one of those days

• skipped my run this morning
• have not eaten a vegetable today
• just opened a one pound bag of reese's pieces

News Flash!

No...I'm not pregnant.

winter running

So I went for another winter run this morning and here are some thoughts from while I was out...

• Running in snow is about like running in sand. It's hard to get traction and you often sink an inch (depending on how much snow there is) before pushing your foot off the ground. This often makes for a strength training run instead of trying to improve your time.
• Running is snow/ice often feels like your just out running on a treadmill. I feel like I'm running in place because it slows you down so much. So if I'm ever in your neighbor and I seem to just be running in place, it's most likely because I hit an icy spot.
• Before running, I used to get frustrated when I saw people out running on the streets. I often asked (in my head) if they just wanted to get hit since they're running down the road and I'm driving down the road, both in snow/ice is not the best situation. But now that I'm out trudging along, I see why people run in the streets and not on the sidewalks. Today was a great example.. this one sidewalk looked cleared so I ran down it, instead of the road. Got to the end and there was a huge drift from the plows. So I basically had to rock climb to get over it.
• Goodbye old running routes, hello to new ones. In the past, I often got to run on trails which was fun. Now I have to circle the neighborhood and stay mostly on roads. So, I'm still exploring different areas. So far, I've come up short on running time but have called it good enough. Today, I ran 30 minutes, which is good enough but I'd like to stick with 35-40.
• One last thing, running shoes are usually made to be 'breathable'. I'm not really sure why but it makes for a nice breeze to go through your toes when your out running. This is great in the summer time when it's hot and humid and you just want some air. But on cold days like today, it was a bit too breezy. So with my newly acquired gift certificate to Runner's Flat, I'm going to see if they make any special socks for winter running. I know I could double up on socks but I'm not a huge fan of that.

So there you have it, just a few thoughts from my run today.

update from the north pole

Lately, here in Iowa, it has felt like we live in the north pole. The snow just seems to keep coming, sometimes I wonder, where are we going to put it all?

This next picture is a little embarrassing but humorous at the same time. We had a window blow out and we never got around to getting it fixed resulting in the snow coming onto the porch. When Phil was shoveling, he had to shovel our porch out too... looks kind of messy, guess that didn't help matters.

On the bright side, I think we've gotten about two feet of snow in the past week ensuring a white Christmas this year.

These next few pictures show Wendell's new photography skills. I used to just delete the pictures but some are quite amusing so I've started keeping a few "good" ones ...

We've mostly been stuck at home the last few weeks. Wendell had a cold a couple of weeks ago so we didn't go out much (didn't want to make anyone else sick), then the snow came, and well the snow just keeps coming... hindering good travel weather.

On a fun note, I did run in another 5k last Saturday. It was my second one ever (my first one was at the Sweet Corn Festival in Adel in August of 2008) and I didn't do quite as well as my first one but I also had to "shuffle" through snow and wear a few extra layers to stay warm. My friend Sarah and I both ran three months post pregnancy. So on Saturday, Sarah and I (with her dad) ran at the Snow Shuffle at George Wyth Park here in Waterloo. They had Christmas music, carolers, hot chocolate and Santa handing out gifts. My mom came to cheer me on and took pictures but I'll have to get them at a later date. I must say it was quite festive and a very fun atmosphere. I even won a drawing prize of $10 off at a local store called Runners Flat. Unfortunately I just bought new shoes but maybe I can go buy some socks to keep my toes warm this winter.

I'm hoping to keep you posted on my running this winter. I can proudly say that I actually ran all of last winter, missing only a few days due to winter weather. Today, was another test to my endurance because it was dark and appeared cold when I peaked out the window when I woke up at 6:30am. However, it turned out to be a pretty easy run (as far as temperatures go). It was about 25 degree's out, but with wind of 6 miles per hour, it felt like about 17 degree's. I didn't have to wear all my winter gear because this is actually warm for a winter run. I had on one pair of sweatpants, (no leggings under the sweatpants), one pair of socks, a long sleeved tshirt, hooded sweatshirt, (no thermal shirt), scarf and stocking hat, and of course a sports bra and running shoes.

On a side note, I've found that I like running hills because they make me fee like I'm working harder so I ran a new path today (my old paths are on trails so I don't think I want to dig through that). I got through about 17 minutes and had to turn around because the snow was just getting deeper and deeper (the road wasn't quite as plowed as the others), and it was mostly uphill at that point, so I ran back home even though I only had another block or two to go. I also had to stop for a minute today because my side hurt... I actually can't remember the last time I had to stop because it hurt so bad, I wonder if it has to do with the cold or maybe it was the hills? But I did run about 34 minutes today... which is my normal running time so it worked out just fine.

Well, better go, my kids are calling me... next time I'll post on the Christmas plans for the year. We have 1 down and 7 to go; and a birthday party for Wendell next Sunday.

first snow...

Wendell's still fighting his cold but we couldn't resist playing for a little bit this morning...

A little fresh air was good for us, and we were able to go out while Harlie was napping this morning. Not sure she'd appreciate snow at this point in her life : ) After about 1/2 an hour, Wendell actually volunteered to go back inside so that was nice since I was getting cold (he probably was too). I thought about making us some hot chocolate but didn't think he'd enjoy it since he's never had a hot drink... we'll see, maybe next time.

3 months old

This first picture is Harlie at 3 months old. I'm guessing she's at least 15 but not quite 16 pounds but I haven't weighed her in awhile so I don't have an exact amount. She's in 3-6 month clothes and will outgrow some of them very soon. One great thing is that she's starting to sleep really well through the night (most nights). One not so great thing is that she poops about once or twice a day and those tend to be massive explosions out the diaper. So here's Harlie at 3 months.This next picture is actually very precious for a couple of reasons. Not only is Harlie a sweet little "english" girl with a smile (the dress reminds me of the secret garden). But the dress and quilt were both made by my mom. The quilt is a five generation quilt with material stemming from my great grandma to Harlie. If I remember correctly, some of the material was from an outfit that my grandma wore when she was pregnant with my mom. We had our family Christmas last weekend on my moms side and she made this dress for Harlie as a gift. It has bloomers and hat to match!

And this last picture is a picture of Wendell taking out the garbage. So far he can take out the garbage (and replace the bag), take out recycling, vacuum, scoop Buster's food, set the table and put some dishes away. He actually can be helpful when he wants to be and it's fun to give him new challenges... sometimes we're amazed at what he can do.