Sunday’s Workout Wanda: An outside, snowy run of 3.1 miles in 30:42, a pace of 9:54.
Monday’s Workout Wanda: An identical snowy run of 3.1 miles in 30:21, a pace of 9:47.

Yesterday afternoon I headed out with a goal to run my 3.1 miles for the Christmas Virtual 5K race and I made it…I didn’t exactly love it at first but I made it. At first I just wasn’t feeling it until I randomly veered off the main trail to do some off-roading…

The trails were lumpy and a little slick but they were rather well traveled so running was manageable. The hardest part was avoiding all the dog poop…

Dear Dog Owners,
Just because there is snow does not mean you can just let your dog poo all willy nilly because when the snow melts it still gets stuck in shoes. I can handle this on the single track trails but on the main trails? Please, my new shoes don’t like being attacked with keys to detach frozen poop!
Yours Truly, Preferably a Poop-Free Runner

I finished up my 5K run in 30:42 – a pace of 9:54 – which I am pretty happy with considering the terrain I was dealing with and the amount of time I spent staring off into the distance. Its actually a miracle I didn’t trip and take myself out!

My run on Sunday was run as part of the Virtual Christmas 5K that is hosted by Kiley at the Daily Vitamin F. I stumbled upon this last week and decided to go for it. I’m glad I did!

Outside runs, oh how I love thee! I think this December would have been a crazy awesome month for running IF I had been able to get more outside runs in rather than traipsing away on the treadmill. This evening I headed out for a run…I had no goals in mind but after about six steps across the parking lot I had mentally mapped out the shortest route possible.

Had I been on a treadmill I would have struggled just to get myself through the two miles that would get me home the fastest. But since I was running about outside I was able to veer right about a mile into my run…taking me further from home, all because I was feeling good and wanted to go the distance.

It was worth it. I got to watch frigid ducks bob for scraps and float along the river while dodging dog droppings…definitely exciting. I ran exactly the same route as yesterday only an hour earlier and a tiny bit faster! I finished today’s 5K in 30:21, a pace of 9:47. Again, suitable!

I run along this area about 90% of my outdoor runs but I still stop to take photos on just about every other run. I mean, how can I not photograph scenery like this?! And I might have a fancy phone that takes decent photos and two other suitable cameras but I still pine away for a fancy DSLR camera that I actually know how to use!

And since this is actually a race recap – for Sunday’s run – I should flaunt my fancy race bib. In reality the bib is cuter but my stupid printer attempted to double print it. I have no clue why but I left it so I could pretend to be eco-friendly!

So there you have it – a rambling post about running, what this blog is supposedly based on. I considered attempting to combine my two 5K runs into a virtual 10K but since I can’t exactly do that in real life I suppose it won’t count in internet land either. I’m all about these virtual races and the fact I don’t have to spend a ton of money and elbow strangers so I better not angry the cyber masses!

Just one last FYI…I promise to be back with some deep musings on marathons. Spring marathons that need to decided upon prior to the end of 2011 or the prices go up!