CSN Stores Winner!

Well, I have to thank you all for being great followers and participating in my giveaway! I always love doing these things, and hope to have more in the future. You all had some great ideas on future posts, which I will try and incorporate, like info on how to make runs more fun, product reviews, nutrition, running with kids (not that I am a pro at that) and many more pictures! I love the feedback.

Now, for what you really want to know - the winner! Well Random.org pulled post #48 as my winner, so DaphneB congratulations!!! Send me an email at runningfromlaw at gmail.com and I'll get your $30 CSN code your way!!!

As for me, I had an interesting weekend filled with two sugar-high 10 year olds (sleepover for the Munckin, not that bad) and a bit of indulgence. My hubby and I had some wine and had the best cuddles time ever. I did sacrifice my workouts slightly to get this time, but the sacrifice was definitely worth it.

Last night, we were having dinner, and somehow or another my dining room chair (which I have not replaced yet, despite my previous lust for some of CSN's sets ) finally gave out. The bottom, which should have been screwed to the frame of the chair, must have came loose, and I ended up falling through the chair. Lovely sight, and something that always makes you feel like an elephant if and when it happens. So I have hurt my back, but still plan on having a productive week with workouts this week. Tonight I am having a friend over and we are going to play some Wiifit, and then Tuesday I have my Tai Chi/Pilates/Yoga class, and hope to get in at least two more visits to the gym, which some running later on in the week when my back isn't so tense.

Happy Monday!

It's so cold that.....

Ok, so I know that a ton of bloggers have been commenting on how cold it has been lately. I was forced to take the day off yesterday after my husband's car would not start. It was - 30.7 degrees Celsius in Ottawa at 7am, which for you Americans equals a chilly -23.3 degrees Fahrenheit.

When I found out it was cold enough to do this, I had to try it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQEVcCv_xkQ

Sorry, I am not tech savvy enough to figure out how to add it to my post directly.

Sure enough, about half of the boiling hot water I threw up in the air instantly turned into a snowy fog. Coolest thing ever, and it made up for the fact that it was FREEZING!

So I went to a class at the local gym on Sunday, taught by my good friend E. E is super fit, doing everything and anything sport and fitness related, and is crazy amazingly hot. I knew the class was going to be a challenge; I wasn't expecting to still have aching calves today. Here's hoping that a yoga/pilates/tai chi class today helps me stretch the legs out, and that I can get on the treadmill for a good run Wednesday or Thursday.

Don't forget to enter my CSN Stores giveaway, ending on January 31st! You all have some great ideal purchases! Most unique so far has to be Tim, who wants a fire extinguisher!

Let's talk running safety....

So I am normally not one to be on my own high horse with respect to how people run - I don't judge if you are slow or fast, a 5k'er or an ultramarathoner, decked out in the best gear you can get or just in sweats and a t-shirt. But I DO get frustrated when I see runners who aren't acting in their own best interests.

Take my drive home yesterday. I drive on some pretty dark streets, and yesterday there were threats of freezing rain. It was snowing, and visibility wasn't great. Roads were slippery and cars were fishtailing all over the place. Literally, if you got out of the ruts made by other drivers, you were in for some sliding action.

As I approached home, I was startled when out of nowhere, a man appeared. He was running ON the road (in one of the tire ruts for cars) wearing dark clothing (not even full pants, it was -13 Celsius, 8 Fahrenheit), little reflective gear, and he was running with traffic.

I get it. Running in winter is tough, and sometimes, running on the road is easier. But this man was asking for trouble, and I would feel so bad for the driver who tried to brake to avoid him and was not able to stop in time.

So please, think while you run. Wear reflective gear. Run off the street when you can, and only on the street when you can see the traffic and against the flow of traffic. Invest in a RoadID or similar product. Get Yaktraks if necessary. Stay inside on the days where it is just too cold/slippery/dangerous. Because your life is not worth that one run. Too many runners, even those taking all the necessary precautions, get killed every year. I know this line is cheesy, but don't be a statistic.

So tell me, what do you do to keep safe year-round?

P.S - if you haven't done so already, get over to my CSN Giveaway! And check out misszippy's gender neutral giveaway HERE

Baby it's cold outside!

So today, it is some miserable weather up in my neck of the woods. This morning I was greeted by -30 degree Celsius weather (-22 Fahrenheit). BBBRRRR!!!!! These days I constantly ask myself why I live here. Then I remember my job, my husband, and grumble and get through it.

So on Thursday I was awarded the Stylish Blogger award from one of my favourite bloggers: The Turtle!

So here's what I have to do:

1. Make this post and link back to the person who gave the award to me (Done and DONE)

2. Share 7 things about myself

3. Award 5 great bloggers

4. Contact the bloggers to tell them they've won!

Here's my 7 things: (harder than you think to come up with!)

1. I was born two days late, on my grandfather's birthday. My parents argued whether my first name should start with an O or a P, and finally decided that it should be P, so that my initials would be POP and I could be "his" birthday present.

2. I was one of those geeky, unpopular kids growing up. I lived on a farm, and spend a lot of time climbing trees, fishing, etc. I got A's, and was a keener. I guess it paid off in the end, but some days I wonder if I'd be more confident about my abilities if I was more socially successful as a kid.

3. I am a closet tea addict. I have been drinking a lot of it in an attempt to reduce my eating, and have about 20+ flavours of tea in my cupboard. My current favourites: Cherry Amaretto black tea and Peppermint.

4. After over 4 months, my big toe and one of the other ones is still not healed from my half marathon. They have both at least partially disconnected from the nail bed, but will probably just end up growing out over time. So much for ever being a foot model.... :P

5. I have gained a bit of weight over the past 16 months or so that I am not proud of. It makes me depressed, but I know in all truth it's my own fault. I am trying to get back to a place of control, but it is a rough fight. I hope to be down at least 10 by the time October rolls around BECAUSE:

6. I have a trip to England, France and Germany planned out for October-November of this year! I have to go and see my best friend get married! He was my "man of honour" at my wedding (I had just him and a flower girl, it rocked!), so I have to get there for him. Sadly, I am already shopping for fancy dresses, and of course, a HAT!

7. Someone made a comment on the CSN post about seeing more pictures, and I thought I would explain. Being the paranoid lawyer that I am, I am just concerned about confidentiality and privacy, both with respect to what I say about work, and my own personal life since only one person in real life (maybe two) know who I am and know I have this blog. I like it this way, but will try to give you guys more photos every once and a while (whenever I actually take them!) Here's one (ok, two!) of my favourites from my wedding in 2009:

Since I have got 44 comments on my CSN stores giveaway(!) I decided to award the first 5 people to enter my contest, so Still Running, Baby Weight my Fat Ass , Lovely Domestic Diva, MissZippy and 5K Rae - You're it!!!

Keep those entries coming in for my CSN giveaway! In the next few weeks, I will try to respond to more of your requests for reviews, nutrition info, everything!

Another CSN Stores Giveaway!!!

Well, I know that my blog has became a little dull these days, with the freezing cold temperatures here (with the windchill, it is -20 celcius, or -4 Farenheit), and with my general lack of running, so I was SO glad when CSN Stores contacted me to hold another giveaway! I have a $30 gift code up for grabs once again, so you can pick up some fitness accessories, or something a bit more luxurious to pamper yourself. If you don't know already, CSN Stores is an online superstore for all sorts of things: Delsey luggage, Le Creuset dutch ovens, Horizon and Life Fitness treadmills, luxury bedsheets - you name it, they've pretty much got it.

So, here's how you enter:

1. Mandatory - Be a follower.

2. Post the one thing that you would buy from CSN if money were not a concern. Link it if you can - I want to see what you are coveting!

3. Tell what you want to see on this blog this year!

4. One additional entry if you twitter or put a link to the giveaway on your blog.

Please put a comment below for each thing you do to enter, and I will pick a winner on January 31st!

Good luck!

Good (but busy) times!

Life has been a ball full of crazy these days, with so much work to do and so little time. Late last week, I finally got my first run of the season in. Actually, it is technically the first run I have done in a L-O-N-G time. I aimed low, hopping on the dreadmill for two 15 minute intervals at around 10.5 minutes a mile (5.8 miles an hour). They were comfortable miles, and it was really what I needed to ease myself back into it.

Unfortunately in the process of getting ready with my hubby to go to the gym, not only was my ipod armband lost, but I also couldn't find my earbuds. I finally found what I thought were my headphones, and gave up on finding the armband since the treadmill has convenient little trays to hold all my crap. Low and behold, I get on the treadmill for about 5 seconds before I realize that the earphones I have are totally kaput, both cords are damaged and I can hear nothing out of them without wiggling them at all times to try and get the connection straight. So now I am trying to convince myself to buy some Yurbuds to make the dreadmill less dreadful. After I got off the treadmill, I even convinced myself to get on the stairmaster of death for 10 minutes. Yeah me! So now that I am back to the gym, no excuses. I am even trying to cut out limit all sugar intake, as I found I fell off the wagon hardcore with all the Christmas sweets.

For the last two days of work, my life has been in chaos. My trial turned into a settlement (good for us, but resulting in over 5 hours straight of negotiating with a unrepresented party who didn't understand the purpose of settling at all) and I went from 7-3:30 without stopping. I finally got back to the office and stuffed a carrot muffin in my mouth. It has veggies, right? Today, I was brought in as a "second chair" i.e. co-pilot on a case that went to trial unexpectedly. Again, this resulted in no lunch, and despite all my will power, by 4pm I couldn't stay away from the sugar. I'd like to see it as a small victory however, as I had the option of scarfing a piece of my Mom's Pumpkin Spice Cake for a very, very late lunch (Yummy, and another veggie!) or chocolate cookies, or fudge, or candy, or a ton of other horrendous sweets. I took the cake. I will try to stick to this "no sugar" as much as possible, but it's rough.

This week's exercize plan is simple: Do it! Tomorrow I have a Tai Chi/Pilates/Yoga class, then I plan on getting to the gym two more times this week. Tonight was a fail, since I didn't get home until late. 12 hour days suck sometimes.... :(

Any Yurbud Reviews for me? Someone help push me over the edge.... ;D

Not a run, but....

I finally got into the gym, after getting back from a wonderful weekend away at my parent's house. As stated a while ago, I decided to get a gym membership and tried to attend once after it opened (December 21st) for a swim and quickly found out that the pool wasn't open until mid-January.

So last night, I went home, had a quick supper and ran out to a class with my neighbour and great friend T. I wanted to ease into things, and T is not a runner, so we decided to go to a class that combines Tai Chi, Yoga and Pilates. We had a great instructor, and I felt challenged while not being overwhelmed. Legs were shaking, muscles were screaming, but it felt good.

This morning I am a bit sore, but the masochist in me likes it. I am trying to live up to my new years resolution of eating healthier and getting to the gym three times a week, and it feels great taking a step in the right direction. Here's hoping that I can keep it up well after the new gym goers with new years resolutions cop out in February or March.

As for work - I have my first trial on Friday. EEEKKK!!! Luckily I am in Small Claims Court, and the opposition does not have a lawyer yet, so it might go smoother than usual. I am a little nervous, but trying to be sure of my abilities. I haven't told my client that it is my first trial yet - I think I will tell her AFTER we win or lose. Nobody wants to be the guinea pig.

Have you started the new year off on a good foot?