One Twenty Three....Almost Killed Me!

So, I was doing a fair amount of walking leading up into and at the start of my last week of vacation.  Whenever I go for a lengthy walk, a run or a bike ride, I always strap on my Garmin watch to track what I'm doing.  I then go to the dailymile.com website afterward to log what I've done and post it to Facebook (cuz I'm braggy like that)... The dailymile website keeps a running tab on the top of the # of km you've logged for the week so far...Sooo...being the dumbass I am, I thought "I wonder if I can do 100km this week?".  Once the idea has been planted...

So, the week looked like this - Monday 8k walk, Tuesday 5k run/8k walk, Wednesday 8k walk, Thursday 5k run, 8k walk...hmmm...my lower back is beginning to bother me a little...feels a bit tight... Friday 10k bike, 9k walk (yup, lower back not really very happy).  Saturday 10k run (owww...THAT hurt!)...and then it was Sunday...and I had 29km more to go!  Yikes...So, Sunday I decided to bike to Kimberley and back... STUPID...Not only is it more km than I needed...but I had that nagging back thing going on...  But I'm nothing if not stubborn...  Hopped on my bike and away I went.  Got as far as Marysville and was thinking this isn't too bad...not much farther to Kimberley.  Unfortunately, Marysville to Kimberley is ALL up hill...(which my back does NOT like).  Somehow I made it...painfully... Turned around, stopped at a picnic table for a snack and some water and coasted back down to Marysville...ahh...my back didn't mind that so much.  Then I remembered....the 3.5km hill I had to climb to get back to Cranbrook...and then the KILLER hill back up to my house...uggghh....but I did it...  Could barely walk by the time I got back...had to skip running on Monday because of my back....but I did it.  Worth it???  You betcha!  I beat my goal...123km in one week!  Woot Woot!

The picture below was taken at the official 100km mark!

I Weigh WHAT???

So, just back from my big vacation for the year.  A three-day trip with Heather and Nicole to Wallace Idaho.  Was to be two days of biking - so some good exercise.  Ended up being one afternoon of mostly coasting downhill - lol!  Beautiful coasting - amazing sights along the Route of the Hiawatha.  Went through some very cool (and one FREEZING COLD) tunnels - including the almost 2-miler that was a bit creepy. 

Got home late last night and got on the scale this morning.  Three days of bad eating, beer drinking, and almost no exercise sure catches up with you quickly!  Holy crumb!  Wish I could LOSE that much weight that quickly...

So, fun-time is over.  Work-time is back.  Ran this morning - 5k and 10 sprints.  Leg workout at the gym and then a nice long walk planned with Colleen for tonight.  Gym (and a walk?) tomorrow and then Loop the Lake on Saturday...  Time to getter done!

From Aggressive Deer to Barking Birds??

So, anyone who lives in my little city knows full well that we've had a little issue with deer who have decided they are quite comfortable hanging out in town with the rest of us.  For the most part, they are just a bit of a nuisance - eating all the flowers out of gardens, eating trees/bushes, strolling ever so slowly across busy streets...but on occasion, when their babies are quite little - they can act like any other momma acts and will do anything to protect their fawns.  A couple of people have been hurt...and one video of a dog getting it's ass kicked went viral on YouTube (put your dogs on a leash, people, and you don't have to worry about it!).

For obvious reasons, however, our folks at City Hall decided that warning signs were in order.  So....a certain husband of a certain friend of mine ordered up and had signs posted reminding us to be on the lookout for the deer.

And....whaddya know!  The signs work!  Who knew we have the smartest deer around in our little ole city?  But apparently we DO!  I think they can read!  SERIOUSLY!  I have not seen ONE deer when out walking/running/biking (which you may have noticed I do a fair amount of) since the signs went up!  I can just hear them now...at a town hall type gathering of deer... "Oh shit!  Those humans are on to us now!  First these signs...then what??  A cull??  Yikes!  Let's get our little white tails out of here"!  Seems like the most logical explanation for the sudden decline in deer sightings to me!  Well played, Mr. Z, well played!

HOWEVER!  On our walk today, I heard the strangest noise come out of a bird's beak...  I looked at Colleen and said "Did that bird just BARK at us?".  She agreed that it had.  So, just a heads up to the fine folks at City Hall (and that includes you Mr Z!), you might want to think about some signage for barking birds before long.  We can't be expected to tolerate THAT type of behaviour, can we?

Why, why, why.....?

Getting up at 5:45 tomorrow morning again (still on my holidays!!) to meet the girls for a pre-work run.  Should "pre-work runs" not only happen when I am actually working?  Ugghh....  I mean, I know....I can go back to bed when I get home....but I'm soooo tired today.  Had a stupid big chai tea latte at 7:30 last night...spent a good chunk of the night wide awake...and another, larger chunk, in the bathroom peeing.  STOOPID!  Then I did another version of a "Schmidt Tri-athlon" today.  Biked to COTR, did a kettlebell workout followed by 20 minutes on the elliptical, then biked home...then I went for a walk with Kyla... Hmm...maybe that's more than a tri-athlon?  Isn't that 4 things?  Oh...and then there is the idiotic #plankaday challenge I decided was a great idea...  So...5 things...  What's that called?  A cinq-athlon?  Gah!  Is it bed time yet?

Looking forward to the bike trip to Idaho....should be a bit of a rest for me :)

Shopping, Shopping, Shopping!

One of the best parts of running has to be the cute running clothes you can buy!  In addition to my Nuu-Muu (which I still LOVE), I recently bought three new running shirts from the best company - One More Mile.  I've never had such great customer service!  They rock!  I'll definitely buy more from them.  The shirts I got have cute sayings on them:

1)  If you see me collapse pause my Garmin.

2)  I am only doing this so I can post a picture on Facebook.

3)  If found on ground, please drag across finish line.

LOVE THEM!!

I also have a running skort coming from Run Girl Run.  I got one with attached tights - to avoid the dreaded chub rub!  So much for running being an inexpensive sport!  After spending a good chunk of the day scouring this town for a regular skort, however, I have definitely determined Cranbrook is in need of a running/biking/yoga shop.  The selection in town is horrible!

Brrrrr....

Is it REALLY almost July?  Went for another bike ride from my house to the bridge and back (about 22 km) with Colleen....but it was a chilly ride.  Colleen gave me a good giggle when she said at one point that she thought she was getting frostbite.  Usually speeding down the hills is the best part of the bike ride...but today it was just COLD. 

Supposed to be 8 degrees in the morning so should be a nice cool run tomorrow.  We'll be good and ready for a winter half marathon at this point.

Bring on the sunshine!!  I want summer!

Awesome Day!

Whoo Hooo....I love days where I have boundless amounts of energy for some strange reason...  Ran 5k this morning, did kettlebells and sprints at lunch and now just did a 22 k bike ride.... And thanks to the combination of the freakishly weird amounts of energy and the months of hell in spin class, I made it up the never-ending hill in a gear one notch below the hardest gear.  Made it up the killer hill to my place in a harder gear too (though not as tough a gear as the long, gradual hill).  When I got up the really hard part of that hill to my place and then up the slightly less hard part, there was a crinkled up package of cigarettes lying in the road.  What a great reminder of how far I have come.  Definitely couldn't have had a day like this back when I was a smoker.  Think I'll sleep well tonight!

Beautiful day outside.  Blue sky, 26 degrees....and beautiful scenery along the way.  How can you NOT be filled with energy when you're surrounded by the beautiful scenery we're lucky enough to enjoy here in the Kootenays!?