Next steps

So, I am happy to report I no longer have cooties! Turns out I had a lung infection which required a round of antibiotics to kick it and I should have gone to the doctors sooner. Either way, I had a huge chunk of time not being active and lots of long sleeps and couch Olympics.

What a surprise to get back running yesterday and doing so with ease. I got through 7.5 kms and decided it was best to start with that this week and not over do it. Today after work I hammered out a great weight session focusing on legs and core. And I can't lie...if my soreness now is any indication of how tomorrow will feel, it will be one heck of a slow day.

The past few weeks I've been checking out upcoming half marathons. It's time to pick one for the spring so there is a commitment, a goal, to push myself every week and work towards it. Time to action it and move forward! This past weekend I had the pleasure of discussing running with extended family and I learned that someone I know was once such an elite runner. He shared advice on selecting a run, tips for a good marathon and he did so with such passion...even now as a non-runner in his 70s. The best advice was to just do it, even if I just do it once, and to not put any expectations on myself for time or speed.

So there you have it. Words from the wise. I only hope to make to his age and beyond to share mine one day :)

I'd like to go here...

While google proves to be a valuable tool for finding information on a variety of topics, diagnosing health conditions should not be one of them. Type in any symptom and you are bound to discover that you need a limb amputated or have a condition much more serious than you could ever dream possible.

This past week has been an ongoing struggle to kick a cold/flu to the curb. My days have been super tiring, my body feels exhausted and sore and I have a cough that has left me sounding like an 84 year old cigarette smoking man. Needless to say, running and workouts have been non-existent.

Waking up this past weekend, I was bound and determined to go for a run, however, this hacking cough has its death grip on me. Being stubborn as I am (tough to believe I know) I punched in "running while sick" in google and low and behold, thousands of articles telling me varying pieces of advice. The majority said if sick with a lingering cough, back off. So here I sit and wait it out until breathing is normal and I'm not a wheeze bag.

The good news is that the majority of articles also indicated that any progress will not be lost. Super, because quite frankly I'm getting ready to dive right back in. I guess every now and then your body had a way of telling you to slow down. But hopefully, next time it will tell me to go here...

Beautiful inspiration

Well, it's been two days of rest. I am getting over a cold or flu and I'm thinking its my body's way of telling me to slow down. I accept, and I welcome the additional hours of sleep!

Over time, I've learned that my parents help me feel better and encourage a faster recovery. A visit with my dad today reminded me that he is all around. A beautiful inspiration

Work for it

This weekend was a good mix of some solid me time and catching up with wonderful friends. Throw in some new car shopping along with copious amounts of laundry and ladies and gentlemen, that's my weekend!

I had all the right intentions to work out yesterday, but had to check out new rides with mom, visit with my lil nephew and had dinner with a good friend. Heck, I even thought about working out after my dinner date but let's be honest - 2 delicious cold pints, salmon and sweet potatoes fries left me longing for couch lounging.

Today was an early morning and I set out for a run before lunch. I'm more of an afternoon or evening exerciser so I was pleasantly surprised when I managed to complete 16 kms relatively easily. So my time wasn't overly fantastic but it was consistent and I didn't push myself today. I enjoyed the whole hour and 43 minutes it took me to complete it. Had another great dinner date tonight and had some quiet time before stocking up on groceries and coming home to get ready for another week.

Looking back, this was my second farthest run since I started my goal. Sure, there is still a really long way to go but it feels good to reflect on have far I've come. And for the first time, when I realized I had an hour left on my run today, I really looked forward to it...and didn't dread it.