Here we snow again

OMG!!! I do not recall a longer, more frustrating winter than we have received this year. And forty-six years, people...I have forty-six years worth of memories of winters in this city. Argh!!!

I am scheduled to run 23k in this today!! Of course, that means getting out there first, before it gets too packed down and shovelling the walks. I've debated heading to a local indoor track to run, but I really don't relish the idea of running in circles 51 times!!! I'll get very dizzy! And I hate running indoors...no birds, no scenery...okay, no snow, but is it really worth it? I'm going to have some breakfast (egg, thintini and some bacon - trust me, I'll work it off shovelling) and then decide. I may just head out for a short one today - it is almost 11 (enjoyed a little lay-in) and I'd like to bake some cookies to freeze and get myself mentally prepared to return to work tomorrow morning. A long slow run would have me home in time for supper! Which I also have to think about.

My goal for this week is to pack healthy choices for breakfast and lunch every day this week. I was getting very lazy and relying too much on the deli in my building - which is fine, because they don't have a proper kitchen, so nothing is fried and they use only olive oil to cook with. But still...I know what goes into something when I cook it. And it's way cheaper. I don't know how people afford to eat every meal out. Guess they don't buy groceries.

Okay...here I go...really...finishing my coffee and heading out...

Please don't make me!

:(

Global Warming?!

Woke to snow again this morning. It is March 28th, right?!? I think someone needs to buy Mother Nature a calendar...she is obviously confused about which month it is! And there is now a heavy snowfall warning in place for Calgary, as we can expect another 10+ cm of snow tonight. That will make my 23k tomorrow a very special treat indeed! But Vancouver is 5 weeks and counting, so must stick to it.

H. and I did go out for a run/walk/slide this morning - ended up walking a stretch due to the very large patches of ice hidden underneath said layer of snow - which was good - 4.25 km. Even though I was off all week, I seemed to forget to schedule in a run or two. That's the thing about staycations...while I love the sleeping in and naps and puttering about, I miss the structure and schedule of work. And I work right on the Bow River pathway system, so I have absolutely no excuse not to run at lunch. Not even the lack of showers or a gym at my office deters me...let people think I'm stinky. At least it's a healthy stink!

After our run, we grabbed a coffee (Venti, non-fat Quin latte...sounds so European!) and headed over the farmer's market. I am so happy H. introduced me to the market. Must remember to tell her that. Other friends never expressed interest, or had a million excuses why we couldn't/shouldn't go. Now it's a weekly or biweekly trip, and I eat healthy, mostly local produce and other goodies. Today was mainly a veggie run...next time I'll get the Greek stuff, maybe some pasta from the nice Italian dude and I'm anxious to try the Bison hotdogs, but they've been sold out for a while now and are waiting for a new shipment. Even tried their Ramsey location, but they were out too.

Still have some leftover minestrone, which I will add some more broth too (pasta sucked it all up last night, so now I have stoup!) and make some more pesto with the fresh basil I just bought. Then I'll head out and work on the glacier I have building up on my back downspout and then maybe take a nap!

Aw...one more day, and I'm back to work. Sigh...

lazy week...

I took this week off to do some spring cleaning, and while I've started a couple of things...I spent a lot of time practicing work avoidance! Really need to buckle down here soon, as the week is almost over!

Had an Epicure party last night. I'm a consultant, and the hostess I had last night rocked! In the 4 years that I've been selling Epicure, this was easily my biggest party. But I think the economy is helping too, as people are eating out less and looking for easy entertaining ideas to do at home. And getting value for their money, which I believe Epicure provides. And, quite frankly, I made over $300 for a couple of hours work. Better than the day job!

Okay...espresso is brewing, I'm going to try the oatmeal with almond milk stuff that H. and others have raved about. Then I'll sort and start some laundry, and see what closet I can clean out. That'll feel like I accomplished something.

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to shovel I go...

Yay...the winter storm warning has ended fopr Calgary. And except for the stuff blowing off the roofs, it appears that the snow has stopped as well. Mr. Sun has even appeared for a visit. At least it's not cold out there...I was rolling up my sleeves while I was shoveling, as it was too hot! But my walks are now clean, and I've definitely got my exercise in for the day...weight training and core, combined. Now all I have to do is figure out how to convince a bunch of hotties with killer abs to do the shoveling while I tape them, put on some hip-hop tunes, and sell the DVD on TV...I'll be a ga-zillionaire!!

Fighting the urge to go get chips/crackers/cookies...I'm craving something crunchy. Going to drink some more water and try to sleep off the craving (sunbeam on couch on a lazy Sunday afternoon...couldn't be better). If that doesn't work, then I'll have some toasted ww pita in dip and see if that helps (after the usual, water, some carrots or celery, walking around, etc). Or I could just be hungry.

Going to make the bean and sausage soup with pesto for dinner. Looking forward to it. And I'm off work all week, so I can concentrate on some spring cleaning, even though spring appears to have sprung a leak!

The couch beckons...have a good week, everyone.

Things I learned today...

1 - When planning a long, slow run (32 km), it is not wise to change the usual route at the last minute because you are bored. Sometimes the surprises outweigh the boredom!
2 - Calgary got a LOT of snow this year. I know this because most of it is still on the pathway I just tried to run on.
3 - Calgary Parks do NOT clean or maintain the running paths into Weaslehead Park...the foot of snow and lack of sand/gravel covering the whole path proved that.
4 - A foot of snow is very slippery and difficult to run or walk on. My ankles now hurt because of the slipping and sliding about!
5 - Sometimes the water covering the path is more than just a skiff...sometimes it's ankle deep.
6 - Ankle deep water in March in Calgary is FREAKING COLD!!!
7 - Just because there's grass on either side of ankle deep water, it is not a safer route to pick...sometimes it's just hiding ankle deep water!
8 - Running with wet socks and runners in March is not wise. Your feet do not like that at all. And since they tend to control the "running", it kind of ruins the experience.
9 - A north wind blowing over a large, frozen body of water (Calgary's Glenmore Reservoir) is very, very, very cold!
10 - When you run in South Glenmore Park, you can actually watch the forecasted winter storm blowing in (hence, the aforementioned north wind), which is kind of cool.
11 - When you get crabby and have cold, wet feet, it's okay to turn around early (10k mark) and head for home. And drop a few f-bombs. You will feel better...and it scares the other runners, which can be fun too!
12 - It does not matter where you parked your car...when you are returning from a long run, someone secretly moves it further away! I swear I parked closer than that!!!
13 - When purchasing funky new water/gel bottles, learn how they work first from the experts. I did not...and my gel sat in the bottom of my water bottle, not in the cool gel tube as promised. Watered down gel does not taste good.
14 - Dogs will always make you smile...especially fat little baby French Bulldogs trying to jog with their people...still smiling just thinking about it!
15 - Snuggling with a purring cat (my Coco) and drinking hot tea will warm you through and through after a cold afternoon run.
16 - Despite the pain and complaining, I will run again. Just try to stop me!

Spring has sprung,,,

Ahhhh...woke up to Spring this morning. Sun is shining, birds are singing, even saw my first ant of the season on my walk home (in my Birks, thank you very much!). Of course, it's supposed to be short lived, as winter returns tomorrow night and Sunday. It is Calgary...winter has a habit of showing up for at least one day every month of the year!!

Because of winter's impending return, I will go for my long, slow run tomorrow afternoon, rather than Sunday - I really am getting tired of running in the snow!

Waiting on dinner now...decided on the walk home that I wanted sushi, and lots of it. Ordered from my favorite place, and if you order the love boat (I know it's for two, but who shares sushi???) it comes with miso soup and salad. And rice is a carb, right???

I'll let you all know how the run goes.

Musings

Wow...my thoughts and prayers to Natasha Richardson's family and friends tonight. Who knew that something so innocent would be so deadly.

Body Butter experiment has fallen off the rails...snooze for 10 more minutes or get up and put on body butter...you all know how I feel about sleep! Snoozing wins every time! Although it was suggested that because of my varied and unrestricted diet (meaning I can and do eat anything I want), I probably won't succumb to the BB weight gain like those on more restrictive food intakes. Okay then... Of course, this comes from the same source that said cough drops (even sugar free) will cause plateaus and you shouldn't eat corn in any form (yes, even popped) because your body "never digests it and therefore it never leaves...ever." So, future archeologists take note...when you dig me up a thousand years from now, I should hope that you will find the lifetime of popcorn, corn on the cob, corn syrup and good old peaches & cream resting comfortably in my belly.

We had a blast at work today. We give out awards in our department, similar to the Oscars (but combining our company name, which I will not divulge), and while some are goofy and fun, others are in keeping with our company's values. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it, as we totally camped it up this year, dressing up, being in charactor and just acting like a bunch of goofs (considering a few people were fired and laid off this week, everyone needed a moment to smile and have some fun). I tried to tap my inner diva, fashioning a dress similar to J-Lo's shower curtain fiasco of year's past. I was up for Most Caffeinated, so decided to prove to people that yes, I do get my coffee via IV drip! I won!!

We also had a potluck, and this was the first time ever that no one brought chips and dip. Tons of veggies, fruit, turkey meatballs, and while there was some badness, most everything brought was relatively healthy. That made choices for me much easier and I walked away feeling just fine. Satisfied and yet managed to have a little bite of everything. I did go to the extreme myself, baking a chocolate Guinness cake with dark chocolate ganash, but the joy of that is I bake it, lick the spoon to get my fix and then stand back and let the hordes have at 'er! Perfect. Of course, we'll let the weigh-in tomorrow night decide how well I did!

Hug your family, tell them you love them, and have a safe day out there.

WTF???

It's freaking snowing...again!!!! It was +12 today...argh!!!! I wanted nothing more than to wear my birkenstoks to work tomorrow. I hate socks...I hate shoes...I really hate socks AND shoes. The toes demand to be free.

Sigh...guess I'll be up shoveling in the morning. And wearing my dang boots to work.

:(

Today's musings

I have a headache...could be because I got up and ran 10k in a race (1:15 - I'm using my time, not theirs (1:17), as my Garmin clocked me at 1:15 and change, but also said I ran 10.01 km, not 10), and then after changing into dry clothes, went out with the intent of running another 19 (training schedule has me running 29 today). I did 13.6 and I'm happy with it. The weather is definitely better this weekend, with the sun shining and +12. Made for an interesting run in spots as the morning started out with frozen and extremely slippery patches of ice turning into deep and very wet puddles later on!! Did finish with a headache, which I thought...okay, I ran too hard earlier (heart rate average was over 100% - oops) and it'll pass.

Got home, changed again, took some advil and after a quick snack of a bagel, Imperial cheese and dill pickles (it's a thing...), I lay under a blanket trying to get warm. Woke up about a half hour ago now trying to strip naked to cool down!!! Every window in the house opened, and I still have a headache. Wait a minute...how much coffee did I have today?? Uh-oh...I'm not saying I'm addicted, but my body sure is!!! I'll have a half a cup later and try to settle things down.

Making bison burgers for supper. May even post a pic later. I decided I was craving burgers and didn't want something fast foody. I wanted a real burger. So off to the store and decide between fresh ground sirloin or bison...I went with the bison (it was on sale, and the butcher recommended it). All I can say is it smells awesome in here. So I'll feed my head some burger and roasted potatoes and broccoli slaw and see if that helps ease the pain. Will let you know how it tastes.

OMG...Vancouver is in 1 month, 2 weeks and 4 days...who's idea was this?!

Back from Edmonton

WOW...that is all I can say. The Eagles concert was easily the best concert I have ever been to, and I've been to a few good ones. They came on just after 8 (no opening act for them), played for over an hour, took a 20 minute break at best, and played till 11:30!!! Their voices and musical skills are still top notch, and they truly have the best harmonies of any group out there.

The drive up yesterday was uneventful and even managed to make in 3 hours door to door, despite having to slow down past what I am now calling the car graveyard at Wetaskiwin. There had to be 20 cars and semis in the ditch!! Many looked very smashed up, and there was one jack-knifed semi that threw it's load - an earth mover!! Yet the highway was dry and not a patch of ice to be seen. Not sure what we missed, just happy we did!! Hooked up with the rest of the radio contest winners at the hotel (checked in, changed and even made it down for some pizza...Purple Pickle or something like that. Very similar to the Wicked Wedge here in Calgary), and then took the party bus to the Rexall Centre for the concert. Made us both very happy we drove ourselves up! The drive to the concert was painful enough...I would hated to have been trapped on it for 3+ hours...especially today! I just don't (and can't) drink like that anymore and find my toleration level dropping for those who do (and shouldn't!).

Woke up to the remnants of the blizzard that blew through Alberta last night (wind chill at the concert was -25 to -30), and mentally prepared ourselves for the drive home. Full tank of gas - check. Starbucks, with extra shots of espresso - check! Had to get H. back to work today for her shift at 2, but a quick phone call to the office said we'd get there when we got there...most of the drive home was only as fast as 60 k/hr (normally 110), with everyone driving like a sane person and not pressing our luck - guess the car graveyard sobered us all up! Left Edmonton at 10:30, stopped in Red Deer at noon for lunch and dropped H. off at work at 3:20. Came home, and after the reassurance call to Mom & Dad, went out and cleaned up my sidewalks from last night's snow. Definitly got my exercise in for the day!!

Now I am going to watch the news, watch the Amazing Race and decide what to do for dinner. And probably hit the sack...daylight savings is hard!

Goin' on a road trip

I won tickets to see the sold out Eagle's concert in Edmonton tonight, so H. and I are heading up as soon as she is done work (which hopefully, she is able to finish early today). Just 3 hours to the north, but there's supposed to be snow and storm blowing in (if the wind here in Calgary is any indication, it'll be a cold one!!!!), so I'd rather have the extra time to get there and not fret about the drive on the highway.

Just packed a lunch/snack for us both...road trips used to mean mini-donuts, bags of chips, cheetos, pop, etc. Now I have hummus, artichoke & spinach dip, whole wheat mini pitas, carrots, celery sticks and snow peas. And two bottles of water. Oh, and some cheddar cheese - nice extra old stuff, so we get massive flavour for little bites.

I was going to try and run 15k today...my long slow tomorrow is supposed to be 29k, but since I most likely won't be returning until after 2, the thoughts of going on a 3+ hour run afterwards is a little daunting. However, when I went out to get the car ready (you know...check the oil, top of the fluids, make sure I have duct tape for emergencies), that wind blew all thoughts of running out of my head!! Went for a walk instead, to drop something off at the bank, and then hit the grocery store for said snacks. At least I got out.

I also managed to tear myself away from my desk twice this week, and hit the running paths at lunch. Did a nice set of hills on Wednesday, and walked/ran 5.5k on Thursday. Looking forward to getting back into the routine after my month end glitch.

Well...the car is packed, I'm changed and ready to roll. Now just waiting for H. to call to say she's done, whip her home to grab her gear and we're hittin' the highway!! Don Henley, here we come!

Oy...

Was supposed to run 19, wanted to do 29 (next week's run) and ended up doing 20. I have got to work on a) rest before a run and b) nutrition before a run! I petered out at the 12k mark, but also because I am growing weary of running on loose snow and ice. So turned around, started back, decided I needed some chocolate milk for energy and took a side trip over to a 7-11. Felt a little better, but walked back, and finished at the 20k mark. Next week I'll try to run 15 on Saturday before H. and I head to Edmonton (for the Eagle's concert!) and 15 on Sunday after we return. Weather wasn't too bad, but not the +3 the signs said it was. It was cool by the river, and it didn't help that I was soaked through with sweat. And I wonder why I'm single!!


Month in review: short month, so this flew by. Not down so much pounds wise, but I did lose a bunch of inches, which I am thrilled about.
Weight at start of month: 214.4
Weight at end of month: 213.4 - hmmmm...need to focus on this.

Exercise: February is the start of tax season, so the month was a blur of reports and paperwork. Still managed to run or walk 13 of the 28 days, clocking 90.9 km running and 10 km walking. Again, doesn't include my daily commute, which is roughly 3 km a return trip. Need to step up the running, as Vancouver is two months away.

Biggest wow (and surprise) is the loss of 3.5 inches off my bod!
Bust: 42.25" (why does this have to go?!) down .75"
Waist: 39.25" down .75"
Hips: 44" down .25"
Right thigh: 27" down 1"
Right calf: 15.75" down .5"
Right arm: 13" down .25"

I'm going to crawl to my couch now...
:)

Motivation

Wow...while I hate getting up early on a Sunday, I have to say there is some merit to it, as I am lazing my way around this morning, trying to get motivated to get dressed and out and running. It's now 10:30 - I am eating breakfast, but it's going to be a long afternoon of running! I was trying to catch up on sleep, as both cats decided at 5 this morning to tag-team mommy until she finally got up to feed them - poor 20 lbs dears were apparently quite close to death!!! This went on until 8, when I finally lost it, got up fed them and then went back for a 'few more minutes' - when did the clock hit 10?!?!

Weigh in this week for me was not great but no unexpected! Working 10 hour days, not journalling, drinking little or no water and eating grab and go food did not work for me. And I did not get out to run once since last Sunday, so I will take the 1.6 gain in stride. I can get myself back to normal this week, and get rid of that, easy as pie...mmmm pie...

Day 4 of the BBE (body butter experiment) continues, although I am up .6 this morning, it's more likely due to the poutine, cheese, seafood and chocolate fondue for supper last night. Not to mention the gin martini, red wine and ice wine for dessert!

Must get moving, or will completely ignore run today. Will take stock of the month later.