Loping LouBob

Man is as full of potentiality as he is of impotence.

– George Santayana

I managed three solid (if you can call thirty minutes solid) runs this week.  I can still run a mile without stopping which kind of surprised me.  Why the push you ask?  I entered Ladies Fest and have to be able to run five miles before June 21st.  It’s amazing what a little entry fee will do to someone as cheap as me.  Thanks Heather!

I see Wordpress ate my week two report and maybe it should eat this one as well.  I haven’t been doing well at going out and actually running.  It’s non existent.  What I have been doing is getting on and off a horse the past week.  Reverse lunges it what I’m calling it.  My legs are sore.  I’ve also been tagging and dehorning calves after either sneaking up on them or roping them which involves other muscles which I didn’t realize I even had.  I didn’t loose any weight this week.  When we get this busy I just come in and make whatever is handy and eat.  Comfort food it good on days like these and we all know that comfort food has fat for comfort.

…….and these are my excuses.

Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.
– Mother Teresa

Week three was a total flop as far as running was concerned.  We had a blizzard to remember and calving in it was difficult.  I lost three more ponds but gain two back.  I did get lots of exercise climbing over drifts but when I don’t get enough sleep I get grouchy and want to eat comfort food.  It’s hard to keep things together in a time like this so I make things like pancakes, eggs and bacon and ENJOY them.  Maybe this next week I’ll make some headway in the running department right now I want to catch up on everything else.

Results are often obtained by impetuosity and daring which could never have been obtained by ordinary methods.

Niccolo Machiavelli

Week one didn’t go exactly as planned but I did lose a couple of pounds and walked/jogged a few miles (less than 10), not sure how many because I didn’t take my Garmin. We’ve been busy with calving and the one thing that I’m noticing is that if I get my “run” in right after chores I still have the energy to actually put some effort into it. If I wait ‘til evening I’m hooped and something else ends up interfering with it.

A good resolution is like an old horse which is often saddled but rarely ridden.
– Mexican Proverb

It seems I’m starting over, AGAIN! I have my excuses but they aren’t worthy enough to even mention. Suffice it to say life has been on the way of both my diet and fitness. My body still hurts but I’ve got to start again even if it just means walking more that running or even just walking, period! Extra pounds don’t help a whole bunch either and I just plain old discouraged. I’m going to start counting points and walking for starters. Today! And I’m going to start posting on Saturday’s. That’s a commitment. Today is the first day of the rest of my life and I better start doing something about it.

Never confuse movement with action.

Ernest Hemingway

The Jan-a-thon is still going okay.  We’ve just about lost all of our snow here in the past little while so I’ve been doing my running outside.  I don’t particularly like running on these gravel roads, so yesterday I tried the trails in the field west of the house.  It didn’t go well.  There is still ice on one side of the ruts and I was having to switch sides constantly.  I pulled my Achilles again and ended up walking back.  It’s not bothering me this morning but I think I’ll be just a bit careful for a day or two and at least walk the first half mile so my muscles (yes, I have them) warm up good first.

Time for the Bloggies, that is!

 I nominated the Complete Running Network. If you have not seen the new CRN makeover git on over there. More importantly - sign up! You should do this whether or not you signed up before because the new, improved CRN has spots for more information like your gender, location, pace, interests. You can even admit to being a triathlete! The goodness of this is that CRN has a search function that might help you find like minded individuals in your area.

So go on - join the party! Sign up!

Let us endeavor so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.
– Mark TwainIt’s been a good running week.  Not far but consistent!  I’ve at least been getting one in every day and I feel better.  I don’t always want to get on the dreadmill but after I do I’m happy about it (today I can run outside).  Instead of a steady three mile run, I’ve been running fast (for me) then walking 30 seconds and repeating it for the distance.  I feel like a complete beginner again but the one thing in all this “downtime” I’ve had is that my resting heart rate has remained between 48 & 52 b.p.m. and I can still run the same speed (even faster) than I did before.  Mind you slow isn’t very fastJ   My eating habits have improved considerably since the holiday too.  The best thing I did was get rid of all the junk and have a big pot of homemade soup ready and a salad in the fridge.  The Bossman’s been eating most of the  leftovers (he likes that) but today they’re history so I’ll have to get back to cooking.  He was complaining about his jeans being tight the other day too so he’s wanting to watch it (disappear) right along with me and the salad fixins’.  I have to laugh at him sometimes, he’s been using a smaller plate but boy can he get a lot on it.  On New Years Eve Heather (she has a blog again) and Sherry tried to talk me into doing the Moonlight run again in Lethbridge but I haven’t decided yet.  It’s March 15^th (which doesn’t interfere with our bull sale for a change), but March can be so miserable and no one can guarantee the weather will be nice.  It’s also at night with a two and a half hour drive home so I’m inclined NOT to sign up (if they had those nice hoodies again, maybe).

If you can’t exceed with talent, triumph with effort.
Dave Weinbaum 

It’s this blogs 3rd anniversary.  I can’t believe I have three years in already. 
I’m doing the Januaryathon this month.  That is to run everyday, at least a mile, for at least thirty miles.  I’ve been doing good so far.

A pat on the back is only a few vertebrae away for a kick in the pants.  Ella WheelerThe end of an old year is in sight.  This seems to be a time, not only of reflection, but a time when we see a fresh start on the horizon.  I decided a long while ago that each morning should mark a clean beginning.  I honestly find that making (and I have made) huge resolutions at the beginning of the new year only leads me to disappointment.  Life gets in the way.  It’s much easier and fulfilling for me to get up in the morning and resolve to have the best day I can under the circumstances.  That’s not to say I’m not setting any goals for the year, I’m just not writing them in stone.My mileage is way down this past year (325 miles is all-down from 725 miles in ‘06) but I did swim 45 km.  I think I needed to get myself healed up and probably should have taken the time two years ago after I got bucked off so hard. In 2008 I’m not planning anything on the running front just yet, I’ll see how I feel and how many miles I’ have run in April and see how calving is going and then I might commit to doing another half marathon.  I’d still like to do a full but I’d like to be an artist too and that’s just not going to happen baby!  I hope you all had a great year and my wish is for this next one to be even better.  Be well and happy!