What I wore, a flipping tyre, and fried bologna

After the recent discussions about how much workout gear I own and then coming to the realisation that I only wear a small percentage of it, I've decided to start documenting the outfit du jour.  Race days will be the exception because in order to get points for the club championship or if it's a league race then I obviously am in the club singlet or shirt and that gets a bit boring--the only variation of those is exactly what horrendous expression of agony will be on my face.  Speaking of finish line photos despite my trying for a decent one at the Wilne 10k, the photographer managed to completely miss my arms in the air and beaming smile as I crossed the mats only to snap this one just after when I was recovering from the sprint in and turning my garmin off...sigh, even when I try I can't get good race face.

However I digress--last night's recovery/stress management/I've-gotta-get-away-from-the-computer-before-I-toss-it-out-the-window run outfit consisted of mostly Brooks Running gear, "Live Love Run" tee, Nightlife essential (?) shorts, Ghost 6 trainers and the jog bra by a huge sportswear corporation that I no longer buy products from in protest of their overbearing attitudes at track meets.

The shorts are brilliant, they are reflective/bright without being the usual fluorescent yellow and they have two back pockets which fasten shut with velcro that are the perfect size for gels if you use those.  Unfortunately it looks like they have been discontinued because the only version available on the Brooks site are the blue ID Elite shorts.  Guessing it's because they run slightly shorter than most of the other styles.  

Thanks to a running club friend I had a delivery of a huge tyre to my front garden this morning!  Why would I ever want such a thing you ask? For tyre flipping of course...and perhaps a bit of sledgehammering or equivalent for those nights when I can't get out for a stress relief run.  Pressups, planks, mountain climbers, and crunch variations can also be done with the tyre as the platform.  Can't wait to try it out! 

On the unhealthy side of things I read about Hardee's Fried Bologna and Velveeta Cheese Biscuit on one of the expat facebook groups this afternoon and that got me to reminiscing about my truck driving days.  Southfork truckstop in Gurdon, Arkansas was always a regular stop (huge parking lot, a couple of great running routes and a decent restaurant where the waitresses learned your name) and one of their menu items was the "Big R Sandwich", a thick slice of bologna fried and served in between slices of Texas toast.  Heart attack on a plate but sometimes it just hit the spot, the rest of the time it was just gross to think about.  

Better than expected

I must confess I wasn't looking forward to tonight's run. My legs are tired from being on my feet for so long yesterday and the 40-50 mph wind gusts that we woke up to was not helping my "Not sure I wanna do this" attitude.  Fortunately the winds dropped down to 11 mph by the time we were to run.  I was almost late and the group had just started off when my partner dropped me off, happily some one spotted me as I was trying to catch up. It had started to rain with occasional sleet and the odd snowflake here and there as well, not the best night to forget my cap........but things improved much to my surprise, or rather my mindset did.

I could have taken the opportunity to cut the run short on 3 different occasions--the first when a few decided not to take the longer route and twice more when we edged dangerously close to where I live.  So glad I didn't because once I settled in and decided to stick it out it ended up being quite awesome.  Yes, running in the dark (with a head-torch and reflective stuff, this Brooks Nightlife top for me), sleet, rain, snow, trails, muddy pastures, and trying to stay out of the way of a police car on a narrow lane is my idea of weird fun. My partner referred to us as insane, lol.

Finally contacting a running club was a great decision, I might should have done it sooner but at the same time I am glad I waited to get something of a base built up.  Everyone has been incredibly welcoming and making sure to look out for me since I don't know the area as well.  It's certainly building back up my endurance and speed and I love hearing the sound of other runners' footsteps surrounding me again.

Off topic but my home state of Arkansas is bracing for a major ice storm. Hoping all my friends and family are able to stay safe, sound, and warm and that the power outages are kept to a minimum.  The UK has been hit with a horrible storm as well, fortunately for the majority it has not been ice but very high winds and flooding.

3 Flamingos would have been a welcome treat after tonight's run even with it being so cold. Thinking of frozen yogurt makes me think of my friend Missy though, which makes me a little homesick (hi Missy!!!).

Best froyo evah.