Hello blue sky!

It was a crisp (totally freezing cold!!!) morning here today, but a beautiful blue sky! I really really struggled to leave my house this morning but, as always, I'm glad I did. It is just so warm and cozy at my house. And so bitterly cold outside!

But, great run today.

I did pushups and abs when I came back. And I did some weights at the gym tonight! And I ate ten million tiny peppermint patties. I imagine I'll wake up with a noggin ache tomorrow!

Guess who needs to work on her core??? I had my first P/T appointment this morning. I will go 4 more times over the next 4 weeks. She doesn't seem to think scoliosis is a major factor in what I have going on. She had me do some different things and noticed some "weakness and shakiness" in my lower back area. So I have on exercise for now and I'll get more next week. She also suggested I look into pilates.

That's the word from here!

Yay!

Congratulation graphics comment

Good Morning

Great morning actually! I did a record run (for me)! 3.77 miles and I got credit for it! Next goal is 4 miles. My old buddy Lance Armstrong congratulated me!

Jealous!

Well, dang! I sure wish I could run the Osceola 5K with you! It will be nice and springy out! Have fun. I bet Josh and Angie will run with you, for sure.

Megan should find out about the half in the next few days, I believe. Today was the last day to sign up for the lottery. And Ang and I are already signed up for the full. I can't wait!

I ran this morning with my rain gear (a baggie!). I really thought it would start to pour at any moment. Naturally my paranoia chased away the clouds. Then it was supposed to start at 2. Then it was supposed to start at 4......blue sky started! But it is cold and cloudy and windy now so we'll see what tonight brings. "They" say it is going to really pour, which would be fun.

Anyway, I actually slept in this morning! Well, until 7:45. Woke up naturally - no help from work. And I had a leisurely morning of coffee drinking. Then I ran even though I was feeling lazy. I think it will be raining all day tomorrow, so that can be my day off. Good run - As usual, I was glad I did it once I was out there.

I did work again today. I won't be using any vacation time, actually. But I did get a lot of errands run. Although the dishwasher situation remains unresolved........That's for another day, I guess!

Day Off 1: It Begins

Well, let me tell you, somebody almost got fired today. Why? Because he called me at 5:42 to ask me a question better suited for a different person. One of my own employees who should have known better. And, sadly, once I'm up - I'm up. I am used to being up at that time and, honestly, I was pissed. I just couldn't lay in bed anymore. So I worked from home today and won't count it as a day off.

So I was sitting around here. Pouting. And then I went for a run and, I tell you, it's like a therapy session. I felt a million times better. Oh, still full of rage. But that was an upgrade! It was pretty cool and cloudy out today and I think it is going to rain tomorrow.

I ate pretty healthy for a vacation day, too! I went to the FM and got some fun/healthy things, including tiny oranges. And then I had a dinner date with one of my girlfriends. That was really fun!

I'll try the sleeping in/vacation thing again tomorrow.

Let the weekend begin!

Yep! I'm taking tomorrow and Friday off! I'm very excited about this. I worked so much over last weekend, we're just trading out days.

I had a great run this morning but I almost though I wouldn't make it. I had a work crisis that started as soon as I got up and lasted....well, it's still going! But I decided to run and I'm really glad I did. It was beautiful out. Not too cold and almost all of the puddles were dried up. I saw a lot of my waving pals, too. Which was funny - I guess we were all running late!

I'm excited for tomorrow. On the menu? Getting my hair cut, run, see if I can fix my dishwasher. I have a dream that I can take it apart. I'll report back......

Good Morning

All went well with the iPod and nike+ this morning. Worked like it's supposed to and sent it off just fine. Wish I knew what happened the other day though so I could avoid it in the future. I had to recalibrate it though. It said I ran 3.63 miles but the TM (and my heart) said I had only run 3.03. However, I also read in the FAQ on the nike+ website last night that you shouldn't calibrate it to a TM. Explanation wasn't clear why but it's all I could do this morning. Anxious to run outside for a known distance and get it set right. Will calibrate the walking today at church because I know exactly where a mile is there! Then I also did the 60 pushups and 60 situps. Will walk after lunch and then go to Wild River Fitness about 4:00. I'm tired already!

Have a good day!

Today is a new day!

That was my motto for today. I really had a wasted weekend. I really didn't do anything. Didn't run. Didn't eat healthy. Frustrating - why did I do that??

But I started over! That's in the past and I'm letting it go. I went to bed early and got a good night of sleep and I had a good - but late - run this morning. I didn't get out of here until about 10 till 7. That's OK - I was still on time for work! But I really had a good run. I missed it. And no rain today!

I left work early today. Why? Because I didn't take lunch! I just need to take some better care of myself from a working too much perspective. So I left early. But I really need to start taking lunch. It is good to have a break. If it was just once and a while that I skipped a break, I would mind. But it is pretty common. So not good for me and it sets a bad example for others, I think. I don't want anyone to think I expect that of them.

Good Morning

Well, I'm being optimistic! Today the iPod wouldn't connect to the nike+ sensor at all. Just tried and tried but never did connect. So, I had to keep track the old fashioned way using the TM readout. Ran 2.7 miles only but then did all the exercises. This whole thing is so frustrating and, of course, I'll never be able to trust the nike+ again even if I do get it working again. Going to see if I can reload the software for that. But off to work now.

BAD Morning!!!

Pardon my English but I am so **(&^%%$&^(*(***& off this morning! I did my LONGEST RUN EVER at 3.6 miles and got NO credit for it on Nike+!!!! Some woman even congratulated me on the iPod when I was done but when it went to transfer it to the website....nothing. And my entire history on the iPod seems to be gone, too. Wiped clean. Grrrrrr........ I did exactly what I always do every morning so I have no clue what happened here. But I'm not a happy camper! Or runner.

So you'll just have to take my word for it. I ran 3.6 miles on the TM and did the full complement of push ups and sit ups. More exercise coming this afternoon when I go outside to shovel the 12+ inches of snow we've got out there! And it's still snowing like crazy so more is coming. Ugh. Snow day here from school but, of course, I'm off today anyway. So, the fun never ends here!

Good Morning

It's Saturday morning, I'm 63, and I was still able to run a full 3.11 miles on the TM! So all is not lost in old age! At least not yet. I also did my 60 push ups and 60 sit ups and it all felt good this morning. Amazing what a good night's sleep will do for you! Now, I have to go to work. I know, I know. It's Saturday but I haven't been there since Wednesday night so I have things to do! Have a good day!

Yay Friday!

I'm sooo glad Friday is here!

I had a good run this am - glad I did it because it is raining and it looks like the rain is here to stay. I was pretty alone out there today. Wet ground scares people off, I suppose!

No hills, no gym. That's ok, though, cause it's FRIDAY!

Jessica came over tonight (as you know!) and we had takeout and watched three episodes of Glee. It was very fun!

Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday Poems

Dry!

We are having some schizoid weather here this week. Dreary and rainy yesterday, nice (cool though) today, nice (I think) tomorrow, and then serious rain in time for the long weekend. I like rain though! So I will remember that had have my good attitude hat on. Not to be confused with my conspiracy theory tinfoil hat.

I almost slept in today. I figured it would be too cold and damp to run. I am really glad I didn't because it was a great day for a run! It really was not cold and I had really nice blue sky. I had a good run and sure could tell I had a day off.

No hills at lunch but we did to the gym tonight. I walked on the treadmill for a bit and then did upper body.

Healthy dinner time now!

I'm sure thinking of you and Grandma! Love you both.

Rain!

Well, I had a lovely sleep in today! I slept till about 6:45 because we are having a rain storm. I saw on the news tonight they are saying, "Winter is here!!" And, trust me, they are very happy to have weather to report!

So, I skipped this morning. Not sure about tomorrow. I did run hills at lunch and stayed mostly dry. It started to rain again just as I was heading back to the office.

Then we went to the gym and I did the elliptical and then upper body weights. So a good workout day even without the run.

Good eating day, too. I think I'm back on track!

Good Morning

Good morning. Up at 6:00 and ran 2.83 on the TM and then did the other exercises. I am so ready to be running outside! I'm green with jealousy for your sunshine! Stopped by the gym yesterday afternoon and did all the core exercises he's assigned me. They don't seem to be that hard and I don't even work up a sweat doing them. But I can sure feel those lunges on the front side of my legs though! But even that's getting better. Think I will add a few reps to his recommended number.

Have a good day!

Worked from home

Yep, I worked from home today. And I accomplished a lot! I needed to review some webinars we have recorded. So I got that done. I also slept in a bit!

I had a good run this morning but I'm really out of sync. Usually I just do it but today I almost didn't. But I did and, after the first mile, I was really glad I did! It was a good run and fun. Sunny. Which I will hold in my heart because I do believe the rain is about to begin! I listened to Glee today.

Then Bart and I went to the gym. He worked on the Couch to 5K again. I walked a bit and then did some leg weights. Then I worked on my "core". Including my butt!

And I had lunch out today. Chuck and I met for a lunch meeting. But it was healthy! We went to Tao which has a lot of veggie based dishes.

Good Morning

Back in my routine this morning and it feels good! Ran 2.83 miles on the TM and did all the sit ups and push ups. Stopped by Wild River Fitness yesterday on the way home from Eau Claire and worked on my "core." Ha! Anyway, back in gear. My routine has been out of sync for 2 weeks what with being sick for a few days, then going to DePere, then to Eau Claire. Feels good to be back to normal.

And I got a surprise from the scale this morning! Weight is down .8 from Friday! I thought for sure it would be up by that much or more. So I was happy to see that.

Have a good day.

We did it!

I guess I have forgotten to report on the Sandbox 5K! Josh and I did it and got it done. Times weren't pretty but we got a t shirt! Dirt track and pretty uneven which I didn't care for but Josh thought it was fine.

Then I took Sunday off as usual and now this morning I am writing from the Plaza Hotel in Eau Claire. I'm here for our annual Pastor's Retreat and I didn't run here this morning either. I'm going home this afternoon and will get back to my normal routine tomorrow morning. Have been out of it for about 2 weeks because I was sick, we went to DePere, and now I'm here. I've done some running but have missed several days in the last 2 weeks. No more distractions now for the next several weeks.

Have a good day!

Good Luck!!!

I hope you have so much fun today!

Snacks!

Well, today was not my best eating day. Fridays are hard for me for some reason. I just feel snacky! Bart fed me a really really good dinner tonight!

I had a great run this morning. It is getting brighter noticeably earlier in the AM, which I like. And, I suppose, the skunks don't like! Anyway, good run. Pretty good time today.

Good luck on your 5K! I hope it is great!

128!

Yep, for two days now! So I guess it is real! This is the lowest I've been in some time and I can really tell.

I am taking better care of myself then I have for years and I can really tell. I feel better and I look better. Not just look better related to dropping pounds. But I think my skin looks better - I know it is that I've been eating so many more fruits and veggies. I've also cut out almost all pop.

I did run today, but that's it. No hills and no gym. Just too busy. Actually, I skipped the gym because I wanted to go to the farmer's market but then I ended up staying late at work.

My new shoes are hitting me funny on one ankle. And it is weird because they are the same as my old shoes! Well.....almost the same. These are called Spark whereas my old ones were called Urgent Orange. I miss them.....

Hope your day is great!

And I Wasn't Even Being Chased!

Howdy, gang! New milestone reached last night. I actually RAN without being chased! It's odd, I know, as this generally goes against my strict slacker beliefs.

But, about 2.5 miles into my 3 mile walk, I became increasingly hungry and bored. The options were pretty much laid out for me: fail to get to 3 miles or HURRY UP. So I broke into a trot, which eventually got to a 5.5 mph sprint to the finish line.

Well, maybe it wasn't a full-on sprint-sprint, but it's faster than I've ever gone on that blasted treadmill.

I'm re-starting the Couch To 5K program which is an app on my iPhone that'll gradually, over several weeks, ease you into running a full 5K without walking. There's also lots of websites that tell you how to do the program too. I've tried this before, on the city streets, and failed miserably. Maybe the tides are changing and it's time to give it a go again.

Good Morning

Hold on to your hat! -21 here this morning at 6 am!!!! -21!!! It's about to change though they say. I hope. Enough of this.

So, I ran inside this morning! 2.83 miles on the TM. And the other exercises.

Had my initial appointment at Wild River Fitness yesterday. With Mike Colaizy. He's put together a set of exercises to improve my "core." So I will do this for a month and see what I think. Almost all of them can be done at home actually. He says, "I don't really believe in these machines because people don't have them at home. Do exercises you can do at home." So, for the most part, that's the way this workout is. And all I did was try to learn them yesterday but I could already feel it in my legs while on the TM this morning! So I'll keep you posted.

Have a good day!

Stuff and Things

Hi!

Well, shoot. I had another day of not wanting to get out of bed. I'm just going through a phase, I guess. I'll wait it out and I will come out on top, that is for sure!

I did have a good run, but I was cold. I know! Don't throw rotten tomatoes at me! I just wore a t-shirt this morning (OK, OK, and pants!) but I sure could have used my warm up shirt. Clearly I did survive. And it was a good run. That irritation I've had in my Achilles is feeling better.

I did pushups and crunches today.

No hills or gym. I'm still at work, actually, waiting on an email.

I'm bored! With my food! I don't know why. Just am ready for something new. I've been having a salad every night and I'm just a bit over it! I'll have to find something else to do tonight before I SNAP. Maybe I'll just have beets and skip the full on salad.

Hope your day was great!

Dreary!

You know, the hardest part of running (for me) is the part where I have to get off my couch, get dressed, and get on the road! Seriously, that transition is tough! I didn't leave my house until 6:50 today and I have been trying to be closer to 6:30. Oh well.

I did get up in a timely manner!

I almost didn't run today because it was so dreary out. But I checked weather.com and they told me to run! And I did not get wet at all so the internet wins over the perception of the senses. Or maybe it just wins over feeling lazy.

Anyway, slower run but still good. Then I did abs - no pushups today because I am pushup sore! And hills at lunch.

Good weight news today - still going down. So that makes me happy! Ready to get rid of this tummy!

Josh says he is not ready for Saturday. Do you think he is just nervous?

Back to it

I took Sunday off - no particular reason. I just wanted to I guess! It was nice out so I semi regretted it. But I did go to the farmer's market. And that was really nice.

I had a good run today. I was glad to be out but, man, did I oversleep today. 5:30 before I got up. I just kept hitting snooze. Very unusual for me. And I went to bed at a semi-decent time last night, so who knows! Anyway, I was sort of thinking, "You're tired...take it off..." But I'm glad I didn't because it was a good run and a beautiful morning. First day in a long time where I didn't wear a thermal shirt of my warm up jacket.

I did pushpus and abs when I got back. Yep, back to pushups! Oh, did I tell you that my doctor said to totally stop with the leg lifts? She thinks that they add even more strain to the lower back.

And I ran hills at lunch. The sun felt so good!

Did you eat healthy on your trip? I did not this weekend. Oh well, back at it.

Good Morning

I'm having a forced day off here because we had to pack the TM up last night in advance of the workmen who are working in the basement right now. So, I'm anxious to be home and at it again tomrrow. We run that 5K on Saturday and I need to be ready!

All kinds of things to say......

.....but I cannot remember them! I'm so tired. And full!

We had a semi-healthy dinner out tonight. We had hot pot. So a broth based soup. We had a lot of vegetables and only some meat. I think we were good and responsible orderers. But I'm so tired now!

I had a great run today - except when I thought I would be killed by an off leash german shepherd. His owner must have been training. The dog did not come at me, actually, I was just surprised when I came around the corner. And the owner and dog promptly moved away. But I paused my run because I didn't know what I could do! Should do, I suppose. But I must not have restarted my tracker right away because I was short about 1/10 of a mile when I got back! No.....sorry, like .02. So I did a very short 2nd workout!

I saw three other runners today.

I also ran hills at lunch. Finally, a nice day!

Love you!

Running!

Well, I had a great run this morning. I really slept well last night and I think that makes all the difference. I had one of those runs where I just felt really strong all the way through. My time was not necessarily spectacularly better but it just felt good!

Anyway, no more codeine for me!

Then I slacked away the rest of the day. No gym tonight and no hills at lunch. Not only did I not run hills....are you sitting??? I went out for lunch! ME! Nuts, I know. I had something semi-healthy. I had hot and sour soup. But I'm sure it was full of salt and we all know what that means for the scale tomorrow.

I'm glad I'm not a lunch-outer. It threw all my calories off! Oh well!

Good Morning

I am feeling better this morning than I have all week and am glad to be on the up side of this cold. Slept pretty well and got up at my usual time. Got on the TM and actually ran - but only for 16 minutes. That's all I could do today. Started to cough so had to quit. But it's a start and I am glad to be back at it. Full speed tomorrow I hope.

Two days at home was good for something. I got our taxes done online and got them filed. Also scanned some pics into the computer and got done with what I wanted to do there. Even started up my trains last night and ran them a while.

Going to work now to correct Confirmation tests and get letters to parents ready to mail. Then I have a dental appointment this afternoon to repair a broken crown. Not really looking forward to that but has to be done.

Have a good day!

131

Well, the good news is that my food diary is really helping me. I'm at 131 today and, boy, has it been a while! I can really tell a difference. Amazing what a few pounds will do, huh? The bad news is that I want to eat MORE! And I want it to be high calorie! Sigh.

I will tell you that I feel like my complexion looks better. Kind of makes sense, I guess. I am eating low cal, which means I'm eating less pudding (OK, no pudding!) and a lot more fruits and veggies. But I really feel like I can tell a difference.

On to the exercise!

Today I got back out there. I did 6 miles and felt great. Just a twinge in my Achilles tendon. And I was under an hour. I really need some running mittens. It is chilly at the start.

I order two new food scales! They arrived today. One is a liquid measuring cup scale and the other is just a regular food scale. I have a really old one that is ready to retire. Well, I'll probably retire it to the office. But my scale has helped me a lot. A good tool with my food journal.

Love you!

I did something!

Hi! Today I was a Fitnatic rather then a Fitnotic! I did not run today because I was up so late yesterday and I had that appointment at 8:40. So I slept until 6 am and didn't worry about running. I weighed the same as yesterday.

I did go to the gym tonight! First time in a week. I was really happy to be there. I did the elliptical (hard!) and then upper body weights. It was really busy there tonight!

I am so glad I have started keeping this food diary. Why? Because last night it allowed me to SNACK!!! Yep! I came home and realized I had only eaten 900ish calories so I had some delicious cereal. Dry - two servings! I'm crazy like that!

So I had an interesting doctor appointment. She agreed with my theory that a knot was hitting the sciatic nerve causing me all that trouble on Friday. And I told her that I'm consistently in pain and I'm just kind of over it. So she felt my back a bit and said, "You have scoliosis. You are uneven which is causing all of this pain. And the pain in your hip is just a symptom of the curvature in your spine." Well!

She sent me to get an x-ray, just to make sure there was no bony growth there or anything weird. But I'm going to start getting some physical therapy. I'm not exactly sure what they will do for me. Maybe I'll get a super sexy brace to go with my super sexy sock! But I'm excited to get started.

It isn't always terrible. Stress and long hours at my desk really have an impact.

She gave me some pain medication which I thought was a muscle relaxer but Bart just told me it is synthetic codeine! I don't really want to take that kind of medication if I don't need to. Friday, yeah, I could have used it. But I don't want it in general. I will call her tomorrow for something else. Or just not take it.

Anyway, that's my story!

I sure hope you feel better tomorrow.