Chapter 2 page 245 - misc. weekend info

Howdy everyone (are you as bummed as I am that the weekend is almost over??) -
I have never written a random post before, so here goes nothing.

1. Newest addition to the family -
As you know (from HERE), we adopted a 5 month old beagle yesterday and have named her Pacer. She's so stinkin' adorable. Yesterday at 6:30 p.m. she grabbed one of her new squeaky stuffed animal toys and took it into her crate . . . and took a nap. It was the most precious thing I've ever seen. She just picked it up in her mouth, walked right into her crate, and laid down . . . shortly she began snoring. Say it with me now, "ahhhhhhhhhh" Here is a picture of her and her blue elephant stuffed animal tonight as she fell asleep (it's okay to say "ahhhhh" again - I do!)

One more cute sleeping puppy picture (she and I had just done our walk outside today and she was really cold and tired, so she fell asleep on my lap and I put the blanket over her head (all together now . . . "ahhhhhhh")

2. The past -
Having this puppy, and reading Kimberly @ Healthy Strides left me a comment on the "It's a girl post" which really jogged my memory. For those of you who know me, and those who have been reading this blog for a long time might know that when I was getting ready to enter the Army and was in the Army I used to run often (nearly every day) and regularly (always 2-5 miles), BUT . . . I have struggled with remembering the details of the running sessions (for example: what motivated me to get out there, did I enjoy it, why did I do it, how did I work up to going that distance, etc). It's all coming back to me now . . . I had a puppy! I used to run with my first beagle (Hoosier) all the time (or at least until I started going too far or too fast for her little legs to keep up). Ahhh, the light bulb has finally come back on. I did have a running partner on most days! I can't believe I forgot that. Yep, I'll have a new training partner in the mix - no more excuses for me (today we walked about 3/4 of a mile - slowly).

3. My eating -
As you know on Tuesday I really fell off the wagon. I got back on and stumbled a little on Friday. But today, I'm all in (again!). I never gave up or lost sight, but I did screw up. On that note, I had discovered it back on 1/29 & 1/30, but somehow forgot so soon, the power of hot chocolate. It's a real chocolate craving crusher . . . and it's fat free and low calorie. I make my own hot chocolate mix. I think a cup (or two) of that fixes my chocolate craving and doesn't do nearly the "damage" of a frosted, cream filled doughnut! I call that a "win".

4. Upcoming training -
Well, my knee is still hurting. It feels better with the PT exercise and with the 4 daily Aleeve so I had cancelled my follow up appointment with the orthopedic surgeon, but after last Wednesday's run, I think I might have to call and reschedule. I will walk this week and I will use my Pearl Izumi shoes (just to see if that makes any difference in my knee pain . . in case my new Saucony Ride's are the cause of my knee pain). On Saturday, "C" and I are doing a 5K around a hilly (or hills aren't like the majority of America's hills - most of you would call our hills "flat") college campus - should be a challenge and hopefully a great time . . . it'll be awesome to do a race with "C" - feels like it's been SOOOO long!

5. Great cause -
Please check out my bloggy friend's raffle over at Running to Better Health. She's raising money for our war vetarns who are returning with Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Her prizes are awesome with lots of great ways to increase your chances of winning. I'm not really telling you (now twice) about the raffle to increase my chances of winning - as a Vet who had a little post 9/11 PTSD - I think it's a fantastic thing Stephanie Anne is doing. Please, go at least check it out HERE. Thanks!