TexasLindsey

5.5 miles at 5:30 pm around my neighborhood.  Average pace=8:19/m   Weather=50 degrees and windy.  Cold front is coming in tonight, supposed to snow tomorrow.  Pretty crazy since it was 81 degrees on Saturday.   So I guess it'll be back to the gym and treadmill for the next few days.

Splits

Mile 1- 8:43

Mile 2- 8:25

Mile 3- 8:30

Mile 4- 8:15

Mile 5- 8:11

Pace of last .5 mile- 7:19 

I have been stuck inside since Monday.  We got some snow and ice on Tuesday and it hasn't melted yet.  The roads are super icy.  All the school districts in the Dallas -Fort Worth area have called off school for 3 days in a row.  Probably be called off tomorrow too.  I have never known this many days in a row to be called off.  We were having energy blackouts too. 

My gym membership is not of use if I can't get to the gym.  I need a treadmill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   It is really difficult to run in the winter without a treadmill.  I know some people do it... I'd love to meet someone who runs in this weather and have them give me a pep talk. 

I'm considering trying to drive to the gym when my husband gets home from work.   My husband has not been required to go to work because he can telecommute from home... however, he has opted to drive there everyday.  I think he is one of about 10 people in the 20,000 person company who went.  That's how much he wants to get away from the stress of a 3 year old boy and a 1 year old boy with full cabin fever.  I'm walking into rooms to witness people jumping furniture and trying to "swing like Diego" from the cords of the blinds.  Yes, my 3 year old did that... the blinds did not survive.   I imagine my husband is sitting there peacefully at work...  listening to music... maybe working a little... able to concentrate... no yelling or food flinging...   That sounds like paradise to me right now.  

---------

PM  

I made it to the gym!!  It only took me 30 minutes to get up the hill of my neighborhood (about 400 feet) because it was covered in black ice.  I was having trouble.  A nice man and his wife stopped and taught me how to do it.  He said they were just driving around "playing" on the ice, practicing going up hills and doing doughnuts in parking lots.  We just don't get snow or ice that frequently in Texas. 

Ok.  So the gym run I did was 6 miles.  

Mile 1 and 2 - 8:20/m pace. 

Mile 3- Picked up the pace gradually until I was running at 7:00/m pace. 

(walked for .1 mile) 

Mile 4- 8:20/m pace.

Mile 5- Picked up the pace gradually until I was running at 6:40/m pace.

(walked for .1 mile)

Mile 6- Ran 1st quarter at 8:00/m pace, 2nd quarter at 7:30/m pace, 3rd quarter at 7:00/m pace, 4th quarter started at 6:40/m pace but it up to 6:00/m pace

Good workout. 

Ran 12 miles at Trinity River trails by myself today.  Average pace = 8:29/m.

Mile 1- 8:45

Mile 2- 8:58

Mile 3- 8:29

Mile 4- 8:45

Mile 5- 8:58

Mile 6- 8:58

Mile 7- 8:27

Mile 8- 8:18

Mile 9- 8:06

Mile 10- 8:19

Mile 11- 7:59

Mile 12- 7:52

It snowed on Tuesday about 3 inches and temperatures stayed below freezing for 4 days so the ice and snow didn't melt.  Then it snowed again yesterday morning about 4-5 inches.  However, today the temps got up to 50 degrees!!  So it was all melting fast. 

Good thing because the Super Bowl is in Arlington (which is in between Fort Worth and Dallas) this year.  Tomorrow!!!  The Steelers are staying in Fort Worth.  The Packers are staying in Dallas.  This weather has really been causing some problems for all the plans this week.  We've been hearing on the news that the out-of-towners are more impressed with Fort Worth.  Hee, hee!  It's cuz we're better...  : ) 

I went to the river around 1:30 pm.  First part of the route was pure muddy slush.  My shoes and socks got wet.  After the first 3 miles the trails were fairly dry.  I was WAY over dressed.  I had to wrap my jacket around my waist which was annoying to deal with.  It was funny because the river had ice on it, there was snow on the grass... and yet everyone was wearing t-shirts or even sports bras and shorts!  Texas for ya. 

So good run.  Pleasant.  LOTS of runners out today -probably because everyone has been stuck inside for days.  First miles I was uncomfortable because of the jacket situation and I was dodging alot of slushy mud.  I figured out that I was not running with my usual form because of the jacket.  Finally, around mile 4-5, I fixed the form thing and the trails improved so I started getting into a rhythm.