Brother's Creek

Another hike on the books.  Last Saturday it was a gorgeous day out.  We ventured out to West Vancouver ... according to Wikipedia:

West Vancouver is home to some very large and expensive properties and houses. Occasionally, houses have been priced and sold at around CAD$30,000,000. As of 2011, West Vancouver's average house sells for over CAD$2,000,000;^[7] 95% of the houses or close to 16,000 homes are worth over CAD$1 million. West Vancouver is often referred to as one of the wealthiest municipalities in Canada.

{source}

Houses at 30 Million!  Yikes!!  I knew it was VERY expensive to live there, but WOW.  Honestly many of the homes are quite dated, though they are starting to upgrade.  The views from some of these lots though are amazing and certainly must contribute greatly to the price of these homes.

Here is one of the views at the beginning of the hike (which is right beside some of the most expensive homes in West Vancouver).  I could imagine waking up to this each day.  The home below us has been demolished and is in the process of being rebuilt.

Unlike our last hike, this was the only view of the ocean and cities that we were to see on this hike.  This was more of a "nature" hike.

As this was an easier level hike, we took along both dogs.  They had a blast!  Here are Heike and Tia exploring one of the many bridges.  The dogs were in heaven on this whole hike.  I was happy to be able to take Tia on this one.  I don't feel right about taking her on the longer, steeper hikes.  She would do it, but I don't want to hurt her.

I loved how most of the bridges are handmade, but still quite rustic.




















The first half of this hike was, in my opinion, kind of boring.  The above pictures look decent, but they were certainly of a better portion of the trail.  Most of it was on a rather wide path, with either a dirt or rock trail (see pic below).  Some of the forest was pretty, but some of it got kind of bushy.  I think ideally you'd want to have some good conversation while getting through this section.  There are a few side trails that we didn't explore this time.  Perhaps that would add a bit more interest.

Heike having a little rest break

It wasn't a steep climb up, just steady.  Suddenly we came upon the crossing of Brother's Creek which had a lovely bridge across it.  We stopped here for a little rest and some pictures.  We had set up the camera on a little ledge and just as it went off, this cyclist rode across.  Poor guy felt so bad.  He couldn't see the camera and didn't realize what we were doing.  Afterwards he took a few more pictures for us to "make up".  I actually think it's kind of funny that he's in this picture.  Honestly, everyone you meet when out in nature are super nice.

I still can't believe this guy, and his 3 buddies, rode their bikes up there.  The direction they came from is fairly challenging terrain to hike.  I can't imagine how you'd possibly bike it.  Though, when we saw his friends they were carrying their bikes, so maybe they did a lot of that (still freakishly hard!).

As you can see, there is a little bit of snow just behind us on the right.  Apparently there is a trail from here that goes to a lake and it still has quite a bit of snow.  We debated taking it, but decided not to this time.  I've since looked up information on that trail and it seems like it would be worth trying.




The hike down the other side of the loop was AWESOME!  Waterfalls, interesting terrain, beautiful forests, LOTS of gorgeous bridges to cross.  I just loved this part of the hike and it made up for the monotonousness  of the first half.








I just realized I did not get ANY pics of the actual trail on the way down.  I will make sure to do that next time I go ... which could be very, VERY soon.

On this particular bridge that crossed over the main creek, there was a "pool" under one side and it just screamed "WISHING WELL" to me.  And Lord knows I could use some wishes to be granted these days.  So I dug out a couple quarters and my daughter & I both made our wishes and tossed them into the water.  After I threw mine I was kind of puzzled.  I turned and looked at my daughter and said, "Can you see that?" ... which she did.

My quarter got stuck between two rocks and was sitting there plain as day.  You couldn't make that happen if you tried!  My pessimistic view was that my quarter got stuck so now my wishes will not be carried away by the river to be granted.  However my husband said that perhaps this meant my wishes weren't being washed away, they were firmly planted and would come true.  I wished for an awful lot though so I don't know ...

This hike was wonderful to take the dogs on.  There were SO many water sources for the dogs to drink from or walk in.  As we got further along I noticed Heike was opting to walk through the water rather than over the bridges that were over the small run-off creeks.

It's REALLY hard to get a good picture of a solid black dog...  Luckily my sweet little Tia has lots of grey hairs like her Momma so we can find her in these pictures.   She had SO much fun on this hike.  It wiped her out for the day, but she loved every minute of it.

The final portion of this hike is along the Baden Powell Trail (a 48 Km trail through the North Shore Mountains, named after Lord Baden Powell, founder of Scouting).  This section was gorgeous, and easy hiking.  I could have taken in the surroundings for hours.  On such a warm day it smelled so much of pine that it reminded us of fresh Christmas trees.

I have every intention of going here again.  It was an easy enough hike that most people in reasonable shape can do it.  I have tentative plans (hinging on weather) to go up in the very near future with a small group of friends.  Maybe I can convince them to explore some of those side routes, or perhaps venture further up the trail to the lake.

Heidi

♥♥♥♥♥

Diez Vistas - Completed and with a special encounter in the woods

This is a bit of a boring post because there is a complete lack of pictures.

Saturday I went up to Buntzen Lake again and hiked the Diez Vistas trail (same as last weekend).  However, there were a few differences.  First, I went with my son this weekend.  Last weekend I went with my daughter, which is a more easy-going hike.  She feels no urgency to complete anything in any hurry - driving me slightly crazy, but I'm thankful to be out and also to be spending time with her.  My son on the other hand is go, go, go .... mo rest for the wicked!

Our mission was to complete the entire trail and see as many viewpoints as we could.  My daughter and I only visited the first two.  Unfortunately this weekend it was MISERABLE!  I knew rain was on it's way in and when we arrived at the trail it was mostly cloudy with just the odd raindrop.  By the end of the trail it was WET!  As such, the view points left an awful lot to the imagination.  But, we saw enough that we would love to do this hike again on a clear day.

My daughter and I took a good hour and a half to get to the first viewpoint.  With my son we got there in an hour, and between the dog and I, we were most definitely holding him back.

Even though we didn't get the best views on this hike because of the weather, we did have some excitement.  About 20 minutes into the hike, the dog suddenly stopped then ran off the trail into the bush a few feet.  She had seen a black bear!  It was maybe 50 feet from us, standing up against a tree, just watching us.  The dog wanted desperately to go after it, but I called her back to us.  I thought if the bear went away peacefully then I didn't want the dog chasing it.  She LOVES to chase bears, and has done so quite successfully on hunting trips with my father in law.  She was known for running away from camp and treeing bears.

As it was, the bear just took a little look at us, then scampered off in the other direction.  The dog wanted to go after it and kept trying to head in it's direction, but I wouldn't let her and eventually she forgot.  To be honest, I was kind of excited and relieved to have encountered my first bear ... and happy that my son was with me. I knew there was a great possibility of encountering one out in our forests, and I'm was very pleased to see my dog's reaction.  One of my big reasons for bringing her is for some added security from animals and humans.  She did her job just right!

Further on the trail we were coming down a hill and heard a VERY loud CRACK!  We were certain it was another bear as there weren't any other humans nearby.  But, after stopping and having a very good look, then, proceeding slowly and cautiously, we never did see anything ... and the dog wasn't even remotely interested.  Perhaps it actually was just a branch breaking on it's own.

The entire hike took us a good 4 1/2 hours, and we rarely ever stopped.  A couple times we tried to take some pictures but they were just all grey.  The viewpoints weren't worth hanging out at for long with the weather, so we plundered on.  I definitely could have used a few rest breaks, but my son likes to plow on.  He was rather bored with my pace - hahhaa.  

The last hour and a half were quite boring.  For a good half hour we had to detour off a closed trail, and had to follow a road.  SNORE!  Eventually we got back to the original trail, but it was a very popular trail that was very well groomed.  It was a beautiful running trail, but not quite what for a hike I enjoy a more challenging terrain.

This hike was TOUGH!  I definitely got whiny as the trail progressed.  You climb up steep, rocky sections for about an hour or so ... then down the same kind of stuff for about 2 hours.  I am rather clumsy so must pick my footing VERY carefully.  By the last hour I was sore, wet, and tired.  My feet were killing me and, well, pretty much every other body part.  My son actually pushed me up some of the hills at the end. :D.  With the detour we had to take, I would estimate this hike was approximately 17 Km.  The main trail is, I think, 14Km, but we had to take quite the extra loop.

If you are interested in a much more picturesque blog report of this particular hike, check out VANCOUVER LIFE - DIEZ VISTAS TRAIL.  I came across this blog while researching local hikes and this blog is very thorough and informative.  I have been combing over it extensively the last week in search of new adventures!

Sunday I had planned to hike with my daughter but it was absolutely POURING out.  A little drizzle is one thing, but this was pelting against my bedroom window.  With my soreness from the day before, plus my daughter fighting a cold, we thought it best to postpone this one for another weekend.  Little trooper said she would go if I wanted to, but I didn't think we needed to subject ourselves to that.  Hopefully next weekend!

Heidi

♥♥♥♥♥

Hiking - Diez Vistas

Recently I've been reminded that we shouldn't let life slip by.  Do the things you want and love to do as often as you can do them.

With this in mind, on Saturday my daughter and I ventured out for a hike.  Wanted to do this last year, and it just didn't happen.  Partly because, to be completely honest, I'm a little scared hitting up trails like this without my husband.  I am somewhat directionally challenged and really just afraid to try new things on my own, but he's just too busy and it's not an option to wait for him to be available.  I have to figure this out on my own and hope sometimes he can come.

For this hike I chose a trail that was expected to be in good condition (many of our local mountain trails still have a good layer of snow on them).  It also was to offer some spectacular views and a reasonable challenge, without being too difficult.  My daughter has never hiked before and I wanted to really encourage her and have her enjoy it.

The trail starts at the beautiful Buntzen Lake in Port Moody.

I had never been up here before, but it is beautiful!  Of course it was a gorgeous day too.  There are a variety of trails around here and I would love to come back here and check them out.  Even some that are flat enough for some trail runs.  There is also a rather large off-leash dog section of the lake to allow the puppies free play in and around the water.

The hike starts out with a steady, but easy climb on a fairly open, yet wooded, trail.  The perfect tree cover for either a hot sunny day, but would probably also offer good coverage on a rainy day.

We took along our big dog, Heike.  In the woods like this there is always a very good possibility of bears and apparently she is a fantastic bear chasing dog (I hope to never have to test this!).  Heike is actually my father-in-law's dog, but I have kind of adopted her in the last year or so and she goes everywhere with me now.  When she was younger she did a fair bit of Schutzhund Training.  I definitely felt more protected taking her along.  Although, as we got further up the trail, she was pretty tired and I'm not sure how much protection she could have offered. ;)

As it was, because it was such a beautiful day, we passed a fair number of other hikers and I think the risk of a bear encounter was probably on the slim side.

The forest we climbed through was absolutely gorgeous!  For the most part it was a well maintained trail, with some quite steep, challenging sections ... and then a nice mix of flatter rolling hills.  It was nice to have the variety.  There were a few times I had to give the dog a "lift" or "tug" to help her through a technical section.  My daughter didn't handle the steeper sections so much.  I said to her at one point, "You do realize that every time we have to climb you get whiny?".  She said, 'I know."  hahahah  But at the end of the day she liked it and said she wants to do it again.  I look forward to taking some of her and/or my friends out on hikes sometimes.  But this was really nice to do for just her and I.

The name "Diez Vistas" translates from Spanish into "Ten Views".  Apparently there are ten viewpoints along the trail.  Unfortunately, we didn't have time to complete the round trip and just visited the first two viewpoints and then came back down the trail.  I'm hoping to get up there this weekend with my son and we will complete the whole loop and see how many viewpoints we can find.

When we got to the top poor Heike was pooped!  I learned some lessons on this hike.  I never thought about bringing a doggie dish for her.  I had treats for her, but nothing to put water in.  I guess I was expecting to find some creeks, which we did but only on the lower end of the trail, not up top.  As it was, I poured water into a baggie and she drank from that.  I'm going to see about getting a little backpack for her and she can carry some water too.

At the top we had a couple snacks and took a good 20-30 minute rest break, taking some pictures and just taking in the view.  Even had cell reception up there so got a call into my husband and a couple of texts with friends (Hi Tamara!).  I probably could have sat there for longer.  It was so peaceful.

(just one of the MANY views looking out over Metro Vancouver)

I don't know why I look so red in this picture.  I actually wasn't overly hot at all.  I think it's a lighting thing.  It also looks like I was right on the edge of a cliff, but I can assure you that I was not and it was very safe.  I wouldn't risk that!

Overall it was an absolutely wonderful hike and I actually worry a bit that I may have set the bar too high for future hikes. :)  But more adventures will follow to determine that.  I can not wait to get out there again.  

It was a good practice run and I have a few things to pick up to make future hikes even better:

• collapsible doggie dish
• doggie backpack
• better shoes for my daughter (hers were bothering her so I swapped shoes with her ... then proceeded to twist my ankle - grrr!)
• bear bells (just in case!)
• bug spray - this hike was OK, but it will get worse as it warms up

Also, it would have been better to have had more time to complete the full trail.  As it was I had plans for a girls' night and had to be back in time for that (where I proceeded to dance way too much on my twisted ankle - including jive dancing when my husband showed up).  It was a FULL weekend.  My son turned 18 last week and hosted a party at our house on Friday, got up early and out for the hike Saturday followed by a late night out with the girls.  Sunday was blissfully quite.  Other than getting my girl off to work, I spent the majority of the day on the couch with an ice pack on the ankle and desperately trying to rehydrate after a day of hiking in hot weather followed by perhaps a teensy bit of alcohol - hahaha.  It was actually a GREAT weekend!

Heidi

♥♥♥♥♥

My Husband Loves Me

Sunday was race #2 in the trail series I'm doing.  For me it's the toughest course of this series.  And today some of the footing was insanely horrid.

We lined up for the start and the race director informed us "there is water out there, you can't avoid it so don't even try."

Hmmmm .. apparently he hasn't met stubborn Heidi.  :)  Does he not know that I havee pretty much BRAND NEW SHOES ON!!!  I can't be getting those babies soaked to the bone.  I knew they'd get muddy, but soaked ... I don't think so.  I actually looked at my husband and said "Wanna go home?"  I was half joking, half serious - not that he'd ever let me leave - LOL.

So, race starts and I got a clean break.  Last year at this race I got caught in a mob.  Really throughout the whole race I had my own space which was great.  My pace was a little slower than I would have liked to start, but it was steady and I figured I could hold it throughout the whole thing.

This route goes along a crushed gravel path that is slightly soft packed as it's a shared horse trail.  Just after the 3K mark you turn off this trail to a single track narrow dirt trail.  Quite narrow, fairly slippery, some logs to jump over or duck under.  There were a few little puddles but nothing worth the description the race director gave us - until ......

About the 4K mark the trail is completely closed in with blackberry bushes, grasses and trees on both sides.  There is nowhere to go except through the trail.  Suddenly in front of us is the mother of all puddles.  My sweet, dear, loves-me-without-question husband stops, squats down and instructs me to HOP ON.

He CARRIED me through the muddy part.  And when I say muddy, understand that we're talking 8" or deeper swamp puddles with deep, soft, slippery mud and tree roots ... for about 150 feet.  He didn't even hesitate and I didn't ask him to do it ... nor did I turn down his offer either!

After that section it was super muddy for another 1/2 Km.  We were slipping everywhere and I'm still shocked I didn't go down.  There was some walking required to get through safely, alot of very careful tip toeing.  Certainly not ideal conditions. 

And once you broke out of the muddy single track trail and came back onto the gravel horse trail ... up you go.  Though the more I run that hill, the easier it gets.  The first year it nearly killed me, today it just slowed me down some.

And when you get to the top ... you get to do it all again.  Yep, that's right, two loops through the mud bog ... and hubby carried me both times.  Can you say love???  Can you say awwww?

My time was slower than last year by 50 seconds, but I'm not surprised.  I had hoped to improve, but given the conditions I'm pleased.  It was not the day to PR on this course. 

Keep Active!

Heidi

2011 Goals

Sure seems to be taking me long enough to post my goals for 2011.

 

Alot going on these days and I'm finding it hard to get to the computer for a little quality time :).  I'm considering giving up sleeping.  Good idea???  It's been a busy last few days getting back to work & the kids to school.  To top it off, my boss decided we're moving offices ... tomorrow!  At least I'll be getting lots of activity in packing up the whole thing and moving furniture & boxes.

Without further ado ... here are my goals for 2011!

 

Run 2011 Kms / 1250 Miles - This year, I will run 2011 Km (aka 1250 miles), along with my buddy Syl who has already pledged to do the same.  And my friend Fran will be joining us with 1011 Kms.  In 2010 I originally planned to run 750 miles, then decided to changed to 1000 miles.  Unfortunately I fell just a hair short on that (943 miles), but I did learn some lessons along the way.  I will NOT fail on this goal this year!

Set some PR's - I want more PRs this year.  I know I have it in me to improve upon my current PR's.  This year there will be more speed work, more hills, more intervals.  I want to improve on everything from the 5K to the half marathon.  The times I'm aiming for are not significantly faster, but I know that even this little bit will be an achievement.

Time goals:

• 5K - 24:30 ... 7:54/mile  (current 24:53)
• 10K - 49:59 ... 8:04/mile  (current 50:59)
• Half Marathon - 1:55:00 ... 8:46/mile  (current unofficial 1:57:??)
• Grouse Grind - 49:59  (current 50:54)  **mountain hike

Conquer the Half Marathon - I was only able to enter one half marathon in 2010, and it didn't go so great.  I WILL conquer this one this year, and I will do it well too!  This is the one goal that is a MUST for me this year.  If I can pull it off, I'm hoping to do a very special half marathon this year with a fellow blogger.

Cross Training - This year I'm putting more emphasis on cross training - most specifically weights.  Lately when I've done a bit of weight work I feel it ... big time.  This tells me that running alone is not enough.  Also, not that I've had alot of injuries, but the one's I've had, alot can pretty much be pinned on muscle weakness.  Stronger muscles throughtout my entire body will help me run faster.  My butt & abs are usually the first thing to get sore on a challenging run.  That tells me something.   

Along with the weights, I want to venture more.  I've found a fantastic, willing, eager exercise partner who loves to go, go, go ... and I intend to go, go, go.  Once the weather allows, I want to be hiking the mountains more, riding my bike more ... maybe even try kayaking or canoeing for something different.

 

Lose Weight - For the last year I put very little effort into further weight loss and have even gained a little bit.  That is changing this year.  Dec 26/10 my weight was 153.2 and by the end of 2011 I will be at least 10 lbs under that.  This is going to be an even bigger focus than running this year.  Lower weight generally means faster/easier running so by losing excess weight my running should improve. 

In summary, while running is the most important to me, I'm going to put more effort into other areas of my life which will naturally help the running to improve (weight loss, cross training, running drills).  Last year was mostly about distance covered and nothing else.  That is great, but just covering miles isn't enough for what I want to achieve.

Keep Active!

Heidi

♥♥♥♥♥

Snuggles with a Snowman

Another great hike!

My son is still injured and was unable to play his game this weekend.  This left me with a bit of unexpected free time, which I took full advantage of.

I squeezed in one more hike up one of our local mountains.  Typically I go up Grouse Mountain via the Grouse Grind, however this time we tried something new and went up an adjacent trail called the BCMC (BC Mountaineering Club) trail. 

Nice trail!  Compared to the Grind, it's not quite as well marked (the GG is idiot proof), but it is easy to follow and there are lots of markers that are easy to spot.  It's more natural, very few man-made steps.  Not quite as steep, or as big of steps, but still very challenging.  I'd say that I prefer it.

The weather is turning here and snow on this trail is imminent.  In fact, any given day you could encounter it going up.  We were prepared to turn around if necessary, and we also came with extra provisions in case of trouble.  As it turned out there was no snow until after we crested the top of the trail and arrived at the Grouse Mountain Chalet.  There was maybe 2-3" of wet snow up there. 

When I saw this cutie pie I just had to get some pics taken with him:

It looks like snow falling, but it's actually just very thick fog.  It felt so festive.  The mountain has just opened up their skating rink up there too.  $8 just to rent skates though - rip off!  I'd rather carry mine up on the hike than spend that. 

I know that I may not get another hike up there this year.  It's usually too much of a time crunch for me, and for every week that goes by the possibility of snow/ice is too real.  I like a challenge, but safety comes first.

Come spring though, I want to be spending alot of time on these (and other) mountains.  I ♥ hiking!

Keep Active!

Heidi

♥♥♥♥♥

Weekly Goal Review - Nov 5th

It may only be 5 days into the month, but I want to review my goals for the month on a weekly basis to be sure I'm on target.

WEEKLY GOAL REVIEW

Swimming

Swam 3 sets x 10 laps (there and back) yesterday in the pool.  1500 Meters???   I'm estimating about 35-40 minutes actually swimming time with breaks for water and to catch my breath in between.  The swimming is coming easier now and I'm eager to build on my endurance.  A few weeks ago swimming 3 full laps in a row left me completely winded.  I'm learning to pace myself better and the strokes are getting smoother.  I'm also not swallowing half the pool like I did the first time.

Basic Exercises

Technically I'm behind 2 days.  However, I didn't set-up this goal until the 3rd, so I'm just missing the days prior to setting this goal.  I will do 2 double sets this week to make up for it.  I will have 30 sets of this by month end.

Hill/Interval Training

Tried out a new trail Wednesday night.  I've ran small parts of it before, but not this particular route.  It was good, and nice to try something different ... but muddy!  I only have one good pair of running shoes and now they are looking pretty dirty.  Boo!  It was very hilly though, so I'm counting it as my hill training for the week - even though it was really proper hill repeats.  My arse definitely felt the hills though, so I'd say it was effective.

Took along the shepherd and she was very, very good.  I will be bringing her along more often now.  Often my excuse for not taking her is because I normally drive a car, and the dog kennel is too big to fit in it and I really don't want a big, dirty dog all over my seats.  I've been driving the truck this week so was able to put her kennel in the box.  But I think I might find a sheet to cover the seats in my car and see how she does.  I will make sure to have someone in the car with me the first time in case she gets too hyper.  She loves coming along so much and doesn't get out and about enough.  I know she loves it, so I'm going to find a way to make this work.

Tempo Run

Today I want to do a 5-6 mile tempo run.  Had planned to do it last night, but business called and then laziness set in.  I have time for it today, although it will be a damp one. Boo!

Mileage Build-up

This weekend it's the big 1-4!  Longest distance to date!!  Would it be too much to ask for another few hour break from the rain that seems to have found us again?  For all the rain we anticipated, I have been super lucky lately not to get stuck in it.

So ... all is on target so far.

Have a Great Weekend

Keep Active!

Heidi

♥♥♥♥♥

Light Bulb Moment

HILL REPEATS

Last night we did hill repeats.  1 mile warm-up jog to the base of a hill.  Then 10 repeats of about 250 Meters each.  I forgot to time the first two but the remainder were like this:

Hill 3 - 1:20
Hill 4 - 1:17
Hill 5 - 1:16
Hill 6 - 1:16
Hill 7 - 1:15
Hill 8 - 1:17
Hill 9 - 1:15

then for the final one I decided I would go as hard as I could ...

Hill 10 - 1:10

You wouldn't think a measly 5 seconds would make much of a difference, but let me tell you ... I thought I was going to puke! 

I was pleased to see that I mostly got progressively faster as they went on.  Hills are something I need work on.  They always slow me down alot in a race.

ON THE RUN FUEL

Lately I've begun experimenting with on the run fuel.  My first venture included Cliff Shots Razz Energy Gel (disgusting!) and Luna Moons (not bad).  For last weekends impromtu half marathon training distance I brought along full strength Gatorade instead of water.  This actually went well.  I have used powdered Gatorade before, mixed to be quite watery, but I didn't love it.  The full strength pre-mixed Gatorade seemed to be good.  Although, as I wasn't expecting my husband to run with me, we only had one 500mL bottle between the two of us and had to share.  I think a whole bottle to myself would have been better.  I had one Luna Moon left for each of us.  It was nice to have, but not nearly enough.  When I move up to longer runs I am going to need fuel.

I'm not a huge fan of commercial products (like the Gu's, Sport Beans, etc.) so would rather give more regular foods a shot.  Pretzels and PB&J sandwiches are on my list of things to try.  I read an article in this month's Running World that mentioned Dean Karnazes has ordered pizza enroute ... doesn't that sound enticing!  I might even give it a try.  Not a whole pizza mind you ... just a slice.

I'm struggling a bit with re-fueling after a long run.  I didn't used to have any hunger after runs, but lately I've been a starving, tummy grumbling monster.  Yet, I'm too tired to really put anything decent together and find myself grabbing foods that don't do much for me.  Because I make poor choices, the nibbling continues for the rest of the day.  I need to be more prepared so I don't have to put any effort into it, so I can have it ready to eat as soon as I get home.  After my last two long runs I did enjoy a big serving of cold chocolate milk.  That was all I thought about during the last mile of last weekend's 13.1.

LIGHT BULB MOMENT

Yesterday I was thinking.  My eating has become habit.  I prepack my breakfast and lunch every morning for work.  Typically it's about the same thing, always in the same quantities.  It occurred to me yesterday ... why not reduce the quantity a little. 

Really, would I notice it that much if I had a Tablespoon less of my morning oatmeal?  If I had 4 crackers instead of 5?  A little less than a cup of pasta? 

Those are little changes.  I probably wouldn't even notice them ... but maybe my body would.

Part of me has given up fighting to get this last bit of fat off me.  I can't stand the thought of journalling anymore - I have years and years of journals.  I haven't weighed myself in probably over a month.  Not even the measuring tape.  I'm not interested in being obsessive with it anymore.  But yet, I still would like to feel better.  I'd still like to be trimmer and lighter, which would no doubt help me improve my running (which is the most important to me these days).

Such a simple concept ... now let's see how it plays out.

What's your favourite post-workout food?

Keep Active!

Heidi

♥♥♥♥♥