My "eye-surgery-recovery" continues, marking one-week today. Other than some occasional queasiness, and frustration with reading, I'm coming along nicely. In a month or so, I expect to be back to normal.

I went out for a hike on Christmas Eve after three days of inactivity.

And then, some running on Sunday afternoon.

It was wonderful. It felt so good to get out and breathe in the crisp air. I felt so energized by it, filling my lungs and clearing the cobwebs from my brain. I was originally only going to run 3 miles, but felt good enough to push for 4. I probably should have stuck with 3, as I did feel a little sluggish for the last mile, but I was just so happy to be running I didn't care.

And I left my watch at home. That's the plan for all my running this week - untimed, unpressured. Just enjoy the feeling of air rushing over my face, hearing the crunch of salt and sand under my feet.

I went to a fancy-schmancy spa on Monday with my mom. We both had gift certificates to use and I was ready for a post-holiday massage. While we were there, I hit the exercise room and used the elliptical machine for 17 minutes, then the treadmill for another 5. I would have stayed longer on the treadmill, but it only went up to 6.5 mph which I found really frustrating (and C'MON people...this is supposed to be a world-class spa and the treadmill was older than me). Then I decided to splash around in the pool for a few laps. I realized that I have a lot of work to do before I can tackle a tri. I've spent the last 20 years wearing contact lenses and keeping my face OUT the water, that I'll need to re-learn how to swim with my face actually IN the water. (And I have yet to find a pair of goggles that fit right.)

Yesterday (Tuesday) was another 4 mile run, navigating through some of the slippery, sloppy snow-mess that was left on the side of the road after some snowfall on Sunday night.

And there's a five-miler on the schedule today or tomorrow, hopefully with Michelle. And with any luck, a ten-miler sometime this weekend.

I have the week off from work, so it's been a treat to be able to arbitrarily decide when to go running. I love this freedom! Work really gets in the way sometimes!

Outside of running, there have been a few glitches in the system lately that will need to be dealt with...a broken oven (yes, during the holiday baking season of course);...I slid into a curb in the snow on Sunday night and broke my car (not too badly, but enough to get the insurance company involved);...my mom got bit by a dog (not attacked...dog just got upset...mom's fine, few stitches);...and my step-father had his knee scoped two weeks ago and was told that running was no longer an option for him (which makes me so sad, having watched him get into running and run his first 5K in November).

But I just keep reminding myself how lucky I am to have all the things I have. Things like the tsunami disaster help me keep all my 'glitches' in perspective.

Run strong RBF.

I haven't run since the ten-miler on Saturday. And you know what? I'm really OK with that.

I'm just as shocked as you are by that admission, trust me.

The lack of running is per doctor's orders, as I had my left eye operated on this past Tuesday. Everything went well and the recovery process has begun. My distance vision is great; I will need reading glasses for the "close-up" stuff and that will take some time to adjust to, I'm sure. I will probably always wonder if LASIK would have been a better option, but my doctor wasn't thrilled with that procedure given my severe nearsightedness. So now, I have two new lenses where my natural lenses used to be (I had "clear lens extraction and replacement," in case you are incredibly curious).

Of course, one of my first thoughts was "Cool...I can learn to swim better and do a Tri without having to worry about contact lenses!"

As far as being relaxed about not being able to run until Sunday...well, to be honest...I've been feeling a little burned out lately. And I think this break will help re-energize me. I've got big fitness plans for the new year, and cannot wait to put it all into motion. I'm ready to take it to the next level.

But first...I'll take a few more days to relax and eat my weight in cookies.

Happy holidays to those of you that celebrate!

'I must be crazy' was my first thought upon waking today, when I realized that it was about 15F degrees outside (what's that, like -5 Celsius?) and I would be out running in less than two hours.

I felt like Ralphie's little brother, Randy, from the movie 'A Christmas Story' once I piled on all the layers. It was all I could do to not whine 'I can't put my arms down!' And thanks to Jon's suggestion, I remembered to wear my neck warmer or 'woobie' as I have affectionately nicknamed it. I can pull it up over my mouth and cheeks when necessary and then push it back down to let in some air.

And just as I was about to head out the door, I realized IN HORROR that I did not have my knee brace on. I've been trying to NOT wear it for runs that are 3-5 miles, but anything longer than that I brace up, just in case. There was no way I was stripping off all the layers to put the brace on, so I just shrugged my shoulders and thought "Let's see what happens."

Michelle and I met near a local park for a 8-10 mile long run, and after I took a VERY,VERY brief rest-stop behind a tree, we were off pounding pavement. The cold air was a great motivator for picking up the pace and the first two miles really flew by. At some point near the first mile, I realized IN HORROR that I had left my Gatorade bottle in the car. My constant companion during marathon training, I have never run more than 6 miles without Gatorade. So now there were TWO things missing that were threatening to throw my running mojo out of whack. I steeled myself, determined to enjoy the run.

Since Michelle and I hadn't seen each other in a while, we had lots of stories to share and before I knew it, we hit the four mile turnaround spot in 34:36. We were warming up, and had taken off our gloves (and I removed the woobie). It was shaping up to be a nice day!

Somewhere around mile 6 my knee started to get that familiar pain that occurs when I run without a brace. I grit my teeth and just kept going, promising myself that if it got really bad, I would walk and ask Michelle to come pick me up when she got back to her car. Fortunately, the pain lessened and became a dull ache, enough to be bearable. About a mile later it all but disappeared.

When we got back to the cars in 1:09:30. Michelle was ready to wrap things up and I still wanted to hit two more miles on the trails in the park, so we went our separate ways. I grabbed my Gatorade, chugged half and brought the rest with me. It was a little un-nerving to head into the woods as the sounds of shotguns discharging could be heard in the distance, but I knew I was running in a No Hunting area (but was NOT wearing my orange hat. Dammit!)

It's been a month or more since I've been able to run on a trail, and I was tripping and stumbling and being blinded by the sunlight beaming thought the trees...my knee was feeling cranky again...it was rough going at first! It was a bit colder in the more heavily wooded areas, so much so that I stopped to put my gloves BACK ON. I even thought that walking the trail wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Once I finally found my footing, I just decided to cruise along and enjoy the woods. And how surprised was I to pass TWO other runners on the trail (and another two in the parking lot too!).
I was back at my car with a time of 1:27:10 which is ONE SECOND slower than this same route from two months ago. What are the chances of getting the time that close? Great way to start a Saturday, I think.

The best run of the past week was my 10 miler on Saturday. It was one of those long runs where the rhythm was there, the energy level was good and the pace was consistent. I managed to stay at almost exactly 9:00 min. miles for the entire run. The weather was perfect too – 50 degrees and misting. And as an added bonus, I bumped into my stepfather with his three golden retrievers, right before my turn-around point, so that was a nice way to add an extra smile to my day.

But it's getting harder to get ou the door, as it is definitely starting to feel like winter. Yesterday’s run required all of my cold-weather gear…poly-pro tights and top, extra fleece top, ear warmers, gloves, jacket and even a pair of shorts for an extra layer of warmth around my butt. It was 28 degrees (-2 celcius)…with the wind chill bringing us down to 18 F (-8 celcius). Not cold to some, but cold enough for me. When I got back from my slow run in the cold, my face was so frozen, it was hard to talk (to the relief of many).

With this added challenge of the weather, the focus for the next few months is maintenance. I think the most difficult part about “winter maintenance” is the motivation to get going. The spring, summer and fall all offer sunshine and beautiful scenery. But the cold and dark of winter presents a whole new set of tests for my will power.

I’m confident that I can keep my weekly mileage up, although last week was a blip in the schedule with only 3 days of running for a weekly total of 18 miles. Decent, but not quite where I want to be for my winter training. I forgave myself for the ‘blip’ though, and marked it down as a ‘recovery week.’ It’s “that time of year” with parties, shopping, cleaning, baking, volunteering and doctor appointments, so I’m trying to be both forgiving and flexible with my running as I try to fit it all in.

My blogging is also in maintenance mode: I have just enough time to read everyone’s latest news, and occasionally there’s time left over for comments or a post of my own. I thought I’d be blogging more with the cold weather but that does not seem to be the case. Sigh. Maybe after the holiday madness dies down, I can return to my regularly scheduled program.

So there it is people…maintaining. And that ain’t necessarily a bad thing.

This past weekend, I was a goddess-at least it felt like it! I ran my last race of the season, setting a PR and winning first place in the Race Point Series. I shaved 3 minutes, 49 seconds off my 5K time from April of this year. Following the race on Saturday, I enjoyed two whole glasses of wine and had a sandwich and chips for dinner. I had 8 miles on the schedule for Sunday and I never drink the night before a ‘long’ run…and I usually carb-load. Plus, I never run the day after a race. I broke all those rules and found myself feeling great for all 8 miles. I was on top of the world, feeling like a goddess-runner. A superhero-runner. Feeling satisfied.

I took Monday and Tuesday completely off – no running or exercise of any kind.

Yesterday, I had an appointment in the afternoon and thought I would get home in time for a run outside, in the daylight and unseasonable warm temps. No such luck. It was getting dark by the time I got home. I was feeling tired and cranky. I took a nap instead.

When I woke up from my nap, I convinced myself that any run would be better than no run at all, no matter how cozy it felt on the couch. I ate a snack, got all geared-up and got into the car to drive to UConn for a run under the street-lights. Before I left the driveway,, I got back out of the car to assess whether or not I would need to wear "ears" (as Michelle calls the head band/ear warmer things). Since the weatherman had just told me that it was 45 degrees (F) and the blustery winds had moved past us. I felt it was safe to proceed without the ears.

Then I got to my destination and started running and realized the weatherman was a big, fat liarhead. The winds may have left the rest of the state but they were briskly billowing up at UConn. About a half mile into the run, I remembered that there was a winter hat in the back of my car but decided to push on ahead instead of turning back. My ears felt like they could crack and crumble off the side of my head. Thankfully, I warmed up by the end of the first mile and the wind became less of an issue. I even took my windbreaker off and tied it around my waist.

Around mile two, I started to feel a little ‘peckish,’ like I needed to eat. I assumed my body was just fooling around and ignored the request. Pushed on. A quarter mile later, I came to a dead stop so I could open and eat my PowerGel (with no water). If I didn’t eat, I’d have to walk back to the car, and I wasn’t having ANY of that. My energy level was lacking and I just wasn’t feeling like a goddess.

I had hoped for a 5 mile run, but settled for 3 miles instead. Fell off my pedestal and returned to my status as a mere mortal, keeping my ego in check and reminding me that not all runs can be good ones.

There's always today's run to look forward to.

I'm sure by now you have grown weary of reading race reports from me, so I will keep this one short and sweet. Very sweet, actually.

Typical pre-race routine - oatmeal; pb, banana and toast; coffee.

I convinced the whole family to come and support me for this second to last race of the season...so the hubby and the two furry friends all piled into the Jetta with me to travel to Woodstock, CT - about 35 minutes from my house.

Weather was near perfect - a little cold, making it tough to figure out how many layers to shed at the start...but I'd rather be a little warm in the cold than a lot warm in the heat.

Michelle and April-Anne were there - this was April-Anne's last race and run for the season. She'll be joining us again in the spring, if she can resist the running chicks for that long. And Michelle brought reindeer antlers for all of us to wear. With jingle bells on them, of course.

Registration was being held in a tiny golf course club house that had a roaring fire in the fire place and was just bustling with all sorts of activity. The start line was a half mile uphill from the registration area, which served as a great warm up.

And with a simple 'ready, set, go!' we were off!

The first mile was all downhill. As we passed the club house, I threw my jacket, gloves and reindeer antlers to Jason...and was greeted by my adorable doggies wearing antlers of their own. Totally hilarious (there are pictures - to be posted soon). As I passed the first mile marker, I was shocked to see 6:40 on my watch. Wow. This one was really gonna hurt if I kept that up. But then I realized that I had been running entirely downhill, so that must have had something to do with that crazy split.

As we approached the turnaround point, the leaders were all passing by us on the opposite of the road. I think I counted two or three females ahead of me. Holy cow....how did that happen?

Mile two ticked off in 7:09 and we started the gradual climb back up the hill. It was at this point where all the negotiating began...'Slow down, wait for Michelle and April and just enjoy the race. Why must you kill yourself at these things?'...and other similar thoughts crossed my mind. But I also started thinking about how cool it would be to get a sub 22:00 time...so onward I pushed.

Mile three started to get hard and I felt like I was hitting some kind of mini 'Wall' out there. I hit the mile three marker in 7:31 and knew I just had a little farther to go. There was no kick left really...I had once again managed to leave it all out there and couldn't wait to stop running. I was in a 2/2 breathing pattern for the entire race. Damn, that was really hard to maintain (not to mention all the throat-clearing and spit - eww).

Hit the finish line in 22:09 - so close! But still a PR and a great time as far as I was concerned.

My body wasn't feeling so great immediately after I stopped - some weird and wild cramping going on in my intestines. I crunched into a little ball for a minute or two and then we walked back down the hill to the clubhouse. By the time we got to there, I was feeling much better.

At the awards ceremony, I learned that I was first in my division! And I think I was the third or fourth female across the line. Michelle placed third in the same division as me, and April placed third in her division as well.

The Running Chicks, a winning team!

(PS - AND, and, and...My pregnant arch-nemesis missed this race...so I have slipped into first place - age division - for the Race Series that we are in!)

Back in college (‘university’ to some) I had a boyfriend who was very, very meticulous about his Volkswagen GTI. The exterior was always clean, waxed and shiny and the interior was spotless and uncluttered. I used to tap the dirt off my feet off before I got in, just to make sure I didn’t get the floor mats dirty (even though that’s why the mats exist...to catch dirt). It was amazing. I never understood the obsession, but when I finally got my own car, I realized that keeping my car clean was a matter of respect.

So, I became clean-car owner, but on a more rational level…no q-tips in the vents to clean out the dust, no six hour cleaning sessions. I was just one of those annoying people that kept the interior of their car free of debris and clutter. No stray trash, nothing hanging from the rearview mirror and nothing at all in the backseat. It would get a little dusty from time to time, but never dirty. Like I said, annoying but not obsessive.

And then something happened.

First, I got dogs. The backseat was now required to have an old sheet draped on it, to save the cloth upholstery from dirty paws, drool and fur. The back windows now have little nose prints all over them (which always make me smile).

Then just the other day, as I was climbing out of the car, I noticed something odd. There had been a shift in the universe and the interior of my car no longer looked like it belonged to me. It looked like some kind of explosion had gone off…like a running catalog had throw up all over the inside of my car.

In the front seat, there were no less than three water bottles, in various stages on fullness. On the floor was an empty PowerGel packet. On the driver’s side door, there was a pile of banana peels, apple cores and empty granola bar wrappers all bursting out of a garbage bag. A glance into the back seat revealed the following items: a pair of clean running socks, an empty Gatorade bottle, a towel for soaking up sweat, a bottle of Febreeze, a rain poncho, a winter running hat, two baseball hats and my gym bag, overstuffed with running gear. In the glove compartment, I carry a spare LIVESTRONG bracelet.

And the smell. Oh my, the smell in that car. Wow. I’m almost embarrassed to take the dogs for a ride, let alone a human.

I’ve since tidied the car up a bit. But let’s face it, I am who I am. And apparently, I’m a runner who has a less-than-tidy car. Totally worth it as far as I’m concerned.