March, already!? This year is already flying by! This past weekend was a pretty good mix of activity and inactivity. It started with a race on Saturday morning: the Explore Your Limits 10K trail race in Roanoke. It was a balmy 15 degrees at the start, which actually didn’t feel so bad compared to the weather lately. The trail conditions were really tough, with deep snow covering most of the trail. I wish I had been better prepared. Unfortunately, I ended up dropping from the 10K to the 5K midrace. It was the right decision, but I still wasn’t thrilled about it. Full details on Wednesday.

Once we got home from the race, I made a delicious breakfast: a spinach, tomato, and feta omelet. Yum! I spent most of the rest of the day catching up on some of our DVR’ed shows with Barry. We record a lot of shows, but we’re not very good about watching them. Case in point: we spent much of the day watching episodes that were recorded last October. Oops.

Yesterday started out with another spinach omelet. I couldn’t get enough this weekend! Then I spent some time doing a handful of chores around the house, and helping Barry watch more TV shows from the DVR. 🙂 In the evening, we both got in short runs on the roads around our house. I had debated whether or not to go for a run yesterday, and I’m glad I did.

It was 44 degrees outside, which felt downright hot compared to the weather lately. I got in 3 miles and it felt good to get my legs warmed up and stretch. My ankles, calves, and right hamstring were really sore from Saturday’s race.

I like this part after a handful of big snow storms: where the roads are clear but everything else is still covered. It’s really pretty, but at the same time it’s not a hindrance. But I’m also really ready for spring!

Who else has had enough of winter?
What is your favorite food lately?

The second race of the trail series I signed up for is tomorrow – the Explore Your Limits 10K. I can’t believe it’s already here, but I also can, because it’s been awhile since the first race in early January. That first race of 2015 was a bit rough for me, due to lack of training.

After that race I was really looking forward to getting back into a regular routine (and earning my shirt!). I fully expected to be running regularly by now and be much more prepared for this second race. But unfortunately, that is not the case. I did start to get back into a regular routine, and was even getting some decent trail time in each week.

However, my running and workouts have been more sporadic these past three weeks. Two weeks ago was when I was in Raleigh and got really sick. Then last week I was still getting over that cold, and then we got all of that snow. I did get in a couple of short treadmill runs, but I haven’t been on trails in weeks.

So it’s probably going to be another tough run tomorrow. On top of my lack of running lately, there’s also the fact that we got 16 inches of snow last week, and another 5 inches on Wednesday night this week. That brings us to a little over 20 inches of snow on the trails. The kicker is that practically none of it has melted, so it’s going to be interesting out there. At least it shouldn’t be too icy. Due to the snow covered trails, the race director has suggested Yak Trax or an equivalent.

So it sounds like the trail conditions will be some of the toughest I’ve run in. I’ll definitely be wearing my Snow Trax! I’m going to try and stay positive and enjoy my time on the trails in the woods, but I have to say it’s a good thing they say walkers are welcome for this race! Even if I was in better shape, I think the snowy conditions are going to make for a tough race.

Who else is racing this weekend?
Any tips on running through 20 inches of snow?

I have dealt with shin pain on and off pretty much throughout my entire running career. It seems to be something that is always lurking, ready to plague me at the most inconvenient times. Most recently, it reared its ugly head after an awesome weekend at the DC Ragnar Relay last September. I was smack in the middle of marathon training for the Marine Corps Marathon. I missed a week of training due to pain in my right shin. During that week I came down with a bad cold that turned into a sinus infection. In total, I was unable to follow my training plan for about 4 weeks after Ragnar.

After that first week entirely off, I did do some running. And I gave something new a try: kinesiology tape. I’ve heard a lot about it – most notably when Kerri Walsh became the face of KT Tape during the London Olympics. My running buddy, Kim, also used it with success in the past when she started having plantar fasciitis issues. So I gave it a try, and it worked like a charm. (And no, they’re not paying me. That’s just the brand I had the most success with after trying two or three)

In case you’re not familiar, kinesiology tape is an elastic sports tape that is used to support muscles, ligaments, and/or tendons during exercise. Given that definition I still don’t quite know why it worked for me, but it did. I used it in combination with stretching and a very strict icing regiment.

When I first started using the tape, I found that there were two different ways to tape for shin splints: one way for posterior shin splints and one for anterior. I gave them each a try.

The posterior shin splints taping (above, left) ended up being what worked best for me, so I stuck with that. It’s definitely not a solution to shin pain and I don’t intend to use it as such. But I do feel like the tape gives me some added support where I need it. I did not have any pain in my left shin during 18 weeks of marathon training and haven’t had to tape it at all. I used the tape on my right shin during the Marine Corps Marathon and did not have any pain in my shin during or after the race.

One other thing I love about the tape is it typically lasts for several days (up to 4, in my experience). As long as your skin is smooth, clean, and free of things like lotion it will stick very well. I have found that my shin does alright on shorter runs without tape, so I typically only tape my leg before a long run or race and then just wear it until it comes off. I haven’t been taping it lately, since I haven’t been running as much. But once my mileage ramps back up a bit, I’ll be taping again for long runs.

Have you ever used kinesiology tape before?

I headed out of town again this weekend (Barry was working). This time I went to spend the weekend with my best friend, who lives about three hours away. She was house sitting and invited me up to keep her company (the owners of the house were aware, and are fine with her having guests over). It’s one of the coolest houses I’ve seen, with this huge mural in the living room. The couple scuba dives, hence the ocean theme.

I got there Friday night and stayed until Sunday afternoon. We spent most of the day Saturday hanging out inside, because it snowed all day. Our other friend was supposed to come down on Saturday, for a girls weekend, but couldn’t make it because of the snow. We ended up with another five inches, with a nice layer of ice on top, because it switched to rain for about an hour before sunset. The farm road was a mess!

It snowed all day Saturday at home, too, and we got another 6 inches. That makes nearly 16 inches of snow total in the past week!

The majority of Saturday was spent with a Gilmore Girls marathon and just hanging out and talking. It was just the relaxing day we both needed! Then yesterday morning we decided to make tater tots for breakfast, because why not?

But it balanced out, because we ended up having a late lunch at IHOP and both had French toast. So lunch for breakfast, and breakfast for lunch. Shortly thereafter I headed home. The main roads were fine, but it was really interesting making my way down the farm road to the main road. I think that’s the slickest conditions I’ve ever driven on, even with last Monday’s experience.

My trip home was uneventful, which is very much the way I like it. It’s hard living three hours away from my best friend, because we don’t get to spend as much time together. But weekends like this one make me happy 🙂

How near/far does your best friend live?
Do you ever have a girls or guys weekend?

This week has been full of snow and cold temperatures, and we’re not quite done yet. On Monday we got a little over 9 inches of snow, which made for very poor driving conditions on the interstate. Tuesday I took most of the day off of work and attempted to dig out.

It took about 2.5 hours for me to shovel the driveway by myself (Barry was at work). I definitely need to invest in a better snow shovel. The one I was using has a cracked handle that is about to detach from the blade. Also, it’s really hard to shovel a gravel driveway, but I got it done.

That was definitely my workout for the day on Tuesday!

On Wednesday I ended up working from home, as they were calling for more snow. Sure enough, it started snowing around Noon, and we got another 2 inches. The wind was really crazy, too, and it caused a lot of drifting. There went my shoveled driveway *sigh*. Our road ended up completely covered again, too. It was a complete white out with the snow and wind on Wednesday afternoon. Barry was driving home in this, and actually had to just stop in the road several times and wait for visibility to return.

For comparison sake, here’s what it looks like from our deck when there’s not a blizzard going on:

The dogs had fun playing outside on Tuesday, but by Wednesday they were not too thrilled with the bitter cold weather. On Wednesday night the temperature dipped to -1, with a windchill of -28.

Last night the temperature got down to -15, with a windchill of -30. That’s so cold, I can’t even wrap my head around it! The chickens and Annabelle are doing fine in this cold, cold weather. The chickens have been snowed in since Monday night and have been staying in their coop. We have their window closed and have their heat lamp on.

Annabelle mainly hangs out in her hutch when it’s really windy. She’s got plenty of straw to burrow down in. Before the high winds moved in, she actually did enjoy laying outside in the snow, soaking up the sun. She laid outside and watched me the entire time I was shoveling the driveway. I asked if she wanted to come help, and she said “nah, I’m good.”

It looks like it’s going to warm up a bit this weekend, and we’re expecting a snow/rain mixture Saturday and rain on Sunday. Then there’s a chance of snow early next week, with temp’s staying below freezing. Hurry, spring!

How’s your weather been this week?