Finally

We finally got a break - for one day we are having beautiful, sunny, warm spring weather.  By this evening there will be rain again and by the weekend it will be considerably colder (yeah, just in time for the Ladies Run, but "oh well") ...

So of course I went for a run today - there was no way I was going to go to the gym on such a gorgeous day!  Just an easy 7 km to the big park, around the lake and back.  Glorious.

Hope you are having a good start to the week, too!

Proof

All I needed today was proof - proof for myself that I can still run 10K.  I haven't done that distance in a while and though I know in my head I can manage it, I needed to feel it in my legs - it's just 2 weeks til the Ladies Run 10K and I want to feel confident that I will be able to manage it comfortably.

So that was my goal today and it was on the treadmill at the gym because of the very stormy weather we have been having (hail, wind, rain - not my favorite!)  So I went, split it up into 4 segments and ran it.  And got my proof! 

I certainly won't be running a PR two weeks from now (it took me 70 minutes today) but at least I know I can do it with no problem and enjoy the event.  And that is a weight off my mind!  Now just keeping my fingers crossed that the weather improves a little bit by then...

TGIF and some food for thought

My run yesterday went well, so I guess the sore leg can officially be catalogued as a fluke - phew!  I ran to the Finnish track and did 4 loops and then ran back home which makes 6 km.  I wasn't really loving all the wind, but I was so happy my leg felt good that it didn't bother me too much!

Today I went to the gym for 25 min on the elliptical followed by the new Body Balance class.  Oh my, it was a killer - seriously, I had to take ibuprofen this afternoon because my hip was hurting so much.  I am seriously thinking that I need to stop taking this class because I hate feeling crippled afterwards.  What is the point of that???  I am starting to think I would be better to do something that doesn't make me hurt so much.  Duh, right?  I guess I am just slow sometimes...

Yay - it's Friday - pizza night!  I am trying a new pizza dough recipe (from my giant green Mark Bittman vegetarian cookbook which I love) because I totally forgot to buy fresh yeast.  Luckily I had some dried in my cupboard, and it wasn't too old ;-)

Since I can't share my pizza with you, I will leave you with some food for thought, a line in a Sheryl Crow song that I heard today and stuck in my mind:

It's not getting what you want, it's wanting what you've got.

Which reminds me of Joni Mitchell's words of wisdom:

You don't know what you've got til it's gone.

Definitely words to live by...and a good reminder to appreciate things! 

Have a happy Friday and a great weekend! 

Time to say goodbye

More than 17 years ago, when I was pregnant with my first child, I had a terrible craving for hot buttered toast one day.  I had lived in Belgium for a few years then and didn't own a toaster.  So I remember going out on my lunch break from work one day, buying a toaster and having the most delicious toast for lunch in our little rented house.  I was always happy about buying that toaster and it always reminded me of that time of my life.  And it made lots of toast for our big family over the years!

Well, lately, that toaster hasn't been working so well anymore.  It burns the toast on one side and doesn't do anything to the other side.  So I decided it was time to say goodbye to my old toaster and get a new one, even though I was dreading it - yes, I confess, I was emotionally attached that that toaster!

My middle son came with me for moral support and we chose one that really wasn't so very different from the old one (except for looking a lot more modern and less beat up), brought it home, and tried it out.  It made good toast.  So I put the old one in the trash, wondering if this new one will also last 17 years - til my oldest child is 34 and I am 62.  We shall see...

A fluke?

Thanks for all the suggestions!  In the end I went to the gym and decided I would do my usual routine unless the leg hurt.  The first thing was a hill walk on the treadmill - the leg was fine.  I was thinking maybe it was just a fluke? 

Then I did upper body weights - of course, no problem there!  Then the elliptical - also okay.  What a relief!  Finally I stretched everything out really good.

Today I am going to do yoga - this week's free class on Yoga Today is a beginner's sun salutation class.  I am thinking that will give me a good stretch.  Then tomorrow I'll try a run again.  We shall see - fingers crossed!

April Showers

The weather forecast for the rest of the week is not looking good - lots of rain and wind coming our way.  Luckily yesterday was sunny and bright (although chilly and rather windy) so I was able to get out for a run.  I had 9 km on my schedule and that's what I did, took about 65 minutes. 

Unfortunately the muscle just under my left calf was sore the whole time I was running.  I debated about cutting my run short but it never felt like it was getting worse so I just kept going - but MAN! Once I was home and had my shower, it was really killing me.  I took some ibuprofen and massaged some Olbas oil into it, which helped a bit.  But it is still tender today and I am debating about what to do for the rest of the week...  going to the gym and running as usual or taking it easy with some walking???  Hmmmm...

Badminton Fever

Yesterday the boys had a badminton tournament.  They play in different age divisions for singles but together for doubles (in a higher age group for Felix).  It is a lot of fun watching them play doubles together and yesterday they made it to the final!  It was a close match - their opponents won the first set and then our boys came back to win the second set, and then unfortunately lose the third set.  But I still think they were pleased to get medals!

I did manage to get my 8K run in I was supposed to do on Easter Sunday - I dropped my husband off with Felix at the sports hall in the morning and then went home, spent some time checking blogs and then went for my run.  It was grey and windy but not too cold.  I'm glad I went because today is much worse, a lot more wind and really rainy.

The funny thing was that my legs felt really strange - not bad really, or painful, but the fronts of my thighs just felt really dense - and then I was thinking that must have walked about 15 miles last week, with the three hikes and the big walk we did downtown to go bowling.  I'm sure that must have something to do with it...

After that and a quick shower and lunch,  I drove Gillis out to the sports hall and was even able to see Felix finish winning his poule, and go on to play the quarter finals in singles (which he lost but it was a close and exciting match). 

The only downside to the whole day was that I forgot to take a cushion and by the end of the day, my rear was killing me!

Saturday Hike in Vossem

A friend of mine who lives in this village had told me a long time ago that Vossem was a great place to walk and she was right - rolling hills, big expansive fields, little wooded areas... it was great! Hard to believe there is so much open countryside just a stone's throw from Brussels.(Click on the "Satellite" button in the chart below to get an idea of what it looks like.) Yesterday was cold and blustery - which certainly kept our pace brisk and at the end of the day we were glad we didn't get rained on. The hiking socks are working out great - yes, I think I will get a second pair! Happy Easter everyone!

Good Friday Hike

We got out and enjoyed the beautiful weather with another hike today, this time starting at the Zoet Water area of Oud-Heverlee: It was a much shorter walk today, not quite 4 km, but the new socks seem to be improving the comfort of my hiking shoes, so that is good. After the hike we treated the boys to pancakes with ice cream, which they devoured. It is sometimes amazing just how much teenage boys can eat! Have a very happy Easter weekend, everyone!

Vacation Fun

Yesterday our plan was to walk downtown after lunch, do a bit of shopping, go bowling, and then have dinner out.  It was busy in town and we had a good time poking around in the shops.  One of the boys had a gift certificate for H&M so he tried on some clothes and ended up getting a couple pairs of shorts.  My big splurge was a good ( = expensive) pair of wool hiking socks to try to alleviate the blisters my hiking boots have been giving me.  I have plans to hike with my friend Ingrid on Saturday so I will get a chance to try them out soon.  Fingers crossed!

Bowling was fun, as always!  I'm not an awesome bowler, but I enjoy it.  My middle son is getting pretty good and starting to do better than me, which is great because then he enjoys it a lot more!  One of these days, I know I will be the lowest scorer in the family, but I don't mind.

Finally, dinner out at the "blue" restaurant, an Italian place we've been going to for years.  They recently updated their interior and now it is more "red" than "blue" so our kids' nickname for it doesn't really work anymore.  Oh well...at least the food is still good!

Looking forward to this evening, when my 17-year-old comes back from a week in Friesland (northern part of the Netherlands) - we've heard nothing from him all week (either he lost his phone or there is no coverage up there) so I am anxious to hear how it went. 

Hiking, Biking, Running...

My week got off to an active start.  On Monday I biked to the gym and did my usual workout (hill walk, upper body weights, elliptical, abs, stretch).  I did have to modify my weights because my arms were sore from climbing.  But I didn't mind because I still felt so pumped from having done it!  For those of you who mentioned fear of heights in the comments, I have to tell you that I also have a very strong fear of heights.  At the Eiffel Tower I have to stay up against the wall on the observation decks or I get totally freaked out.  Sears Tower made me feel like I was going to faint. 

My kids know this, so they told me not to look down when I was climbing.  And as long as I did that, and focused on moving to the next hold, I was fine.  I guess it helps that you are facing inwards and you don't really have to look down to do what you need to do.  But then I wanted to see where they were and did look down - mistake!  Then I was scared and had them lower me down...  I do want to get over it if I can ( see * below for why), so I will definitely be going back.

Yesterday we went for a short run in the morning (my husband is on vacation this week too) and then in the afternoon we took the boys for a hike in their new hiking shoes, to break them in.  It was gorgeous spring weather and we headed out to Heverlee Forest, south of our city:


I don't know if I mentioned it already, but we are doing all this climbing and hiking to get ready for this summer - we'll be in Colorado, Yellowstone, and the Black Hills in South Dakota and plan to have an active vacation* - almost a requirement with three active teenage boys!

*I already booked a half day rock climbing course for all of us in Custer SD...

Climbing!

Exciting day today: I tried indoor climbing for the very first time!  My boys, who go climbing regularly, were there to tell me what to do and were a huge help, and they all said I did a lot better than they expected - thank goodness for the upper body weights I've been doing in the gym or I don't think it would have been so great.  I tried the easiest wall three times, and got about 2/3 up - before I started getting a bit scared about being up so high.  Then we did a route on a wall where you don't need a rope; I did that one three times and got a lot further than I expected. 

Climbing is fun, as challenging as you want it to be, and a great workout - my arms feel like spaghetti noodles right now...  hope I am not too sore tomorrow for the gym!

We also did a 7 km run earlier today, just because it was so nice and sunny out.  So my legs got some exercise too.  All in all a great Sunday! 

P.S. That's not me in the picture!