First snow and under-dressed.

Last night was the first snowfall of the year. Not only did I anticipate this do to a constant stream of chatter regarding the weather forecast all day yesterday, but I also woke up at midnight to my floor mate yelling "IT'S SNOWING!" in the hallway.

A photo my friend snapped last night

My less-artsy findings early this morning

I bundled up Miss-Havisham-style and had hot coffee this morning to combat the cold…I'm still waiting on receiving my winter jacket from my parents (should be this weekend!).

It stayed pretty chilly all day, but was very sunny so that about 50% of the snow on campus melted. I had plans to run with the university's running club this afternoon, but it didn't work out and I ended up doing 6 solo miles. For once, I felt better BEFORE this run than after…usually running gets me out of a bad mood but this one just made me cold and miserable.

Me before the run (trying to fit my whole body in the frame).

Happy fairy princess-style

Rarely do I underdress for a run. Almost always, I actually over-dress. Yesterday for example…way too many layers. Today I could've done with a thick ear warmer and my running jacket, and probably warmer running tights too! I was so cold that it was actually uncomfortable to run. I had this realization when the sun started setting about 3 miles away from my dorm.

5 min after the run…a frozen gremlin.

Once again, hot chocolate to the rescue. 

Fudge brownie marshmallows are the best in hot chocolate.

Does anyone else think it tastes better by the spoonful than by the gulp?

Running on jet lag…and Turkey Row (and trot)!

First of all, a tangent/plug!

Who's watching the Kona Ironman 2013 recaps on Sunday??

Since I'm studying overseas next semester, I've begun considering how any future races might play into this. Unfortunately, the Cleveland Marathon happens on Sunday, May 18th. I return to the United States on Thursday the 15th. I think that running the half-marathon, as I'd hoped, would be a pretty rough welcome-home. It makes me sad to think that the next time I'll run on that course would be 2015…it seems like so much can change before then!

However, this might be a good thing because it means I could be on my A-game for the Lake Health Half, which happens one month later. When I did that last June following Cleveland, I was definitely still worn out from the first half-marathon.

Also, who knows how much running I'll be able to do when I'm abroad? This is one of the hardest things to accept because I feel that in previous months - especially over the summer - I made big strides towards becoming a better runner. My 7-minute half-marathon PR was especially encouraging. Right now, I'm optimistically "planning" that I'll be able to run about 3 times a week when I'm abroad. In the back of my mind, I know that this could be 0 times a week due to reasons such as scheduling, safety, and location.

Of course, I haven't completely disbanded the idea of doing the Cleveland Half-Marathon if my running goes well. As of now, I've never crossed more than 2 time-zones, and I haven't even done that since I was 12. I'll have to see how my body adjusts when I go TO Europe, and then possibly reconsider Cleveland. Although it's sounding more and more likely that I'll just hold off from the registration and be nice to my body, I wanted to share an article that a friend directed me to. It discusses the impact of running on jet lag and how doing so can affect performance.

If that's true…I won't be very well-edjusted for 6 days (I think?). Here's the toll that the jet lag could take...

Essentially, this article is confirming that the last thing I probably want to do when I get back to the States is throw myself into a big endurance event. I'm not 100% decided, but I'm pretty close to just assuming that I'll be a spectator for CLE 2014 and not a runner. Which I'm sure I'll be more than fine with by that point!

---------------------------------------------------------------

In other news, I've been keeping busy. Saturday I ellipticized for ONE HOUR. This was not a personal choice. I went to the gym with my friend expecting a jolly 30-minute standard time-slot on the elliptical but she sailed through the 30-minute mark and I realized we were going to keep going. Being on a machine indoors for 1 hour is not my idea of a fun workout but I'm glad I did it with company (and it actually wasn't quite as bad as I'm complaining). 

Last night I did a very easy 30-minute run. 

Today I did a 5-mile run in freezing rain. I came home and supplemented my immune system with Vitamin C and hot chocolate. My friend brought me "spicy brownies" which were AMAZING! They have cinnamon in them and are delicious. 

This afternoon I confirmed our day-after-Thanksgiving annual high school alums Turkey Row. 

Last year's Turkey Row

I also signed up for the Cleveland Turkey Trot! That'll happen on Thanksgiving morning and will be my first 5-mile race…not so keen on that distance for a race because it seems awkward to me but it should be a lot of fun. Recently I've been defaulting to 5-milers for my normal runs so I can use it as a normal workout if all else fails!

So, lots of things to look forward to! Woo!

Snapchats, data entry, and a fitting piece of jewelry.

My face as I try to master the art of snap chatting and walking to class…

Today was one of those days where I just felt so lucky and appreciative of my life and opportunities. I'm not sure if it was because I was walking around a beautiful campus, because I love fall, or just because I was in a good mood but I was loving life today!

One of my favorite parts of being in a lab is getting to relax and do data entry. It's not boring and awful as one might suspect…I just listen to Pandora (I have a station called "K80") and relax for awhile. Mindless productivity is the best sometimes.

My "oasis" this afternoon.

I love the floor-to-cieling windows in the Psychology Building (which I'm starting to call "home" since I am there so often...)

Should I rename my blog sunsets and fall trees? That's all I seem to post these days!

This afternoon I went into town to get my watch resized (been meaning to for awhile but never gotten around to it). I looked around the jewelry store while they worked on it and found this cuff…which I'm now giving to my parents to give me for the holidays! I couldn't not get it…it hits to close to one of the things in my life that is most ME (rowing, if you couldn't guess!).

This weekend holds a lot of study and some service work, and hopefully several hours at the pool swimming to Turkey. If you're reading, have a good weekend!