best running temps

When we are beginning to run we always think we like warm weather for running.  Then we run in warm weather lol.

I have found myself wondering about ideal running temperatures since my marathon training has been going very well with this polar vortex.  I found this article.  I'm not sure how accurate it is but it certainly looks legit.  It says the ideal temperature for a marathon is 51.8 degrees.  That sounds phenomenal, actually.  Today I ran a quick 5 at 43 degrees.  My last long run was at 28 degrees.  To be honest, it all feels about the same to me.  I have pretty much worn some variation of the same running outfit for the last three months.

(And can I just say that temperature is another negative of treadmill running!!?  So! Hot! Unbearably hot!  I gave up the treadmill about 5 weeks ago lol. #icouldnt so #ididnt.)

Looking at the ideal temps for other race distances, I remembered that there was in fact a time when warm weather was pleasant.  Heat is good for helping to loosen up when running a short distance (vs running a long distance where you have 5-10 miles to do this).  66 is the ideal temp for a 10k.  It seems a bit warm to me.  I need to run some more 10ks, clearly.  I have lost touch with running reality.

Anyway, there's some data for you.  Enjoy.

Whole wheat pancake recipe

I'm not a fan of wheat flour when clearly white flour should be used (e.g. snickerdoodles- stop effing up junk food, people!), but I found a pancake recipe that is actually really good! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 tbsp vinegar (or lemon juice)
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
2 tbsp melted butter

1. Combine milk and vinegar and let mixture curdle.
2. In a bowl, whisk to combine whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. Whisk together egg, melted butter, and curdled milk until it looks fairly homogenous and smooth. Whisk wet mixture into dry ingredients, and stir the two together until just barely mixed.  (Pancake tip: you want any visible loose flour to be stirred in, but there should still be plenty of lumps. Stirring out the lumps will make the pancakes tough.)
4. Preheat a nonstick griddle to 375 degrees F (medium-high).  Oil the surface. Add small scoops of pancake batter. Cook for a few minutes, until you start to see little bubbles forming on the surface. Flip the pancakes and cook for a few minutes on the other side, until the bottom is golden brown.

I made small pancakes (about 1.5 tbsp of batter) and it yielded 14 (3 servings).  They turned out great.  (Each small pancake is less than 60 calories.  And I used agave instead of syrup for a low GI sweetener).

fitness articles i'm reading

1. Interesting fitness resources. I found #3, which supposedly analyzes your level of nutrient depletion, intriguing.  And who doesn't love blender bottles?
2. Some myths and explanations about strength training.  Check out the bad ass in the photo!  [The page this link opens to is not a coincidence ;o)]
3. Clean recipes.  I love that my go to breakfast as of late is hanging out there on the front page :o).
4. Core exercises.  Nine of 'em!  And the second one is like an orgasm in a box.  Ok, no, but it's one of my favs!
5. How to run faster.  Who knew it was as simple as reading this article ;o).  Hope I learn something useful.  There are bucket list items to be crossed off.

Happy running!!