Garden party

We finally got to enjoy a real summer day in our garden. My dear friend Aisling came out with her kids Owen, Liam and little Anna (not so little anymore and holds her own with the boys!) After an outing at one of our favorite parks in Leuven (pencil park or Mikado park at the Philips site) we had lunch and then spent the rest of the day relaxing in the back yard. Aisling brought some delicious apple pie she had made with apples she had brought all the way from their granny's tree in England - it was absolutely delicious.

So, not much exercise to speak of, besides swinging with Anna, pushing Liam and Felix on their swings, playing Follow the Leader and walking on the balance beam...

Biking, Bartok, Hospital, Harry Potter & Far Away Friends

It was a weirdly filled day today. Florian and I biked to our piano lessons, where I finally was able to play my Bartok piece convincingly enough to make our teacher, Johan, happy with it! Yay! Then we biked home - kaching! - 40 minutes total to log in!

Then we had to be at the hospital at 2 pm for a head x-ray for Florian's upcoming othodontic treatment. Since it is quite pleasant weather, we biked down - kaching! - another 15 minutes to log in!

After waiting at the hospital a little bit (I had my Bayeux tapestry to work on, since it was still in my bag from piano lessons, and the boys amused themselves making really tall towers with the duplo blocks - funny how they seem just a bit too big for the "play corner" anymore), they finally took Florian's x-ray, and we noticed we had plenty of time to make the afternoon show.

First we stopped at a school supply store to stock up on some things Florian needs for high school. Then we headed over to the theater, bought our tickets and were sitting waiting for the new Harry Potter to start, when lo and behold, our friends Leen and Jef and their son Lucas walked in! Now normally it might not seem strange to run into friends at the movies, but these particular friends happen to live in London! So it was quite weird and funny to see them, and after the movie was over we stood in the parking lot catching up while the boys biked around together. Finally we said our goodbyes and headed home - kaching! - another 15 minutes of biking to add to my log!

By the way, Felix says this Harry Potter is not as scary as the last one because he hardly needed to put his sweatshirt over his face at all (but I think I still saw it over his head out of the corner of my eye a couple of times)! Of all the teachers, Snape is still my favorite. And Harry and his friends are getting awfully grown up!

A bad case of frititis

I got my Sanefit workout in today, raced around trying clean the house, took my 8-year-old to his friend's house to play, my 12-year-old shoe shopping (and he is very particular about his shoes), all the while dodging all the traffic which is all messed up in Leuven due to road construction, took the older two back home so they could play on the computer, finally did the groceries, went back to pick up Felix....and suddenly driving home did not feel like cooking AT ALL. Do you know this feeling?

So Felix and I were just passing by our neighborhood frite place and it didn't look too busy, so we pulled over and went in and ordered some delicious Belgian frites for dinner, took them home to cheers from the older two, who couldn't believe their mother actually did this wonderful thing and ate them and enjoyed them...and now I have a stomach ache. Ugh. I knew there was a reason I stopped eating them a while back! Hope you all have something healthier for dinner!

My running support team

Stefaan and I got up this morning, rounded up the boys and headed off to the park where we run just about every Sunday around the lake. Stefaan always asks how many loops we are going to run, and full of optimism, I tell him, and then we start running...and he makes sure I stick to what I said! If we came to run seven, by God, we are going to run seven, and there is no way he is going to let me off the hook! So today it was six and even though at halfway I was having those internal arguments with myself about how maybe five loops would be okay (after all I hadn't been able to run much all week), I knew it was pointless because I was running with Stefaan and he was going to say, "We came to do six, we're going to do six." So we did our six loops, which is 8.4 kilometers, in 56 minutes. It seemed like we were actually running at a pretty relaxed pace, but when I checked it was nearly as fast as last week. But it ended up being a good run, and if I had to, I could have done another loop (but I didn't tell Stefaan!) So Stefaan is my ultimate running partner and I truly don't think I could have gotten this far without him making sure I do my loops around the lake every Sunday!

Jenny and Mark of course are also a huge support to me: both great inspiration and good coaches, too. I sent a copy of my training plan to them to see what they think about it, and Mark sent back a thorough assessment:

"After I approximated the miles run based on time and added up the weekend long runs (converting those to miles since I can think better that way), I think you are going to be doing enough miles to prepare yourself.
Your longest run looks like 16.8K which comes out to 10.4 miles (using 16.8 X 0.62). This should be close enough to 13.1 so that the race distance won't be a shock. Some people do more for their longest run but a lot of plans don't. So, I don't think there is any real consensus on whether you need to run 13.1 to prep for 13.1. 95% of trainers say you don't need to run 26.2 to prepare for 26.2 but there is less said about half marathon prep.

The cross training is excellent and will add to the volume of your aerobic training. I've been adding a little bit of yoga into my training since I'm starting to feel stiffer as I add the miles on.

I think the only thing that Jenny and I wondered about is if you would get tired of running around the lake that many times. You will probably be ok since you are only running there once per week, but it looks like you are going to circle that lake 100 times. What I remember of it, is that it is a very nice lake so that helps.

With this plan I predict that you'll have a really good half marathon experience, showing up there injury free, and completing the course with a much deserved sense of accomplishment. You will also get a half marathon PR!"

Thank you, Mark. It is a huge reassurance to know that the distances I plan to run are going to be enough. Also I had never even considered that I was actually going to be running around the lake more than 100 times! This really blew my mind away and then I started thinking about how we have been running around the lake nearly every Sunday, sometimes clockwise, other times counter clockwise, in all seasons, ever since I figured out that once around that lake was exactly 1.4 km in the spring of 2006. How many times could THAT have been? So I just checked in my running log that I have been keeping since January of this year, and we've done 70 times around the lake in 2007 (including this morning). Whoa. That's 98 kilometers. Around the same lake. Running is an odd sport, isn't it?

Total kilometers this week: 11.8
Year-to-date: 342.5

Blueberry fields forever

Say hello to the sheep at Blueberry Fields Farm, where we pick our blueberries every summer (www.blueberryfields.be). We had a gorgeous day for "plucking" (as the boys say) with friends Catherine and Marleen who joined us. Between the six of us and in about an hour we picked more than 8 kilos. This is not as much as we usually pick, but this year we were on a field with smaller bushes and we had to crouch and bend over a lot more and we got tired of it a lot faster. I am sure most of ours will get eaten up before I can get some in the freezer. Our favorite way to eat them is fresh with Greek yogurt and honey - yum! You all probably know how healthy blueberries are with all those antioxidants, but did you also know they are especially good for sorting out digestive problems, especially diarrhea? They are also excellent for the eyes! And tea from blueberry leaves is recommended for diabetics.

Therefore, no workout today, but lots of fresh country air - must be good for something!

Cabin fever

We have been a little cooped up this week, with the gloomy weather. I can tell because the boys are getting really rambunctious and I am feeling very sluggish - why does it work that way? They seem to get more energy and mine is sapped! Thankfully the sun is expected back as of tomorrow.

Yesterday I did do my SaneFit strength workout and between each exercise I did jumping jacks, step ups, and general flailing around like a mad woman to work up a sweat - it worked! I have one more workout this week and then a full three workouts next week and I will have completed the six weeks! The creator of the program, Beverley Caen, asked me to write a testimonial about it when I am done, so that makes me even more motivated to complete it in style.

Tomorrow we are going to a blueberry farm in Limburg to pick blueberries and get some long overdue fresh air. Hopefully it won't be too mucky, but just to be on the safe side, we'll be sure to take our boots!

Tired Tuesday

I had one of those nights where you have a hard time sleeping because your thoughts keep going through your head like socks in a tumble dryer, so I was tired this morning. My plan was to take a walk and I really needed the fresh air! I did two kilometers briskly which took 20 minutes.

A very dear friend of mine emailed saying she was enjoying the blog (thank you Joy!) but that it seemed like a lot of exercise. And I just wanted to clarify that it has taken me quite some time and lots of baby steps to get to this level, because I think it is so easy to get discouraged by people who seem to do a lot of exercise, and then feel like, what is the point, I will never be able to do that much! And the number one thing that I do NOT want to do is discourage anybody!

As a kid, I never measured up athletically. As an adult, I have come to realize that exercise is essential for my mood, my health, and maintaining my weight. As I get nearer and nearer to perimenopause, even more so! So I tried many things....exercising at home, walking, biking, Tai Chi, Yoga, swimming, Body Pump classes and more recently running. And bit by bit, I figured out what suited me best, and I started doing more and really making it an integral part of my life. First it was biking with the children to school. This became so ingrained that I really missed it during the school vacations! I actually didn't feel awake on the days we didn't have that morning bike ride. Then as the kids were older and all in school, I tried fitting some other kind of exercise in on one or two days per week. It really was baby steps all the way, very gradual.

I am also lucky to have another very dear and adventurous friend (Jane, you know who you are!) who was always getting me to try new classes with her. She is the one who got me to go to the gym with her, a place I was totally intimidated by and would have NEVER gone to on my own. And thanks to her, I am still going today and actually sometimes really enjoying it! So it certainly doesn't hurt to have an ally to accompany you through the uncomfortable and novel aspects of exercising.

What I would encourage everyone to do is look at your current level of activity and make a commitment to increase it just a little bit, whatever you are willing to do, and maintain this until it becomes second nature. Then you can add a little bit more. Once you get the ball rolling, you'll be amazed at the places it takes you! Look at me - who would have ever thought I would be running races? NO ONE, least of all myself.

Monday, Monday...

This week is going to be a bit more challenging to get exercise in with the boys at home and committments every single day! But I sat down this morning and worked out a plan so that I wouldn't get caught at the end of the week having done nothing.

Today I did my SaneFit strength routine at home and then the boys and I went swimming after lunch. Our usual swimming pool was closed, so we decided to be adventurous and try another pool just outside of Leuven. Unfortunately, there was a lot of road construction so it was kind of a pain to get there and get home again, but we did make it. I ended up swimming for 30 minutes.

Busy weekend

Yesterday, since our street was closed to cars for the street fair and we decided to leave our car in the driveway, we biked to our piano teacher's house for our lessons in the morning. This was good for 25 minutes of steady biking out and 20 back (more downhill!) I told the boys we should bike it more often, but of course the weather has to be cooperative (you don't want to sit down for your lesson soaking wet)!

I was assigned to the coffee and cake table at the street fair, and my two youngest boys thought this was a great job and helped the entire time, serving coffee and slices of delicious cakes. It was an enjoyable afternoon and evening, and we got to know some of our neighbors better, especially Jessica, who manned the table with us. I didn't realize one of my neighbors has seen more of the United States than I have and it was fun to compare notes about the National Parks with her!

This morning we got a late start but as it was a bit cool and cloudy we weren't worried about our running route being too crowded. Luckily we don't have to worry about beating the heat right now like our compatriots in Florida! We decided to do 5 loops around the lake which is 7 km. I wasn't even trying to beat my time from this week at the gym, but we simply ended up finishing in 46 minutes, which was a whole three minutes faster, even with our generous 1 to 2 minute walk/water breaks at the top of each loop - I couldn't believe it when I looked at my watch! That was a great feeling!

Total kilometers last week: 20.4
Total kilometers year-to-date: 330.7

Green bowl of goodness

Today's workout was 40 minutes on the elliptical...I finally figured out how to start up a variable program on it, which made me feel quite pleased with myself! I was having a good time watching my progress from one little stack of flashing bars to the next one, and the time just flew by. I think next time I am going to do 45 minutes.

When I got home I had to bake some pound cakes for our street fair tomorrow. Once I got the cakes in the oven, I was busy putting things away and cleaning up the kitchen, and saw I had a beautiful zucchini and a one nice leek in the fridge, so I decided to make some healthy soup. Now I know in most places it's hot and definitely not soup weather, but here in Belgium, it is cool and windy, so it seemed like a great idea. Especially when I remembered I have Swiss chard in the garden! Here's how I made it:

Slice one large leek in rounds and sweat in a teaspoon of butter over low heat in a large saucepan. When softened, add a medium to large zucchini, coarsely chopped, and the chopped stems of 4-6 large leaves of Swiss chard. Coarsely chop the chard leaves and set them aside.

When the veggies are soft, add two cloves of garlic, sliced, a Knorr chicken bouillon square and about a quart and a half of hot water (I always add just boiled water from my kettle to my soups, it speeds things up), some black pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Let simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes. Turn the heat off and throw in the chard leaves and about a teaspoon of lemon juice. Let it sit, covered, for about ten more minutes and then puree with an immersion mixer. Yum! Now that I think of it, this would probably make a good chilled soup too.

Ticket to ride

Well, actually it's a ticket to fly! Our travel agency was starting their biannual special promotion on flights today and I got right down there when they opened and booked my seat to Florida...so now it's serious! I'm signed up AND I have a nonrefundable ticket, no backing out of the half marathon now!

The gravity of this thought made my next stop the gym. I ran 7 km in 48:50 (I was shooting for 49:00). It was a good run, I just randomly changed the speed, going by how my breathing felt, at times getting up to 10 km/hr for about two minutes at a time. I am also working on extending the time between water breaks when I have to slow to a walk (I haven't mastered simultaneous drinking and running yet either!) and making the breaks themselves shorter.

Then, still pumped up about my ticket, I came home and bit the bullet and did my strength exercises. I am on the fourth week of a handy little program Mom gave to me called "Sane Fitness Quick Start" (www.sanefit.com). It's basically three different workouts, each targeting upper and lower body and abs, done over the course of six weeks. When we got home from vacation, there were exactly six weeks left of summer break, so it seemed a perfect fit. All the exercises can be done at home with dumbbells, which I really prefer, since sometimes doing weights at the gym is too overwhelming for me. Baby steps, baby steps....

Clean sweep

Today we cleaned out the garage as planned. It took us 2 1/2 hours and we ended up filling up an entire rubbish skip of 1 cubic meter. It was grubby work and because it was windy today, very dusty. But it was extremely satisfying! Clearing out the rubbish and clutter in different areas in our homes is a great metaphor for clearing out the rubbish in our lives. It can be overwhelming to tackle it but you feel so much lighter once it is done.

Now we have plenty of space for our five bikes, and we will be able to get them in and out easily to go to school every day. We had three small kids' bikes that we were not using anymore and something serendipitous happened with them: I put them out by the curb with a sign that said "Gratis!", thinking if no one came and took them I would take them to the recycling center tomorrow. But one of our neighbors came out and asked us if he could have them for a charity he volunteers for where they run a summer program for immigrant children. Apparently they are always in short supply of children's' bikes! I felt really happy that they will be put to good use!

Inspiration for a healthy lunch

Jenny and I spend a lot of time talking about food and yesterday I was so excited about the delicious and gorgeous roasted vegetable omelet I had made for my dinner, that I was sorry that I hadn't taken a picture of it to share with her. So today I decided to take one of my lunch because I thought it looked great too.

Tuna, Tomato & Cucumber Salad (for one)

Arrange a sliced tomato and 1/3 of a peeled, sliced cucumber on a plate. Top with 60 g of canned drained tuna. Top with some fresh watercress or sprouts and 4 sliced olives. Drizzle with 1/2 t. olive oil, freshly ground pepper and gomasio (sesame seed salt) to taste. Serve with a slice of whole grain bread or two ryvitas. Yum!

Today I dropped the boys off at climbing camp (yes, some little kids peed in the cave yesterday, in case you were wondering!) and went to the gym, where I did 40 minutes on the elliptical and then came home and did the YOU workout. Really enjoyed the elliptical today, although my legs feel all wobbly when I get off of it, sort of like what I imagine sea legs feel like when you get off a boat after a long trip.

And on a final note....I had my first running dream last night. It was weird and cool and so realistic! I was running around Leuven, and I saw some people I knew and I was having such a nice easy run, it was great! It gave me the same feeling as when I was first living in France and started having dreams in French. Does this mean I am becoming fluent in running?

Start of a new week!

Last week's total distance: 13 km
Year to date distance: 310.3 km

My boys are attending a wall climbing camp this week and when I dropped them off this morning we took a look at the room with all the walls - it was quite impressive...and high! Check it out at http://www.klimzaalhungaria.be/ (click on "Aanbod" and then you can look at the different things they offer). They also have a "cave" where they do spelunking in the dark. (My oldest has done this and says it's kind of annoying because all the little kids pee their pants in the dark!!) Anyway, hopefully they are going to have a great week.
For me, this means I can get to the gym every morning (except Wednesday when it will be closed for a Catholic holiday). The gym and the climbing club are right in the same neighborhood, which makes it even more convenient.
So this morning I went and ran 5K on the treadmill in 37:30. I started out slow, but then I did a few faster segments (about 10.5 km/hr) for a few minutes here and there. I like being able to run faster because the display of calories burned goes up real quick! However, I do sweat a lot and that is a bit gross; I also get REALLY red in the face!
Then I came home and did my strength workout with dumbbells and stretching. Tomorrow I plan to do the elliptical and the YOU workout, Wednesday we are cleaning out our garage (does that count for exercise, Jenny?), Thursday I plan to run 7 km + strength, and Friday the elliptical and YOU workout again. And Sunday....a longer run at the park!

Last day of the week

Saturday has always been my rest day, and Sunday is reserved for longer runs. But right now I am maintaining my current fitness level and not working on building my distance up, so Stefaan and I did a 40 minute easy jog to the cemetary and back, which must have been a bit more than 4 km. Since the route is along a nice bike path, the kids biked with us and played at the playground while waiting for us to catch up with them and do the two loops around the cemetary.

I finally sat down Friday, gathered all the information I have about training, and worked out my plan for the half marathon. I'm going to do a 16 week training plan, which will start on September 24. I basically took the training plan I used for the 11 K and extended it.

Mondays will be strength training, Tuesdays will be an easy run plus yoga, Wednesday will be strength training and swimming, Thursday will be speed workouts, Friday will be strength training plus cross training (probably on the elliptical), Saturday rest day, and Sunday long run, plus four or more hours later, gentle yoga for legs & back. The longest run I have planned will be 17 km, three weeks before race day. I also plan to run the 8K Leuven Corrida again this year on New Year's Eve, curious to see what effect this training program will have on my time!

I have been doing yoga for years but the idea for incorporating the yoga as an actual component into my training program comes from the latest issue of Runners World, where Uta Pippig (she won Boston, Berlin and NYC marathons!) recommends a gentle session four or more hours after your longest run doing poses that specifically work your legs, and then a second, harder session after an easier run targeting lower back and hips to prevent injuries. I will post the specific yoga poses in a future post - I need to get Light on Yoga out and mull it over!

Good start

I did get a good start to my day - I got my run in before Stefaan left for work, knowing that I am always better to get it out of the way before other things interrupt and perhaps cause me to skip or delay...It's such an enjoyable feeling to get home and know that you have at least accomplished THAT, even if you do nothing else productive for the rest of the day!

I was a tiny bit worried, because my friend Barbara from Slovenia came with her husband Jean-Benoît to visit last night and I had a half a glass of red wine. But it didn't seem to affect my run at all! Must be the influence of all the good Slovenian honey she brought with her, all those antioxidants and good things must have cancelled out the wine! Thanks, Barbara!

I did 30 minutes and about 4K...just around the neighborhood, with good songs on my MP3. It's funny, here in Belgium, most people you pass as you're running give you that look like, you must be crazy or really weird. I did have my husband's bright yellow running jacket on, maybe that was it, I looked like a giant bee zooming by! (Which makes me think of the "bee girl" video, I love that song!)

What was she thinking?

Congratulations, Christy! Now that she has started her own running blog, it means all four sisters are now on the blog bandwagon (see the links at left). Katy is the professional among us, she's been producing a shopping blog for quite some time now. I love the title of Christy's blog, "What was I thinking?" - I did wonder that myself a few times at the beginning of 2006 when I first started out running!

The hard thing (or maybe the good thing, depending on your perspective) about the Disney Half, is that you have to finish in a minimum time (I guess because they have to be able to open the park to visitors). If you don't make it to certain check points in time, you get picked up by what we have been affectionately calling the slacker's bus, and don't get to finish the race. So this puts an extra bit of pressure on training, but personally I am glad, because it means you really have to take things seriously if you don't want your investment of time, training, money (i.e. plane ticket from Brussels!) to be wasted!

Now I am busy trying to decide what I am specifically going to do for my training program for the half, which I intend to start at the end of this month. I will definitely look at the new tool Runner's World magazine has on its website, just got my latest copy yesterday in the mail and was very pleased to see the article about training for a marathon. Because for me, a half marathon IS a marathon! So I definitely can apply a lot of those tips to my training program. For example, the tip about running three to four times a week (and not six or seven). I know that I was very happy with the training program I did leading up to the 11 K this spring (thanks to Jenny for sending it to me), which was basically three quality runs a week: a long run (and they will now get longer!), a speed workout (always on Fridays, I don't know why), and fartleks or hill runs or just a random neighborhood run on one other day a week.

Today no cardio, just a YOU workout, tomorrow running at the gym and Sunday our long run. A light week compared to last week, but next week will be heavy again (my own personal boot camp!) as the boys have sports camp and I can get to the gym every day.

Modify, modify, modify!

How ironic that Jenny's post from last night had so much to do with making modifications to her workout - mine today had to be modified as well! First of all, having the kids at home on summer vacation means I have to be flexible and creative about getting workouts in. Plus you have the unpredictible Belgian weather.

My 8-year-old Felix was the only one home this morning, so I decided my workout was going to be a fast bike ride with him as resistance in the seat behind me. This was working out great til it started to rain, hard, you know, the kind of rain where you think you just wish you had a bottle of shampoo because then you could have washed your hair while trying to get home! So while I did bike really fast, I didn't get in all the minutes I wanted!

So when I got home, I modified, and did the rest of my minutes improvising with jump ups, step ups and such on a step. (Working up to box jumps someday!) Then I did my weights, with a new appreciation for these exercises now that I am able to go from plank to side plank without a belly flop in between! My arms definitely feel firmer, too!

Plank Victory!

My workout plan for today is: YOU intermediate workout, 30 minute walk. I just did the YOU workout and had a victory with plank pose - I can do plank but could never switch from plank to side plank without lying down on the ground first to get up on one arm. Today I did it, turned to my side and lifted up on one arm without coming out of the pose, then turned back to full plank and repeated on the other side!! This is a big thing for me, as I have struggled with my left shoulder feeling really weak since hurting it last December in a Body Pump class. The weight training I have recently reinstated (even though I hate it!) has been paying off. Woo-hoo!

By the way, the YOU workout I do can be downloaded for free at http://www.iamplify.com/ (click on "free downloads"). There is a beginner, intermediate and advanced workout, they all last about 15 minutes and I have been using it twice a week on days I am not doing weights.

Now it's off for my brisk walk (luckily it's not raining)!

My Inspiration

We recently went to Las Vegas as part of our family vacation but the reason we initially decided to go there was to see Jenny participate in the Women's Tri Fitness annual competition there. Jenny is a huge inspiration to me. She's the one who instigated the whole half marathon run with our mom coming up in January. My friend Christina wanted to know, after I sent her some photos from our week there, what does your sister eat? What workouts does she do? How did she get in such great shape? Well, she is very committed to working out: she does weight training, tae kwan doe, she trains on the women's tri fitness obstacle course, and she also runs, now that we are training for the half marathon. She is a very clean eater! She and her husband Mark did the Body for Life program several years ago, and since then have pretty much stuck to those principles for eating. They basically eat plain, healthy whole foods, but allow themselves indulgences here and there. I will say, Jenny was very strict with her diet in the weeks leading up to her competition, she does have a lot of self-discipline in that department. If you have time, you can check out the website of the competition she does at http://www.womenstrifitness.com/.

The week we spent with them in Las Vegas was great - I came back only one pound heavier than when I left which is a huge accomplishment when spending three weeks in the US!!! They are careful (but not extreme) about eating, alcohol, they make sure to make time for exercise, and a lot of what we do with them and the kids is active: hiking, walking, swimming, etc. Plus we all get along great, sisters, husbands and all five boys!

What inspires me most about Jenny and Mark is that they didn't start out as star athletes or super physiques, but they started out trying to improve themselves and stuck with it through the years, and have continually challenged themselves. At the end of the day, perseverance is what it takes!

Workout Woes

Yesterday Stefaan and I ran four loops around the lake (5.6K), it went really well and we felt great. We had gotten up early to get our run in before we had to go to Stefaan's parents' house for the annual summer barbecue with the whole family.
Getting the exercise in first really helps me to stick to my healthy eating principles, and I did really well, although I did indulge in two glasses of sparkling rosé, not thinking too much of it.
Well, did I feel that rosé today when I got on my bike to ride to the gym! I felt foggy and fuzzy and I didn't make the connection until I got on the cross trainer and felt totally uncoordinated, and then I realized, it was the alcohol. So I did ten minutes on the cross trainer, then switched over to the treadmill when I still hadn't found my rhythm. Did twenty minutes on the treadmill, alternating walking with the incline up real high, and jogging. Managed to eke out 2K in 20 minutes, and then biked home, did my strength training with dumbbells but hated it the whole time, and was so glad when I could just stop! Talk about two glasses of bubbly ruining the next day's exercise! I will sure remember that next time we're invited for barbecue.

First Post

My sister Jenny has convinced me to start a blog, all in the interest of our upcoming "joint venture": all four of us sisters are signed up to run the Disney Half Marathon in January 2008 with our mom who will turn 65 that month. When Jenny phoned me Christmas 2005 to ask me if I was up for this idea, I said "Sure!" without really having a clue as to what would be in store for me. But I got serious right from the start, knowing that since I had never been a great runner, I was going to need all the time I had to get ready to run 13 miles. So I started out to train, and decided to motivate myself by signing up for a race. There was the Knack Ladies Run here in Belgium in June 2006 and I ran my very first ever 5K there and was SO PROUD of myself - I can't even describe the feeling I had about myself, it was incredible. So in spite of still not always loving the running, I kept with it because I love the feeling of accomplishment it gives me. Not many things in life have given me that feeling of physical accomplishment, to me it is similar to how powerful I felt successfully breastfeeding my children - wow, my body can do that!
In the meantime, the running gave me the motivation to get going on more self-improvement, including losing weight, eating better, and taking better care of myself in general. My name for that in my personal journal was "Fit and Fabulous at Forty", since I was going to turn 40 in October 2006.
Since then, I have run an 8K, an 11K and another 5K, along with the countless workouts on treadmill, sidewalk and around the lake near our house. And I do think I am pretty fabulous and a lot fitter at 40 than I have been in a long time, but it is an ongoing process. And now it is time to gear up for the last six months for the biggie in January, and get down to even more serious training. I'll keep you posted of how that goes in this blog.