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A few weeks ago I tried to do a tempo run. It was too much too fast after taking a break from running during my busy study time. I have been apprehensive to re-attempt the tempo so I have stuck with fartleks and intervals. Last night I decided to give the tempo run another go. The plan was to do a 1 mile warm up, 3 miles at tempo, with a 1 mile cool down. Historically this was one of my go-to workouts so I was hoping it would workout this time around. Dressing to run in these unpredictable temperatures can be kind of difficult.

That's okay though. I look like an awesome green ninja (a runnerd ninja). The middle top is something I picked up at the outlet mall over the weekend and it is my most favorite new winter running top. What is your favorite piece of winter workout gear? I only just realized that my Bondi Band (from my Daily Mile Secret Santa) matched my outfit perfectly. Also, special thanks to the husband for getting me green Yurbuds for my birthday!

I felt a bit over dressed during the run but since it was only 5 miles, it wasn't too bad. I made sure to take the warm up nice and easy. I tried not to go out too fast which ended up with my first tempo mile split at 8:03. The second mile I knew I needed to pick it up. An 8:03 just wasn't going to cut it for me, mentally. I just did loops around my neighborhood and part of the way, the wind was at my back and part of the way the wind was in my face. I tried not to let this get to me and just power through it. The second mile I clocked in at 7:52. I wasn't sure if there was a way for me to keep going for another mile at that pace. I was beating myself up thinking that my third mile would probably be my slowest. I also thought, maybe I'll just do a half mile. To get myself out of it, I tried a technique that Sierra mentioned she had done during the Hot Chocolate 15k. I told myself that I can keep this up for a half mile more. That was nothing. When I stopped focusing on the distance, my watch was at 0.65 mile before I knew it. Then, the rest was easy (well, as easy as the end of a tempo run can be). I think I might have even been able to tackle one more tempo mile, if I wanted to. The last mile I clocked 7:49. I don't think I've run a mile that fast in a long time. The last mile cool down felt great as I was so happy with how things went down.

I am ready to improve in 2013 as I was no where near this point at this same time last year! I felt so invigorated when I got home! Have you ever had one of those workouts where you weren't sure if you could do it, but you talked yourself into it and succeeded?

Now, today at the office, I'm wearing some compression sleeves under my dress pants as the calves and shins are a bit tight. I plan on using the foam roller and doing a bit of yoga tonight to help stretch things out.

DON'T FORGET! Today is the last day to enter the Running on the Wall giveaway!

A few weeks ago, I went with a coworker to a nutrition seminar put on by our company. It really opened my eyes to lots of things that I hadn't really thought about before. Soon after, I had a girls night with some friends and my friend Kate S was talking about the Paleo diet. Also, I ate a frozen dinner recently that left a nasty, filmy, chemically after taste in my mouth. All these things added up together have got me thinking a lot about the food we all eat.

I'm not at all interested in the Paleo diet or lifestyle, but it definitely got me thinking. I have started reading the ingredients of everything I eat. Do you always read the ingredients labels of things before you eat them? I would skim the labels on certain products (looking for meat items to see if something was vegetarian) but wouldn't normally for "every day" products. It really did change my perspective.

So the biggest thing I've gotten out of this is that I've decided to stop eating frozen dinners. I have eaten them regularly for lunch over the past few years just because they are easy to grab and go. (Of course, I would have other things in addition to them because a girl can't live on a 300 calorie meal for lunch.) After actually reading the ingredient label (and having a filmy, nasty taste in my mouth for several hours after eating one), I've decided to make my own pasta with marinara or fetuccini alfredo to freeze. Thinking about this more and more, I've decided to do an even bigger overhaul. Why stop there?

Looking through my iPhone photos, I found some gems. I made some of these recipes because they are delicious. I made others because they are easy. I try to share with you those that are both.

The evils of too much soy have really been haunting me lately. Since Toph is vegetarian, we eat A LOT of soy and soy is in EVERYTHING. I'm trying to cut down on the soy that I buy, therefore cutting down on the soy that we eat. I found a bunch of recipes on Pinterest for seitan, black bean burgers, lentil burgers, sweet potato burgers (all soy free) along with vegetable stock and breakfast sandwiches. (If you have any recipe suggestions, please let me know!) I just plan on storing these in various storage containers to keep in the freezer for easy transport. I already switched to making my own oatmeal varieties versus the packets, and I switched to almond milk too (less sugar and more protein than regular milk). There is also the "dirty dozen" produce list that I have been trying to watch for too. I think getting into these types of habits now is really important, especially for when we plan on starting a family some day. Do you pre-make meals ahead of time? Have you thought about doing something like this before? Do you always buy organic or just try to follow the "dirty dozen" rule? Let's see how ambitious I continue to be with all of this because it definitely takes more effort and time.

If there is interest in doing it, I may set up a submission post where different people send in their favorite make-ahead pasta or burger recipe and I will do a summary post. We can have different themes to the recipe and I can create a tab up at the top to help keep track. We can do it once a month or once a week, depending on the interest level. Let's take a stand against frozen, processed, chemically enhanced tv dinners!

P.S. Don't forget to enter the Running on the Wall giveaway. You have until tomorrow (Wednesday, January 9th) to enter.

Have you entered my Running on the Wall Giveaway yet? You have until Wednesday, January 9th to enter!

This past weekend we made our annual trip to Lake Geneva. My husband's family has been going up there once a year for the past 30+ years. Last year I had a lot of trouble fitting in my workouts so this year I planned accordingly. I met up with the local running club for a run on New Years Eve morning. Pepper came with me and she absolutely loved the attention! She would just stand by various people in the group, waiting for them to pet her. Lol. Amanda even brought champagne for us to sip on.

Can you spot the happiest dog in the world?

Tuesday I braved the dark and freezing temps to meet up with the running club again for some easy miles. When we left for Lake Geneva on Thursday, I was happy to already have 2 runs under my belt.

In preparation of a long run, I had emailed Kim earlier in the week as I knew she didn't live that far from Lake Geneva. We met on a trail that was half way in between for 9 windy miles. Bobbi joined us too! Since I haven't actually ran with Kim or Bobbi before, it was a lot of fun.

Thanks Kim, for letting me steal your photo!

Kim even got me a birthday present (complete with a card that made me laugh)! Thanks again Kim for the amazing gifts!! :) We ended up having a bit too much fun at the local watering hole on Friday night so I was glad I got my run done earlier in the morning! I brought a Picky Bar with me on the run that we shared as I really want to try and get a fueling strategy down this year. It seems I get part way there and then my stomach has other ideas...

Running on vacation is always hard, but it helps to have some friends that will meet you half way! When you go on vacation, do you run with friends? Do you look up local running clubs to participate with?

Do you have any traditions or vacations that your family has done for many years?

After reflecting on my 2012 goals, I'm ready to start a new chapter of whatever 2013 will bring. I have lots of plans so we'll see where time will take me!

• Attempt my first trail race (this is a rollover from 2012 as this didn't really happen)
• PR the half marathon (I really want to try for a 1:45 as I totally think this is something I can do.)
• PR the 5k (Would love to get much lower into the 22s or even into the 21s!)
• Be more selective with my race schedule (I ran 17 races in 2012 and I felt this was too much. I wasn't able to have fun at all of them, and I think my bank account will be thankful if I take it down a notch in 2013.)
• Attend more gym classes and try different types of cross training (Already tried crossfit and I also want to give Zumba a try!) Sub-goal: do yoga at least once a month (preferably once a week). I just found a Comcast Yoga for Runners video that is less than 20 minutes. I think I can manage that once a week. 
• I have one more goal that I have mentioned to a few folks already, but I'm not ready to post it yet for all to read (although, if you've been reading the comments, you can probably guess/figure out what it is). I'm just going to leave it at that.

Just a few new pieces of hardware to add to the collection... :)

Have you entered the Running on the Wall giveaway yet? You have until Wednesday, January 9 to enter!

Katie at Live Half Full nominated me for the Liebster Award. I was nominated back in August as well so I'm not going to repeat the 11 facts about me, but you can check out my original post here!

Katie and I met for lunch during the Nato Summit week.

Here is how it works:
-Write 11 random facts about yourself.
-Answer the 11 interview questions you’ve been given by the person who nominated you. (see below)
-Create 11 new questions.
-Nominate 11 bloggers and mention them in your post.
-Go and tell the person who nominated you, along with the people you’ve nominated about your post.



1. What’s your favorite holiday splurge? Desserts. I always end up eating way too many of them! Currently in a cheese-less, tons-of-veggies stage. Looking forward to lunch!
2. How do you hold yourself accountable for workouts? I like to make plans with a friend. I feel this always helps me get back into a good routine, if I've fallen off the wagon. Running groups and group workout classes are a great way to be accountable during the winter months when it is so much easier to stay in bed or on the couch.
3. What made you start blogging? I've had online journals and various blogs since the age of 17. However, I started this running blog after completing my first marathon when all my friends and family were sick of hearing me talk about running. Now I have lots of internet friends that never get sick of it! What a treat!
4. What keeps you blogging? I love the online community that I feel a part of. I love meeting other bloggers and sharing my thoughts with the world (or small group of people on the internet that actually read my blog)!
5. Any goals in mind for 2013? A few... but that is a post for another day!
6. What is your biggest flaw? I can be very hard on myself if I don't meet a goal or don't do what is expected of me. I can be my own worst enemy in this regard. I've self-destructed a few times during races. This is something I'm going to try and work on in 2013. I have more fun and do better when I just go out there to have fun.
7. What are you three favorite things about yourself? my energy (I've been told by others that this can be motivating during a race), that I can easily go with the flow and have a good time with any group of people, and my sense of humor (I am easily amused and any day with a laugh is a good day).
8. What is your day job? analyst. I'll just leave it at that. :)
9. What is your go to snack? pretzels, possibly with something to dip them in (cream cheese, cottage cheese, peanut butter, pumpkin butter, anything really)
10. What is your go to weeknight dinner? frozen pizza. Just one of the many reasons why I will never be a healthy living blogger.
11.What’s your favorite thing to read on blogs? I love different blogs for different reasons. I always love reading new, easy dinner recipes. There can never be too many easy dinner ideas. I also love the "off the cuff" thought-provoking posts. Those can sometimes be my favorite.

As I know a lot of my blogging friends have already been tagged for the Liebster award, either now or earlier, I will not be posting any questions or tagging anyone else. (I have my blogger survey that a few folks have filled out for guest posts that may make a reappearance when I go on my next vacation.) Thanks for nominating me Katie! Sorry it took me a few weeks (literally) to get the post up. What is just 1 random fact about yourself, that you're willing to share?

A few weeks ago, I entered a giveaway through the Zooma blog for a race medal and bib display from Running on the Wall. I was super excited when I found out that I won! I was able to pick a bib and medal display to hang on my wall. When the medal display arrived, there was a mix up in communication and it was not the holder I had ordered. When they sent me a new one, Running on the Wall let me keep the original and I would like to give it away to one lucky reader! I have been saving this giveaway until after Christmas in case Santa didn't put one in your stocking.

The medal holder text reads "Runner Girl" and it comes with hooks to screw into the holes, to hang your medals. These hooks come in a separate bag.

To enter, (1) please leave a comment letting me know your favorite race medal. Mine is from the Grand Rapids Marathon.

For additional entries,
2) Like RunningKellometers on Facebook
3) Talk about the giveaway on Facebook, mentioning RunningKellometers
4) Follow RunningKellometers through Google (click "follow" on the right hand side of the blog)
5) Tweet about the giveaway, mentioning (@kellywils0n)

PLEASE summarize all entries in a single comment!

You have until Wednesday, January 9 at 11:59pm CST to enter. The winner will be chosen (using Random.org) on Thursday, January 10 by 10am CST. The winner must contact me within 72 hours (3 days) to claim their prize or another winner will be chosen (using random.org again). If you have any questions about the product or rules of the giveaway, please contact me before entering. This giveaway is open to all readers within the continental United States.

Pepper got really tired after a few too many vlog attempts. She wanted to take a nap. Thanks again for following along in 2012. I'm looking forward to what 2013 will bring for all of us! :)