My oldest son, Blake, loved The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh DVD as a toddler. One of my favorite lines of the movie was "Piglet. It's a Winds-day!" Poor Piglet was so small that he was easily blown about. This week, our MN weather wouldn't be too healthy for poor Piglet. The current conditions the last time I checked was -6 degrees with -35 windchill. OOOOOOOH, that's cold. This morning, the windchill was already below my -20 limit. I was thankful to have the treadmill all set to go downstairs. Poor Charlie loves sweaty knees and sits anxiously waiting for me to step off at the end of my run. I did a sort of hill workout by starting with a 10 minute warmup followed by 2:00 each at each incline from 1-6. I then cooled down for another 10 minutes. That was a really hard workout for my current amount of "in-shape." I'll try to do 3:00 next time or perhaps 2:00 and then decline every 1-2:00 from 6 back to 1. Looking ahead, the weather is forecasted to be extremely cold for most of the next week. I'll be trying out a variety of other styles of workouts for variety. I thought about doing some runs based on heart rate, speed and some good old long running. Since there's nothing to do outdoors (safely), I might feel like Kermit below between my turns on the treadmill. Deb, Blake and I are registered for the Earth Day Half Marathon in April. I'll be starting my 12 week training plan on Monday. I chose the Own It plan from Train Like a Mother. Deb is using the Finish It plan to gauge her training after surgery, so I felt like using another one of their plans would coordinate well when we want to run together for parts or all of some workouts. Beginning a new training plan can be a good way to refresh one's attitude and get excited about running even when the great outdoors is not cooperating.
Another way that I'm looking past this deep freeze is to book a couple of vacations. The first will be a weekend at quilt camp in late March. Unfortunately, Stephanie is unable to come this time. I wonder if I'll get more sewing done or less without her company? The second is our annual summer vacation to Lake Sybil near Vergas, MN. I took a poll and the kids still wholeheartedly voted to go. I've got the cabin booked; we just need to line up some stand-up paddle boards as those were super fun last year. To forget about winter for just a moment, here are Charlie and I on the stand-up paddle board last summer. Keep warm and happy running! Missee
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Cold weather, below zero temperatures, are not uncommon in January. It has been a cold weekend. If you choose to get our and brave the weather, dress for the temperature. After a run on Saturday morning, my family and I traveled to the Helgeson Learning Lab Theatre in Waite Park, MN for an afternoon showing of "The Giver." If you are a fan of this book, you will love the play! The Helgeson Learning Lab Theatre is part of the Great Theatre. Most of the Great Theatre plays that we have attended are at the Paramount Center for the Arts in downtown Saint Cloud. This was our first time at the Helgesson Learning Lab, located next to Crafts Direct in Waite Park. We have enjoyed many plays at the Paramount Theatre over the years. The plays are well done and offered at a very reasonable price. We also have tickets for Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat in April. We can't wait! In other news, my running friend and I have signed up for a spring half marathon. We will be running the Fargo Half Marathon on May 18. We will be starting a training program soon. Signing up for a spring race can be a great motivator to get through these winter weather.
Happy Running! -Stephanie For years, I have considered getting a treadmill but always resisted for good reasons. I prefer running outdoors or with friends. Sometimes, I've had a gym membership and access to treadmills for bad weather days. We didn't really have room for exercise equipment. Well, this year's early icy days plus our new status as empty nesters inspired me to think harder on having access to running in my basement any time I wanted and space for exercise equipment where once was filled with teenagers. I started out looking for treadmills on Facebook hoping to find a used unit that someone wasn't using and wanted to get rid of. Most of the units looked dusty, dirty and had problems that the owners were willing to admit. After a lot of looking, we decided to look at new units. Even that wasn't easy...so many options, folding, speed, inclines, motors, etc. Stephanie advised me to make sure the treadmill was made for running as many are best for walking or light jogging. We finally settled on the ProForm 1295i from Sam's Club. It got good reviews. After shopping around online, I found that Sam's had the best price, plus I was able to use Ebates and as a Plus Member of Sam's, we get $10 back for every $500 we spend during the year. I was pleased with the quality of machine we were able to get at about the same price as many of the used models. Once we got the treadmill delivered, getting it inside was no easy task. My husband and I unloaded it piece by piece on the front steps and carried it inside. The deck was the heaviest part, but we did it. Putting it together was difficult; it took the two of us over two hours. By the time it was together, one of us was ready to roll. While I had resisted going away from purely running outdoors and joined the darkside of treadmills, if it gets my husband walking, that would be totally worth it. When he and I met, we were both runners. Only one of us has continued to run, but we can both be in shape. Age is somewhat unforgiving and I'd prefer to wear out rust out! We didn't pay $4,000 for our treadmill, but I liked the sentiment...convenience of being able to run indoors vs. being out with friends and fresh air. I'm hoping I quickly arrive at a nice balance, especially if we get some cold, icy weather yet before spring. I'm looking forward to being able to do some speed work and enjoy some Amazon Prime Videos while running on days that are less than ideal outdoors. Here's to hoping you are getting some running outdoors or indoors...just keep running. Happy running! Missee
After a ten day stint with pneumonia, I am back to feeling like myself again. I took eight days off of running, probably the longest break I have taken in twenty years for illness or injury. For the first two days of my return, I did a run/walk mix to build up my strength again. Yesterday, I was able to run a normal weekday route of about 4.5 miles and it felt great! We have been blessed in Minnesota lately with warmer than normal winter temperatures. It was in the low 30s for my run yesterday with sunshine and a light breeze. Despite the temps, we are still dealing with a fair amount of ice. I highly recommend wearing some type of running spikes when you run on the ice. They easily slip over your shoes and provide enough grip to keep you from slipping. I have the Due North Snow and Ice Cleats from QVC. You can find a link here. If you are between sizes, I recommend sizing down. You want these to be a snug fit on your shoes. Happy Winter Running! -Stephanie
I have a love/hate relationship with shopping. When I don't have a particular mission, I often find a few things that catch my eye, especially if I happen to drop by a fabric/craft/quilt shop. Those days are fun...coming home with something new and fun, staying within budget and relaxed. However, if I need a particular item, the process can be anywhere from frustrating to downright depressing. My son and I had one of those good nights the other evening. I had ordered a piece for my sewing machine and picked up another machine for my mother-in-law at the sewing center; D had several items he needed/wanted at Harbor Freight; and then we went to Chick-Fil-A for dinner. For our gluten free friends, D and I highly recommend the #5 meal with a GF bun. So yummy! The day before, my daughter and I had set out on a similar mission that ended badly. We started out at the local quilt shop, got some fancy chrome gel manicures having a great time and then headed to our local running store to find her a good-fitting "undergarment" for the upcoming track season. Yikes, what a different result on that trip. Before embarking on this expedition, I had called ahead to the running shop to inquire if there would be a staff person working who was comfortable helping a woman find a good undergarment. Many of the staff are young men who are college runners. That would have been awkward for all of us, so I felt we were good to go. The woman who helped H was very kind and gracious and did try her best, so kudos to her for trying to make the experience as painless as possible. My husband and I had already decided there was no budget cap for this stop on our trip...just find something that fits well and has the proper support. The salesperson took measurements and gave H several of the largest models they had on hand to see what would fit best. How mortifying was the experience when even the largest one took two people to get on--multiply that by at least two when considering that one has to be half naked to try these on. While trying to be as positive as possible, H did shed a few tears on the way home about the experience. I always try to keep the attitude that if clothes don't fit, it's a problem with the clothes, not the person. That's totally true. It's not my fault if they make the legs too long on pants or the arms too short for my body and it's not your fault either unless you are making this stuff! I am a pretty solid size M in most everything and realize how lucky that makes me. If I grab the medium off the rack and it's too small or too large, the next size up or down is likely available in the store I'm in right now. For folks who are on the larger or smaller end, they are grabbing the largest or smallest size available and just praying it fits. If it's a no-go, they are out of luck and may have to go to a different store to find something suitable. I've seen articles about gals who'd like to get into running and have a hard time finding suitable if not even cute gear due to their size. This shopping trip made me much more appreciative of their plight. It takes a brave person to try something new and then to feel like you are not properly outfitted would make it that much harder. I've gotten a few catalogs from Title Nine Sports and always thought about ordering from them. Their super cute and functional dresses and skirts always catch my eye. While paging through, I have also noticed that they have a large selection of sports bras and that they take note of having a wide range of sizes and support levels. On the way home from shopping, I promised H we'd pull up their website and order anything we could find that looked suitable and return whatever doesn't work. After this much frustration, the no budget cap was more like sky's the limit...just find SOMETHING! Title Nine ranks their sports bras support level in terms of barbells. One barbell for light support, maybe for those who only wear bras because everyone else does or for very light activity to six barbells for very gifted gals who do high impact activities. Since H does a lot of weight lifting, jumping and spinning to train as a thrower, plus her giftedness, we looked in the 4-6 barbell range and found four to order that we are hoping at least one fits properly. At that point, we will return anything that doesn't fit and probably order a couple more of the favorite style. We really appreciated the light hearted nature of the website in terms of the bras. Well, we all wear one, so no need to be embarrassed. The only thing we should be embarrassed about is not seeking out the proper gear for our activities! H and I even joked a bit that she could use the barbell system to help other young women find a better bra..."Excuse me, but you seem to be a 5 barbell girl in a 2 barbell bra," would sound better than telling someone they are bouncing all over! LOL! I applaud any stores that are trying to include as close to everyone as they can in their sizing. God made people in all shapes and sizes and we should encourage all people to be active and feel good doing it.
Have you ever had an experience that made you feel bad but totally was not your fault like the bra shopping? Feel free to share in the comments! We are currently having a good old January thaw and I LOVE IT! While these temps would have felt a little chilly in October or November, I love it now. Every day that we can avoid the double digits below zero is one day closer to spring. The holiday lights are still ablaze and I enjoyed them running alone yesterday and walking with Deb and Charlie today. Not sure how long if ever it will take me to tire of the lighted trail, but I'm afraid they will disappear this week and I'll look forward to being out there again next year. Happy running--Missee |
AuthorMissee and Stephanie are two Minnesota sisters and moms who love to run. We are not experts in running, parenting or anything else, but we do have years of experiences that may be helpful or entertaining to others. Archives
May 2020
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