Happy Feet but a sore arm

I love new running socks....well any new running stuff really. I picked up two new pairs on Saturday and took one pair out for a GREAT 10km run on Sunday. It was yet another beautiful Fall day though I will be happy when the city picks up the leaves that everyone has pushed onto the sidewalks and street. Overall I liked the DriFit ones but they will be my 10km and under socks as I know for sure they will give me blisters: Mine are pink....hopefully the husband will stay away from them in the communal sock drawer:

I also picked these up which I already have and love for my long runs:

These tights also somehow made it into the overall purchase:

(I hope my hips and thighs don't look quite this big in them...)

Amidst the craziness of the weekend - family and friends dinners, spin and weights, running, tracking our coaches at Ironman - we also got out H1N1 shot yesterday. There was a lot of discussion on this and I was still a bit nervous about it but went ahead and got it. It was only a 5 min wait even though there were quite a few people there. I feel fine today except for a sore arm - a really sore arm actually.

I'm not a wuss I swear.

Vegan for a day...failure before 7am

So yesterday in the blogosvphere, the idea of 'vegan for a day' was all the rage. I am always willing to shake things up a bit so I thought I would give it a go just to see how difficult it would be. All in all, I thought I did well when I reflected back on the day:

• breakfast: oatmeal+almonds+blueberries
• lunch: butternut squash, homemade tomato sauce, ww pasta
• dinner: rice, salsa, soy pattie

Then I realized that my morning Tim's had milk in it. Whoops..7am failure.

It was interesting to try this out. Don't get me wrong, I like my eggs, cheese, yoghurt etc. so I wouldn't go full board vegan but the husband and I are trying to be more conscious of what we are eating as well as where it is actually coming from. We found some places near us that sell local: Morden's and Organic Garage and are searching out some other places as well. I'm an omnivore and proud of it...just trying to be one that thinks a bit more.

"Excuse me while I sharpen this......"

....is not what you want to hear at the dentist but I did yesterday. I survived appt #1 -it wasn't too bad but still hurt like a mofo. I brought along my iPod to have something else to focus on which helped so I may need some new tunes for next week's appt. I have a new electronic toothbrush and this gross antibacterial solution I have to use so my brushing routine is approx 15 min morning and night. Fun times my friends, fun times.

In preparation I hit up the 6am spin class yesterday morning which turned out pretty good. It was still a bit light in my opinion (40 min of full out cardio) but it was a really good workout and the instructor was a lot of fun. I finished off with some core work and weights.

Tempo run tonight which I am so looking forward to.

I can tell that Winter is on its way - our cats are hogging the vents when the furnace comes on:

Can't wait until it gets really cold:

Zoom - there goes the weekend and I might be Cincinnati bound?

I woke up this morning not believing it was Monday already. (wishing perhaps?) Another weekend gone but still fun and productive.
The husband had to go into Toronto on Saturday morning for a meeting so the alarm was screeching at 5:30am. Instead of going back to bed, I got a bunch of chores done and headed out to the gym. Friday was not a great day eating wise so I was a bit sluggish but pushed out a good 7km run and weights/stretching. Sat night we went to my favorite restaurant, Blacktree, in Burlington where there was fois gras, gnocci and truffles at various points on my plate. Good thing I worked hard earlier in the day and kept lunch to a salad.
Sunday was another 5:30am rise so I could gradually wake up and hydrate before my group long run. I went out for the first part of the run with 2 very fast guys and then let them go when I took my walk break - mentally I still need these. I ended up doing a 10km run which was my fasted ever (including races!) and felt awesome. It was such a great day to run - I loved every minute of it.
Sunday night was another restaurant dinner with our entire running clinic at the Big Tomato in Burlington. This is a new place that was pretty good but not great. The food had a lot of garlic in it - when you still smell of it the next morning after a shower and brushing your teeth twice - not so good. Glad I have no face to face meetings today....
One interesting thing that came up was our goal race for our next clinic is the Flying Pig in Cincinnati. I had no intentions of going however there are a bunch of people who are going including some spouses who are going to do the 5km/10km race the day before the marathon. And there is a half marathon as well.
Looks like my plans for 2010 are changing a bit.

Crazy neighborhood Christmas light count is up to 5.

The Dentist, Ikea and Rules

I have a serious fear of the dentist - always have. Going to the dentist for me is like having a cardio workout as my heart starts racing the mintue I am there. I still remember my very first appt when I was probably 7 or 8 and sitting in the chair refusing to open my mouth. I have very sensitive teeth and yesterday's appointment showed that I have the early stages of periodontitis. I get to go back next week and the week after for 2 90 min appointments so they can go in tooth by tooth and clean out all the infection/bacteria etc.

I'm so excited I could barf.

To console myself, I went to Ikea as we (I) wanted a table to put in the upstairs living room. This is my little den where no sports are allowed and I veg out on the time-sucking comfy couch. Now I know that putting Ikea stuff together is not necessarily easy - the biggest fight the husband and I ever had was the week before we got married trying to put together an entertainment unit. Thereafter, anything we did together, we would stave off any impeding fights by saying: "Remember the entertainment unit". Having said that, try putting together Ikea on your own..... I think it would be in Ikea's best interest to have pictures of cocktails including in their instruction manuals as it might make the install process more fun and easier.

1 hour, 1 broken nail, 100 F*Bombs, 10 repetions of the phrase "this can't be right" and I got:

Table and my time-sucker loungy couch:

Ikea - Swedish for I need alcohol.

"Rules": I am a rule follower...always have been. If a meeting is at 10, I am either there at 10 or earlier. If I am allowed a certain amount when I travel (# of luggage, weight limit, duty free) I follow it. So when I hit up spin yesterday morning at the ungodly hour of 6am for a 55 minute class, I was not happy that it ended at 40 min. Yes...I timed it through my heart rate monitor. Not cool. I have no idea if this is common for this class but I won't be dragging my butt out of bed at 5:15 on Thursdays for this class. I'll stick with the Friday crazies that I met last week.

Officially registered and a thanks from Lance

I officially signed up for the Around the Bay 30km race yesterday. 2010 is the 115th anniversary of the race. I did the 2 person relay with the husband last year (as part of the Two Tickets to the Gun Show team) but this year will be solo and the longest race I have ever done.
No turning back now - I squealed like a little girl when I hit enter on my registration. Well, I may have cried but whatever... This is currently my goal race for our next clinic from a distance perspective. If it goes well (i.e. I survive) I may consider doing the Mississauga Marathon in May but I am not committing to the marathon distance just yet.
Last night was a great run at the gym. I really did not want to go but of course enjoyed it once there. I was going to hit up the spin class but it started at 5:30, I was there at 4:30 and really just wanted to run so off I went for 45 minutes. I had my Nike+ on for the first time in ages and Lance Armstrong scared the crap out of me at the end of the run when he told me it was my fast run to date. Thanks Lance! Don't scare me though.

Crazy neighborhood count of people with their Christmas lights already on: 3

A Weekend of yoga, running, sun and food

And yet another weekend gone but what a weekend! Note to winter - feel free to be like the weather we had on Sat/Sun. I would then love you.
I finally hit up a hot yoga class on Saturday. It was a new instructor class so it was only $5.00 which I figured was fine for a 'tryout'. It was 60 min and overall, I enjoyed it. I sweat like no one's business and got a good stretch. The place was very clean and nice and didn't smell like I thought it would with all those sweaty bodies in it. I don't think I would pay for a regular pass or anything like that as I wasn't over the moon about the experience. From the looks of the schedule, there is at least one 'cheap' class per week I can go to if I really wanted to.
All in all, 3 yogis out of 5.
Sunday was a great 10km group run - I loved every minute of it. No wind, sun and great company. Later that day, we went to Hillebrand Winery for a surprise birthday lunch for our coach. It ended up being a 3 course amazing lunch and we were all in need of a serious nap after. Needless to say, dinner was a very light fare of soup.

This morning on the way to work, there was a house in our neighborhood that already had its Christmas lights up and on......Seriously? I am so not ready for that yet....