<p>Love the color, Bunsen. </p>
<p>IDad- enjoy the Port. I ate enough desserts for both of us. We went to 2 dinners- as if one wasn’t enough.</p>
<p>Ran my own personal Turkey Trot this morning before making my food dishes. 23 degrees at run time - no wind, so the temp was fine - I agree , I need to find some better gloves - I would like something with the tips that allow me to manipulate my phone.</p>
<p>Power Systems will be having 40% site-wide tomorrow… I’m looking at possibly picking up some battle ropes…</p>
<p>Just about every major brand makes PowerStretch fleece gloves with iPhone fingertips. They would be great for running because they breath a little bit. I must have a half dozen different options for gloves and those are the ones I wear most often for hiking, unless I’m going to be getting my hands wet.</p>
<p>[Women’s</a> Power Stretch Glove | Marmot.com](<a href=“http://marmot.com/products/details/womens-power-stretch-glove]Women’s”>http://marmot.com/products/details/womens-power-stretch-glove)</p>
<p>If those aren’t warm enough, then the next step up is a fleece lined softshell glove. These have the advantage of blocking the wind.:</p>
<p>[Women’s</a> Glide Softshell Glove | Marmot.com](<a href=“http://marmot.com/products/details/womens-glide-softshell-glove]Women’s”>http://marmot.com/products/details/womens-glide-softshell-glove)</p>
<p>When those run out of gas, it’s right to the heavy GoreTex winter stuff. [url=<a href=“http://marmot.com/products/details/womens-randonnee-glove]Mittens[/url”>http://marmot.com/products/details/womens-randonnee-glove]Mittens[/url</a>] are warmer than [url=<a href=“http://marmot.com/products/details/womens-randonnee-glove]gloves[/url”>http://marmot.com/products/details/womens-randonnee-glove]gloves[/url</a>].</p>
<p>Marshall’s a TJMaxx are great for glove bargains; however, more sporty options for men than women.</p>
<p>Did Hot Power Fusion (Corepower’s super hot class, I think the room was 100 degrees) - took the wind our of my sails! Doing pilates later on with my D, but that will be a light workout.</p>
<p>Decided to stop dithering on a running strategy (I am awesome at dithering) and started the 5k-10k app (same makers as Couch to 5k). I think a program to follow will give me the structure I need. It’s easy for me to not do it if I don’t have accountability and the program is accountability in a way. I’ll deal with the jump to 15k later!!</p>
<p>A quick update.</p>
<p>I’ve been run, run, running as usual, and doing my stretch/strength/core workouts at home (the db exercises are currently being done using one or both 8# dbs and others with one or both 15# dbs). I’m enjoying my daughter’s visit and my husband’s days off. We had a big Thanksgiving dinner out yesterday – highlight was the prime rib. :)</p>
<p>I’m at ~ 525 miles run YTD. Today’s intervals, following regular pace running, were at 8.0, 8.6, 8.7, 8.8, 9.0, and 9.0 mph.</p>
<p>Keep up the good work, everyone, and keep those fingers warm!</p>
<p>Deborah- glad your holiday is going well and that you are keeping it all going! </p>
<p>4.6 miles today. Sunny and 35. Washed the yellow puff pullover with the tennis balls and it came out great! I feel like a stuffed pig, though. Really need to get this back under control. Also walked the dog about a mile and a half.</p>
<p>My spiffy new [down</a> hoody](<a href=“http://www.rei.com/media/ss/b7bf088f-f873-4977-a2cb-9814c7b679b7.jpg]down”>http://www.rei.com/media/ss/b7bf088f-f873-4977-a2cb-9814c7b679b7.jpg) arrived today.</p>
![http://www.rei.com/media/ss/b7bf088f-f873-4977-a2cb-9814c7b679b7.jpg]down](http://www.rei.com/media/ss/b7bf088f-f873-4977-a2cb-9814c7b679b7.jpg%5Ddown){kind=link}
<p>Fits great. A little loose over a t-shirt. Trim over a power stretch fleece hoody. Comfy as an insulating layer under my Gore-tex winter shell jacket.</p>
<p>Crazy light. It weighs 10.8 ounces on my digital scale. Stuffs into its own pocket forming a little rectangular pillow, 11 inches by 7 inches. There aren’t going to be many hikes in the mountains when this thing isn’t stuffed into my pack.</p>
<p>“I’m at ~ 525 miles run YTD. Today’s intervals, following regular pace running, were at 8.0, 8.6, 8.7, 8.8, 9.0, and 9.0 mph.”</p>
<p>Way to go Deborah! I cannot comprehend 9.0 mph!</p>
<p>I thought I had over-raced this year, but I never added up the races (except for marathons) until now so I didn’t realize exactly how much I had raced. Here’s the summary. This is WAY too much and it’s no wonder I’m tired.</p>
<p>6 Marathons (4:51, 4:37, 4:35, 5:12, 4:56, 5:08) TN, IN, PA- 1 was at midnight, 1 in extreme heat of the summer, 1 in extreme cold, 3 were very difficult courses</p>
<p>8 Half marathons (2:07, 2:24, 2:15, 2:14, 2:09, 2:14, 2:16, 2:11) TN, MO- some were not at true race effort and most were un-tapered</p>
<p>1 10 Mile (1:46) TN - worst race of the year</p>
<p>3 10Ks all in TN</p>
<p>4 5Ks all in TN</p>
<p>303 Miles of Racing 54+ hours 22 races</p>
<p>MOWC:</p>
<p>The tennis ball trick is the bomb for down. Works for pillows, comforters, sleeping bags, jackets, etc.</p>
<p>If you wash a lot of down, it might be worth picking up some Down Wash. REI, Amazon, and probably running stores carry it:</p>
<p>[Wash-in</a> cleaner for down filled gear, jackets, sleeping bags](<a href=“http://www.nikwax.com/en-us/products/productdetail.php?productid=266&itemid=-1&fabricid=-1]Wash-in”>http://www.nikwax.com/en-us/products/productdetail.php?productid=266&itemid=-1&fabricid=-1)</p>
<p>Otherwise, Woolite is a good option. I always do Gentle cycle, just because my down jackets are light weight with delicate stitching.</p>
<p>I love that hoodie, iDad. That will be perfect for you much of the year.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>Yeah. For hiking, my two big needs are a warm/windproof jacket to throw on when I stop at the summit for a snack and bit of a view and to have something “just in case” of needing to bundle up in a emergency. Even on a warm fall day (70 degrees), it can be in the 40s above tree line. It’s like carrying a rain jacket. You don’t wear it all that much, but you really have to carry it all the time… Small size and light weight is the difference between having it when you need it or wishing you hadn’t left it in the car!</p>
<p>My heavy down parka/hoody is great for around the town, but takes up a lot of room in a backpack and is total overkill as an “emergency” layer in the fall. I should carry a fleece hoody on those fall days, but it takes up a lot of room.</p>
<p>Nice to “see” you Deborah and see your stats - that’s a lot of miles!! Planning on adding mine up in a month. </p>
<p>MOWC, that’s amazing. Must say to me as an observer, I would have guessed you did even more than 22 races !!! That’s a lot of tshirts, medals, ribbons and other loot!!!</p>
<p>Thanks, but it’s really too much. Two of them were on the same day, 4 of them were on weekdays, 2 (full and a half) were on the same weekend, none were in January or December. I think June might have been race-free as well. So- I did have stretches without races.</p>
<p>Idad - do you know the down loft in your new jacket? I’ve been thinking of getting something similar. I want something lightweight to keep me warm around town. Are these also good to run in? </p>
<p>I’ve been running over 40 miles per week during November after slacking during October. I always try to run the last mile at a pretty fast clip so my leg speed doesn’t get stagnant. Does anyone run listening to audio books. Guess I’m getting tired of my playlists and usual pandora stations. I was thinking maybe an audio book vs music would get my mind off the running. You’d think that running would get easier, </p>
<p>i did spinning intervals today for 30 minutes - 1 min slow and 3 min fast… Strength workout was buying/moving 4 club chairs from Home Depot to my office. Health club was surprisingly light today. Thought it would be packed.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>This new one is 900 fill power goose down. That just means that they can use less down, make it a little lighter and more compressible.</p>
<p>For around town, I think the much less expensive Marmot Zeus jacket ($99 at TJ MAXX) is probably a better choice, unless you need a hood. Or the Patagonia Down Sweater (also available in a hooded version), which is the same thing. 800 fill power down, same warmth, softer fabric. Still packs into its own pocket. Just about every brand makes a similar jacket. </p>
<p>The way these high tech down jackets break down is the thick warm inexpensive jackets are 550 to 650 fill down. The lightweight jackets are 750 to 800 fill down with 20 dernier fabrics. The new superlight category is 850 to 900 fill down with crazy thin 10 dernier fabrics. An inch of goose down is going to be the same warmth, no matter the fill power, but the loftier the down, the less you need to get an inch of thickness and the lighter it is. </p>
<p>I sweat too much to use any down jacket for running (or for uphill hiking). Down jackets breath pretty well, but the moisture gets the down wet and it doesn’t dry. Not good. At least for me, breathable layers like fleece are better when I’m hufffin’ and puffin’. I tend to under-dress in those conditions, but that means that I have GOT to put on a warm layer immediately when I stop.</p>
<p>These thin lightweight down jackets are great for around town. Commonly, it’s somewhere between 20 and 40 degrees and I don’t need an South Pole expedition jacket, especially once the car heat has kicked in. These lighter down jackets are really nice – warm enough, but not crazy hot.</p>
<hr>
<p>I’ve not tried audio books for exercise, but I listen to a lot of podcasts. Almost always podcasts instead of music for basement workouts. Walk/jogging is usually music. Hiking is often podcasts on the first half and music for the second half.</p>
<p>Back to the basement for me. Good solid workout. </p>
<p>Core: Farmers carries, plank rows, side plank rows.</p>
<p>Power: Med ball slams and KB swings</p>
<p>Strength: Single leg squats, TRX inverted rows, Hex bar deadlifts, alternating DB overhead press</p>
<p>Two thumbs up for tennis balls for down drying. Or there are tons of “dryer balls” like these:
[Amazon.com:</a> 6 Eco-Friendly Wool Dryer Balls -Set of Six 100% Handmade, Natural and Unscented: Everything Else](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Eco-Friendly-Dryer-Handmade-Natural-Unscented/dp/B0071N01PI/ref=pd_sbs_hg_9]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Eco-Friendly-Dryer-Handmade-Natural-Unscented/dp/B0071N01PI/ref=pd_sbs_hg_9)</p>
<p>I got a second hoodie for the runner kiddo, had a hard time deciding whether to get her the same turquoise one or the purple one (“real Huskies wear purple”…). The turquoise won. :)</p>
<p>Lazy, easy day for me. I think my free weights are getting a bit lonely… crying for attention, so I’ll have to baby them a bit. :)</p>
<p>I have a question about tight hamstrings.</p>
<p>I see other people at the gym doing various ballet-worthy stretches – e.g., lying on their back and easily pulling one leg straight up, then virtually over their head, all with what looks to be minimal effort. I couldn’t do that if my life depended on it – my hamstring would probably snap in two. </p>
<p>Is this a bad thing? Does it matter, since I don’t think I’ll become a ballet dancer after I retire? Are tight hamstrings dangerous or bad in any way?</p>
<p>The rest of me is very flexible. So except for my hamstrings, I’m perfect. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>ETA: Pizzagirl, would you be willing to share what’s on your playlist?</p>