Peroneus Tendon, Chinook Winds, & A Make-Over!

February was quite eventful! Our winter here is hanging on for dear life and as I have stated on numerous occasions, I will not run on ice. So, needless to say, I have been logging a lot of miles on the "joymill". I was supposed to run in the Ralston Half-Marathon on Feb. 9 but my Peroneus Tendon had other ideas. I was in dire need of new running shoes, so I headed to my favorite running store, Runners Roost, to pick up my old reliable Mizuno Wave Alchemy's that I have been running in for about 4 years. I about popped a vessel when the salesman said "sorry, those have been discontinued". After a long cry and a bit of a temper tantrum, I decided to try out a new pair of Mizunos. After I tried them out the next week on a 6 miler, I knew I hated them. But I thought maybe they just needed to be broken in, so I had the brilliant idea to try them out for a 10 mile run on the joymill. All was fine until I got home after the run. About an hour after my run, my foot was throbbing and I had difficulty walking. I was PISSED. Coach Marco and I decided that a half marathon in a week was not a good idea, so I iced, iced baby and advil'ed until it felt better. I wasn't too disappointed that Ralston didn't pan out, however. A couple days leading up to the Half, it snowed. And it snowed. And it froze. Race day, the route was an ice rink and I think the high for the day was around 15 degrees. So, my peroneus tendon issue may have been a blessing in disguise! That pesky little tendon has been just fine ever since and I'm happy to report that thanks to the internet, I have bought the last 2 remaining Mizuno Wave Alchemy's to be found!

If there is one thing I hate more than ice, it's wind. I don't know what it is, but this year, we have been cursed with Chinook winds like I have never encountered before. It's been almost daily and the winds have literally shaken the house on many occasions. This has amounted to a lot of sleepless nights and horrible allergies and asthma for me. A couple weeks ago I was to do my running time trial. I much prefer working out in the morning for a lot of reasons, but mostly because morning workouts are better for those suffering with allergies and asthma. I think it has to do with the pollen count or something. I don't know, but I can tell you I do much better in the morning! Well, the morning of my time trial, I was once again surrounded by the stupid Chinook winds so decided to wait until the afternoon to do my time trial. Bad idea. About a mile into my run, I had an asthma attack that would not subside. Since I'm a total bad-ass, I don't believe in running with my inhaler. You know, I've got my rep to uphold and all.  So, I had to suffer through it. Those nasty Chinook winds have continued to wreak havoc on my allergies and asthma so I've been having to work around them. Spring cannot get here soon enough!

Being the "classy" gal I am, I love make-overs. So imagine my joy when for Christmas, Freddy bought me a make-over! Until I discovered that this make-over wasn't for me. It was for my bike in the form of aero bars. I think he's trying to kill me. I understand the science behind them and totally get why you need aero bars, but they terrify me. The thought of zooming down the highway with my hands no where near my brakes just doesn't seem smart to me. But alas, apparently if you want to be an Ironman, you have to have aero bars. Despite my argument to go "old school" and be a purist, I got aero bars anyway. Last Sunday, I went to our favorite bike shop, Wheat Ridge Cyclery and met Brian, my expert fitter for the day. I liked Brian from the start and he was giddy about the whole thing.  I think my bike is super-pretty without the silly aero bars and still wasn't sold on the whole idea.

Poor Brian had his work cut out for him with me. He looked nice enough and reminded me of my cousin, Matt Handeland. Maybe we would get along after all!

Oooooohhh, check out this shiny new saddle! I think that would look awesome on my bike!

After a couple hours, Brian had worked his magic and set me up with some fast-looking, sassy aero bars. The same model that Mirinda Carfrae uses! Hey, if they are good enough for her, they are good enough for me! Maybe I'll even speed by her in Boulder!  I've been trying them out for a week on the trainer and so far I love them. But let's not go crazy. There is no need for me to brake on my trainer. I reserve the right to change my opinion once I get them out on the road!

Yesterday, Freddy and I had an hour and 20 minute run. We woke up to snow and a temperature of 15 degrees. Awesome. Neither of us had any desire to head to the gym for yet another indoor workout so we grumbled and stalled for a little while before heading out the door. My face was numb for the first mile as we were running into the wind. Soon enough, we were on the trail and heading towards the reservoir. My face thawed and I could finally see how pretty the scene was in front of us:

Then Freddy yelled "it's so pretty! Take a selfie!"

We continued our run in silence, he listening to Rush or some other sort of rock, and I, jamming to Shakira before he said "I can't feel my face. I think we should turn around". I swear the temperature kept dropping, but it was so pretty and peaceful I blocked out the cold and thought that I would remember this moment on August 3 when I would give anything to be this cold. Nearing our house, we took a detour when we spotted an awesome sight. A tractor! Ah, it's just like being back on the farm again!

All in all, yesterday's run was lovely. We were happy to be done and even happier when we warmed up!  That cup of hot cocoa never tasted so good!