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...

New Hope Dog Rescue Fun Run

Tala was all set, excited and ready to go sporting her new bandana.

It wasn't that big of a turn out as they had hoped but it was a great socializing event for all dogs as everyone got along fine. :)

Tala met some new friends and was the usual social butterfly as usual. :) There were also 2 other sibe's there (one shown in pic above).  The event was shorter than we have done previously as it was only 1.5k as we usually have done 5k in the past with this event.  I am not sure I know why they have changed it...  Tala and I started off walking and then decided we would run it nice and easy.  We enjoyed all the doggie water stations as they were well organized. :)  Tala also enjoyed her treats from the event afterwards and then went home for a good snooze.

So... everything went well up until then... I then went out to finish the k's needed for my long run as I did not manage to get out before sunday to finish it.  I took things nice and easy and made it to about 6.5k and then WHAM!  IT band called it quits... WT*!?!  I stopped, went on the grass, stretched out and had some of my sports drink and tried again... it wasn't going to happen.  I had to stop at 7k and turn around and walk home - forgot my cell...  Luckily it did not hurt while walking.  So I finally get home and then decide to take the bike out for a spin to get a bit more cardio in.  Well 5k in to that I had to turn around as this was not going to be my day.  I went back over things that I did that day trying to figure out what happen as it was a bit purplexing to me as why it did.  Shoes?  Nope.  Stretched? Yep. Overtrained? Nope, actually less here the last week and a bit.  Terrain? Maybe...  I alternated the part of the road that I was running on but there were a few spot that were quite slanted as there was no other place to run.  I did slip a couple of times on the gravel part from the ruts... did not think it was that bad when it happened.  I know now... :(  So... I have been not able to walk after that as I could not bend my knee at all.  Great... what more can happen...  I should have never hopped on to the bike afterwards... but I did not realize at the time the severity of it.  So, for the last couple of days here I have been best friends with RICE, ibuprofen, foam roller, stretches, strengthening supporting muscles, and some contrast treatment - alternating between heat and ice.  I believe I have caught it fast enough here as today things are better and I can bend with little pain.  So, no running as of yet but not too worried about the half coming up as I think it will be fine by then.  I only have one more long distance run left and if I am unable to do it, that will be ok with me because I know I can run the distance already - it just won't be as fast as I wanted.  There are many other races out there that I can aim for in succeeding in my goal. :)  Injuries can sometimes just happen out of the blue even when following the best of plans - I just have to re-look at my journal and see if there are some possible causes besides the terrain.

Thank you again everyone for all your kind words as it was all very much appreciated.  A few things have happened since I have been on here.  My friend and my father-in-law have given me the money to cover the extra cost of the ticket to go to England.  So... I now do not have to worry as much about it financially.  The problem is that my 'great uncle' is being an a@@ about the whole thing and does not want a funeral!!!!  Well, the family here says they won't go and spend the money to go unless there is one.  If there is one thing that doesn't drive me absolutely insane is family fighting during a time of passing.  Enough already and just let us say our goodbyes.  So... am I going to be going to England?  I am still so confused... It is nothing like coming to terms with everything and then basically having the ticket given to me to go.  I know... worse things could happen...

Well, sorry I have not posted lately on anyone's blogs... I have read them just was not to much feeling like a cheerleader at the moment.  So... be prepared cause I am on my way back. :)

Ok... I have heard about things happen in 3s and I am a bit of a believer in this one... My Nanny just called and my grandma's sister passes away last week also and the funerals will be on the SAME day!!! Both in England, BUT in different places!  I wasn't close to her but she is in my thoughts and her family is in my prayers as my grandma will be taking priority.  Now for the final decision with all of this and to see if a plane ticket will be purchased.  The funeral is next week on Tuesday, May 13th at 12 pm.

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!

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

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  :)

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. :(

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. :(

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:

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. :)

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

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

and the total is...

... 128.0 lbs!!!!  How did this happen?  I do not know but I sure am not complaining this week.  :)  I just love the little message that you get if you go over a 2 lb loss though in the ww weight tracker thing. lol I like how it says to make sure that you are eating all your APs and WPs.  lol  That's all I did this week!  :)  I have never ate more food during this whole time that I have been on ww this time and the time before.  I am so happy right now and I can see a great run coming this am, if it wasn't for the cold...

I will be back after my run...

I'm baaaaacccck! lol Gotta love that runner's high. :)  Well about an 1hr and 42 mins later... we finished doing a nice respectable slow but faster than we have pace today.  The one girl was there and here legs were better so we went just a little faster, but not too fast.  She was having some lower back pains so we worked on breathing techniques and running posture.  I am not the best at this but I am working on it continually to improve.  So when I would do my posture checks during our run, I would remind her to do hers.  It was so funny because it was like a light bulb moment for her near the end of the run when she finally 'got it'! :)  She's was like "OMG! I finally see what you are talking about.  It makes a huge difference in effort and I don't feel as much pain!" lol  I just love it when a new runner makes a break through with something. :)  I am so happy for her.

Well I just finished stretching and enjoying my chocolate milk and now I am going to ice for a bit then take a shower.  Then I get to enjoy the profit from all my hard work this am (11 APs earned).... Dim Sum! lol  I am sooooo looking forward to it right now. :)

Yesterday I was going through all my running clothes and such seeing how everything was for fit and such.  I came to the conclusion that I am going to need some new things here.  So I went and looked around and came back home with a sportskirt.  I have heard of them, and have seen them the very odd time here in toon town but never really thought I would like them.  I tried them on and they are comfortable!  And CUTE!!!!  I never thought I would wear something like that before. :)  And when I went to try them on... I grabbed a size L first, then had to go to the size M, and then went to try on size S!!!!  You have to keep in mind though that these are stretchy fabrics. :)  But the waist was gaping... so I have a size S!!! Woooo Hoooo!  I have alway bought size L or XL in the past! :)  So that was the only thing that I bought and I am going to try to hold off for any more new things until my weight is more closer to what my body wants as a goal.  My husband completely agrees now that I need new clothes as yesterday he was laughing at me in my pants again.  He said that he thinks it is about time for some new things.  I told him to just hold off for a bit till my body says it is quit time.

Still no smoking!!!! Yeah for me!  It is getting quite easier though but I have found my self lately purposely smelling other people's smokes!  Weird I know especially when I hate the smell of the stuff even when I still smoked.

Exercise today - done, food - Dim Sum and who knows at this pt (but other will be core healthy), and some cleaning and homework.

run: 14.61km/1:42:31, avg 167 bpm 7:01 min/km, with running room group, temp -13 when started with windshield of -18, felt warmer out and only wore windpro jacket with thin liner (2 layers), the sun felt so good and was really soothing and warm, no pains and ran in my New Balance, I had turkey bacon, 1 egg, and 2 ww dry toast for breakfast (I ran out of oats) this carried me through for a good long time and no stomach problems eating 1 hr before.  A good run today as my pace was quicker.

Quit Smoking: