We have been on a bit of a weather rollercoaster lately. Minnesota winter has given us the subzero cold and the balmy 40+ degree days. The weather websites are forecasting freezing rain followed by anywhere from 2-4 inches to a whopping 8-12 inches beginning tomorrow evening and continuing on Thursday. Personally, I will just watch and wait to see what happens. When a warm winter day happens, many Minnesotans get out and enjoy some fresh air. My son and I went out cross country skiing on Sunday. That is quite a workout! The rest of our weekend was spent with a basketball tournament, a visit from the grandparents/basketball fans, cleaning, and running. Happy Winter! Happy Running! -Stephanie
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I think we all have fond memories of one of our first cars. I remember driving around a small pickup truck that was mostly good although it lacked cloth seat, FM radio and AC. It always got me where I was going and without any odd looks other than my windblown hair on hot days. My son, David, just had to part with his first car, "Jet." Jet was a 1998 Volkswagon Jetta. The "ta" part fell off the car, leaving the car with a much cooler and shorter name. When David inherited Jet from his older brother, it was with the understanding that if the car died, there would be no replacement until David starts college. The older kids did not have cars until college and shared cars with Mom and Dad. David was highly motivated to keep his little car running and his freedom of a car of his own. To be honest, we called the car insurance company and found out that the difference of putting the teen driver on an old car only cost us an additional $10 per month, so we figured we'd keep it but commit to not putting any money into it. By the time David's little car quit, it had a number of unusual features:
I believe Jet was the only Volkswagen in the neighborhood that was regularly going out hunting, trapping and towing a boat to the lake. David learned a lot about mechanics from working on his little car. He was pretty regularly spending evenings in the garage working on its latest quirk. Once we had determined that Jet was headed for the scrap iron yard, David told me, "I loved that car." I know you did, D.
Lots of runners have plenty of quirks like David's car. If you look at your running gear, I'd be willing to bet you find a handful of items that are from the 20th century, or at least very old, maybe in rough condition, but you wouldn't part with. This morning, I had on my Minnesota Mitts, a double-layered fleece mitten. I have had these mittens for around 20 years and my hands were even sweaty today with an air temp of -19. Why would I ever part with that reliability and quality? Could I even find a comparable item if I tried? I'm looking forward to running in temps with positive numbers starting tomorrow. It's been below zero almost every morning since Christmas Day. My double fleece mitts can take the day off :-) Happy Running--Missee Yes! It has definitely been cold enough. (I don't know why Minnesotans ask that question, but we all hear it from time to time.) Although I love living in Minnesota, running in the latest cold snap has been a challenge. I run outdoors all year around and I often mention that dressing appropriately is the key. On Tuesday morning, I failed to take my own advice. About ten minutes into a 45 minute run, I was cold. My legs were really cold. I thought that tights and pants would be enough warmth. I was wrong. Since that run, my legs have been blotchy, itchy, and have some minor pain. Today... I added one more pair of pants to my running wardrobe. Although I felt a little clumsy in my winter running attire... I was warm. Happy winter running! -Stephanie
Welcome 2018! Missee shared her running goals in her last post. I only have two running goals for 2018... but I they are big ones for me. 1. Run a Marathon. I'm not sure why I think that running a marathon should be back on my list for 2018. Mostly, running a marathon motivates me to log in more miles. I have not registered for a marathon yet. Like any other parent of teens, I am trying to figure out which date will work with their busy schedules first. 2. Run at least three 5Ks. This is more of a family goal than an individual one. I want my kids to experience the fun atmosphere of community races. Many of the races either support a cause or are a part of a community celebration. Why not participate in a healthy family activity while adding some running t-shirts to our wardrobes? Sounds like a win-win idea to me. Christmas vacation is coming to an end. Although it went by quickly, I enjoyed the extra time with family and getting a few projects completed. Here are three highlights of my vacation: 1. Sewing. The blocks in the photos below are four quilt blocks in the "Women of the Bible" quilt that I have been working on. A new block pattern is emailed to me every two weeks. (Yes, I was four blocks behind... but now I am all caught up.) 2. Exercise. I was able to spend some extra time running and walking. Some those exercise sessions were outside in the bitter cold and others were on the treadmill. My kids have also logged in some treadmill time. 3. Twin Cities Getaway. We attended the Vikings game on New Year's Eve. We had a blast! Wishing you all a very happy, healthy, and wonderful new year! -Stephanie
Our Blog Giveaway closed at noon today. The two winners of cold weather skin care are Marree D and Deb B. I will be in touch with Marree and Deb to get their prizes. The one loser is the wise one who brought these shoes to the gym for a treadmill workout. When I realized I had two different colors, I was still going to go for it even though one has a prescription orthotic and one is missing the sock liner. Once I noticed I had two left shoes, I was headed home for some yoga.
So, my 2018 running is off to a slow start. Maybe tomorrow. Happy running! Missee |
AuthorMissee and Stephanie are two Minnesota sisters and moms who love to run. We are not experts in running, parenting or anything else, but we do have years of experiences that may be helpful or entertaining to others. Archives
May 2020
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