Yeesh... lights and running

Crumb - I forgot to post yesterday! I was writing it in my head while I was running and then got home and started reading my book club book - shown to the right (which I needed to finish for tonight's meeting) and I forgot. Aaahhh! Well, guess I will just have to do two posts today to make up for it. :) The book was good, a little confusing at times as it has 3 time lines, but good, for anyone who wanted to know - go to the library and borrow it out.
So last night I was going to write about how I was feeling better yesterday - went and traded in my old incandescent Christmas lights for a coupon for 50% off new LED lights. Sad thing was that my old incandescent lights were still in the boxes from when I bought them 4 years ago. We have not put up Christmas lights for 5 years, I think. I have big plans every year - grandiose ones to make our house look so Christmas-y and inviting and I never get it done. Usually it gets put off as it seems like it is way too early to put them up and there is no way that I am climbing onto the roof and I have to plan ahead that it needs to be on M's "honey-do" list and then the snow flies and I feel badly that it is too COLD to expect him to go out on the roof - he may slip. So this year, I think I will get them put up on my railing ASAP, because I can do that myself, no climbing required, and the next nice Saturday, M can put up the roof ones. I am considering doing strings of lights on stakes up the sidewalk, but am thinking this is just a tripping for R waiting to happen. So, when do you put out your Christmas lights?
I also went running last night - figured it had been awhile since my last run and I needed to get out there and do it again - tomorrow (Tuesday) is my running class and I need to get to it. I was surprised to learn that I ran (and walked) 3.8 km in 23 minutes. I think that is not bad for someone who was sick the two days before. I am looking to get myself to 5 km in 30 minutes as according to my friend A, that is what you should aim for. OK, that's what I will aim for. I know I can walk 4.4 km in 30 minutes, so running 5 shouldn't be far behind.
That's all for this post. TTYS! :)

Running...

This year I have begun to get fit. I had such troubles with my back after the girls were born and was in pain a lot. M and I were looking into getting a gym membership for myself, seeing about a trainer as I am always so scared of doing exercises wrong and causing greater injury to myself. I was thinking about it, praying about it, as the money involved seemed beyond us.
One evening at my TTMAC (Twins, Triplets and More Association of Calgary) monthly coffee, the hostess had invited her friend to do a couple of Zumba songs with us. Christine is a petite little thing with a great smile and energy to her. She told us to have fun with it, not worry about the steps and if we did something wrong. Afterward the songs she led us through, she told us that she was a personal trainer as well and if any of us wanted to talk with her to let the hostess know and she would get a hold of us. I didn't even wait until later, I talked to her that night, she came to our house within the week and we have been going ever since.
I love Christine and what she has been able to help me do. I feel healthier, for one thing. I had the strength before, just not the endurance and was using my muscles wrong, so pain was resulting. She still comes once a week to help me do weight training and I have been progressing so that now I can do push ups (who knew!) while my legs are on the exercise ball (what!?!?!). Never thought I would be able to do that! :)
Another thing I NEVER had a desire to do was run. I hate running, always have. All those mandatory track events where I was the LAST across the finish line, all those gym periods where I was LAST picked and if anyone was going to be hit by the ball, it was going to be me. BUT, two of my good friends are runners. And they enjoy it.... a lot. Peer pressure can be a good thing sometimes. I decided this summer that I would give it a try, so I signed up for a Learn to Run course at Running Room. Only I would decide to do this in the fall heading into winter though. It's been COLD, but I am sticking to it. I didn't realise that though I don't enjoy the actual running, I do enjoy the escape and time for myself that it gives me. I am also getting a little addicted to the good feeling I have afterward.
Tonight I took my new Nike runners out for my run (they are the ones pictured above) and it was good.