On running outside.

Hooray! I ran outside yesterday! It has been a very long time since I last pounded pavement, but I finally got the chance to forgo the treadmill for a 5-miler in the great outdoors. And by "great outdoors" I mean the bike path and subsequent sidewalks in and around the neighborhood where Jason's parents live. Before I go into further detail, I had to deal with my Nike+ chip. My current shoes are not Nike+ shoes, so it's always a struggle. I think I've got it figured out, though:

If I tuck the little chip into my sock, then tie my shoes, it stays snug like a bug in a rug. Only thing is, if I don't get it tucked right, I can feel it while I'm running. So sometimes it takes a try or two before I get it right. But when I get it right, it's great. Not so great this time around? The cold weather! WHY IS IT STILL HERE? Annoying. But I didn't let it get me down. In fact, it actually made me run faster. I found my groove in no time at all.

Thumbs up for good times! (I love me a good self portrait. Particularly if it's cheesy.) I ran through neighborhoods, stopped for cars, got scared by a few hiding squirrels...it was good to be outside again, even though my lungs were in great protest of the cold air. Gotta keep on keepin' on, though. Well, at least until you lose your sidewalk.

This is a particularly nasty curve in the neighborhood. High traffic, with a lot of blind spots. I literally felt like a human Frogger bouncing from one side of the road to the other, until I finally found another sidewalk. Why must snow be piled on top of the sidewalk in the first place? Seems like a violation to me, but what do I know. I'm just a runner. And so I kept on running. Over a bridge.

Bridges give me the heebiejeebies. I hate running over them, I hate driving over them. I feel like I am going to fall over them and drown, and that scares me. I know, so weird. And no, I didn't have any near death drowning experiences as a child. Truly, my phobia is unexplainable. This bridge wasn't even big, that's the funny thing. It went right over a frozen bayou, but I still ran as close to the road as I could. And the shivers ran as close to my spine as they could. I think it ultimately shaved some time off the clock, 'cause I pretty much hauled ass to get to the other side.

In the end, I ended up running five miles in 41 minutes and 35 seconds. According to my Nike+ chip, that's an 8:34 mile. Although I didn't meet my Shamrock Shuffle goal, I felt pretty good about the run. Oh, and I had a great post-run snack:

Archer Farms Almond Peanut Cashew Butter. It's from Target, and I paid $4.99 for it (which I didn't think was that bad for an all-natural nut butter). It tasted quite good. Really quite good, actually. Super creamy, easy to stir. Looking forward to trying it on the oatmeal at some point.

Until then, I leave you to enjoy your Sunday. Get out there, do something fun. Or at the very least, plan your workouts for the week ahead. And don't forget to check Daily Dose on Facebook to see if you won the Siggi's Yogurt prize pack!

Question: What's your personal best right now when it comes to running? Don't be shy! Now's the time to brag! And if you have a Nike+ chip but no Nike+ shoes, how do you work it?