Better than drugs... or so I have heard

My plans all along were to blog weekly, but it seems that life keeps getting in the way!!! See, last Saturday afternoon while shopping, Matt and I decided to check out the pet store. It used to be one of our favorite things to do in the Red Deer, but up until last Saturday we hadn't been in the store in over a year. Anyways, we feel in love with a shy little puppy who could win over anyone, even those with a frozen heart. With a discussion over coffee regarding the pros and cons of owning a dog... we decided it was time to expand our little family. Matt and I became the proud parents of little Rylee. We spent the remainder of the weekend trying to get used to having a furry shadow. Sometime around supper time on Sunday night I came to realise what we actually got ourselves into. Gulp!

The running routine that I had become accustom to had to change. Rylee needs lots of attention, especially when it comes to training her. So this week I started running at 5:20 am... a time when most sane people are sleeping, like they should be. I can honestly say, I am not a morning person! I am the type that requires at least 20 minutes to myself before I will even acknowledge those around me. So for me to get up at 5:00 am and be out the door within those 20 minutes is like some kind of a miracle.

The interesting fact is that at 5:20 am while I am pounding the snow outside I am beginning to realise how much I depend on running as a stress release. This past week, especially while Matt and I were on the brink of insanity because of Rylee, running has become my saviour. I can leave the house with my blood well above boiling point and come home humming the last song on my playlist; feeling like I have accomplished something pretty amazing even if it was just 5 km.

This week I surpassed the 100 km mark. My runs have mostly consisted of 5 km's but with a little more motivation, and time pressure, that is going to change. In 4 weeks from now Matt and I are running a half marathon in Edmonton... so unless I want to cry during the last half of the race, I am going to have to start picking it up a little more!

The Joy of Running, in Canada!

This has been an interesting week, weather wise. Tuesday and Wednesday proved to be the coldest days I have ran in since last winter. Tuesday was a measly -21 degrees celesius, -5.8 fahrenheit... and Wednesday was a balmy -29 degrees celesius (-35 with the wind chill), -20 fahrenheit. Today on the other hand got up to +7 degrees celesius, a tease before that darn winter weather returns for the remainder of January.

Matt (my husband) spent the week learning how to dress for the weather. On January 3rd we were forced to cut our long run short because Matt was on the verge of becoming hypothermic. The next day he was dripping with sweat and had to take layers off. I made my suggestions, but being Matt... he has to figure it out on his own.

On Wednesday during our run, I posed this question to Matt: "Why don't our eye balls ever get frostbite?" It was interesting to me that we were covered from head to toe with layers of clothing, except for our eyes. By the end of the run, my eye lashes were coated with ice, but yet my eye balls were fine. Even as a child, I could spend hours on end outside in the fridgid Canadian winters, bundled to the nine... and my eyes always survived. Thank goodness for those toasty eye sockets!

"Time for the weather report. Its cold out folks. Bonecrushing cold. The kind of cold which will wrench the spirit out of a young man, or forge it into steel." ~ Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider, Northern Exposure, Lost and Found, 1992

Not a New Years Resolution, but a Life Journey

I never imagined running to be more than just that, running. But it is so much more. Running has become a close friend of mine, without even realizing it. The thing about running is it never leaves you crying in the middle of the road, even if you are running by yourself... you are never by 'yourself'. While I'm out there pounding the pavement I am able to vent stresses of the day, come up with what I think are brilliant ideas, and realize what I am capable of and then push myself just a little bit further.

I started running 'seriously' in 2007. Prior to that, I had ran a few 5 and 1o km's on the treadmill at the local gym: my so-called weight loss plan. Then, for some reason in 2007, I thought it would be a good idea to train for a half marathon... why start small? When it's time to get into the water, it is always best to jump in with both feet! Since then, I have learnt a lot more about running and what goes along with it. To date, I have completed 6 half marathons and 3 full marathons, and still no 5 or 10km races!

Today on January 1st, 2010 though I will begin a new challenge. I will be running every day for the next 365 days, and somehow I have convinced my husband to join me for the ride. Each day will consist of at least a 5km run, with some actual training runs stuffed in there as well. My hopes for this challenge is that it will help me to gain control of my life, both emotionally and physically, but that it will also help rejuvenate my relationship with my husband.

January 1st might not have been the best choice for a day to begin this journey, you know with all the failing new years resolutions and not to mention the alcoholic beverages consumed on new years eve, but here we are. Thank goodness today is only a 5km run!