Better today I ran the first and third intervals and half of the second. I just can't seem to stay away from the hills. I kinda live in a valley so no matter which way I go I start out uphill or end uphill. I would rather start out uphill.
So today I went one street over where it is still uphill but more gentle (kinda) and then meandered my way aimlessly through the streets taking the path of least resistance in the general direction I wanted to go. I thought I would end up way far away from home at the end, but was only about two blacks away when the final cool down ended. Not bad at all.
I have to thank Rebeccawip for keeping me going. She is a friend I met on Ravelry and I think if we had met in real life we would have been great friends, but her life brought her to France instead. Like me she is struggling to do what is right rather than what is fun and falls off sometimes and then picks herself back up. But no matter where she is in her struggle she takes the time to keep me pumped up. Today as I ran that final interval I thought about writing this blog and how proud of me she would be. Thank you for making such a difference in my life.
9.29.2011
9.27.2011
Couch to 5K Week 5- Day 1
So I finished day 1 while I was on vacation: on a treadmill: on zero grade. I felt indestructible.
So with my inflated ego I started out yesterday with the plan on running Week 5 day 2. I failed. Miserably. I walked the first 5 minutes, ran 5 of the first 8 minutes, and walked the rest of the routine. I was tired, with a stitch in my side, throbbing legs, wheezing chest, and soooo thirsty when I finished.
So with yesterday ringing in my head I set out again today.. back to Week 5 Day 1 routine. I will attempt this day until I can strongly finish it, and then go on to Day 2. It might take me a few weeks to get there, but I will.
Week 5 Day 1:
Walk 5 Minutes: done
Run 5 Minutes: done
Walk 3 minutes: done
Run 5 Minutes: ran 2.5 minutes, walked 2.5 minutes
walk 3 minutes: done
run 5 minutes: ran 3 minutes, walked 2 minutes
walk 5 minutes: done
I changes up my route, it shakes out the cob webs and gets me over the innate fear of hills I have. This changing of the route moves the hills within the routine and I can't psych myself out over them as easily. This started me out uphill today- the whole walk and first run was uphill. I also finished today much mess wheezy than yesterday. The humidity is less and I am overall feeling better today than yesterday as well. I will take tomorrow off and try again Thursday. Now off for a shower:)
So with my inflated ego I started out yesterday with the plan on running Week 5 day 2. I failed. Miserably. I walked the first 5 minutes, ran 5 of the first 8 minutes, and walked the rest of the routine. I was tired, with a stitch in my side, throbbing legs, wheezing chest, and soooo thirsty when I finished.
So with yesterday ringing in my head I set out again today.. back to Week 5 Day 1 routine. I will attempt this day until I can strongly finish it, and then go on to Day 2. It might take me a few weeks to get there, but I will.
Week 5 Day 1:
Walk 5 Minutes: done
Run 5 Minutes: done
Walk 3 minutes: done
Run 5 Minutes: ran 2.5 minutes, walked 2.5 minutes
walk 3 minutes: done
run 5 minutes: ran 3 minutes, walked 2 minutes
walk 5 minutes: done
I changes up my route, it shakes out the cob webs and gets me over the innate fear of hills I have. This changing of the route moves the hills within the routine and I can't psych myself out over them as easily. This started me out uphill today- the whole walk and first run was uphill. I also finished today much mess wheezy than yesterday. The humidity is less and I am overall feeling better today than yesterday as well. I will take tomorrow off and try again Thursday. Now off for a shower:)
9.22.2011
2011 Finger Lakes Fiber Tour
So this year fro my Mom's Birthday I brought her on the Finger Lakes Fiber Tour. A more perfect present and time together could not have been had. It was amazing!
Wednesday we started out in the am and drove across the state slowly and carefully. What would have been a 3-4 hour drive the fast way, took us 8 hours with a nice break for lunch along the way. We were in no hurry and we both enjoyed seeing the back roads of NY State and what each little town had to offer. We arrived at the hotel: the luxurious Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel around 3 pm. We checked in and had our bags brought up to the room. It was beautiful and clean and full of light. We each had a queen sized bed and it was so high we had to hop up to be able to sit on them! After a little rest we went for a walk to explore the town. We found the yarn store: Finger Lakes Fibers and checked in for the weekends activities. We were greeted with open arms and a bag of goodies for each of us, including yarn, needle holders, and patterns as well as a coupons to local stores too. We walked around and headed back to the hotel to change clothes and rest a bit. At 5 there was a welcome reception at the yarn store and we sat, drank wine, knit, and chatted for a few hours before heading to dinner on our own. Dinner was some good Chinese food and I even had some sushi. After that was back to the yarn store for a game where we all won more yarn and got to know each other, more wine, and dessert.
Thursday started early with breakfast at the store. Next was a over two hour class with Kathy Helton on using a drop spindle. She even covered basic plying techniques, different kinds of roving, and different kinds of spindles. This class sent us home with a top whorl drop spindle and roving to practice with and a how to handout. Class was followed by lunch at the store. The sandwiches and salads were provided by a local bakery and everyone raved over them. At 1:30 we boarded our tour bus and went to Windsong Farm. Here we learned about different types of sheep, what makes a good fiber and about curly locks- something that some sheep have and often are coveted. Then it was a tour of the area with a stop at a local Orchard before heading back to the store. Dinner was on our own and we had such a good lunch that we just stopped at the hotel restaurant for dessert and coffee. After some of the best cheesecake and chocolate cake ever- we headed back over to the store for another workshop. The even ended with some wine and more desserts, while we learned about adding beads to our knitting from Laura Nelkin. I never knew there were so many ways to add beads, and why you would use one way over another, and what the best beads to use are. It was just amazing to learn a new technique and have such a wonderful explanation of designer from the designer herself. We ended up back at the room later than usual that night because the workshop lasted so long, but it was good because the coffee at dinner had me revved up and it was hard to get to sleep. Mom and I sat there in the dark talking about stuff like two kids at a sleepover. It was wonderful.
Friday started with breakfast at the shop and we were quickly on the bus headed to Schaefer yarn company. How amazing to see the workshop, to meet Mary Schaefer, to get to dye our own yarn, and to have another great lunch. We split into three groups and our group was the first to shop. The workshop has an outlet where you can get some awesome yarn- sometimes it is in a bag so you have enough of a dye-lot for a project, sometimes it is something unique (i.e. a mistake or research), and some things are not available in stores anymore. It was soooo cool to get to hunt through the boxes and then racks to see what you find. Then it was off to dying, one of the master dyers walked us through the steps to dying our own hank of sock yarn in the colorway "bugs" which is a five color green and blue colorway. The whole time Mary Schaefer talked to us about starting the company, where it is now, the steps in between, and all that it takes to stay inspired. As a business owner I was inspired by how she started and where she grew the company, I can see my story being similar if I work hard enough and if enough luck comes my way. Then it was lunch time... mom said the bread on the sandwiches was amazing, and I know I loved the potato salad. We then got to tour the rest of the shop, meet some more dyers and see how the yarn is dried and made ready for sale. We headed for there to Bel Canto Alpaca Farms (with a quick stop at the local chocolate store in town). This was my umpteenth trip to an alpaca farm, but by far it was my most enjoyable and informative. We learned about skirting fleeces, the different uses for different fibers from the animals, a lot about husbandry, and about showing alpacas. It was amazing. After that we headed to Standing Stone Vineyards where there were some light appetizers and wine tastings. Exhausted we headed back to the store and went searching for dinner. Mom and I headed out on our own and stopped by a farmers market before heading to dinner at a local cafe. Mom had dessert for dinner again and I had a burger before heading back to the store for one more game and some knitting time. This time we played scavenger hunt- where we split into teams and hunted for words all over the store displays to use in a story that we made up. The team with the most used words won (and it wasn't my team) but it was hilarious the stories we came up with and shared. Add to the festivities some dessert and more wine and we were having a ball! Mom and I cut out early so we could get a good night's sleep.
Saturday we started at the yarn store again (after we went and had a big breakfast at a local cafe) and then were driven to the Finger Lakes Fiber Festival. We browsed, shopped, chatted, learned, and tried different crafts (like bobbin lace) for the next five hours. It was perfect. We had a little over four hours to stroll around this great festival, with enough vendors and people to enjoy it but not too many that you felt rushed, pushed, or otherwise put out. And I must say that the Maple Syrup Cotton Candy is divine! The evening commenced with a banquet at the Blue Point Grill (at our hotel) where we ate, drank, chatted, exchanged contact info, relieved the yarns we dyed the day before, and otherwise just didn't want the night to end. We really had such a joyous time and met wonderful people and made lots of new friends.
Sunday we headed out early, stopped for a great lunch along the way, and ambled our way back home. We arrived exhausted, excited to share our experiences, and weighed down by laundry and new yarn. I hope we can come back again next year because it was such a wonderful time!
Wednesday we started out in the am and drove across the state slowly and carefully. What would have been a 3-4 hour drive the fast way, took us 8 hours with a nice break for lunch along the way. We were in no hurry and we both enjoyed seeing the back roads of NY State and what each little town had to offer. We arrived at the hotel: the luxurious Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel around 3 pm. We checked in and had our bags brought up to the room. It was beautiful and clean and full of light. We each had a queen sized bed and it was so high we had to hop up to be able to sit on them! After a little rest we went for a walk to explore the town. We found the yarn store: Finger Lakes Fibers and checked in for the weekends activities. We were greeted with open arms and a bag of goodies for each of us, including yarn, needle holders, and patterns as well as a coupons to local stores too. We walked around and headed back to the hotel to change clothes and rest a bit. At 5 there was a welcome reception at the yarn store and we sat, drank wine, knit, and chatted for a few hours before heading to dinner on our own. Dinner was some good Chinese food and I even had some sushi. After that was back to the yarn store for a game where we all won more yarn and got to know each other, more wine, and dessert.
Thursday started early with breakfast at the store. Next was a over two hour class with Kathy Helton on using a drop spindle. She even covered basic plying techniques, different kinds of roving, and different kinds of spindles. This class sent us home with a top whorl drop spindle and roving to practice with and a how to handout. Class was followed by lunch at the store. The sandwiches and salads were provided by a local bakery and everyone raved over them. At 1:30 we boarded our tour bus and went to Windsong Farm. Here we learned about different types of sheep, what makes a good fiber and about curly locks- something that some sheep have and often are coveted. Then it was a tour of the area with a stop at a local Orchard before heading back to the store. Dinner was on our own and we had such a good lunch that we just stopped at the hotel restaurant for dessert and coffee. After some of the best cheesecake and chocolate cake ever- we headed back over to the store for another workshop. The even ended with some wine and more desserts, while we learned about adding beads to our knitting from Laura Nelkin. I never knew there were so many ways to add beads, and why you would use one way over another, and what the best beads to use are. It was just amazing to learn a new technique and have such a wonderful explanation of designer from the designer herself. We ended up back at the room later than usual that night because the workshop lasted so long, but it was good because the coffee at dinner had me revved up and it was hard to get to sleep. Mom and I sat there in the dark talking about stuff like two kids at a sleepover. It was wonderful.
Friday started with breakfast at the shop and we were quickly on the bus headed to Schaefer yarn company. How amazing to see the workshop, to meet Mary Schaefer, to get to dye our own yarn, and to have another great lunch. We split into three groups and our group was the first to shop. The workshop has an outlet where you can get some awesome yarn- sometimes it is in a bag so you have enough of a dye-lot for a project, sometimes it is something unique (i.e. a mistake or research), and some things are not available in stores anymore. It was soooo cool to get to hunt through the boxes and then racks to see what you find. Then it was off to dying, one of the master dyers walked us through the steps to dying our own hank of sock yarn in the colorway "bugs" which is a five color green and blue colorway. The whole time Mary Schaefer talked to us about starting the company, where it is now, the steps in between, and all that it takes to stay inspired. As a business owner I was inspired by how she started and where she grew the company, I can see my story being similar if I work hard enough and if enough luck comes my way. Then it was lunch time... mom said the bread on the sandwiches was amazing, and I know I loved the potato salad. We then got to tour the rest of the shop, meet some more dyers and see how the yarn is dried and made ready for sale. We headed for there to Bel Canto Alpaca Farms (with a quick stop at the local chocolate store in town). This was my umpteenth trip to an alpaca farm, but by far it was my most enjoyable and informative. We learned about skirting fleeces, the different uses for different fibers from the animals, a lot about husbandry, and about showing alpacas. It was amazing. After that we headed to Standing Stone Vineyards where there were some light appetizers and wine tastings. Exhausted we headed back to the store and went searching for dinner. Mom and I headed out on our own and stopped by a farmers market before heading to dinner at a local cafe. Mom had dessert for dinner again and I had a burger before heading back to the store for one more game and some knitting time. This time we played scavenger hunt- where we split into teams and hunted for words all over the store displays to use in a story that we made up. The team with the most used words won (and it wasn't my team) but it was hilarious the stories we came up with and shared. Add to the festivities some dessert and more wine and we were having a ball! Mom and I cut out early so we could get a good night's sleep.
Saturday we started at the yarn store again (after we went and had a big breakfast at a local cafe) and then were driven to the Finger Lakes Fiber Festival. We browsed, shopped, chatted, learned, and tried different crafts (like bobbin lace) for the next five hours. It was perfect. We had a little over four hours to stroll around this great festival, with enough vendors and people to enjoy it but not too many that you felt rushed, pushed, or otherwise put out. And I must say that the Maple Syrup Cotton Candy is divine! The evening commenced with a banquet at the Blue Point Grill (at our hotel) where we ate, drank, chatted, exchanged contact info, relieved the yarns we dyed the day before, and otherwise just didn't want the night to end. We really had such a joyous time and met wonderful people and made lots of new friends.
Sunday we headed out early, stopped for a great lunch along the way, and ambled our way back home. We arrived exhausted, excited to share our experiences, and weighed down by laundry and new yarn. I hope we can come back again next year because it was such a wonderful time!
Couch to 5K Week 4
I haven't been blogging while away on vacation... but I have been running.
I have COMPLETED week 4 of the program. I ran it two days in a row, last Thursday and Friday. Both days I ran on a treadmill at the hotel. Thursday was with no incline and Friday was on the "random hill" setting.
I usually come home and run the intervals on my "home path" but on Saturday I went up a notch and ran WEEK 5 on the treadmill and finished all the intervals! So I feel as though I can go onto Week 5 now that I am home and go on from there. It wasn't easy to finish week five, even on the treadmill with no incline, but I did do it so I am proud of myself.
Although I haven't been running as regular as I want to I will get going again and I feel as though I am on a strong path for finishing the program before it snows too much to run. I plan on trying week 5 on the road tomorrow if the weather cooperates and then assess myself and go on from there. I still can't believe that I can run five minutes straight without stopping.
Vacation kind of made me fall off my diet plan, but I am getting back on that wagon again too and I will be back on plan soon!
I have COMPLETED week 4 of the program. I ran it two days in a row, last Thursday and Friday. Both days I ran on a treadmill at the hotel. Thursday was with no incline and Friday was on the "random hill" setting.
I usually come home and run the intervals on my "home path" but on Saturday I went up a notch and ran WEEK 5 on the treadmill and finished all the intervals! So I feel as though I can go onto Week 5 now that I am home and go on from there. It wasn't easy to finish week five, even on the treadmill with no incline, but I did do it so I am proud of myself.
Although I haven't been running as regular as I want to I will get going again and I feel as though I am on a strong path for finishing the program before it snows too much to run. I plan on trying week 5 on the road tomorrow if the weather cooperates and then assess myself and go on from there. I still can't believe that I can run five minutes straight without stopping.
Vacation kind of made me fall off my diet plan, but I am getting back on that wagon again too and I will be back on plan soon!
9.20.2011
Fiber Tour 2011
Fiber Tour 2011, a set on Flickr.
Pictures from the 2011 Finger Lakes Fiber Tour I took Mom on :)
9.03.2011
Couch to 5K week4 Day 1
It has been almost exactly a month since I last ran. Last year when I tried this program, August was the death of me and I never picked it back up. This was pure laziness on my part. So this year I swore to myself that I would pick it back up where I left off and keep running.
It has been a few months since I last officially weighed myself, and the scale says that I have lost 10 lbs! I had been thinking lately that I was feeling thinner but I didn't let myself get too excited because last time I felt thinner but had only lost 2 lbs. So I have lost 8 more since then. So not only does the running make me feel better, but I look better as well. I am finally below 170 and 160 is my next big goal...Maybe by Thanksgiving!
So I ran today- week 4.... no going back to week three, just keeping on with the program. and I did better than I expected to.
Walk 5 min- done!
run 3 min- DONE!
walk 90 sec- done!
RUN FIVE MINUTES- DONE DONE DONE!!!!
Walk 2.5 min- done
Run 3 min- I ran 1 of the 3
walk 90 sec- done
run 5 minutes- I walked it
walk 5 minutes- done
Do I started out strong and walked the second half. But I reminded myself that I have more tries at completing this week ahead of me and that it was more important that I can run again in a day or two than to wipe myself out today. I also am proud that I could come out so strong after not running for a whole month, strong enough to run my longest time ever!!!
I ran slow, but steady and it was that pace that let me run as much as I did. I am super happy today that I ran again and that I did what I did. It is a beautiful place to start building on this fall.
It has been a few months since I last officially weighed myself, and the scale says that I have lost 10 lbs! I had been thinking lately that I was feeling thinner but I didn't let myself get too excited because last time I felt thinner but had only lost 2 lbs. So I have lost 8 more since then. So not only does the running make me feel better, but I look better as well. I am finally below 170 and 160 is my next big goal...Maybe by Thanksgiving!
So I ran today- week 4.... no going back to week three, just keeping on with the program. and I did better than I expected to.
Walk 5 min- done!
run 3 min- DONE!
walk 90 sec- done!
RUN FIVE MINUTES- DONE DONE DONE!!!!
Walk 2.5 min- done
Run 3 min- I ran 1 of the 3
walk 90 sec- done
run 5 minutes- I walked it
walk 5 minutes- done
Do I started out strong and walked the second half. But I reminded myself that I have more tries at completing this week ahead of me and that it was more important that I can run again in a day or two than to wipe myself out today. I also am proud that I could come out so strong after not running for a whole month, strong enough to run my longest time ever!!!
I ran slow, but steady and it was that pace that let me run as much as I did. I am super happy today that I ran again and that I did what I did. It is a beautiful place to start building on this fall.
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