Sweating it Out & Weekly Mileage

I woke up this morning and seriously thought it had snowed. There was a thick layer of frost on all the rooftops, and the grass was completely white. Fortunately, frost is all it was, and I decided that I couldn't stand another day of treadmill running and to the road I went. Well, first I had some oatmeal with chocolate protein powder and a cup of coffee, then hit the road.

It was cold outside, the coldest I think I have ran in yet this month, but my ears were warm inside a toque and I was bundled up. When it comes to outdoor running in the winter, I generally wear some running pants, a long sleeved base layer (in this case it was a black tech shirt I ordered online), a running jacket, and gloves to keep my hands warm. This morning I threw on a pair of tall compression socks rather than my usual ankle socks, so that added some extra warmth to my legs. I must say, however, my brain was on fire on the second half of my run. A toque is great, but I think a headband that covers my ears would be much more appropriate!

I completed 6.1 miles in 51:36, an average pace of 8:27/mile. Yay! Hit my mileage for the week. This is what it looked like:

Next week my goal is 28-29 miles, preferably the latter. Now I have to start planning my miles for the day in order to get me to that goal!

After my run, I came back home and stretched it out for about ten minutes, foam rolled as well, and completed a couple strength training moves. I have been slacking on the strength training front, but every little bit helps, I suppose!

Note: If you are training for a race or are increasing your mileage, grab yourself a foam roller. It helps roll out and recover your muscles. It hurts at first, but it will help in the long run (no pun intended).

3 x 10 tricep dips

3 x 10 side lunges

3 x 10 body weight squats

1 minute plank

To refuel, I had the rest of my oatmeal (saved half for after, extra PB of course!) and a giant cup of water with a Nuun hydration tablet. So good! I'm going to need to restock on the fruit punch flavour soon. If you are looking for an alternative for Gatorade/Powerade, definitely try Nuun! Less sugar and not as thick/strong tasting. Of course, that depends how much water you put in it, but I still prefer it.

Any plans for today? So far I am lounging in my house coat and some fleecey Christmas themed pajamas. Is this as exciting as it gets for today?