What happens when you are away from running for a bit...

So, today I head on my treadmill for a 45 min run - yes the treadmill as I was too lazy to head outside for some unknown reason - and the run went really well, but... it was after the run that I realized that oh my, I really need to get back in to routine again.

The first part was that when I went to get my foam roller to do some rolling, I noticed that it looked like a shark had used it for a chew toy.  It seems that my cat has decided that it was now theirs... not going to happen.  I used it and it still did the job so that part was fine.

The part that really made me realize that I have been neglecting things is when I was rolling.  Ouch!! All those days sitting doing assignments and studying had taken their toll on me and I was now paying for it dearly.  Parts that I rolled that are not usually painful at all were screaming at me as I rolled and paused, and rolled and paused.  I came to the conclusion that I need to roll a few times a day right now until things are a bit better.

The obvious part about not running and being active at all for a bit is my weight.  I ended up gaining a bit from sitting on my butt.  Thankfully I have been back on track with that also and only 3 more lbs to go till I am back to where I was before my university end of semester fun.

Before my little hiatus from all things running, I was participating in the Canadian Bloggers #RuntoCanadaDay challenge and was doing quite well at it until the stress of school started.  Then it just did not happen.  This week I have walked everyday thus far and as of today, back on track with everyone joining the challenge today, May 1st. :)

In the mean time, I am going to head back to my decluttering and spring cleaning of my house with all my new spare time that I have now.  I am officially done my university classes for good and only have my Education internship in the fall.  I have found that I have been so busy the last few years that I am going nuts not being busy now - I have even taken up learning Spanish and back to learning getting better at the guitar.  Summer campfire season is coming! The Spanish will help with the travels.

Cheers!

Yepprrs I am still alive!

Wow... The last bit of university classes really did a number on me and I had to take time off of everything and just veg... Basically just get my life back in order from the chaos.

Things are good right now and back to my running, although decreased mileage from where I should be. That's ok though as my body was able to have a good break from the pounding. I was hoping to race the end of May here doing a half but if I want to do it for any type of time, that is not goin to happen. If to just finish, I can do that. BUT I have a few races coming up this year that I do not want to tempt fate and injure myself so will prob go with a smaller race like a 5 or 10 k. We will see.

So there you go, a bit of an update with me and I look forward to catching up after my bit of hiatus. The race season is now in full swing so get out there if you are able and enjoy yourself. :)

Me, I just finished a canoe pool session with high school students for their upcoming canoe trip and the weather is finally sunny and warm again... I just may head out for a small jaunt. 

What a Slushy Mess!

FinBut I did it! I ran my first outside hill workout in a while. It had me dodging large deep puddles, slushy messes, ice areas, and running back and forth between the sidewalk and the road. 

These photos don't do much justice to show the conditions, I was just trying to show the hill when I was done running. 

Just a muck image for you. You have to love the finger photo bomb. (Small puddle) 

I will have to say that I really feel for those out East that got hit with snow again. This has been another weird winter. 

This was the end result of today's hill workout. Ran up 3 times which was the same number as last week on the treadmill but didn't wanted to risk getting injured right now. Figured first outside hill run? Yeah, gonna be a bit careful.

Anyways, sorry for the huge images today but I thought I would try using the blogger app... I think I need to be a bit more prepared to use it. It's great though if you you have no computer on hand. ;)

Anyone else run hills today?

When Life Gets Busy...

... You sometimes just have to go with the flow. Have I ever said that I so can not wait for university to be over yet?  Yeah...  ;)

(Week recap of running after the grad recap)

Well, my university education class's grad banquet was last Friday night and it was so much fun!  I was very happy to celebrate their achievement with them - and also told them that they will have to celebrate with me when I finish in December this year. :)

Here are some glimpses of that night...

The night continued and eventually the dance floor started to accumulate shoes, purses, clothing, and such as our class made a huge circle around it. Like high school all over again. ;)

This is an image of the start of our little pile...

My husband was very gracious to drive me in to the city so I could have a drink or two and ended up going to bed around 2:30 am.  There was no running the next day... not hungover, just very tired. ;)

Saturday, as I said was just a rest day to make sure I was hydrated and rested up enough for my Sunday long run.

On Sunday we were blessed with gorgeous warm weather and I took advantage of it by running a 10 mi loop around main river trail in the city.

It was a seriously warm day and of course making a mistake of wearing a black jacket and a black long sleeve shirt.  I lost the black jacket right away and went from there - just a tad bit warm. ;)

Weekly Summary

Mon: rest
Tues: rest/core workout
Wed: Hills (1 mi warm up, 3x400m, 1 mi cool down)
          Done on treadmill and first hill training of season. core workout
Thurs: 2.8 mi  11'25"  32:10 mins
          Steady run outside on trail,  core workout
Frid: 2.9 mi  10'07"  30:08 mins
          Accelerations on treadmill, core workout
Sat: Rest/Core workout
Sun: 10 mi  13'04"  2:10:58
          Including around 10 flts of stairs and one stop to adjust shoe.
          Forgot about running and wet footwear = blisters if not wearing proper stuff. Ugh.

I kept my mileage around the same as last week because I was starting hills, moving my running days to over 4 days from 3, and moving more of my runs outside which are more physically challenging.

All in all I am happy with what I accomplished this week in my running.  My paces reflected my transition from treadmill running in what seemed like forever, to running back on the trails which are very up and down, and not that even of a surface.  Also, I can really tell that I need to work on my hills...

Weight Loss (thus far and forgot to post last week)

To date:
Start - 164 lbs
Today - 154.2 lbs
Total loss = 9.8 lbs

Pretty happy about how things are going.  My husband says that he can really tell now that I am losing so, Yay! :D  I will post a comparison photo later here.

Last Couple of Days...

I haven't done much and have been really trying to focus on my last month of class studies in university.  I am really feeling the pinch right now and a bit stressed with all the assignments that are coming due soon.  All is good though as I know all will finish things. ;)

So there you go! All updated. :)
Now to read some blogs...

Time to Celebrate

Tonight I am donning my heels for my runners...

This doesn't happen very often, but tonight was to be my grad banquet from university.  Since I had to extend my program by one semester due to having to work also, I will not be able to graduate with my cohort that I have shared all my classes with.  So, I am going to go celebrate our achievement in university together with them tonight at my 'supposed to be' grad banquet.

My runners won't be too sad though...

We have a date right away here for a quick run on the treadmill before I get all dolled up. ;)

Finally Got to Run Outside Again

So, the weather blessed us with this:

I wore my running stuff to the university today and set out in this:

After running on uncleared paths, with some head wind, and some rolling hills, I finished proudly and just happy that I was able to get outside running again.

This was the result of my run...

 Not the best, not the greatest, but it really doesn't matter.  I just finally got out there. :)

In Today's Episode, Hills

Since I have been debating on what other running events I would like to run this year, I have just been following my running plan over again, building my mileage back up to the half distance, backing back down a couple of weeks, and then building back up again.  I am now at the point where I may have decided what other events I am going to do, but not writing anything in stone yet.  So to cover my behind with training, I am going to add hills in this week.

This starts tonight... ugh. I mean, YAY! :)  Hills and I have a love/hate relationship.

Since the weather has improved so much, I had full intentions of changing after work today and head to one of the hills in the city to get re-acquainted with.

And... I forgot my stuff. 

Now I sit here at home, finished my snack, and trying to boost my mojo to get my butt up, get downstairs and on that treadmill for some hills.  (we do not have any hills around here worth running)

Running the other types of runs on the treadmill is one thing... but I find running hills on a treadmill WAY more challenging.  I just have a real hard time with it.  For example, just maintaining a good running posture for going up hill on a treadmill.

Anyone have some hill running tips for a treadmill? lol  Tks!

Weekly Running Summary

This past week did not go quite as planned for all my workouts thanks to having the life of a stressed out university student, but I did get in three good runs that felt good for me, and I am happy with that. I am even happier that I am seeing some improvements again in my average pace. Yay!

It has been a while because It seemed like when I had my broken leg set back, that I never really returned back to the pace I was running prior.  Even though my pace isn't fast for some of you, it was great when I finally beat that 30 min mark for my 5k @ just under 29 mins. I was stoked let me tell you. After I broke my leg though, I just did enough to cover the distance and not really motivated to try harder.  I was just SATISFIED with getting out there and running.

Now, I am still happy with being satisfied with physically being out there, but I want that taste of some new PBs.  It doesn't matter what distance I do it in, I really don't care, but I have a feeling that as long as I am careful with my training this year, that I can experience more running accomplishments for myself.

(Stats from Nike watch)
Mon: yoga
Tues: small body workout at gym with weights
Wed: run 4.3 mi  10'29"/mi  45:03 mins (steady run with TM set at 5.4 mph)
Thurs: rest
Fri: run  4.44 mi  10'34"/mi  47:02 mins (steady run with TM set at 5.4 mph)
Sat: rest
Sun: run 10.01 mi  11'43"/mi  1:57:19 mins (10:1's with TM set at 5 mph and a 3 min walk warmup)

Week avg pace: 11'16"/mi
Total week distance: 19.16 mi

Looking back:

Yoga
I did do a tiny bit of yoga everyday to accomplish my challenge, but these were not yoga classes that I usually go to.  After this past week, my yoga will be returning to once per week.

Runs
I have been a bit stressed in the homework area and just felt like running with no defined objective besides time so I did not do any cadences drills or speedwork.

Gym
Again, all the assignments and midterms I have right now, the gym has been lacking.

Overall:
I am happy with this week's ending result with my running and know where I need to try to slip a bit more time towards (core strengthening).

Today's Pampering...
A nice epsom salt bath after a good rub down date with my Stick and foam roller. ;)


How do you treat pamper yourself after a good weekend run?

Looking Back...

Looking at the past decade, my running achievements have had their ups and downs just like anyone else with some of us having more of a roller coaster than others. ;)  Through injuries, sickness, weather, new family members, and other things beyond, or even in, our control, we runners tend to come back and work towards our various running goals again, and again.

Knowing your injured, but still thinking of tomorrow's marathon.

I look at my PB/PRs, my various running paces that I have ran, and the distances that I have run thinking that I did not too badly considering what had influenced my running throughout the years. Yes, I could have done better at times, but looking back at what I have worked on, tried, and achieved in the past gives me more guidance on my running today.

I have learned many lessons along the way which have been vary valuable in allowing me to run more injury free and to get to some of my running goals.  Even the hard lessons about running that I may have hated along the way, I would never take those away because of their lessons.  For example; the 10% rule in running... and how you should never increase beyond that each week.  Yeah, sometimes we just assume that we are super human and that rule would never apply to us.  Just look at the last time you had a slight 'twinge' during a run or got sick.  They could be from anything, OR, they could be from any running mishap like trying to make up a missed run, pushing yourself just a bit too hard for that day, or just stepping right back in to your schedule after a holiday.  This list could go on. Some people are adaptable and can handle it.  Then again, some of us muggles have to be a bit more careful.

As I get ready to lace up for today's run, I will be thinking of my past running experiences, both good and bad, and will also think of ways that I can continue to work towards the runner I want to be.

What running mistakes have you made and learned from?

P.S. Feeling much better today as my run did its usual magic.  Please keep warm everyone who will be affected by this even colder deep freeze we are supposed to get. -55C/-67F with wind... There will be no debate on where I am running. LOL

Would Love To Run But...

I have some studying to do. :(

I figured if I spend my time here

I would not get distracted as much.

Yeah right.

No, I just start reading more running blogs which gets me thinking more and more about what running events I would like to do this year.  I am a bit limited from Sept. to around the beginning of Dec. due to my internship in a school, but otherwise I should be free.

I already have broke the bank with some of my distance events that I have just finished and have planned for the rest of this year, so I am thinking I may be sticking a bit closer to home for the rest.  I was going to run the Saskatchewan half marathon but now I am wondering if I should run the 10k instead and build that distance a bit stronger.  There are a couple of smaller events around here that I could do, but I find them so discouraging because I am always one of the last to cross the finish line and by the time I get there, it always seems like I am more of a bother than anything else because I am not a fast runner.  The larger races that I experience in the distance events I feel more at home, even with the crowded conditions.

For example: A couple of weekends ago we had our Hypothermic Half in our area.  I was going to sign up but the main reason I didn't because of my experience a couple of years ago when I was the last person to cross. I did not get a nice vibe lets just say and it wasn't even that cold out.  This year, every time I thought about signing up I kept thinking that I need to ask them how long they were going to open the course for especially considering the really cold temperatures that we have been experiencing.  I also don't want people volunteering their time in such cold circumstances for a slow turtle like me.  I hate the guilty feeling of putting people through that and I am sure that some of them don't like the slow runners that much on cold days either.  In the end, I never did sign up for the Hypo Half and really glad I didn't because of the really cold temperature we had that day, not just because of me running in the cold, but because I did not want to make anyone upset because of a slow runner in those conditions.  I can dress for the temperature and be OK.  The volunteers are not moving like the runners are and it not fun for them.  I will add though that I appreciate every volunteer out there and always try to volunteer and help out when I can too.

So, I am still undecided about what future running events I will partake in. Ah, decisions, decisions... and now I am boring you with another one of my debates.

Have you ever felt guilty in a running/walking event for any reason?

It's All About the Little Things...

That make me happy. :)

When we lived in our other house, my hubby bought me a pair of wireless headphones to wear while I was on the treadmill so I could hear the TV without turning it up super high bugging everyone in the house.  When we moved, I only found the base of the set, no power adaptor, and no headphones.  I searched a few times after moving trying to find all the parts with no luck.  Yesterday I was searching for something else and I ended up finding the headphones!  I then went on a very determined hunt for a power adaptor that would work for the set, batteries for the headset, and an audio splitter for the audio out jack.

Well, the luck was on my side yesterday and I managed to find the rest of what I needed and tested the set out and it worked like I just bought it brand new.

Wireless headset for my treadmill workouts

I was so happy and needless to say I had a very good workout on the treadmill last night and did not have to have the TV blaring so I could comfortably hear it over my treadmill.  My son was very happy about that last part. ;)

So, yes... it took me almost 4 yrs to finally get my butt in order and locate all the parts required, but the headset and I are reacquainted now... well at least until my running returns to the outside.

Are there any little gadgets or other things that make your treadmill runs easier?

Back to My Daily Grind...

... uh, I mean routine. ;)

My Weekly Schedule and Goals

I arrived back home yesterday from the cabin and had full intentions of doing something physical last night, but I just had no energy.   Today though, I am ready to go and excited to getting back to my daily grind.  Since I have had this week pretty much of of any running, today will be around 3ish miles (5k) to get my legs back, and then I will head off to hot yoga later.  If it doesn't look like I will reach my daily step goal with my Fitbit by supper, I will be heading for a walk either outside or on the treadmill.

Speaking of routines, here is what my routine is right now which includes the 30 day yoga challenge.

Monday:     Yoga
Tuesday:     Yoga, weights at gym (full body workout)
Wednesday:     Yoga, run (speed work/acceleration gliders)
Thursday:     Yoga, weights at gym (full body workout)
Friday:     Yoga, run (speed work/cadence drills)
Saturday:     Yoga, walk (1 hr)
Sunday:     Run (LSD), yoga

My daily Fitbit step goal is set to 12000 steps/day.

Current weight is: 155.3 lbs (down 8.7lbs from original start weight, but up 2.3 lbs from last week)
Bodyfat is: 38.3% (down 0.1% from last week, down 0.5% in last couple weeks since getting our Aria scale)

My Galloway 1/2 training plan using the Lolo app is set for 12 min/mi @ 2min run/1 min walk, pace goes between 5.6 mph and 6.2 during the various workouts. Overall goal is to improve my half marathon time.  I will be playing around with the run/walk ratio as my fitness improves.

Oh how I missed thee...

For eating I follow my Fitbit's recommendation of calories (except this last week at lake) with Weight Watchers as my guideline still.  I don't eat much meat at all right now and will only have the odd chicken or turkey if I have no choice, but I will have the odd eggs and eat when I can fish and seafood.  I am not trying to be a vegetarian or vegan, but I am adopting part of the eating habits with some of my food like cheese (I use soy cheese) and I use almond, soy, hemp, or coconut milk instead of regular milk.  I have found that as I am getting older I am having more stomach aches and started to take food out of my diet.  I did the whole take away all bread stuff at one point but found I could not last too long so I have it in moderation.  Beef and pork though I found I was having just too hard of a time digesting them so I stopped eating them.  The cheese part, well, I went vegan for a while and found I like the cheese so sticking with it.  There are a couple of things that I have stayed with.  If you have read my post in the last week here about coconut oil, I don't think I need to explain that one anymore beside I use it and it is my main oil source.

I also try to limit the processed foods I eat and eat as clean and raw as possible.

For water, I try to get in over 64 oz/day of water in (this does not include any other sources of liquids)

So there you go, my weekly routine schedule posted now for the world to see, or at least the few that may stumble across my blog.  :)

Now off I go for a longly anticipated run...

What are some of your routines?

An example of why Run/Walk Etiquette is Important

Let's do a Throwback Thursday post to a time back in June 2011 to one of my running events and one reason why race etiquette is so important.

On June 12, 2011, I participated in one of our local running events, The Bridge City Boogie (BCB), in the 5k. I just ran a the Saskatchewan Marathon (Half Mary) the end of May with no issues.  The BCB event was packed.  It had grown so much that it had over 6000 participants that year.  Now runner/walker etiquette was not there in the slightest.  Now given that this was such a family orientated event I can understand not everyone knowing them but some of the attitudes that went with the participants were not that friendly.  In fact knowing that there would be a good number of walkers and that I would be running the 5k, I headed towards the front of the 5k group and placed myself about 10 rows back because I could not manage to squeeze up anymore.  I had strollers and little kids in front of me and people holding hands.  I did ask politely to go ahead of them and was refused. Ok. fine.  I had noticed a few other people that I knew would be running and as one was prepping their Garmin for the race, a group of ladies were making fun of this runner with all her "running gadgets" and about how she must think she is so cool.  Nice attitude. Really.

Now I mentioned that there were a high number of people for this local race.  This was a big deal considering our city has never had this many people in a run/walk event before and I really don't think they were prepared.  They did have the 'rules of the road' made available prior to the event and they made many announcements that all walkers, strollers, and such to please line up near the back of the their distance group.  People did not budge.  Ok, fine, no problem, I would just stick to the left and hope that things aren't too bad.

Well they did not get any better.  You see since the huge number of people were squeezed in to a skinny side street with people also on the side grass areas for each distance group.  I was thankful that the race had a different start time for the 10k group, but the 5k and 2k group was release together.  Now imagine all those people squeezing in from the grass area suddenly on to the road and the first turn was right ahead and to the left... The site wasn't pretty.  I thought I had a good spot as there were a few runners ahead of me, but then I noticed some people jumping up on to the curb to the left and running up on the sidewalk and grass area.  I was trying to stay true to my distance for myself, but I guess I didn't catch on to this warning sign and the next thing I know I was being edged off the road and suddenly my left foot was up on the curb (over 1 ft up from the road) and my right foot was still on the road.  Saying ouch here would be an understatement.

I was mad and I also didn't realize what exactly I did to myself yet, but I noticed that I couldn't really run anymore the way I was.  I couldn't walk either without limping.  I came up with the alternate shuffle/walk thing and continued on and the pain got worse.  I knew I was in trouble and had in my mind I needed to find someone with a walkie talkie (of all things) and they could help me.  I went past the route marshals, the police, and other volunteers, but did not stop because they did not have this walkie talkie.  I think I was in some kind of shock with tunnel vision at this point from the pain.  When it came to entering the stadium where the race ended, I saw the finish line and just focused on that.  As soon as I crossed that line I hopped to the information tent and asked where the ambulance was because I thought something was wrong.  They just told me that I ran past it when I entered the stadium. They had me sit at that point and called the ambulance workers over to me where they checked me out and said I should go to the doctors and maybe get checked out.  So, I hung around and a very nice volunteer helped me over to an area so I could try to find my friends.  Once they found me, they grabbed their van, picked me up, and drove me to my vehicle.  Then they left.  At this point the pain was really bad and I started to laugh because it was my left ankle that was sore and I was driving my truck that was a standard. Yeah. Let's just say I rode that clutch the whole way to the minor emergency medical clinic.

So, I get in to the doctors, he thinks sprain but sends me for x-rays there just to be safe and calls me back in.

Broken L-fibula from race

The result was a broken Left Fibula just above the ankle.  Broke right across and thankfully no displacement to warrant surgery.  I said your joking right?  He just responded with "you finished the race?" I have always said I was stubborn but did not realize how stubborn I was.

So, the doctor gave me the option of a regular cast, a cast that I can shower with, or an air-cast.  I chose the air-cast so I had to go to another place to pick it up.  So off I went riding my clutch again, but I did call my husband to tell him the news and to please come to the city to exchange vehicles with me since I really can't drive mine.

Now I know that I can not put the blame on the race event, but I did send an email to them to let them know what happened and to please be aware for future races so maybe some more focus on race etiquette or what ever could happen.  I also found out that I was not the only runner with injuries from that first turn.

Now, there is a happy ending to this story.  I was originally signed up for to run the 5k at the Mogathon with my family two weeks later on June 25th.  I contacted the event and asked if they would let me complete the 5k in a wheelchair instead and they had no problem with it.  So, with two weeks in between the two events, I rented a wheelchair to use at work and home to prepare, and finished my 5k in the wheelchair with my family by my side.

Finished 5k in wheelchair

I must give a huge thanks to the Mogathon event as I was the only wheelchair participant and they had one area of the event that a wheelchair could not go through, so they made a ramp just for me.  Wow.  I was so impressed and full of gratitude.  

I also have to give a huge thanks and hug to my very supportive family and workplace.

Final times for both 5k races:
Bridge City Boogie (broken leg) - 33:19 mins
Mogathon (wheelchair) - 40 some mins (can't remember exactly right now)

So, when life gives you one huge lemon, you make the best lemonade with what you were given.

Do you have any good or bad examples of race etiquette being done?

Running Withdrawals

My Hubby made a comment on Facebook this last week about knowing when your wife is a dedicated runner: when she apologizes to her shoes because she won't be able to take them with her and use them.

I have been doing so well keeping up with my training lately right down to monitoring my resting pulse to make sure I am not overtraining because I would usually get sick or injure something along the way.  Well, coming to the cabin this week has put a little damper on my training. I know every once and a while a kick back week is in order, and I did just run another half marathon distance 2 weekends ago, but I now have the itch and need a run... well, now.

The 30 day yoga challenge that I am participating in has kept me going in some ways because I can practice all I want at the cabin here, but it is not enough now.  I have gone for a walk out on to the frozen lake in the thigh deep snow, done loads of shovelling clearing walkways and areas for vehicles to park, gone up and down the stairs at the cabin here, just basically trying to keep moving which I am finding pretty hard.  I have been watching my Fitbit stats and I am not making my min steps per day. These min steps should be my basic goal and was usually easily obtained because of running which I can't easily do here.  Today though, I am going to really focus on achieving my steps today with my Fitbit.  That is one huge thing I like about my Fitbit One, is the motivation it can give me to reach the goals I have set for myself and love watching the steps add up when I go for a run. ;)

The Fitbit One

Now I know there are some die hard runners out there that can run through anything, but at the cabin in the winter? There are no trails even in the summer.  Just a gravel road with people driving silly on it which right now, this road only has one set of tracks for vehicles.  I am not going to take the risk.

Even though I have other activities that can keep me active, it is still not running.  Nothing feels like a good run does.  The satisfaction of a good sweat, the feeling of achievement, the small victories of a new PB/PR, a new training speed, or even just something simple as when the first time you have ever ran a steady 30 mins, 60 mins, or even a longer distance/time that gave you such a proud feeling of accomplishment that only your other running friends would understand.

Simply put; I am going nuts not being able to run right now. I could handle the first few days, but now it is time.  I know I should be thankful that I can run at all and this too shall pass.  I just have to think about the times when I have been injured and not able to run in the slightest, or any weight bearing activity.  Call it runner's block, a runner's mentality, or whatever you want, but it is a funny thing about us runners, we are a funny breed.  Take our running away from us and we go insane.


Now for something non-running related:  I just would like to give a huge shout out to my sister +Sasha Leigh, who came out to the cabin and visit for a couple of days, and say Happy Birthday!! :) 

How long does it take you to go without running before you start to go nuts?

Wishing I was back in Disney...

I can seriously say that the DisneyWorld Half Marathon on Jan. 11, 2014, was the best running event I have ever been to.

The one that used to be my favourite was the Nike Woman's Marathon in 2011, but their event in Oct. 2013 tarnished that (will do a race recap sometime and explain further).  I will say the only good thing about the Nike event in 2013 is that I did it with Team in Training, the Tiffany finisher necklace, and I actually managed to get the Tiffany Blue Nike Runners (seen in pic).

Now even though I did not manage to get the Disney New Balance Cinderella runners at the DWM expo, that did not even come close to tarnishing such an amazing event.  It was truly such a magical experience that I would like to experience again, and again.  I am hooked.

My teenage son ended up coming with me on my trip and since this was a very quick trip (fly in Thurs. night, and fly home Sun. afternoon) we had to do some advanced planning of exactly what we really wanted to see in two of the Disney Parks, and what we wanted to see at Universal.  It was a compacted tour of everything that we wanted to experience and see, but we did it, right down to enjoying a Dole Whip cup and float, a Turkey Leg, and at Universal some frozen and cold Butterbeer in the Harry Potter area.

Now, I must admit, going to Disney wasn't really one of the things that was on the top of my to do list in life because it always seemed out of reach.  As I got older, the more I wanted to experience going to Disney.  So when I saw an email from a running event tour provider after my last Nike event, I talked to my hubby and went for it.  Combining two loves of running and Disney? Definitely! Seriously the best decision ever as everything was so perfect, minus the whole Cinderella runners thing because I was a newbe to the whole event and did not know the process in how to get them.  Next time I will be prepared.

We stayed at the Disney Resort: Port Orleans - The French Quarter and loved it.  We were set up with Magic Bands and to me, these were the cat's meow.  Loved the convenience of them.

All transportation was taken care of like the airport transfers by Disney Magical Express, all park transportation and event transportation by the Disney buses.  A real turn key event vacation.

The whole time my son and I were at DisneyWorld, I was giddy and had a huge smile on my face.  Even every single picture taken of me during the half marathon, I had a smile on my face.  I did not stop once for any photo opportunities with the characters as the lines were huge and figured I would come back for sure and do some then. ;)  The weather that day on the Saturday was so humid and hot! I was drenched.  Coming from -40C to +30C was a factor for sure.  I was jealous of everyone running the full marathon on the Sunday because the weather was so much nicer.

My half marathon outfit:  green sparkle skirt and tierra from SparkleSkirts, mint green calf sleeves, sleeveless running shirt from One More Mile (I think that is what they were called), my running short tights, my Nike+ Sports Watch, iphone armband and iphone, my Fitbit (loved gaining all those steps that day), and glow in the dark Mickey ears.  Almost everything that I wore clothing wise was acquired from the event expo.  I really wanted a sparkle skirt... and then it went on from there. ;)

I used the Lolo half-marathon training program by Jeff Galloway for this race as best as I could and had the app going on race day set for 30 sec run/45 sec walk (adjusted for heat), but, something happened and the app quit working on me 1/4 way in to the race. So, I counted in my head the best I could the rest of the race.  Since I am going to try the Galloway program again, I bought the Galloway Gymboss interval timer to use.  So far, so good and will do a product review sometime. Edit: I did try to use the Lolo app again for a practice half-marathon and it worked fine.  I think the issue was my phone on why it stopped working, not the app.

I was also jealous and amazed at everyone coming off the full marathon buses at my resort on Sunday with multiple medals hanging over their neck.  Again, I was a newbe so I really did not know how they acquired them so I asked.  I now have a mission to find a way to get in to to the Dopey Challenge in Jan. 2015!!!  If not the Dopey, then for sure the Goofy. I am hoping I can go with the travel agency that sent me last time again for the Dopey.  In the mean time, I have learned about another Run Disney medal and that is the Coast to Coast medal.  So, on Jan. 28th, I sat by my computer and crossed my fingers to get a spot at the Disneyland event in August.... I did!! And, I managed to get a Dumbo spot! I am extremely excited for both the Dumbo Double Dare and the Coast to Coast. :)

My flights are booked, I booked a hotel that I hope is OK... I read it is within walking distance so, hopefully.  This time I am going alone so I wish I was on the Disney property, but I just could not afford that much.

Now, my official time at the DisneyWorld Half Marathon was 2:59:15 which I am happy about considering all the extra time getting extra water due to the heat and the potty stops that went with them.  If you want to know about placement, I placed mid pack for age, gender, and overall where I am nice and happy.  Race events around me, I am always near the back.  That brings up one more great thing about running Disney... You are never alone, and the very last runner is treated just like the first.  The support is huge for everyone and I would highly recommend a Disney running event to runners, especially if it is your first event.  Now, I can only speak about DisneyWorld here, but if DisneyLand is as well organized, I am going to have to make more money to afford my new Run Disney habit. :D

So when I am reading about all these running events back in Disney... I wish I was back there. ;)

Any of you ran Disney or plan to?

Less Than 22 Days...

And I am going to be walking a half marathon with my hubby and friend! I am not heading out for any PR's but just for the fun of it. Things have been going well on the moving around bit, but just can't sit down... lol. My friend and I walked last year and I am going to head out again with her and my hubby said he would like to join us! May I just add that he hasn't trained as of yet... I did politely ask if he was SURE about doing it... ;0) He said, "yep."

So, yeah, have not been around much as we have been pretty busy. Myself, I have been getting up at 5:30 am with the dogs out for either a brisk walk, or a run/walk every day except Saturdays where I bike with the two dogs. I am still doing my yoga and LOTS of stretching. I am trying to get to the pool for some laps but just haven't made it yet.

Heartrate Training is going wonderful and I am re-learning about putting on the breaks and not going full out wearing myself down. No new injuries to report so things must be going right. :0) My times are getting better so cardio wise I am happy. Not even close to where I was but heh, I am in no rush and not out to win anything.

Work wise I am back to full days at work as of this week and managing as expected. We still haven't completely finished the old house or even finished unpacking this house but... we have a NEW internet provider as of Tuesday!!! Yeah! No more problems. :0) I can write emails, blogs, play mahjong... with no more interruptions and lost information - spending WAY too much time recomposing everything.

Other than that things have been really looking up besides the odd situation like me leaving my lights on my vehicle and getting stuck in the snow storm till someone could boost me, or my little 3 lb puppy getting sick on me for a week... by the way, he is doing much better now and this morning he had his very first haircut.

It is so great to hear from all of you and I do read up on a lot of you here and there, I just have had little bits of time here and there to get on here.

So, there is what I have been up to in a nut shell, more to come, but enough for now. :0) I need my beauty sleep for a 17 km walk bright and early tomorrow...

LIfe... in General of Course

So yes, been busy kept on thinking today I will update and... well, nothing. That reason of life really just gets in there. :0)

How has everyone been? I am eager to read about all the race reports and such that have happened. I am slowly getting a new routine down here but obviously it needs a bit of tweaking... I mean I used to blog in the mornings, tried the evenings for a bit but found that the mornings work best. But now... with my new routine I am trying to work out, things are not going as smoothly as I had hoped. I will keep trudging on though. lol

Thanks for all the well wishes on everything. My Nanny is at home now, has not really recovered hugely but she is managing to walk around a bit but tires very easily.

House, doing well minus all the little glitches that a person does not notice when you first move in to a new house. I am starting a list and it is slowly growing... The lovely blizzard weather we have just had here, my fence gate decided it was going to do a 'Dorothy and Toto' and went for a small tour. lol It is now safely (but not so prettily) tied down to the fence. I did what I could in the midst of the high winded snow attacking me. lol

I am loving my new furniture but my Husky has decided that the couch is hers to sleep on and she is being quite persistent about the whole thing. Good thing I am being persistent about her NOT being on there. lol It just has been the last couple of days here that she really wants to be up here. The ONLY good thing about leather is that her hair just wipes off. lol

Chewy, my puppy is doing very well and I am impressed. Litter trained already. I am not saying he will not use the outside eventually, but he really does not like the outside at all. So for now, I am saving my sanity and floors and considering how hard Yorkies are to potty train, I think we are doing well. Puppy socialization was on hold for two weeks due to some cases of kennel cough but back at it next week, and we start our puppy kindergarten class in a week. So tonnes of fun with the little man. He is now 2.5 lbs and full of energy - but HATES the leash.

This last week I have had off of work due to Easter holidays and this wonderful list of things to do and finally get done, like finish the other house cleaning and to get this house unpacked completely. Do you think I got anything done? Nope. Well I can't really say nothing done... I had appointments that I had to attend like vet, mechanic, chiro... those got done. ;0)

Mind you I did get something else done... getting outside and moving more! My pain is doing well, still having some bad flair ups but for the most part I am doing well. I am not going to head out and do any races tomorrow or anything but I am getting out there and working at getting back in the groove. :0)

I have really been trying to listen to my body to be more aware of my limitations and for the last week and a half I have been going back to heart rate training. So if you see a snail out there with two dogs pulling along ahead, that would be me. I haven't done some heart rate training in a while and forgot how humbling it can make you at the start (although the improvements are wonderful) and for someone whose cardio, strength, and endurance are not up to what they were, wow. Do to still in the mend, I am not doing any speed work and just keeping the heart rate between the 60-75% zone alternating days of a 70 and 75% max so I don't have two days in a row over 70%. So any grief my body is feeling or if I am pushing myself too much, that annoying little chirp goes off. (I say it is annoying but really I like the feed back :0) ) For all the people out there that are in to fitness gadgets, I am using my ol' faithful, Garmin 301 HRM for this purpose. This way I get all my info in at once. If you notice on the right side where I am to be tracking my mileage and such, I just keep forgetting right now to enter info and might just get rid of it as mileage is not what my focus is right now. We'll see. ;0)

As for races and such this year, I am kind of seeing how things go. My friend would like me to walk the half at the end of May and I am sure I could do it, but would it be wise? THAT I do not know. I have walked over 10km here last weekend... I would like to run it though and I know THAT would be out of the question at this point. lol If I do it, I want to dress up for it though. Last year when I walked with her for support (it was her first time walking instead of running due to can't run anymore), I kept saying I should have dressed up. I had my iphone blaring music the whole time (on its speakers not my ears) as loud as I could get it, and we sang pretty much most of the way... I also danced from start to finish the whole way. It was soooooo much fun and I really needed a goofy outfit and bells or something because I think I cheered on almost everyone other participant on the course we came across, which was a lot considering we were holding up the back end. lol So much fun! I had no voice, a very sore throat, and bruised hands from clapping - wearing rings does not help in the fact that they make the bruising worse... Any ideas on what I could wear if I did it? :0)

My work friends would like me to walk or run with them in the Local Bridge City Boogie 5 km in June. Again, walking it would be, if anything, at this point. I am out running but not ready.

In the fall I would like to do a running event of some kind... we will see how it goes.

So there you go, a bit of a book again but heh, I had lots to say. ;0)

Now to see if the wind has died down enough for the furries and I to head out for a small jaunt... yesterday was a right off with the weather and I am not too sure about today. I see the sun but, we still have travel advisories out. We shall see.

A Blistery Day

Well good morning everyone! :0) I don't know about all of you but we had some wicked wind around here. It was so loud and at one point there was no gust just straight rumble... I got a bit worried and checked the weather station for anything serious. The result was that this wind was going to take away our lovely weather that we have been so graciously given the past little bit. So this morning we now have snow... again. My hubby laughs at me when I talked about wondering what March will bring since it came in like a lamb.

So some mixture of good and not so good news in my little end of cyberspace.

My pain is doing quite better and is much more manageable now. Yeah! I have been consistently getting my runs in 3/wk and good walks in the other days. Sunday morning was a repeat of last weeks accomplishment. I have had no increase in pain from it at all. I am still only half time at work with light duties but will see what happens on Friday here when I go back for my check up.

Internet? I think we have it solved? lol Didn't I say that last time... hmmm... I had finally had it when a couple of days ago I was composing a VERY important letter to Human Resources at my work. I went to send and *poof*. Gone. So nothing like rushing trying to recompose the email before going to work. NOT happy. So we are trying another router.

Chewy, my puppy Yorkie, is doing quite well and keeping me busy on the home front. Right now I am having fun writing this and trying to teach him that the plug in for my computer is not a chew toy... who was it that said be careful what you name him? lol I still have not managed to get a half decent picture of him as he is always on the move.

Work at the new school is wonderful and I am quite enjoying working there. The house I couldn't be more happier about and it really has changed all of us for the better here. My son with all this moving of home and school he could have really gone down hill but no, he matured and is doing the best he ever has.

I have managed to catch up on some of your blogs, sorry no comments yet as I really wanted to read as much as I could. I thank all for your wonderful comments and cheers.

Now for some not so great news, (the drama never really ends around here...) my Nanny (grandma) is in the hospital. She had a heart attack and is still not out of the woods yet. So this morning at work I am going to be carrying my cell with me.

So as I end my little tidbit for today, I am back to thinking happy thoughts and listening to the sounds of little pitter patters across my floors and watching my little Chewy steal all of the cat toys... You just have to find some good when things are bad. Have a good day everyone.

The Days Are a Runnin'

And me too! :0) Not far or super fast yet or anything, The main thing is that I am back! Yah! I haven't been pushing it too much too soon or anything and I have been really reading my body on where I am at. Not quite back at a learn to run stage... but not too far from it. lol Cardio wise I really need to get that back on track here - and weight wise... this whole back thing really did not help me in that area... but then again I chose what to put in my mouth and how much of it. hehehe I am not worried because now that things are getting back on track again here, everything will fall back in to place.

So, I had mentioned before about the internet... well I am certainly frustrated!!! I never know when I am going to get it or not. I was really hoping that it would be sorted out by now but again, I must look at the positives? Not on the computer too much! lol

Some news: This week is my first week of Chiro only once a week. My back is doing better but still have no clue what is up, WCB is still in the air with it and my luck I will be all better before anything is done. Still not finished unpacking at the new house and old house is still not finished either. This weekend we have a blitz planned with a few people to get at least the other house worked on. I am really liking the school I was transferred to - not really as busy or as physical as my last one but that was the whole reason I was transferred so that I could heal. My son was transferred to a school out here in the new house area (not too sure if I had mentioned that one) and he was upset at first, but LOVES his new school. I am getting a puppy!

Ok, so I snuck that one in there and it is not like I have super uber tonnes of time here but we had to put our small dog Denver down last fall and we have all been going nutz and missing the little guy. Now we are not trying to replace Denver, but really like how a small dog just fit in to our family dynamics, like a missing puzzle piece finally found. I pick up Chewy (Chewbacca), our new little man, tomorrow. He is a Yorkie and just turning 12 wks old. I am loving this breeder so far and has been so kind and knowledgeable. I checked around a few others and ended up with them and not too mention they are not too far a drive for me. So expect some pics here at some point, internet pending... ;0)

Back to news: I received my black leather couch and bed!!!! Eeeeeek! lol THAT was an exciting day I tell ya and one of the best sleeps in a long time. Ok, last fall I dyed my hair red... well this weekend I wanted it back to normal... what was I thinking!!! After numerous attempts in trying to 'fix' the hair color and stop it from going orange, I now have dark hair which is almost a deep dark rich chocolate brown. At least I am happier with the color. I think the students at my new school are going to think I am crazy or something because I have arrived with a new color each day this week - note to self.... go to a proper hairdresser next time.

I would like to thank everyone for hanging in there/here during my time of transition to a new house. Things will get back on track here again and I know I have soooooo much reading to catch up on but I am going to enjoy every bit of it. We are still waiting for someone to check things out here.

Take care and be safe out there on those roads and paths! (and no falling off the couch if you are injured) lol

Whirlwind of Events

Yes, I seemed to have been MIA again but it was all for good reason. No time and no internet.

Internet: Ok. I don't know what it is but getting internet here has been a major problem. I managed to get on here and there and as soon as I started something, POOF, internet gone again...Something is not configured right or it is the wiring. I believe we have to bring someone in now, not sure as hubby figures he has it now. ;0)

Time: well, around here it was OLYMPICS! Hockey, curling, and basically just every event. Oh! give a peek to the Daily Mile on the side... I managed to get out for a total of 5.3 km!!!! Mostly running... well jogging anyways. I took the time when I left the house with one dog, switched dogs after the run, and checked the time after my cool down. I think it worked out to something like 56 min? Kinda hard when I don't see it from this page. lol Felt great and I did no timing at all, like no set intervals or anything. I just wanted to get out there and do as I feel. Pain wise went well, only until I went to work the next day.

Speaking of work, whirlwind there. I have been transferred out of my school to another one that is less physical. :0( I found out Friday, and yesterday was my last day, today I am at the new one. Still only mornings but we will see how it goes.

Well gotta run, and I really am trying to catch up here.... lol