Who wears short shorts???

This past weekend's long run was 6 mi. When I woke up at 6am Sun morning, it was 39 degrees. What to wear for a 39 degree long run? Must. Resist. Instincts. When it's anything under 50 I am tempted to put on long pants, a vest, a layer underneath...and then sweat profusely cursing my mileage as it creeps by. Running outfit fail. Big time.

So, I wisely set aside my instincts (scarf! hat! ear warmer!!!)... and simply put on a pair of running leggings, a lightweight drifit long-sleeve, and my rain/wind breaker. Of course my favorite drifit hat (the regular one, not the sub-zero temp one) was added to the mix.

...and I was off! 6 miles was really a lovely distance this past weekend. It was crisp, fall was definitely in the air, and my pace was remarkably quicker for the slow runner that I am. (I ran mostly 10:30 miles, when I normally run 11:15 on long days, go figure) Then I saw him. Short-shorts man.

Yes, short shorts, nothing else. It's 41 degrees outside. He was in shorts shorter than I saw some teeny-boppers wearing this past summer, and nothing else. Sprinting along. I felt ri-di-cu-lous. I just had to laugh out loud. Short shorts man probably woke up, thought, 39? Oh, that's balmy! Shorts it is! I drink coffee, ponder fleece, and then back away slowly. Hehe. Perhaps this is all part of becoming a runner. When you run fast, you get warm, and you don't need layers to keep you warm. Ahhh...the logic finally sets in.

So, 6 miles was dominated, and I am looking forward to my 7 miler next weekend! Until then - I have 2 speed work sessions to get in. I think I would rather run in short shorts than do speed work, but I do recognize how it can help my training. So - send speedy thoughts my way!

I have to figure out a good way to post photos. I have TONS of food pics and recipes, but no easy way to upload them since I blog from various computers here and there. Hmmm... still thinking.

Since I am hardly the most popular blog on the interwebs, I think it will suffice to say pics can wait another few days.

Back in it baby!

I have finally found the swing of my training schedule! After a rather hellish weekend (which included 6.5 hrs of organic chemistry lab and lab-prep, ugh), I was a shell of a human being, completely drained.

Sat night I dined, I rested, and Sun am came bright and early! The usual 7am alarm to eat my banana and toast, and I obliged. I also added a 1/2T of nut butter and a swirl of honey - nom nom nom!

Sunday was the first chilly fall run of my training season. The thermometer read 55 degrees - hmmm...what to wear for a 55 degree run? It's not quite break-out-the-hat-and-gloves weather, but it also isn't shorts and a tank weather either. It was also cloudy and threatening light showers, so I went with running capris (thank you lululumon!), sportsbra, long-sleeved drifit shirt, and an awesome wind/rain breaker my mom gifted me this past summer.

I had 5.5 miles on the schedule - so I had to shed my top layer about mile 3, but all in all, it was a good run. I stayed at my projected slow long-run pace of 11:15/mile - and got it done in under an hour. Afterwards, I warmed up with some coffee I put in the car (Thank you Thermos for keeping it warm!), and a vegan coconut muffin (recipe to come). I felt human, lovely, and part of the running community again. Toenails be damned!

Little sore today, but Mondays are yoga for me, and I plan on stretching out all the sore spots that tensed up after yesterday's run.

Next week - 6-7 miles scheduled for the long run, and our 10k race is in 3 weeks! Hooray!

Running fuel!!!!

Just a quick note - with fall around the corner. I always eat oats for breakfast on my planned running days. Today, I doctored mine up with a half cup of pumpkin - not only was it delish in a very fall way, but I managed to sneak in another 3g of fiber and a whole heck of a lot of beta carotene. Add some pumpkin to your next batch of oats, or pizza dough, or chilli - it will add bulk and taste without added sugars or preservatives!