Run Run Run...this is fun.

I'm enjoying this beast called 'running'

I feel fast!

I feel strong!

and boy do I feel awesome when I pass an old acquaintance on the street.

Today's run was good, the ice is melting! the sun was warm! I had to take my mittens off because of sweaty wrists.

and....the pants were sagging around my ankles. I didn't know that compression running pants/tights could sag.

Walking, Running, Lifting....its all in a days work.

Walking - we do it all day every day without conscious thought. Until now, that is how its been. Except of course when I was working up to the WEBC those few years I did it, and after my foot surgery (you really do use your feet I found out). We walked to and from school almost every day - there was a morning and an afternoon we missed because of appointments. But, 3.14km X 4 days is....12.56km. Not bad. We have to go to school every day right? might as well make it a good healthy start for the day.

Victoria barely made it home yesterday. She was so tired. Finally! after 7.5 years of running the kid hard, we've managed to exhaust her. It took 4 days of walking to school, an hour or so of trampoline after dinner every night, and 2 hours of gymnastics. My super active, child of constant motion was WIPED out. But, she did manage to jump a bit on the trampoline after dinner; of course she was thoroughly out bounced by her little sister. Bedtime came and she was out like a light. 

Running - I ran a few times this week, treadmill only because it was still pretty icy on the sidewalks and well...I don't want to slip! 

Lifting - I did a weight routine. Then I shoveled out the little trailer to sell, 3-4 inches of solid ice underneath 5inches and more of snow (we shoveled the snow up around the trailer...oops). it took me an hour. All I could think of when I finally finished was, WOW! if this was last year I wouldn't have been able to do it all in one go! I'd have to stop and start many times over. But this time my endurance held through. 

I also had the dubious honor of helping to lift the topper off the new truck. It slipped (I don't know which one of us lost grip) and rolled over my wrist as I was holding it. Wrist is now a lovely shade of yellow/brown/purple. ow. Today I got to help put the topper back on, guess what I did.....yep. Rolled it across the wrist again. More bruise. 

Its been a good week, an exhausting week, but a good week. We've all gotten sunshine (YAY), all the girls have freckles across their noses, their hair is lighter already, they all have lots more energy, I've got more energy (not much but there's more), and we really can't wait for it to actually GET WARM!

Once its warm....I get to bring my bike out of the garage!! YAY!! Pin broke on the trainer so I couldn't use that, booo.

Walk walk walk....

Walking to school.

I've decided to stop being lazy, its time to walk to school.

So this morning, a bright sunshiny morning we walked! Slippery spots where the snow melted and ran over the sidewalks yesterday, but a nice walk. It took about 20minutes to walk there, factoring in the ice. 15ish to get back home.

Victoria learned that rubber boots have no grip,

Susanne doesn't care,

and Elizabeth....well she rode in the wagon and sang the whole way.

3.14k round trip. Not bad!

So if I do it 2 times a day 5 days a week...that makes 31.4km per week. Plus what I run on the treadmill (or sidewalk - I'm really leery of the ice and running).

Now to take control of the food....

Spring Break! Yaaaay!

So, last week was Spring break for my girls.

I didn't workout once! If you don't count a daily trip to the zoo!

I think each zoo trip we walked about 5k. But it was a meandering kid pace 5k.

We ate well, which is good.

But now its Monday, the kids are back in school and its time for life to get back to the routine.

Dropped 2 off at their school, walked the other one to her school and then ran the loop. 42 minutes - not bad this time! I haven't run outside in a LONG time - ok it was New Years. ha.

Now I'm sitting here with a bowl of oatmeal (yeah I know!) and frozen mixed fruit.

Lets make APRIL a fantastic month!

Ugly feet...

the Dailymile is running a contest. Share your ugly feet! 

http://www.dailymile.com/blog/contest/dailymile-poll-those-are-some-ugly-feet

well, I had ugly feet! they're still funny looking, but not so bad. 

I had a bunion on my right foot. Here's the journey of my new foot! 

The night before surgery, bye bye bunion! bye bye foot pain!

Just got home from! Its really numb! and hasn't swollen up yet. 

Day 2! Here's the swelling! and the freaky colours! Oh my! Still numb!

Have to add some humour, the toes got cold! 

1 week, still swollen, still funky colours. Not much pain (as long as I don't throw a hissy fit over a cupcake and refuse to take the painkillers....) 

Stuck on the couch for 2 weeks.....no one would look good after that! especially since the kid kept taking my ice packs....

6 weeks post surgery! time for the pins and packing to come off! YAY! EWWWWW! and now it feels fragile. 

Wow! cleaned it up and it feels so much better! strange not having all the bandaging on there. Felt mighty naked for a while. There's nothing holding the foot together anymore! no pins, or bandages or padding. 

Cover up the pinholes, don't want anything getting in there. 

6 weeks after surgery, WOW! its so straight! 

8 weeks, finally found a pair of shoes! Still extremely swollen and tender.

A few months later I did the Walk to End breast cancer - slow and steady I managed to finish the 60k (with a couple of rides of course). 

Umm, ok thats not true. I managed to fracture it during the walk. 

Then I learned to run......

Finally DONE!

Yesterday was my final workout for the 9 week challenge.

Oh thank GOD!

I was getting so  bored with it!

It has been all I could do just to focus and do it. Not that the workouts are always the same but, I guess I really do need to have some change. 9 weeks was a bit long to do the same thing over and over and over again. I'm going to take some time from the program and hit the treadmill and the bike a lot more. I've been doing it when I've been motivated to get more than the required workouts on the PS3.

I had to buy new pants last week - the other ones were starting to sag off my behind (and falling apart too). It was a shock, go in to the store and grab a few pairs of pants that are the next size down from what I was wearing (a 14), and then have to go back out and find a smaller size; a size I haven't even considered wearing since long before kids, when I didn't pay attention to my size, shape or weight. So now I have some great new jeans that are a size 10. Holy crap. I knew things had changed, but didn't realize that much. Which is hysterical to me, I have lost......1 pound. Thats right, 1 pound . I can tell the size is changing too, there are muscles under that belly skin (that extra skin that gets all stretched out during pregnancy).

I've got a lot more stamina. I can hold my own in a wrestling match, yay me.

Now today, I believe I'm going to go play on my treadmill.

its a slippery slope...

this 'not getting around to it' thing.

but there is one thing I haven't "slipped on" recently, and thats my workouts. YAY me.

I've been doing the 9 week challenge on my EASports Active. I just completed #26.

they've been getting harder and longer, more intense and just plain SWEATY! I'm loving it.

Some days I don't want to, but I do it. Like yesterday. I really did NOT want to do it. but I pushed myself and told myself everything that I would regret if I didn't. So  I did. I feel so much better for it.

I needed new jeans (isn't it always the way, you find a pair and then buy 3 of them just because you know you won't be finding anymore like those anytime soon...)so off I went to the store. Grabbed a bunch of 12s and 14s. SHOCK ME, SHOCK ME, SHOCK ME! they didn't fit! I had to go back out and find smaller sizes. I'm wearing a 10 now. Its been about 16years since I've worn a 10. YAY me! They are a teensy bit snug, but they fit better than the 12s.

So although the scale says I dropped one pound (yeah...ONE), there's a size difference happening. Along with the endurance and strength.

Yesterday was a sad day for me too. My chiropractor is leaving, going back to Australia. <insert SAD face here>. boo hoo...he's done amazing things with my feet, legs, hips. he's the first dr of any kind to grab my knee and say "this is the spot" and be right on about it. I'm sad about his leaving, but so happy that I have gotten to have this much work done on my body and learned a few new exercises and stuff to keep the body moving. I'll miss him. But there are lots of other dr's at their office that can keep me in shape.