onepinkfuzzy

It was 42 degrees out, with a wind chill in the mid-30s. I wore my new tights (my mother-in-law bought them as an impulse purchase, not realizing that I actually really needed a pair; and they are awesome!), a long sleeve shirt, my cool new sleek skull cap, my fun $1 rainbow mittens, and Johnny's cool new expensive jacket (it has zip-off sleeves!) that his mom bought him for Christmas (thank you J for letting me borrow it!). It was the perfect amount of clothing, and my new tights were so comfy. I wore my new pack, and decided to bring a bottle of Gatorade. I usually only bring water, if anything, but J's really been trying to convince me to intake more fuel on my runs - even the moderate ones (me and my history of disordered eating has a hard time with this). With my new pack to hold my water bottle, I could run through the scary dirt lot with my headlamp on and holding both my pepper spray and cell phone (set to 911) - I felt much safer than usual. Also, the pocket in the pack is big enough to hold my gels, and then the pepper spray and cell phone while I'm running with Barbara!

I ate a gel before heading out, and met up with Barbara at our usual spot. I let her know that I was still recovering from the run on Sunday, so we took it easy. We had a blast talking and laughing the whole time. I had the right amount of fuel: no cramps, perfect amount of energy and felt like I could run another 8 when I was done! I didn't end exhausted! Of course, going slower helped too. I have had a few shorter runs that I would call "comfortable," but this was the first moderate run where I was comfortable the whole time! Perfect temperature with the clothing, perfect fueling and perfect pace. I am so glad I took two days of rest after the wicked run on Sunday. I could feel the strength in my legs.

Once I got home, I decided to take care of myself more than usual. I immediately ate a ZBar (clif bar for kids - I love them!), and stretched lightly before heading into the shower. I think that will help my recovery throughout the day today, and I'll feel stronger/better. My shoulders are doing better today, thank goodness.

Quick note: I used the cool Gmap Pedometer tool to map out my weekly moderate run: turns out that where I was starting caused it to be less than 8 miles - which means all those great runs where I thought I was getting 10-minute-miles or less??? WRONG! I wasn't going that fast! :( Oh well. I'll adjust my log to see what my pace really was.

Also, thank you everyone for all your comments re: Wasson Peak run! It's reassuring to hear a consensus that I'm ready for the 50k (because I'm starting to get nervous! And Brent, you aren't supposed to make me even more nervous! ;p)

Another side note: I was reading the running chick with the orange hat's posts after her first marathon, and she mentioned that pounds will be gained and inches will be lost. I'm finding that to be so true - I'm not losing any weight, but I am losing inches - big time! That's fun. I like muscles!