Ouch...Ouch..Ouch

Again, one of those "it sounded like a good idea at the time" monents... It was a beautiful day here... middle 50's, sunny, big, high, puffy clouds above... much too nice to go to the gym. I was dressed for the gym. I was planning to go to the gym. Plans change, and the dog was happy to accomodate me.

I'd like to say I know how far we went, but I can't. See, Schooner ATE my pedometer. Yes, that's right - ate it. Grabbed it from the kitchen counter and ate the dang thing a while ago. I have one on order, but alas it has not arrived yet. So, I have to guess that we went about 2.5 miles today. Sounds about right.

I got to try out my new toy - the iPod shuffle that is so tiny I am afraid I will loose it! Really, its adorable. Clips to whereever I want it... not too heavy - makes me learn to run to something other than my usual soundtrack. Its good...

So, this whole "running after you have not run" gig?? Yeah - nearly killed me and the dog! Alright - maybe that's a bit of an exageration - at least for me... the dog I think nearly did have a heart attack... But MAN OH MAN, I am out of shape already!!

I've had no goal, no external motivation. Clearly, the internal motivation is not working for me. Last night while we were having dinner with friends, I suggested that she and I plan to do a 5k this spring. She agreed, so now we are ON!! I looked up races here in the Phoenix area add there are a ton. So - here's my goal. Mid-February is 6 weeks from now. In all realily, with some hard work, I should be able to run another 5K in 6 weeks If I take 1 race every 6 weeks, then I should be able to be in my happy size by summer's end!!

Meanwhile - I think I will up our stock holdings in Advil.

What a month its been...

I keep meaning to come back here and blog - really, I do. Something just has kept me away.

We've been/done/experienced a lot over the last month. Here's a quick, random, ADD moment filled rundown...

• Kids at school are basically checked out from the day after Thanksgiving break ends until we reconvene in January. Why we have school at all during that time is beyond me. Germs pass like wildfire, and the kids' brains have all gone haywire, and it leaves teachers planning Holiday festivities down to the last wire...
• We discovered Maddy has cancer. Osteosarcoma in her right leg. Strangely enough, her 1/2 brother had the same cancer in the same leg. We choose the same route his humans choose - we amputated her leg. It was brutal to see - but she's up and around and happy and without pain so as of this writing, I'd say it was worth it.
• All 3 kids were sick for Christmas. With any luck we will be healthy long enough to enjoy time off before we have to head back to work and school.
• The most obnoxious kids in school give the lousiest gifts at holiday time - if they actually "gift" at all.
• Our cockatiel had to have his leg re-casted. Finally got the cast off today. He no longer looks like a parrot in search of a pirate to sit upon...
• Evidently my address book is woefully out of date - I have gotten back a very large number of Christmas cards this year.
• We've watched "Without Limits", the Steve Prefontaine story, a few times so far this winter, and the fact that he could run a 5K in the same time I can run a mile just boggles the mind.
• I have eaten terribly and exercised not-at-all and really need to change that PRONTO.

I hope you and yours had a merry, healthy, happy whatever-you-celebrate and that 2007 is the year of the shrinking waistlines, and expanding cardiac-output (meaning I need to get back out there and sign up for another 5k!)