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?

New Year, New Dedication

With my Christmas holidays coming to a close (as sadly, I was not one of the smart people who took Wednesday, Thursday and Friday off this week), I have been trying to plan my new year. 2011 has a lot of big things planned, and I want to do it right.



2010 was a bit of a bust in review. Although I finally managed to finish all my qualifications and become a proper lawyer-in-calling, I sucked hard when it came to finding a job. Three months of agony, mentally and psychologically, was tough. I thank god for my half marathon training, because I honestly think it was the only thing that kept me sane. Well, semi-sane, between the cursing and groaning with the long runs.



Finally in September, things came together in a pile of glory: I had my first wedding anniversary, finished my first half marathon (although not achieving my time goal) and found a job! For the past three months, I feel like all I have been doing is recovering, both physically and financially. I haven't talked much about the job, partially because I am not sure what I should and shouldn't say (this being a public forum and all) but it has been going fairly well. Still some kinks to work out, like finding the groove with all the staff and getting to a point where I feel even somewhat confident in what I am doing, but it will come with time.


So, 2011 is poised to be a big year for 2 prime reasons. First, with the job being in a town a little over an hour away from where I currently live, the drive has been tough. I am getting used to it slowly, but we knew that once I took this position, we had to consider moving out of the big city and buying our own house as soon as possible. Now that I am no longer struggling to get bills paid on time, I am squirreling away money for a down payment, and expect to be in the position to buy a home sometime in the summer or fall of 2011. Yeah! No more fighting for a second parking spot, no more listening to my neighbours through paper thin walls, no more light pollution and no more wasting 2.5 hours a day in my car.



Secondly, I have a big event to attend in October, one that I need to look good for. My best friend, who put up with being mocked in order to be my "Man of Honour" at my wedding, is getting married on October 29, 2011. Did I mention he lives in England??? So, we are also frantically saving up for the hubby and I (sorry, no Munchkin on this trip!) to go to Europe for 2 weeks. First week will be the wedding, second week we will spend in France and Germany before going home. SO excited for this.



With these goals in mind, I have set some expectations for myself for the new year. I have put together a tentative race schedule which looks something like this:



May - Ottawa Race Weekend 10K



June - Warrior Dash in PA - have to see if I can convince a friend to drive 6.5 hours with me to participate! Other potential runs include the Perth Kilt Run (8k, not confirmed), Emilie's Run (5k, women only) and a small 5k run in the town I work in.



July - No Frills 10 mile run, and the Mitsubishi City Chase



August - Xerox 10K, and potentially the NY Warrior Dash if I can't do PA



September - potentially the Underwear Affair, and another shot at the Army Run 1/2 Marathon



October - Fall Colours 1/2 marathon (if Army doesn't work out), and the Rattle me Bones 10K race



December - The Santa Shuffle (5k) and Resolution Run (5 or 10k)


In reality, I think the May Race Weekend 10k, July No Frills 10 mi, one Warrior dash, one half marathon, and the Resolution Run are my must have races. The cost of those runs alone will be over $300!


With respect to more general goals, I am the stereotypical woman, and would like to focus on getting fit and losing my little gut, or about 10 pounds. I have my gym membership that I plan on taking advantage of at LEAST 2 times a week, but aiming for 3-4 times a week with some pool time, some regular runs, and some HIIT training sessions. Not to mention some time on the StairMaster from hell:

Personally, I would like to love my job. I don't think I am there yet. I have my first court appearances next week, and am terrified. At least my first trial is against someone who is not represented by counsel, but it is still horrifically scary. I have fleeting thoughts that maybe I am not cut out for this job. Some days I am super interested, other days, it is mundane paperwork I would rather not be doing. I hope to find a groove, and really start getting my feet wet. How long after you graduate and start working do you realize whether you made the right career choice? How can you tell if you like the job and the job location, just one of those two things, or neither? It worries me.


Financially, I want things to be routine. Have a budget, stick to it, save like crazy for the house and trip, and start getting ahead in life. I will still be living like a student most of the time, but enjoying the things I get as a result of that effort. I might splurge on myself every once and a while too.....


Ok, so my task for YOU in 2011: Go after what you want. Figure out what matters, focus on it and make a plan to get it. Whether that be in life, in running, whatever. Let me know what your goals, hopes and dreams are for 2011, and let me help you be accountable to those goals. I hope you will push me too. Having someone there who knows what you set your mind to is a very strong motivator.



SO, what are YOUR goals for 2011???





P.S - Despite being dumb and not taking off work tomorrow and Thursday, I will be driving 9 hours to go and visit my parents from the 31st to the 3rd. So no updates from me. :( But I am recommitting to this blogging thing, so check in soon after for an update on my running, and whether I failed miserably at trial! Self -depreciation for the win.... :P

Unexpected Cross Training

First, let me say, I suck. I haven't been blogging, I haven't been running. My gym opening got pushed back, and it has been BLOODY cold up here (more on that later). So, sorry my followers, I am trying to get my butt in gear.

I thought I would jump back into bloggy world with an interesting example of how life sometimes forces you to get out there, and cross train in ways you never expected to, or really wanted to. This is the story of my day:

I wake up, dressed in my go to PJ's these days, which consist of one of my hubby's sweaters, and a pair of jogging pants. Comfortable lounge wear. I make my bed, and start sorting the laundry for my Sunday morning ritual of getting the ever-present task out of the way for another week. I sort everything out while my hubby, stepdaughter and devil of a Dog, Daisy, are downstairs. As a note, Daisy is a small terror dog we adopted a while ago from a local shelter. We love her, but she has some unsavoury traits we haven't managed to train out of her. She's a 25 pound Boston/Pug mix.

So here I am, in my jammies, starting to lug a big basket of laundry down the stairs when I hear a big THUD, and then my stepdaughter BAWLING, like I only hear when she's definitely hurt herself. I run down the stairs, expecting to find her bleeding or curled up in the fetal position, only to hear other words that I dread: "The dog is gone."

Yes, Daisy has the awful habit of being a Houdini and running off whenever she can. Problem is, she has no recall (or cares to ignore us) has no idea how to find her home again, and tends to gravitate towards people, who tend to be on the other side of public roads. We lost her once before, only to find her at the local 6! lane road, at a CAR ACCIDENT!

So, I freak. I throw on the boots, still in my PJ's, and bolt out of the door. As a note, the weather outside is about -5 Celsius (so 22 Fahrenheit), with about 3 inches of snow on the ground. I go to our back yard, and start frantically following her paw prints on the ground. I run behind all the other townhouses, until I think I have her cornered by a fence. Unfortunately, I didn't know that this back corner isn't a dead end, but instead leads to a small opening through to thick brush, a steep hill and a creek, before having another hill on the other side, and a 6 lane, 100km/hr highway on the other side. Of course, I think SHIT. So I have to cross this creek (in leaky boots, in my PJ's, to tail my dog, who is still running away from me. Brush is cutting into me, ripping my pants, giving me burrs everywhere. But I continue to follow the damn dog. Doing everything I can think of to lure her back. I call her name pleasantly, say I have treats, say I have a cookie, say I have her toys, everything. No dice.

At this point, I am a few blocks away from my house in thick brush, panting from exertion but soaked to the bone and freezing at the same time. Great combination, I know. I then see the dog go through another area, which appeared to be the underside supports and foundation for a house or a patio, which has about 2.5 ft clearance. I continue on behind her, doing my best not to whack my head on the wood above my head. Then onto more brush, more water, more pain.

FINALLY, I am exhausted. I can't run anymore. I start walking, and notice Daisy is walking too. She finally stops and sits, realizes she isn't built to be out in this weather, and calmly walks back to me. Success! However, I suddenly realize I have a BIG problem. I am physically drained, and need to carry my 25 pound dog back to my house the way I came, which includes climbing a steep incline with the dog in my arms, cutting through more brush, etc. I am so tired by this point I can't even walk for more than a minute without having to sit down in the snow, which my dog in my arms for a minute to recoop. Clearly, the situation is going from bad to worse. We are isolated, and I am getting very tired, very fast. I cut back to the foundation/deck, and convince my dog to walk while I hold her collar and crawl behind her. With a little more cross country trekking I am in my neighbourhood again. I am swaying, struggling to get home and not lose this dog, the bain of my existence once again. Granted at this point, I am pretty sure she wouldn't have the strength to run, as she is shivering in my arms.

I finally get around the corner and see my stepdaughter outside our house, and manage to yell to her to get my hubby. He comes outside, and I tell him to take the dog, because I can't walk and carry her one more step. I stumble into the house and struggle to catch my breath while trying not to throw up. I swear, at that moment I was more tired than I was crossing the finish line at my half marathon. I couldn't calm my system down; I had a headache, my body was trembling, my muscles weren't in my control. After a few minutes, a glass of water, a quick acting Advil and some new clothing, I managed to get things somewhat in line. A few more glasses of water and a hot bath brought me around even further. I was SO glad it was all over, and beyond the point of even being mad at the dog since I was so exhausted.

12 hours later, the dog is fine, but I am still feeling like my lungs are messed up. I take a deep breath launch into uncontrollable coughing, feeling like I am suffering from a lung infection that took hold the minute I came into the house. I am hoping that feeling will pass after a good night's sleep, and that I don't have freaking pneumonia for Christmas. What a present that would be?

Anyways, that's my entertaining story for the day. I guess I realize now I can run outside in the winter, but I am still opting for a treadmill in a nice warm gym, starting this week. Hopefully I will have an updated running schedule and new years resolutions in the next couple of days, for now, in case I don't check in before, have a Merry Christmas, and I'll be back soon!

New Start in December

Well, after having a kind of shitty month of November, I am hoping that December will bring good habits along with good cheer. I will not recap my November goals, because the fact that I failed miserably will depress me even more than I have been lately. Needless to say, with injuries, bad weather, the long commute and time change, I have not been doing so well in the running department. Or in the food department. Or in the "not being a crankypants" department.

Moving on, I'd like to believe that December will be better. I have hope. It seems to be a popular month for bloggy-runner birthdays, and I can say I am one of the crowd - I celebrate my birthday this weekend. No big plans - I don't know if I am happy or sad about that.

My problem with this Christmas season and December in general this year is that it wasn't the best year. When I was employed before being called to the bar and becoming a lawyer, everything was going well, we were saving money, and we had two big things planned: 1) to build a downpayment and buy a house, and 2) take my stepdaughter to Disney in Orlando with my parents for Christmas. Then I found myself unemployed, the downpayment fund rapidly shrunk due to bills, and we had to cancel on my parents. Despite my mom's health problems this year, my parents are still going, and I feel all kinds of awful about it. I feel bad I won't be able to see my parents over Christmas, that I can't see for myself how my mom is really recovering from her surgery (I know things aren't 100% yet, which has me concerned), I feel upset that we can't go because we could all use the vacation, and I feel sorry that we can't manage it for the Munckin, who is at the PERFECT age to go.

So, my December goals primarily revolve around not being depressing, and staying positive. I need to do more things for me, as my life these days is tending to revolve around what has to be done for work and home, with me as an afterthought. So, here are the plans:

1) get moving - my gym opening was delayed again, but I hope to build time into my schedule to swim or run, do something to get the endorphins flowing
2) try to plan a visit with my parents - they are about 8 hours away from me, but I think I need to go down (may have to be sans-hubby and stepchild due to scheduling conflicts) and see my parents. I am worried about them, and for the first time in a long time, homesick.
3) I need to stop being such a hippy and get a haircut! lol, at least figure out what is going on with my hair, which I have been letting grow out for about a year. No ideas what to do with it yet.
4) Treat myself - I want to set up a massage, either alone or with my husband, to relax a bit.
5) Plan my races for next year - I want to get my schedule worked out asap, so I can be motivated again. I would like to aim for at least 4 races, if not more, and possibly two that are international. Just an idea I am toying with....

Not the best goals exercise wise, but it will have to do given the current circumstances. Seems like everyone is destined to wind down a bit this time of year. I will try my best to get off my butt, no matter how hard it is after a 12 hour day away from home.

So I'm trying to check in more, but I feel like I am failing you all. Not running = boring, depressing life. Anything I can write about to entertain you all? Shopping ideas? Lawyer jokes? Entertaining running slogans? Anything? Let me know!



P.S - to any of my Jewish readers - Happy Hanukkah!