Group long run

Thanks so much for the winter running recommendations! I'm not sure if I will get the yaxtraks but some gloves are on the way.  Some of you made a good point that while I'm running on some snow here and there, it is not like I am running on snow for my entire run.  Bare necessities!  Really considering the bank robber mask though :)

This morning I did my first group run! It was 10 miles at 7am with 19 degree weather. It was chilly and I was nervous I was going to be cold. I had serious layers. I had to rush and was just grabbing things - I don't think that Kara wanted me to go so she woke up at 5:20am and was making alot of noise. I ended up feeding her at 6 and putting her back down just in time to grab my things and go.  People don't wait when it's 19 out! 

There were about 30 people there when I arrived. I cannot believe this many people meet up to run in very very cold weather at 7am on a Saturday. How motivating! There were groups doing 8, 10 and 12. I opted for 10 since my longest outside run has been 8 this training cycle.  I started going with a group up to the Valley Forge arch - 4 of us took the lead while the rest of the group lagged behind about 1/2 mile. There were water stops every 2-3 miles, which was really nice.  Out of the 4 of us, it ended up being me and one other woman, Sabina, who were ready after a quick water break. The other 2 who were running with us were still chatting/delayering so we took off. It was a hilly challenging course for sure! In the beginning I felt like the pace was too slow but then it ended up being comfortable. Pushing up some of the hills was hard! And by 8.5 miles I was very hungry and ready to be done.  AT the end, there was a great spread. I was on that right away :)

I love this Garmin! Here were the splits: 9:15, 8:50, 8:39, 9:27, 8:41, 9:44, 8:55, 8:46, 9:35, 8:50.
They are totally all over the place.   It felt good, my only complaint is that my ankles hurt a bit. I'm not sure if it is my shoes or maybe my gait. Going to try to stretch them out. Any suggestions?

Here is a look at my layers - one pair of gloves with warm socks over my hands. Hat. Fleece zip up, puma pullover, tshirt underneath. Adidas running skirt (last minute add-on to keep my booty warm), cep compression socks, under armour tights and not shown - sneakers of course! Horrible quality on the pics but you get the idea. I think I'm going to do the running skirt again. It looks cute and it's not one that I can run with without tights because it rides up. This way it gets put into use!

I'm baaaaaaack baby!!! I feel super motivated to get out there and push myself everyday, and then I also feel like I earn my day off.  It feels so good! I like running on Saturdays so that I have 6 days in a row then Sunday off.   Since I easily achieved my goal/resolution of running with a group, I'm going to come up with some serious running goals for this spring.