Success Maybe?

days 17 - 30

Lola — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 16:55:02 +0000

well, despite my blog neglect (typical), i’ve kept running (atypical). that’s exciting!

life is bonkers, work is super-intense and the morning workouts are keeping me happy and on track. who knew? regular exercise actually makes life better.

mum and i successfully completed our 60km walk challenge, of which i am exceedingly proud. it took some major dedication but we did it together and it was marvelous. in total, the Weekend To End Breast Cancer raised 4.1 million dollars towards breast cancer research. with the support of our friends, family and colleagues, mum and i raised $2290 towards that total. pretty awesome, really! i’d happily walk 60km again for a goal like that.

right now, dave and i are gearing up for the Run for the Cure. it’s our first 5k of the fall - and is always a good time. i’m looking forward to being a part of the crowd - there’s something extra exhilirating about running with a group.

days 12 - 16

Lola — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 15:31:38 +0000

whatthe…! how did it get to be friday already? whirlwind week, that’s for sure.

despite my jell-o legs and bizarrely cramped feet (the pinky toe side of the foot…who’dve thought it?), i kept on running. spent monday and tuesday psyching myself up for it and wednesday and thursday giving it up the giant hill.

thrilled to realize that the hill is slowly (SLOWLY) but surely getting a bit easier. it helps that my dog is a nutbar who hates other dogs. when we see another one coming, it gives me a certain burst of energy. like “oh crap, my dog is going to tear my arm off in a freaky show of dog dominance by lunging to the end of his leash in hot pursuit of that extremely threatening chihuahua puppy.” so to avoid that, we just run really fast past the other dog. this works because my dog is old and needs to focus on not passing out as he runs. so he has to choose between running or being a jerk, and he seems to prefer running.

good to see i’ve put so much time into analyzing my dog.

2 more 15k walks ahead this weekend. i’m really excited - both for the accomplishment and for being done. i’m thinking i might propose slightly shorter, regular weekend walks - maybe 10k? ‘cos it’s very enjoyable time spent with mum.

wish us luck!

Days 9, 10 + 11

Lola — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 21:35:15 +0000

day 9: day OFF. went shopping with my cousin. celebrated dave’s birthday and just generally whooped it up.

day 10: got up at 7am, put on my shoes and walked 15.5km with mum. we didn’t raise enough money to participate in the Weekend to End Breast Cancer in vancouver this weekend, but we were damn close! and we wanted to honour our commitment to all the folks who’d pledged us the big bucks to walk 60km. so we’ve split the challenge into two weekends - 30km per weekend. intense, but awesome. you can cover a lot of important conversations with someone you love over the duration of 15.5km.

feet - hurty. back - hurty. mind - good times.

had a fairly intense low-blood sugar mood attack post-walk. vowed to bring more food tomorrow.

day 11: seriously? again? 15km?

got up, drank two coffees by means of preparation. ate a fruit and grain bar. hit the pavement.

i think we made better time today, but were looking pretty ragged by walk-end. mum’s feet are shredded wheat. i’m just woefully limpy. currently about to eat some more food. according to mum’s pedometer we walked 15.73km and burned 1200 calories. jeezus.

steeling myself for next week’s runs and final leg of the walk.

a million, billion thank you’s to everyone who supported us and donated towards breast cancer research. you’re all stars!!

Day 8

Lola — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:05:10 +0000

the secret to running is COFFEE!!

my sincerest thanks to the people at kicking horse.

Day 7

Lola — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:30:49 +0000

discovery: i am surly if you wake me up and i’m not done sleeping. may not be a discovery to anyone who’s ever woken me up. but seriously - who deals with that nicely? g’s blackberry was a symphony of beeps, rings, alarms and other heinous electronic noises this morning, starting at 5am. laid in bed and pondered flinging the bb out the bedroom balcony door. not the first time that idea has occured to me.

grouchily dragged my ass out of bed at 7am to run. today was a “lead-pipe leg” day. slow going. legs refused to cooperate, despite my best desperate begging. ground our way through a half-hour run and then just marched up and down some mega-hills. discussed the possibility of getting a cape to wear while running - maybe it’ll make me go faster?

Day 5 + 6

Lola — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:12:44 +0000

day 5 - running like a kid. that was awesome! g and i hosted a sleepover for our 5 & 7-year old cousins. went to the playground and ran in circles (in addition to climbing monkey bars, balance beam, rope ladder). remembered again why i was super-fit when i was 8. then we came home and ate sundaes. i guess it all balances out.

day 6 - ran 31 minutes. that last minute counts big time, as i nearly died going up the hill. decided (stupidly) to skip my usual lead-in walk break and just go for it. played some serious mind games to get to the top, including “run past that stick. run past that rock. run past that gum wrapper. don’t look up. run past that other stick.” not unduly complicated, but enough to keep me from thinking about the fact that my lungs were trying to climb out of my chest, through my mouth.

yay fitness!

Day 3 + 4

Lola — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 23:00:10 +0000

ran around in circles. not with my sneakers on, or in any particularly athletic manner - just trying to get things done. that said, i was wearing my running hat and hoodie on one of those days. my wardrobe went where my feet failed to go. i also bought a pair of arse-flattering jogging pants. i remember when that concept used to be an oxymoron. big thanks to the advances made in athletic pant arse-flattery technology. what will they think of next?

i made time in the middle of all my frantic busyness to have a nap - an uncharacteristically decadent thing for me. i usually operate full-steam ahead, with the understanding that there is one time of day for sleeping and it is nighttime, after a long and busy day of getting stuff done. any potential napping moments are consumed by thinking about all the stuff i could be doing instead.

it’s not that i am any busier than your average person (i don’t think). it’s more that i am prone to major, self-induced guilt complexes. i feel like i need to be “doing” at all times - not resting. i suspect this may indicate some sort of spiritual, inner peace deficit on my part. generally speaking, the only time i sit quietly for uninterrupted periods of time is when i’m reading. thank god for books, really.

so today’s nap was a great success. i’ve decided to celebrate it as a triumph of self-care - one that should probably be toasted with a glass of wine for good measure. *clink* i’d like to thank my husband for encouraging me to lie down, my bed for being a comfy nest, and my dog for not barking for 20 minutes. i couldn’t have done it without all of you!

Day 2

Lola — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:25:44 +0000

ran 30 minutes. got up at 7am - we’re trying a new morning run schedule. so far, so good, except for the hill. it reminded me of The Great Outdoors (”big! pant pant pant big! pant gasp pant big bear gonna get me!”) except replace “bear” with “hill.”

if you can follow that train of thought, you get a prize.

i might be able to run at 7am, but i make no guarantees on my writing abilities.

resuscitation

Lola — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:54:17 +0000

this blog needs some life!

dave and i have started running again, and i wanted to know the name of a rad running blog that he used to read. he couldn’t remember it, but he said “you should just start one.”

so i’m going to. except, unlike my previous blog, this will be a short one. the only rule is one line a day. some days might be more, some less. but each day, you can count on reading one line about running (and whatever else happens.)

to begin:

Day One: Ran 12 minutes. Nearly suffocated going up a hill. Vowed to give up social smoking (for the 80th time). The dog did his business in the middle of the road, mid-run. I suspect he is out of shape, too.

Catch-Up

Lola — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 03:55:38 +0000