Chilly 8 miler

I decided on Friday that I would run 8 miles on today.  Well I got up this morning and it was 18 degrees, and well I REALLY did not want to go out and play.  (oh and I should mention there were 15-20 mph hour wind gusts so it felt even colder than that.)  I than reminded myself that it I expect to PR in May than I have to be serious about my training.  And that means not being a big baby about that cold. boo.  So I bundled my butt up and made my way out the door.  Fortunately when I got out and started running the only thing that was cold was my face.  This was my first long run since the fall and it felt a lot better than I thought it would.  I decided not to pace myself since I'm not officially training yet and I didn't want to push too hard since I haven't run any kind of mileage lately.  It definately don't want to risk an injury!  I'm happy with the run and learned something very important.  I really NEED new shoes.  I haven't paid attention to the mileage on my sneaks, but I know its been a lot and I can tell I need new shoes when my hip starts hurting.  And today it did.  I also got a blister on my toe, but that could have been due to the thick winter socks I was wearing.  Hopefully I won't need those again! (come on spring!!!)  Over the next couple of weeks I'm going to splurge for a new pair of running shoes.  I have a pair of Saucony's now and I may stick with those or switch back to a pair of Asics.

What are your favorite kind of running shoes?

The rest of my day was spent running errands and cooking/baking.  I made some delish Beef and Barley Soup for dinner,some Apple Cinnamon Muffins, and also, my Homemade Granola Bars.  I got rid of the sugar all together today in the bars, used raisins instead of prunes, and added a scoop of vanilla protein powder.  They came out great, maybe even better than before.  They are still a bit crumbly, so I'll have to work on that.  I like to cook things on Sunday that Shawn can bring to work during the week for breakfast and lunch.  Also, quick snacks for the girls during the week.  I'll be sure to post the recipes later, but for now I'm too lazy.  I'm beat after a long day, so I'm enjoying my:

Chocolate Protein Smoothie

-1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
-1/2 Cup of soymilk
-1/2 Cup of water
-Half a banana
-1 Tbs. of cocoa powder
-3 ice cubes

Blend and enjoy!  I meant to add some plain greek yogurt, but I forgot, so you could always add that in too!

And once I'm done my smoothie (and this post) I'm headed to bed to read (and probably fall asleep while doing so.)

What is your favorite kind of smoothie?

I'll leave you with another one of my favorite exercises:

Jumping lunges

Stand straight up, with your feet shoulder-width apart, but with one stationed about a foot and a half in front of the other. Your back leg should stand directly under your body, and your forward knee should sit at a ninety degree angle. Hold your arms straight out in front of you.

Jump up off the ground slightly, and quickly switch the position of your feet in mid-air. Keep your torso straight, now and throughout the exercise.

Land in the mirror-image of your original position - your forward leg bent at ninety degrees at the knee and hip, and your back leg directly underneath your body. Bend your knees to absorb the impact - but keep your feet and knees facing straight forward.

Jump back off the ground, switching your feet to your original position.

Repeat

Jumping lunges are a great plyometric move, they work thighs, glutes, calfs (due to the jumping) and your core.  Try them out!

What was your Sunday workout?