TODAY at 8am EST….Track me here!
Am I nuts or what?!?!?!?!
It was kind of fun being spontaneous today and just deciding to do it! Ever since we drove to Toronto to register my nerves have been off the hook! I figured two things, 1) I know I am ready and well rested. I ran a half two weeks ago and I have barely run much since. My legs feel good and I am not sore, and 2) I deserve a little ‘celebration’ after these crazy 2 weeks!
On our way home tonight we went to one of our favourite restaurants- Baton Rouge!
I told Eric my ‘treat’ for all my hard work was running the half marathon tomorrow. He was like, ‘TREAT!?’ That doesn’t sound like a treat to me.’ hehe….only a runner would understand!! ;)
Eric’s treat was going to his favourite restaurant! We were famished and I was excited to load up on carbs!
I had to skip the alcohol though…which was hard…because I wanted a huge glass of Merlot.
Cold H20 rocks! :(
All Eric could think about was his beloved ribs and fries that were on their way. I think he eats meat like once a month now so when he does…oh boy, watch out!!! lol.
I ordered the Grilled Vegetable Sandwich with roasted cinnamon apples. Oh my GOSH was this ever delicious!
It was about the size of my head and I ate every last bite plus about a serving of Eric’s fries.
Filled with grilled portabella mushroom, zucchini, romaine, and peppers in a balsamic olive oil dressing.
To my delight, the chef was more than willing to accommodate any vegan request! It was one of the easiest restaurants I have been to in terms of flexibility. I never expected this especially given that it is a STEAKHOUSE!
His ribs and fries:
Oh boy! Those are the best fries ever let me add.
I was cracking up because Eric kept saying, ‘Geeze everyone is going to think I am carbo-loading!!’ lol.
He said he had to fuel up for his early morning tomorrow!
I don’t blame him, poor guy. I told him he doesn’t have to come tomorrow, but I think he thinks that is ‘wife speak’ for I’m going to say you don’t have to come but I really hope you do. bahahaha. ;) Perhaps…
Dessert was bread and chocolate. Yup, that’s right!
Dark chocolate once home:
And an Endure Glo Bar:
I’ve been one nervous nelly today. I think it is because I am not sure how I am going to fare in such cold temperatures tomorrow (32F). I hope it doesn’t make things too hard on me. Eric’s coworker ran this race one year and she said it was so cold the entire run was miserable and she would never do it again. I sure as hell hope that isn’t my experience. Kind of freaked me out a little!
Right now I am *thinking* I am going to wear the white tank + red Shape Jacket + long pants. I am a bit worried that I may get too hot and I won’t be able to do anything about it. There is no way I am ‘tossing’ this jacket either! That would be like leaving my baby on the doorstep of a stranger’s house.
I hope that if I roll up my sleeves and unzip my jacket half way that will be enough to cool me down should I get hot. I also toyed with the idea of wearing shorts, and then my legs would be cool but my upper half warm. I don’t know!! Ideas?? Has anyone run a race in 30-35F weather?
Oh and my pre-half splurge were 69 cent Wal-Mart gloves! hahaha. Sorry Lulu, couldn’t afford ya this time. The gloves are good though because I can toss them if need be.
I really can’t believe I am running another HALF tomorrow! Crazy. I am so excited!
Track my race LIVE:
By the way, for those of you who had fun tracking me last time you can track me LIVE again tomorrow morning!
Click here to enter my BIB number: 8446
My race begins at 8am EST! I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to beat my last time (1 hour 57 mins. 45 seconds), however I am just not sure what the cold is going to be like for this half so I am not setting a time goal this time. I am going to do my best and that will be more than enough! :) This is my last ‘hoorah’ of the year and I want to have fun more than anything.
Stay tuned tomorrow for the race craziness!!! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
[PS- Eric just said I am a lunatic and if you guys really knew how weird I was you wouldn’t read this blog! hahaha!!!! Nice hubby eh?]
Hey Angela, I ran the Philadelphia half-marathon last year at the end of November and it was in the 30s. I was REALLY cold waiting for the race to start, but once we began I was fine. To run I wore running tights (pants) and an UnderArmour long sleeved shirt with a puffy vest over top. I also wore light weight gloves (like yours). I would get warm and take the gloves off and then get chilly and put them back on (don’t toss them if you don’t have to). Also to stay warm at the starting line, my friends and I wore garbage bags with holes cut for our head and arms. It sounds funny but it really kept the heat in and the cold wind out!! HAVE FUN :)
Good luck tomorrow!!!
Thank you everyone!!!!!!!!! xoxoxo
YAY! So excited for you!
Honestly, I like to run in the cold in shorts still. But long sleeve up top! I’m more comfortable that way. I hate running in pants. But I am also a tiny bit weird. Just like you. ;-)
So proud and excited for you. Break a leg, Ange! (OK, so not literally – it’s a dance/theatre thingy there – erm, s what I mean here is… rock the half, woman. LOL)
Cold weather? It’s got nothin’ on the Snow Warrior!
Good luck, sweetie. Kick butt and enjoy!
You will do fantastic :-) I think it’s a great idea to wear pants, jacket, and a tank – I wouldn’t have thought to do that! I have found in my experience that once I’m warmed up, shorts, a top, and a jacket are good in colder weather, but before I’m warm it’s too cold and I prefer pants!
Good luck! I totally understand a race as a treat. Enjoy and take care.
You should be fine with unzipping and rolling up the sleeves. You’re wearing a tank under so that helps.
You are going to do amazing – I am so impressed you signed up spur of the moment for a half marathon!
And about being a lunatic – own the lunacy (sp?), normal people are boooooring. :)
I’ve run races in as cold as 5 degrees…farenheit.
And I’ve NEVER EVER worn a jacket. Ever.
I actually ran in a race today in the mid 30s and wore a short sleeve shirt and shorts. If it hadn’t been sunny, I might have done capris. Don’t overdress…the 30s are not remotely cold. Capris, long sleeves, gloves. Gotten toughen up if you’re going to be a real runner in this climate.
Hey! Good luck tomorrow! Whenever I race in 30-35, I go with shorts, a long sleeve tee, sometimes a hat, and a pair of cheap gloves I can take off. Usually works for me–you warm up a lot!
Yay good luck! Just noticed your Polar footpod. I just got one, wanted to get your thoughts. Just tried searching your blog for the terms but I got error messages.
I think I would love your blog even more if I knew how weird you really are ;) Best of luck in your race!!!
I ran today in 40-45F degree weather and my layers were a little screwy but I think I would have been perfect in running tights, a long-sleeved performance shirt, and the running vest I had on. Oh, and gloves for sure! There’s a tool on Runner’s World to help you determine what to wear in certain weather: http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/whattowear/0,7152,s6-240-325-330-0-0-0-0,00.html.
As someone else said, don’t toss the gloves as you may fluctuate between wearing them and not wearing them. I also agree with having something extra to wear before/after race when you’re not moving. Good luck!!
I raced last weekend, and I think the temperature was around 5-6C. I wore long pants and then a long-sleeved shirt, and thought that was perfect, so I think you should be fine with the tank+jacket. As someone else mentioned, you can always take it off and tie it around your waist if it gets too hot.
Good luck, you’ll do great!
Good luck for the half marathon!! I’m so excited for you and can’t wait to read a recap! :D
Gosh, one of my favourite things about running is being able to eat lots of good, yummy, healthy food! And of course, carbo loading before a massive race :D
GOOD STUFF!!
Unfortunately I can’t offer any advice on running in cold temperatures… I live in New Zealand and it doesn’t get that cold (well to me it feels FREEZING). Also, I’ve only ever run in pretty ok temperatures. But I’m sure other commenters will offer some fabulous advice.
HAVE AN AWESOME TIME!! :D
Hi Angela, Good luck for your race tomorrow! I’m sure you will be fine in the cold – your motivating me to sign up for a half…
Have fun! And as others have said, keep the gloves. Your hands tend to get cold again after a while and gloves are great for wiping sweat and other nasties :) which make your hands cold.
You will be fine! You’ll warm up so quick that you won’t even notice the cold! It could be worse right? It could be freezing rain with a mixture of snow! *knocks on wood it isn’t* hehe
HAVE FUN!
Good luck on your race and HAVE FUN! :)
Don’t let what Eric’s co-worker said put you off! I’m not sure about the time difference (I’m in the UK) and if I’m too late with this, but I regularly run in temperatures several degrees colder than that (did a half myself this morning…not a race, just for training) and actually prefer it because I’m notorious for being a sweaty mess after I run. As long as the ground isn’t frosty, I’m good to go ;)
I would personally go with the jacket/shorts idea, as I always find that my legs just don’t seem to be as greatly affected by the cold as my torso and arms. It’s a good compromise/happy medium to ensure that you’re not baking in your clothes by the end (no pun intended!) Could be just a personal thing though, as I have quite a slender top half and a heck of a lot of padding and insulation on the bottom if you catch my drift!
Good luck! Fingers crossed that you beat your time.
I love spontaneous race entries and I’d keep on reading no matter how crazy you are. Life’s too short to be ‘sane’.
xoxox