Saturday, December 31, 2011

So long 2011!


It was a great year and just in the nick of time I'm posting my final 'month-in-review' layout. It was a great little recap of our year and I'm glad I kept it up! That ticks of #32 on my 2011 manifesto!

Talking of my 2011 manifesto - I am pretty pleased with my accomplishments. 37 items on my list and I've ticked off 33 - I fell short by just 4! Its funny how something as simple as this list has somehow kept me accountable. That classic 'I must do that', 'I should've done that' or 'I really wish I could...'. were converted into items on this list at the end of last year and I've enjoyed checking off things as I've gone.

Here's a final look at my 2011 list;
  1. Make chocolate chip cookies from scratch
  2. Log 600 miles running - upped to 700 miles!
  3. Paint a wall
  4. Visit a new country
  5. Blog at least once a month
  6. Take a ski lesson
  7. Make wall art (and actually display it!)
  8. Go on a picnic
  9. Learn something new
  10. Grow vegetables
  11. Play mini golf
  12. Go for a bike ride (the type with pedals and hard graft!)
  13. Rent a boat
  14. Bake a loaf of bread
  15. Relax in a candlelit bubble-bath
  16. Go to a hockey game
  17. Take a yoga class
  18. Make business cards
  19. Visit a national park
  20. Go camping
  21. Ice-skate outside
  22. Give 3 handmade gifts
  23. Sew something
  24. Stay in Harvey
  25. Make gazpacho
  26. Try a new restaurant
  27. Go to a live comedy show
  28. Run a sub 56' 10km
  29. Read 2 non-fiction books
  30. Spray paint something
  31. Feed the ducks
  32. Do a scrapbook page every month (month-in-review)
  33. Make money from my new business venture
  34. Give to charity
  35. Listen to live music
  36. Cook and master 12 new recipes
  37. Complete a Gratitude journal

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Currently: End of Year 2011

listening: Abercrombie & Fitch playlists online
reading: Lost on planet China by J. Maarten Troost (chrimbo pressie from Chris!)
eating: Baguette with pate, cheese and piccalilli
drinking: water
wearing: lululemon leggings, long cardigan and cozy uggs
feeling: full - permanently full and over-indulged since Christmas!
weather: warm it's +8 in December!! - crazy
needing: to exercise
enjoying: this music
wondering: how long before I can run again

So on the 19th December I had a little run-in with Jillean Michaels. Put me out of action and on crutches for Christmas week....which was nice....NOT! Now with the Christmas indulgences stacking up (specifically around the middle region!) plus crazy warm +8 temps I'm itching to get out there and run. And I can't. I really can't. And I'm getting fed up with that. Having been blessed with an injury free running life so far I really am not handling it all that well! Sometimes I do wonder if it's the fact that I can't making me want to go out even more (after all I was more than happy last year to retire for the cold, wintery months) but I don't think so....

So here I am, willing in the new year and hope that I have a healed and stronger ankle ready to carry me (ideally about 5 less pounds of me than right now - damn those Christmas chocolates!) into a happy and fit new year!!

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

November in review

Not so many pictures for us this month, so I struggled a bit pulling it together! Can't believe it's nearly the end of the year and I've managed to keep this up. Looking forward to embarking on a new way of recording our everyday life next year. I am excited to start using Project Life!

Thursday, December 8, 2011

We survived!!

(and if you read too many race reports about this one you'll understand that could have been an achievement in itself!!)

2:17:00 - Well it certainly wasn't a record breaking time, but I never expected it to be. But the important thing for us was that we had a blast! We totally rocked the strip at night at the 2011 Rock n' Rock Las Vegas Half Marathon!

We got back from our mini vacation late on Wednesday night but the run itself happened Sunday evening - starting at 5.30pm - so yes completely dark. What I wasn't really anticipating was how flippin' cold it was. It was more the biting wind that really kept it chilly. The race was crazy busy as we anticipated - 44,000 people will do that! I ended up slipping an extra layer under my running shirt and never once regretted that move. It got a little better once we were huddled into our corrals at the start line - I don't really think that 1000 people should have been in that small a space but the body heat certainly helped whilst we waited for our wave to cross the start line!
Once we got going it was a fairly steady pace - a little slower than I'd normally set off, but later in the race I think it was a wise (if unintentional!) move! It wasn't as light/bright as I thought it'd be, but it was awesome to be running along such a famous stretch of road, completely closed to traffic for the evening! The bright lights of all the casinos were all the light we had. We passed the Bellagio just as the fountains were going, and I may have glimpsed a volcano erupting too! At the northern end of the strip we looped around a little through the 'older' downtown area - I know it's undergoing lots of regeneration plans now, and certainly Chris and I visited Fremont Street in a past trip (Which is awesome!). There were less spectators in this area but what they lacked in numbers they made up for in enthusiasm! I'm not sure if they were an 'official' band on the course but some of the best music I heard on the way was up near Fremont Street with little set-up and speakers blasting out their tunes!

The last 5 miles I was cruising. I'm curious if it was the slow steady start or that I tried out fuelling with Gu for the first time during a long run (always been nervous about what it might 'do' to me and my digestive system, but with this race I felt so relaxed and pressure free I didn't really care either way!). It was a first for me to be encouraging Chris along  (bless him, I think I may have forced the 'old' man into this a little - what with his injury and complete lack of training and not having run the distance in 15 years it was quite the achievement for him!) I loved running with him, and excited for me to have felt 'so good' later in the race - it was a great learning curve for me.

So onto the 'fiasco' that was the post-race. Actually NO. If you want to read about that go elsewhere (you won't have to look too far). WE had an AWESOME race. There was 44,000 people - it was always going to be busy and hectic and crowded. It was nothing more than I'd expected. Post race we got our fabulous chunky heavy medals, a Mylar blanket (Which heck did I need!) plenty of water, cytomax, granola bars, bagels and bananas (which I will concede to the mass complaints, were a little green!). We hot-footed it inside the convention centre to pick up our bags and change into some warmer, drier clothes and then started walking up the strip to eat, then back to our hotel. The bag check (though badly signed) was very organised - and the plus points was our low corral & bib numbers meant our bags were right up front!!
Loved these mirrors at the expo! - what fun!!
The expo prior to the race was awesome too. I'd never been to a 'big' expo before but we just strolled around picking up freebies and samples left, right and centre (hey, I'm always a sucker for freebies!). I also got to listen to the ladies from 'Run Like a Mother' present a short talk on the stage and we got our snazzy race tees - love that they had womens sizes (now I just need to wait till next spring before I can wear a short sleeve shirt again!)

Vegas itself, well, what can I say?! It's bright, bold and brash but it always entertains me! We strolled for miles, ran for miles, actually didn't do that much shopping (I know?! shock!!), but took in the Criss Angel Illusionist show at the Luxor, along with the Titanic exhibition, a gluttonous Champagne Brunch at the Bellagio and altogether way too much eating and drinking (and seriously $16 for a cocktail ?!)

That saying 'What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas'? - I'm just hoping that applies to calories too!
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...