Sunday night

Went out for a run tonight, may be my last one before we leave Tuesday morning. Did 7km In 36:48, which for me is a personal best so far - 5:15 pace. Just felt like going a little faster so I did. Started the packing which is early for me, pretty much there just a couple of last minute items and we're good. Can't wait for Tuesday!

It's Saturday night and that means only three more sleeps until we head South! Started the last two days with a run, Friday 4.5km and this morning 7km, really feels good to get out there and start my day that way - feel really energized. Today woke up to snow so I ran mostly on the road in tire tracks, didn't make for a fast time but... Today we got the tickets delivered, along with a really cool gift package for each of us. Also found out that we don't need to worry about getting to the airport or where we will park - Lone Star is sending us to the airport in a Limo! It just keeps getting better! Can't say just how lucky I feel. Thank you doesn't seem to be enough.

Over 17lbs in 30days!

Well the 30 days of Isagenix ended the night of February 14th and I am definitely pleased with the results.  In that time I managed to drop 17.4 lbs, 5.7% body fat and a total of 22 inches!  The program is easy to follow and I am not alone in the results - Glenda lost about the same amount of weight and a couple more inches!
If we can do it anyone can.
Not pushing, just putting it out there, if you want more info, drop me a line.

Where did a week go??

Or should I say, 8 days.  Keep meaning to write on here and obviously that's not working so well, need to write when I think of it.
Let's see,  so I have been out running 5 times since my last post, a 2.6 on Saturday which was really crappy weather, couple of 7's and a couple of 10's.
Friday I went down to London to pick up the gang and bring them back here for the weekend.  Had a good visit, watched a couple of movies.  Took Rowan and Morgan out to the Dixie Outlet Mall on Saturday while Connor stayed behind and played Halo on the xbox.  Rowan got a Beenie Boo Dog, Morgan got a book and a pair of running shoes.  The boys have more recently been recipients of jeans that I had that I wasn't wearing, so in another trip into the closet of unworn clothes, Connor scored another pair of jeans and a belt, Morgan a couple of belts and 3 pants in total.  Connor also got two pair of running shoes - one pair fresh out of the box and the other worn a few times running (not good for my calves).
All in all a good visit, it was good to have them down.

A Great Day to get outside!

So, in the never ending quest to get into some kind of shape and better ready myself for the Burlington Chilly Half Marathon on March 4th, I decided that a long run was in order today.  Started out with an idea of where I would run but not exactly know how far it would total or if I could do it.  As it was a planned long slow run, I did 10 & 1's which would be part of my race day as well.  The plan was to shoot for a pace of between 6:15 and 6:30 per km which I know that I can carry on a conversation while running.  I also decided to wear a heart rate monitor just to see how it compared to my view of how hard I was working (I have never liked heart rate monitors, even though I own 2, as they never seem to be accurate in my opinion.  I have coasted down a hill on a bike and the monitor says 200 beats a minute, I have biked repeated hills going up as hard as I can and only been able to hit 145 - both measures far from correct).  The run was great, ended up doing 19.5km and feel very comfortable about the half marathon, not like I was attempting to win it!  My pace was pretty much on track until I decided to turn on the gas for the last 1.5km and knocking the time down to a 6:08 - next time I just stick to the plan.  Saw a couple of deer at the start and then on the way back there were three in the same spot.  Also saw the pair below on my run.  It really does make you feel better when you are out there.

Hope everyone else had a great day too!

A Sunny Sunday

What a great day! Got up about 9 today and after a few hours of being up it was time to get out there and enjoy the day. Sun shining, not much in the way of wind and just above freezing - perfect weather for a run. Out I went on my way to break in my new shoes (you have to go to the Running Room Clearance Store - Brooks Adrenaline 10's for only $39.99!). Not even a kilometer in and there were three deer out by the fence line again, awesome. Headed down along the lake and through the Rattray again - pretty much the same route although I left out the muddy stretch. Lots of people out on the trails today enjoying the day. Once at the end of the trail and back out to the road, I headed for Lakeshore Road and home, finishing the run just past my starting point and completing 10kms. The new shoes felt gray wouldn't even know that I hadn't already had them for a while. After a quick stretch and shower it was time to head out. Glenda had purchased us an introduction to Thai Yoga Massage at a studio down in the beaches. The introductory course was taught at the Still Light Centre and I have to say it was a great way to spend the afternoon. We learned how to give a basic full body Thai massage! Not only did it feel great, but it was great to give as well - felt very good physically providing the massage (receiving was best still). Having a chance to get the massage from your partner was really helpful when it came time to give the massage as you knew what worked. Now all we have to do is practice!

Back to the Running

I have been able to resume my running after a brief hiatus (if you can call most of a week a hiatus) and got in a number of runs this week.  Got out Wednesday and Thursday night with Glenda for a 4km and 4.26km run.  Felt good to get out and the calf didn't bother me at all, which was even better.  Didn't push the first one at all and pushed a little on the last 1.5km of the second run.  Glad that there was some gas left in the tank.
Friday I decided that it was time to test a long run, so.... yesterday I set out on a run. The original plan was for a minimum of 10km, so off I went.  Attempted to use my running program on my phone to do 10 & 1's but apparently don't know if I know how to set it properly or not (I use ismoothrun) so ended up using my watch which worked just fine.  Went down along the lake near us and through the Rattray Marsh Trail, part of which was really muddy.  Had some slower moments going through the mud but got back out to the road and felt good.  As I got closer to home I decided to go for a bit longer so I added a loop that I do bringing in the distance for the run to 15km.  Was pleased with getting out for the run and had to keep remembering that it wasn't about the time or speed but just going for a long slow run.  Need to get in some distances as on March 4th I will be running in the Burlington Chilly Half Marathon!
At the start of the run I was treated to some deer, actually saw 9 in total while running - just down from where we live.  Really makes you feel good about getting out there!

Getting ready for the Slipstream!

So a bit of an update of sorts.  Thursday was the next weigh-in on our Isagenix program, day 18.  I lost another 4.6lbs for a total of 12.6lbs.  More importantly is the fact that I lost another 7 inches for a total of just over 17 inches so far (based on 14 points being measured).  It is getting easier every day to follow and most days I am not hungry.  I will say that I am happy with the results so far.  Everything fits much better and I don't feel bloated at all.  There were a few days before I started this that I felt like if I dressed in red and sat down, some kid was gonna sit on my knee and tell me what they wanted for Christmas! (and I do realize that I wasn't that big, just the feeling bloated all of the time made it so)

Anyway, gotta say, I'll feel a whole lot better about wearing a bathing suit now when I'm in the British Virgin Islands on Slipstream!

Lunch with the Captain!

Wednesday my Lone Star Texas Grill catered an event at Diageo (the good people that bring us Smirnoff, Guinness and Captain Morgan to name a few brands).  The occasion was not only a day of meetings, but also the celebration of shipping ONE MILLION CASES OF CAPTAIN MORGAN.  The staff were treated to our Fajita Fiesta Buffet which included steak, shrimp, shrimp, baby back ribs, fresh baked tortillas, nacho chips, house-made salsa, all the fajita fixin's, house made rice, onion/pepper mix and sweet tray for dessert!  According to Maureen Wright and Stephen Gray of Diageo, another successful event with many compliments, thanks for having us!  And a party wouldn't be a party without a cake, and who better to cut the cake than CAPTAIN MORGAN himself!

Strike a Captain Pose!

It's Sunday night and back to work tomorrow. Had a good day today, started off with Glenda getting me out for a run, only the second one this week - right calf really acting up and very sore. Nice short run, 3.35km, went well nice to run with someone- thanks babe! Went out shoe shopping with Glenda, nice afternoon together. She got herself a great deal on a new pair of running shoes. I picked up a pair of compression sleeves - hope they help the calf problem. Felt better when I out them on will see when I run in them. Saturday went to London to hang with the kids. Saw Morgan's soccer game, he had a big rush most of the way up the field until he got tripped - great hustle buddy! After some looking around, ice cream and dinner, it was time for the bowling rematch from last week. We played 3 games with Connor winning the first, Rowan the second and Morgan won the third. In Morgan's winning game he bowled 215!!

So it's Friday. End of the week start of the weekend. Went for my first spinning class this morning at Gears in Mississauga. Liked it a lot; not sure that I worked completely as hard as I could have but certainly did sweat! One hour of speeding up, tightening the tension, backing off and doing it again - who wouldn't have fun with that?! The instructor leading the class was great and I would recommend it to anyone. Finished a book I was reading yesterday, Clive Cussler's Arctic Drift, a novel in his Dirk Pitt series. Some light reading to try to get back into the habit of reading. Started another book last night that I had picked up years ago after attending a training seminar by Brian Buffini. He listed a umber of books and one was Little Black Book of Connections, a book about making connections with people. Another quick read, will try to see what I can use in my current life, finished it too. Got pants I bought for Morgan shortened today. Heading to London tomorrow, going to watch Morgan play soccer and then hang out with the gang for a bit. Who knows, maybe a bowling rematch?

Outta sink here on my days.
Was in London on Sunday to hang out with the kids. Picked up Rowan a new winter jacket (pic on Facebook) and we went bowling (again pics there too).  Had a good time seeing them and I think everyone liked bowling, well Morgan looked a little lost when there was a come from behind victory in the last frame to put him in second (sorry bud)
Had my leg worked on yesterday and it felt great, still feels better today, not 100% for sure but definitely better.  Therapist said most likely a strain, take it easy, so..... no more running this week.  Have to look for some other ways to get moving.
Also got my "permanent" tooth put in yesterday.  When I got to the Dentist office they told me that it had been delivered last week to the Health Food Store next door, too bad, could have had it last week.  Oh well, looks just like my own, glad I no longer have a space.
Kaitlin is back home in B.C. and not liking the fact that we get winter here.  Sorry about that - from all of her pictures it looked like an amazing time in New Zealand, what a lucky girl!
Have a great day, more boring news soon!

So it's the first official weigh-in measurement and after 8 days on Isagenix i have lost 8 pounds. Pretty awesome and feel good overall. I figure that it won't change  at this rate going forward but that's ok, not looking to lose 30 pounds. Now for running, went out today for just over 7km, not pretty. Right calf is killing, almosst looks bruised - cant wait for tomorrow, getting it looked at, sure hope it helps! Got our itinery for the trip, into St. Maarten then sail to the British Virgin Islands - gonna be awesome!

And here it's Saturday and I didn't write anything yesterday. Friday I went out for a run, slower than usual pace but that's ok. Went out about noon, the sun was out ran through part of the Rattray Marsh again - saw some Cardinals (no pope). Last week on my Sunday night run I saw a big deer out in the middle of the road, not going to lie knowing I'm doing something healthy and then seeing the wildlife really makes for a great outing. Things are going really well with my Isagenix program very happy with the results so far. Heading to see the kids in London tomorrow.

So it's day three of being on the Isagenix program and things are getting better than the first day. Lots of headaches and crazy hungry on Monday (not having any coffee didn't help that I'm sure). Weight has dropped a reasonable amount (will wait until a week is up before I say). Made dinner for the two of us tonight (me and Glenda) and did a fair bit of checking and planning to make it in the allowable calorie intake. We had French Onion Soup and my version of Jambalaya and combined only just over 500 calories. Speaking of calories, went for an 8km run today and burned up 650 calories. Right calf was and is really tight so not a terribly smooth run. The day was starting to warm a bit (-11 with windchill)so all in all a great day to get out. The car spent most of the day in the shop - some wiring that needed fixing and a latch on the hood. Now the trunk light won't be on when it's closed and I'll be able to use the windshield washer fluid whenever I want! Despite the added expense it was a really great day, talk soon.

And it's the start of a new week. Last week I managed to get in four runs for just under 24km, a fair bit shy of where I need to be for the runs in March. Went out for a 4.5km run tonight, not smooth would be the best way to describe it for sure, but at least I went. Today was also another start - time to drop some extra weight I have been carrying around, it will help the running out as well (it's a little chicken and the egg though - I will be able to run further and faster when I'm lighter and I will be lighter once I have run more!) In an effort to help me lose more quickly and hopefully become healthier, I have began Isagenix today. Glenda has some friends that have had incredible results so why not? She is doing it too. Gotta look great for the trip!

So it's been a long time between blogs. It's a new year and with that means new plans maybe a new direction. Over the holidays Connor, Morgan and Rowan were all with me. We went up to the Manitoulin Island to visit my Mom, had a quiet week hanging out. We all spent New Year's Eve at home in Mississauga. Glenda and I did the 5km Resolution Run in Port Credit and then had pizza and celebrated the New Year with my kids and Glenda's son Cooper. I have decided it's time for a change, and by that I mean it's time to get back into running. I have registered for the Chilly Half in Burlington March 4th and the Around the Bay in Hamilton March 25th- two events I have completed some years ago. Also decided to get back to running as I want to get into better shape before the boat. In about six weeks we head to St. Martin to head out on a private yacht-the Slipstream. Can't wait! I will keep you posted on the running progress.