Making progress

Woke up this morning and the first thought in my head was I was too sore to go to the gym. After a few cups of coffee and reading the paper I was starting to feel better. Finally around 9:30 I made the big effort to get up there. Why is getting out the door always the hardest thing?
Started with 15 minutes on the elliptical, checked out the floor below and there weren't many by the free weights which was where I was headed next. I did all 3 sets of each exercise and then went back up to use the treadmill. I did 2 minutes at each incline working my way up to 10 and then 2 minutes at each back down to level one.
I feel like I am making progress, have now worked out for two weeks. It's good to be back in the gym.

Out the door

I was out the door and off to the gym early today. I was afraid it might be crowed but was surprised how few people were there. I'm into my second week of the runners workout, this means increase weights and lower reps to 10. I start out with a 15 minute warm up on the elliptical and then go into my weights. it was different with the increased weights and I was glad when I reached 10 reps. After doing the weightsI head back up stairs and try to do at lest a mile or better on the treadmill.

Gym, Rangers and walking

This week I was able to get to the gym three times. I had made a promise to Amy that I would try to use the gym more and if at the end of the month of May  I wasn't then I would drop my membership. She says I am just wasting my money, which is true. I have not been on a  regular schedule  since I dropped boot camp last October.
My big question was what would I do. I finally settled on the Cara Goucher workout for runners that was tucked in my gym bag. Basically you increase weights and decrease reps for four weeks then rest one week and start over. I could see some improvement just from Monday

Tuesday night my husband and I went to see the Ranges play and since he is on a walking program we used the Garmin to see how far the walk was from the car to our seats. It turned out to be only .70 miles, guess we'll have to park farther next game.

Ft. Worth Zoo Run

This was a race that Christy has been wanting to do so we signed up, not knowing that both the 5K and 10K would sell out. That meant a lot of people would be running. The 5K started at 8:30 but they warned about a 45 minute wait to park so we left the house at 5:30 and arrived at 6:30 with no traffic wait. We brought food with us to eat in the car before we lined up. There were 6000 running/ walking this race and the course was more hills than flat. I always say if you want to find a hill in Texas sign up for a race.                                   
              

Here is the back and the front of the shirt. I think they are really cute. A lot of people were wearing them but I had on my shirt that keeps me warm on one side and cool on the other.                                                                                                                                                                                              
                                                          

On the way to the start of the race we stopped at the entrance to get a photo.

We squeezed into a spot not far from the start and waited. I asked a lady in front of us if she would mind taking a picture of the two of us.

The race started on time and we headed down the road and into the zoo. The first animals we passed were the elephants, my favorite.

Paneless

So this is what has been happening at my house for two days, new windows. The hardest was the big window over the front door, I was sure I would hear glass breaking. I never thought I would be gaga over windows but these are really nice and something we have needed for about 20 years.
Tomorrow Christy and I are doing the Ft. Worth zoo run. Part of the race goes through the zoo. I wonder if the animals are up that early.

Belated Birthday Gift

Yesterday while I was busy in the kitchen making oatmeal cookies I heard a rap on the front door. Most likely it was the UPS man delivering a package. What did my husband order now I thought. I went to see and there was a box with my name on it . I checked the return address and it was from Boulder,CO. YAAAY, my Newtons were here, a birthday gift from my daughter.

Newton's are becoming quite popular in the States. There was an article about them in the latest Runner's World magazine and a lot of the running stores in the area are advertising them. They are suppose to help you run more efficient and some say even faster.

My daughter told me I need to ease into them so today I put them on an ran around my circle. I don't think It will take me long to learn the new way to run because I already land on the ball of my foot. I could definitely feel the lugs. I liked the way they fit and love the color !

Moving Day

Went out for my walk/run on the trails. There was lots to see. The wildflowers are out, the fire ants are out and there was one flat frog the someone must have run their bike over. Just past the frog I came across a small turtle in the middle of the trail. I first I thought it was dead but picked it up and it moved. I know your are not suppose to move turtles but I knew if left in the middle of a cement sidewalk it wasn't going t last long so I carefully placed it in the grass and went on my way.

Top of the mound

Christy, Allie and I attended the sunrise service on The Flower Mound this year. It was a beautiful morning with the temperature around 70. The mound was covered with lots of wild flowers this year. After the service we went to La Peeps for breakfast.
I hope everyone is enjoying their Easter sunday.Now I am hearing thunder and sounds like we are in for some storms.

Crazy Day

Wow, can a day get any crazier. First I was suppose to have coffee with my friend but when I called her to say I was stuck in traffic she replied " Are we suppose to have coffee today?" So she had an appointment and we changed it to around 11 but eleven came and no call. At 12:45 she said she was just about finished and could meet around 12:30. I headed back to Starbucks and found a table outside to wait. One and no show, then another call and she was home and would be there shortly. By the time she arrived storms were heading to the Dallas Ft. Worth area and tornado's had been sited. We debated what to do, decided to get coffee and a cute little cherry tart. The wind was blowing and the sky was dark and we were wondering if we should head for home. I remembered the time we went to the movies on a sunny afternoon and when we came out our cars were covered in ice and what normally took me 20 minutes to get home took me 2 hours. We finally left and headed home and later she called and said that both her sky lights had been broken by hail the size of golf balls.

Chase the night and win

I did not know what to expect when Christy picked the Firefly run for us to race. This race is in select cities around the country. Kim in Chicago you can run it and Tonya and Katy in Atlanta can sign up to run it. It will also be held in San Jose and Phoenix. This was just the coolest race and I'm usually not a fan of nighttime races, but with the lights and atmosphere, how could you not enjoy yourself. The start was awesome with all the glimmering lights and people dressed in costume. We had decided to stay together and I had bought shirts so we looked like a team. It was hard to run with that many people but we did the best we could, running when we had an open space and walking when it was to crowded. Even though the sun was gone the temperature was still in the 80's. We crossed the finish line with the crowd and a time of 46.12, I missed third place by 1 second. Over 7000 runners had signed up with proceeds going to Children's Medical Center.

There was lots of water available before and after the race.

Some of the runners waiting to line up.

We're lined up and waiting. My lights are on and I'm ready to go!

We chased the night and won.

Bluebonnets

Christy and I are signed up to run the Firefly race tonight. Who would have thought that the temperature would be in the 80's , I mean this is still March. We picked up our packets on Thursday and I did a little retail therapy, buying a new running skirt and a top. On the way home we noticed a large field of bluebonnets so stopped to get some pictures.

Puzzled

It all started with a Christmas gift from my friend. A puzzle of yarns and knitting needles and lots of bright colors. I finished it and then when I was in Costco I spied puzzles. I thought I would challenge myself so I picked the mother giraffe. It was hard. I didn't think I would finish it but I did. While I was in Tuesday Mornings I spotted another puzzle. My granddaughter was with me and said I should get the bird in the nest because it looked easy. I did. It wasn't. Today I finished it and I am puzzled out, but they have been great fun to work and have kept me busy.

It's Spring

Spring was ushered in with a flash of lightning and the sound of thunder. Big storms are moving through the area but I'm hoping the sky will clear and I will be able to get out for a run. Actually I have gone back to a basic run/walk program.

Friday and Saturday saw me out on the trails enjoying the warm weather and mother nature. The wild flowers are popping up in the fields, dotting them with lots of color.

Yesterday I took my husband for his pre-op, surgery is next Monday. By the time we got home it was too windy to get out and I had to go to Target to fill a prescription for him. Bought myself some yellow tulips, jelly beans and peeps and made an Easter arrangement.

March Curse

My computer broke and had to be sent to Indiana to be fixed. In the mean time I had a lap top and an Ipad to use but didn't like either. I kept making so many mistakes that I just said the hell with it. The computer is back and I can now blog and do the other things I did on it. I missed reading so many blogs.

My husbands back has been bad since December and after going through injections with out any relief they have decided to do surgery the end of this month.

The temperature has reached the 80's this week and our air conditioner broke on Tuesday. The part is in so they will be here tomorrow to repair it.

Oh yeah, and the roof leaks and I have a ceiling in the kitchen where it drips out.

Do you think with this kind of luck I should buy a lottery ticket?

Cowtown Race Report

Last Saturday morning Christy and I left the house at 5 am and headed to Ft. Worth for the Cowtown 10K race. This was our first time for doing this race. The day before I had gone to the expo and picked up our packets and a cute shirt. The 5K and 10K are run on Saturday and the half and full marathon and ultra marathon are run on Sunday, so there are lots of people. The temperature was around 40 and we were able to wait inside until the start.

There were 25,000 signed up for this race and start time was 7 am. We lined up and then waited . It wasn't long until the horn blew and we started. Immediately there was a long hill for us to run up. I always say if you want to find a hill in Texas, sign up for a race. This one was full of hills. Once we got to the top of the hill there was a down hill and then we were on a residential street for quite some time. The homes were beautiful and people were out cheering us on.

The street ended up at the Trinity Trails and this part I loved, the river was to the left, there were lots of people around and the day was beautiful. Christy was ahead of me because I had had some problems with stones in shoes and bathrooms.

I finished the race in 1:33:46, not a bad time. I met up with Christy at the finish and then we went inside to have some food and look at the expo. I would do this again next year and then it will say on my bib, 2nd time running. Everyone received a medal which was nice.

Seems Like Spring

It was too nice of a day not to go out and run or walk or both. The temperature hit 78 yesterday, is this the start of summer ? I headed for the trails and because I have been lack in my training I did more walking than running. But today it wasn't about speed or time I was just enjoying the nice weather. Thursday is suppose to be in the 80's . Trees are in bloom and flowers are up, seems like spring.

AMAZING

Congratulations to my son-in-law who ran a 100K yesterday. He finished in 11:06. That's like doing ten 10K's. Whew!

Movies, Books and Bread

Yesterday was too cold to really do anything outsside so Christy and I went to see The Vow at the movies. It was better than I thought it would be and I loved seeing the sights of Chicago where it was filmed. After the movies it was lunch at The Corner Bakery and then we headed to the library for their book sale. I've never been to one of these so didn't know what to expect. There were rows of books stacked on tables and you just had to start looking.


I always like to check out the first page in a book before I select it and the flap on the inside of the cover.
I ended up buying 5 books, one was one that I had read a review on and wanted to get last year.

So here is what I took home:



The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom ( this is the one I've been wanting to read)


The Last Summer by Ann Brashares


This Side Of Married by Rachel Pastan


Dark Tort by Diane Mott Davidson


Savannah by James Reasoner

Last night we watched Moneyball with Brad Pitt on pay per view. It was okay, seemed to move a little slow. I guess you'd have to really like baseball to enjoy it.

This morning I started some bread and while it was rising went up to the gym and used the treadmill. Didn't want to lift weights because of my hand, it is still swollen but not as much as on Friday.

Does This Make Sense?

I woke up this morning with my hand sore and swollen. It had hurt some yesterday but this was a bit worse and more sore. I finally decided that maybe I should call the docoter and have them take a look. I called and the girl gave me an appointment for 2:10 this afternoon. She asked for my birthdate and name and then said she couldn't find me. " well, it's been a while since I've been in" I said. We only keep the records so long, you'll have to reeestablish yourself. Okay. That meant that she couldn't give me the 2:10 appointment because I had to see a doctor not a PA. What about Saturday I asked. No, we don't take new patients on Saturday. Okay how about Monday. That would work and she gave me an appointment with a doctor for Monday.

So I have a sore hand and can't get in to see the PA because even though I am a patient I have to reestablish my record and only a doctor can do this.

Get Running

The groundhog stuck his head outside and saw his shadow and now we are to have 6 more weeks of winter. So far we have had a mild winter so maybe it will continue that way.

I needed some motivation to get me back into serious running. The best way to do that is to sign up for some races. Last night Christy and I signed up for the cowtown 10K on the 25th of February in Ft. Worth. Everyone gets a medal for finishing the race. We also signed up for the 5K Firefly Run in Plano This race is run at night and you get a race bracelet at the finish line. This will be on March 31. So now I better lace up those shoes and get running.

Great Weather

Wow, I have had two beautiful days to go out and run. Can't believe that it got to 78 today! I'm still slow but I know if I make small changes I will speed up. My miles for January were not what I wanted but I figured with traveling and other things I missed a week to run. I hope the weather for February will be as niceas last month and I will be able to rack up some miles.

Birthdays, Pie and Laughs

Celebrating our birthdays with a cherry pie. There is a story behind this and we had a good laugh.

When my father-in-law died Tom was just 5. Everyone was bringing food to the house and someone brought a homemade cherry pie. Yum, I would have a piece later. But when later came there was no cherry pie. I looked all over, no pie. I asked had anyone seen the pie, no they all said. Later I found out that Tom had taken the pie to the basement and been going down and eating it, so for years I have been telling him he owes me a pie. We share the same day for our birthdays so on Thursday he went out and got a cherry pie and we celebrated. Happy birthday Tom and thanks for the pie.

Resolution Race Report

This was our first race of the year put on by our village so it was close to get to. I had done this race in 2010 and taken first in my age group with a 36.08 time. The race started at 9 and we arrived a bit after 8 so we had time to pick up our chips. Then we waited, luckily we could wait inside because it was 35 out and there was a north wind. Finally it was time to line up and then we were off. First mistake, I never hit the mat for the chip. WTF, they only had it on half of the start. Well that took pressure off of me because now I would have no chip time. The course took us across the street and through a neighborhood and then onto a trail. There was a step hill to go up but then it was down hill and back across the street. Whoa, just as I reach the street to cross the officer puts up his hand to stop me and says " We have to let a few cars through" WTF, a few cars it was more than that, by the time we were able to cross their was a good size group of us. Next stretch was going to be a long hill up. We ran part and walked more. At the top we turned into a small shopping area and ( this was the good part about the race) in front of the Snotty Pig restaurant was a man holding a tray of muffin samples. I told him he was my new best friend. Boy did that taste good. So we finished and I don't know what my time was but Christy's watch said 48 minutes( don't forget we waited for traffic). We didn't stay for awards it was too cold to wait.

Remembering

Four years ago I was at Disney, signed up for my first half marathon.I had no clue what racing was about or how to properly fuel yourself. I was there to get a Disney medal and celebrate my 65 birthday with my daughters. I don't think they had a clue either, maybe Jenny did. Some of us trained really hard and others did some training but not what was required. I was in the last group. I thought I was ready but in looking back I wasn't. The race was harder and longer than I thought and due to the early time to get up I was under fueled by the time I reached the magic kingdom. Even though it was hard and long it is one of my favorite races I have done and I love my medal and the time I spent with my daughters.

Middle of The Week

Sometimes it seems like it takes forever just to get to Wednesday. Where did this week go. Monday I went to the gym and did an upper body workout and the treadmill. I need to get more days at the gym, after all I am paying for this.
Tuesday I had an appointment with the endocrinologist to check my thyroid. Just heard back today and everything is stable, my dose remains the same.
Wednesday, today. I couldn't believe how beautiful it was with a temperature of 66, who wears tee shirts an no coat in January. I went out on the trails for 5 miles, even spotted the road runner. Then in the afternoon I had a hair appointment. Gotta keeep that gray covered!

Inside

Christy and I went to the gym today, the weather was just a bit too cold for me to run out side. I talked her into doing a program on the elliptical instead of the treadmill. It was harder than I thought but we got 30 minutes in. After that I told her to pick one upper body exercise and I would pick one. We would do three sets of 10 reps, that was followed with 25 sit ups. It didn't seem like a hard workout but this evening I am feeling it.

Blending In

I always think I'm lucky when I go for a run and get to see a road runner, but today their were two of them out enjoying the nice weather. I gotta say for it being January this was a gorgeous day. There were lots of people out on trails which makes it a bit of a problem when you need to find a place to go and you know this time of year there aren't many leaves on the bushes which makes it more difficult to find a spot. Some one should make camouflage running clothes so we blend in to the landscape.

Enjoy

I went out today with my new shoes on, I love them. They are light weight and have great support. They are black with some bright pink on them. They are the New Balance 610.
It was a beautiful day to be out side. The temperature was in the mid 50's with a slight breeze. All I needed was a long sleeve top and carpi's. I don't know how long this weather will last but I'm going to enjoy it while it's here.

New Year New Shoes

Beautiful weather for January, made it out to the trails to get my first run of the year in. I' m still sore from my fall but not enough to prevent me from going out. We are suppose to have nice weather all week. I was looking at some races to maybe do this weekend. One of my goals this year is to try and run a race each month.


I had $20.00 in coupons to Kohl's burning a hole in my pocket, actually one was due to expire today. After wa;lking around the store looking for a bargan I ended up buying a pair of New Balance 690. Hoping I can try them out tomorrow.