Netflix FTW

Now that we actually have some snow, running has become this huge challenge. There aren't sidewalks in my neighborhood, mostly just heavy traffic roads with shoulders that seem kind of dangerous in the summer, and are now covered in snow and therefore unusable. Dan and I planned to go on a run in town when he got home from work yesterday, but he wasn't in the mood and we had a bunch of errands to run, so the run was quickly forgotten. Today I am stranded at home with no car as usual, and have to leave for class as soon as Dan gets home, so I sucked it up and went for a run on my original running route from when we first moved here, the one I grew to hate because I ran it for weeks on end and became so bored.
Aside from Thanksgiving when I went on just a short run because I was sick, I haven't run that route in months, as I've ventured out onto the scary busy roads. I really didn't have a choice today. I noticed the snow on the roads is melting, so hopefully the shoulders will clear up soon and I'll have my freedom back.
The route is only 1.5 miles, and I briefly considered running it twice in a row to get just under the 3K distance, but immediately realized that I would not have the mental capacity to push past the boredom. I figured that 1.5 miles was better than nothing, and besides, I just discovered that you can get some workout DVDs on Netflix instant watch and took advantage of that (more on that later). Since the cold weather settled in, I've been having trouble even running a mile without a walking break to catch my breath, even with the use of my inhaler, so today's goal was to run the entire old route without stopping. And I did it! It got a little hard around the mile, mostly because I was running too fast again. Even though I realized in between the 3/4 and 1 mile marks and slowed down, I still hit the mile at 9:30. I finished the route in just over 13 minutes, which is a sub-9 minute mile pace.
That might explain some of why I'm having trouble running. On my old route, I know where each 1/4 mile is, so I can gauge my pace that way. On my new route, I don't really know where the miles are (just approximations) so I have no way of keeping my pace slow enough for my capabilities. I need to figure out how to get my watch to accurately gauge my speed.
So anyway, Netflix never fails to amaze me! I searched for "exercise" on instant watch, and with a little digging, discovered TONS of DVDs you can stream. Most of them are "The Crunch" something or other, so if you search for that you will find them easily. I did a 40 minute workout called "Crunch: Cardio Salsa" which was pretty awesome.

Giselle wanted to know if I was "looking to get into a latin-flavored fat burning zone," and indeed I was. The workout was fun, and went by really fast. The only problem was that it seemed only good for getting your heart rate up and burning calories, and maybe toning your legs a little, but wasn't something that would strengthen you in any remarkable way. The Richard Simmons workout I have has you moving your entire body a lot, and by the end my arms and legs are sore so I know my muscles were used. Anyway, I put a bunch of workouts in my queue and I'm excited to try them.