Can I just say something about winter running?
It's very hard. And very discouraging.
That's not to say I'm giving up! No! But today was my first foray into running in the snow. I was armed with my new Nike Pegasus GTXs, and my feet stayed dry even though I was running in about 3 inches of snow. I was warm in two layers of wicking long-sleeves and one Gap warmest vest. I have some great thin gloves from my dogwalking days which allowed me to keep traction on my stroller handle. I have a Bernese Mountain Dog by my side who Lives. To. Play. in Snow.
The downsides?
My pants. All I have are standard yoga-y pants, and these are toooooo cold. I need something that cuts the breeze to the hoo-ha area. I have a pair of North Face ski pants which aren't super insulated so I may try those. I usually wore them with a pair of sweatpants underneath for dogwalking or snowboarding, so alone they might be perfect for sub-zero runs.
Second, I think I would like to have a different hat or maybe one of those headband ear warmer things. Because my hat kept feeling like it was popping off, probably because of my ponytail and also my ear buds.
Lastly, I kind of expected that a little more traffic would have passed on the trail we use to run. It hadn't. Therefore while my footfalls landed nicely in packed snow for the most part, pushing the Chariot through 3 inches of wet snow on either side of the existing rut was HARD. So so so hard. So in one week (granted it was a week I spent with a cold) I went from running a tough 5k/35 minutes to an excruciating 12.5 minutes (I forgot my Garmin, so not sure how far we got, but probably.... not that far). Everything hurt - my shoulders, my triceps, my quads, my butt.
So, we have a few kinks to work out, and I'm a bit discouraged that I'm basically starting my Couch to 5K program from the beginning to help myself wean into snow running, but we're gonna do it! Especially since our new house has a horse and pedestrian path right behind it that will be perfect for runs through the woods!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
House news
So, after 9 days on the market we have an accepted offer on our condo! Yay! They are doing the inspection today and if that goes well (no reason it shouldn't) we will be moving the first week of January. weeeeeee.
We were sort of hoping to get in there before Xmas, but 'twas not to be. So instead, we will be traveling to NB for Xmas, rushing back, packing up, moving, unpacking, hopefully getting M into daycare, and then I'm back to work! All in the span of about one month.
Does this stress me out? Some parts yes, most parts no. I'm glad that we will be starting our new daily routine in the new house. I'm stressed we don't have a daycare spot yet. I'm happy that before the holidays come we will know that our condo sale is going through and can relax and enjoy (?) M's first Xmas. By driving ten hours in the cold, possibly snowy weather, then struggling to fit in time with everyone then driving back. So relaxing and enjoyable.
But, focusing on the positive - things are looking good that we will be moving and we're very very excited. Right now the thing I'm looking forward to the most? When Tess realizes that the whole big, fenced, wooded, beautiful yard is all for HER! I don't think she will ever want to come in the house!
We were sort of hoping to get in there before Xmas, but 'twas not to be. So instead, we will be traveling to NB for Xmas, rushing back, packing up, moving, unpacking, hopefully getting M into daycare, and then I'm back to work! All in the span of about one month.
Does this stress me out? Some parts yes, most parts no. I'm glad that we will be starting our new daily routine in the new house. I'm stressed we don't have a daycare spot yet. I'm happy that before the holidays come we will know that our condo sale is going through and can relax and enjoy (?) M's first Xmas. By driving ten hours in the cold, possibly snowy weather, then struggling to fit in time with everyone then driving back. So relaxing and enjoyable.
But, focusing on the positive - things are looking good that we will be moving and we're very very excited. Right now the thing I'm looking forward to the most? When Tess realizes that the whole big, fenced, wooded, beautiful yard is all for HER! I don't think she will ever want to come in the house!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Sad days
Sadly, today we lost our little buddy Osha. The B'Goshie. Hamburger. Goshus.
While we only had Osha for the last few of his 20 years, he fit right in with our crazy little family. He loved sleeping. He loved cuddling. He loved cookies. He purred a lot and gave headbutts which we called Kitty Knucks. I was freakishly allergic to his saliva, and broke out in a burning rash whenever he sneezed on me, but I didn't care and loved him so so so much.
Here is one of the last photos we have of Osha. In spite of being old and frail, he loved everyone, even kids. Our friends brought their oneish year old to visit after Marlowe was born, and Osha was all about trying to cuddle with that kid. He also loved Marlowe, even though she still doesn't know how to be gentle and would grab him by his kitty cheeks. When she let go he would give her Kitty Knucks. Anyway, this photo was taken one Saturday morning while they were hanging out together.
While we only had Osha for the last few of his 20 years, he fit right in with our crazy little family. He loved sleeping. He loved cuddling. He loved cookies. He purred a lot and gave headbutts which we called Kitty Knucks. I was freakishly allergic to his saliva, and broke out in a burning rash whenever he sneezed on me, but I didn't care and loved him so so so much.
Here is one of the last photos we have of Osha. In spite of being old and frail, he loved everyone, even kids. Our friends brought their oneish year old to visit after Marlowe was born, and Osha was all about trying to cuddle with that kid. He also loved Marlowe, even though she still doesn't know how to be gentle and would grab him by his kitty cheeks. When she let go he would give her Kitty Knucks. Anyway, this photo was taken one Saturday morning while they were hanging out together.
Thursday, November 03, 2011
Still in a holding pattern
The subtitle for this post would be "and my ulcer is angry about it."
We still may be moving. Or we may be staying put. It's been two weeks now of back and forth offer/counteroffers and to tell you the truth I don't think I can take much more. While it hasn't been affecting my sleeping habits, nor have I had any migraines, my stomach is constantly in knots and I'm also definitely eating emotionally. Or eating to kill time. Both of those.
Do we need to move? No. No one needs to move anywhere. We have a roof over our heads and our home is warm and in one piece. Do we really want to move? Yes and no. There are really good points for staying put, but there are also many great points about moving. And since we aren't just thinking of ourselves anymore, anything that benefits M counts for two points, and when you add that up moving wins this match by a landslide.
Our new place would be in a suburb which isn't much like a suburb. For some reason I just do NOT want to live in a suburb, but this burb has horse farms and duck ponds, so that's the country, right? At any rate, if it is a suburb, it's not the icky Stepford type, it's the type that I want to live in. But let's call it the country, M'kay?
This country community also boasts several great schools, English schools! English schools with great French Immersion programs which is exactly what I want for M. So while there are other suburbs that I would also deem un-Stepford, they are definitely more on the francophone side, so not ideal.
The house in this country community has a yard! With trees! Actually, most homes in this community have great yards, but if we get this one it is my favorite yard of all the yards on the MLS. And that is a lot of yards. The house is pretty great too, but really it's the yard that I love. Which is funny because one of the things I love about living in a condo is we have no yard at all. But this house and it's yard, it's got me.
For the moment I just want to KNOW, you know? It's the waiting and the imagining and the pondering that is burning a hole in my gut. And adding new girth to the spare tire around my middle. Did I mention this house also has a trail right behind it? Through the back gate, actually. Where I could run without fear of pieces of cement falling on my head?
Would I miss living in the city? Most definitely. But I'll still be working in the city. And most of the fun stuff we do in the city we do on the weekends anyway. We can always drive in on the weekend and still do the same things. Or not. Maybe we only do them because we don't have a yard. I guess we'll find that out. Or maybe not. Because who knows what's happening? Not my stomach, that's for sure.
We still may be moving. Or we may be staying put. It's been two weeks now of back and forth offer/counteroffers and to tell you the truth I don't think I can take much more. While it hasn't been affecting my sleeping habits, nor have I had any migraines, my stomach is constantly in knots and I'm also definitely eating emotionally. Or eating to kill time. Both of those.
Do we need to move? No. No one needs to move anywhere. We have a roof over our heads and our home is warm and in one piece. Do we really want to move? Yes and no. There are really good points for staying put, but there are also many great points about moving. And since we aren't just thinking of ourselves anymore, anything that benefits M counts for two points, and when you add that up moving wins this match by a landslide.
Our new place would be in a suburb which isn't much like a suburb. For some reason I just do NOT want to live in a suburb, but this burb has horse farms and duck ponds, so that's the country, right? At any rate, if it is a suburb, it's not the icky Stepford type, it's the type that I want to live in. But let's call it the country, M'kay?
This country community also boasts several great schools, English schools! English schools with great French Immersion programs which is exactly what I want for M. So while there are other suburbs that I would also deem un-Stepford, they are definitely more on the francophone side, so not ideal.
The house in this country community has a yard! With trees! Actually, most homes in this community have great yards, but if we get this one it is my favorite yard of all the yards on the MLS. And that is a lot of yards. The house is pretty great too, but really it's the yard that I love. Which is funny because one of the things I love about living in a condo is we have no yard at all. But this house and it's yard, it's got me.
For the moment I just want to KNOW, you know? It's the waiting and the imagining and the pondering that is burning a hole in my gut. And adding new girth to the spare tire around my middle. Did I mention this house also has a trail right behind it? Through the back gate, actually. Where I could run without fear of pieces of cement falling on my head?
Would I miss living in the city? Most definitely. But I'll still be working in the city. And most of the fun stuff we do in the city we do on the weekends anyway. We can always drive in on the weekend and still do the same things. Or not. Maybe we only do them because we don't have a yard. I guess we'll find that out. Or maybe not. Because who knows what's happening? Not my stomach, that's for sure.
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