Spring Training and Racing Schedule

So I know I've been somewhat of a stranger lately. You know that whole grad school, full time job, full time kid..err..boyfriend. Those things take up A LOT of time. Who knew?!
I'm definitely getting the itch to start training again. Too bad the weather here is pretty much going to be below freezing until who knows when, and I FREAKIN hate the treadmill! I did throw on my bad-ass-ness yesterday though and plunge into the freezing weather for a nice little run.
I was worried that my speed may have declined a little, since I'm not officially training right now. But I was pretty surprised with my splits!

• Mile 1: 8:02
• Mile 2: 8:06
• Mile 3: 7:54
• Mile 4: 7:50
• Mile 5: 7:52
• Mile 6: 8:16

Total Miles: 6 in 48:05
Not too bad em, not too bad.


I will say that the one thing that I like about running is cold weather is the gear. Here are some of my favorite things to where when the temperature drops.

Nike Element Jacket. I got mine last year at TJ Maxx for a steal! And it is always my go to jacket when I run in colder weather.

Mizuno Running Tights. These things are the best! They feel like you are hardly wearing anything at all because they move so well, yet they keep me warm and toasting in the CO weather. PLUS they are my favorite color (purple) and the boy says I look like a pro when I wear them!

Fleece earwarmers. They have a variety of colors at Wal-mart for $3, not kidding.

I also really like this app from Runner's World. You just give a little info, like the temperature, wind, etc. and they will suggest what to wear for your run. I also read once that you should always dress for 20 degrees warmer when you are running, because that is how much your body temperature goes up. I generally find this to be a good rule of thumb.

As far as training and more races, I have a few cooked up for the spring. So far for sure I'm doing the Colorado Marathon and attempting to get a BQ from this one. Its in May, so come January I'll be training my ass off for that time!

I have a few other races on the agenda, such as a Turkey Trot (of course), a few halfs, and maybe a relay. so stay tuned!


P.S. If any of your girls reading this are from Colorado, or think you may want to join a team for the Wild West Relay, go to the website: www.wildwestrelay.com, check it out, and leave me a comment or send me an email telling me you are interested. I really think it would be awesome to get some bloggers together to do this! Plus you need 12 people on a team, and I just don't know that many people around here that are THAT into running.

Favorite Running Gear

Yesterday I  got a request from Miss Erosion to do a post on my favorite running gear. I LOVE requests and I love talking about running gear, so I thought it would be the perfect post!
Here we go!
Shoes:
Currently I have two pairs that are on rotation, or used for different purposes.

• For everyday runs and training I wear the Brooks Trance 10.

• For races and longer runs (because they are lighter) I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Mizuno Wave Elixir 5:

These shoes have been loved so much that they are about to retire. I have been looking into buying the newest version of them which is the Mizuno Wave Elixir 6:

Clothing:
Here is where I am the weirdo of the bunch. I like the Nike Tempo shorts, but they are not my favorite. I feel like they fit me weird and I have found ones that I like better. These include:

• Asics Favorite Short: For some reason these just fit me the best. They are very similar to the Nike Tempos, but I like that the pocket is on the back, they fit a little better, and they are super comfortable.

• Nike Dri-Fit Tanks: I will give Nike some props for their Dri-Fit tanks, because they are my all time favorite. I like the tanks better than the t-shirts and I usually buy mine one size up so they fit a little looser. My favorite one that I own is this one, mainly because its awesome:

Other:

• Garmin Forerunner 205: Yes, I have the old old version of the forerunner. I got it a couple of years ago and newer versions have come out since, but this one has been my little running buddy for so long I just can't bear to part with her!

 

• Ipod Nano: The boy got me this for Christmas last year and I love it. Its perfect for running because it has a built in clip that you can just clip to your shorts and you don't have to buy anything extra to hold it on runs. I may do a post on my favorite running songs too, if anyone is interested!

 

• GU gels: These things are like MAGIC! I take them on all of my long runs and they really do make all the difference. So far my favorite flavor is expresso love (I prefer the chocolate or vanilla flavors over the fruit flavors)

 
These are some of the favorites that I am loving right now. I could probably make a whole other post with more, but these are the essentials right now. If anyone else has suggestions, requests, or questions about anything involving my training leave me a comment or email me. I love hearing from you guys! :)
Speaking of training, yesterday was my day off for the week, so I decided to get my long run in. I did 15 miles at an easy pace. Here are the splits:

Mile 1: 9:48
Mile 2: 9:44
Mile 3: 9:56
Mile 4: 9:39
Mile 5: 9:30
Mile 6: 9:33
Mile 7: 9:26
Mile 8: 9:23 (half way point, kicked it up just a little after this)
Mile 9: 9:19
Mile 10: 9:11
Mile 11: 9:10
Mile 12: 9:02
Mile 13: 8:43
Mile 14: 8:45
Mile 15: 8:39

Yay for negative splits! I have really been trying to make it a goal to run the second half of all of my runs faster than the first. And this run was great, I am happy with my times, for sure! I think I am getting more used to the longer distances too, because today I was barely sore at all. This is VERY encouraging for running that first marathon in a few months.
What is your favorite running gear at the moment?