Outside It's Cold and Dreary, But I'm Bright and Cheery

As corny as that title now seems written out, it still is very true.  The weather here in Minnesota has turned towards winter.  Last Wednesday it was 60 degrees and even with a light drizzle it was pleasant.  The next day it was 39 degrees, with a 20 mph sustained wind, giving a 29 degree wind chill.  Oh, it was also raining sometimes changing over into snow.  However, I still went out for my run and enjoyed it.

The temperatures have remained in the 40s and will so for the next few weeks.  That is if they do not go lower by then.  Still I’m staying very positive and the weather isn’t bothering me in the slightest.

Two things are keeping me upbeat.  First, I’m feeling like a “runner” again.  I haven’t been running that far or anything, but I am running on a consistent schedule again after dealing with my chest cold.  I kept holding myself back from pushing too hard at first, but now I’ve gotten to a point where I can fully tax my body again.  I’ve even been able to tie some personal best times for some of my shorter routes.  Now I can actually think about finally signing up for a 5K or other race, which will probably be in the form of a “Turkey Trot” when I’m at my parents for Thanksgiving.

The other way I’m staying “bright and cheery” is quite literal.  I finally got around to updating some of my running wardrobe.  I had updated my short-sleeved shirts but that was it.  My shorts were (embarrassingly) going on seven years old.  I also have some long-sleeved shirts that were a few years old as well, but more importantly were black – not the color you want to be running in with sundown so much earlier.  I also needed a new running/cycling jacket, as my old one was getting a bit weathered and dingy.  Plus it was also grayish white – not a color you want to be running/biking in once the snow is flying.

I didn’t necessarily plan to buy everything within a span of two weeks but that’s what happened.  Luckily, I purchased everything very frugally.  Maybe it happens to every rational person once they start living on their own, but I now purchase everything on the cheap – looking for the best deals or using coupons at the right time.

To put that in perspective, let’s start with my new shorts.  I guess they’re not actually that bright and cheery being black and gray, but just wait until further into this post.  These shorts are the C9 brand made by Champion, apparently exclusively available at Target (I looked that bit up).  I did indeed stumble upon these at Target at was glad to find that these were just as good as my trusty Nike running shorts I had been wearing.  They are also a bit longer than the Nike shorts too, hopefully reducing the issue of my shorts riding up on longer runs.  (Sorry for the specifics.)  Best yet was the price.  For some reason I can distinctly remember back all the years to when I bought the Nike shorts, paying $30 per pair.  These C9 shorts?  They’re $16.99 per pair.

 

Bringing on the bright colors, I also stumbled upon good deals for long-sleeved shirts.  In the picture below, the left and center shirts are C9 brand as well (and were of course purchased at Target).  The shirt on the right is by Tek Gear, the house brand athletic label of Kohl’s department stores.  Again, these are not only just as good as the premium brand shirts I had, but were far cheaper.  The C9 bright orange shirt (a bit thicker than the others) was $24.99, the neon yellow C9 shirt was $16.99, and the Tek Gear orange shirt was $18.99.  Those prices are even better than the severe closeout prices I’ve seen at various marathon/running event expos.

Lastly, I have my new running/cycling jacket.  It’s made my Pearl Izumi, what I would call a premium name brand, and is a wind and rain resistant jacket.  Just like my older Pearl Izumi jacket, it also converts from a full jacket into a vest.  Compared to the shorts and the shirts, this is my splurge item but I still got a deal.  The normal price on the jacket is $110.00.  However, I used a 20% off coupon I had from being a REI member, getting it instead at $88.

So why am I sharing all these deals?  Well first, it’s my blog and I can do what I want…  Really though, I wanted to show that running and biking gear doesn’t have to be expensive.  There seems to be a trend with running, cycling, and triathlon that the gear needs to be expensive and somehow that exorbitant price makes you faster, etc.  In truth, it’s really just the marketing – better marketing, making people pay more, in turn generating higher marketing budgets for even better marketing.  In terms of quality and function, they’re really not that much different from the generic house brands.  As I’ve said, I even like my new cheaper house brand running clothes more than the premium brand clothes I’ve used before.

Either way – if you take my advice or leave it – I’ll be out running in my new inexpensive running clothes.  Considering their brightness, I know you’ll be able to see me.

Note: I suppose I should mention that Champion, Target, nor Kohl’s influenced my purchases or this post in any way.  This was done on my own accord and with my own money.  Now if they did want to give me money or product…

Like A Caged Animal

This post was going to be about how I’ve been sick with a chest cold lately and can’t go for a run.  Not that it kept me from running, but to top it all off I also got an infected bug bite and have been on antibiotics.  In the last three weeks, I’ve only run 3 times for a total of six miles.  I scheduled myself to run 15 times and 47 miles in that stretch.  Unfortunately in those three runs I did do, I think I went too hard after being sick and made myself sick again.  With all that now explained, I originally was going to write how I’ve felt like a caged animal being sick and not being able to do what I wanted to do most, run. 

 

But then I said the hell with it and ran.

I learned my lesson from my last runs and didn’t push it, just enjoyed being out running.  It was just nice to move my body, to test it a bit (again not too much) and to be outside.  I love the beauty of nature in the fall, but I couldn’t help being a bit disappointed thinking about all the colors I missed during my missed runs.  On one of those three runs I did do these past few weeks, I did my favorite run.  It’s a short 2 miler that goes through a neighborhood park and around the park’s lake.  On that day the sun was just beginning to set, glimmering on the lake and shining through the autumn colors of trees like a stained-glass window.  I ran through warm streaks of yellow, gold, orange, and red.

I did that same run today and much of those colors are now on the ground.  It was a bit depressing having to trample over the colorful leaves and crunch them as I ran.  The lake just didn’t seem to have that same glint either.  However, I then realized it’s still better to be out experiencing nature than being stuck inside.  Who cares if the sun doesn’t shine off the lake as well today?  It’s still one more lake sunset I wouldn’t have seen from the couch.   Sure the colorful leaves may now be browning and on the ground, but there’s something to be said for that satisfying crunching sound as you run.  I mean what other time of year is running so percussive?  

In retrospect, I taught (or re-taught) myself a few lessons today.  First, it’s ok to not push myself as hard as possible every run.  Sometimes I just need to simply run and have an easy day.  Second, it’s better to be outside than in.  I may be regretting those words in January and February, but even then there will be much truth.  There’s a reason I despise treadmills and love running outside.  On a treadmill you can’t experience the wonders of an ever-changing nature, but instead just have the experience of the same repeating strip of belt tread and maybe a TV in front of you.  Lastly, the third lesson from today?  The best fall run recovery drink is a steaming mug of hot chocolate… or two.