This past week has been quite eventful and quite stressful to be honest. Lots of things have happened but I’ve managed to stay focused on the task at hand with the help of my adoring husband and try to remind myself that everything happens for a reason. Enough about that though … let’s talk about the exciting stuff, shall we?

Life:
Yesterday G-Man and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary! Actually, we celebrated this weekend by having a low key weekend together and going out for a nice dinner. We indulged, enjoyed our time together and left feeling way to full. I am so lucky and blessed to have the.best.husband.ever. He really is a dream come true. He is my best friend, supporter and the love of my life. I can’t wait to see what the next twenty years have in store for us. Feliz aniversario mi vida!

The other day I went to the states with my parents. It had been awhile, so obviously I was excited…..excited to eat at the Olive Garden’s that is. Unlimited salad and breadsticks? yes, please. 

We left early in the morning and it was just beautiful out. I had a really nice day with my parents. Of course we picked up some Chobani. I still haven’t been to any of the stores that carry it here in Canada but either way I figured it would be cheaper in the States and wanted to stock up while I had the chance.

RUNNING:
I guess running is part of my life, right? Anyways… I have been getting some good runs in and feeling pretty good about them. Friday we had a major snow storm. It was freezing cold (-15) but I managed to get a 16.76km (1:23) run in Saturday morning.  I’ll definitely look forward to my long runs every week because I’m going to run them with the Runner’s Edge crew and I loved training with them last year.  Before our runs, we stretch a bit at the store, run about 1.5 km and then stretch a little bit more… well once I got to the meeting point, I realized I forgot my water belt. Knowing that I would definitely need it, I ran back to the store to get it. So the first part of my run was slow and I was by myself although, I didn’t mind. At the turn around point, I caught up to another runner who I love running with. She ran ATB last year and she’s FAST. She always keeps her pace consistent which I suck at. Anyways, I ran the second part with her. It was a good challenge and felt great to fly along with her. If I had my camera I would have taken a video because my face was completely frozen. It was difficult to speak and when I did it felt like I was slurring my words or had just left the dentists office. It was COLD!
Yesterday, I planned to run a fartlek workout but was unsuccessful. It was just too icy out. I did get a run in but had to walk often over icy patches. It’s not worth taking the chance of falling. I realized afterwards that I should have hit up the treadmill at the gym instead. Owell.. we live and learn, right.

I have actually missed blogging lately and of course my blogging friends [that means YOU!]. I’m hoping to blog more consistently from now on but we’ll see how that goes.

Happy weekend everyone! I hope you are all enjoying your Saturday. I know I am! I can’t believe the weather we have here but I am NOT complaining AT ALL! It’s about 5°C, the sun is shining and there is hardly any snow. If this is any indication with how the rest of the winter will be, I like it! I had a great 13.88km run this morning. I ran a completely different route as I am at my parents house. I got some good hills in too and it felt great. My legs were a little tired but considering that I haven’t been running that often lately, I was happy with my run.

Remember how indecisive I was about trying to decide if I should run this race again? Well on January 1st, I made my decision and REGISTERED! So it looks like I will be running Around The Bay again. I wanted to register so I could just stop thinking about it. I didn’t feel pressured and thought if for whatever reason I can’t run it, I can always sell my bib. With that being said, I’m definitely excited to have something to work towards and challenge myself with. I want to have fun with my training and not put a lot of pressure on myself. I also would like to continue strength training.. but we’ll see how that goes.
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A few weeks ago I was on a rant about the price difference on running gear between the States and Canada… Well, I ordered the Mizuno Wave Rider 15’s and the Sugoi Subzero Zap tights and had it sent to my friends house in Florida. I picked up the package the other day once she got home and I am sooo happy with the products!

I have wanted a bright pair of shoes for so long now and I’m excited to be running in Mizuno’s again. I haven’t broken them in yet, but I’ll keep you posted :) I wore them yesterday when I worked out on the spin bike (at 4 freaking 30 in the morning) and they felt great.

I wore the tights on my run this morning. They are warm and so comfortable. In fact, I’m still wearing them (too much info? my bad). My only complaint is that they sag a little in the crotch area but it’s manageable. Anyways, I’m so thankful my friend helped me out with bringing my goodies back to Canada for me because I saved over $100.00 ordering them from Running Warehouse.

Well I’m off to get ready to go and see my girls tonight. We are having our annual potluck Christmas dinner.. a little late but I’m excited to see them and for us all to be together because it doesn’t happen very often.

What was your workout today?!
What shoes are you running/working out in right now?

Happy 2010 everyone!! I have definitely been MIA for a little while and not spending much time on the computer. To be honest, I have kind of liked it.  It’s been nice to spend time with family and to spend some quality down-time with G-Man, disconnected from everything else. Our computer is getting repaired, so even if we wanted to, we don’t have the option of connecting online.
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Over the break, we made a few trips to the market and bought a few treats that we don’t normally buy (exclude salad from that list.. that’s a regular). G-Man and I enjoyed them on New Years day when we had a movie-marathon. Yes, that’s right.. we sat on the couch alllll day and watched movies. I don’t even remember the last time we did that. I enjoyed every.minute.of.it!

New Years Eve we had a quiet night at our friends place. Thankfully, I was able to stay awake until midnight, although was asleep shortly thereafter while everyone else watched a movie. Some things never change.
In Colombia they have a tradition where at midnight they eat twelve grapes and for each grape they make a wish. So we partook in our friends tradition and had fun doing so. That’s one thing that I love learning about (call me a geek, I don’t care); different cultures and traditions. When I was living in Cuba, after ringing in the new year, every household would dump a bucket of water out their front door onto the streets to get rid of the negative spirits. Interesting eh?

During Christmas, I really tried to get some movement in every day but wasn’t overly hard on myself and took a few days off. I enjoyed a few glasses of wine and didn’t feel guilty or worrying about my workout the next day. Not this girl! I woke up early and went to the gym with my Mom, went for a few walks as the weather was BEAUTIFUL and the sun was shining! We did get a bit of snow and of course went out to play. One day G-Man and I were looking after our friends babies and I slipped out and took full advantage of the GoodLife gym across the street. I had to talk myself into going but felt so good after my workout. 
Remember what I mentioned before? Well, that has definitely changed. My eating has definitely sucked this past week and I have been indulging in too many treats. It’s easier for me to cut the junk food completely out of my diet. One or the other, I eat it or I don’t because once I start, I just can’t stop.  No sense stressing about it though, right? I just need to make the right choices and get back on track!
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A question for those of you who run in the cold: have you ever heard of (or tried) rubbing a thin layer of Vaseline on your face to protect your skin from wind burn and to prevent dried out skin from the cold AND to help stop wrinkles?

~ Wishing you all a healthy and happy 2012 full of blessings, adventures and new experiences!! ~