear. It seems like months just fly by. Here it is, the end of January already and it's time for the first reading recap of 2012.

I finished three books in January for a total of 904 pages. That's very similar to January 2011 when I finished three books and 916 pages. Creepy really. Obviously the year is young, but for those of you keeping track, I've got to finish 37 more books before the end of 2012 if I want to hit that yearly goal of 40 books.

What I finish in January?

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Ruthless by Sara Shepard
Another Hill to Climb by Bo Ryan with Rick Reilly

Started out the year with a great book by Capote about a quadruple murder in Kansas, moved on to some young adult chick lit and finished up with a book by the Badgers' head coach Bo Ryan about his move up through the coaching ranks and why he approaches coaching the way he does. A good read and picked up a few good pointers that could apply to sports other than basketball.

And to start February, I picked up this:

It's a bit long, but I've heard good things about it. Hoping to get it finished by mid-month. Hopefully. Tell me, what are you reading?

11 Random Things

There's been a game going around the blogosphere. It's all about randomness. And I like randomness. Jess tagged me to play along and since I return to the working world tomorrow, I thought this was a good way to end my furlough.

The Rules:

1. Post these rules.
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself.
3. Answer the questions set for you in the post you were tagged in.
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
5. Go to their blog, FB page, or where you can grab their attention and inform them of their obligation to the blogosphere.

11 Random Things:

1. I've broken one bone in my life: My right wrist when I was in kindergarten and fell off a piece of playground equipment.
2. I lived in the state of Indiana for exactly 365 days. Not kidding. Moving truck pulled in on Halloween and left the next Halloween.
3. I will never like bananas. Don't like the smell. The texture. The taste.
4. I've played the violin and piano since third grade.
5. I get pretty freaked out during nasty storms if I'm alone. I love them when I'm with people, but if it's just me I get scared. I blame it on the summer I lived in Indiana when it was constant storm after storm with so much lightning during the night if felt like the middle of the afternoon. I had this fear I'd die or get hurt and nobody would know since I didn't know a ton of people.
6. I was supposed to be at Camp Randall in October 1998 the night Drew Brees threw for 400+ yards and "Jump Around" became a tradition. Instead I was at my brother's wedding. I spent most of the reception in the bar watching the game. And of course I still remind him about it.
7. It's kind of hard to get into prison, but I've been there more times than I can count. All for work purposes of course. :)
8. I never liked to run when I was younger. Dreaded the annual mile run. Makes me wonder what high school me would say when I find out I now run half marathons for fun.
9. My first concert was a Dave Matthews Band concert at the Kohl Center in Madison in 1998. The most recent concert I went to was Lady Gaga in Milwaukee in 2010. What? My Dad wanted to go.
10. I have a tendency to procrastinate. I always tell myself I work better at the last minute.
11. The only pet I've had was a Beta fish named Felipe my college roommates got me. Felipe was an unsocial fish, just stared at the wall. I didn't really want him to begin with, so there's a chance I "forgot" to feed him or clean his bowl. Stubborn little fish. He wouldn't die. So one night in March he got a new home in Lake Mendota.

Questions asked by Jess at Run with Jess:

I know you're a runner - but have you ever watched/cheered at a race?
I got a chance to spectate and cheer on a friend of mine at Ironman Wisconsin in September. It. Was. Amazing. My friend Jeff is a seasoned IM competitor, he's finished either 10 or 11, so getting the chance to stand along the road in the rural countryside west of Madison and cheer for the athletes and then bike around campus like crazy to cheer for Jeff during the marathon portion was a ton of fun. And watching the other athletes, especially those who were somewhere in the first loop of the marathon when the pain of the day started to set in but refused to give up? Totally inspiring.

Where's your favorite place to run?
It's a toss up between Menominee Park, where I can get a nice four-mile loop in through the park, out to the point and back along the water, or the Wiouwash Trail, where I can just zone out and run. I tend to lean towards the Wiouwash Trail.

Would you rather be able to run fast OR far?
Ideally both. But since I've got to choose, I'd rather be able to run far.

Name one bad habit that you want to break.
I admit it. I'm a nail biter. And when I'm stressed out? It gets worse. Someday I'll stop forever. Hopefully.

If you could trade lives with anyone for just one day, who would it be?
I think working PR for the U.S. Olympic Team would be pretty cool. Imagine all the stories that could be told about the (mostly) everyday athletes who have put in the work to make a dream a reality. And yes, it would probably need to be more than one day. :)

Your ideal workout would consist of...
A long run with friends. And make it in Madison, just because I wasn't really a runner in college and missed out on so many amazing running routes!

Name one food item that you'd like to magically make "healthy."
Pizza.

What's your favorite distance to run and why?
I like the half marathon distance. It's far enough that it's still a challenge to me, yet considering I've finished a number of them, I know I can cover the distance and still have fun.

What's the one thing about running that you DON'T like?
The battle scars I'm left with on those days when I forgot to use the Body Glide. Ouch.

What's your favorite cross-training exercise?
I like my bike.

What sports did you play in high school?
I played tennis. Hated having to do the half-mile warm lap around the school before practice. And now I run long distances.

Technically I'm supposed to come up with 11 questions of my own and tag a bunch of people. But this thing's been going around the blogosphere for a good chunk of time now. So instead, if you want to participate, tell me something random about yourself in the comments!

The taste of winter couldn't have waited a few more hours

I know not every training run can be fantastic. I know that. But this morning's run? I swear that was the hardest 9 miles I've ever run.

Seriously.

Between feeling like I was going to puke as I was driving to the park, a headache, a somewhat cranky IT band and the 2 to 3 inches of freshly fallen snow that made footing a bit tricky, it had all the makings of a less than stellar run from the get go.

Oh, I forgot to mention the wind. For the love of all things sacred Mother Nature. Did you really have to give us 30 mile per hour winds this morning? Thankfully it was from the west so by the time we hit Mile 2 we were done running into the wind. At least until we turned a corner somewhere around Mile 6.5 and we were heading straight back into it.

Brutal. I just wanted to be done. My Brooks Cascadias were covered in snow. It was cold. And windy.

Thankfully I had Peggy and Krystal with me to pull me through to the end. Otherwise there was a possibility I would have found some sheltered spot off in a snowbank and cried. And then froze.

But I finished. In a not so stellar time. But the 9.15 miles got done. And waiting for me when I got back to my parents' house? A driveway big enough to fit 3 cars that needed to be shoveled. So I traded my running jacket for my mom's winter jacket, went through three different pairs of gloves/mittens before I finally found a pair that kept my fingers somewhat warm and shoveled.

Over an hour later - told you it was a big driveway - I couldn't feel my toes, my face was numb and I was cursing my Dad for never teaching me how to use the snow blower. But the snow was shoveled, the run was done and a hot shower was calling my name. Oh, and my legs are screaming at me way too much for 9 miles. I blame the snow.

I think I've earned the right to be completely lazy the rest of the day.

Four Friday Furlough Facts

1. Furlough. Yup. That's what I've been doing this week. The week of forced, unpaid "vacation" is almost becoming a yearly tradition at my employer. And while I've completely disconnected from work (which is kind of nice), I've also kind of unplugged this week. No blogging. No reading blogs. I've checked in on Facebook and Twitter occasionally, but haven't done much updating myself. And honestly? It's been kind of nice. Although I do admit come Monday I'll be ready to dive back into the world of social media.

2. Even though I haven't been working, that doesn't mean I've been doing a ton of stuff. There's been reading. And relaxing. A little bit of bumming around town. Watched the Badgers beat Indiana. Kind of low-key. I like it.

3. I have done some running. A Tuesday night group run with Krystal, the girl who paced me at the Oshkosh Half Marathon last year (and told me she'd be pacing me at the upcoming Seroogy's 15K). Wednesday was just a quick 3 miles on the treadmill and there was another 5 miles done on the treadmill Thursday night. During that run I did the first mile in my new pair of Brooks Pure Connects. I got one of those Active Schwaggles and ended up getting a good deal - only having to pay $55 for the shoes (normally $90). And I've been hearing so much about them that I was almost stalking the UPS man when he brought them on Thursday. I wasn't planning on doing all 5 miles of my run in them. And actually it was tough just doing a mile. They're definitely different than my Brooks Ghost 3s that I normally wearing. I could tell my foot was landing different, my stride was a bit different and oh boy, could I feel it in my calves. Like I said, definitely different. The jury's still out if they'll be added into the running shoe rotation and how far I'll run in them.

4. Oh, and I guess I should fess up that I did celebrate a birthday this week. I turned the big 3-2 on Tuesday.

Three Things Thursday

1. After running Tuesday and Wednesday I decided to take tonight off. Really it was more that I was already at work late, I was starving and I had a few errands that needed to be done. So no running.

2. I won't have that excuse next week. It's the return of the week-long furlough, those great "unpaid" vacations my company has gotten into the habit of giving employees. I'll be spending most, if not all, of the week at my parents' house. There will be time for running. And hopefully some strength training and biking. And since my Dad is recuperating after having carpal tunnel surgery, I'm sure there will be some shoveling if there's snow. And I won't forget about that training plan I need to write. Or books I have to read. I'm pretty sure I'll find some ways to fill a week's worth of me time.

3. Does anyone else watch "Revenge?" OMG. I love this show. As in, I cannot miss a minute of it. So. Good. It's my must-see TV show. And considering I don't watch a ton of TV, that says a lot.

Hmm, a blank calendar starts staring me in the face in February

Guys. I'm scared.

Here it is, the middle of January. And my training plan I'm currently following? It's done in about 2 or 3 weeks. After that? The calendar is just one big blank slate. Except for those two half marathons I'm registered for in May and two relays this spring.

So here's the problem.

I've got to come up with a training plan. Myself. Something I've never done before.

Gulp.

I have a vague idea of what I want to do. But sitting down with my pen and a blank calendar? That's kind of scary. So of course I've been putting it off. But like I said, time is winding down on my current plan. I've got to get over the fright and try to come up with a plan on my own. And of course it'd be nice if it was a plan that actually worked and got me to my goals. Anyone have any suggestions for a newbie-training plan maker?

Wish me luck.

Three Things Thursday

1. Nothing like going from capri-wearing 50 degree weather to mid-20s and snow in a period of 24 hours. Oh well, such is weather in Wisconsin. Since it was still snowing pretty heavily, blowing and dark when I got out of work tonight I opted to get my run in on the treadmill at the YMCA. Nothing too exciting about the run. 5 miles. A decent pace. And a somewhat cranky IT band. Hmmm. Hasn't been bothering me too much lately. Also haven't been running on the treadmill lately. Coincidence? Maybe. But making a mental note to spend some quality time with my foam roller yet tonight.

2. After I got done with my run I wandered over into the weights area. GASP! And I even did a few reps on some of the machines! GASP! Not gonna lie though. I'm a little bit intimidated in that area. Especially since the  machines are new and I'm not quite sure what everything does. What I do know is that I need to figure out some kind of strength training routine. Because I think it will help if I incorporate that into my training. After I got freaked out in the land of weights, I headed back into the cardio room and spent 15 minutes on the stationary bike. Call it cross training if you want, but really it was an excuse to catch some of the Badger basketball game.

3. Speaking of Badgers and basketball. Yes, they won tonight. Snapping a three-game losing streak. And the added bonus was that the win came on the road. But that's not the important thing. On Sunday I get to see Renee! We're going to the Kohl Center to see the Badgers take on Nebraska. But we're meeting early to watch some football - hello the Packers are playing - and talk about all sorts of things, not limited to but including Badgers, running, triathlons, Ragnar Chicago and Revenge. Can't. Wait.

24 hours later, I'm much happier

 It's kind of hard to find a picture of a happy badger, they're all kind of angry. But he looks kind of happy to just be chillin' in the grass. 

Source

What a difference a run makes.

After being somewhat crabby and resembling on angry Badger the last two days, tonight I'm much happier. It's amazing what 4.5 miles in the darkness with my running shoes can do. Let's not even talk about the fact that I ran that 4.5 miles outside in a pair of capris. In January. In Wisconsin.

It was glorious.

I probably could have even ditched the jacket and just gone with long-sleeves, but I thought I better wear the Brooks Nightlife jacket since it was almost 6 p.m. and pretty dark out. Don't want to become roadkill. I won't become too used to the running attire I was sporting tonight. If the weatherman is right, I should wake up to a fresh layer of snow tomorrow morning and by the time it's all done, there should be 5-8 inches of the white stuff on the ground. Yes, I'm looking forward to this.

Another plus to the run? I almost have perfected the snot rocket. It never fails, whenever I run, my nose runs too. I don't have to be sick or battling allergies. My nose just runs. And in the summer I'm usually wiping it with my shirt. This becomes a bit tougher in the winter and I usually end up using my gloves. But tonight since it was so balmy I didn't even bring my gloves and the jacket sleeves? A bit rough on my nose. So I paused for a moment and tried out my snot rocket capabilities. Not too shabby. Now I just have to perfect it without having to stop while running.