It's Raining, It's Pouring...

My friend Anne and I got rained out - we had plans to meet at the lake and run this morning. But it is just pouring and doesn't look like it's going to let up, so luckily we were able to reschedule for tomorrow, when the weather is supposed to be much better.

I guess it will be Jillian and her Shred for me today, instead... I am halfway through the first level. Yes, it does get easier as you go along.

I got a nice run in on Tuesday, up to the Finnish track. But my heart wasn't really in it, as I was thinking a lot about my cousin who lost his wife to cancer this past weekend. I only met her once, at their wedding in California in 2009, and she was such a neat, upbeat person - it makes me so sad that they didn't get more time together. My heart goes out to my cousin, her four kids and the rest of her family...

Sunny Spring Day

Kristel and I took advantage of the spring weather to take a long walk in the woods near the Zoet Water, an area just outside of our town where there are beautiful woods, lots of paths, a pretty chapel and a fresh drinkable water spring.

After our walk, we sat and enjoyed the sun and some tea we brought along in a thermos. There is a nice picknick table right near this chapel. Then I filled up four water bottles with spring water to take home. The water is supposed to be very rich in iron, and there are always people lining up to fill their bottles. It was a perfect way to spend an afternoon!

Cold Snap

A cold front came through yesterday and I was so glad I hadn't given into temptation and put away all my winter clothes yet! I usually don't dare do that until the beginning of May here, but it was mighty tempting last week, with the gorgeous weather we had been having. I hadn't been to the gym all week, so I decided to go there today for a treadmill run - you know how I like to get hot and sweaty and I just didn't feel like braving the chilly wind this morning! The nice thing about the treadmill is that you can "force" yourself to go at an easier pace. It felt good and I ended up with 8.8 km in an hour. Have a great Sunday!

Is it Friday already?

It's been a gorgeous week, and I have been enjoying the beautiful spring weather as much as I can. I got two really nice runs in this week:

• Tuesday: to the Finnish track, four loops around the track and then back home for a total of 6.2 km in 41 minutes
• Thursday: out to the lake and back for a total of 7.3 km in 50 minutes

I was deliberately trying to run slow and easy for recovery, which is no problem at the beginning of my runs, but once I get warmed up I tend to pick up the pace in spite of myself. I don't know if this is good or bad, or if I shouldn't worry about it too much...anybody have any thoughts on this?

Other than that I have been busy making phone calls, cleaning out cupboards, throwing lots of things away to get ready for our living room renovation - we have already ordered a new couch and have to get all the rest done before it is delivered in May: make new curtains, paint the walls, new floors, etc. I am so excited! I will take before and after pictures to share with you when it's done.

Now I have just a few things to do around the house and then I am off to meet a friend at Loving Hut for lunch - yay! Have a great weekend!

Good Times in Dendermonde

Chip time 58:47! Not quite a 10K PR, as I was actually slightly faster in Mechelen in September, but I was super pleased to have been able to get out there and nail a 6 minute pace again - this means I have been successful keeping my fitness level up in spite of the cold winter and lots of treadmill running. I also improved my time on this course by about three minutes over last year!

We really enjoyed the race again, it was extremely well organized with great facilites (no long lines to wait for the ladies room), a positive atmosphere (we met some friendly fellow runners) and a pleasant course. They even made some improvments in the course over last year and eliminated a couple of narrow spots - although there were still a couple of bottlenecks that did slow us down: one was over a narrow foot bridge and another on that short stretch along the Dender River where they split the path into an out and back - that got very congested and was a pain to slog through.


Finally, when we were standing in line to pick up our bibs, we noticed the President of Flanders, Kris Peeters, was also lined up to pick up his bib for the 10K - it's always fun to know you are running with a celebrity! He of course got to start at the front of the pack - maybe that's why I was able to run so fast - trying to catch up with him ;-)



And last but not least, we couldn't have asked for better weather - it was a perfect day for racing and good times in Dendermonde!

Yoga on Saturday

Got a busy day ahead of us today so I got up early and did this great sequence from Yoga Journal: Twist and Detox. It's just 20 minutes but afterwards I felt like I wrung myself out a bit and am ready for my day!

Tomorrow is our 10K in Dendermonde...it will be chilly but we are hoping for some sunshine.

Have a great day!

Local talent

Selah Sue, a really talented singer-songwriter from right here in Leuven, just released her first album - and this song has been rocking my runs! Apparently she is going to make her first big appearance in the US in Austin TX this Saturday at the South by Southwest Festival there. So keep you ears open - you'll probably being hearing more from her!

It's gotten cold and gray again, so I went to the gym so I could get a good sweat going. I did 50 minutes and 7.3 km, felt awesome! Now it's time to get showered so I can meet two friends downtown for lunch. Good music, good running, good friends and good food - what more could one ask for?

Gorgeous Day

We knew today was going to be the best day of the week so I was determined to make the most of it. I walked Felix to school and then once the sun really came out, at about 10.30, I got out for my run. Perfect running weather! And I love this time of year, with all the spring flowers. Because of it being so cold for so long, it seems like they are all out in full force together right now, instead of one after another: crocus, daffodil, hyacinth and even red tulips - I saw them all this morning.

I went a bit longer than I was "supposed" to, because I felt like heading out to the lake and seeing how spring was coming along there. The swans were out, majestic as always. I ended up doing 7 km in 49 minutes by the time I turned around and got home. I was trying to keep it a slow and easy pace. It felt good and I wasn't all sore from yesterday - maybe doing a short fast run after the Shred helped loosen those muscles up a bit?

I'm planning to do more of the Shred in the next three months - I'm going to do Level 1 in March, Level 2 in April and Level 3 in May, spreading it out so I do each level 10x. I'll alternate it with running and keep you posted how it goes.

Now I am off to walk downtown and do some errands - can't let this sunshine go to waste, can I? Have a great day!

Back to Normal

Boys back to school this morning and our routine back to normal...I am very aware how lucky we are to have our "normal" everyday lives go on as usual when thousands of people in Japan have no idea when theirs will be restored to them. I've been thinking of them a lot.

Getting back to normal for me meant a 30 minute walk to school with Felix, coming home to some household chores and laundry, followed by Level 1 of the Shred this morning. When I finished it, I was already hot and sweaty and all warmed up, and the beautiful spring weather was calling to me...so I thought, why not? Carpe diem, right? And I went out for a surprisingly fast (for me) run in a loop from my house, past the school and back around. I couldn't believe how fast I started out, and I ended up doing the 2.5 km in 15 minutes flat! I guess Jillian got me all warmed up, huh? I might be paying for it dearly later, but, boy it sure felt good.

A Day Early...

We've got company coming on Sunday morning so I actually did my longer run on Thursday morning while the kids were sleeping in late, staying in their pyjamas til noon and playing on the Wii and computer...a nice easy 8.5 km in an hour, which felt so good after being cooped up in the house all week.

Then this morning I only needed to do a short run, and I was itching to get out with the beautiful weather we are having, so I ran to the Finnish track and did two loops on it in each direction, and then ran home, for a total of 6.5 km in 42 minutes.

It is going to feel strange tomorrow to wake up on a Sunday and not go out for a run...I might just miss it...

Cherish what you have

We had a busy week with the boys off school for winter break, Gillis's birthday, and a nice visit from the cousins.

As we watched the images from Japan yesterday in disbelief, my heart went out to all the people there and the suffering they are dealing with...

If anything good can come of it, at the very least it makes you aware that you should cherish what you have and try to be mindful of how lucky you are every day.

A little bit of Flanders in Walmart

I just read in our newspaper that the Flemish company Lotus is now selling their "Biscoff spread" in the US at Walmart! I happen to have a jar of this in my cupboard because my kids love it - here, it's called "speculoospasta", after the traditional speculoos cookies it's made from.

It's lower in fat than peanut butter, but higher in sugar (and it's vegan). And it tastes really good!

Now I won't have to carry a jar over in my suitcase when we visit the family...

Happy Birthday Gillis!

This cool kid turns 14 today! We have a lot of plans for today, including lunch out and a chocolate cake I made yesterday and is just waiting to be frosted...presents have already been opened bright and early this morning!

I did sneak a run in - no, not 14 kilometers in honor of Gillis - but a nice 5.25 km in 35 minutes. It is still chilly but beautiful and sunny - and the weatherman says it's going to be the best day of the week. Well, it already is - for Gillis!

Bright and Sunny, Cold and Windy

Well, that just about sums it up, but the sun really did make up for the cold and wind, for the most part. We did 10 km in 1:10 and I had a rough time because my legs were still really sore from doing the Shred on Friday! Doing an hour of yoga yesterday didn't seem to make a difference. They just didn't want to cooperate, which meant more walk breaks than usual. In spite of feeling really slow and sluggish, I was happy with my time and just to have GOTTEN IT DONE!

Hope it's sunny where you are - happy SUNday!

Weird

My black toenail finally fell off - yay!

So I celebrated by doing Level 1 of Jillian's 30 Day Shred. Yes, I know I am weird.

Happy Friday everyone!

Juggling

I sure would like to be the kind of person that can just keep all the balls in the air when something extra comes along to make my life busier and more stressful. But I am not. I am the kind of person who has to put some of the balls down and come back to them later.

This past week I had workshops (which all went very well) and that always makes me feel like there are some balls I need to put down. Exercise plan, cooking healthy dinners, some household tasks - the energy needed to prepare and execute the workshops takes energy that is normally needed for these other tasks, and so they get neglected. And I know, having Hashimoto's thyroiditis means I have to accept that I have to manage my energy levels, take care to get enough rest, enough exercise (because that also helps me to feel energized) and take care of my food. I feel my best on a healthy plant based diet, whole foods and no processed junk. So why do I turn to junky food when I am under stress? I still have to make this connection for myself that when I turn to junky processed food as a kind of stress relief, as comfort food, and rewarding myself for putting up with the stress, I am actually not helping the situation, I am making it worse, and I am therefore reinforcing the feeling of exhaustion and stress that overcomes me. And thus probably reinforcing the feeling of wanting junky food. Not only that, the irony is that while I am giving workshops on healthy eating to others usually ends up being a period for me where I am eating the least healthy for myself. How silly is that? Note to self: next time I hope I will be able to be more aware of this and try to keep eating healthy whole foods instead of turning to junk and try to remember to take note of what this does to my energy levels and my experience of stress.

Anyhow... onward and upward. It is a beautiful sunny day, but cold. I think I will go to the gym and run on the treadmill, because I am a baby when it comes to cold weather and I really want to get hot and sweaty and wear a tank top... ;-)