This week has been really chaotic! Lots of big changes coming up. In between all the chaos, I did mange to squeeze in quite a few workouts - 3 yoga classes, 2 runs (including one with a 9:44 average pace), RandomAbs every day and an upper-body workout at the gym. I'm all set to head to the beach next week!
Regarding my moving situation.....*sigh*. I think the story has changed 6 times this week. There was one day where it changed 2 or 3 times within a few hours. On Monday, I was told that the information they were giving me was the final version and that it wasn't going to change. That lasted until Wednesday, whereupon I got the "new" final version. So here it is:
On July 17th, I will be officially enrolled in the military. On July 19th, I fly to Winnipeg - bye bye Bagotville! When I get there, I'll start doing all my admin stuff, including setting up the house-hunting trip. Once that's done, Chris will be able to fly out to meet me and we'll have 5 days to find a house. Hopefully, we'll find something in that time (the Winnipeg real estate market is a bit peculiar); if not, we'll put our name on the list for a PMQ (~3 month wait). After that, Chris flies home and will only rejoin me when it's time to move all our stuff (depending on when we take possession of our house).
In the meantime, I stay in Winnipeg, living in the quarters on the base, until it's time for my orientation course in St-Jean. It's a 2-week course (full boot camp is next summer) and I'll be flying there on Aug. 10th or so. At the end of the course, I'll return to Winnipeg and get ready to start school. So that means I have less than a month left in Saguenay!
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Back on the bike + fur-baby story
After a long, hard day of sitting outside in the sun, I decided it was time to go for a bike ride. It's been a while since I've gone out on my own but I have to say it went reasonably well. I kept the route fairly easy, with only a couple minor hills to contend with. I covered 13.78 miles in 53:35, averaging out to about 15.4mph/25km/h.
My bike is running nice and smooth, thanks to the spring tune-up it got a few weeks ago, and it was nice to be back out on the roads. But, let me tell you - I am out of riding shape. At this time last year, my legs were in much better condition to handle hard hills and long rides.
Here's a NRR dog story that happened yesterday afternoon. Both Mika and Kona were outside playing while we were enjoying the sun. Their favourite pastime is "lip-biting", where they derive some enjoyment out of trying to bite each other's lips, cheeks, ears, etc. Dogs are weird, what can I say? Normally, they continue like this until they get tired, but sometimes it evolves into a bit of a scrap if one of them gets annoyed. Usually, I order them to break it up, they shake it off and they're back at it again without delay.
Yesterday, however, when I separated the two of them, I noticed that Mika had some blood on her fur. It's happened a couple times that one or the other has drawn blood (after all, they do love playing very rough), so I wasn't immediately concerned but as it turned out, there was a lot of more than usual. It took me few seconds to realize that the blood was coming from her ear. We tried to get a look at it but Mika decided to shake and little tiny droplets of blood flew everywhere, completing covering Chris. I took her inside to clean it up, but once in the bathroom, Mika promptly shook again, turning our bathroom into a crime scene. In all this, Mika didn't seem to notice or care that her ear was bleeding; she wasn't whimpering or complaining - all she wanted to do was go back outside and play some more.
This morning, once everything cleared up a bit, we were able to get a good look at it. We think what happened is that Kona bit Mika's right ear and her tooth went through the skin, most likely by accident; Mika, not too thrilled by her new piercing, probably pulled away and her ear got ripped in the process. As a result, she has a small slice in her upper ear, about 1/2 inch long. We're keeping an eye on it, but it seems to be healing nicely and Mika doesn't seem bothered by it at all. I guess it makes her look tough.
My bike is running nice and smooth, thanks to the spring tune-up it got a few weeks ago, and it was nice to be back out on the roads. But, let me tell you - I am out of riding shape. At this time last year, my legs were in much better condition to handle hard hills and long rides.
Here's a NRR dog story that happened yesterday afternoon. Both Mika and Kona were outside playing while we were enjoying the sun. Their favourite pastime is "lip-biting", where they derive some enjoyment out of trying to bite each other's lips, cheeks, ears, etc. Dogs are weird, what can I say? Normally, they continue like this until they get tired, but sometimes it evolves into a bit of a scrap if one of them gets annoyed. Usually, I order them to break it up, they shake it off and they're back at it again without delay.
Yesterday, however, when I separated the two of them, I noticed that Mika had some blood on her fur. It's happened a couple times that one or the other has drawn blood (after all, they do love playing very rough), so I wasn't immediately concerned but as it turned out, there was a lot of more than usual. It took me few seconds to realize that the blood was coming from her ear. We tried to get a look at it but Mika decided to shake and little tiny droplets of blood flew everywhere, completing covering Chris. I took her inside to clean it up, but once in the bathroom, Mika promptly shook again, turning our bathroom into a crime scene. In all this, Mika didn't seem to notice or care that her ear was bleeding; she wasn't whimpering or complaining - all she wanted to do was go back outside and play some more.
This morning, once everything cleared up a bit, we were able to get a good look at it. We think what happened is that Kona bit Mika's right ear and her tooth went through the skin, most likely by accident; Mika, not too thrilled by her new piercing, probably pulled away and her ear got ripped in the process. As a result, she has a small slice in her upper ear, about 1/2 inch long. We're keeping an eye on it, but it seems to be healing nicely and Mika doesn't seem bothered by it at all. I guess it makes her look tough.
 |
| Yeah, I'm tough. |
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Week in review
I've been done my contracts now for 2 weeks and with not working, my perception of time has gotten really messed up. The days seem to drag on endlessly, yet the weeks fly by. Weird.
It hasn't been a fantastic week for workouts since my knee was giving me grief. It wasn't painful and it didn't hurt while running, but all week something felt out of whack first thing in the morning as well as post-run. I don't want to jinx it and say it's better, but it has felt fine all day today. My sleep schedule's been a bit off too, waking up at 4:30am every morning this week. Not the groggy, "ugh I have to go to work" kind of waking up - we're talking wide awake, can't get back to sleep no matter what I do. Normally, I'd use that time to go for a run but with my knee acting up, that hasn't been an option.
On to the workouts....
Monday
Monday was a rest day from running but I did my daily RandomAbs workout to keep the streak alive.
Tuesday
4 miles in the heat of the day. I came home drenched in sweat. Not my smartest move but I survived. Later in the evening, I went to the weight room for an upper body workout followed by the day's RandomAbs. Normally I quite enjoy weight-lifting but this workout was really rough, not because it was especially difficult, but because I kept getting an exertion-induced headache with every set. What I mean is that while doing an exercise, I would develop a headache that disappeared within 30 seconds of finishing my reps. Very bizarre. Maybe it was the heat?
Wednesday
For this run, I thought I would plan things a little better so I decided to do my run in the evening, close to sunset, in order to beat the heat. As it turned out, the day was much cooler and I ended up freezing during my run. However, I did get to try out my new shorts that I ordered from Lululemon and they were awesome! I'm not a huge fan of short, loose-fitting shorts because I find my thighs end up chafing, so I was thrilled when I saw they introduced a pair of longer, tighter shorts. Finally, I finished up the day with a RandomAbs workout.
Thursday
Thursday was supposed to be a bike ride, but my knee was feeling wonky when I woke up so I decided to skip it. Instead, I spent the day on the couch, icing it while doing some research. I am determined to fix this thing before it gets to be an injury. I did do my RandomAbs workout, though, since that doesn't involve my knee.
I also got a call with some information about the move to Winnipeg. With what the clerk told me, we are one step closer to possibly being able to know something that might be concrete someday. Which is to say that I know nothing new.
Friday
Scheduled rest day (from running anyways). Still did RandomAbs though.
Saturday
Today I was smart. Since I knew today would be hot, I went for my run as soon as I got up. Granted, that was at around 10am but I'm a night owl, not an early bird - don't judge. In the afternoon, we hit the weight room and I'm happy to report that there were no funny headaches this time. I'm progressing nicely with my weights but I've discovered a slight problem - my limiting factor is my grip strength. In certain exercises, I find that my forearms end up tiring long before the working muscles do and it's preventing me from progressing as I would like. Any suggestions? And of course, I did the RandomAbs workout - 9th day in a row.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Last week's workouts
I realized that I haven't been posting my workouts very often, so here's what I did last week. The main focus has been easing back into running post-marathon, as well as building strength.
Tuesday June 5: 3 miles in 28:36
Wednesday June 6: rest day
Thursday June 7: 3 miles in 30:14
Friday June 8: no run (achy knee); 45min of upper body strength training, plus a RandomAbs workout
Saturday June 9: no run (knee still grumpy): ZWOW #21; RandomAbs workout
Sunday June 10: scavenger hunt run; RandomAbs workout
Going into Saturday's workout, I was already a little sore from Friday. It only took me about a half hour to do both the ZWOW and the ab exercises. Not a huge time commitment. But holy crap! Sunday morning, I was so sore that I could barely sit up to get out of bed. I had no idea such a short workout could leave me walking like an old lady. The lesson here - don't underestimate the power of a short, intense workout.
Tuesday June 5: 3 miles in 28:36
Wednesday June 6: rest day
Thursday June 7: 3 miles in 30:14
Friday June 8: no run (achy knee); 45min of upper body strength training, plus a RandomAbs workout
Saturday June 9: no run (knee still grumpy): ZWOW #21; RandomAbs workout
Sunday June 10: scavenger hunt run; RandomAbs workout
Going into Saturday's workout, I was already a little sore from Friday. It only took me about a half hour to do both the ZWOW and the ab exercises. Not a huge time commitment. But holy crap! Sunday morning, I was so sore that I could barely sit up to get out of bed. I had no idea such a short workout could leave me walking like an old lady. The lesson here - don't underestimate the power of a short, intense workout.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Photo scavenger hunt
Here's my entry in Loopster Mr. Bacon's Scavenger Hunt 2012 (click on the link to see the full rules).
1. A "No Trespassing Sign"
 |
| Bilingual bonus! |
2. New construction
 |
| Notice the bonus "Acces interdit" (No Trespassing) sign |
3. A novelty.
 |
| Well, this one's more of a "novelty" shop... |
4. A sign with a misspelled word.
Sadly, this was the only one I couldn't find, at least not on my run. Of course, on the drive home, I saw plenty of mistakes.
5. Something older than you.
 |
| City Hall, built in 1932. |
6. GPS-a-Sketch. I got some weird looks while I was doing this....
 |
| LOOP |
7. Your reflection.
 |
| In the window of the library. |
8. A bridge.
 |
| If you look closely, there are 2 bridges - one vehicle, one pedestrian. |
9. Something that starts with the letter J.
 |
10. Physical representation of a song title
 |
| The courthouse (Cour municipale) where "I Fought the Law" (but I actually won!) |
11. Something that reminds you of a specific Loopster.
 |
| Tracer1973 - Probation officer |
12. Playground/swingset
 |
| Water park at the Old Port. |
13. Sign with a 12-letter word
 |
| Bibliothèque = library |
14. Something temporary
 |
| Midway at the Old Port |
15. Litter that you pick up and put in a trash can.
 |
| Litter |
 |
| Trash can |
16. Wildcard
 |
| Clown walking down the street eating ice cream. I hope he's with the midway.... |
Monday, June 4, 2012
Not so healthy eating...
Confession: I have been eating like crap the last few weeks, especially the last few days. I've been using my marathon as an excuse to eat what I've wanted the last week, all the things I didn't let myself have while I was in training. Like pizza, chocolate chip ice cream, cheese fondue, cake, girly drinks....dare I go on??? It's disgusting and it's starting to catch up with me, especially with my decreased mileage. I feel really gross and it's time to do something about it. I'm going back to my calorie-counting, starting tomorrow morning. I'm also going back to our meal-planning, now that I have the time to go to the grocery store and actually make decent meals (you know, the ones that come from cookbooks, not boxes). I especially want to incorporate more in-season vegetables and fruit. If you have any suggestions for meals/snacks to help me kick-start my renewed commitment to healthy eating, I'd love to hear them!
On a side-note, today I FINALLY got my admissions letter from the University of Manitoba. I applied to the school back in January and with a 4.39 GPA over 4 years of university, I wasn't exactly stressed about getting in. However, I do need to give the admissions letter to the military so they can proceed with my file. So, 6 MONTHS after applying (and at least 3 semi-harassing phone calls to the admissions office), I finally got my letter. Finally.
On a side-note, today I FINALLY got my admissions letter from the University of Manitoba. I applied to the school back in January and with a 4.39 GPA over 4 years of university, I wasn't exactly stressed about getting in. However, I do need to give the admissions letter to the military so they can proceed with my file. So, 6 MONTHS after applying (and at least 3 semi-harassing phone calls to the admissions office), I finally got my letter. Finally.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Rough week
This week has been challenging, to say the least....
Monday morning (post-marathon), I woke up to discover that my legs were in surprisingly good shape. My quads were a bit sore, but nothing I couldn't handle. Then I tried to get out of bed. Out of my entire body, the part that was the sorest was my back. And not my lower back either - it was more mid-back. Once I got going, it was alright but that initial "standing up" was rough. All in all, the 7 hour drive back to Bagotville was relatively painless. I think the foam-rolling right after the race really helped decrease the soreness.
Since the marathon, I've gotten in 8 miles, which is WAY below what I'm used to. I did 4 Monday night after I got home, then 2 Thursday and 2 Saturday. I've also gone to the weight room once and I did a power yoga class on Friday.
Unfortunately, this is creating bit of a problem for me. This week has been extremely stressful, dealing with the move to Winnipeg, house-hunting and getting a mortgage pre-approval done. I won't bore you with the details, but there are a million pieces to the puzzle that all have to come together in exactly the right way at the exact right moment. How is it going to work? Right now, I have no idea. Is it even going to work? Again, no clue. Normally, running helps me deal with this kind of stress, but no such luck this week. As a result, I've been a bit of a nasty-a$$ b*tch this week - just ask my husband. (Sorry, Chris) Hopefully, next week will bring some answers.
But, on the bright side, a friend made me a cake to celebrate my marathon:
Monday morning (post-marathon), I woke up to discover that my legs were in surprisingly good shape. My quads were a bit sore, but nothing I couldn't handle. Then I tried to get out of bed. Out of my entire body, the part that was the sorest was my back. And not my lower back either - it was more mid-back. Once I got going, it was alright but that initial "standing up" was rough. All in all, the 7 hour drive back to Bagotville was relatively painless. I think the foam-rolling right after the race really helped decrease the soreness.
Since the marathon, I've gotten in 8 miles, which is WAY below what I'm used to. I did 4 Monday night after I got home, then 2 Thursday and 2 Saturday. I've also gone to the weight room once and I did a power yoga class on Friday.
Unfortunately, this is creating bit of a problem for me. This week has been extremely stressful, dealing with the move to Winnipeg, house-hunting and getting a mortgage pre-approval done. I won't bore you with the details, but there are a million pieces to the puzzle that all have to come together in exactly the right way at the exact right moment. How is it going to work? Right now, I have no idea. Is it even going to work? Again, no clue. Normally, running helps me deal with this kind of stress, but no such luck this week. As a result, I've been a bit of a nasty-a$$ b*tch this week - just ask my husband. (Sorry, Chris) Hopefully, next week will bring some answers.
But, on the bright side, a friend made me a cake to celebrate my marathon:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)