Volunteering and Cold Weather Running

Over the weekend, I volunteered for the Mud & Chocolate Run. They host a 4.5 mile trail run on Saturday, and a half marathon trail run on Sunday. I was looking for local volunteer opportunities and saw that they were in need of some, and I'm so glad I found them!

This boutique race is organized by NRG Running, and their founders, Jon and Nina, are the nicest and most laid back runners/race organizers I have met! They also host boutique race The Rain Run, and Nina told met they get some people who fly in just for that race!

For the 4.5 Mile run, there were 97 runners and I helped out at the finish line, passing out chocolate medals and bars to the finishers. For the half marathon, I was stationed at the check-in table, handing out t-shirts to those who had preordered them, and selling t-shirts to those who wanted some.

I'm so glad I picked Saturday to help out at the finish line and Sunday to be under the tent, because of course the first day it was bright, sunny, and beautiful - and Sunday it started to pour! I felt so bad for the trail runners, haha. Fortunately we all got chocolate in the end!

In other news... brrr it's getting so cold out now! Here are my runs since I last posted:

And then, it really started to get cold.

46 Degrees

At least it was beautiful, too!

43 Degrees

40 Degrees... eep!

Though it's been getting steadily colder in the mornings and not getting much warmer in the afternoons, when the sun is shining (contrary to popular belief, it's out a lot!) it's BEAUTIFUL.

Running in the cold is hard, but I kind of like it! It starts to feel nice and refreshing after about a mile.

Do you like mild weather or cold weather runs?

Trying Not to Overdo It

Ah, the calm after a race is over. Since Bellingham, I've been mainly relaxing and trying not to overdo working out. I do this thing where I put way too many things on my schedule - yoga, tap class, contemporary class, running, choir rehearsal, voice lesson - and then I get disappointed when I don't accomplish all of those things in one day. I have really crazy, unrealistic expectations sometimes.

For example, the Wednesday before the half marathon, one of my days included an advanced contemporary dance class, running 5 miles, an advanced tap class, and a choir rehearsal. And then I was surprised when I was super exhausted the next day. ?!? Sometimes I just get this feeling that I'm wasting my time if every single minute of every day is not filled with something to do.

So, I've been running some, sure - but if I haven't felt like it on the day I intended to do it, then I don't. No big deal. I just move it to the next day or delete it completely. I'm not training for any race right now, and I don't think I will for a while.

I've decided not to run in the Seattle Half Marathon this December, as I've done for the last two years. I would have had about 8 weeks to train, sure, but with how I was feeling during the last training cycle and not really giving myself a break... I decided it was in my best interest to just not do it. However, I did sign up to volunteer and I'm excited about that opportunity! I'm very interested to see what it's like to be on the other side of the race, so to speak.

Now, there is a possibility that I'll be running the 5K race the day before with the in-laws during their visit during Thanksgiving. It's kind of a tradition we have, running the Turkey Trot- and this race is one of the options we could do. However, this won't be a race like the previous years have been a race. I don't plan to train for this race, but to make it what it should be - a fun run.

As for how my runs have been since after Bellingham, here they are!

This run felt AWESOME. I felt like I could keep running forever and ever. It was great weather (in the 60s), sunny, and just all around a wonderful, wonderful fun. After this run I really had to control myself from immediately signing up for the Seattle Marathon.

I didn't run again until the next Monday - almost a week. A slightly less fun run. I ended up tripping right before finishing the first mile- on a downhill. I scraped up my leg pretty badly.

Ow. It really hurts. Anyways... the run was okay, but my calf muscle was really starting to just hurt since it was scraped so bad. Since the fall, yoga hasn't been great either, since I fell on the heel of my hand as well, so I can't put much pressure on it.

I ventured out again the next day for 3 miles, which went pretty well! Again, I'm not focused on time- just effort. Making it easy when I want to, and pushing when it feels okay to do so. My leg was still a little sore from the day before, but once I got in my groove it stopped hurting. It just looks pretty gnarly now.

So, it looks like running for the rest of the year will be mainly 5K fun runs and running around outside whenever the sun is out - which, surprisingly, it still is, even though it's October! I'm not complaining :)