I'm not ready to go.....I'm not ready to gooooooo!

Well, I'm still sick as a dog. I may try to do a mile tomorrow. But then I said I was going to go into work today and ended up sleeping for two hours on the couch! My ears have been plugged all week (that's why I have the stereo cranked - yeahhhh, that's iiiiit!) I'm thinking I'll do just the pre-programmed intervals. Then I'll probably collapse into a wheezing heap on the couch. Well, I might as well start somewhere! :-)

ETA: I just checked out the site for the YMCA Spring Run. I am going to start slow and do the half-mile with the kids. And Brandy's out. She's got a good excuse though - she'll be halfway around the world doing good things in Botswana! <3

In honour of my love of fast food (yet another reason I run!) "You deserve a break today!"

Holy lord! Now that I've caught my breath again (both literally AND figuratively!) I can go back to thinking about a real routine. I'm probably going to wait until Saturday, but I'd better start planning, because the craziness starts again right this weekend. The Girl got the call from her soccer coach. The Boy's golf lessons will be starting soon. And it occurred to me this week that the local Y's spring run should be right around the corner. You read right. I'm actually thinking of running. In less than a month.

Bwohhhh?

(Surprised Brandy? Heh heh heh....!)

You see, December is, like, FOREVER from now (or at least, that what The Hubbs is hoping, <insert evil laugh here>) and so every week that I fart around seems like a week of infinity. Sadly, I'm a firm believer in the old adage "Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow." But if I HAVE to run, and I mean R! F! N!, then I will get my arse in gear, my friends.

So now that I have another follower or two, anyone in with me? (Heh heh heh......!)

Reasons I don't run...

Holy Dinah, I am absolutely bagged. I've caught an absolute beyotch of a cold, and I didn't go to work today. I didn't take the kids to school. I'm not picking them up (thanks, Dad!) I could barely open the laptop.

So although I only have two followers, and a few friends who read, I'll leave today up to your wit, since mine is just GONE. You're sick. Not barfy, but sick. Run? Or no run?

April 24, 2011 - Happy Easter! (Bonus "Reasons I Run" - the Random Version!)

So I thought I'd try the Sixx:A.M. run again. I really like it! It's perfect for intervals - warm up song, run song, fast walk song, run song, etc. I cooled down to "Tomorrow", and a mile and a half took 26 minutes (although I almost died halfway through...well..."Dead Man's Ballet" lol!) I bumped the incline down to 1.0 (after almost forgetting to do it!)

Some things I've discovered:

1. Go pee before you run. No, I didn't have an accident, but it's really distracting, and not in a good way!
2. I still don't like sweating.
3. If you turn the iPod up loud enough, you can't even hear your feet pounding!
4. I'm too chicken to try running outside again.

'Kay, something else I might try, too. I'm going to spend my "off" days doing Pilates or something to try and strengthen my core. I have a really bad swayback from when I threw my back out two years ago (I know, I'm a wreck, aren't I?) and one of the reasons I run is to try and lose weight. Plus it really does loosen up my back! So I thought I'd throw that in there and see if there's any hope in hell of finding my abs again. I know they're in there somewhere!

April 22, 2011 - Sixx:A.M- themed run

Lies of the Beautiful People: 2.5 mph, 3:58 minutes
X-mas in Hell (Live): 4.5 mph, 2:03 minutes
Pray for Me (Live): 3.0 mph, 4:39 minutes
Heart Failure (Live): 4.3 mph, 5:09 minutes
Intermission (Live): 2.8 mph, 1:51 minutes

Works out to about a mile in about 18 minutes. :-)

ETA: I used an incline of 1.5 too!

The best laid plans....

Okay, so my wonderful partner-in-running-crime Brandy and I were going to go for our first run together tonight, and it ended up raining cats and dogs. Which is just what our waterlogged corner of the province frickin' needs right now. So unfortunately, I was rather easily convinced to ditch my run today for a supper of movie popcorn with The Girl, but we went to see Rio. Very cute movie, the 3-D rocked, and we had a nice girls' night out. I promise, I will hit up Tready in the morning! I swear! (I'm also going to take Lisa's - hi Lisa! - advice and put Tready on an incline.)

Here's to a good night's sleep. :-)

What the F@#$ was I thinking? Or, how not to try running outside for the first time. Like, EVER.

So I had to go into work to get some stuff done on a project, so I thought, hey - I'll google the distance from the house to work! As it turns out, I live exactly 2.1 kilometres from the office. Which is 1.3 miles. Which I thought would be pretty easy pickin's since I've already done 1.5 on Tready in 23 minutes. Right? Riiiiight?

Cue the Three Stooges soundtrack. Or something else that sounds goofy. I get outside, throw on Run! The Rock Version and start walking. Gotta warm up, right? Well, I got a few blocks away, into the second song, and figured what the hell - I'll start running. Did I mention it was only about 2 degrees Celcius out there? For my American friends, that's about 34 degrees Farenheight Farenheit American. And I've never exerted myself under those conditions. Even tobogganing. That's what kids are for. ("Pull mommy up the hill, c'mon, you need to build your muscles for hockey! Mush! Mush!") But I'll tell you, I was running come hell or high water (wait, maybe I shouldn't say that around here) past KFC, because it was frickin' break time and the staff were ALL out front having their cigarettes. (Now there's an ad for why fried chicken and smoking are bad for you: "You will never escape from your crappy minimum wage job if you don't stop now!")

Where was I? Oh yes. I got a block past said poultry-pushers, and slowed to a stroll. Because I was panting like a sheepdog in July. And ready to black out. In downtown. Boy, did I think this through or what?

Well, at any rate, I made it to work in less than half an hour. And I didn't pass out. And I actually made some headway on that project. I guess we'll stick to Tready until it warms up at bit more.

April 17, 2011

.98 miles in 15 minutes.
Minute 1: 2.5 mph warm-up
Minute 2: 4.0 mph warm-up (I think - I forgot to do this right after the run, and it was 10 hours ago now!)
Minutes 3-13: 4.5 mph
Minute 14: 4.0 cool-down
Minute 15: 2.5 cool-down.

I could probably do the math and figure out what my speeds were, but I'm too lazy!

The reasons I run: Part II

January 18, 2002. My first baby was due in 2 days, and for some reason, I felt like watching Shrek on pay-per-view. I remember we missed it in the theater, and I like Mike Myers - he's a comedic genius. So we rented the movie, and we watched it. I felt like shit the whole time, and I was SO tired at that point and felt like a whale. After the movie, I went to bed. I think it might have been around 9:00.

Wes stayed up to watch hockey, so at about 11:00 p.m., I woke up still feeling like shit. I thought a shower would make me feel better, as it sometimes does. I told Wes that's what I was doing, and once I got in, that's when I figured out I was in labour.

When we got to the hospital, (in the days before the big remodel and the fancy birthing rooms), I was put into an observation room, given a shot of demerol (I don't remember your name, nice nurse lady, but THANK YOU!) and had a nap. As it turned out, I was lucky with my timing, and got to get into the only nice birthing room in the hospital. I remember toughing it out (which was actually pretty easy), using the brand-new birthing ball (which we all now know as an ordinary exercise ball, but boy, does that work!) and when my water broke at about 6:00 a.m., that's when I knew the easy part was over - I was going to take the advice of so many people: one epidural, please!

That sucker made the rest of my 17-ish hour labour a breeze. I'd watch the chart spitting out of the monitor and go "Oh, I'll bet that one must've hurt!" and laugh. The nurse (a new day-shift one) would come and use a popsicle-like thing and roll it up my chest to see how effective the epidural was. She'd go pretty high and turn down the dosage - apparently, not only do I look lighter than I really am, but my body acts that way with anesthetics too. When I got my wisdom teeth out, I was out like a light, even though I supposedly wasn't supposed to go under for it.

So anyways, Jillian Leigh Szabo, this perfect little baby girl, was born at 3:00 p.m. on the nose on January 19th. She slept, which was heaven for me, and because I had to wait for the epi to wear off, the nurses did a lovely job of taking care of her. So I slept for some time.

I think it was around 6:00 p.m. the nurses informed me I'd have to be moved to a regular hospital room so someone else could have the privilege of not giving birth in what looked like a closet. I happily obliged, but the epi still hadn't worn off, so they had to haul me into a wheelchair and chauffeur me to my room. Now, that wasn't so bad. But the side-effects were a bitch. Ever had a catheter? Eff. Ing. JOY.

By January 20th, I still wasn't able to get out of bed. I had no idea how long an epidural was supposed to last, but I suspected something wasn't adding up here. Jillian was feeding like a champ, so things were okay there. I won't tell you about infections and stitches (TMI? My dad might read this someday, y'know.) but I think the nurses were sick of my little diva "act". I mean, I was able to sit up in my bed. But my legs were not doing what my brain was telling them to do. And I was scared shitless.

The anesthesiologist - a tall, skinny dude in his mid-forties (early fifties?) with a thick eastern-European accent - was called in by my doctor to figure out the problem. I still tell friends to this day, it's a damn good thing I couldn't move my legs worth shit, because the guy was using pins, feathers, his fingers to determine how much feeling I had in my extremely ticklish feet. I could FEEL, I just couldn't MOVE (lucky for him and his nose!) Well, let me be more specific - if I had my legs dangling over the edge of the bed, I could move my left foot about 3 inches, and my right foot would twitch. He declared that my spinal cord was probably bruised (and figured out a way to blame me: "You probably moved when the nurse took it out. You're not supposed to move." Thanks for the newsflash asshole, but in case you didn't know - that part kind of fucking hurts.) Anyways, because of the feeling and the motion - limited as it was - he declared it not his fault, and left me to my own devices. Asshole.

By January 21, I could stand up if I locked my knees, but I still felt like I was going to fall at any minute. And I did, courtesy of the nurse who INSISTED I could go have a shower, and I would be FIIIIIINE! (Yes, I still remember you, bitch. You're one of the reasons I stand up for myself much better than I used to.) When I collapsed trying to sit down on the bench outside the shower, the other nurse (a lady who used to babysit me as a kid, and apparently was still willing to do it!) declared me NOT FINE and got me and my now severely bruised ass back to my bed. (I still remember you, and you were and are my hero.) After a visit from someone in the geriatric ward to loan me a walker (she was so happy to be around a cute baby instead of death for a change), I was mobile, out of bed, peeing in a toilet, and so grateful to at least be able to walk. I really didn't know if that was going to happen.

January 22nd. My doctor, God love him, regretfully informed me that because my legs were improving, I'd have to leave to make room. I was getting better pretty quickly, but being on my feet tired the hell out of me. But I understood where he was coming from. So we packed up my stuff, that cute little baby I mentioned earlier, and headed down the elevator. I remember sitting looking at Jillian in her carseat while we waited for Wes (Daddy!) to get the car. I remember the short drive home. And I remember my legs giving out again, while I carried Jillian in her carseat, attempting to get up my stairs to go into the house, and yelling for Wes and his brother because he'd gone in before me carrying all the other stuff.

This was way longer than I intended already (it's the first time I've relived the whole ordeal in any form), so I'll just tell you that I lived on the first floor of my two-storey house for the first few days home, only crawling up the stairs to use the bathroom. For about two weeks after that, I would still crawl up the stairs or slide down on my butt like a big kid, baby in my arms. Going to the mall for about a month, I HAD to have a shopping cart to feel like I wasn't going to fall down. For about six months, if I was tired, my knees felt it first. And I'll bet it was about 5 years before I stopped feeling it if I was swimming in water that juuuuust wasn't quite warm enough.

So, long story made short (too late!), that is reason #2 that I run. Because I can. Because I almost COULDN'T. And I will never forget what it was like to be paralyzed.

April 16, 2011

1.49 miles in 23 minutes
Warm-up: Walked "Intermission" at 2.5 mph
Highest Speed: 4.7 mph during Sick Puppies "Going Down"
Discovery of the Day: That "Too Fast For Love" is yet another good 4.3 mph song!

The reasons I run: Part I

I should probably tell you why run. There's a whole slew of them. There's the obviously whole "exercise is good for you thing," but let's face it, that could mean anything that gets your ass off the couch, no? So why running?

For a lazy non-athlete who really, really, REALLY enjoys my couch time, I've actually been surprisingly athletic over the years. I suck at sports, but I've done weightlifting. I took Pilates classes. I even spent one spring going to exercise bootcamp and lost some weight. But I never stick with them. These are all things that would require me to be organized - to be somewhere at a specific time, and keep going even if it bores me. I don't do bored well, so inevitably I end up failing. But running, now that's easy. Even if you don't have a plan, you can hop on a treadmill and run. If you can't afford a treadmill, you can throw on some running shoes and hit the road. Weather sucks? Run on the spot in your living room! Hell, let's face it, the video game industry has been getting people to do tons of that lately.

The other thing about running is although there are classes, training programs, videos, you name it, running is a basic function of the body. You put one foot in front of the other. Then you do it again. Then you keep doing it really really fast! Okay, I'm simplifying things, I realize, but it really can be that easy. And I noticed throughout day to day living, that if I had to be somewhere really fast, and I run, I love it. It made me feel good. So, I convinced Hubbs to let me blow money on a treadmill, and I've actually stuck with it. I "get" the concept of runner's high.

I've actually got other reasons too, but there's way too many to cover in one post. More to come later ;-)
(P.S. - I write my final exam in Auditing this afternoon. Then I get a five-month break from classes!)

And heeeeeeeeeeere we go!

So last night I spent the entire night avoiding the treadmill and working on my playlists. I now have two that I've just published to iTunes:

Run! The Rock Version
Run! The Pop Version

Look them up and tell me what you think!

I just finished letting supper settle - I think I'll test out the Rock Version :-)

ETA: Did 1.5 miles in 25 minutes. Mostly at 4.5 mph. Love the playlist! :-D

Welcome to my blog. Or, like I need something else on my to-do list!

Well, if you've found me, thank you! I've been chewing on the idea of writing a blog for some time. The problem's always been what to write about! I'll tell you a bit about myself: I have two kids. The Boy is 6 years old. He's a freakin' genius (no, I don't say that as his mom - he's scary smart, and he KNOWS it!) The Girl is 9, and she's good at ev-er-y-thing. Seriously. Especially hockey. Which basically means I already have no life.

Speaking of no life, I'm learning to be a CGA while also working full time. Oh, and I was treasurer for The Girl's hockey team last season. And I was the Publications person for the Parent Council at the kids' school. Because really, I'm not approaching my nervous breakdown fast enough, you see.

Which leads me to The Hubbs. Seriously, he's a good man. He cooks. He cleans (if I bitch at him enough). He even takes damn good care of the kids. But most importantly, he humours me whenever I come up with some cockamamie idea, such as spending a weekend in Winnipeg with BFF at a rock festival. ("Hubbs and Kids? What Hubbs and Kids?")

So this leads me to the cockamamie idea that has spawned this crazy blog. A couple of months ago, I talked Hubbs into letting me buy a treadmill. And I've actually done pretty good on it. I'm slacking a bit lately - finals and work - but I can run a mile in about 15 minutes if I push my luck. So a friend of mine from work sent me a message the other day saying "I have a proposition for you." Like and idiot, I asked her what it was, and she brought up this half-marathon that is run in Vegas down the strip each year. At first, I thought no way, no how. It's the day after Hubb's 40th birthday, and I was planning to throw him a party. Then it occurred to me - y'know, I really haven't planned a damn thing yet, now have I?

So I threw the idea at him of spending his birthday in Vegas this year. I even suggested his parents could come, my parents could come, we could take the kids (well why the hell not? We're inviting the babysitters!) Last I checked, he was shaking his head. In the Headshake of Defeat. So I will keep you posted..... ;-)