Slow & Steady Wins the Race :-)

Ran the Seattle Jingle Bell 5k again this year as part of book club - was feeling rather stiff from yesterday's 5k (PR baby!  That race report is way better!), and seriously struggled to keep up with Jordanne today, even with our slow pace.  I would slowly fall farther and farther behind and then have to sprint to catch up, especially on the last big hill.  This is definitely the race to run for fun, there is no way you could run fast with the other 20,000 people, but it sure is fun to see all their costumes (gingerbread men, trees, elves, santas, reindeers, snowflakes, etc.!) and get decked out ourselves.  Afterwards enjoyed my free Top Pot doughnut (last year's peppermint chocolate was better than this year's glazed) and Widmer Winter Ale (eh, not my favorite, and I was a little too cold to really enjoy it, hot chocolate would have been more welcome!).  

Then went to a delicious Broadway Grill breakfast with Jordanne, Katie, Katie's boyfriend Jeremy, Beth, Kevin, and their two kids.  Their bacon is the bomb.  Lovely weekend of holiday running!

TT: 31:43   AP: 9:51

Splits: 9:51, 9:56, 10:07, 8:18 (.22) 

PM - 60 minutes on the elliptical, some weight stuff after. 

PM - 6 miles walking on the TM, the first 4 alternating every .25 between 4% and 10% incline.  

PM - Met Jordanne and Lisa for a lovely run around the community center.  In anticipating future workouts (I think we have convinced Jordanne to sign up for the RnR Marathon!) we ran to the FW track to see how far away it was, a nice little experiment!  I was feeling rather cold (37 degrees) and tired most of the time, but especially at the end I was ready to be done.  

TT: 1:12:48   AP: 10:11

Splits: 10:06, 9:51, 10:30, 10:29, 10:09, 10:12, 9:55 

PM - 60 minutes on the elliptical, did 2 minutes hard, 2 minutes recovery for the first 50 minutes (then just did easy for the last 10).  I was dripping in sweat!  I need to do this every time, I think sometimes I don't work hard enough on the elliptical or the bike.  After did some lunges, push-ups, etc.  So tired.  

Finished We Need to Talk About Kevin today - it's the ultimate birth control (told from the point of view of a mother of a sociopath).  Terrifying, but in a good way!  READ IT! 

Is it the weekend yet? 

PM - Left work a little early so that I could get out in the lovely warmer weather (45 degrees!) in the daylight.  I was so excited to run but once I was out there my legs felt so heavy and blah and it was really discouraging.  Decided I only had to do 3 miles so I did the 3rd mile hard, after that I came home and was going to get Cooper to walk, had some gatorade and some grapes and I actually felt way better, which was a little weird because I had eaten plenty all day.  Guess I just needed a little sugar pick-me-up.  So I am truly amazed a run that felt terrible from the beginning turned into 7 miles!

TT: 1:06:50   AP: 9:21

Splits:  9:54, 9:47, 8:47, 9:50, 9:25, 8:59, 8:43

Later I made Justin and Cooper walk probably 2 miles or so around the neighborhood looking at all the Christmas lights!  I brought hot chocolate. :-)

AM - 30 measley half-effort minutes on the elliptical at the gym.