Fitness Friday - Prep for fun!

OK! My race is tomorrow morning at 9:15am. It is a nice route along Colonel By Drive (and Rideau Canal) from Pretoria Bridge to the Bronson Bridge and back. It is calling for a nice 3 degrees Celsius with cloudy skies. I think it will be nice running conditions.

Here are a few photos of the area where the race is being held:

I am taking it easy today. I have had a long, tiring week and need to rest up for what is for sure going to be a great weekend.

Here is a list of things I need to get organized for tomorrow morning:

- Pick up race kit

- Attach shamrocks to my running pants and coat as part of my costume (!?!?!)

- Drink lots of water

- Place out all my running gear

- Bake my shamrock cheesecake and chocolate chip cookies (2 batches of each!)

- Buy a new blade for my straight cutter

- Organize and pack all my photos

- Pack up all the ingredients to make the most fabulous scrambled egg breakfast ever!

- Get all my scrapbooking materials packed up and into the car

- Place my parent's house key on my key ring

- Pack my over night bag

- Pack my soccer gear for my game on Sunday afternoon

It is incredible all the things you need to do before running a 5k race!!!

Oh! Did I mention that, after my big race, 4 of the most wonderful ladies are meeting me at my parent's house about 45km away (away from work, hubby and the kids) for a girls' scrapbooking weekend! The funny part is growing up I NEVER disobeyed my parents and hosted a party in their absence!!! No, I think I did it right....no teenage party will ever out do a kidless, free, scrapbooking weekend away!!!!

Oh ya! No matter how I feel during or after my race, no matter my finishing time, no matter the weather, no matter what, this is going to be a great weekend!!!! (If I survive it!!!)

In honour of this bound-to-be-great weekend, I present to you birthday gift ideas # 29 and # 28:

29) I would soooo love a long sleeve running shirt that would be perfect for Ottawa spring weather. Something like this:

28) And as I move forward with my transition from strictly traditional scrapbooking to a hybrid form of mixing traditional and digital scrapbooking, I would totally appreciate a year membership to Heritage Makers. The extremely lovely Kristen from Mighty Morphin' Mama is a consultant and introduced me to her product line - it totally rocks and I think it would be a super cool addition to my scrapbooking tool set. Not only does the Heritage Makers' annual membership make my list of 40 gifts for my 40th birthday, but Oprah named it one of her favorite things too!!!! (Go check it out! Then, after you fall in love with it you can order one membership for me, and then treat yourself too!)

Wish me luck for my big debut race...Irish luck that is!!!!

Have a wonderful and great weekend...I know I will for sure!!!!

Monday Menu Planning and Video Options

Check out more Menu Plan Monday entries at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

I cannot seem to get my head around my menu plan for this week. On top of this struggle, I am not having a very good Weight Watchers day. I probably have eaten over my daily points...I have done the biggest no-no - I ate off the kids plates. But actually, my issues started way before lunch. Today I did not bring my pre-made steel cut oats to work - therefore no breakfast in the early hours. I got home from work at 8:30am and just started grazing. I even made rice crispy squares...though to by credit, I used 1/2 the butter and marshmallows and then used a mix of rice crispies and Kashi Go Lean and All-Bran. They are yummy!

So, even though I am sore tonight, I am going to go for a light jog. I figured I would job up to The Running Room and talk to someone about my up coming 10k clinic and then buy the socks I want for my birthday - and then jog down the road to the electronics store and look for the head set I want. No, do not roll your eyes or snicker at me. I must of checked the mail box a million times and these items have not yet arrived! So, yes, I am taking matters into my own hands!

OK - let's put an end to this food-failure day and come up with some yummy, good meals for the week:

Monday - Salmon Pin Wheels with noodles and long beans

Tuesday - Grilled Steaks with Chile, Cumin, Lime, and Scallions - a good site for diabetic food plan options

Wednesday - Daddy and Kids Pizza night as I have boot camp then Weight Watchers

Thursday - Broccoli-casserole - Love this site!

Friday - Baby romaine salad with assorted peppers, cherry tomatoes and grilled garlic-pepper shrimp

That's what is cooking on the Fringe....whatcha cookin' dis week???

Ok. Back to my 40 gifts in 40 days for my 40th birthday!

Gift Idea # 33

If I am going to eat over my Weight Watchers points, then I will have to up-the exercise options! Therefore, today's gift suggestion is the deluxe Turbo Jam video. I have the first one that includes a 20 minute cardio and a 40 minute sculpt program - but I have heard awesome things about this new offering:

Anyone try it yet? Any other suggestions? I usually rotate doing Turbo Jam, Tae Bo, and 30 Day Shed. Looking for something new and challenging!

Friday Fitness & Gift Idea # 35

Fitness wise, I was doing great until Thursday morning...my Wednesday night Boot Camp did me it!

I can always count on Boot Camp to be a GREAT work out - but this week it was really tough and I am sure feeling it! The instructor's philosophy is that simple, hard work will work. Most classes we use one free weight and a mat - that is it. He is a great fan of the basics like push ups, squats and jumping jacks.

This week he was a bit peeved that the maintenance people buffed the floors. In fact, he was fearful that if we did our regular running circuit, someone would slip and fall. So, we all cheered when he informed us that running between circuits was a no-go! Little did we know that running would be replaced with, oh, about one million lunges!

The work out was pretty simple: I worked very hard...and now I hurt! Besides having that nice bad feeling in my legs, core and arms, my old (serious) hip injury flared up. The Advil and Tylenol are helping and I hope to do a light jog this evening. I am going to save my race practice run for Sunday.

I am getting excited about my road race on March 14. I am also getting a bit nervous. I do not feel as prepared as when I did a race - way back in 2001.


I am trying to focus on the reason I am doing this race. I am NOT doing it to get my best time ever. I am doing it just to say I did it! I am doing it to prove that I am on the right track in terms of combining healthy eating and exercise to create a positive, sustainable lifestyle.

I am working hard at mentally accepting where I am at in my fitness journey and taking time to enjoy this time as a success. It will not be a great finish time - I know that - I am slower, and still much bigger than I was last race day. I am trying to focus on the journey and not just each step.

I have 8 training days remaining. Taking all the wonderful advise I got from all of you, I made up the following training plan:

Saturday - Ski day with family (will be waling up and down the hill about a million times!)Sunday - 6km run at a 10 min run/1 minute walk interval pattern.
Monday - 4.5km run with one walk break

Tuesday - walk to local coffee shop to meet a dear friend!

Wednesday - Boot camp

Thursday - Lane swim (gotta start training for my "Try-a-Thon" in May!)

Friday - REST!

Saturday - St Paddy's Day Road Race - 5KM!

Sunday - Soccer game! (so excited, I am playing for a new team!)

So, based on how sore I a right now and how I anticipate I will feel when I finish my first 5k race, I happily present birthday gift suggestion # 35:

I would LOVE a nice big, jet tub to escape into and unwind. (Un)Fortunately, based on our current bathroom set up, redecorating and redesigning would have to be part of the gift!!!

Now, if a new bath with a jet tub is not doable, then I would make due with this outdoor set up. Yep. I could make due with that!!!!

Oh, baby either of those would ROCK!!!!

PS. I have never been one to write gift lists, and you know, I am having fun doing this one...maybe every year I will repeat my 40th and create a new list! It is fun to wish, hope, dream and hint!

A Partridge in a Pear Tree

We have all heard of the 12 days of Christmas. But really? Who wants a partridge in a pear tree??? I sure do not!

But, with only 40 days before I turn 40 - there are a few things I would like!

Usually when asked what I want for Christmas or birthdays, I either say nothing or list one or two very affordable items...well, not this time!!!!

Drum roll please....

In no particular order, here is the first installment of 40 gifts for Laura's 40th Birthday:

40. Garmin - Forerunner 405 with MHR


This cool running thingy will help me set my routes, pace and I am hoping it will even do the run for me! Seriously, I would love this since I could really track my progress and it would help me with setting my distances and pace while training for my 10K and my eventual half marathon!

I would settle for a lower model - as long as it allowed me to input my 10/1 run/walk pattern and calculated distances and pace. I am not too fussy - though I would require a good tutorial on using the thing since I cannot even set my watch when day light savings time comes around!!!!