Finally Burned Some Calories

No, I still haven't ran.  Not sure where my mojo has gone for that, or when it will come back.  I haven't ran since Feb 9th.  Yikes ... I didn't realize it had been quite that long.

In complete honesty I had EVERY intention of running this weekend.  Kinda had to as I was signed up for an 8K race on Sunday, which my friend (who has been sick for a good 6 weeks and is finally recovering) was going to meet me at.  I couldn't really bail on this one ... however I did - but with a good excuse (which I will get to in a minute).

Backing it up a bit .....

Sunday was my daughter's 15th birthday, though somehow she doesn't seem only 15.  We had made plans over a month ago to celebrate her birthday on the Saturday and go out quadding on the ATVs.  February is not exactly the best time of year for outdoor activities, but she had every intention of getting as muddy as possible and didn't mind the fact that it would probably be cold & wet.  We didn't however count on snow.

All last week was COLD here.  Cold like we don't typically get (windchills of -17).  And, of course, on Saturday the warm front moved in which brought us snow.  It started, lightly, in the morning while we were having breakfast.

My husband's company does snow removal, so potential snow is kind of a big deal.  We have to be ready to go at a moments notice if it starts to accumulate.  But, on the same hand, if you sit and wait for it and are prepared to go .... often it doesn't happen and you've cancelled plans unnecessarily.  This has happened too many times.  So we packed up to go out and play and hoped that it wouldn't build up while we were gone.

The quadding was OK.  It was a location we hadn't been to before and it really wasn't the greatest.  Lots of soft spots.  Her boyfriend's quad wasn't suitable for this type of riding (which we knew going out) and he got stuck alot.  Then I, stupidly, tried to take a different route through one area and first I nearly flipped the machine and then got it stuck so deep I wasn't sure if we could get it out.  After we winched it out we decided to scratch those plans and went and made a fire and had hotdogs.  It was so great to be outdoors like that, even if things didn't work out quite how we wanted them to.  I just love being outdoors and hanging out with my family like that.

When we got home the snow had started to accumulate, but not enough for clearing yet.  We all settled in to watch the UFC fight.  But my husband was on edge, wondering if we needed to gear up.  Eventually he decided to get ready, and shortly after that we got the call that we were to be on site at 11 .... PM!  It was gonna be a late night and a long day.

I had the option of driving the quad with a snow plow ... or shovelling.  This time I opted for shovelling.  It's been so long since I exercised that I wanted to burn some calories.  Plus you stay SO much warmer shovelling.  Driving the quad is COLD and wet!  Within about 15 minutes us shovellers were stripping off layers, and we were still hot.  My poor son (who has a pretty bad cold) had to drive a quad and he was frozen all night.  He was so sick, but he kept going until he literally fell asleep on his quad at one point (while stopped of course).  At that point we took him off shift.

It was actually great exercise and I kinda enjoyed myself.  You get into a rhythym and somehow you forget that it's 2 or 3 in the morning.  My daughter & her boyfriend also came along and they shovelled with me.  I almost couldn't keep up with them.

I'm so, so, SO proud of those kids.  All 3 of them worked hard all night.  They were dedicated and did a fantastic job.  I don't have one single complaint.  Plus, it was so great to have our whole family working together like that.

So, it wasn't a typical "workout", but let me tell you ... I was DRENCHED in sweat.  My arms ache today.  Yesterday was a write off, slept off and on most of the day - hopefully enough that the fatigue doesn't drag on all week. 

I now have 2 weeks until my half marathon and I'm NOT .. AT ... ALL trained for it.  But I'll still do it, if only for the experience.  It's paid for and there's no refunds, so may as well do it.  Somehow though I do HAVE to get some runs in between now and then.

Heidi

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Missing: Motivation & Desire

I have no idea what's up with me lately.  I just have NO desire to run, or even exercise for that matter.  I'm not being particularly lazy.  My ass has not been parked on the couch eating bon-bons.  I've been busy doing things, constantly moving, though I have no idea what I'm actually doing.

Exercise has always been the easy part for me.  I love it!  My diet is the thing I usually struggle with, but a run or any type of workout has always been welcomed and enjoyed.

I have not run since last Wednesday.  And in fact, I haven't had a good, enjoyable run in some time.  I only have 16 miles logged so far this month, which is unheard of for me.  It's sad, but I can already see my mileage goal for the year slipping away, and that doesn't bother me right now either.

I had planned to run Thursday, then put that off to Friday, then decided on a short one Saturday and a long run Sunday.  Not one of those materialized.

Don't know if it's the weather.  I'm sick of the gray.  Sick of the rain.  Sick of the cold.  And plain just a little sick with a very slight nagging sore throat, not enough to really bother me, I'm just calling in excuses.  Also this darn leg just is NOT getting any better, it's not bad, but like the throat it's just hanging around reminding me every once in a while that it's not 100%.  But even putting that aside I have no DESIRE to run.  Even when I've been injured before and unable to run, I've still WANTED to, ached to.  This is quite foreign for me.

I can't even say that I'm in a funk.  In fact, life has been treating me pretty darn good lately for the most part and I feel very content.  It couldn't be that simple though could it?  Could being happy & content leave me with no 'need' to workout and find endorphins there?  It's a theory, though I don't believe it.

My half marathon is in 4 weeks.  THEE half marathon!  The one to redeem myself.  The one to PR.  And I haven't trained ONE BIT, and right now I don't care to.  This is so unusual for me.

I will still do it, but it will not be what I had hoped for, what I signed up for.  I will just get through it, to say I did it.  If I hadn't already registered I wouldn't bother.  I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy it anyway, but even if I managed to step things up right now I don't think I'd achieve the goals I had set out for originally.

Sigh ... for now I sit here just waiting for the fire to reignite.  Until then I hope at least you ....

Keep Active!

Heidi

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Not the Greatest

Last night was NOT the best run ever.  One of those runs where I struggled through EVERY step.  I thought I'd be able to get in a good 7 miles or more, but I barely squeaked out 4 1/2 because I spent so much time procrastinating ... stretching ..... watching the kids play .... yeah OK, procrastinating.

I hit up the local track and did a few laps, then sets of stairs and repeated that off and on for an hour and a half, only actually getting about 45 minutes of running in there.  Never did fall into a rhythym.  Had to force it all.  But I was out there, it was BLOODY cold so it just made sense to keep moving.

My legs felt like LEAD and I never really did warm-up much.  I couldn't seem to run fast enough to get the blood flowing properly.  It was just below the freezing mark, but not by much.  We'll just call this one character building and move on.

Last year (Feb 19th) I found this little beauty in my garden as a sign of spring to come. 

Hmmm, right now everything is frozen.  Any chance one of these babies will pop up in the next 9 days????  Definitely wishful thinking.
I'm back on the roller coaster again.  I'm thinking this has to be hormonal.  Last month around Jan 9th I had the same thing.  One day to the next I'm suddenly STARVING.  And while I'm eating more than I should, the weight gain is crazy.  4 lbs in the last 3 days ... and wouldn't you know it, almost a month to the day!  I ate ALL my lunch by 11AM today and could easily eat another full meal now at noon. 

I don't know whether to just eat a little more (but try not to go crazy overboard) and then just let things settle out again in a few days.  Or, really put my foot down and not let whatever it is take over.  I'm not stressed or anything, I feel 100%, I'm just H-U-N-G-R-Y!

All I know is I hope it does the same as last month and in a few more days I can start dropping weight again.  Body's are funny machines!

Keep Active!

Heidi

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Or Not a PR :(

Well that just sucks!  Guess I should have known.

At the race this past weekend something was off with my finish time but I chose to be ignorant and went with what I heard ... not what I saw.

When I crossed the finish line I clearly heard the guy call out 56:16, but when I looked at my Garmin it said 57:09.  I thought that was strange, but my friend was standing at the finish line and she too clearly heard 56:16.  I knew the seconds were out by a bit because I missed the start, but I had kind of wondered if maybe I screwed something up when resetting my watch.  Apparently not! :(

The results have now been posted and my official time was 57:16.  Darn!!  Guess it was wishful thinking that my Garmin was wrong. 

I will however record this as a 57:09 though because I did start late.  I was doing a warm-up jog to the start line and just as I got close I heard the guy counting down .... 3-2-1.  I still had to reset my Garmin, so knew right then I'd be going with the time on my watch, not theirs.

Oh well, so I didn't PR. :(  A little disappointing, but it's OK.  It's only 31 seconds slower, that's not so bad.  I haven't been training enough and (not that I'm making excuses) I'm still plagued a bit with some discomfort in my left hamstring which I had been having treated late Dec/early Jan.  I don't seem to have the strength I need for the hills these days.  It's not really a pain so much, but there is something there still.  I'll be back in early March for some maintenance treatment so we'll see what the doc has to say then.

On a completely different topic .... I made chicken enchiladas last night ... Oh Heaven!  I'm not overly talented in the kitchen when it comes to making dinners, but this dish is incredible.  YUM-MO!  I can only eat half of one, but that just means that I have leftovers for lunch today.  T minus 2 hours to me and some deliciousness! MmmmMmmmmMmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!

Keep Active!

Heidi

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A Teeny PR

Another race done in the winter trail series and I got a teensy, tiny PR .... 12 whole seconds - hahhaaa, but I'll take it.

I'm happy with that, but admit that I'm a little afraid that this is my peak.  Will I ever get better?  I had hoped for a lot more improvement.  I want more, alot more ... but, to be honest with myself, I haven't really been training for improvement.  In fact, the last few weeks I haven't been running a whole lot at all.  So really, I don't exactly deserve big PRs right now.  Guess I have to want it more.

The trail was great.  Even though we've had alot of rain, the footing on this one is fantastic.  It's very hilly though, with one major steep hill that you have to run twice, and then multiple little rollers for a good 4K of the route. 

My Garmin was quite a bit short on the distance.  It was the exact same route as last year, however the Garmin showed it being about 1/2 Km shorter which is fairly significant.

So, overall the weekend was fantastic.  A teeny little PR for me.  Both kids won their soccer games.  My son's coaches said it was his best game all season - he was rock solid!  Can't believe that he won't be playing much longer :(.  Saturday my daughter's boyfriend came over and we all watched UFC together, such a nice kid. 

This week I'm going to put a more concentrated effort into running and actual training.  Need to build my distance back up again.  Only 5 weeks until my half marathon and I HAVE to rock that!!!

Keep Active!

Heidi

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I Gotta Feeling ... wooohooo ... that this month's gonna be a good month

I've been MIA this week but not for any particular reason other than perhaps a little writers block and a minor case of sore throat, thus less running.

I missed quite a few of my planned runs in the last bit of January.  Had some crappy weather and truly just didn't feel like running outdoors, nor on the treadmill.  It happens.  While I have definite goals I want to achieve, at the end of the day I run for enjoyment and I will not force it if my heart isn't in it.

Last Sunday I had 12 miles planned but woke up feeling very lightheaded, tired and just drained.  It was super cold out too and my son had a game in the afternoon, so I just decided to forego the run.

By the time Tuesday came around it had been a week since my last run.  It was time to do SOMETHING!  It was still pretty darn cold, but the wind had died down and I chose to face the elements.  It turned out to be one of the best runs in a long time.  Only 4 miles, but I enjoyed every step of it.  THAT is what it should be about!

Quick summary of January ....

Didn't run near as much as I had planned.  Started the month on an injury and ended it with bad weather and feeling off.  Still, I got in 64 miles and enjoyed most of them.  Substantially short of the 106 miles I had planned ... but I will not beat myself up over it.

The great thing about January was I had set a goal to lose 4 lbs .... and I lost 4.6!!!!  I'm super stoked about that.

My February goals include running 100 miles and losing another 3.4 lbs from Jan 31st to Feb 28th.

February has just started but it's already feeling like an amazing month.  I have ALOT going on and I just have this incredibly positive vibe going on that started about 2 weeks ago.  I haven't felt this way in a long, LONG time.  There are just so many areas of my life right now that make me so happy.  I don't think my marriage has ever been as strong.  My kids are amazing and they make me so proud.  While finances haven't really improved, there is a little light twinkling out there and I really don't think it's a train this time.  There's nothing really noteable, but I just feel this little shift, a little change in gears and I have this sense.  Sure hope I'm right about that!!

This weekend is going to be GREAT too.  Both kids have soccer games, I have a race and then there is family UFC night.  It's probably gonna rain all weekend, but it's sunny in my world so who cares - hahaha.

Have an AMAZING weekend!

Keep Active!

Heidi

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