I could have also added “Super Bowl” but that would just get obnoxious with all the “S’s” and I don’t want to get obnoxious and write something like “Suck it Seattle,” because that’s just not right. Instead let’s get right into The Rundown!
The week started off with a blizzard, developed into a sinus infection for yours truly, and ended in Vermont for an amazing ski weekend with my family.
WEEK OF JANUARY 26, 2015
RUNNING: There were quite a bit of disturbances in my running plan this week, and I ran though all kinds of conditions. I ran through the snow in my FreeSteps6 #amazing:
Snow tires for your feet!
I did a killer speed session on the treadmill (8 x 100 @ 6:13 pace), and was cheered on by a friend on the ‘mill next to me, which is a big reason to love the treadmill. There aren’t many.
I had to keep some tissue where my water bottle goes, due to the sinus infection and all. Is that normal? Don’t worry, I was on an antibiotic at this point so I wasn’t sharing my germs. I’m not a sharer.
I also did a tempo run and a few easy sessions, sandwiched in between cycling and swimming, and I loved them all equally. I also got to snowboard for two one and half glorious days at Jackson Gore at Okemo in VT, all in the name of “marathon training!” Gotta love training for a spring marathon.
This was the “warm” day.
CYCLING: Through the blizzard, I was thankful for my bike trainer. It’s harder on the lady parts then the spin bike, I have to yell at my kids to “don’t run near the back wheel!” and I sweat like a beast, but I was grateful for the sweat. I got in an additional session after my speed work at the gym but had to cut it a little short since the boys had been in the day care for an hour and a half. DCF anyone? (That’s Department of Children and Family Services)
SWIMMING: You would think swimming with a head cold would be supremely difficult, but it wasn’t that bad. I decided to just give it a try and see how it felt. To my surprise, it felt great. CRS gave me a very challenging workout (preceded by a 5 mile tempo run) but I love a good challenge. I also love that I’m becoming fluent in the language of swim!
CROSS-TRAINING: One word: snowboarding! The first half-day on the mountain was fantastic. It was snowing and there was actually some powder. The second day was -5 at the bottom with 25+ mph winds. I almost died on a chair lift, so I called it day. I was seriously hanging onto the chairlift bar with one hand and covering my face (that was already covered with two layers) with the other. When you start saying to yourself “it’s going to be ok” out loud, you know you’re in trouble.
I should have just stayed inside by the fire with my husband.
FUEL: I sustained my athletic body on martinis, pizza and s’mores. We also let Vaughn start drinking. My dad is Cuban and started drinking coffee when he was 8 so we figured this is the American version of that, right?
He’s a Guinness man boy.
*Obviously this was a joke, and it’s sad that I have to spell it out for the one person out there who will be outraged, but I didn’t actually let my 5 year-old drink beer.
Feed me!
RACING: Down the mountain as fast as I could in the wind tunnel that was the trail on Saturday. The upside is that it was pretty much just me and seven other loons out there. For the 8-12 minutes it took to snowboard down, I was in heaven.
THINGS I LOVE: Getting carded! Seriously. Mike and I went to a dive-y pizza place in town and the waitress (bless her heart!) actually asked to see my ID. I almost kissed her. She said it was my olive skin but I think it’s because we didn’t have the kids. Being childless takes 20 years off.
I made my husband take this picture.
THINGS I DON’T LOVE AS MUCH: Having an entire day to snowboard while the boys were in ski school and waking up to see this:
Are you fu**ing kidding me?
TV: The freakin Super Bowl! I think my mouth is still hanging open from the last series of events. Wow. Just wow.
We also spotted Rodgers in the bar at Jackson Gore. He’s a lot shorter in person but is pretty good on a snowboard.
This is what the boys will be wearing in a few years for snow gear.
BOOKS: Ok so this isn’t a book, it’s SELF magazine, but I was briefly quoted in it. This past October a writer for the rag contacted me after I wrote this post about my husband’s non-runner perspective. She was writing an article about what kind of relationship strengths or strains come from competitive couples, or when just one is the “athlete” of the pair. I spoke with her for about an hour. This is what she got out of it:
It goes on to say (on page 100) ..things are smoother if she warns her husband about upcoming races and explains her workout schedule. “Fortunately, that doesn’t conflict doesn’t spill over into the rest of our lives. He doesn’t complain about having sex with an athlete.”
Sex sells people.
RANDOM QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “It’s as cold as I’ve ever been. You would probably cry on the chair lift.” Overhead as a guy was talking to his significant other on the phone, on Saturday at Okemo when the wind chill was about -22.
How was your week?
What’s the coldest you’ve ever been outside?
Do you ski or snowboard? Give me a good story about being on the mountain…
Thoughts on the Super Bowl?
I love that last quote and I admit I would be the one crying for sure as we all snow I truly hate the cold and snow!! That is all I have say about that, but still glad you got to get away a bit. Oh and I love getting carded, I admit when it does still happen I can’t help but smile and so would have had a gloating pic taken of me, too 😉
I’m glad I’m not the only one who revels in getting carded at my old age…even if the waitress was a little crazy…I’ll take it!
First of all its kind of amazing that you were able to do so much with the infection. I have not yet have someone cheer me on mill lol it will never happen hahaha. The Super Bowl was intensely fantastic. It’s what football lover dreams are made of. Not happy with the outcome but impressed that a game could get me so emotional and my “teams” weren’t even in it. Next time get the reporter to print your BLOG address!!
Obviously I need you to do my press!! I gave it to her (several times!) but to no avail…
The game was amazing! Stunning really, because I was stunned at the last 20 seconds – wow!!!
You young whippersnapper! Lol. I’m jealous of your time riding although the cold can suck it. No fun at all. My most memorable skiing moment (before I switched to snowboarding) was skiing during a huge snowstorm. School was cancelled for the day because of it and a ton of my friends and I went out. I somehow ended up doing moguls. And it was my 3rd time skiing. And it was under a chairlift. Needless to say the people on the lift had a nice show of how not to ski moguls. I’m surprised I wasn’t knocked unconscious with all the falls I took! I have not done moguls again.
Hahaha!!! OMG Angela! That is truly awful and, unfortunately, I know how that feels. I too once ended up on a mogul trail on skis and was terrified. I also love when you find yourself feeling “watched” under the lifts!
I haven’t been skiing since I was in high school!!!!! 🙂 My husband broke his leg when he was in 3rd grade skiing and has no desire to do it again :). Despite being in a blizzard you had such a productive week :)!
I have gone out in some pretty chilly temps. Totally reminded me of my run Sat! It was cold….like 15 degrees with a 5 real feel. I was kind of grumpy about it but actually it was not bad at all. While I was out there though a man ran past me in SHORTS!!!! My jaw hit the road 🙂
People never cease to amaze me. I realized that running in cold temps is infinitely better because you never STOP to say, take a 6 minutes char lift!! As soon as that chill sets in, it’s hard to shake.
OMG! you let your 5 year old drink beer?! Kidding, kidding. Actually, when I was a baby my dad used to dip my pacifier in beer. It was the only thing that got me to stop crying apparently. LOL!
That explains A LOT….so kidding but too funny!!
You New Englanders are so hearty! We are doing our annual ski trip to Western Md this weekend with three other families. It won’t be that cold, but it will be cold and I am totally dreading the ski lift. I know I won’t last long. Why can’t I convince everyone in our group to do cross-country?!
You rocked the week, as usual, even with all the snow, sinus infections, drunken children…
The key is layers!!…and hand warmers – they saved me on the -5 day. And I wish we could go together because I’m all over cross-country skiing!! Hahaha – yes, my drunk child rallied nicely:-) Oh to be 5 again!
You had a pretty full week! I’m glad you’re feeling better. I have to give you guys credit. I would not be out in that AT ALL! When I was younger I thought it would be fun to learn how to ski but I don’t know about now. LOL! I get Self magazine and I really wished I hadn’t. I don’t know what I was thinking. The Super Bowl was pretty exciting and I won $120 on my squares for the first quarter so that made my night.
Wow! Congrats on the win!! That would have made my night too.
The boys were champs with ski school on the freezing day. We could see them march out for 30 minutes at a time and then go get warmed-up. Vaughn loved it but Miles, not so much!
Sounds like a very fun and full week. We lived in the DC area for four years, so we had our share of snow, but now I live in sunny SoCal. My sister lives in Boulder CO. and we go out there quiet often to ski (although less since I have three kids) Her husband previously owned Warren Miller Entertainment ( A ski film co) he sold his business to Time Warner but still has all of his ski resort contacts (that’s a very very nice perk when we visit 😉
That sounds amazing!!! I had the pleasure of snowboarding in Colorado once, many years ago, and it was spectacular! So much powder! So many views! Can you tell I’m just a tad excited? Someday, when the boys are old enough, we will absolutely go back. I think the place I went to was in Edwards near Vail. I can’t remember the name but I remember the day 🙂
I’m really impressed with how much you are able to while not feeling well. It sounds like despite everything you did have a good week. My finance nordic skiis and it overwhelms me to watch…I would be sore for weeks!
OMG he does? That is so painful to watch. I feel like their knees are going to snap!
Luckily I never felt so awful that I couldn’t workout. After being trapped in the house, I just wanted to GO!
I’m thinking those FreeSteps would be a good prep item to have in case of Snowpacalypse emergency. Always be prepared, right? And I love your new reading glasses-goggles that you’re modeling in the snowy pic. No need to be embarrassed. Some people just have really bad eyesight. No need to pass them off as an athletic accessory.
You know it! I mean, have you seen a trail map lately? How the hell am I supposed to read that at my age??? Sheesh.
I’m under the electric blanket again – it is cold and windy still. I wouldn’t get on skis if you paid me! Did the groundhog see his shadow today?
Yes he did…or didn’t…whichever is the one where we have 6 more weeks of winter. You had better stay under that blanket!
Superbowl, holy crap, best game evah!! Go Pats! Had, had to bring out the Boston for that 😉 I snowboarded once and fell so much that I gave up and never did it again. I bought skiis the following year and they have been in storage with the price tags on them for 6 years now.
HAHAHAHAHA!!!! OMG that is hysterical. You are too much. My husband also has a brand new snowboard I bought for him when we started dating. He’s used it twice now I think.
Super Bowl was STUNNING!
I wouldn’t have even attempted skiing in those temps! I don’t really enjoy it much anyway and I always get way too cold on the ski lift (I’m a wimp!!).
Here’s my funny ski story – the first time I skied I was in college. One of my friends told me that instead of snowplowing I should just go down as fast as possible. I tried it and ended up falling (about a million times that weekend) and taking out the orange snow fence right in front of the lodge. People clapped:)
OMG that is hilarious Kim!!! I love that applause were involved. I have to say that I also hate the chair lift. I like to keep generating heat and momentum and the lift just brings your mojo to a screeching halt! I need to go someplace with a gondola next… 🙂
Hi, Allie! Fun post! Okay. Two things: I LOVE “snow tires for your feet,” and I am, like, seriously craving pizza right now. 🙁
Have a super week, and enjoy the snow. I’ll try to…we’re buried under it. Tomorrow’s already been called a snow day…again!
That pizza was as amazing as it looked! And we are also buried under snow!! We got another 10 inches yesterday for a total of about 35 in a week, but somehow there’s only a delayed opening today?? Hooray!!!!!
I’ve never been snowboarded or skiing! I must change this. I would totally be the one crying if it was that cold though. That pizza looks lovely and you do look young, lady!
Well thank you my dear and that pizza was amazing!! You seriously should try at least cross-country skiing. It’s a great workout for your legs and lungs 🙂 Maybe just go in March though when it’s a tad warmer!
BRRRRR. I’m feeling chilly just reading this post! Apart from almost dying on a chair lift, it looks like you had a lot of fun in Vermont!
We had a blast and already booked our next trip since we had to come home a day early…
Oh my gosh! I don’t think I could manage if it was that cold. I love skiing but that is just too much for me! I have never seen snow chains for your feet. That is pretty amazing! Hope you are feeling better! 🙂
They are truly awesome! And, I think I need to stick to Spring skiing 🙂
ha!! Cassidy and Scarlet are sledding right now and I said I’d cry from the cold if I joined them.
And I just wanted some alone time. Sheesh.
I love that you got carded.
I don’t love that you got a sinus infection. I’ve had exactly two of those in my life and they were so horrid. The only thing to get rid of them for me was antibiotics and relief was in 24 hours after 14 days of being sick, so I would say it wasn’t a virus!!
I’m disappointed that you don’t really let your five-year-old drink. Kidding!
HAHAHA – that is too funny! I usually hate the cold but if I can bundle properly, I can stick it out for a while.
The sinus infection wasn’t too bad but I didn’t want to deal with it in VT so I went to the doc and got a z-pack. It was almost instant relief. Gotta love pharmaceuticals. 🙂
Again, I love that you eat like a normal person.
Because you are a normal person. Well, an extraordinarily young looking 39 year old normal person. But you know what I mean. Ok I’ll shut up now!
You are awesome. xoxoxo
It looks like it was a fantastic week! I’m so jealous you got out on the slopes. Way to still fit in some awesome runs too! Thanks for linking up with me on my link in review. Love following along your weekly journey! Hope your week this week is going well. xo
I’m loving your link-up! It was a great week and we are expecting MORE SNOW this week. I have no choice but to embrace it.
It’s amazing how an entire hour can be boiled down to a line or two, with the comment about sex, of course! You’re nailing your workouts. Can you send a little motivation my way? I’m struggling with this cold weather lately!
I know, seriously!!!
I saw that you finally got in your 17 miler so hooray to that! I think the secret to my motivation is that I’ve been doing all my long runs with friends. It makes a HUGE difference.
Sinus infections suck. Way to go working through it like that . The pizza looks really good, I wonder if it was as good as it looks. I think the funnest sounding part of the trip to me would be the snowboarding.
It was absolutely as good as it looks and the snowboarding was so good when it wasn’t -22 degrees!