The porta potty is my friend

How happy am I that our town kept some of the porta potties down at the trail for the winter.

It's very obvious that I am the only one using it, it truly feels like home. Well not really. Taking your bottoms off at -30 is no fun albeit necessary when I know I won't make it back home. 

Just a short update. 6 miles yesterday, just easy recovery miles. I will do 8 today, with 4 X 800 meters hard effort. Mustering up courage again to get it done. It's getting cold again. -30C/-22F forecasted for the coming week. On a positive note, the days are getting a bit longer. Spring can't come soon enough for me but I know I have a few months to go yet. 

Long Sleeve Sunday

Ended a gorgeous unheard of week of nice weather. At least for us. Everything is relative.

How I felt running in 40F weather

Total of 45 miles this week with a 17 miler on Sunday. It did not feel that hard so I guess my training is going well.  And yes it happened. I actually ran a few miles in just a long sleeve shirt. Only a few miles when I had the wind in my back. Running against the wind was still cold and hard. Crazy for this time of year here, but I'll take it.

On Saturday it was actually nicer and I felt so happy running in nice weather. Just wonderful. I can enjoy it for just a few more days because next week it's -20 again.

This is what I felt like eating yesterday, had serious sugar cravings.

This is why I don't buy any of these goodies. I would eat it all if I had it in my house. Instead I ate rice with lots of stir fry veggies and turkey. I did make a picture but it looks gross so I will spare you that. 

The running procrastinator..

It was a busy week but I still managed to run 53 miles. That seems like a lot but I'm not able to do much speed or tempo training therefor I'm not afraid of injury. I really had to take advantage of the nice weather.

I ran everyday with two long runs on the weekend. Running longer than 12 miles is very hard even though it's not that cold. It still is below freezing and there is a lot of snow on the ground. It's just harder than when the roads are clear. 

I'm very happy though with my decision to run through winter. I really feel a LOT better than last year. Even though I often procrastinate and it's still really hard to do, being outside is just good for mind and body. 

Procrastination is a serious issue though this winter. I really commit to running early in the morning but I just cannot make myself do it on some days. Like today. I really didn't want to write another blog post but it's better than getting out there in the cold so that's what I'm doing. Next will be panic and running out of time before it gets dark. Anyway, it sure is a luxury problem.

If you procrastinate you do see nice sunsets..

This is what other people see but if you are the one running there it still sucks!! 

I feel invincible when I'm home though, so it's still worth it

0C/32F makes for...

One sweaty Momma and a panting dog!

That's right. The body adapts to just about anything I guess. After a long stretch of extremely low temperatures freezing point feels kinda balmy.

Monday: 4 miles recovery

Tuesday: 8 miles, 3 miles tempo

Wednesday: 8 miles

It looks like it's going to stick for a few more days. Lucky me!!

Lots of running means good fuelling. Last night I had a wonderful winter salad. Spinach and kale with toasted quinoa, roasted butternut squash (yes plenty of olive oil) and some pulled pork. Very yummy!!

This is my favorite home made dressing: 1/3 cup of mix of lemon juice and balsamic vinegar (I use mostly lemon juice, just a splash of balsamic), 1/3 cup of olive oil, honey, tsp of good mustard, minced clove of garlic, salt, pepper. You can add herbs like basil if you want depending what kind of salad you are making. But it's good enough the way it is. 

45 mile week

Finished a 45 mile week today. It was a tough one. I don't think the temp. was above -30 for the entire week. It's been extremely cold for 2 weeks now and I had enough. I really need a little break. Hopefully next week is better.

Sunrise this morning.

I did 12 miles today but I divided it in a morning and an afternoon run. I just can't run that long in this cold. It's too hard on my body.

Polar vortex dog. Allie loves running outside in this weather

I also have to find a way to keep my butt and thighs warmer, they just get too cold no matter the layers. Anybody with suggestions feel free to let me know. 

Ok enough with the whining. I am still going and part of the success is for sure  you people reading this blog. This week I was seriously contemplating the treadmill but I made a deal with myself to run through winter so I'm going to keep at it. 

Thanks for reading. :)

What a difference a day makes

Beautiful sunny day to run 6 miles. Can't believe what a difference of 10 degrees of windchill makes.

The temperature today was the same as yesterday -20C/-5F however the windchill today is -27C/-14F compared to -37C/-34F. This really made my run a lot easier. My bones were not so sore and I did not have to wear as many layers.

Sunset in freezing clear temperatures can be gorgeous. The snow reflects the beautiful pastel colors of the sky.

I want it back!!

This will be just a short post. As some of you may know our truck was stolen at the airport when we came back from vacation and today is a lot of phone calls and paper work. It was an old truck so not insured for theft. UGH! I really hope we'll get it back, but still it's just money....

This is where the truck used to be..

Today was another brutally cold day in the frozen tundra. The forecast said -20C/-5F but it had a wind chill warning. With the wind it was -37C/-34F. That is quite a difference but very important for outdoor activity. That means an extra layer on my head and one for my legs.

I did 7 miles and got way too hot. It's almost impossible to dress for outdoor activity in this weather because safety will tell you to dress a certain way but the body eventually does warm up and produces a lot of energy. My legs actually never really warm up so running is hard on those legs.

The reason I mention the temperature on almost every post is that I really need it for my own feedback, this way I will be able to look back and learn from how I felt. But also I have noticed that I get a lot more traffic for my blog on days that I mention the temperature compared to days that I don't. Especially from other cold countries like Sweden, Lapland, Russia etc. I really hope other runners get inspired and get the courage to run in their climate. It's possible and rewarding!

Finally a picture from the northern lights. I did not take this picture but I've seen it this beautiful. I guess you need a good camera for that. There's beauty everywhere, go outside and look for it!!

From plus 30 to minus 35

And I'm back!!

After my last post I did not get to run again in Nicaragua. I had too much diarrhea and felt too weak. Fortunately I was not too sick to enjoy my vacation. I felt ok but too weak to run. I tried it once again but felt shaky and my heart really started to race. It just did not feel good.

Poor me feeling not so good ^

The t-shirt says run now wine later hahaha, I thought that was funny.

Goodness I look really terrible and visibly dehydrated in this picture.

I'm back in Canada now and happy to have free health care. I had all my fluids in and out of my body tested right away. No results yet but we'll see.

The good thing is that I feel basically normal again so I went for a run today.

It was -35C/-29F. Yes that is quite a difference to the heat and humidity in Nicaragua. But nothing that good clothing can't handle. 

I don't know what I dislike more, extreme cold or extreme heat. I can handle dry heat like in arid desert climates but humidity is truly a battle for me. 

I did 5 easy miles today. I thought it might still be a bit difficult so I prepared to go real slow but surprisingly I felt very good. I played a little with my tempo but kept it easy. Hopefully I will stay ok and be able to pick up regular daily training again. 

I noticed that in this extreme cold shoes do not cushion at all. Whatever shoe I'm wearing it feels like a racing flat. I had noticed it before but not really paid attention to it. This time I really felt it. I guess the material it is made of is not working in these temperatures. It's not a big deal since the snow softens the landing on pavement anyway. I tried out a pair of shoes that I bought for winter running a few years ago but did not like. I actually do like them now, they are stiff but work well in this cold. They also have a double insulated layer so that my feet stay nice and warm.

Saucony pro grid razor ^ worth a try if you live in a cold or wet climate

No matter what, running outside is awesome. Forward movement is a wonderful thing!