Proud Sister

I just wanted to take a moment to shout out to my Big Bro who did the Gunner Shaw this past weekend. I wish I could have been there to cheer him on, but between a board meeting in the morning and helping Lisa set up in the evening, there just wasn't time to make it out to Thetis Lake. I finally got to check out the results today and he did awesome. His finish time put him at just under 15 minutes after the leader. Props to the awesomeness that is my Big Bro!

Forever and always my hero!

Do As I Blog, Not As I Do

After all my big words about paying closer attention to my eating and being extra healthy because I couldn't really exercise at the moment, I went and had what was arguably the worst eating weekend in six months. It wasn't so much the eating that was bad, it was the drinking. Lots and lots of drinking.

A very good friend of mine, Lisa, recently bought her first home and so we celebrated with a rather raucous housewarming. After living in Tanzania, I stopped drinking. I still have the occasional glass of wine with dinner or the odd beer while watching a hockey game, but I no longer keep alcohol in the apartment 'just in case' nor drop $50 just in alcohol on a Friday night. Living in a conservative country will do that to you.

I made up for my lack of drinking on Saturday, let me tell you. I was asked to open a bottle of wine around 5:30 and pour three glasses. I spent the rest of the night opening bottles and filling any glasses in view including my own. When I left shortly after 10pm, there were six empty bottles of wine and only four people drinking from them. I honestly don't know how much of them I had consumed but I'm going to guesstimate it was around 'a lot'.

My one saving grace in all of this is the knowledge that I wasn't the only one who was that drunk. I won't give details because I'm not that mean, but I think it's safe to say that there will be a lot of people staring at the ground as they walk around work on Monday.

The only healthy thing I did was hang out with healthy people who've run marathons, won Ironmans, and rowed with the Canadian National Rowing Team. Does that count as being healthy? No?

I'll be better this week. Really.

Menu and Blog Overhaul

I'm not going to lie, I'm in a funk. My right hip still hurts... a lot. The ergonomic assessment I was planning on this week didn't happen because a big dump of snow hit Victoria and apparently it's more important to shovel and salt the walk-way in front of our office so people don't slip and actually break a hip then it is to fix my new chair. I know, I know, 'the greater good'. I have an appointment for next Tuesday so fingers crossed it goes well and I'll soon be able to walk without limping (which ranges from 'barely noticable' to 'why doesn't that lady have a cane?' depending on the day).

Despite the snow, I've walked to work every day. Depending on how my hip is, this might be

the only exercise I'm able to get in so I'll be damned if I'm going to let a little snow stop me...

even if a few of the drivers did skid through the crosswalk on my light.

The funk probably started back in September with my knee issues, but that had a solution, an end date. Plus I was still able to continue with lots of my activities, it was really just running that was a no-no. With my hip, I don't have an end date. I had to feebly hobble two blocks to the gas station and back for milk the other night. There is nothing like not being able to cross the street before the blinking hand pops up to make you feel like some sort of invalid.

What's a girl to do?

Well, how about start looking a bit closer at her eating habits which had fallen of track. I committed the cardinal sin in healthy eating and stopped paying attention to what I was eating for large chunks of the day, usually the chunk of the day that includes lunch... sometimes morning coffee break... occasionally afternoon coffee break... possibly even breakfast if I hit the snooze button too many times. At least I kept my dinners healthy!

Does this count as a book for my monthly reading challenge? No? Drats!

If I can't exercise, I'm going to have to be very conscience of every single item I put on my plate. I've decided to treat myself like I'm five. I've pulled out the Weight Watcher intro books and I'm going through them again. I'm taking notes. It's the equivalent of taking notes while reading Dr. Seuss (Grinch hates Christmas) but I'm going to do whatever it takes to get this information to become so ingrained I have no excuses for making bad choices.

The other thing a girl can do to help get out of a funk is spend some time playing around with blog layout. With my sore hip, it's a lot easier than playing around with my furniture layout.

Question: How do you get out of a funk?

Pray For Mojo*

The whole hip thing has me pretty bummed. I have been writing and rewriting a post for four days about losing my workout mojo as a result but I've even lost my mojo for writing about it. With my knees I had to stop running but other activities were still on the table. With my hip, not only is running off the table, but depending on the day so it walking or dancing or yoga.

There is, however, some good news at the end of all this. I think I may have found the culprit. We got these new ergonomic chairs at work and that's when my hip problem started. I also notice that I find I slump over to my right side when sitting at my desk but I never did with my old chair. Armed with this knowledge, I spent a huge amount of time on Thursday and Friday trying different positions. My hip has felt better but it's still sore. I'm hoping an ergonomic assessment this week will be the end of it. Then hopefully I'll get my mojo back because I need to write about the awesomeness which is Swiss comfort food:

I know it doesn't look like much but it has bacon, potato, onion, apple and pear in it.

It is the sweet and savory stew to end all stews!

For now, however, I'll get my mojo back through material goods. Today's purchase: Leonard Cohen tickets!

*Obligatory Simpson's reference. If you don't get it, watch this.

The Hip Bone's Connected...

I skipped flamenco on Monday night because my hip was still really bothering me. By my Tuesday walk home from work, my hip problem was affecting my knee and my ankle. I didn't think I was compensating that much for my sore hip but I spent Tuesday night lying on my floor because my knee and ankle hurt when I stood and my hip and knee hurt when I sat. Damned if you do...

I took it really easy on Wednesday. I wore the most comfortable, supportive pair of shoes I own and I took the bus to and from work. That part really pains me because I live a 20 minute walk from my office. I couldn't even walked 20 minutes. I haven't been out on it yet today (I nixed my plans to go to a service, opting instead to remember at home, because I really didn't want to be limping around in front of the veterans. "Hey guys, thanks for your service. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go be a total pansy ass because I have a sore hip.") but so far today it feels pretty good so I'm planning on a long walk this afternoon.

Stupid Body. Be Less Hurty!

I was super pumped to head out this morning. Not only was it a bright, clear, mild morning, but thanks to the time change I was ready to head out ridiculously early (well, for me on a weekend, it was ridiculously early). I'd be able to get a run in and still be home in time to do everything I wanted today.

I was supposed to do 8 sets of run-walk. I finished the first run feeling good but as I walked my right hip started to ache. I got through my next run still feeling great but when I started to walk again the pain returned. As the running felt okay, I stretched a bit more and took off again but when I returned to walking I was limping.

It was sore as I made my way home but it ached less. Then I went to lunch with my mom and by the time we left, I could either limp when I moved my right leg forward or I could put it far to the right of my body causing me to toddle down the road like a little old lady. Now I'm home and stuck on the couch with ice on my hip. Oh, please, please let this be temporary!

Special Running Buddy

I headed out on my run Thursday night and all I could think about was how much I wanted it to be over. It was late. It was dark. It was cold. It was wet. I hadn't had dinner yet. I had no running partner. I hadn't managed to make a run mix for my mp3. It was a struggle to get out the door but I knew I'd feel better when it was over.

Despite knowing that my body secretly wanted to go for the run, I still grumbled while doing my warm up walk. Despite being over a block away, I could hear my couch screaming my name. I wanted to turn around and run back to it, but then I saw something moving in the bushes on the other side of intersection and out stepped a young buck.

He walked across the road towards a doe which had been hiding in the shadows. Being a doe after my own heart, she flirted by leaping away from him and towards me. He followed and that's when I started to get nervous for them. It's a dark intersection with roads that bend into it and these cute little deers are running around don't have the funky LED turtle lights hanging off them. Thankfully a passing car had the same thought that I did. They put on their hazards and we haphazardly shepherded the buck and doe back towards the park.

That moment made the whole run for me. It made getting off my couch and out the door worth it. I had a smile on my face until I got home and pretty much all the way to bed.

Thanks Bambi! I'm planning on running again on Sunday morning. Perhaps you and Thumper could join me.

Not a Lot to Say Tonight

Just that I went for a run and it was fabulous. I'm going to hurt tomorrow but it will be a good hurt and I will love every moment of it. Yay for the return to running!

Bring It On, November

If October has taught me anything, it's that time can fly even when you're not having fun. It's not that October was a bad or depressing month it was just busy, busy, busy and not really with socializing. It was also the month in which my plan of spending New Years in the Yukon watching Corb Lund was dashed. I would like to point out that I was mature and didn't quit my job just so I could go (which I really, really, really wanted to do). Instead, I just complained about it to everyone who would listen and even a few who wouldn't.

My fitness plans and goals for October pretty much fell by the wayside by Thanksgiving. Between not being able to run and missing my workout partner who now lives in Vancouver, my desire to get my butt out the door suffered and I willing let other things take priority. That all changes tomorrow when I put my running shoes on for the first time in five weeks. Getting the okay to run again was definitely a highlight of the past month.

November is going to be my month to cowboy up and get all the things done that I didn't get to in October... but first I'm going to listen to a little more Corb Lund.



Anyone else feel like October went by waaaaay too fast?