I saw something incredibly stupid this morning on my walk. We frequently have trains along our waterfront. They are usually long and can be hauling containers, tankers or coal. A number of years ago people living close to the waterfront lobbied to have the tracks in our city be labeled a quiet zone so that trains could not blow their whistles along the waterfront (crazy since trains have been on those tracks longer than any of those people have been alive). Because of the ‘no whistles’ the company that owned the tracks fenced off the tracks and put in a number of crossings with arms that come down to block people from crossing the tracks when a train approaches. I could hear the train as I neared the beach and thought I would just walk in the parking lot until it passes. Some Einstein, however, decided when the lights at a crossing started flashing and the arms started to lower that it would be a good idea to crouch down to get under them to beat the train. Stupid, stupid, stupid!
I mentioned in my last post that doing some running and 2 consecutive classes involving back squats then a brutal strength class on Thursday meant my quads were on fire. I am not kidding, even after soaking in the hot tub Thursday I was still having issues walking up and down our stairs. Don’t get me wrong, I know they were sore because I had ‘fatiqued’ them which is part of the strength process but man, were they rebelling. I decided it was time to change things up a bit.
I canceled my fitness class yesterday. It was a circuit class with the same instructor from my Thursday class. She is really a great instructor but she is brutal. I knew I would get through the class but I also knew my body was looking for a break. And so I opted to do an endurance walk instead. By that I mean starting my day at 5am with a 3 hour, 15 km walk. I had done this the previous week and while my feet were sore by time I was done it was a good experience and I like the fact that I can walk for that long and do it at a good pace.
And so off I went. I walk so much that I know that my normal 2 hour route gets me to almost 10km. I also know how many blocks I need for each km walked so I simply figured out how to add on to my normal route to get me to my goal. I kept my pace nice and steady and counted off the remain blocks I needed to put in. I will acknowledge that my Apple Watch counting out my km’s for me is quite helpful as it ensures the accuracy of my distance calculations. I got to the coffee shop to meet my friends at exactly the correct time and felt pretty good. I rested up for about an hour before hittig the road again to do 5 more km so that I could hit my daily goal. I should note that I was able to do the final walk at an even faster pace so obviously my body was up for it.
While I still put in plenty of workout time yesterday, it was the right decision for my body. When I got up this morning to head out for a 10km walk my legs felt pretty good. Apparently those quads just needed a bit of a break so that they could recover. Sometimes just changing things up can help with the whole fitness process. It also confirmed that I do have endurance so I think I am going to add at least 1 3hour walk in each week just for something different.
Today was a funfilled day shopping at Costco. We try to do it every 6 months or so to stock up on essentials when we are getting low on things. What always seems to be on the list is paper towels, toilet paper, tea and Mrs Dash. Today was no exception though we also stocked up on vitamins for my sister and I. It also gives us an excuse to take a water sample from our hot tub into the dealership to make sure I have the chemicals balanced. Today the levels were pretty good and a quick tweak and everything is back in line.
I have been working hard this week and let me assure you after 2 consecutive fitness classes where back squats were done not to mention a 2nd day of running intervals let me assure you my quads are killing me. I plan on a soak in said hot tub this afternoon and if they aren’t better I will skip circuit class tomorrow to do an endurance walk (3 hours/15 Km). That will hopefully allow my quads to recover enought to attempt a 5km run on Saturday.
During yesterday’s class we were doing sumo back squats. You pick up a weighted barbell, rest it on the meaty area across the bottom of your neck/shoulders, widen your stance, turn your feet outward and squat. Ok, I admit quads weren’t happy but I did it anyways. When I was on my 2nd round the instructor came over and asked if it was my right knee that was bad. I showed her the scars as she showed me how the weight on the right side had shifted from the correct placement to the end of the barbell. She told me that she thought I was subconciously protecting my knee and therefore was lifting mainly through my left leg. Interesting, I thought since we never would have know that if I had put clips on the bar to hold the weights in place.
And so I started round 3 determined that I was going to fix this. Normally when I am doing back squats I focus on butt back first. That is, make sure there is a slight hinge in my hips before I go into the squat. This time instead I thought push through your right foot. Each of those 8 squats I focused on that because I really want to get this right.
I hit the 4th round and unbeknownst to me the instructor was behind me watching what I was doing. She was thrilled that the weight did not once move. Obviously I had balanced out pushing through both legs. Funny, I said to her, I never would have corrected that if I had put the clips on as usual. I also told her that now I am going to be cognizant when doing any squats that I can feel the strength going through both legs when I come up from the squat.
I learned something new yesterday and I am kind of excited that I did so. I now can consistently work on balancing my leg strength until such time as it comes naturally. Oh and doing squats today I used it to stop thinking about the pain in my quads.
I got a panicked call yesterday for the organization where I participate in the Community Volunteer Income Tax Clinic each year during tax time. The daughter of an elderly gentleman came in with the summary of his 2025 income tax and advised that according to the Canada Revenue Agency his taxes had not been electronically filed. This in turn meant he was no longer eligible for the universal dental plan. I was asked if I could resolve this based on the information that had been supplied and I assured them it wasn’t a problem. It took me more time to get in touch with the daughter to provide the information I needed to ensure he got the Provincial rental rebate than it did for me to complete the forms and get them filed. To be on the safe side I even provided the daughter with a pdf showing the taxes were filed and gave the confirmation number. I know taxes and issues with the CRA can be daunting to some people but hell, I’ve successfully battled the IRS which is a whole different ball game.
For the past few weeks I have been doing red light therapy on my foot and ankle. This is the foot where I partially detached a ligament and tore 2 tendons. Then when it was almost back to normal I twisted it while in Mexico and that really set me back. I have a friend who swears by red light therapy and after 6 weeks of healing and still having a ways to go to be back to pre-Mexico I decided what the hell, why not give it a try. I read up on it some and studdies have shown that it can promote healing, reduce swelling and alleviate pain. I was a bit skeptice but the unit wasn’t that expensive so no real loss if it didn’t work.
This is not the only thing I had done to promote healing. I have consistently done exercises given to me by my physio therapist when I first injured my foot. I also have ensured that whenever walking or doing a fitness class that I wear compression socks and my brace. All of that had gotten me close to healed but I needed to cross the finish line so on to the red light therapy. Well guess what, it seems to have worked. I have next to no pain in my foot or ankle and there is only minimum swelling (that is likely do to the fact I have chronic tendonosis).
I decided since this seems to have been so successful it was time to do some training so that I can get back to running. Today was my first training day as I know it would be stupid to try to do even a 5km after not doing a run in months. And so out I went with a 15 minute walk before starting to run. I tried a split 1 minute run/4 minute walk but it was quickly obvious that it was too easy. So instead I opted for 8 minute run/5 minute walk. A few of those and I realized nothing hurt so for the last 1km I just ran. I was surprised that it wasn’t bad at all.
I do want to be clear I am not doing a hard run. I am making sure to stay in areas where it is flat and I am not at all concerned about my speed (ok, I admit my pace is slower than what it should be but hey, 1st training run in a long time). I am going to work on endurance and then speed.
I calculate I probably ran a total of 3km this morning and I felt pretty good. I’m going to try again on Thursday, assuming there is no issues with my foot. If that run goes well Saturday I am going to walk to the beach and try a full 5km. If all of this goes well I’ll be back to running a consistent 3 times per week while building back up to doing a 10km at least once per week.
Yep, I am definitely back to training.
It was quite warm when I left to walk to the fitness centre at 4:15am. I was pretty sweaty by time I got there as I was walking at a good clip. It was high intensity strength training today and when I was doing my last set of exercises one of the other ladies noted it was really hot. I lamented that I was not looking forward to walking home and she offered to give me a ride since she goes right by my street. I thanked her but noted I’m taking a break for a few days so I had to get in at least 15km today and I have done so.
When I went to Mexico in April I took a craft project with me, diamond painting. Now if you are not familiar with diamond painting think paint by numbers using little beads. You have a pattern with number and letters on it and you use a ‘pen’ to place the corresponding bead on the picture (the background of the pattern is sticky so the bead adheres to it). The first one I did was coasters with colourful Christmas gnomes as the pattern. Each of the 8 coasters were different. I had such a good time decorating those coasters that I had to order 2 new sets which my husband brought down for me to complete. Now I should note that during the pandemic I had started a big pattern of 2 wolves but hadn’t enjoyed doing diamond painting. That pattern ended up at the condo but I hadn’t touched it in the 4 years it has been there.
So what changed? A couple of things. First, the coasters are quick to do. I can finish one coaster in a couple hours. Secondly, I didn’t like the wolves as the pattern had so many beads that were dark. That meant they were really difficult to place on the pattern and at times it was hard to distinguish the numbers and letters. But guess what? Once I had finished all of the coaster sets I finished that big pattern as well. And so by time I had left Mexico I had finished 3 sets of coasters (Christmas gnomes, coffee gnomes and humming birds) as well as the wolves.
Once I got home I immediately ordered more coasters to do but I also learned there are all sorts of accessories I could get for my diamond painting. So far I have bought a full kit which comes with almost everything I need including little containers for the beads, lables for those containers and most importantly various pens that allow you to place 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9 beads at one time. I also bought a roller which allows you to press the beads firmly into the sticky surface. Finally, I got a finishing coating that helps to permanently secure the beads. Oh and the next trip to Mexiso I am taking 3 large patterns, a humming bird and 2 different sea turtles. I don’t know what I am doing with all of these once they are finished but it will keep me occupied.
I’m really enjoying this new hobby as I find it quite relaxing. I like seeing the progress as I go along and I have noticed that I am more strategic in which bead number I am going to do next which is making it go even faster. It also lets me clear my head which given my crazy schedule is really helpful. I think I am going to keep doing this for a while.
Just a heads up, there won’t be a post Saturday as I am heading up to do some work at the trailer for the next few days.
Yet another marathon day of dealing with the IRS and my husband’s taxes. The woman we spoke to on Friday (and I note we spent nearly 5.5 hours on the phone) had assured us that the issue would be referred to a manager and if we called back today it should all be resolved. Of course it wasn’t. However, after 2 hours 40 minutes on the phone we are slightly optimistic that we are finally getting the 2024 tax refund that we are entitled to. Now we just have to sit back and wait for 6 weeks to see if the cheque actually arrives.
So we once again have some heat going on here. I got up at 3:40am this morning and checked my weather app. Ok, I thought, it’s going to be a bit warm today. I made my way out the door at 4:15am to walk to the fitness center. I have to admit it was pretty much a perfect temperature with a nice breeze blowing. 2 hours later when I started walking home I thought, hmm, 6:30am and it is already really warm. By time I got home I had drank all of the water I had in my walking belt. This was not a great sign for the day.
As it is Tuesday it means I co-facilitate my caregivers’ support group. I planned to walk there and back home. However, I looked at the weather app and realized when it was time to walk home it would feel like 30 C. I decided it was time to do some planning. I grabbed a little backpack and put in a towel and a change of shirts. I was well aware that I would be coated with sweat by time I finished my 5km walk. Once I got to the group location I gave myself about 20 minutes to cool down before it was time to change out shirts and dry off before facing my group. It actually all worked out well.
The best decision I made was to ask my husband to pick me up to drive me home. Not only when the group ended would we be in the middle of the afternoon with peak temperatures but also the sun was going to be beating down. This is kind of where I draw the line. I opted instead to be content with the 4 hours of workouts I had already done and not risk things like heat exhaustion or worse heat stroke.
I don’t regret that decision. Tomorrow I will likely get in my full 4 hours of walking but admittedly in better increments. Adjusting to the weather is not a bad thing, it is being cognizant of not making myself sick.
As I have not been going to classes this week because of my back (which is much better) I have been doing my 2 hour walk down along the beach for the past 6 days. I have so missed being able to do this and realized how peaceful it is doing that walk. I also got to reconnect with my 5am walking people and dogs. It is such a great way to start the day that I am rethinking the best way to get that walk in a little more during the week when I go back to walking to the gym and back.
Yesterday was a crappy day. I had done a 3 hour walk first thing (yes, the endurance walk). Then it was the Friday morning coffee group followed by another 1/2 hour walk. The plan was after I got some stuff done I could get in another hour long walk and call the day done. However, I ended up helping my husband dealing with his 2024 IRS tax refund (note, we have been working on this since May 2025). The bottom line is we spent more than 5 hours on the phone to only be told to call back next Tuesday and maybe they will have a resolution for us. By time we were done we were heading out for the evening so obviously the last walk never happened.
The only reason I wasn’t completely wiped out by yesterday’s disturbing experience was that I knew what was going to happen today. When we returned from Mexico my sister mentioned a local event we should attend today. I looked at her a bit horrified and told her we couldn’t do that and she was crestfallen but asked why. Well, it was because I had planned on surprising her with tickets to see Come From Away, a musical we both love. I had bought us tickets to see it 4 years ago but she had a fall and was spending months in hospital recovering. She was so disappointed missing it last time (though our brother was thrilled he got her ticket) that there was no way she was missing this performance.
And so this morning we headed into Vancouver. We got there in plenty of time to go to out for a lovely lunch. We even had some time to do some window shopping which was a lot of fun. And the show, well it was simply fabulous. It was just such a fun day with my sister and I had made sure to spend the extra to buy us seats close to the stage so that she would be able to see some of the action on stage. Of course the music was awesome and we left that theatre thinking what a fun day. I am so happy that we got to spend the time together enjoying a fabulous production.
I admit things went a little south coming home. Traveling along the freeway I all of a sudden thought my steering wheel was getting really tight and something wasn’t right so I slowed down. I took the next exit (which was reasonably near home) and struggled to steer to get to a parking lot realizing I had lost most of my power to my dashboard and signal lights. From there called my husband, mechanic and booked a tow (which said it would be 1.5 hours to show up but fortunately it was more like 20 minutes). Got my vehicle to the mechanic and was a bit deflated that such a good day was ending badly. But no, the next door neighbours asked us over for some wine and we got to have a lovely time on their deck all of us telling stories.
Despite the vehicle issues, this was an incredibly fun day and I am glad months ago I decided to book this adventure. I do recommend if you haven’t seen Come From Away, the Broadway version is available on Apple TV and is well worth watching. Spoiler alert, you will cry, well at least I always do.
I have no idea why but last night I set this morning’s alarm for 5am instead of 4am. This was really problematic because I had a meeting to be at this morning. So, I got up and went for a walk at 5:45 for 2 hours. I then rested for 30 minutes then out for another 30 minute walk. Once I was back home after the meeting I got in another 30 minute walk. Despite losing that hour I still got in 15km today.
I was thinking about how to get at least 4 hours of walking in tomorrow and still make it to the Friday coffee group when it hit me, while I have been pretty good at getting in lots of walking, I haven’t in months really pushed myself in terms of endurance. I have pretty much everyday this week done a 2 hour walk without it being a problem. Hell, I even managed to improve my pace. My ankle isn’t really bothering me (pretty close to back to where it was before I twisted it in Mexico) so why not try to push things for the day.
Here’s the plan I have worked out. I am going to do my normal 2 hour ‘hard’ walk 1st thing tomorrow. I will then slow the pace slightly so that I am in the ‘moderate’ zone and tack on an additional hour for a total of 3 hours of walking. I’ll then take a break for about 1 1/2 hours to have coffee with the gang. Next will be a 1/2 hour walk home and when I have done some work at home I’ll hit the road for another hour walk. While I have been walking 4 1/2 hours a day often lately, it is the 3 hour walk that will test my endurance.
This may seem a bit much but seriously, back in December I did 3-2 hour walks every day for 10 days. This challenge is more about me feeling like I am pushing it. I haven’t done that recently and I think I need it to bolster my determination. I will say I am cognizant of the fact that if things start to hurt (remember, discomfort and pain are not the same) then it is time to get to the nearest bus stop and go home. Having said that, I am actually a bit excited about giving this a try. If it goes well, I may just pick one day each week to do an endurance test.
On a final note, I have started doing red light therapy on my ankle/foot to see if I can’t get the healing over the finish line. If it works I’m going to try doing the therapy on my knee just to do everything I can to avoid the dreaded knee replacement. Here’s hoping the therapy goes well.
It was a glorious walk along the beachfront this morning. I left the house at 5am just as the sun was coming up. By time I got down to the beach it was fairly light out (note, I of course had on my hi-vis vest) and the tide was fully in. It was one of my favourite type of days in that the water was calm and the temperature was perfect for a well paced walk. Whenever we have days like this I just find walking to be so peaceful and today was no exception. It truly is a great way to start the day.
I once again am experiencing a period of being very busy. From working out every day, helping to manage a political campaign, doing extra work for a volunteer organization and in general managing family life, there is not a lot of time left. I saw all of this coming up and realized I needed to start working on my time management skills. I started by prioritizing what is most important. I decided it was getting in my walks and fitness classes and I set a goal (though with a pretty high bar) of how many hours at minimum I needed to get in each day. After that I worked in the time for when I would do everything. I even at one point asked that a meeting start slightly later on Thursday this week so that I could meet my goals.
So far I have been managing to pull it off. Ok, I get that it is only Tuesday but still I’m already up to walking 32km in 2 days. Now I did have to adjust things a bit. Somehow I seem to have ticked off muscles in my upper back, you know like I slept in a funny position or something. It’s not debilitating, just a bit sore. I decided pushing myself with weights may not be the best idea until the irritation stops so canceleI d my fitness classes yesterday and today. Not to worry, walking doesn’t hurt so I just add an extra hour of walking to make up for it.
Today is my busiest with 2.5 hours of volunteering and then a campaign meeting in the afternoon. In order to fit it all in by 9am this morning I had already done 3 hours (15km) of walking. I need to sneak in an hour walk after my volunteer gig and in a perfect world will be able to walk home after the meeting. Again, this takes a bit of strategizing as sometimes I need to bring along materials and I have to figure out the best way to carry them. Regardless, I’ll get it done.
And so, my time management just involves a bunch of planning and sticking to it. Ultimately I think by the end of the week I’ll feel good about getting it all done.
For the first time in quite a while today I went for a walk along our promenade. I wanted to get 10km in early morning so headed out at 5am. The temperature was a bit brisk for July but I had prepared for that and dressed accordingly. I was surprised that there have been many changes to businesses down at the beach but then I realized I have only walked there once since the beginning of April and that wasn’t even the full length of the promenade. I was thrilled though to see a couple bald eagles standing out on a sand bar. I had hoped to see the whale that has been breaching at the west end of the promenade but it wasn’t there this morning, maybe tomorrow.
I have goals set on my Apple Watch that are pretty high. They are broken down into 3 categories, move calories (burning them while working out), move minutes and stand time (the number of hours where you stand and move for at least 2 minutes). This past week I closed all three goal rings 6 days in a row. It would be pretty hard not to especially since I’ve been walking an average of 20km a day. Today I toned it down a bit by only doing 15km but since I had a few other days with 23+ km I’m sure it still averages to 20km per day. It’s been a lot of work but I admit I have really been enjoying the walks.
Now here is where I get into a bit of trouble. I know that I need a recovery day but my head is saying yes, but you still have to hit your goals. Seriously, this brain of mine obsesses over things like that. Somehow I will have failed the entire week if just one of those goal rings is not closed tomorrow. But I am pushing back on this. My legs need a break which means I need to convince myself that only walking a gentle 10km tomorrow is sufficient. And when I say gentle it means not beating myself up if my pace is lower than what I try to have it at. Trust me, every time my watch announces my pace if it is lower than the goal in my head I obsess over getting it faster. You’d think because of this I wouldn’t enjoy my walks but really I do.
And so tomorrow, I am going to sleep in a little. I am then going to enjoy a leisurely walk and take in the beauty of the waterfront. Instead of obsessing about those rings not being closed, I’m going to focus on the fact I might get to see that whale. Hopefully that will allow me to distract myself.
Yesterday at the gym it was one of our newer trainers. I really like her as she has some exercises that are unique as well as the fact that she brings her dog. Yesterday was a pretty brutal workout and she kept reminding people to listen to your body, it can be uncomfortable but shouldn’t be painful. I walked by her and told her my body is saying that I am too old for this shit. Truly, my legs are so tired from my crazy walks but hey, lets walk 20km/day on top of a 1 hour fitness class. Thankfully after my final walk today I am going to soak in the hot tub for a while.
Because I am back to doing a lot of walking I once again have to rant about being a pedestrian. Tuesday I walked to the gym and back. It is 5km each way and when I leave the house at 4:15am it is still dark out. When I leave the gym at around 6:30am the sun is up but it is not quite full on daylight. So, I wear a high visibility reflective vest every day so that there is no excuse for not seeing me.
Anyways, Tuesday I was walking home and got to a crosswalk where you push the button and lights flash on eith side of the street. As I walked up to the button a car sped up to beat the flashing lights. I hit the button and noted 2 cars far enough away to easily stop before the cross walk. 1 of them did, the other instead of stopping blew through the crosswalk despite me starting to cross. I yelled out and the kind driver gave me the finger.
People, this is so wrong. If you cannot pay attention and obey the traffic laws, don’t drive. I did everything correct on my part and yet this jerk still decided his 2,000lb vehicle was more important. The frustrating part is this was not a young person driving so that excuse (not that it really is one) isn’t available.
Let’s go over this again. I as a pedestrian must do everything I can to be visible. I need to wait to cross when it is safe to do so. I must obey pedestrian crossing signals such as only crossing when the walk signal is indicated, not start crossing when the hand starts flashing. Driver’s must check before entering crosswalks to ensure there are no pedestrians trying to cross. Oh, and to make it simple, pedestrians in this province have the right of way and drivers must stop for them even when they do stupid things like jaywalk or cross against the light (things I don’t do normally but admit I will jaywalk if there is a raccoon or skunk involved). This is not rocket science people.
Ok, end of this year’s rant. I want to finish by saying I never assume I am seen. I do my best to ensure I have reflective clothing when it is not full daylight. I try to cross at controlled crosswalks as much as possible. I’m doing my part, I suggest drivers do theirs.
