A New Training Season in Full Swing

I've only done 2 previous training seasons, but this has to be the worst start weather-wise that I can remember. Our first run brought rain. Our first long run brought temperatures between 2 and 5 degrees. Our second Tuesday brought fierce winds and for the last mile, downpours, and this Saturday brought MORE rain. The Cincinnati weather has been so unusual. We keep getting down into freezing temperatures but quickly coming back out of them into 60 degree temperatures with so much rain that it's like April. The rain has been hard because I don't like running when it's raining so it's hard to get motivated to get out there on "off" days. Not only this, but the constant grey skies have been taxing on my mood. Even cold weather is better if there's a little sunshine.

This Saturday I tried out a new product that I got for Christmas. It's a hand water bottle. I've suffered from dehydration from some long runs and races. The water stops just aren't always enough. I had a hydration belt, but it flopped up and down frequently which sometimes made it uncomfortable to run. Many of my running partners have a hand water bottle, so I thought I would try one out. This is the one my mom bought me.

PROS: It's easy to carry and holds quite a bit of water. It also has pouch for your phone and there's enough space to put some nutrition in there as well. The clear front allows you to use the functions of your phone, even when it is in the pouch. There is a strap on the back for adjusting how tight or loose it is on your hand.  It will stay on your hand even if you completely open your hand, so you aren't having to constantly grip it.

CONS: My wrist started to cramp up a little bit and I ended up having to switch hands. You just squeeze the water into your mouth, which is a pro, but sometimes the water would not come out and it was just a puff of air. When it did end up coming out, I got drenched a few times. I think this could be abolished with more practice.

Overall, I liked it better than the belt just because it felt like I had less weighing me down. I hate to carry extra junk with me on a run, but if this could help my hydration situation, especially on warm days, I think it's worth it.

I promised to share some goals from my vision board for 2017. I've been working on writing down 100 things that I want to accomplish in 2017. I won't lie, it has not been the easiest start to year. We've already had multiple car troubles and had someone steal our credit card numbers. The weather has brought a ton of sinus issues for both of us, and I've been on the phone with Anthem several times trying to figure out insurance issues. I've also had some conflicting feelings about the change in presidency, but alas, I will try to keep politics out of this blog. However, looking at my vision board makes me excited for the things that can be possible this year and how I still have plenty of time for good things to happen. I encourage each of you to make one for yourself.

Here's one of my goals: How did I run 1,000 miles in 2017?
So I'm trying to run 1,000 miles. I haven't been off to the best start considering I'm only doing our group runs right now. I hope to push my feelings about weather to the side and get out there. Strength training has been easy to keep up with in a warm gym. I'm going to work to push myself to run more, no matter what the circumstances are.

As it is MLK day, I'll leave you with this....