I have to say, this weather has been really cold! It has not been above freezing for a couple weeks now, I think. 😯 No precip, so the air has been very dry. It’s so hard to get out to go to the gym and get in a cold car (but better than biking in this cold 😀 ).
I had a Luna bar as a preworkout snack while waiting for the car to warm up a little. It actually was slow to start. Guess 0 degrees will do that….
Hit the treadmill for what was supposed to be 5 miles, but I was feeling good, so did another 1/2 mile extra! I used pace music and averaged 5.8 mph. I did a almost 3 miles at 5.5, then 1.5 miles at 6.0 and 1/2 a mile at 6.8 mph. It’s funny how running a 10-minute mile seems much harder on the treadmill than running outside. I can do a 5K in 29:30, which is less than a 10 minute mile. Go figure.
So hungry when I got home and really chilled from being sweaty in the cold. Made a fabulous bowl of steel cut oats:
Cooked with banana and topped with almond butter and blackberry jam. I about snorted this bowl down. I don’t know which was more awesome today, the breakfast or the shower after breakfast!
While I was hard at work today, John was busy in the kitchen. He was making some of his fabulous fudge! He pretty much uses the recipe on the marshmallow fluff jar, although he added coffee powder to it and topped half with pecans.
This is still uncut, so I don’t have to worry about snacking on it. It’s funny how if a bag is not opened, or something is in it’s ‘whole’ state, I have no problem not eating it. The minute it is breached, however, all bets are off!
I’m feeling pretty good about this last stretch into Christmas. If I can just keep it up for a couple more days 😀
Finished up work early today (go me!!) and felt like another BBQ chicken salad for dinner. I was craving the salty feta and BBQ sauce. When I run longer distances (for me) I crave salty stuff. I am not only a profuse sweater, but a salty sweater. I think my body is trying to tell me something about electrolyte balance.
Ornament of the day:
Another horn! This one is pewter, I think.
Have to clean tonight and get the house ready for company on Christmas! Also need to resist the siren song of the nutmeg logs 
Look for a post tomorrow about the origin of the name of my blog!
Question: For those that run, do you find it really different on a treadmill versus outside?
I find the treadmill very different than running or walking outside. For me it just seems to use a different level of intensity. I prefer outside, but the treadmill will definitely get the job done. I can’t imagine living where the temps are as cold as yours. Brrrrr.
.-= Diane Fit to the Finish´s last blog ..Baking? Can You Do It? =-.
A salty sweater *giggle* Love that description. And biking in this cold (and snow) would be, well, not right. I know you’ve pushed the boundaries before, but in this case, it’s best to leave the bike in the garage.
I haven’t had steel cut oats in months, back when one Saturday morning I woke up wanting oats with maple syrup on top. It was the most incredible craving I’d ever had. Scarfed it down when I made it, too. What’s up wtih that? Why do we get a food in our head like that? Oh well. At least it was somewhat healthy, I guess.
Merry Christmas, Lori!
.-= Lynn Haraldson-Bering´s last blog ..…And a Healthy New Year (NAN Giveaway!) =-.
I haven’t used a treadmill that much, but when I have I have found the constancy of it to be a challenge. Yesterday at the gym I talked to a runner who had just spent 2 1/2 hours (YUCK!!!) on the treadmill and she said that she didn’t get as ‘far’ on the treadmill as she did outside.
Love the ornament, and I have to try that BBQ chicken salad!
.-= debby´s last blog ..I Tried Something New Today =-.
Treadmill runs are definitely harder than outside runs. I always end up watching the clock and willing the minutes to go by, which, of course, makes them go by slower. And then that makes me tired. And then…FAIL. Oh, mind tricks…
.-= Arianne´s last blog ..Thoughts from Weekend Runs =-.
I run faster on the treadmill than I do outside, but I really don’t run enough to have a preference. That fudge looks yummy and I do the same thing – ignore the temptation before it’s cut, but look out after! This is why there is no fudge in my house this year, lol!
.-= Shelley B´s last blog ..Wednesday Workout Update – Early Edition =-.
It is a real struggle to do those treadmill sessions, I agree. The time seems to go a lot slower and I miss the stimulation of the views, even if it is sometimes just traffic! Still, I take advantage of a clock in front of me and work on speed. Your times are great – envy!
Looking forward to tomorrow’s post!
.-= Fat[free]Me´s last blog ..Great Walks and a Surprising NSV (probably not for the men) =-.
Okay first, I’ve been dragging about getting into my cold car for the gym too!! Amazing what a little cold can do to my motivation 😉 Also, I find it really hard to maintain my usual outdoor running speeds on the treadmill too. That’s why I always do intervals, it makes it easier to go fast. But there’s no way I could just set the treadmill at 6.0 and run for an hour. For some reason it makes me cramp up!
That’s an interesting thought on being a salty sweater too. I always crave salt after workouts, I wonder if I’m the same way?
Can never go wrong with a recipe on the back of a Fluff jar 😉
.-= Susan´s last blog ..Starbucks For Dummies – The Tutorial =-.
This post made me really hungry! Need to grab some breakfast!
.-= Foodie Girl´s last blog ..Exhausted =-.
YES! I find it much harder to run on a treadmill, probably because it’s much easier for me to stop earlier whereas running outside, I’m forced to make it home 🙂
P.S. I’m hoping to post your guest post by the end of the week!
.-= Simply Life´s last blog ..Improved Baked Potatoes! =-.
Congrats on that workout!!!! Awesome! That cold would get me too.. been way too long for me!
Love the ornament & love the sound of that instrument!
Forgot to say that outside running & treadmill jogging are definitely different. The one thing I like about the treadmill is that I can see the speed & push myself to reach certain goals. My weekend outside jog is more for not pushing myself so much & trying to enjoy it more. 🙂
.-= Jody – Fit at 52´s last blog ..Today Is a Special Day! Fitness Gifts =-.
You know i’ve had my run ins with treadmills and have sworn off them! But unlike you i have that option because rarely is it too cold here to run outside. I think as long as you mix it up with outside runs when you can you’ll be fine. But i found when i ran on the treadmill for two straight months over the summer when the temps were pushing 100 degrees that i lost so much fitness. See , the treadmill offers no resistance. Definately make sure you up the incline. I thought i was working incredibly hard on the treadmill for those two months. I pushed the pace , i upped the incline, anything i could do to mimick the road and i still lost fitness. It really hurt to start running on the road again. I found it alot harder mentally to run on the treadmill too. The monotony of it. And you can’t help but feel like a hamster on a wheel! But treadmill is definately better than no running at all!! Whenever the weather gives you a break hit the road!
I find the treadmill super different from running outside or on an inside track. I have a forward lean outside that doesn’t work on the treadmill. It feels more natural to run outside!
.-= Anne K.´s last blog ..Let it Snow =-.
Yes, I definitely find treadmill running different than running outside. I, too, seem to be able to run faster outside. (Or maybe it’s just during races?) I really don’t like running on the treadmill, but sometimes it just has to be done. Do you have different cardio machines at your gym? Sometimes it’s helpful for me to break up my workout: a segment on the elliptical, a segment on the stairmaster, a segment on the treadmill, and a segment on something else, like a rowing machine or recumbent bike.
Ooo, that marshmallow cream jar fudge recipe is the best! My mom and I made it every year. I kept making it, too, but then when we moved to the coast, it started getting really grainy. I think the air is just too damp here during the holidays. (My toffee recipe doesn’t work here, either.) Your comment made me laugh about breaching the package – I’m that way, too!
.-= Pubsgal´s last blog ..Weekly Update, 12/23/09 =-.
I find it much easier to stick it out when running outside. I don’t get bored and my husband can join me and cheer me on. The treadmill keeps me at a steady pace though!
.-= Alissa´s last blog ..Let the Countdown Begin: Weigh in Day =-.
Mmmm…I know exactly what you mean about open/cut goodies being a temptation. I made English toffee over the weekend (mostly for my FIL) and didn’t even taste it (The Husband did the taste-test) until over 24 hours after it was done. And then I broke it into pieces for packing. And then I ate a lot.
.-= Jane´s last blog ..I Have A Job! =-.
I only have run on a treadmill, but actually have plans to get outside at least once before the year is up. If I am outside it means I am pushing a stroller and I won’t do that to my hamstrings again…it’s been months and they are still tight and a bit sore some days.
my treadmill gets boring and without my iPod it was torture but I have a new iPod now and been resting so I am actually ready to hit it!
It’s probably a good thing my hubs doesn’t make things like fudge. I’d be in big trouble!
.-= Cindy´s last blog ..Instead of a Dehydrator =-.
I was just thinking about the treadmill v. outdoor thing today as I ran on the treadmill at the gym. 🙂 I find that running on the treadmill is much harder than running outside, which is very surprising to me!! I now range between 6.0-6.2mph on the tmill (unless I’m doing sprint drills) which makes me SO incredibly tired and sore, yet my record for a 5K is 30:36 (under a 10min mile!). I hear ya!
.-= PTG1002´s last blog ..ugh. waste. =-.
I don’t run, but I find a big difference in walking on the treadmill and walking outside. I could walk miles more outside than on the treadmill.
By the way, doesn’t it feel good to set your mind out to run a certain distance, then just keep going because you are feeling good? I suspect you would have never thought you would have thoughts like that before you started your weight loss/fitness journey.
.-= South Beach Steve´s last blog ..Life After the Hot 100 =-.