How Out of Shape Am I?

I went to turn off my alarm clock yesterday morning and I pulled a muscle in my arm in the process.

I'll give you a minute to let that sink in.

Reached for the alarm clock...

...pulled a muscle.

Wow!

In my defence, I was facing away from said clock with two sizable kitties sleeping on my legs. (My cats are Maine Coons which means they are of the large-and-in-charge variety.) Rolling over wasn't really an option unless I wanted the hairball of death coughed up on the bedspread. Some slight hyperextension may have occurred. (It totally did; I felt it the exact moment when my elbow went that little bit too far.)

It was pretty much back to normal within a few hours but there were the occasional twinges when it reminds me of what I did. Usually when I go to lift something heavier than my jacket.

I've tried to explain to it that I'm sorry, could it please stop twinging? But it's having none of it. Maybe I should have just faced up to the hairball of death.

Summer arrived in Victoria, stuck around for about a week, and then decided it was vacation time. From a let's-go-do-sh!t point of view, I'm really bummed. From a hey-we're-running-outside-three-times-a-week point of view, I'm actually okay with it (just don't tell my fellow Victorians). I'm not a heat person and running with an overcast sky and a temperature that struggles to routinely hit 20C is fine by me.

Still, I would like to go camping at some point this summer (in the sense of "summer is a specific time of year", not "it's summer weather. Because it's totally not!) and for me camping = tent (because I'm old school, yo!). There's nothing fun about camping when the weather's like this.

Except maybe the built-in excuse to stay in your sleeping bag and just drink all day.

Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah...

After a lackluster Spring with heavy snows in March and endless rain in May, Summer has finally arrived on Canada's West Coast. It was hot and sunny this weekend. The perfect kind of weather to get out of the apartment and  work on your tan slather yourself in sunscreen!

I was supposed to run on Saturday morning but after a jarring pain in my right heel Friday at work, I decided on a long walk instead. The pain was gone but I'd rather not chance it with the pounding on pavement. Plus by the time I returned to my apartment to grab my laptop and take up semi-permanent residence on my local coffee shop patio/sidewalk, it was HOT!

Note: I just want to get a "holla!" for my local coffee shop. They let me sit for five hours on a $2 cup of coffee and didn't say a word except to wish me a good day as I left. It's a busy place and seating is at a premium. They are good, good people who serve good, good coffee!

Today I did something a little crazy. I auditioned to be part of a DVD recording for BellyFit as a member who gives before and after testimonial. Free BellyFit classes for two months? Hells to the ya I'll be on camera! I made myself look presentable but not too different than I do when working out (okay, maybe I don't wear mascara and eyeliner while working out but other than that...) and headed off to the audition.

I was hoping that my natural instinct to babble when I'm nervous would somehow disappear between leaving my apartment and arriving at the studio. Yeah, that didn't happen. During the interview, they had to cut me off twice because I was giving too much information to the questions.Yikes! I will find out tomorrow whether or not I get the two months of free classes so keep your fingers crossed and I'll try and keep my mouth shut.

BBQ's, Movies, Drinks. Oh My!

It has been an incredibly busy week and I've been loving every minute of it. There's been a few drinks consumed, lots of stories shared and even a few breaks in the socializing to go for a run or two. The weather has slowly been turning in Victoria so it seems like everyone's trying to fit in as many last minute BBQ's in as they can!

I went for a very long walk on Tuesday night which ended up being almost two hours thanks to all my starting and stopping to take photos of the beautiful sun set.

From Dallas Rd looking South-West to Albert Head.

Wednesday night was out with a few work friends to the Rooftop at the Sticky Wicket where we experienced some of the worst customer service I have ever experienced in my life. I've lived in places that have a much different opinion of customer service than we do in North America, so when I say worst understand that I know what bad customer service is. Luckily, the company I was with was fabulous and we had a great night. (Please understand that I normally love the Wicket and they have great service. I put the failings of this waitress squarely on her shoulders.)

Friday night was a run with THR which I was incredibly happy with. I felt great the whole time we were out, we kept a good pace, and we got a lot of gossiping done. It was a great way to end the work week and start the weekend. After a quick shower and dinner, it was girl's night with A&S. We were supposed to watch a movie, but we ended up just chatting and drinking which was okay by me. Although the movie we were going to watch was "The Back-Up Plan" which I mostly wanted to watch for this:

I have a little huge crush on Alex O'Loughlin.

Sigh. Another girl's night, perhaps.

Saturday was a fabulous morning stroll for coffee and a paper before heading to an afternoon BBQ at my friend's house which is on a lake followed by going to see "The Last Starfighter" at the Free-B Film Fest in Beacon Hill Park with my friend and her son. I'm a huge sci-fi fan so you'd think I would have seen this movie before, but I hadn't. I was pleasantly surprised. If you ever happen to be in Victoria on an August weekend, you should definitely check out the Free-B Film Fest. Bring blanks and snacks!

Today I took it easy with a walk with THR this morning, a delightful lunch with my mom, and now I'm doing laundry and writing up a contract with myself for my fitness goals (more on that once I have it completed). It's hard to believe that August is ending in only a few days. There's a rather large list of things I didn't get done this summer that I was hoping to, but I'm very happy with all the activities I did get done. Besides, soon we'll be heading into Fall which is one of my favourite times of year so I can't be sad.

Well, I look at pictures like this and I'm a little sad that summer is ending.

Sun set over Glen Lake.

Is there anything you really wanted to do this summer that you never got around to? Are you busy trying to cram the last moments of fun into August?

Summer is back!!

After a week and a bit of very questionable weather in Victoria (and Vancouver from the sounds of it), summer is definitely back. I left the air conditioned office for my morning coffee break and wished I had some shorts or a skirt to change into because it was already uncomfortably hot and it wasn't even 11:00am. Of course, part of the reason I found it uncomfortably hot could be because I once again had to leave work early (I don't even know why I bothered going in) and I appear to be running a bit of a fever. I don't actually have a thermometer in my house because I only think to buy them when I'm sick and the last thing I want to do when I'm sick is leave the house to go buy something. One of these days, I will get one... probably when I have children.

Obviously, tonight's exercise involves pilates-type single movements as I toss about the bed in my overly hot bedroom, followed by core work as I try to keep myself upright long enough to make something to eat, some upper arms as I flick through the DVDs to watch and then, to round things out, a bit of yoga. I plan to stay in shavasana for a long, long time.

I'm totally okay with being sick and indoors during the nicest weather of the year. Totally!

FiveK wiser

Canada has come and gone and so has the 5K that THR and I signed up to do. We were saved from the Stupid O'clock start to the day by mom, the wonder-driver who willingly got out of bed at 6:00am to come pick us up and drive us out to Sidney. I can not put into words how much I love my mom for doing that; THR, an atheist, used the words "she is a saint" to describe her. I would agree.

The run, however, was less than sub par and I have no one to blame but myself. I stayed up too late the night before, I didn't properly hydrate in the 24 hours leading up to the run, and I forgot to grab my banana on my way out the door so I was running on, literally, empty. Just under two kilometres into the run, my legs decided they would run no more and I was left walking the rest of the way. Now, I knew going into this run, as did THR, that we weren't going to run the whole thing. Rough idea was the run the first 2K (roughly 15 minutes for us slow pokes), take a walk break, and then run the rest. At least, that was the goal, aiming to run 4/5s of it at least. Well, kudos to THR because she completed that goal and she rocked it. I was so happy for her. It was the first time she had ever participated in an official run and she should be very proud of her run. I regret that I wasn't able to cross the finish line with her. Next time, THR. Next time.

One of the first things that THR and I noticed when we arrived for the run was the fact that pretty much everyone else who was registered looked like they run a 5K each day for fun. We were easily the least athletic of the bunch. There were a couple of race walkers (and by a couple I mean, I think I counted four) and the rest where all uber-fit people who were aiming for a 20 min completion time. So much for our fun run! It also didn't help that after THR and I parted ways so she could continue to rock it, I found myself slowing down to admire the view or some of the houses that I fancied. Next time, running partner or not, I'm bringing my mp3 player so I keep up the pace, even when walking. At any rate, I now have times to beat for 5K and 10K so I'm happy with that. And I've learned my lesson to go to sleep early, hydrate properly and grab that banana.

This was me after the run was over.

I've looked at my plans for the summer and have elected that I will still train for the half-marathon in October, but I'm going to follow a training plan specifically to run/walk it. With the busy summer I have planned, I honestly don't think I could make the commitment to training that is needed to run it but I'm not willing to give up on the idea of doing the 10K.

"I'm not confused. I'm just well mixed." ~Robert Frost

I apologise in advance: this blog post is going to read like a mishmash of information because, well, it is a mishmash of information. I have snippets of things I keep meaning to work into posts and I never do, so this is all those odds and ends worked into one disjointed post. Hey, at least I know it's not good writing.

My final thoughts on the 10K: I am happy with the effort I put forth given my inability to figure out calendars and two chest congestions in the weeks leading up to it. If you had told me a month ago I was going to miss my goal by 8 minutes, I would have been upset, but having run it and gotten that time, I am happy with the time I got with the effort I put out. I should have known that the blister was going to get worse. I used to do ballet and did three years en pointe before a back injury forced me to stop. As a result, my toes smoosh under each other (and my toes nails... well, let's just say I'll never date anyone with a foot fetish) and I routinely get blisters on the inside of my baby toes underneath the fourth toe so I step on it with each step. Lesson learned: blister or not before the start of a long run, tape up my baby toes to ensure that doesn't happen again.

After working towards the 10K, I decided to take a week off running (I deserve it, damn it!) and as a result I've learned a very important fact: when I don't exercise, I don't sleep well. The downside is that now I'm suffering from a complete lack of energy which is making getting things done a bit of a chore. Memories of last year, of an unhealthier life style. I don't want to be that person again. I won't be that person again. It was nice for a little time off but this weekend, I'm back on the workout-wagon.

I need to start doing weight-training. I was doing it for a while, but I let it slide as school and work requirements grew and stopped it completely by mid February. The gym at Camosun is no longer feasible as far as getting there and back with their summer hours, so I think I will reactivate my membership at the Y for the summer (at least). The only downside is that I missed their free (to members) Women and Weights series which I could definitely benefit from. I did workout with a personal trainer upon a time (in a land far, far away... ) and learned enough at my boot camp sessions that I can figure something out, but it's just annoying to miss what I think would have been a great opportunity to learn. C'est la vie. I could possibly wait for their session in the summer (if they're going to have one) but that's so far away and I need to do this now. Doing almost all cardio and very little toning is really starting to show when I look at parts of my body. Who ever knew that I'd actually want some extra fat to stop the flab from flapping so much? Not me. To the toning weights!

The upside to sitting on my butt all week is that a) I got my taxes done (yay me! Give me my money, CRA!!) and b) it's given me a chance to think about activities I want to cross of my list this summer. I have the loan of Lisa's hybrid bike (It's good on ass! Well, I think I'm funny.) for the summer as she's not going to be able to ride for at least another six months, so I'm hoping to do a couple of day trips. I want to finally get Open Water Diver certified this summer so I'm starting to get the cash together for that. I am debating between a few day and multi-day kayaking trips offered by local outlets. Somewhere in all of that, I'm hoping to throw in a camping trip or two as well (and if that camping trip takes me up Tofino way, add surfing to the list). To top it off, the Juan de Fuca (which looks like it may have to be pushed back to September, but it will still happen this year). It's a big list, but I'd rather too many choices than too few. Adding to this list was discovery of this book from the BackRoad Mapbook series. How did I never know about this book before? Every page is a new idea for outdoor recreation this summer. It's awesome... now I just need to get a copy for myself. Once the summer's over, then I'll flip to the winter recreation section. That's right, it also lists winter recreation. Perhaps this will be the winter I finally rent some snowshoes... or at least contemplate it. This company does maps like this for most regions of Canada, so if you are into outdoor activities and are looking for a few new ideas of things to do or places to see, you should check this company out.

Finally, for those of you in Victoria who would like to support a good cause, I am taking part in AbunDANCE Dance-a-thon on Sunday, May 2nd (yes, this Sunday. This was one of those items which was supposed to be worked in two weeks ago). It's 10 hours (9 of dance and 1 hour lunch break with traditional Guinean food) with hour long lessons in Salsa, Polynesian, West African, Bollywood, Hip-Hop, and more, ending with a traditional Guinean doundoundba (circle dance). The money raised is being split between Matoto and EasterSeals 24 Hour Relay. If you're interested in pledging me, drop me a line and I'll add your name and pledge amount to the list and then cover you until I see you again.