Merry Christmas!

Hey bloggers!

I hope everyone is enjoying their holidays...I know I am! Last week my last day of work was on Tuesday and then I had 5 days off....yippee. I am back to work now though; turns out people don't like to come in and get weighed after Christmas because we have had no shows and cancellations like crazy!

On Tuesday last week I went home and crashed...I was spent. I don't think I moved for the entire night once I got home from work!

Wednesday morning we were up getting Rexy organised and then we took her to the vet. Our vet is awesome, he spends tons of time with us, asking us questions, answering our questions, and informs us of every option we have. Our little puppy somehow hurt her foot and had been limping since Sunday night, so we ended up putting her on anti-biotics. She seems better now and is running around more than ever. She let him poke and prod her a little bit....only tried to chew on him a few times:) I think the most interesting part was that there is a puppy from the same litter that goes to that clinic! We found out that Rexy weight 2 kg more than her sister!!! She almost doubled her weight in one month.....which means she is growing like a weed!

Once we left the vet clinic we (and by we I mean Chad) had some last minute shopping to do! we spent most of the day running all over the city which sounds awful but actually wasn't that bad.

That night we went to Nathan and Tara's (chad's brother and girlfriend) as they were having a little get together. After being there for an hour or so we headed out to Crossfield. We got out to Crossfield around 9:30 and relaxed for the first time since we left the house that morning! I did plan to bring my bike out....but we ended up getting Nathan a shop vac and so there was no room for my bike:(

Christmas day we didn't do too much, lazed around (in total I think I had 3 naps), had dinner, after dinner we did gift opening. I got about half way dressed to go for a run only to discover I had forgotten my jacket. I went and checked the temperature which turned out to be mind but the wind was howlin'. The only other jacket I had to wear was my giant helly hansen jacket....not exactly breathable! Needless to say I took another mini hiatus from training.

Other than that all we did was play games, watch movies, and sleep....ahhh sleep. Chad got up with Rexy a couple of times and so I got to sleep in which hasn't happened in forever!

Since we have come back to the city and have been on training schedule since then....and I actually feel really good. I biked on Saturday for 75 min, working on aerobic stuff and I ran yesterday for about an hour. I wanted to go for longer...and I could have but since my training has been so broken up over the last couple of weeks I decided to end it wanting to do more! It was beautiful yesterday though, nice and warm out, fresh snow....this is the winter running I enjoy!

I am going to the gym after work tonight to do some weights and run on the tready.

Doggy Update

Hey bloggers!

Interesting fact: Canada hasn't seen a white Christmas since the early 1970's....that is coast to coast all white!

Anyway since I don't have much to update about my training (or lack thereof) I figured I would chat about Rexy since lots of people have been asking about her. She is a little bundle of energy and growing like a weed, I swear her ears get bigger everyday! :)

She knows how to sit, laydown, shake a paw, almost play dead....we are so close with that one. She is a bit of a mischif maker.....if we can't hear her that means she has found something to chew. Where she finds this stuff sometimes I will never know! Chad swears that she doesn't know what "no" means....but I know that she does....the little buggar!

House training is going well. We are still having a hard time getting her to tell us when she's gotta go! We are bell training her at home now; everytime we take her out we have her hit a bell with her paw and the idea is that she will put it togther and go to hit the bell when she wants go out. We did make it through the weekend accident free though!

I may be biased but I think she is the cutest, smartest, sweetest doggy out there.....okay, okay of course I am biased!

Okay back to the training side of life. This weekend I did nothing....I am ashamed to admit it. I have been having a hard time balancing out my life lately. I feeling like I am treading water and just barely keeping afloat.

This weekend for example; I wanted to visit with family and not have to limit my time spent with them because I needed to go for a run, for a swim, for a bike ride. They all supported me so much leading up to Ironman and I had to sacrifice time with them to train. So this weekend I pulled the plug and enjoyed visiting with them and tried not to worry about the training I was missing!

I did better than I normally do, but even last night I was trying to figure out if I could get home by 9-10 pm and still have time to squeeze in the bike I missed on Saturday! I need to learn how to let it go; also when it is important to worry about missed training sessions.

Having said all of this I know that the weather is not helping a lot. It is not an excuse but it is a lot harder to train when you can't go outside! Everything takes a little longer when it is cold outside, so going to the gym takes me FOREVER!!!

My goal over the holidays is to reorganise so I don't have as much to worry about once January hits and I am able to do everything that I want to get done in the course of a day. Chad and I talked about moving things around in our apartment to make it more puppy friendly.

That's everything on my mind lately....I gotta say I feel better putting it all out there. Tonight I have some errands to run and I am going to go to the gym. If I don't blog before Christmas I hope everyone has a great holiday!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the snow....it is a wee bit cold outside though. How about -7 to about -10 with no wind??? That's what I would like the weather to do!

I have been a blog slacker lately. I am feeling the Christmas crunch (as I am sure everyone is:)....lots of things to do, busy at work, shopping, I haven't done a stitch of baking, visiting, etc.

Here's what is going on in my training world:

Friday - off
Saturday - went to the gym to bike and do weights (yes I hauled my bike over there in the freezing cold!).
Sunday - I was going to run but the cold scared me away....and I was at work for like 9 hours....on a Sunday....for my part time job....I wasn't too happy. Oh and my car was frozen solid and I couldn't get into it. Not good.
Monday - I ran on the tready for 45 min and attempted to do weights. I was still sore from Saturday though!
Tuesday - Spin class which was very very challenging. Greg had us do a mix of high cadence (easy gear) and lower cadence (harder gear) within a set....wowzers. It was a challenging workout....and everybody said that... not just me. I came up with an new name for Greg....Gear Switcher Greg. I think I like it better when he rides because then he isn't wandering around checking out what we are up to! There were a couple of sneak attacks in there on Tuesday. On the last set he came over and said "lets see what you can do" and bumped the gear down another one! Since I am not one to back down from a challenge I spun away and my legs felt like they were going to fall off and my lungs were just a burning. It took me about 4-5 minutes to recover to the point where I was able to talk again!
Wednesday - I went for a run out in the cold cold weather. It actually wasn't too bad out there. I hate the wind, it was only -15 but when you added the wind chill it made it -25. Of course me with all of my smarts didn't check the wind chill factor until AFTER I was done running. I always have good intentions of going swimming on Wednesday night but I don't get home until 7:30 and I can't seem to make myself go back out the door!

Today my legs are tired but I am going to spin tonight and we are having a little get together afterwards! This weekend we are headed up to Edmonton to visit family. Next week I have to work Monday and Tuesday....and then I am off for 5 days...yesssssss.

Have a great weekend! Happy Holidays!

Snuffalufagus

I have officially caught Chad's cold....boooo. It's not too bad but I have a serious case of the sniffles and a sore throat. I can still function mostly a-ok.

Monday's run went well...as well as it can go when running on a treadmill. I did watch a program (without sound) talking about Matt Hughes (UFC fighter) and his training schedule. It was kind of neat to see how they go about training for that style of martial arts. For weights I continued along with my olympic lifts. I was able to increase the weight a bit this week. It is amazing how much of a difference 5 lbs can make! My lats were good and sore over the last couple of days so its working the right muscles!

Tuesday night was bike class.....time trial night! Last time I was is the small ring on my bike (easier) and this time Greg pushed me up with the big boys and into the big ring (which makes it harder:). My heart rate was a few beats higher at one point, but I was also working a lot harder! The most exciting part of the night was when I FINALLY HAD SWEAT DRIPS. This is the first time on the bike where I was actually dripping onto the floor.....nice! I just have to have my heart rate up to 170 to do it!

Yesterday I went for a 45 min run along the river. It was really nice outside and I was able to keep my ticker under control! I felt pretty good even with the time trial the night before. I had every intention of going swimming last night but I got off work late, got stuck in traffic (at 7:30pm I might add), and had a wicked head ache.....so I stayed home with my crazy energetic puppy. If I had a dime for every time I have to tell her "no" for chewing on everything I would be a millionaire!!!!

Tonight I am off to bike class again. I will have to make sure I have tissues on hand, once I warm up the nose will be running!!! Tomorrow I have the day off training. I have another busy weekend ahead of me; Saturday we have a Christmas party and Sunday I have to work....with an extra training session in there. I doubt if I will be home before 8:30 or 9:00 pm.

Have a great weekend everyone, try to stay warm!!!!

This is the last time....

Hey guys!

I was Christmas party sabotaged yesterday for the LAST time!!!! We still have at least 1 more party....but this will be the last workout I miss due to it. I didn't notice this last year, but that might be because I didn't have a program to follow!

Here is how my weekend went. Friday was my day off of training, so once Chad got home we took Rexy and met up with some of Chad's old friends from high school. It was a good time but it was a late night.

Saturday morning we were up bright and early to get ourselves together before the race....which was great. I have to say that I still hate 5 km, I never know how fast to run and I end up all over the place....and it just hurts. My clients who did the race had a great run though, I got another one hooked on racing! Once Chad and I got home we were a little zombie like and so we took turns napping vs watching/playing with Rexy. This really helped both of us catch up on some much needed sleep. In lieu of this I did not make it to the gym for weights. Later that night we got together and visited with family!

On Sunday I was up at around 5:00am and then again at 9:30 with that little critter. I didn't have to work until 12.....yet some how I still didn't get my 60 min training session in? So I went to work, where it was painfully slow and I was thinking about all of the stuff I could be doing:) Then I had to run home, get ready, and head back for the party. I didn't get home until 10pm. I thought about getting onto the bike but I decided to chalk it up for yet another missed training session.

To look at the bright side I got all of my training I was supposed to do during the week done which was better than the week prior....so here is another start. Sorry Greg....I will get better at making sure I get all of my workouts in:):):) Better now than next fall right????

The agenda for tonight is to the gym for a run and weights.

Yay it's Friday!!!!

Hey,

I had a nap yesterday....and it was glorious! I gave Rexy a bone and toys, plunked her down beside me and I fell asleep with her chewing in my ear. I had hit my non-sleeping limit yesterday....I wasn't even hungry....and that never happens!!!

Bike class was fun last night. Richelle FINALLY brought her bike so she joined us for the class. I think she may have been a sailor in a past life because there was a lot of cursing going on!!! It was a good training session; I didn't get the post spin class leg ache until about and hour and a half later....getting better! No sweat drips to report, I was so close but it ran down my face instead. Damn. I am going to go back up onto the stage, it is hotter up there and we have time trial on Tuesday....so I should get one for sure. If not I am biking in a hoodie next Thursday!

Tomorrow is the Santa Shuffle....which I finally signed up for! It is a 5km fun run....nothing too crazy. I have a couple of clients doing it and Chad does as well so we are in for a good time. Good Luck everyone!!!!!

Sunday I have to run, work, and attend a Christmas party. It doesn't seem to end in December. I am counting down the days until the 24th.....then I get 5 days off. Whoot whoot!!

Happy Training!!

Where's the snow?

Hey,

I am so jealous of all of the sleeping she gets and the lack of sleep I get!!! Tara took this pic of her on the weekend and she looks so cute! She is so calm and sweet when she isn't trying to chew everything in our house....including me!

It has been a good couple of days. Monday I went to the gym and ran/did weights. I wasn't feeling too hot but I got through it. I dumped water all over my IPOD right before I got to the gym so it was yet another music less workout. Still getting back into the groove of the olympic lifts before I start adding too much weight onto the bar!

Last night was spin class, I think Greg was taking it easy on us tonight for some reason??? We did aerobic sets tonight but keeping it in the lower aerobic zones. Not that I am complaining, it was a nice shift of focus and I was still sleepy! I was on the bike for almost 2 hours though. 1:56 it turned out to be. I was too lazy to spin for 4 more minutes to get to the actual 2 hour mark;)

Today I bundled up and faced the cold weather for a run outside. It was nice when the sun was out but the wind chilled me right down to the bone! Brrrrr. I think that if it is this cold out we should at least have some snow to go along with it! I don't think I am going to go to the pool tonight...I am running on empty and just want to chill out! I have been thinking of how to get myself motivated to stay in the pool. I came up with getting one of those IPOD water proof things so I can rock out while I am swimming and buy a new suit. I always want to try out my new suits which means I have to go swimming. There is one at Tri-it right now that has penguins on it....which is perfect because I am always cold, expecially when I am in the pool!!!

Oh, I also added Shannon's blog. I met him the other night at spin class and knew him previously from the blogging world!! So check out his blog!

Procrastinating...

Good day Bloggers,

I finally got 8 hours of sleep....in a row! Yessssss.

Not too much to tell ya. I think we are now into a routine with Rexy and we should be able to get back into a groove. I had a few missed workouts last week, but onwards and upwards to a better training week:)

On Saturday I biked on the trainer. I had a good ride, it was all lower heart rate training so it wasn't too hard:) It turned out to be 75 min total.

Sunday's run (or lack there of) I can't blame on the dog this time! Saturday night was my Christmas party and there was a lot of alcohol consumption....need I say more. I did learn to beware of large wine glasses.....you don't realize how much you have had until later! I did take the dog for a walk and play with her, that counts as exercise right!

Today is the first day of advent presents for Chad and I. What we do is buy 24 presents for each other and open 1 everyday up until Christmas...its lots of fun! I only have 3 for Chad so I have some shopping to do. Speaking of shopping, I have majorly avoiding any kind of Christmas shopping.....no more procrastinating!

Tonight I am going to the gym and will be spending some time on the treadmill and doing some weights.

Happy Training!

Leslie