Dedication

I'm stubborn.

Okay, not the 'I'm right even when I'm wrong' kind of stubborn. I'm the 'If my schedule calls for 16 miles, I will run 16 miles - no matter what' kind of stubborn (exception: injuries - I have learned something in this last year ;)).

And today was the perfect day for being stubborn. Heavy heavy 'not able to breathe' winds (freezing!). Lots lots lots and lots of rain (pouring down - literally). The weather forecast actually rewarded today's weather with a 1 / an F. Not the kind of weather that talks you into going out for a run. But my schedule called for 16 miles.

Ready? This is what this Heidi Klum look-a-like (okay, I'm being sarcastic here...extremely sarcastic) looks like after 16.3 miles / 26.1K in the pouring rain. Not a pretty sight. I was soaking wet. Even my undies were soaking wet. Not to mention the amount of water in my shoes. But guess what, despite of the rain, the cold and the heavy winds - I felt okay. And nope, running 16.3 miles / 26.1K in the pouring rain with those winds, and all by yourself, is nothing like a day in the park. Let's call this run a mental work out. ;)

Luckily you can't see my soaking wet rat's tail / pig's nest in this photo.

So, let me just quote Larissa here: I went out there, in the pouring rain, 'because I don't turn my back on myself'. Enough said.

Three Things Thursday

Ran: 4.5 miles / 7.2K + 30 min of cycling

1. With The Calf feeling slightly better I'm slowly easing back into running longer distances again. Adding miles to my runs every couple of days. The PT adviced me to add one mile at a time and to listen to The Calf. If it's painfree on a run, it's okay. If it's not, I should not add an extra mile on the next run. That it's slippery outside doesn't really help the pain, but does help strenghten my muscles.

2. Since I'm out on the road again (although not at the mileage pre calf strain yet, but still), I have completely fallen in love with Buff scarves! I already used those for skiing, but apparently they are also great for running! Great way to keep your head and neck warm in these chilly temps!

Plus, they come in great and fun colors. I love this one:

3. In my opinion the runningskirts.com twins deserve an award for their Subzero Hoody. In this winter weather I eat, sleep and live in this thing. I can't get over how comfortable this jacket is! It's soft and keeps me warm (but not too warm) on my runs. Great piece of running gear!

Check out www.runningskirts.com for more great winter running gear!

Canicross in fresh powder - The "Can you say instant happiness?" post

Saturday: ran 4.5 miles / 7.2K with the dogs
Sunday: ran 2.5 miles / 4K with the dogs

I guess I don't need to explain to you all how much fun this was, huh?

Three Things Thursday - Cold weather running essentials

1. The North Face Hybrid Windstopper Running tights. Windstopper: enough said.

Those are 'fitted tights', meaning, they have a somewhat 'loose fit', compared to 'normal' tights. I find this extremely comfy for the trail running I do in winter.

2. Salomon XA PRO 3D Ultra Goretex running shoes. Goretex + Contagrip running sole = instant love. By the way, this doesn't mean that I'll be neglecting my Inov-8 running shoes. :)

3. For the extremely chilly runs in low temps: Vaseline. It will keep your nose from freezing off. Promise! :)

What are your cold weather running essentials?

Mushy Monday - Cold weather and Trail Running

This photo was taken in March of this year, while on winter vacation in the Swiss Alps. Oh boy, do I love to go out for a run on those trails!

Oh boy, I just started running then - bad bad running form!

Looking at this pic makes me actually want to book a plane ticket and head over to Switzerland to spend the weekend in those beautiful surroundings! On the other hand, it might be better to wait to do so till I can actually run again (!%!~^!^!^!@^ calf)! ;) :)

Cold weather running rocks!

I absolutely love running in cold temps. As long as I have my The North Face Windstopper tights and my Mammut softshell on, I'm fine and good to go. :) I would honestly pick snowy cold weather running over hot summer running.Just looking at snow makes me smile! :)

Last winter was pretty freezing in Holland, so I'm prepping myself for the colder temps. I already have the Inov-8 Terroc 308 trail running shoes for running on snowy and slippery trails. Since those have a mesh upper, and might result in me having frozen toes, I'm looking into the Salomon GoreTex trail running shoes. I still have to do some research on those, and check out where I could try them on, but they sure do look promising!

Ahhh, I can't wait till my PT tells me that's it's okay to head out for (at least) a slow jog! :)

Do you love cold weather running? If so, how do you layer up and what's your pick in shoes?

Twelve for Tuesday: Getting ready for Autumn running - the what to wear edition!

Ran: 2.6 miles (treadmill) + 2.7 miles (road) / 10 km - 60 minutes - easy run

Weather is getting colder in Holland. This week will be OK for this time of year (at least, that's what the weather report says), but Autumn is definitely on its way. And therefore it's time to stock up on Autumn running gear! Yay! Shop 'till you drop, shop 'till you drop! Yeah, yeah, I know, you might be wondering if I don't already have enough running gear bursting out of my closet. Well, ofcourse I have some Autumn ready running gear, but, hey, with a minimum of 35 to 40 miles a week, I can't be wearing the same outfits on and on, can I? ;) See, I really have no choice but to treat myself to some new running gear! :) I haven't made my mind up yet on what to purchase, but just look at these twelve things I love!

1. I already have this cute pale yellow Nike long sleeve in black and the fit is just amazing! Wardrobe staple for autumn!

2. Love the colour and shape of this Adidas one.

3. I'm not really sure about the shiny fabric, but I like the colour and shape of this Nike jacket.

4. Love the colour of this Nike t-shirt!

5. They also have this Nike Long Sleeve in pale blue; I think I like that colour better. Boobieswise the colour is a bit weird on the pink one. But that's just me. ;)

6. Yep, I know, these are shorts. But I kind of like them for muddy autumn Canicross runs with my dogs. No risk of ripping the fabric when I trip and fall face down in the mud. Wouldn't want to ruin my precious runningskirts!

7. I'm in love with this one! This Nike Livestrong jacket is just 'groovy'! Makes me wonder how it fits. Doesn't look like a fitted running jacket.

8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. All from the new RunningSkirts.com fall/winter collection. Love it! Just love it! Does a girl ever have enough runningskirts? ;)

If you could pick just one item from the list of twelve above, which one would it be?