Run Log: February 2015

Running in February has been COLD and SNOWY.  And I mean COLD.  We've had a total of 9 snow days...and most of those have been for COLD.  Seriously, It's been -14, -17, -23...actual temperature. Here's my proof: 

Historic Cold: February 2015 shatters 140-year-old Cleveland cold record

  I'm still fighting this sore 'calf' (which is really something going on in my rear ~ as rolling my rear causes a pain all the way down my leg to my ankle ~ and then my calf feels better)  And the treadmill makes it worse.  The leg actually hurts after 3 or 4 on the treadmill, so I've been avoiding at all costs.  I ran outside last Thursday in 7 degrees.  That was COLD.  But it sure beat my leg hurting.  I'm hoping March brings better temperatures. (and less snow)  Today's 16 was DELIGHTFUL because I ran on PAVEMENT instead of new powder on iced over old snow!

But we've been running ~ sometimes run club is just me, but sometimes other people join me.  I have this dressing thing down too, when it's in the teens, I got to three layers on top & two on the bottom.  A buff covering my head & neck with a hat on top.  I've been warm. (& I still love my gortex shoes)

This is my longest Abs-By-April plank time.  Haven't even been close to this since I posted the time.  I usually do 2:30 to 3:00.  I've added crunches & push-ups (but to be totally honest, it's been three days since I've done anything.  And after today's 16 miler, it will be tomorrow before I start again.)

FebruaryTotals:

125.51miles for the month
245.14 miles for the year 

152.12 miles in my Gortex Ghosts ~ Lots of miles in these this month!

195.32 miles in my pink Brooks Glycerin 12.  They were only worn at the Y and today's 16 miler.  

Training for:  The Cleveland Marathon on May 17, 2015  ~ Signed up for the 20 mile drop April 12, 2015.

My WEIGHT:  So same story as last month...weighed myself AFTER my run & post-run water ~ 137.  I've got nothing good to say about my weight other than if I really wanted to change it, I would do something differently.

Some interesting facts:

Longest run this month: 16.15 ~ Up Up Up we go in our training!

Favorite place to run this month: Today I ran to Geneva State Park.  It was Amazing to run long roads after the winding around we've done the past two Saturdays.  How many times have I driven to run the bike path...today I ran up to it {and discovered they do plow it...so it had less snow on it than the woods}  Also saw all the fire trucks and police and ambulances at the beach...doing the polar bear plunge...oh my...now THAT'S CRAZY.
# of bags of Candy Cane Kisses left in my cabinet:  There are two & a partial bag of Baby Ruth and a partial bag of York Peppermint Patties.
# of books I read this month: Four {mostly from 2:00 to 4:00 am}
Monthly mileage record: 155.46 ~ August 2013!  WOW
Highest mileage ever-at-one-time:  26.2 ~ October 13, 2013 ~ Northern Ohio Marathon

PR's:
5K: 22:30 (Run For the Grapes 9/28/14}
10K: 50:13 {Run for the Hills 6/22/14}
10-miler: 1:21:29 (Hermes Cleveland 10-miler 4/28/12)
half-marathon: 1:44:58 (Northern Ohio Half Marathon 10/12/14)
marathon: 4:01:04 (Northern Ohio Marathon 10/13/2013)

#7 ~ eleanor & park

#7 ~ eleanor & park by rainbow rowell was recommended as a book I would like because I liked something else {for the life of me I can't remember what book that was...}  It's a sweet, yet drama filled, tale of love and acceptance (or non-acceptance) YA novel.  The weird red-headed girl is picked on mercilessly, but finds the love of her life on the bus.  The story is told through both characters and it's full of the angst and hurt and joy and fear of being a teenager.  There're some really awful characters and circumstances thrown in, and some really super-duper understanding adults to boot.  It was a good YA book.

Quote:
p18~ All her bones seemed more purposeful than other people's.  Like they weren't just there to hold her up; they were there to make a point.

fl: XTC was no good for drowning out the morons at the back of the bus. ll: Eleanor hadn't written him a letter, it was a postcard.  Just three words long.

#6 ~ The Innocent

I found another David Baldacci series I enjoy #6 is The Innocent ~ the first book in the Will Robie series {I think it comes after an Shane Connors series, as he was mentioned & played a part in the story, but I just went on & continued reading OUT OF ORDER ~ because I'm crazy like that & it didn't bother me very much. hee}
It's another fast paced, short chaptered political intrigue story, full of powerful characters, mystery, killing, and the betrayal.  This one has a former target targeting the hit man {Robie}.  There's a 14 year old girl who needs protecting and a female FBI agent thrown in to help.  There's also the added love interest...that goes horribly wrong.  That part of the story makes me feel awful for the main character.  Had I been the author, I would have left that part out so I could have an happily ever after ending.  But that's me.  I look forward to reading the second novel.

fl: Will Robie had closely observed everyone of the passengers on the short flight from Dublin to Edinburgh and confidently deduced that sixteen were returning Scots and fifty-three were tourists.  ll: Maybe the best Robie could do was protect those who actually were.

Valentine's Day

The day started with a cold and very snowy (2 inches of powder, snowy) 12 mile run...around all the streets by the old middle school.  It was beautiful & hard and my legs are tired, but we did it. 

Then we had dinner with the Hogans and the Cassidys.  And Mike had the dessert that doesn't suck...creme brûlée 

Happy Valentine's Day!

#4 & #5

I didn't read them this quickly...but I've been to lazy to record my books.  {however I did start #5, switched to #4, then finished #5 ~ all within the allotted library check out time too)
#4 was Blood Magick, book three in the Cousins O'Dwyer trilogy & I just had to read it when it became available.  Of course it was predictable and of course it ended happily ever after...that's why I read Nora Roberts!  I do have to say that the third book is always my least favorite.  I think I may be tired of the characters by that point...so I guess I should stick to the non-trilogy stories. But I bet I read some more.

fl: On a bright day as summer faded, Brannaugh gathered herbs, flowers, foliage, all for salves and potions and teas. ll: Then they few, with horse, hound, hawk, into tomorrow.

#5 was one I couldn't put down.  Found myself reading in the middle of the night, not only because I couldn't sleep...but because, "I'm Awake, I can READ"  I really enjoyed Liane Moriarty's story telling.  This story, What Alice Forgot, was about Alice {duh} who falls off an exercise bike during spin class, knocking her head & forgetting the past 10 years.  It's an interesting view on how much we can change & how much life changes us & how valuable it would be to remember what once brought you joy & to be able to step back & take an overview of you life.
And it had a happy ending... so I really liked this author!

Quote:
location 629 ~ Apparently Alice's CT scan was "unremarkable", which had made her feel ashamed of her mediocrity.  {such a strange medical term, "unremarkable".  Even in medical needs, no one wants to be unremarkable!}

fl: She was floating, arms outspread, water lapping her body, breathing in a summery fragrance of salt and coconut.  ll: They would think she was savoring the taste (blueberries, cinnamon, cream--excellent), but she was actually savoring the whole morning, trying to catch it, pin it down, keep it safe before all those precious moments became yet another memory.

The longest week

Monday, February 2, 2015.  Snow day #5.  They had been calling for a foot or more of snow for two days ~ then they backed off the amounts to 5 to 8 inches of snow.  They did cancel school the night before (LOVE THAT) and we woke up to over a foot of snow.  Mike plowed & I did go out for a run later in the day...So glad I bought the gor-tex shoes.

Tuesday, February 3, 2015.  School & conferences...lots of IEP ammendments & IEP writing & even some parents to talk to.  Got home around 7:00.

Wednesday, February 4, 2015.  School & meeting with the people from Ohio Department of Education (the school had some sort of evaluation thing.  Still not sure of the purpose) &MEA meeting & a LOT of falling snow in the afternoon.  Ran 4 miles around Square's Acres in the heavy snow...each lap my footprints were filled it.  It was rather glorious. Made Chicken Pot Pie for dinner & didn't put a cookie sheet in to catch the drips.  YEP.  The smoke detector went off & I couldn't remember how to stop it from making the god-awful-wake-the-dead alarm. The nice people at American Alert were there for me...Ate mostly cooked chicken pot pie for dinner ~ and almost  set off the alarm again trying the self-cleaning feature on the over.  Dumb and Dumber.  We also got two phone calls about 30 minutes apart about 2 deaths... just sadness there.

Thursday, February 5, 2015.  School & conferences & the last of two IEP meetings for the week. LONG DAY. ~ and I still had to get in a six mile run.  It was super cold so I went to the Y. My calf really doesn't like running on the treadmill. It hurt & I dug out my Christmas present socks to work as a compression sock.  It really did help (I've since purchased a real pair of compression sleeves...they work)

Friday, February 6, 2015.  Just let this week be over...Even after two long days...I didn't have plans for the week, so I stuck around and finished those.  And started off the weekend with calling hours.

But Saturday finally brought some fun.  The NERC winter party.  Sat with the 'cool kids' and had a great time laughing and eating and winning my age group in the grand prix.  We also won two chinese auction items.  SCORE.

Here's a picture of the #1 & #2 ladies age 40-49.  Brenda is my first NERC friend & I've been thankful to get to know her at races & plotting place in our age group!  It's fun to be fast old ladies.

So now I'm back to school & it's all starting again... This PARCC testing is RIDICULOUS.  {that's all I'm saying on the matter}

Florida in January

Originally tried to post 1/11/15 ~ just realized it didn't post from my phone:

A TREAT to leave snowy & cold Cleveland, where school was cancelled for three days due to COLD, and spend a weekend in Florida.

It was warm, but windy and I put my feet in the Atlantic Ocean, got close to a pelican, saw sea turtles, ATE and drank and ran in a skirt & tshirt. 

Also saw a little doggie with little doggie goggles on a motorcycle.  

My two stories happened on the way home.  

#1. Waiting for the flight in west palm beach the guy behind me calls his lawyer because his son, Scott, got himself in a little bit of trouble last night. Seems he was at a bar, talking to a girl. The girl's boyfriend took offense and started "roughing up" our friend Scott, who then hit the guy over the head with a glass. Not a beer bottle, a glass (just to clarify). There's more to the story (like the dad thinks this guy is in cahoots with the bar bouncer). But our friend, Scott, spend some time in jail last night and it's not looking pleasant for him.  

Should I know any of this?  NO. Seriously. Find a more private place to have this conversation. 

#2. Beware of little kids carrying Starbucks down the aisle of an aircraft. You too may end up with a lap full of a sticky beverage and have to change your clothes in an airplane bathroom. That sucked. And he mom didn't even offer to buy me a drink.  Stupid people.  

Waiting for my connection from Charlotte to Cleveland... Let's hope this trip is dry.