Happy Saturday! I’ve fallen a little behind so the plan is to quickly catch you up to speed annnnnnnddd here we go!
Thursday evening
After work I suited up and hit the road for a quick two-mile run outside before the sun went down. The temperature was in the 40’s so the weather was decent, but the run didn’t feel good to me at all. I really don’t appreciate afternoon runs and neither does my digestive system. I am definitely more of a morning runner person.
For dinner I whipped up a quick banana and egg pancake.
Ingredients:
- 1 egg
- 1 banana
- cinnamon
- blueberries
- toppings: apple butter, peanut butter, and banana slices
Then Dana and I headed out for the night to do some volunteering for the Salvation Army. By the way, I am really feeling the holiday spirit lately. I LOVE Christmas!
Friday
Breakfast was a chocolate covered strawberry smoothie.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup strawberries
- 1 small banana
- almond milk (1 cup?)
- Jay Robb chocolate egg white protein powder (half a packet)
And a meat and cheese platter for dinner which included Nut Thins Pecan crackers (love), amazing havarti cheese which I do believe is my favorite cheese, turkey sausage, and crispy green beans with marinara dipping sauce.
For the beans: I dipped the beans into egg whites, then rolled in almond flour, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. I placed them onto a lightly sprayed pan, sprayed the tops with olive oil, and broiled on low for about 7 minutes until the beans were golden on top. I really enjoyed them! I had to sneak some veggies in somehow so it was the perfect little side.
The rest of the evening was spent addressing holiday cards and watching Glee from last week. It feels so good to get the holiday cards all done and ready to mail. The way we had our assembly line set up reminded me a lot of writing out thank you cards after the wedding. This went a whole lot faster though!
Saturday
Now here we are on Saturday. This morning I woke up at my leisure, ate my usual pre-run breakfast, banana and peanut butter, and layered up for our Saturday run. This Saturday was our 4.5 mile run. We are still sticking to our 10K training plan!
It was about 25°F outside; here is what I wore:
- Leggings
- Sweatpants
- Long-sleeve wicking top with t-shirt over it
- Fleece zip-up
- Normal socks and running shoes
- Fleece mittens
- Cotton hat
The verdict: I was actually too warm. I ended up running without gloves for the last third or so of the run. I would much rather be too warm than cold though so I was okay with it.
Each run has been a trial in trying to figure out the best apparel and layers to wear for the given temperatures and the way my body reacts. I haven’t quite figured it out yet, but I hope to before January 1st!
My feet and bottom of my pants were soaked at the end of the run, but that’s to be expected after running in the snow.
Overall, it was a good snowy run. That was the furthest I have ever run in the snow before. It was like running on wet sand and was definitely more challenging than running on pavement.
Alrighty, I’m off to run a bunch of errands and get some stuff down around the house. I hope you are all having a great day so far! XOXO
Question of the day: Is there any must-have winter running gear that you’ve found to be helpful?
Go with gear that is moisture wicking (not cotton!). It also helps to have stuff that is windproof and water resistant. If you can swing it, Lululemon makes great outdoor running gear. It’s an investment, but their stuff is high quality and it lasts! I used to work there, so I’m a huge advocate for their products, but I do understand that it comes at a price. Like I said, investment!
I know I need to invest in some better outdoor running gear if I’m going to keep up the cold weather runs!
The rule of thumb I’ve always heard is to dress like it’s 20 degrees warmer since you will warm up once you get going. I like Under Armour’s cold gear line for winter running. Also, I have a $3 pair of gloves (touchscreen friendly) from Target that I like. I usually tuck them in my waistband if I get too warm, but since there were so cheap I won’t feel bad if I lose them along the way.
Thanks for the tips Maureen!
I love Jay Robb protein powder. I like to mix it with plain yogurt, strawberries and a little cinnamon…so good!
We still have a few Christmas cards to get out in the mail tomorrow morning.
It is nummy and helps to keep my tummy satisfied for a while too!