Body Butter Update

Okay...I started this experiment on Thursday morning. My official weight on my scale at home that am was 215.7 - dang noodles and their excessive salt content! Anywoo, using Lubriderm Daily Moisterizing Lotion with Oatmeal...that's gotta be good for a pound or two, right??? Did have a minor scare yesterday when the scale tipped up at 216.2, but this morning I was down to 213.6. Hmmm...interesting. Oh, and I also use, daily, face cream to avoid wrinkles (that's gonna cost me!) AND Biosilk Hair Oil...pretty sure I'm absorbing it even as I type...uh-oh! I'm tracking for the next month (I have a spreadsheet...which doesn't surprise many of you) and will let you know the results.

Meanwhile, it started out very cold this morning, but after a lovely lie-in (I've been at work before 7 am all week), I went for a walk to meet up with H. and her mom, but H. is at home, sick in bed. She must work at feeling better, as we're off to the Laurier again for dinner tonight!

Need to hit the farmer's market for veggies and fruit for the week. Other than that, my weekend is calm this week...other than the 29k I'll run tomorrow. Who's idea was this again?!

We're in!

5:42 am...third day in a row...there is something seriously wrong in my life right now! But this too will end, so I just have to suck it up for a few more days, and then I can sleep in till 7!! Ha ha!!

H. and I both got into the Melissa's 22k in Banff in September. I signed us both up at 6:45 yesterday morning, and when I checked our confirmations a minute later, it appeared that it would be sold out by 7! The race is capped at 1750 runners, because of the National Park restrictions, but it is an extremely popular (and by far the most beautiful) run, and this year will be it's 30th anniversary. Hotel is already booked (did that in December) so we are set!

Body butter/lotion experiment begins today...wish me luck!

Just a quick note tonight

After getting up at 5 (you all know how I feel about mornings!), I was at work at 6:20 am. I thought it would a be a productive way to spend my day, fighting with IT, Desktop, Finance Admin and assorted other departments and computer programs before finally getting the tax forms I've been trying to work on since February 9th working at 1 pm TODAY!!!!!! Nothing like being prepared! But I am happy to say the forms are processing and I may still meet my deadline of February 28th (these aren't T4's, so they don't have to be out, but they're still tax forms, and are important to the people getting them). Depends what other bits of work my boss has in mind for me this week.

Had an interesting talk with my hair dresser regarding yet another "miracle" diet - wait, not a diet but a system of re-programming your metabolism by injecting yourself with some freaky hormone thing (I'm a woman...I have more than my fair share of hormones!) and then restricting yourself to 500 calories a day for 3 weeks (and $1100)...but you'll never get fat again! What ever! People are desperate and gullible...He's bragging that he lost 10 pounds in 10 days - well, d-uh!! 500 calories a day... And yet another person going on about not using body lotion, because "you absorb it and gain weight"...is everyone in the world suddenly on crack?! So here's my experiment...I'm going to start using body butter/lotion and see how much I gain in the next 7 days! I shake my head...

I'm off to bed - got another long day ahead of me tomorrow. But Melissa's opens in the morning, so fingers crossed that H and I get in to run it again this year.

Whatever happened to lazy Sundays?

I don't know...I think when I said those infamous words "I want to run a marathon", I successfully removed all chances of me having a lazy Sunday for a very, very, very long time! Got up this morning (a little later than normal, but still too early for a Sunday), and after some breakfast of yogurt, oatmeal, All Bran, mixed fruit and a half a latte, I headed out for a 26k run. This will officially be the longest I've run, ever, and I was doing it alone. So I headed down to Eau Claire with a plan and headed out. East to Langevin (Edmonton Trail), and then across the river, and then west young lady, head west...past where I was stationed last week at the Hypothermic Half, turning around at the old Bowness bridge...on the way back, my breakfast was totally gone, and the gel I had was pretty ineffective...I did a great 10:1's all the way out to the 13k mark, but the way back was slower and most walking. Weighing down on me was the fact I also said I was going to bake the cake for tonight's birthday dinner (mine yesterday, my mom's (today), my nephew's (next Friday), and my brother's (mid March))...so I didn't do the full loop back, finishing at 22.5 km. Came home, soaking wet (they said it was -12, so I dressed for it!...they lied!!!), changed, baked a chocolate Guinness cake, jumped in the shower, got the cake and icing stuff ready to roll, changed again, packed up and headed to Mom & Dad's. Ordered Chinese (a long standing tradition, and there goes my deep fried goodness rule!), watched my brother and father fight before running to hide in the bathroom, wishing I drank more, before everyone settled down, and we had a lovely evening. Cleaned up the mess, and then drove my nephew and his girlfriend home, and just got in myself. Now I'm going to enjoy my lazy Sunday and settle down to watch the Amazing Race.

Hope everyone has a good week.

Today is my birthday...

Na na na na na naa...
Happy Birthday to me...
Na na na na na naa...

Wow...I was alive when the Beatles first sang this song... Happy B-day shout out to all those celebrating this weekend!

Happy Friday

My week was so stressed at work, I decided last minute that I needed a day off! So here it is, I took today. Got to sleep in a little, and now I'm lounging in my jammies, sipping a latte (more espresso than milk, just the way I like it) and deciding what I should next. I am going to help H. move some furniture and then do some running around with Mom later this afternoon. And I potentially have a date tonight (yes...with a man, so pick yourself up off the floor and continue reading!), although I haven't heard details yet, so guess it's still up in the air.

I was proud of myself this week...I was very close to cracking and inhaling every chip and other salty, deep-fried, sugar-coated, dipped in chocolate badness I could get my hands on, but instead I greeted my emotions rather than eating them, and went for a brief walk. Between a coworker taking days off (when they are so far behind in their own job) and then calling in sick, computers not working and fighting with the desktop/network people all week about the cause, reports needed having to be reworked 4 times just to get the data right and looming deadlines, I'm amazed I didn't knock off a candy store!!! But my resolve held out and as a result I kicked another 1.8 lbs to the curb this week (I am no longer saying I lost, because that implies that I can find it again!) at weight watchers. And I have a very good run yesterday (fueled by stress, no doubt!) that saw my average pace increase by a good 1/2 minute per km.

Interesting article on the news this week, about how some doctors in Canada (an Alberta doctor is spearheading) are calling on the Federal government to regulate diet programs. Their concern are these fad and 'rapid weight loss' programs out there that promise excess weight loss with little or no effort on the patient's side. Reading the comments was also entertaining - found it on http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090217/CGY_Diet_Regulation_090217/20090217?hub=CalgaryHome.

Well, I should go make some breakfast (usual oatmeal, milk, craisons and almond slices) and jump in the shower to head out on my day.

Have a great one, everyone.

Where did the day go?

First off, due to the icy, snowy conditions yesterday, I did not run 23k. I did a short walk in the morning with the coffee ladies (3.3??) and then ran 8k in the afternoon, with my friend MF, who paced me on his bike. He almost wiped out more often than I did - there were some very slippery spots. I was feeling sorry for the Hypothermic Half runners scheduled for their race today, but the humidity dropped, so no more snow or ice over night, and it turned into a glorious day. I was also able to pick up my volunteer package yesterday (helps with the Running Room crew remembers you), so I could sleep in today, rather than having to be up and down at the start line at 8:30. Instead I was stationed at a checkpoint, probably at about the 10-10.5k mark, watching for traffic (big stop sign in hand) and wayward runners (point them in the right direction). Not sure how many runners / walkers there were (it was capped and sold out, hence volunteering instead of running), but the first guy raced past me at 10:39 (the race started at 10!), and the first lady about 3 minutes after him. And let's hear it for the sisters, shall we?!?! She ended up passing him, and won the race, with a time of less than 1:28!!!!!!! Holy mother, that's travelling fast!!!

I must remember the next run I'm on to be very appreciative and vocal to the course marshalls. I was overwhelmed by the number of 'thank-yous' and high 5's for me, rather than for themselves. What else did I have to do on a Sunday morning?? And I got brunch out of it. Sat with a group I know (MF from yesterday, posting a time of 2:05 - none too shabby!), and after filling my belly with the best bacon ever (of course, when you never eat it anymore, it all tastes sooooo good!) and wicked good muffins, I headed off to the Farmer's market to get some fruit and veggies (and pita from the Greek ladies), came home, swept and cleaned up my sidewalks, and now I think a nap is in order!

Hope everyone has a great week!