Sooo Tired.....

yep... That's what I am alright.  This working stuff is definitely for the dogs. lol :)  Kidding... :)  Yes I am tired but I do like to work.  I am just not used to working again and I could fall asleep right now for the night...

It was a great day at work as I was able to work at a high school that is quite near where I live.  Got to go home for lunch and the staff and students there were wonderful!  I was just telling my husband that it was nice to feel that enjoyment at work again as an educational assistant.  Where I was working before I was just getting burnt out between full time school and a no great working atmosphere.  I also feel more comfortable working in the higher level grades than with the younger ones.  I was never meant to be one of those that always wanted to be a kindergarten teacher. :)  I like my older kids just fine thanks.  The field trips are WAY better too! :)

Last night we rented the movie "The Golden Compass" and the movie was pretty good until the end my hubby and I thought.  We just were not really ready for the way it ended...  It just did not feel like it ended.  The rest of it was really good though!

Tonight I am supposed to go out for another run here.  I had to force myself out the door yesterday to go for one and it went well, but I knew I was tired - could tell it effected my running.  Tala did way better than I did and she wanted more! :)  I feel more tired today...  and I am supposed to run with the running room people again, but I am not too sure what I am going to do yet.  I could just listen to my body here and do a cross training day instead I think... I will wait for a bit here and make my decision.  My eyes are starting to burn now though from being sooooo tired...

Other than that, eating wise it has not been good the last couple of days here I think because I have been so tired.  It is so true that we tend to eat more when we are tired - that mindless munching just takes on a mind of its own here... lol  I have no plan for supper yet and I think maybe I should get on that heh? :)

As for working again tomorrow here... I am not sure what I am going to do yet.  I still have to fight here with the Netfile to send my husband's income tax in.  I sent mine in and did the majority of his way back, but he did not give me the rest of his stuff till today!  So, this should be fun... I wonder how long this is going to take.  I have heard horror stories here the last couple of days and I think it is only going to get worse. :(

Well, speaking of taxes, I think I had better get trying to send it.  Have a good day all and I will catch up with all blogs later.  Edit: Ok... I have no clue what all the other people have been doing online or what the problems were but I just did my husband's with putting in his additional info and sending it in a matter of 10 mins tops!  Yeah!  Taxes are all done. (and here I thought I was going to be on the computer for hours on end trying to get it done and sent off) :)  Now to figure out supper and if I am running or not.... hmmmm.... :oP

Cheers!

Get to go to work!

Finally!  I haven't been able to sub in a bit so this is nice.  I am working at a lower priveledged (sp?) school (inner city school) here in toon town and in a lower grade class room.  It's going to be a short day as their school day ends at 3.  So, after work I will head out and do a small run of 3-5k with Tala around the neighborhood.  We have to get her training in also with her own fun run this Sunday! :)

Well, I hope everyone's day went well yesterday.  Its a short post today as I am a bit rushed this am. lol 

Take care!

Actually double digit temp!

I am so surprised. :) +10, a little cloudy but beggars can't be choosers. lol  I'll take it. 

Thank you everyone for the big congrats!  It was a milestone for me indeed and I already have my eyes on another new one.  60 mins for a 10k!   Of course I am just going to get through my 1/2 marathon first. :)  But come Canada Day in the HBC run here... I am going to shoot for it.  I am not quite sure about making it then, but I know it is going to come in the near future. :)

So, today has been an easy day for me here so far, I headed out for a quick outing came back home and slowly getting some things done around the house.  I just noticed the neighbors across the street mulching their grass... I guess it is time to get some of that stuff done now...  

For the next two days here I am going to try to pick up some subbing and hopefully I can get it over on this side of the city so I am closer to home.  Maybe even ride my bike there. :)

The rest of my day is not too exciting... probably more of the same as what I have been doing.

I am not sore at all from my run yesterday which is a really good thing as I thought that pushing myself the way I did I may have some kind of soreness.  Pretty happy about that one. :)

Well, I hope all have had a good day!

Another post today cause...

... I DID IT!!!!!!! WOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!!!  5k baby done in get this... 28:53 mins! :) New PB for me. :) 

It was beautiful out, +7, sunny, and the paths were clear.  *whew*  That snow cleared up pretty fast!

When I got there, there was about ~200 people there and I did not know a soul and met some lovely ladies.  We were talking about the course (saw the map finally) and we did not have to do the bridge, BUT... we had to run part of the most hilly part of the trail for the 5k.  It was a hard run and I told the ladies that I was just hoping to finish it in about just under 33 mins.  Much to my surprise when I saw my time at the end. :)  I started right in the very back of the pack - pretty much the last person and wove my way around the crowd to my comfortable pace, opened up my stride and off I went.  I stopped for 30 secs once to fix my sock.... that was it.  That really makes me hopeful of what I can accomplish on a flatter course. :)

Goal accomplished. :)

Here are some pics above.

run: 5.02 km/28:53 mins!, avg 5:45 mins/km

Fun Run Sunday!!

Well, this is it... my first (kinda) race of the season.  It is a so called 'fun' race, but I have the jitters already. lol  The race is put on by the Saskatoon Roadrunner's Association here and we are to meet at Brainsport first before starting the race at the top of the Broadway bridge.  Well, I have to describe this Brainsport store.  I have always been a bit nervous going in there because it always seemed that just the faster runners, the true athletes go there.  They have wonderful service and a wealth of knowledge... but I just felt intimidated.  When I went their this time to get my new runners instead of the usual Running Room, I felt much more comfortable there.  I still have my jitters though. :)  I must add that this race will most probably be a fast one as everyone is seeing what time they can get in their 5 or 10 distance to base their training on... *double gulp* :)  I will most probably be one of the back of the packers for sure... which is all good with me - cause that's MY spot! lol

The weather is 0 right now with a high of +9 for the afternoon and by the looks of it I will be running when it is +5-6 with a wind of 15km/hr.  Race is at 1 pm.  Ok... I can do this.  The snow has pretty much cleared up in the main areas and depending if we are running on the trail or the road will determine if there will be any snow to contend with.  They say that we are starting on the top of the Broadway Bridge which is a little scary because this may be the end of the race - going up the steepest bridge in the city... *gulp*  But heh... I should be able to do this... I have trained on bigger hills. :)

Well, time to have my breakie. :)  I will let you know later how things went.  Later on today, my son and I are going to enjoy a nice bike ride around the neighborhood. :)

Snow... AGAIN!!!!!

:(  Well yesterday I ended up heading out during lunch time which was a bit later than I intended to.  I wish I would have looked at the weather station earlier and that would have got me going.  You see I went out for my run during a weather snow storm advisory!  Let's just say that there was heavy winds, rain, sleet and snow...  It made it for a very cold hard run but I kicked it's butt anyways. :)  My friend came half way through and let me warm up in her vehicle for 5 mins and filled up my water bottle.  Gotta love friends like that. :)  Yesterday during the run I also opened up my stride for a bit and instead of doing my usual shuffle, and did not look at what pace I was doing the whole time.  I had my route all mapped out (which ended up being a little off - oops) and ran at what felt comfortable.  I now know I can run this distance at a faster yet comfortable pace.  So far I am still on track for hitting my goal of running my 1/2 in under 2.5 hrs!!! :)  I so can not wait. :)  The new drink I tried yesterday ELoad - worked out well and was quite mild on the stomach.  I think I may have found a new winner to have besides my water on my long runs. :)

Well I ate every AP that I earned and only 5 extra FPs for the day so I did not go as overboard as I thought I would.  I am debating about heading to hot yoga here this afternoon to get a good stretch out... but looking outside this morning... I am not too sure if I want to head out there.  It is all white out there again.  Really depressing... but I am not going to let it get me down. :(  Will this ever quit!  This stuff has to be gone by tomorrow... I seriously do not remember a spring storm hanging on for sooooo long!  Well at least this much snow anyways in this many of times.

My plans for the day is to get a good stretch in even if I go to hot yoga or not, some laundry, house cleaning, and maybe a trip to the grocery store later.  I should be having quite the healthy day food wise as it is all planned and ready to go. :)  Other than that... some good ol' R&R. :)

Tomorrow... fun race! :) 5k baby and even though the course is going to be a tough one, it is going to be a good one. :)

Thanks everyone yesterday for all the congrats!  It meant a lot to me... :)

Back to 100 lbs loss!

I am so doing a happy dance right now!  It is official this morning that I am now back down to 100 lbs lost from my highest wt! :)  The scale registered 124.4 lbs this morning and I was very happy that I had managed to get over the hump that I was feeling earlier this week. :)  On this journey, my total wt loss is 22.2 lbs!  It is so time to celebrate here.... :)

This morning I will be heading out for my long slow run of 18k and I am going to start from my house this time.  I will be on my own so I have mapped my route and told my husband where I am going to be.  For this run I will be introducing a new drink to try along with my water to see if this helps me with my sodium issues while running (I lose sodium fast).  I normally do not worry about it but starting at this amount of km, I am going to give it a shot.  I will be taking my normal power jelly beans (couple) and two small pcs of granola bar.  That should tide me through as I am going to be running for about 2:15 hrs outside doing my 10:1's.  I am feeling great this morning with no aches and pain, just a little tired from a restless sleep (someone was snoring heavily last night... and it wasn't me) ;)

After I am done my run, drink my chocolate milk, get all stretched up, ice if needed, and get all cleaned up, I am going to enjoy a good lunch. :)  There will be about 13-14 APs to be eaten on top of my normal. lol ;)

The rest of today I am not quite sure of yet.  There won't be too much done strenuous wise because I have to make sure that the rest of today and tomorrow I recover well from today's run with my 5k fun race on Sunday.

Yesterday, my son's Running Mania zippered hoodie arrived and he was really happy with it.  I bought it for him to show how happy I was that he is getting outside and doing something like the biking and going to do a kids 1k race on Canada Day. :)  The only person I do not have decked out yet is my husband... You see, when I do my 1/2 marathon here in the end of May, I would like to have a good orange cheering section for me. :)  There is always a sea of Running Room clothing mostly with the odd Brainsport one on races and run/walk events here and I am going to break that monopoly up. :)  There are hardly any Saskatchewan people involved with the Running Mania (a great running forum and support site for runners and such) and I am going to wear my colors with pride.  So if any of the Sk people out there see any pics at the end of next month with a girl wearing an orange shirt or tank top, bright orange socks, and some fake tattoos, that's me! :) And hopefully I do not embarrass myself too much during the race. :)

I am starting to get really excited now about the half.  There is only 3 long runs left including todays for this schedule and depending on how it goes, it will determine what races I for sure go in next. 

Well, not much else here besides a happy wi, planned good food, and some good ol' R & R before Sunday.

run: 19.4 km/2:16:03 mins, avg 159 bpm 7:00 min/km, cold wet run and really windy, opened up my stride and ran at a comfortable pace with out looking at what pace I was doing.  Good run though

It's warming up!

Woke up this morning and the sun is shining.  The weather is looking like we are going to have some nicer days ahead.  Today is a rest day for me besides biking to the movie store to return some movies.  My long run of 18k is tomorrow and I should be nice and rested for that one.  It is going to be done probably slower than usual as I just want the distance in and also because I have a a bit of a run race on Sunday.

I was just checking the Roadrunner's site and the time and location has changed from before.  It looks like it may be a harder course with a nice hill on the end of it. :(  So I am not sure if I am going to be able to beat my time on a 5k or not. :( :(

Scale wise, I peaked again and things are looking even better for me.  I had a healthy day yesterday and I hope to continue today so that it stays at this wt or may be goes lower...  only time will tell. :)

My one dog decided that she like to counter surf all of a sudden now. :(  My almost 4 yr old, Cleo, has eaten a few meals on the counter the last couple of days.  I have to make sure that everything is put way far back or she goes in there and helps herself.  Last night I had to make an extra plate because she decided mine was hers.  It's funny because she knows that she has done wrong and goes and hides after she has done it.  I hope she is not revolting because we have not done agility this year yet...  She loves her agility. :)  So I have to work on that with her.

Tonight I have a meeting that is for all parents in the gr. 6-8 of my son's school for a camp that they are going to in the beginning of June.  I will probably be gone all 3 days there since they always request that someone from our family is their because of my son's designation.  So I will be volunteering for a couple of things.  Just don't know what I want to do yet.  The students love when I am the cabin mom because the girls love the stories at night. :)

My husband left yesterday morning for Regina to work and will be back later today.  He is being sent out of town so much that anytime that I want to work, I can't because he is not home for my son in the morning.  I think I may have to come up with some other alternatives now for these types of situations.

Boy I am just rambling this morning... this must be a little boring. :)

For the rest of today, I am going to be working on cleaning up the basement and clearing out and unplugging the fridge downstairs.  We don't have anyone living down there and can't till repairs are done, so the area has been used for games, workout room, study room and such.  I was putting some extra stuff in there, but we all keep forgetting about it.  oops! :)  So I am just going to unplug the old thing and be done with it.

Well, since wi is tomorrow, I am going to work extra hard to make sure that it is a core day, watch the sodium, and up the water.  Let's see what tomorrow brings. :)

The streets are clear again :)

Sooooo happy here for two reasons:

1) the streets have managed to clear up

2) tonight is my last night of hill training for my schedule

As I usually do my hills by myself on a Thurs since this Running Room location's 1/2 marathon clinic voted to do them on Thurs night instead of Wed night, which I used to do before this schedule, I am going to go to my old Running Room location to see if they are doing theirs tonight and hopefully run them with them.  My weekly schedule has been rearranged this week due to the small fun race, 5k, on Sunday here.  I also prefer to do them on Wed. :)  So hopefully....

Thanks to everyone with the virtual push yesterday to get my butt out the door and do something about things. :)  You helped me more than you could know...  It was a great run and felt really good!  The soaked shirt was a good indicator... lol  And yes Stacie :)... I may have the mojo back!  Froggie... still waiting for your report....

I was just reading an email this morning from the Saskatchewan Marathon Association and there are some really cool prize draws for all runners.  Included in one of these draws is a new treadmill!!!!!  Very doubtful that I would win the draw though... but wouldn't that be SWEET!!! :)  I think I would be happier with that then some trip at this pt (another prize in the draw).  Ahhhh... to only dream..... :)

See, I told you I was in a better mood. :)  Scale moved back down a bit this morning and I have today and tomorrow to straighten things back out - and no I am not starving myself. lol  I make sure I eat quite enough. :)

As I read the ww boards and other forums, I have found a great number of people wanting to learn to run.  There has been questions about at what wt they can start at, how fast to go when running, what programs are out there... etc.  So, I am going to keep a list of learn to run programs for people who are interested and would like to try things on their own.  Sometimes someone may feel intimidated by asking or feel nervous about it.  That is why I am doing this.

*note: I am not an expert runner by any means, I am just passing on some information to others that may wish to have it.

A couple of hints:

-if you are not close to even running for 30 secs yet, just use the faster/run parts as a faster, brisk walk, and the other, the walk part as a normal walk.  Things will get easier for you.  If you are finding you are out of breath - SLOW DOWN!!!! 

-make sure you have your doctor's approval before starting

-make it comfortable and don't push yourself too hard

-stay relaxed, no clenching of fists

-get some good quality running shoes, if you can go and get fitted for some (not sportchek or sportmart!), but if that is the only place you have a choice of going to, well, just make sure that you are comfortable in them and take your time choosing a pair.  Take as long as you need to and do not feel rushed.  The best time to go is in the afternoon or later.

-I know I said don't push yourself, but I can not say that enough.  Injuries happen when you push yourself and your program should be enjoyable.  Speed comes later (if you want to progress further)

-water, water, water - just do not drink too much so you hear a sloshing sound - then you have gone too far.  The water will help in the recovery and less soreness of your muscles, and keep you hydrated.  Most people do not need to worry about things like gatoraide unless you are running/walking for around an hr.  There are exceptions to this though, and you will know who you are.

-when you are doing the run/walk program of choice, and you feel that you are too tired, slow it down and maybe just walk the remainder of your time.  You can always stay at the week level you are on until you are ready to move to the next level

-make the program work for you.  Arrange it so it can fit in to your lifestyle.

-make sure you do not forget to STRETCH!!!

Well, that covers a couple of things that I thought someone may be nervous or feel stupid about asking.  I started a walk/run program back when I was 224 lbs and had to take it really slow.  I have made many mistakes and paid for it with injuries, but it was a true learning experience for me as I wish to never repeat. :)  Even though you may do everything right, taking it on the slower side for example, injuries still can happen.  These are often caused by body mechanic issues or need new or different shoes.

Here is a list of some learn to run programs (I will locate more) and this list will also be located on the side with links.

-coolrunning.com (free) - popular, couch to 5k learn to run (there is also a podcast that goes with this from another site

-podrunner (free) - I found on itunes. Techno beat music, has a great warm up and cool down

-Running Room Learn to Run Program (fee) - if you have access to online or a store, great for meeting new people and good program (I did this one)

-Runner's World Magazine online - learn to run program, also very respectable

-(book) Runner's World Complete Book of Women's Running - all questions answered and covers all levels from start to finish.

-(book) Running for Mortals - funny, great program

-(book) The Beginning Runner's Handbook - great learn to run program

The are also many others out there, but this is what came to mind to me right now and there will probably be more later on the side.  Doing a google search for learn to run programs is another way to find one that may suite you.  Just accommodate where needed. :)

Well, I guess that was a bit long winded today... see what happens when I am in a funk for a few days... I come back and my mind is just a racing. :)

Food wise, the rest of the day is planned and looking quite healthy - in fact.. really healthy. :)  I have already downed 1 L of water here and going for some more.

I guess I have wrote my limit for the day... don't want to bore you all too much longer with my enthusiasm. :)

Now to go check in on Froggie-George... lol :) *waves*

run: 9 x hills/1:40:00 mins, last hill workout - done! :)  felt really good, and getting stronger

Mindless munching again...

Yesterday as I was watching the Boston Marathon, old habits kicked back in and I munched... and munched... So another day of mindless munching and it did not stop with the marathon.  Last night I ended up getting the mentality of oh well, today is a write off anyways and went and took the family to an ice cream place and had a swiss dark chocolate gelato in a waffle cone and brought some baked old dutch chips to eat also... no water...

I am so close to being back to the original 100 lbs loss again and it seems like it is scaring me some  how... I don't know how to describe it.

All I want to do is run this mood off but the roads are really slippery and my treadmill is broken. :(  I think I am going to have to tuff it out and dress the part and boot my butt outside to get over this.  I need to feel like I got a good run in and Sunday's fiasco with the treadmill did not give me that.  It was more depressing than anything.  I even felt like having a *gasp* smoke last night!!! (I didn't though - about my only nsv for the day) :(

Oh well... enough of my problems...  life can be tough sometimes and I have to learn how to overcome them with out the use of food and have backups in place when things go wrong. EG. Treadmill breaking down.

The scale was not so nice to me this am as I took a peak at it and I think I am going to have to be really strict with myself here if I at least want to stay the same.  I have gone over and beyond my FPs for the week which I think is the first for me this journey.  OP no more...

So, my plan for the day is nothing but water (no coffee), get my 5k run in, eat clean and within my points (both DP and APs), and get out of this funky mood.

*Thanks to the virtual push from Froggie-George, I am going somewhere to use a treadmill and try to kick this mood away.  I will post when I am done.

run: 5.44 km/40 mins, first 5 mins not in that time as I was walking to warm up, then 30 mins of 6:47 min/km run, then 10 mins of walking to make 5.44 km in total.  I feel a bit better and more relaxed now - something that I have not felt since last Thursday.  It was a bit tricky running on a different treadmill as it was showing in miles/hr for speed and I had absolutely no clue what I was set on.  I just went by the Nike+ for distance and pace.  I know if I had run outside it would have shown a really good run as I really pushed my self today to get all the cobwebs out.   I may have to re-calibrate my Nike+ so it can be a bit more accurate. (Garmin would have been just around 6k and pace would have been about 6:20 min/km {for the run part})

Your turn Froggie-George... lol  :)

Boston Marathon!!!

Well, a bit of a late post today because I was watching the Boston Marathon and cheering on some fellow maniacs. :)  16 of them ran in it today!  Everyone but one managed to cross the finish line which was great.  The one that did not cross, we do not have the full story yet but were assured that he is ok.  So, it was a very emotional and exciting day as I was camped out on the couch on my computer. :)  Nothing else was accomplished....

This coming Sunday is my first race this year and I am planning to do the 5k in it.  I am not too sure of how the course is yet and if there are many hills.  It is probably going to be on the trails which suck because they are not in the best shape right now and not very flat.  The road would have been better. :(  I just realized though that I am going to have to rearrange my training schedule for the week though and maybe do my long run on Friday instead.  That would mean that I am going to have to get off my butt here and do some cross training of some kind tonight! lol  So I really should work things out today and get things planned.

Eating wise, I do not know what has come over me but I can not stop mindless munching right now.  I am just about at the 100 lbs lost mark again and it almost seems like I am sabatoging myself.  I don't know what has come over me... Maybe it is the weather?  stress?  who knows.... I do have to smarten up though and not let this get to me.  I really feel like a good run right now because it feels like I was denied that yesterday and maybe that would help?  It is too bad that it is snowing and cold otherwise I would be outside in a New York Minute! lol

Well, I should get going here and check out everyone's blogs for today...

cross train?

wts?

Did I ever say that I hate the cold?

Well, I do! lol  I woke up this morning to a wonderful site of a layer of frozen ice pellets on the ground.  Temp wise it is not bad at -2 going to +4 this morning, BUT it is the wind that is bugging me a long with being way too slippery out.  Temp I can handle - just dress right for it - but I am being a baby right now and don't really want to be cold. :(  The wind is at 33 and with gusts up to 44. :(  I think it may be a slippery repeat of what happened in the beginning of March and I do not want to live that again - taking upteen hours just to get my lips close to the proper color they should be...

So... I have bit the bullet here, not wanting to risk any injury by slipping, and I am going to run my 12k inside on the treadmill.  I am just happy that this week is not the 18! :)  So my computer is all charged up and I am going to find a movie to watch while running - one of the few perks on running on the treadmill. :)

I feel sorry for my friends that are running in some other places in Canada today... St. Albert has a race and there is a travel advisory out for it.  So far in Vancouver, there is no snow for the Sun Run but it is cold...  Montreal (I think) has one too - but the weather I heard is not too bad there. :)  So, here's wishing everyone that is running an event today the best of luck and have FUN!!!! :)

I ended up not getting my other cross training day in at all this past week which is ok.  I did take a nap yesterday morning and slept right till my husband and son came home at lunch!  I must have needed it. :)

Food wise yesterday was not all that great and I found my self doing some mindless munching.  I did well up until supper and then that was it... an no APs to help take care of it, so WPs... b'bye! :)  

Well, everyone is sleeping here still and I should get going here on my run.  I am feeling so so about it this am as I only got about 5.5 hrs of sleep... :(  I guess that nap maybe was a little too long. :)

I think I may finish my post after... :)

OK... I think I should have ran outside anyways... My treadmill decided to be possessed this morning!  My run was all over the place in speed as the belt was either slipping, sticking, belt suddenly going faster or slower, and me coming to abrupt halts trying to fix it as I went.  By the end of the run I had it set at 12 km/hr which is a fairly good pace (fast in fact!) but the treadmill in actuality was only going as fast as about 6.4!  I was so frustrated but determined that I had to finish it and get it done no longer how long it took me. :(  The treadmill is only coming on 5 yrs old at this point but it has seen quite a bit of mileage... still no reason for it to be doing this.  So, needless to say my stats for this run are all out of whack but I will post what I have from my Nike.

I also received my email about my inquiry in to the Team in Training to go to San Fransico in October to the Nike Women's Marathon.  I found out that a person would need to raise about $4900 to go... I can't do that.  I also can not believe that it is about the same amount as I had to raise to do the Hawaii Marathon, which I did not get to go to due to a surgery.  So, I am sticking with doing the Nike Virtual Women's Marathon instead like I originally planned I guess.

run: 12.51 km/1:39:36 mins, avg 162 7:57 mins/km, on treadmill which decided it was going to have some fun with me. :(

snow... :(

Nice... woke up to a bit of snow this am and the roads are SLIPPERY!!!  I have to laugh at the weather forecast though... It has been jumping back and forth about having 4-5 days of snow with cold temperatures.  The latest is that it will be warming up to +6 today with rain and tomorrow was -1 and now it is going to +11 with rain... I wish it would make up it's mind... Oh well, I will just wake up tomorrow and see what I am wearing for my run outside.  All I know is that if I wake up to the icy conditions that I woke up to today, I am doing my run on the treadmill. :)  At least it is a cutback week and it will only be 12k. :)  NOT the 18 which is next week. :)

Well, I did not manage to get my seeds started so today I will do that.  I ended up doing some doggie yard cleanup and clearing some bushes from the front yard.  The neighbors got a kick out of that one because I had my son's old plastic wagon out and was using it to haul everything. :)

I did not go really hog wild on the eating yesterday and did not get my cross training and wts in either.  I am going to see about doing that today also.  My son and I instead bbq'd some burgers, rented some movies and then sat and watched them with popcorn and diet root beer floats. :) (with fat free/no sugar ice cream)  I never realized that my son has not had one before... He was in love with them. :)

Right now my husband is actually taking my son to space camp this morning to build his rocket that I picked up yesterday.  This should be good for the both of them so they can spend some time together like my husband keeps on mentioning that he is going to do.  When they get back, I am going to be driving my son to his friend's birthday party at the indoor pool.  They do not have any lanes there or I would have taken the time available there and gone swimming myself... or at least attempt to swim. :)  If it was not for the party I would be going to hot yoga to finish my last pass.  That is going to be Monday night now.

Other than that, I am trying to figure out supper here.  I would like to bbq but I am not too sure of what the weather is going to do.  I think I am going to have to figure out something else. :)

Not too much else to report here today... I am still pretty tired here.  I think now that everyone is gone... I may sneak a bit of a nap in... :)

Non-smoker! :)

Stationary Bike: 60 mins Did not do again...

wts: 30 mins Same here...

ww wi...

... and I am back down again. :)  125.2 lbs! Onwards and downwards! :)  I ate literally every pt available to me this week as I earned 39 APs!  My body really needed the fuel. :)  My pts reset today so I am going to go and enjoy something here... haven't decided what yet.  Maybe I may call my Nanny and see if she wants to go for breakie. :)

I also took my measurements this morning since I keep on forgetting and wowza!  Body changes are a happening here!  I am down 25 inches!  Everything is moving proportionally except for my arms... well, I have always had arms on the bigger side and I just have to face that fact. :)

Well, I said I was going to take it easy last night at hot yoga and well... I did... it was just that the instructor came to me a couple of times to advance my moves in a few poses!  Happy... but not happy as my shoulder's are again on the sorer side... :(  My legs feel great after the hills though.... :)

Today is going to be some cross training on the stationary bike and some wts.  I am NOT going to be pushing myself at all.  In fact I think it may be on the more of a leisurely side today. :)

Not much planned for today outside as the weather is supposed to be turning for the worse here at some pt. :(  I was looking forward to getting some things done outside but I don't think that is happening.  I still have to manage to run to a few stores here as I did not manage to yesterday...  I know what I am going to do though... I am going to start my seeds!  Last year my son and I planted some Lunar pumpkins and they turned out really cool!  So, I found some seeds last week and we are doing them again - had lots of complements last yr. :)  I only have a 8 foot by 8 foot garden (super small) but I can pack quite a bit in there.  The pumpkins did take over part of the yard outside of the garden though.... We are also going to try these things called Lemon cucumbers.  My son thought that they looked pretty neat so they are going to be in there also besides some other regular stuff.  Corn is also going to be in there this year instead of the sunflowers. - yes... my garden gets REALLY packed. lol  I also do some container gardening with tomatoes and lettuce... I am going to see what else here that I can put into a container on the deck - which is also really small. :)

Other than that, life is pretty good today and I am looking forward to the weekend here.  Tomorrow is going to be a really needed rest day and by the looks of things... with the snow coming... there will be no bike rides also. :(

Non-smoker! :)

I goofed up...

... last week on the number of hills that I ran and just realized it today when I was looking at my schedule.  I was supposed to run 7 not 6, so which today is supposed to be 8 of them. :(  I am going to go for the 8 times and see how I feel.  If I get too tired, I will stop at 7.  I was wondering why my km for the run were not that high as they should have been...

Last night's run was 7 km and not 6 like I thought... I think I have finally figured out the way they have their schedule though.  I know they have switched their hills to Thursday and was not sure which run they were running on Wednesday as I thought they were running Tuesday's run because that seemed like the k's they were doing.  Now I know they are doing a straight switch between Wednesday and Thursday, and it seems like they are a week behind in the k's for it.  It's all good with me as long as I get my amount in my long slow runs on the weekend.

Last night was a really good run though.  I did take Tala with me and she was as good as gold for it and great company.  Her little tugs on the smaller hills on the trail gave me that little extra push that I needed. I also was looking at my garmin for the 5 km mark and it looked like I may have done my 5k in 30:33 mins!  My fasted time yet!  I am not marking it as a Personal Best yet because I would like to have just a straight 5k course to time it with and then I can record my new PB.  It is great though to see an improvement and to be closer to my goal in running.  I said I wanted to be under 30 mins for 5k and this year I am going to do it. :)

Well, as I said, today is hills and it is going to be quite nice outside for it.  Tonight is going to be hot yoga, so today is going to be one tired day for me.

Eating wise yesterday was the best day for me eating core foods in a long time.  I am hoping that today will the same, even though I am still counting the pts.  And yes... I am eating every pt available to me. :) (18 pts is just waaaayyyy to low) lol

I did get my camera out yesterday and took some pictures of my son on his bike and emailed the pic and phoned everyone about his huge milestone that he achieved. :)  Yes, I was a proud mama and he shocked everyone!  Proud pic at the top. :)  For those who do not get why I am so proud, it is because my son is not the outdoor type and took forever to learn how to ride.  He was very uncoordinated and had serious fears of the outdoors, and besides many other factors related to his designation.

Oh, tomorrow is challenge wi and ww wi so lots of water and watching sodium.

Well, off to get my buddy up and feed the zoo. :)

Non-smoker! :)

run: 8 x hills (did it!!!!), 10.87 km/1:27:28 mins, sunny +10, avg 161 bpm 8:03 mins/km, got to wear my skirt again! :), I tried to take it a bit slower today due to the faster run last night and to get my heart rate down a bit more (I hate being cursed with a high heart rate), felt really good and the trail was really busy with everyone out.

Biggest Loser... (spoiler)

... last night was AWESOME!!!  When I saw Roger step on the scale thought... oh no!  I am glad a girl won, but was really cheering for Kelly.  She was such a silent type but hung in there well.  She looked really good after!  I am happy for Ali as she did work her butt off... I guess strong will, strong mind and you can do anything you put your heart into and believe. :)  I guess we could all learn a lesson from her.  I am super excited about Bernie... He is such a cutie. :)  I am so glad that Dan did not win anything and if it was not for Bernie winning, I was cheering for the guy that was up there first that had to lose so much wt so he could qualify for insurance.  I did expect a few of them that were at sent home before to lose a bit more wt though.  And what was with Paul, Kelly's ex-husband?  They said he was sick at home.  Usually there would have been a live feed or something of him at least wishing everyone well or something... Personally, and this is just my opinion here... I wonder if he really sabotaged himself and did not lose any wt and gained.  He turned out to be quite the different character than I thought he would.  It is funny because I was cheering for them and the husband and wife team where the husband (I wish I could remember the names) was the biggest loser of the ones sent home for a bit at the beginning of the show (the health insurance guy).  Other than that, the guy that was Roger's football partner I thought really did amazingly.  Good show though and what a life changing experience that we all go through.  I really liked that last night they actually addressed self-sabotaging, plateaus, and injuries with the finalists.  Their wt loss was finally not so colorful anymore. :)

Well, tonight is a 6k run with the running room and I may actually bring one of my dogs with me, Tala.  It is supposed to be about +10 tonight for the run so my running skirt possibly again. :)  I used some self-tanner on the weekend and it worked out pretty well... I may have to put a bit more on. lol

Last night we did not end up having our eat out Tuesday, so tonight my son gets to choose.  Afters school, he watched an episode of one of his favorite shows and then we went bike riding.  I remembered to buy him a lock so we went to the school and I showed him how to lock it up.  When we got home, it was time for the Biggest Loser... So, no eating out.  He did choose McD's yesterday so if he chooses that again here tonight, I am having my oriental salad. :)

Cross training went well last night too.  The last 45 mins of the Biggest Loser I went on the elliptical and after the show I did my wts.  I love a good evening workout. :)

Today is pretty much the usual again here.  I was this () close to working today and then decided maybe not.  Tomorrow I should though.

Ok...  I just got back from outside here and you know that feeling you get sending your child off to school for the first time by himself? Like the first day of kindergarten or something like that... or how about the first time you let your child do something and you really want to help them so they are not doing it by themselves...  I just watched my son ride off on his bike to school for the first time!!!!  He is in grade 6 and has NEVER done this before, in fact I wasn't sure he would EVER do it!  I was like.. you be soooo careful, watch for cars, stay on the side of the road, make sure you lock your bike... etc... really not the best thing for me to say to a child that only really hears one thing. :)  I guess it is to make us feel better that we said it. :)  I know some of you may laugh but... I am getting my camera out to take a picture of him coming home today from school. :)  Sooooo happy right now!

Non-smoker! :)

run: 6.93km/44:00 mins (slowed down for a couple of walk breaks for Tala after the 5k), avg 185 bpm :( 6:21 mins/km :) sunny and temp of +10, wore running skirt and long sleeve top, felt really good, nano was not charged so no music. :(

I gave in...

... my shoulder's were way too sore still and decided not to go to hot yoga last night and will hope that someone will be there to instruct on Thursday as they have been having a hard time getting someone for those nights.  I never did get my nap yesterday so last night I went to bed at 9:15 pm and woke up at 7 this morning... still a bit on the tired side, but my body needed the rest. :)

Today is elliptical and some wts and probably a bike ride with my son after school again.  He and I went out yesterday and stayed out for just over an hour biking around the school tarmack and such.  He did not want to come in.  I offered him to stay out by himself... but he wanted me with him.  He says he is ready to ride to school now so today I will buy him a bike lock.  God forbid if his bike ever gets stolen - I am not sure how he would react to that.

Supper last night was sooooo nummies. :)  I love being able to bbq meals again.  My husband is gone just for the day out of town here and will be back late tonight so it will just be my son and I.  As it is usually eat out Tuesdays here with renting a movie, I think I will ask what he wants to do and let him pick everything because I am so proud of him right now.  This is a huge accomplishment for him with wanting to be outside for anything. :)

Other than that, not much else is planned for the day besides the usual.

One thing I am working on though is changing my blog.  I think it is getting too busy with everything that I have on there.  The first thing I may do is either pick a less busy background or just a plain one. With all my picks and such... it is looking kinda messy.  I see everyone's looking so nice and well polished...  I would love to be able to design my own one day, like that's going to happen. lol  We picked up a website design book for me to try and learn.  This should be interesting... lol it is impossible for me to understand all that stuff!  For now though I am sticking with the general templates offered here and maybe another background from Pyzam.  I have not found the right design/cartoon/pic yet that I really want for my header.  So, until I find one, get someone to graciously make me one, or attempt to make one, I will use what I got.

OK, let me just say that going to 18 pts a day is crazy!!!!  There is not for choices out there when you hit that low of pts.  I am trying to be more creative here but I am lacking in it right now.  Core is soooo much easier...  Not going back just yet though. :)  The scale is still the same from last wi here and I am hoping for at least a .2 lb drop on Friday.  My exercise is now pretty high and I do not want to starve myself to lose.  I have a bit of flex to use up yet before friday here so today will be the day :).

I am sooooo looking forward to running tomorrow!  The weather will not be as nice as it was this weekend but beggars can't be choosers!  As long as there is no snow. :)

Non-smoker. :)

elliptical: 45 mins

wts: 30 mins

TAG!!!

I almost forgot! lol

Here we go!

I have been tagged by Melanie, and I am tagging a list of you! lol

Rules of the game:

1.  Link to the person who tagged you

2. Post the rules on your blog

3. Share seven random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog

4. Tag seven random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs

5. leave a comment on their blogs so that they know they have been tagged

My random/weird facts...

1.  I really hate being the center of attention - really hate it... I insisted that we get married somewhere that there were not that many people so that I did not have to kiss in front of them! :)

2.  I have a thing for running anything... who would have guessed that one!!! :)

3.  I am terrified of balloons... yep!  Can't stand them.  No balloons at birthday parties here...

4.  I love steak and kidney pie... :)

5.  I once was in a wheel chair and told that I would not be able to do many things... look at me now. :)

6.  I secretly would love to live somewhere out in the mountains or acreage and live off of solar power and become self-sufficient as much as I could... of course SOME town visits would be required... lol

7.  I used to be a neat freak... severely!  Even my one car everyone would have to shake their shoes off before getting in my car and my home... well I would literally follow behind visitors making sure that nothing was messed up... not like that anymore! :)

Next! TAG!

Stacie

Froggie-George

Natasha

Tanya

Javachick

Marisa (hope she is ok... )

Ok... I think I am stuck for the last one!  Melanie would have been one, but she tagged me. :)

OK...

... I am tired today...  the dogs decided they HAD to get up at 6 am this morning.... :(  I even went to bed at 9:30 last night.  Maybe I can get a nap in here sometime today...

Yesterday's bike ride was pretty fun.  We went to get my son a new helmet and we found him a nice fancy one, came home and wore it straight away, and was like aren't we going now?  My husband decided to go with us.  It wasn't a very long bike ride, because my husband was injured a bit on his leg from work so he was in a bit of pain with his one leg muscle.

After my son is done school today, since the weather is going to be nice again, we are going to head out again just my son and I.  It was nice last night because my son was actually tired for once at bed time. :)

Today is going to be a rest day except for the bike ride and hot yoga tonight in which I am not going to push myself very much at all.... my shoulder's are still a bit sore from Saturday's session. :(  If my passes were not expiring... I would not be going.

Food wise, we had another wiener roast on the bbq last night and tonight we are going to be bbq'ing some Kabobs.  

Other than that, not much else today besides getting some homework done, a bit of groceries, and cleaning.  Just another weekday here... I was hoping to work tomorrow but my husband will be out of town for the day tomorrow so that cancels that.  I would have to leave the house before my son goes to school and he is not ready for that yet.

oh... I was just looking at how many pts I am now... 18!!!!!!  I am back tracking on the flex plan for now.... (I kinda have always been just to make sure I was not eating WAY too much) BUT still eating core as much as possible.  There has been too many things happening lately that it has been a bit hard.  I will be switching back here though soon. :)

Non-smoker! :)

Hot yoga

My son is...

... going to run a race!!! :)  Well it is not really a race but the Canada Day Run by HBC is the one he is going to do.  I am doing the 10k, my husband is either doing the 3 or 10k, and my son is doing the kid's 1k.  He is pretty excited about it as he found out that you get a t-shirt and a medal for running it.  He is also pretty excited because his EA also decided she was going to do the 3k walk that day (a first event for her).  Late last night I also found out that some of my other relatives may do it with us too! (all varying the distance)  I am just super pleased with my son. :) *insert super really happy, beaming mom here* lol This is really going to boost his self-confidence. :)

Yesterday's bike ride went bad at the start - meaning I had to force him outside. :(  I was not happy about the forcing part as he was pretty mad at me for making him go outside, but I just know he needs to get out more.  So, by the time I got his bike adjusted for the ride, he was feeling better and when I went to go get mine... he hopped on his and rode on the driveway.  Pretty funny for a kid to say that he will need me to walk behind him until he is good again. :)  Let's just say he took me for a surprise!!! lol  So I hopped on mine and off we went.  I praised him soooooo much afterwards and let him phone everyone to say what he did.  He is now looking forward to today's bike ride later. :)  What I found was cute was that he figures this is part of his 'training' for his race on Canada Day. :)

Well, if you have not managed to read my post from yesterday yet (it was updated), I ended up going to hot yoga also...  I really did not push myself at all... but now my shoulder's are sore... :(

I hope this won't effect my run too much today...  I have 2 more passes that I have to use this week also now.  So it looks like Monday night and next Saturday will be happening.  I LOVE my hot yoga... it is just that I have been super busy here and going to it just before my long run I found out before is not such a 'hot' idea. :) (no pun intended) lol

Today is going to be a high of +21 and I am sooooo excited because I get to wear my running skirt today!!! :)  It is another 16k, and with the weather... it is going to be a warm run.

After my run, I get to enjoy the fruits of my labor with going for Dim Sum. :)  Of course I will choose wisely... :)

BBQ again tonight! :)  Last night I had my veggie-dog from the bar-b in 1 pc of a ww bread and the rest of the family had their 'regular' hotdogs and buns. :)  I didn't miss a thing and it was just like I was eating a 'regular' one but with way less pts. (like 2pts lol )

Later last night... I did have a bit of mindless munching going on though - not that bad though when I look back on it, it was just it was sooooo late when I ate it - taco's and nacho sauce!  7pts worth.  This is so weird this week because I am used to starting my ww week today with the pts resetting and now I only have like 20 left for the rest of the week!  Good thing about those APs! lol  I get enough of them.... :)

Well... off I go to get ready for my run! :)

Non-smoker! :)

run: 16.51km/1:53:22, starting temp +3 ended up being +11 and really sunny :), avg 179 bpm 6:52 mins/km, wore running skirt and long sleeve top (could have worn short sleeve), since this run was a second week in a row for going for 16k I did split up my run into 3 parts of long slow/faster than 1/2 marathon pace/1/2 marathon pace and sprinted to the end. :)  I feel great except for the shoulders that are a bit sore from the hot yoga yesterday, my avg pace per min is still slow for the required marathon pace that I want for my goal time, but was a great run!!! <-I have to remember that these are supposed to be long slow runs... and will be slower than my 1/2 marathon.... :blush:

Sunny Saturday...

Ahhh... had a good sleep, woke up and the sun is just a shining this morning. :)

Yesterday ended up being a really good day for everything.  Food choices were good, I got tonnes of water in, went for a small bike ride, discussed Pokemon with my son :s, first bbq of the season :), and got some reading in.  Life was good.

Today is going to be a nice easy day for me with my long run tomorrow.  Another 16k...  it is an adjustment week so the body can catch up a a bit before next weeks jump to 18k. :)  With the temp going up to be around +16, I might even wear my new sportskirt. :)  So, if you see anything on the news about people seeing a white ghost... its me! lol  I think I may look for my sunless tanner here just so I am not so white.... :)

I am really starting to notice big changes in my body now with my stomach and my arms. :) The little fat pockets by my arm pits are slowly getting smaller....  instead of 2 extra looking 'girls,' they now resemble small hills. lol  My shoulders no longer resemble a man's as much and are actually looking more girly. :)  I have forgotten to take my measurements the last bit here so I must remember to do that today.  One big thing that I am noticing is my scar on my hip.  I have this 8" scar there from having a rod in my left leg that was there after my accident.  I had shattered my left femur... (one of MANY injuries and sadly not the worst one...)  Well this scar has alway been like a huge long inward dimple on my hip which I see as not being attractive at all... especially in the summer time.  Well, even the last time I lost wt... this scar still dimpled lots.  Now, it is smoother and does not dent in so much!  A huge body changing nsv for me. :)

Well, as I said earlier, today is just an easy day and I really should take down the x-mass decorations outside... I never did that yet.  It is really starting to be embarrassing...  I might also find something for my son and I to do.  I was thinking maybe getting him outside for a bit and the both of us go for a small bike ride before he can't ride this bike anymore... he is not a typical boy outside on his bike all the time and in the last 3 yrs he has gone bike riding maybe 8 times!!!!  I already have his first bike on the hanger in the garage still looking brand new and by the looks of things, this one is just about grown out of too... still new looking...  Oh well... I have been meaning to have a garage sale here at some pt... I guess this is the yr to do it. :)

Other than that, I have some good food choices planned with another bbq for supper. :)  Gotta love this weather. :)

Non-Smoker. :)

Well, I found out today that I still have some passes left at the gym for hot yoga and they are expired in a couple of days!!!  So.... off I went to hot yoga!  It was a good thing that it was not the regular instructor as this spare did not push us too hard and I did not really push myself either. :)  Just enough to get a nice stretch in - no strengthening.  So, I talked to the desk there and they said they could give me a one week extension.  Whew!  This does mean now though that I have to go Monday night and next Saturday to make sure I use up my passes...  So between the really small easy bike ride with my son and hot yoga... I hope tomorrow's long slow run of 16k will be ok....  *gulp!*  :)

Hot Yoga: 90 mins

As I expected...

... official wi and challenge wi today and I am up 1.2 lbs which makes me at 126.6 which is OK with me. :)  I knew the wt came off a bit too fast there for a bit...  Also, this week was TOM, I know I did not have my usual amount of water this week, AND my DH brought home OPA last night for supper!  Realistically, OPA is not that bad except for the sodium and the tzaziki sauce that they put on it.  The sauce and the white pita bread were really not core.  As I said, I am OK with the gain and I know this puts me back in the 'safer zone' of losing wt. :)  My body could also be slowing down now in the wt loss due to all the muscle that I am putting on.  I did miss one work out this week due to being sick too AND maybe a bit of overtraining symptoms prior (fast loss of wt).  So, I guess there are lots of factors on why I went back up. lol  Oh ya!  I did eat every pt allowed to me this week also in the end. :)

I had to think there for a bit what day it was here... lol  Glad it is friday. :)

I am still in the inspirational mode here from the movie. :)  So, I can see a great workout coming my way.  Today is stationary bike and wts tonight, I may slip in a super easy recovery jog with Tala this morning because she really looked hurt the last couple of days when I did not take her (too far for her yet).  :(  30 mins max is all I am going to do there. :)  And as I said, SUPER easy as I do not want to over train. :)

Well, I have never changed my official wi day before... so this should be interesting...  I was a bit leery about it this morning when I saw the scale, but I know this will be better for fueling up days (Saturday) before my long slow runs on Sunday.

Food wise for today, I am still not quite sure except for my breakie. :)

Austin ended up staying home yesterday because he was sick and I am waiting her to see how he is this morning if he needs another day off or not.  The one thing about cold meds and his regular meds... the cold negates his other meds and things get quite interesting around here.  I keep on telling him that he needs to relax on the couch... but ends up running around in his self-made ninja costume... lol He has such a hard time controlling himself...  and when he can't calm down when he is sick... that is when we end up in the hospital.  When I talked with the school and his EA last night, they both had said to watch for Foot and Mouth because it is in the school right now.  Maybe keeping him home another day might not be such a bad idea.... :S

Well time to check up on him and to see what I should do.  Another mommy/son day would be nice. :)

Oh ya!  Hills yesterday... I worked so hard on trying the positive self talk doing them!  I made it!  All six times up and down. :)  It was funny because when I started there were these city workers setting up on the side of the road doing something and ended up cheering me on as I kept on running up them.  I know they must have thought I was crazy or something (Stacie... I vote for the crazy too!  lol)  but they kept on saying 'how many more left?' and cheering.  It was just a bit creepy... but it was really great and helpful also.  My time also improved running them as I went to the hill that I used to train on.  The warmup and cool down trail is flatter and it is away from the downtown area of the city.  The hill street is also less busy and a smoother road surface.

OK.. did I talk your head off yet?  lol

Non-Smoker :)

run: easy 30 mins morning with Tala, temp +8 and sunny, 3.97km/27:33 mins, avg 147 bpm 6:53 min/km, it turned out to be a bit faster than I wanted. :(  Need to focus on staying on a slower pace on recovery runs.

stationary bike: 60 mins tonight

wts: 30 mins tonight

Hilly Thursday...

That's right... it is hill day for me today. I just have to keep saying to myself... I love hills, I love hills... :)

Well as you can see from last night I was super hyper after the movie and had a hard time going to sleep afterwards, but when I did fall asleep though... I fell hard. :)  Yesterday I was updating the Garmin to see if that would help it with the accuracy and stuff... well last night's run, it refused to catch on to a satelite. :(  So it was just the Nike and me.... worked out well. :)  I also noticed that the heart rate strap needs a new battery also, so I am going to pick up one of those before I head off to run hills this morning before the rain starts.

Well by glancing at the scale this am, my wt has gone back up a bit and  that is ok with me... I knew that the wt loss the last couple of weeks would catch up sooner or later... it is TOM right now so I know that could be part of the reason also... that or all the extra sodium I had.... lol  It's all good anyways. :)

Today is lots of water though and watching the sodium as tomorrow is challenge wi day and my first official ww wi day being on a Friday.  Let's see how this works out. :)

Food wise things have been going well and I am trying to make sure that I am eating more pts.  It was a bit hard to do it when I was not feeling so great but I did it.  As I was saying to Stacie though... just as she felt, it was like the food was just sticking around in the stomach...  Today is a much better day again and I think things are past me now.

Well, off to get my things ready here before I get my son up.

Non-Smoker :)

run: 6 X hills, 9.62km/1:08:29, avg 165 bpm 7:07 min/km, cool and slightly rainy out, ran at my old hill on that I used to train on, way better doing warmup, cool down, and hills there.

Spirit of the Marathon

I am sooooo excited!!! I get to go to my movie tonight! lol  Wooo Hooo! :)  For anyone interested in knowing what it is about the title of my post is linked to the movie website.   Ahhhhh... this is going to be so much fun.  I get to go for a nice steady quick jog and then head off to watch it.  How perfect timing does that get. :)  OK.... That movie was AWESOME!!!!!  It was a nail biter right to the bitter end, had heart aches, triumphs, cheering, laughter....  I SO am going to be getting this when it is release this fall!!!!  All I can say is WOW!!!! K.... now you can laugh at me. :)  lol  What an inspiration and now I want to do another full marathon now and in a BIG CITY with LOTS of people.... The excitement was just unbelievable....

Today my DH and I are going to be taking his partner to Boston Pizza for lunch.  We were thinking about supper, but my night is pretty full already and it would have to be a super quick and early supper if we did.  I already have my lunch planned on what I am having... Lime Shrimp Skewers!  With 3 Skewers and a salad with hardly any dressing at all... 6 pts baby! :)  I'll take that thank you. :) Actually it worked out to be 4 pts all in total!! :)  It was sooooo good!!! lol

So, as if you have not already figured it out, I am running tonight with the running room for about 6k.  I should be rested up well as yesterday I just could not get rid of my headache. :(  Today is MUCH better. :)

My DS came home yesterday with some very happy news... he just received 98% on his math test!!!!  This is something that does not happen too much.  Granted he has extra time for exams and is provided scribing help or assistance to understand the question, he still did super awesome in my books. :)  So, last night was his choice for eat out Tuesdays and he picks Wendy's. :)  No problem.... Chicken Mandarin Salad, super low in pts and tasty to boot. :)

Well thanks to Froggie-George to giving me the bug yesterday, lol as you can see I was playing a bit with my blog again.  Do you know how hard it was to try and figure out the dimensions of the header is?  No matter what I do, the pic never does reach completely to the top.... :(  oh well... maybe some wizard will come along and give me a few tips. :)

Well, I am off to get my DS ready for school here.  

I will be adding to today's post after I watch my movie tonight. :)

Have fun!

Non-Smoker :)

run: 5.45 km/38:?, avg 7.01 km/min (I have to recheck this-forgot) :) Little slower tonight as I had no idea what my pace was and I was running with a new person with a bit of a knee problem. :)

Coming home...

I go pick up my DH from the airport this afternoon!  We just found out that his partner just resigned and now my DH will be working extra until there is a replacement found.  Great... :(  That means more trips for him and being on call more.  I don't mind about him working so much, it is the constant going out of town for a good chunk of days that I find a problem with.  I wish the company would have adequate staffing and then this would not happen. 

Today is cross training on the elliptical for 45 mins and 30 mins of wts for me.  It was so hard yesterday not to lace up and head out for even a quick easy run, but I stopped the urge and thought about overuse, injuries, and how good it will feel tomorrow. :)  The sun was out and it was nice and warm and this week is only going to get better. :)  Tomorrow night when I go running with the running room, it may even be just a t-shirt day! :)  

Well after my run tomorrow night, I am heading to a movie called "Spirit of the Marathon."  It is a one night only showing of this movie/documentary across Canada in main theatres.  It shows 5 runners I believe (2 beginner runners, 1 older man that had ran it many times, and two elite runners) and their moments and preparation up to and through the Chicago Marathon.  When it showed in the US, there were many positive remarks about it and I was told to bring kleenex. :)  It should be a great inspirational movie for me. :)

For the rest of today it is homework, cross training/wts, and some cleaning.  Also, as I mentioned before... try to get outside at some pt. :)  With the nice temp planned for the day here, it is going to be hard again to fight the urge to run out in it, lol  but last week I strayed... and I got a bit sick, so... I must not stray. :)

Still not smoking! :)

Elliptical: 45 mins

wts: 30 mins

Welcoming Monday...

Today is a rest day for me.  I may take the bike out here later as it looks like it is going to be a cloudy, but nice afternoon out. :)  Tomorrow is going to be just BEAUTIFUL out!  Wooo Hooo!  I guess it is time to take my x-mass decorations down.... lol Yes, they are still up. :P

So, I have been totally ignoring my homework here this weekend.  Not good.  I need to get on track here and get it done and have to stop procrastinating and get my butt in gear.

Food wise yesterday, things were not too bad but I did make sure to eat my share of it after my run. :)  Today is going to be a good core day.

Well it's a pretty short post today as I have to get moving and get my son ready for school.

Still no smoking. :) (although very hard this weekend)

Finally Sunday...

Well I took my son to the movie Nim's Island after the unfortunate news yesterday.  My son was pretty upset about Suki and was really focusing on the whole death issue of the other pets.  I assured him that right now everyone is OK but things in life do happen.  We had a good long talk about the whole thing...  I am not too sure how he is now because this morning he was upset with Santa (yes Santa, I told him the truth this year because he is in grade 6, but he still believes).  At x-mass Suki started to get really bad and I thought she was going to die then.  My son had already wrote Santa previously, so he re-wrote another email to Santa requesting that he wanted to take back everything that he wanted for x-mass and have Suki get better instead.  So now with Suki gone... he is pretty much in the angry stage right now, especially with Santa.

As far as how was the movie Nim's Island?  Wonderful!!! We both really liked the movie and I thought it was pretty good for a family movie to all go see together. :)  I only heard one little girl that was about 3 yrs old say that she did not like one part in it because she thought it was scary.  My son is a real scaredy cat at even the slightest scare and he had no problems.  I would definitely recommend this movie for the whole family to see. :)

Today I went out to run 16k.  It is a good thing that I check the weather station before I leave because the weather decided to change things up a bit.  Started off at -2 and plans for 1-3 cm of snow.  Great! :(  Well it is a good thing I was prepared because what a snow storm!  It came up at about 4k in to the run and lasted till the last k.  So it was lots of fun!  *insert sarcasm here* lol

Well it really was not too bad of a run in the end though.  Today I was really focussing on going slow and trying to keep my HR low.  I checked in to some sites that I was referred to and looked at paces geared for me for my different types of runs.  I found myself going a little fast at times and had to really focus on the slow part.  I guess the hardest part is that I am basing all of my training paces on my 5k runs that are on the paths here that are really hilly.  I can't wait for my first event here so I can get a realistic time for one and then go from there.  I had heard once from someone that was wondering how slow to go because they felt fine at the faster pace for their long slow runs.  Their pace was based on what they had done in a race last yr.  Another person replied that maybe this person was not going fast enough when they run their races and therefore their long slow ones would be geared faster.  This kind of struck a point with me.  I know I have improved tremendously in the last couple of yrs from going from a snail's pace to a turtle, but maybe I am better than what I think I am... I figure since I have been running for a couple of yrs now I should start looking at tweaking things a bit while still remaining injury free. :)

I am having a bit of troubles with my garmin and the distance that it is registering that I am going.  It seems like it is saying that I am going farther than I actually am.  My Nike+ actually recorded the distance better than my garmin when I mapped out my run.  For now I am still going to use the garmin stats to keep stats consistent though.

Well 3 people, that I know of, are injured from running with the running clinic.  The one girl that I was running with was having some problems and finally did herself in one night pushing herself a little too much.  I like the instructor in their clinic but I am finding that too many people are going too fast for what they should be and therefore injuries.  Their clinic is for first timers doing the 1/2.  This kind of takes the fun out of running and many lose interest because they are getting constantly injured.  I have done this and learnt my lesson.  The good thing is that I never gave up and found my proper way of getting my mileage in.  So for all you newbies out there wanting to start running...  take it slow!  Please?  lol  Your body will thank you so much more for it! :)  Now unless you are quite physically fit already then fine.  Go at what feels comfortable but remember the 10% rule with distance, time and effort. :)  There, did my little parental nagging for the day. lol

Food wise, things are better again.  After much thought, I am going to move my wi day to Fridays instead of having the 2 wi's on Friday for the challenge and Sunday for the official.  With my 1/2 marathon coming up and some other events always ending up on a Sunday, I would like to be able to eat more on the Saturday night so my body is fueled up properly.

As for my official wi today, my wt has stayed the same. :)

The rest of the day here I am going to do some cleaning and laundry and hopefully something with my son. :)

No Smoking. :)

run: 16.04 km/1:59:55 mins, avg 160 bpm 7:29min/km, temp -2 with snowstorm, wore 3 light layers, felt pretty good except for the snow, tried to remain on the road where I could that would be the same route as the half marathon, ran with the running room group but was by myself at the back taking it slow. :)

Super Easy Run/Rest Day

Well yesterday I ended up mostly laying on the couch and in bed.  I was way too tired and not feeling to hot so needless to say I did not get my cross training in which is all good.  This morning I am up early and feeling better so I probably will get in a really easy slow 30 min run in first thing here before my son wakes up.  Just enough to loosen up and get the muscles moving before my LSD of 16K tomorrow.  Its funny thinking about that distance this time.  I remember when I first started training for a full marathon back in 2005. (I trained for another in 2002 but it got cut short by a surgery)  I would fear and worry so much about running farther and farther and think OMG how am I going to do this! lol Now, it is like 16k and... there are no fears. :)  I actually look forward to running these.  I know I have ran the distances before so it is like... OK, I can do this. This is going to be easy.  :)  Just a walk in the park. lol Well that is what it may look like to the rest of the members in the group that are speedsters as they think I am going super slow...  I actually am doing the right pace for me on my LSD's thank you very much! lol

I don't know whether it was a bug or over working my self too much but I listened to my body and took the rest that was needed.  I did have quite the busy week.... lol

OK... here I go... Suki is gone...  I finally had the courage last night to go take a peek.  Not overly in the best of moods right now, and today I have to finish disinfecting the cage.  I almost just want to throw the whole cage out... but I know I will get another one here some day.  It is just so hard when you really bond to an animal and to hope for the bonding like you have had with the one before.  I have been blessed with the 2 that I have owned.  I am going to miss our times watching TV where she goes to sleep on my shoulder... The questions from people about having her has a pet... the surprised looks after they realize just how cute, soft, and the warm snuggly character she really is.  Last night I was trying to work out her exact age and realistically, she had lived for over 3 yrs which is a great long life for a pet rat.  I have to phone the teacher that I worked with last year here too.  She is retired now but was in love with Suki and let me bring her to the school quite often for regular visits.  I took her over to visit her lots this current year so she could have her Suki fix.  I have not told my son yet... he thinks she is still sleeping...  well I guess part of that is true.  She is sleeping in heaven.

OK... bare with me here as I grab some kleenex.

The rest of the day after my run is cleaning, homework, and I may take my son to see the matinee of Nim's Island.  Tonnes of water today and low sodium before my official weigh in tomorrow... but I am not overly concerned with it though.  I don't think I need to lose anymore wt this wk.  I think I may hear some movie popcorn calling my name..... :)  I have often thought about changing my official ww wi day to Fridays to make life easier, but having these 2 sort of wi days a wk really helps me stay on track more and with the eating on the weekends.  Well, until my LSD that is... lol  After that, I LOVE to eat! :)

Well, time to get moving...

Yes, still a non-smoker. :)

run: 30 mins

The new hair...

No more thick hair!!!  My head feels so much lighter and there is nothing but a skinny tail for a pony tail now! lol  It was so weird when I went to wash it because I am so used to using lots of shampoo and conditioner... now there is nothing to it! lol  I love the highlights... the lowlights are not really that noticeable though... oh well.  I am still super happy with it. :)

I had to laugh last night because when I put my hair in a pony tail, my son said now there's the mom I am used to. :)  He really likes the new hairdo but likes the ol' comfort and stability sometimes..... :)

To compare: In my labels there is a picture one and a pic is there of me at Telemiracle last yr with my hair down.

ummm....

Please don't shoot me for this... I am down another big number for the week and it is actually worrying me a bit.  Don't get me wrong though... I am taking it and running with it. :)

Down 3.2 from last Friday wi challenge that I am in which makes me 125.4 lbs!  AND I made a 21.2 lb loss thus far!  That makes it 2 wks in a row now though that I have had a big number loss.  Grant it my APs are a big number and yesterday was a steady run for about 1.5 hrs (at a sloooowwww rate :) and hills :(  ) <---- it was a real struggle to finish it.  I have only 10 FPs left and only the last 2 days I have not been able to eat all my APs earned.  Next wk my plan is to eat MORE!!! lol  I hope to eat all APs earned and all my FPs for the week. :)  If I gain a bit, that is going to be OK so that my body will even out a bit.  I foresee a nice treat coming my way... lol  I have been pretty busy which I did not realize until a few have pointed it out.  Thanks guys! *wink* lol  I am going to slow down a bit here too... Maybe that's why I have been so dammed tired here the last couple of days... :s *duh*  lol

There is no movement again in Suki's cage and I am too scared to look.  DH is gone till Tues now....  I am sick to my stomach right now...

I am going to see if I can get a pic on here of my new do today.  I have a couple of self taken pics that day from my camera phone and my camera.  I will load them up and see which one doesn't look so goofy. :)

For exercise today it is going to be cross training with the stationary bike and wts.  I am not going to push myself too hard as I am feeling super tired and a little sore from yesterdays run.  So it is going to be an easy workout.  Any pain and I will be stopping.  I can't wait for tomorrow's rest day....

Food wise today, I am going to have my steel cut oats for breakie with a banana, I have already have had 1 cup chocolate milk, lunch will be a tuna something, and supper will be a chicken oriental salad from McD's with my son. :)  Core snacks to fill me where needed.  So it will be a mostly core day and my FPs will be used up more.  I am planning to rent a movie here with my son tonight so popcorn will probably be in there too. :)

Still no smoking!! :)

Sbike: 60 mins?

wts: 30 mins?

too busy yesterday...

Yesterday was quite a bit crazy and I did not manage to post.  I was having some fun going through some Podcasts for running (Hi Stacey! :) )  I then got fed up with my nail being way to long for typing and they were way over due for my fill (6+ wks) so I went and got them done.  I received a complement from my nail lady as she noticed the wt. :)  As I was there I finally got the courage to go to a hairdresser and get my hair cut.  *gulp*  2.5 hrs later... it looks awesome!!!  I no longer have a hair due that looks like I am still in the 80's/90's!  Just to fill you in a bit, I grew up in a hair salon because my mom used to be a great hairstylist that went to shows and stuff.  Then she had an accident that crushed part of her cutting hand.  That was it.  I have managed to get my hair cut by her on a good day but extremely rare.  I tend to go through about a yr between haircuts as every time I try to find a new hairdresser, I come out crying.  They have butchered my hair (generally my hair has always been long) and they would chop tonnes off. :(  Or, they would just make so many mistakes, the bad thing about growing up in a salon is you do notice them.  I found one good one 2 yrs ago and then just kept forgetting to get it done.  I went back to see her in Nov last yr and she moved and they did not know where she went.  So, I trimmed my own. :)  So yesterday I finally went somewhere that I heard was good and the owner was an old friend of my mom's. :)  A newer hairstylist, out of school a yr and got hired right on out of school there, cut it and she did wonders!  I was too much in a rush yesterday so I will do it up for a pic here soon. :)  The DH loves it!  lol

Well, continuing my busy day yesterday, I got home just in time for my son to get home from school.  My DH calls and wanted to meet up with us.  So my DS and I headed out.  I came home at 5 pm and ate chili then left for my run for 6 pm.  I was so busy... I forgot to tie my hair back or stick on a hat and to drink water!!!  Needless to say... the hair was not a problem due to not much to fly around, received MANY complements, but got sick from being dehydrated and the chili.  :(  My head hurt so badly and my stomach was terrible!  I stuck it out... but it was truly hard!!!  I came home afterward and guzzled water, ibuprofen, and relaxed.  I know better than to do this and that is the part that is killing me... 

Last night I was looking around at some videos of half and full marathons on the web (specifically the Around the Bay, and Nike's Women Marathon {best ones})and I came across some really good ones that were encouraging and truly inspirational!  I found one marathon, the Nike Women's Marathon in San Fransico (SP?) and was instantly in love with it.  about 15 000 people running!!!  Geez, Saskatoon may get 2000...  I so want to run a really big one one yr for all the excitement.  I checked in to getting in to it this year and no luck.  This yr they expect about 20 000!  They receive a really cool tech shirt and a Tiffany's memorial necklace for finishing!  I will just keep dreaming and hope that one day I can afford to do this run... On a good note though, anyone, anywhere in the world can participate on that day for running a half marathon distance (or was it 19.1k... :S. I will have to go and reread) and get a shirt and a Tiffany's key chain sent to them.  The kicker is that you have to have this distance logged on that day with the Nike+ which is the nano, shoes, and nike kit.  My DH has the nano, but I do not have Nike shoes or the kit for running...  So... is it really worth it?  I have bought 2 new pairs of shoes already this yr and grant it that I will probably be ready or new ones by this Oct.  BUT I have never wore Nikes before... Not since high school and those were not for running - along with the good ol' Reeboks. lol  They both have come far though in the past yrs, just not so sure about them.  So ladies, if you have the equipment, run, run/walk, walk the distance on that day (I will post it the exact day), log it in with the Nike+ stuff, and you have done a half without traveling any where!!! :)  Since this is near the end of October, I think it would be cool to have a few of us accomplish this in our own home towns :) and celebrate the success together.  BTW - the run is for Leukemia.  As I said, run, run/walk, walk the distance and you have done it!  If you have the equipment... then even better because you get all the fancy stuff after. :)  I am doing it with or with out the Nike+ just because I thought it would be cool to do this with others around the world. :)  Edit: I just found a little holder for the Nike shoe sensor so I would not have to buy the Nike shoes. :) My DH is letting me use his Nano so the only thing I bought really was a cheap sensor holder and the Nike+ kit which was just under $40.  Sweet!  So I am planning to do this run anywhere in the world at the same time the Nike women's marathon is!  I also was talking to the workers at the running room and they thought it would be really cool to get a group together here and do it together that day!  I was told to bring it up to the manager and see if something could be arranged.  The Nike site has not posted registration fees yet and the registration will open in May for this.  Now how cool is that to participate in something that you do not even have to travel to and still get a super cool reward. lol :) All it takes is to log your miles/km for the distance that day. :)

Oh, some other running news for me... I just talked to the captain of the Banff-Jasper Relay team that I was interested in and he said on the phone last night that it looks like I may have a spot!!! Wooo Hooo!  This will be my first run away from home and I would have someone from toon town to drive there with and share all expenses! Cheap:)  I am sooo excited!

OK... now that I have gotten my running stories out of the way... too excited..lol and update on everything else...

Suki is still hanging in there... very weak though and her breathing is starting to get very labored which I think she may be suffering now...  *sniff*

Eating wise, things have been pretty good but yesterday did not eat enough because of the sitting in places way too long and too sick to my stomach last night. :(

Exercise wise, today I have 6 hills to run up and down with a 3k warmup and 3k cool down.  

After my DS heads to school, I am going out for breakfast with some family from out of town, then homework, cleaning, and take my DH to the airport.  Tomorrow is challenge wi day so water and low sodium. :)

No smoking still!!!!

I will catch up on all's blogs when I get back and add my running diary. 

Thurs run: Treadmill because it was too yucky outside, 10.1 km/1:29:55, 6 hills and took it really slow, used the new Nike+ with the run to see how it worked, struggled quite a bit - may need to ease up the next couple of days.

Wed run: BAD, 5.86 km/38.53 mins, avg 177 bpm 6:38 min/km, outside nice out with RR group, dehydrated and ate too soon before my run (chili).

Suki...

Thanks to all who have asked how she is doing.  I thought yesterday was her day that she chose to go...  I did not see any movement from her out of her hut for a long time and she was unresponsive to her name when called.  I did not have the heart and was not prepared to go in and lift the hut.  Finally at about 6pm I saw movement!  I hurried up and went to her with a nice treat of cheese and called her over.  It was soooo sad because it took her a few times to get the cheese because she kept on missing it.  I think it is only time now....  I am not ready. :(

Well my DH had a good laugh at me last night.  I was reading some posts on the boards and saw that there was an official Wii Fit release date along with price.  So I searched the net for pre-orders in Canada and found it at Toys 'R' Us!  I was so excited and shaking I have been waiting so long.  lol  So I ordered it and was yelling Woooo Hoooo! (with my arms up in the air) Biggest smile on my face.  lol  Yes, I am a little Wii Crazed! :) lol

Today is going to be a cross training workout with the elliptical.  I can't believe I finally made it up to 45 mins on that sucker!  It was not too long ago where I was struggling at 10 mins and had to stop! :)  Wts are also on the program for today.

I am not sure if we are having our eat out Tues tonight since my DH is working.  We have some left over chili from last night and everyone here prefers the chili to anything else. lol

Its -12 right now and they say it is going up to +2 this afternoon.... with no snow or rain in site!! :)  Bike?  You bet!!! lol

I held on strong yesterday with not phoning my ex and not smoking!  Another day down for me. :)

I also came across some running podcasts yesterday and I thought I would share for those that may be interested.  For everyone doing the Couch to 5K, I do not know if you know this but there is a free podcast for your mp3 player at a couple of sites.  For everyone else, there are podcasts on Itunes from Nike and such that are coaching ones.  While the music is going, someone comes in at times and tells you what intensity you should go to now.  I listened to them last night and they would work for walkers too!  A great interval work out that burns more calories. :)  I picked up the Serena Williams interval one and the Lance Armstrong one. :)  I find that this would be a nice change for me on my shorter running days to have a little coach in my ear. :) lol  And to switch things up a bit. :)

run: 4.7k/30:03 mins, interval with Serena, avg 181 bpm 6:24/km, brought Tala, sunny warm and felt great!

Elliptical: 15 mins

wts: 30 mins