Survived Sandy

It's been awhile since I posted.  My life has been so busy the last few weeks with work and training and just life in general.  Hopefully now it will slow down just a bit.

Yesterday afternoon the remnants of hurricane Sandy made it's way into Western New York.  I was a little concerned because my husband is in New Orleans on business and if we had lost power my basement would have flooded in just a few minutes.  Mark tried to buy a generator before he left but you know how that goes, none available.  My son who still lives with us deserted me to go volunteer at the fire department.  So, I braved the storm alone armed with flashlights, candles, food, water...and most importantly my cell fully charged.  Glad to report that we never lost power and had only a few hours of scary wind.  School was closed today so I am enjoying the day off.

Training is still going well.  Last Saturday we increased our running time to two minutes(go ahead, laugh out loud).  Still feeling quite uncertain as to whether I will be able to run the 5k on Dec. 15th.  I guess I'll see how the turkey trot goes which is only about 2.5 miles.  Enjoyed running today in the rain and wind, the wind wasn't really bad at all.  It was a warm 55 degrees though!!

Perfect weather again??

I don't understand how we have lucked out with  training in the most perfect weather you could have but it has been incredible.  This morning we met up in Charlotte, ran on the pier and along the lake again.  It is so easy for me  to run next to the water because that is my favorite place to be.  There is nothing more soothing then hearing waves lap onto the beach or crash onto the shore.  The sun was shining again with temps in the fifties.  The fall foliage is at it's peak  now and everywhere you look is just gorgeous.

We bumped our run times to 90 secs with 3 1/2 min walk time between.  I cheated yesterday and did the workout a day ahead to see what it felt like adding another 30 seconds on.  I felt better today, lol!  A lot of people are having issues with shin splints and calf pain.  I feel so bad for them, I'm sure it is discouraging to make the decision to get healthier and then be plagued with health issues.  I hope they heal quickly!

Have a great weekend..

Never run after dinner!!

My husband made delicious Reuben sandwiches and tomato bisque for dinner tonight.  I almost opted out of doing my run walk workout since I have been up since 2 a.m. and had just filled my belly with too much heavy food but I  got a text from my good friend Lori who spurred me into action and got my feet out the door.  Thank God for friends to hold you accountable!!

The plan was for my husband to ride his bike beside me and time my intervals. He decided to do the workout with me instead.  Now he has never done it before and seemed to sail through it like no big deal,  grrr!!!  I love that he has started to workout with me but man, does he have to make it look so easy!!  I am so proud of him because he's recently dropped over 20lbs and started really riding his bike.  He has his diabetes under control thanks to this visalus shake he's been drinking every day. He has the energy of a 20 year old lately.

As for me no more workout after eating dinner!!  It was a struggle that I didn't need!!

Eat cinnamon rolls then ride lots of miles!

Yesterday was the perfect day to make cinnamon rolls from scratch.  As a result of eating several of those yummy rolls I needed to take a long ride. 
I rode my bike along the Erie Canal from Bushnell Basin almost to the city of Rochester.  It was so warm today in the high 60's.
The only thing missing today was my riding partner, my husband Mark, he's a bit under the weather.  Sad to say there won't be to many days like this left before the snow starts flying here in Western New York.

My ice dot!!!

Thought I would tell everyone out there about an awesome sevice called ice dot.  Ice dot is an emergency identification and notification service.  It provides important information at a time of need.  When you sign up you are given a pin number, you can see mine on my wristband. 

This is how it works....lets say I'm out on a long run and I do not have id with me instead i'm wearing my band or have my snap on(see pictures).  If I were to have some kind of medical emergency and was unable to communicate to people anyone with a smart phone could text my pin number to 51020 and find out who I am and whatever info I deem necessary for any joe schmo to help me.  My name and my emergency contact person is all I have but once the first responder arrives he puts my pin in his computer and all my info that I have supplied comes up. These include my medications, allergies, anything critical to my health as well as my doc and what hospital i want to go to ice (in case of emergency ).  If I needed to be transported to a hospital my ice contacts are all notified by text, email or phone call immediately!! It is an unbelievable service and so reasonable, as low as 10 bucks a year.

They have all sorts of great products your id number can be put on.  You may say "I don't need this, I'm healthy", none of us ever know when the worst is going to happen, why not  be prepared in case it does.  Instead of a first responder trying to figure out who you are and what medical issues you may have it's instantaneous!!!

If you are interested just check out their website at icedot.org.  Oh and if you are a biker you'll want to check out the crash sensor for your helmet.

Morning workout

Perfection!!

It's been a long time....

Today I put on a pair of roller skates, something I haven't done in about 20 years.  Trying to practice a little for my roller derby debut on Halloween.  It's like riding a bike, came right back to me.  Only thing is that at my ripe old age I have to be a little concerned with wiping out more so than as a child. 
Also got a good hike in today.  Probably not the best running trail but it worked out okay.  I love going to new places, it sure does make time go much faster.  My legs were a little sore today from last nights workout.  I think it was actually due to the stretching after the workout.  I am sorry to say I am not one to take the time to do a good stretch after my workouts, it's something I am working on changing!

Week two :)

So we bumped it up last night.  Warm up walk for 5, brisk walk for 4, run for 1, repeat 4×1 6 times.  Felt pretty good, so much to learn though.  Proper way to breathe, and how to pace myself to conserve energy.
It did however turn into a beautiful night for running.  The sun managed  to come out after a little rain.  We ran along the Genessee River here in Rochester.  Pretty with the leaves changing!!
I received part of my Halloween costume in the mail yesterday,  roller skates. For the last few years I've wanted to be a roller derby girl so I'm finally doing it.  We have an outdoor rink in our area so I'll be hitting that tomorrow to get re-aquainted with my skating legs. The plus side, it's a great work out!!  I've given myself the name Skye Dreamer.
I'm glad I have come to the conclusion that life is too short to keep putting things off another day. I need to do things now that I have been thinking of doing for years.

     Have to tell you about a funny thing that happened on my school bus.  Oh yeah,  I may have forgotten to share that for the last twenty years I have been driving a big yellow bus.  I love my job and here is one of the reasons why...
     One of the roads I drive on is called Pilgrim Pass.  I really never gave the name a second thought till this year.  One of my cutie kindergarten students says to me "Miss Kelly??  Have you ever seen a pilgrim passing on Pilgrim Pass?"  Of course my answer is no, I have never seen a pilgrim passing.  So of course my mind gets going and I think how awesome it would be to get my husband to dress up as a pilgrim and be walking on that road right before Thanksgiving.  I have the best husband in the world because he has agreed to do it.  I cannot wait to see the expression on those little ones faces on that morning.  Pictures soon to follow!!

Perfect fall days...

Nothing better than a nice bike ride on a beautiful fall morning.  Sun was shining, leaves changing colors, mid 50's.  I love breathing the crisp autumn air, hearing the sound of my bike tires crunching the fallen leaves! 
Today was a cross training day so we chose riding.  Tomorrow we get to bump our running time to a minute and walk 4 minutes.  We do that 6 times.   I'm sure that sounds pathetic to seasoned runners but us newbies have to start somewhere.  I am about as excited about learning to run as a child on Christmas morning. 

Sorry Doc, I disobeyed orders...

So good to get out with my girls on this beautiful fall am. Can't wait till we can start running more than 30 seconds at a time. The coaches assure us this is the right way to learn to run.
Does anyone have helpful hints as to the correct way to breathe while running?
Headed out with my husband to get our pumpkins and hay bales, time to decorate outside!!

Frustration....

I should have been out training this am but due to a procedure I had yesterday I am not supposed to workout for 7 days.  Even though I understand why it is still totally frustrating that I just started this 5k program a week ago and already something has gotten in the way.  Part of the problem is I feel totally guilty when I don't exercise, even when it is for good reason I just feel like I let myself down.  Does anyone else get these feelings of guilt when you are unable to exercise??  It is truly like an addiction to me, probably not a good one.  If I workout today I run the chance of ending up in the hospital later.  To keep myself busy I went and had a mani and pedi, lol!!  It felt nice but still isn't the same.