Saturday 26 April 2014

Well Hello There!

Things have been moving along well so I haven't had much to tell about.  I have been sticking with my training plan and ran 18k this morning.  It was tough but it was fun.  I have been going to the gym regularly and have been pretty good at eating well.  Nothing too exciting happening.

I have made a couple of fun purchases recently.  I got new running shoes.  I went into the store looking to get something a bit different than the shoes I normally wear.  I busted through the toe of my last pair in just a few months and I just wasn't totally happy with them.  They are the same Brooks Ariel's that I have always worn and I think they were my forth pair but they just didn't hold up the same.  So when I got to the store I told them my concerns and they got me a pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 14's.  They have a little less support but the girl at the store checked things out and said they were supportive enough for me and well they are prettier.  They are considerably lighter and they seem like the fabric over the top is sturdier. So far I am quite happy with them.

I also bought a pedometer this week.  It's fun and hopefully it will get me moving just a little bit more.  It smiles when I am moving lots and sticks it's tongue out at me when I sit still too long.  I've only had it a couple of days but so far I am happy with my purchase.  It also tracks calories burnt including what I burn just being alive and I can track what I eat as well.  I enjoy that everything is in one place.

My race is only a few weeks away so it's time to really get things in gear.  I have officially signed up so I am committed now!  I will be running on June 1st whether I am ready or not so I better be ready!

Sunday 6 April 2014

Scenes from my Sunday Run!

I am so happy I made the decision to postpone my Saturday 14k.  The weather today is so much more enjoyable.  I headed out the door around 8:30am and just over two hours later I returned, sweaty, sore and happy.  It was a tough run but a good one.  I passed many other runners, cyclists, walkers and animals while I was out there and a few of the encounters were interesting to say the least so I thought I would share:)

Encounter 1: Passing a church and the parking attendant says "Good Morning, May God lift you up and carry you home".  A nice comment except that I have a twisted sense of humor and instantly thought "Oh what?  You think I'm going to die out here and need God to intervene".  I know that isn't at all what he meant but I giggled anyway.

Encounter 2:  Running happily along the sidewalk because there were no bike lanes and the road was quite busy I approach a heavier young man.  Probably in his 20's (not that age matters but it gives you a picture).  He has big backpack on, headphones and sunglasses.  As I'm getting closer I think he is going to scooch over to make space for me to pass by but instead he shifts right to the centre of the sidewalk and grunts as I go past.  My response?  "I hope you have a fabulous day!!"

Encounter 3:  Same street just a little farther up there is a nursing home.  As I get closer a little old lady (picture tiny frame, white hair) with her walker get to the edge of the sidewalk and she stops to wait for me to pass.  As I approach she says "They tell me running is the best exercise you can get"  I say "I'm certainly hoping they are right (with a grin)"  She comes back with "Keep going and hopefully you won't need to use one of these pieces of shit"  I nearly fell off the sidewalk when that came out.  I giggled and assured her I would keep trying:)

Encounter 4: Older gentleman sees me running in the bike lane and asks if I'm trying to get hit by a car as he steps off the sidewalk to cross the sidestreet, in front of a car. He didn't get hit but my response (inside my head) was "No are you?"  Instead of saying that I just said no.

I had a couple of other minor encounters that I think are funny.  I had a Gu gel about half way through which tastes good but at that point in the run it is harder to stomach.  As I'm gagging that down and thinking don't barf someone came along and I had to say Hi to be polite.  Then closer to the end when I decided to try to gag down a date (again because I have a hard time eating while I run) a person comes along.  This time all I could do was nod and smile.

Lastly about 1k from home I was thinking about the distance and thought "Hey I just ran 2/3 of a 1/2 and the math geek in me thought that was hilarious!!!

That folks made for an entertaining and very enjoyable 14k run on a Sunday morning.

Saturday 5 April 2014

They Fit!!!

A few months ago I set a new goal.  I have been married almost 10 years but since I got pregnant with my daughter 8 years ago I haven't been able to wear my wedding rings.  I have priced out getting them sized but never actually done it because I was determined to lose all this weight and then they would have to be resized again.  I didn't want to spend all that money twice!  So back in the fall I set one of my goals to be able to wear them again.  Over the last couple of weeks I have been able to wear them most of the day!  My hands swell a lot when I'm sleeping so I have to take them off before bed and they go on after I have been up about an hour or so.  I can't keep them on when I run because my fingers swell like crazy and I'm sure they would have to be cut off.  I don't think I will ever be able to wear them while I run even when they get too big.

Still a little snug but not too bad



Today was supposed to be a 14k run but the wind is howling and there was yucky white stuff falling from the sky.  Tomorrow is not supposed to be nearly as ugly so I have postponed.  I am running on little sleep today too so this is just a much better plan.