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I managed to work out 3 times this week. Not great, but better!

(source)

Monday, February 11: I was going to spend an hour on the trainer, but Mr. R&R convinced me to bundle up an go for a run outside.  I piled on a bunch of layers (arctic tights, fleece lined pants, base layer, heavy hoodie, high visibility windbreaker, wool socks, hat, and mittens), laced up my trail shoes since they have better grip than my usual shoes, fired up the Garmin, and headed out the door.  The first 1/2 mile was really good - then we hit the ice patches and were forced to do a lot of walking since neither of us felt like falling down or breaking a bone.  It quickly became obvious that the main goal was to stay on our feet and run whenever the ground was clear enough.  All in all, we covered 3 miles and although they were really slow, I'm pleased with them. That little run in the rain two week ago has been on my mind ever since - a sure sign that I need to be running more.

Tuesday, February 12: The trainer sounded good. A short, slow run outside sounded even better, so I piled on my layers again and Mr. R&R and I set off in a different direction than last night in hopes of a less icy experience.  It wasn't bad!  As we were running, we kept trading off who took the lead when a car was approaching (the road wasn't wide enough for us to run side by side while a car passed) and we started cracking lame jokes about being dressed like citrus fruit due to our high-visibility jackets.  Mr. R&R, in his bright orange Saucony jacket, became 'Tropicana' and I, in my bright green Brooks jacket, became 'Limeade'.  We kept saying things like, 'Limeade takes the lead!' and 'This one's all Tropicana!' I'm sure it sounds silly, but it amused us greatly. I'll post pictures of us in our 'Citrus Wear' soon.  I've also determined that although my trail shoes are the safest option for outdoor running right now, I really hate wearing them on concrete.  They're really stiff (which is good on a rock and root covered trail) and it's really messing with my stride.

Great on trails. Sucks on concrete.

Wednesday, February 13: My right knee decided to be all sore and twinge-y. It was an ass-meet-couch kind of night.

Thursday, February 14: Happy Valentine's Day!

Friday, February 15: Work kicked my ass today.  I had my bag packed with both swim gear and run gear and I had plans to leave work by no later than 3:30pm so I could hit the pool.  4:00pm rolled around and I was still at my desk, so I resigned myself to the track.  Okay...not what I had planned, but still a solid workout.  When 4:30 rolled around and I finally walked out the door, my motivation was gone.  I drove home, laid on my bed for an hour and seriously considered the merits of ordering a pizza and vegetating on the couch for the rest of the night.  Then I got one an email that reminded me of one of the many reasons why that was not a valid option.  I got dressed, hauled my booty downstairs, and spent 45 minutes spinning on the trainer - and had my fastest ride of the year so far!  I'm still not where I want to be, but I'm slowly working my way back there.

Saturday, February 16: My right knee really seems to have some issues lately.  Does cleaning count as cross-training?

Sunday, February 17: The knee felt markedly better today, but I'm giving it one more day of rest to be sure.  There's no point in pissing it off unless I have to!  I'm also thinking that the source of the knee issues may be those trail shoes.  I'm aiming to run in my normal shoes next week to test that theory.