My 400th post - a personal blogging record in 2010

So I better say something good, right?
2010 was another interesting year for me. I met some new friends and strengthened some relationships. I learned to love running. I ran 10 races in 2010. And three of them were half-marathons and the 27k leg of the Canadian Death Race. You'd think I was in great shape. (I still have a ways to go!)

But my year wasn't all lollipops and rainbows. I learned some tough and valuable lessons. I was mean. I was a bitch. I sabotaged a few things in my life. Not every day can be perfect.

In the next 12 months, I hope to find myself again. I've been acting like a freak for a few months. Long story. I want my sparkle back in 2011.

Eric drove me to the Crown to pick up my Versa. She started easily. It's actually warming up out there. I was worried my poor car wouldn't start after another cold night without being plugged in. I considered running to the Crown but that's as far as I got. Sean offered to retrieve me to pick it up but I didn't want to trouble him.

So here's my final Running with Rhyno column for the year. I look forward to setting new running goals in 2011. I am considering training for a marathon. If I get in to the New York marathon, I will definitely be training. In the next year, I am going to work on speed. Might need to enlist the advice of some of the speedsters in town.

Stairway to gorgeous legs

My running pal, Audrey always smiles on demand. She loves being featured on my blog. Audrey and I, along with Tiffany, are running the half-marathon in Calgary in February. We can't wait. We added stairs to our training. We have awesome legs. 

I toasted the new year a day earlier. I drank about 5 beers at the Crown. To be quite frank, I was smashed. Now I am paying for it right now. I can't sleep and my belly feels really full. I haven't drank in a while so it  is okay this time. I don't reckon I will be drinking too much at the party. Water is just fine for me.

I had a nice visit with Terri yesterday morning. We also worked out together at the Leisure Centre. I was going to take today as a rest day but after last night's binge drinking, I have to do something. I hope it warms up. It was -35C yesterday.

I left my car at the Crown so if it's warm enough I might just run there to pick it  up.

all the world is a stage

I'm off now until Jan.4. Beside I live day to day, I don't make plans. Now I am stuck. What am I going to do for seven days? I looked in to some last minute deals but they were nothing I would consider a "deal."
And because I am the sole traveler the all inclusive deals don't apply to me. Sigh.

Guess I will stick around Grande Prairie. I need to think ahead a little more.

I ran a nice 5k with Audrey this afternoon. It won't be long until the Hypo Half in Calgary. I better start paying attention to my weekly distance.

A toast to red

Audrey and Doug made wine this year. I mentioned Rhyno Red would be a snappy name.  They listened and named a batch after me. I am sure it will sell out. Can't wait to try it. Audrey said there are no guarantees and no refunds. Rhyno Red will be ready for tasting around Easter. 

People get all kinds of crazy sad when I say I worked on Christmas. Some one has to work. Why not me? I don't mind at all. If I had a large family and small children, I would definitely mind a little. Even though I don't celebrate Christmas much, I do quite enjoy the holiday. 

Definitely it's a special time for families and children, most of all. Because I spent most of my day taking pictures for the paper, I got to see families enjoying Christmas with their loved ones. A few people even said, "merry christmas" to me. There were so many smiles. It was really heart warming. 

Boxing day is only a few hours away. I'm positive the spirit of the season will not be present in the parking lot of the Prairie Mall. 

quiet as a mouse

Christmas at the DHT newsroom was uneventful. As far as mayhem and madness went, the city was pretty quiet.  I went moose tracking but it turned out to be waste of time. I did get a good half hour of walking in so that was a good thing. 

I just celebrated Christmas eve with a beer. A Grolsch. Just one beer and I am calling the holiday eve celebrated. Done.

I wrote a nice story today about this single mom who received an unexpected Christmas present - a (somewhat) new car. I nearly joined her in her tears (okay I did!). It's so nice to be able to write these stories now and then. I am still waiting to write a Christmas miracle story. Maybe that will come tomorrow.

I talked to my mother about an hour ago. She was wrapping presents and baking for Christmas. It's been raining so much there, she said her flowers are about to bloom. They are hoping for snow. I wish I could ship some of the snow and the cold weather their way. Ha ha

Anyway, just wanted to say Merry/Happy Christmas to everyone.

the Legs have it

Seriously it is going to be one long weekend. Not that I mind working on Christmas, it's just everyone is celebrating the holiday so it may be a challenge to do stories. I am sure it will work out in the end.

I managed to counteract my chocolate indulgence with some stairs this afternoon. I begged Richard to run stairs with me at the Leisure Centre. There's a buddy system in effect so you can't go it alone for safety reasons. It's quite annoying.

I love running stairs. I need more friends who love stairs. Audrey promised she will do stairs with me after the holidays. I will harass the heck out of her so she won't bail.

I love having strong, powerful legs. Plus they look pretty good too.

Baby it's cold outside

I don't own a bike. But if I did, I wouldn't leave it outside all winter. 

I rushed home to get ready for the Tuesday group run only to learn the group does not run when it's colder than -20. Welcome to Alberta. It was -27 today.
After puttering around for a few minutes, I grabbed my stuff and headed to the Leisure Centre. I made myself run for 40 minutes on the damn treadmill. Then I did some step ups on a bench. Actually the workout wasn't that bad. I had my heart set on running outside but it was too dark and I wasn't thrilled with going solo.
The inside workout was good though. My iPod's battery died after 20 minutes so that was a little annoying.  I zoned out and kept on going.
It's nice to shake things up now and then.

Too old to be adopted?

Eric and Sara are the nicest couple ever. I don't think I properly introduced you to them. Eric sits beside me in the newsroom. They live in the apartment below me. They are so happy. It's so catching. Just like Jean's place, I know I can always pop down for a quick bite. They take pity on me because I am alone. It's nice to feel welcomed. It's encouraging to know there are people in this world who don't only care about themselves. 

Eric made this salad. It's pretty good. Sara wouldn't let me take any glam shots of her unless she had her lipstick painted. She looked great anyway. I used my little Sony Cybershot so I didn't have much control over the lighting. 

This is Eric's plate. Note the pepperoni. I have a great story about Sara and Eric. It's kinda romantic and deserves its own post. I will share it in time. 

What???? Never saw a city deer before?

I love the framing on this picture. I ran through backyards trying to get a picture.  My first attempt was trying to snap the photo of three mule deer eating berries near the front steps of a residence. I ran like a mad man trying to capture the deer in their eating frenzy. My uncoordinated and heavy step alerted them and thus, I was in pursuit. 

As the year winds down, I am taking stock. Time sure flies when you are not having fun. I've been complacent over these last few months. I don't know what got in to me. Anyway, I think I am back on track. I've set some new goals and remembered it is only me who has control of my destination. I can't control other people. Ultimately it is how I choose to look at a situation whether it will have a negative or positive effect on me. Yes, I am feeling a little out there today.

That's what happens when you read back to back a few issues of Psychology Today.

yummy in my tummy

I whipped up some Shanghai noodles with a handful of veggies for lunch. The sauce isn't really healthy and probably cancels out all the vitamins but it sure tasted yummy. 

Post-run coffee makes everything better

Tiffany, Audrey and I met at Starbucks for a longrun this morning. For the most part, many runners in town meet here Sunday morning for group runs. This Sunday, however, it was just the three of us. At -16, with light slow, the run wasn't too bad.  

I can smell my cauliflower dhal slow cooking and it smells fantastic. Of course, I made way too much for one person but that's what freezers are for. I hope it tastes okay because I will be eating a lot for the next week.

no excuses

I met Tiffany at the pavilion for a morning run. Generally I like to laze around until 2 p.m. on Saturdays but I needed to get my butt moving. I ran for 45 minutes on the dreadmill and threw in a tough leg workout at the Leisure Centre last night.

This last week I gave in completely to temptation. I was eating handfuls of chocolate truffles at work. Bad all around. I think the massive calories caught up to me. I am being all weekend warrior to balance the chaos.

I don't have much plans other than running this weekend.

Ahhhh

I went shopping with Sara B this afternoon. And I ran into a bunch of people I knew including Sara W and baby Paige. 

A runner's diet

I've chosen Califlower Dhal as my first dish. I picked up the ingredients this morning. I am staring at them now.  I am going to follow the recipe 100% with no guessing. It's going to taste perfect. Perfect, I tell you. 

You thought I was joking. I am not joking. I will use my crockpot. Look I removed it from the back of my cupboards. The recipe is easy to follow. Plus I have all the ingredients. That's a start 

Eating the Japanese way

We ate at Japanese Village in Edmonton on my birthday. What you see here is the vegetarian meal. That' s yummy tofu on top of tomatoes. I had shiitake mushrooms on the side. Tasty. 

iPhone magic

I bought an invisible shield for my iPhone. So far, so good. A salesperson at Best Buy installed the screen for me. With my luck, I would have shred the screen to pieces.

I didn't run tonight. I'll go for a nice long run tomorrow. I went to spin last night at the Leisure Centre. It was a smaller class than usual (maybe 7 people) but that was expected because of the crappy weather. I think Audrey is hooked after one class.

It snowed like mad yesterday. I should have taken pictures but I was just so damn cold. I didn't want to have to mess with my camera sans gloves. Maybe tomorrow if it warms up.

running with strangers

I ran with one of the groups from the Walk, Run and More store.  I didn't want to run too far so I made a few calls to see who was running tonight. Fortunately my schedule allowed me to join the group. We had a nice relaxed run.

I need those some days.

It's always nice running with new people. Like I always say, they haven't heard my jokes. Plus it makes the time go faster when you have new people to chat with. Because I am a reporter, I naturally ask a million questions. I hope people just think I am interested (I am) and not just plain nosy. 

Mark that on your calendar

I ran the 12ks of Christmas fun run this morning. The weather was perfect. Some light snowfall and the trails were fairly clear. I wasn't really racing. Happy to come in at 1:11.

I got caught up at the end of the pack so I didn't get to run with anyone for most of the duration of the run. I chatted with Sonya B for a couple kilometres then I headed out to chase the leaders. Actually I didn't see anyone until the turn around spot. I needed the 4k to warm up this morning.

It was really nice to see some of the runners that I haven't crossed paths with in awhile. Really more of a social run. I didn't dress up. It was hard enough to drag myself out of bed. (I drank 3 pints of beer and 2 shots at the Crown last night.)

I feel really good. I love my Sunday runs.

While this wasn't technically a "race"... this run marked my 10th race in 2010. Not bad, eh?

12ks of Christmas Fun Run with Santa

the treaded dreadmill

It wasn't long before I was reminded why I will run outside this winter. I hate the treadmill (more like the dreadmill).
I thought I'd mix things up. Run inside and do some weights. I love weights but I can't do the treadmill. At the three minute mark, my mind was already wandering. Sure, I had music and there was a TV on. I just couldn't concentrate and enjoy the run. Instead I kept looking at how fast the lady beside me was going and how slow the guy on the other side of me was going. (Caution: not very wise. You might throw off your balance)

I found my groove in 25 minutes. I couldn't stop staring at the seconds go by. Note to self: cover up the time with a towel. That's what I used to do when I ran inside. It's been so long that I forgot all the tricks. I was determined to run for at least half an hour but then I thought what's another 15? So I ran a brutal 45 minutes. Glad I didn't give up. Tomorrow I am running outside.

I also did some squats and some leg presses. I love strong legs.

Elvis reads on

I know I am beginning to sound like a broken record. I was super busy at work again this week. I need to figure out a way so I am so completely consumed with work. Some days just can't be helped.

Enough of work talk... it's the weekend.

I am dog sitting once again for Karen. Elvis is thrilled to have me as his caretaker for the next week or so.  I've been reading to him The Cat and the Hat. You would think it wouldn't be one of his favorite books (seeing that he is a dog and not a cat) but it is. Go figure.

We don't have a lot of plans. Likely we'll just spend the quality time cuddling and reading our books. Elvis is a fare weather runner so he won't be joining me in my run today. I may convince him to do the 12ks of Christmas tomorrow.

this one's for you

I dedicated my 35 minute run to Tiffany and Amber this afternoon. I took lunch at 4 p.m. and instead of eating, I ran short and hard. It was actually a nice afternoon for a run. When I was nearing the end of my loop, I heard someone yell, "go Crystal" out a car window.
It was Audrey. Can't wait to run with Audrey again. I convinced Audrey to run the hypothermic half in Calgary and to put her name in for the NYC marathon lottery. Knock on wood we get in (and Tiffany, of course).
Busy couple days ahead with work. Need to figure out how I can squeeze my runs in before dark. I could get up earlier but that's easier said than done. Stay tuned.

All the coffee I drank today got me psyched. I spent a good part of an hour doing an ab workout. I probably should have used the added energy to clean or something but nah.. my poor abs were screaming for punishment.
All the Indian food I consumed in Edmonton prompted the ab attack. Yes, I know cardio would probably have been the better way to spend those 45 minutes. I just felt like stretching and working those muscles. I even threw in a short taekwondo practice. I am just that awesome.

Yes, I have been too busy socializing to update. Drank way too much coffee today. Guzzling water now to undo the effects. I've also been playing with my new iPhone4. I am already addicted and it has only been one day. That's my obsessive personality.

Caught up with a few friends today. That was really nice. I have been a bit of a hermit with my impromptu holiday and other things going on. It's always nice to reconnect with the world. 

I am on the verge of making some big decisions. I'll keep you posted.
Meanwhile I had a nice foggy drive this morning. I made great time. I had coffee with Nick. We caught up on what has happened since he moved here eight months ago. He looked the same. I am pretty sure I looked haggard. My BB is acting up once again. Two days without any crap and now when I truly need it (for the GPS and maps), it gives me flack. Ugh!
I hope to get back to Grande Prairie at a decent time on Saturday. Tiffany misses me!

In my next life, I am gong to come back as either Chana Masala or Dal Makhani. I do live Indian food. I still eat with my fingers half the time (mostly when I am alone). I owe this completely to my ex-roommate Sonalee and my ventures in northern Indian.
Note to self: let your dinner settle before you run. I'll just leave it at that.

I ran aimlessly around St. Albert sans iPod. Looks like no amount of TLC will bring it back to life. That swim in the washer did more harm than good. Its brief back-to-life miracle was short lived. The new iPod shuffle looks nice though...... but I have to stop shopping. Must get the C-list loaded on my iPhone4. I don't have it yet but the good news is... Eric signed for it while I was away.

I can't wait to get home and play with it. In the meantime, I am enjoying my last-minute vacation.