How 'bout A Warm Drink?

Care to join me for a warm drink?

It's that time of year, after all. What would you be drinking? I'm going with a chai latte' (big surprise, I know), but feel free to pour yourself whatever you desire. It's always fun to get together and chat about life (in general) and running (in particular).


Anyways, let's chat.

First of all, if we were having a warm drink, I'd tell you about my October. I carefully eased back into a regular running routine. I utilized some walk breaks at first, but really didn't seem to need them after the first couple weeks. My October (running) mileage came it at 70.5 miles, which is comparable to what I'd be running anyways (had there not been a surgery a few months prior). I also had some monthly goals to focus on, most of which went well...but I did catch myself slacking off a bit in the final days. I made my planking goal of 150 (cumulative) minutes, and the early morning cardio happened every morning (often times it was just a 15-20 minute walk around the neighborhood). Everything else stayed constant until the final week or so (#fulldisclosure).

Remember these? 

 Secondly, I'd share with you my goals for November. I will still be running 3-4 times each week, as well as planking everyday, so there's no need to highlight them. I'm going to continue the daily cardio each morning, and try to do 10-minutes of yoga everyday as well. I also plan on adding 20 daily push-ups to the roster, and bring back the daily leg lifts (which I did while in the early stages of post-surgery recovery). It looks like a lot, but it's probably just an additional 20-minutes to my day (in addition to the cardio and/or running). Most of these "mini workouts" will be done intermittently throughout the day, so they will not require a huge chunk of time. At least that's my plan....stay with me and we'll see how this goes.

 new month = new goals

Thirdly, I'd disclose that I think I have finally acclimated to the sudden temperature drop. I met my friend, Barb, Thursday morning for our weekly #5at5 (5 miles at 5:00 a.m.). The temps were in the low-40's, there was a thick fog, and there was ZERO wind present! My (unlined) tights, long-sleeved (flannel-lined) tech top, and puffer vest were perfect. Woot! Doesn't it make you feel like a super hero when you have the layers perfect and your run feels effortless as well?

Boom! I mastered the layers for an early morning run!

Of course, I'd also need to rant (slightly) about the forecasted temps for this weekend, which are supposed to be slightly warmer than what we've had...so wish me luck on nailing the perfect layer-combo for my 10K race on Saturday. I've done this race, the Hillbilly Hike, twice before  (in 2014 and 2015). Both of those times, I ran the half marathon...it was a crazy, cold, and windy mess that first year, but we had ideal weather conditions the following year (somehow, though, I totally bonked around mile nine and couldn't take advantage of what should have been a perfect PR opportunity). I'm not really in condition (yet) to do back-to-back half marathons (I'm running the R'nR Las Vegas 13.1 on Nov.12th), so I elected to register for the 10K distance this weekend instead.

The Hillbilly Hike Half in 2014 (above left) and in 2015 (above)

Finally, I would share my total gratitude that my return to running has gone so smooth. Seriously, I've already snagged an AG award and did a 10-mile training run last weekend...with no DOMS raining on my proverbial (recovery) parade! I'd like to try for a 10K PR on Saturday, but we'll have to wait and see what the race day conditions have in store. The course is pretty flat, with a net downhill grade (it's a rail trail, after all), so there's potential for every racer to PR as well. Fingers crossed all goes well!

Feeling good, feeling fine!

So, those are a few things I'd share with you, if we were getting together on a cool fall morning for some chatter. How about you? How did your October play out? Any big plans for November? What's your weather been up to?

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I'm linking this with Meranda and Lacey and Rachel for the Friday Five 2.0. 

And, since it's the first weekend of the month, I'm also linking with Deborah and Coco for the Ultimate Coffee Date. What would you share, if we were having coffee?