Spontaneous Mall Walk

Today is Sunday, and normally, Sunday is our obligatory mall walk. But since it is a long, holiday weekend, we had decided we would forgo our usual stroll. We already had plans to meet Jade at Twisted Fork for brunch, which was great because I enjoyed having brunch with her, but awful because neither the service nor food was very good. But after brunch, we opted to go to the mall to see about getting a cute onesie for the little one from Flashback. We didn't realize we would actually be pacing any distance just to go get a cute onesie. But after Flashback, Jade and her friend, Dan, wanted to go to FYE to look around, so we decided to go with them. About halfway to FYE, Cliff and I realized that we were missing out on prime Charity Mile recording. So, we set our phones for the rest of our shopping excursion. Shopping didn't last very much longer, but it was long enough to make for a very tired baby. And since I recorded 0.5 miles, I was able to get at least one meal for someone hungry. Hurrah!

The (Obligatory) Evening Stroll

It had been a couple days since our last walk with the pups, so I decreed this evening to be one for a family stroll. When I got home from work, I got the stroller ready, changed my clothes, tied on my shoes, and we hit the road. I could feel some tension as I pushed the stroller and tugged Tokie along. I believe I'm feeling a bit of frustration over end-of-month accounting stress, but I was hoping the walk would help. While I wasn't completely happy-go-lucky by the time we returned home after walking a mile, I was happy that we helped provide 2.5 vaccinations for some furry friends. Now, I just need to get through this month-end to return to my lovely, happy self. My pups and daughter feed off that negativity like piranhas.

Memorial Run for my Grandfather

Yesterday, I found out that my grandfather had passed away. He had been ailing with cancer for quite some time, and I just hope he has now found peace. In honor of him, I opted to do a run for him to benefit Stand Up 2 Cancer. This one's for your, Papaw Dean.

My Shaggy Beast Helps Other Shaggy Beasts

Another day, another opportunity for an evening walk. When I got home from work, I quickly changed into some appropriate walking clothes, and off we went. I manned the beast today, while Cliff pushed the baby. I enjoyed walking in front of her only to turn quickly and get a delighted giggle from my girl. One mile and 36 minutes later, we found ourselves back home with 2.5 vaccinations provided to other shaggy beasts. Now, if only we had gotten Piper that much needed haircut… all in due time!

Mall Stroll to Help Feeding America

Today, Cliff and I opted to go to the mall for a walk after Ramsey's morning nap. We've been regularly going to the mall on Sunday mornings to meet up with another mom and dad and their little boy. Today, another mom joined in on the baby playtime, which we opted to do before the walk. I started the Charity Miles app before we walked into the mall, so the time seems really long for a 2.5-mile walk, but that's because it includes the stop for the playtime, which lasted about 30 minutes or so, as well as other stops during the actual walk. At any rate, Ramsey had a great time playing with the other kids, and they both did well in their strollers after getting to spend some time playing with toys on the mall floor. Ramsey even did some crawling to contribute her movement towards the miles. By the time we stopped for lunch, we had amassed 5 meals for Feeding America. Not bad for a morning stroll.

Morning Family Stroll...Getting Breakfast and Giving Breakfast

This morning, we decided to get our family stroll completed early in order to beat the heat. Around 8:30, we arrived at the Greenway with the dogs and baby, and set off down the path. I set the timer for 15 minutes, so that we could turn back at that time if necessary for a nice 30-minute walk. I also set my Charity Miles for Feeding America. I was excited to do this walk because I just got a new jogging stroller for my birthday, and I wanted to get out on the "rugged terrain" with my girl. Cliff manned the dogs while I manned the stroller. When the timer sounded at 15 minutes, we decided to go just a bit further until we hit a bridge near an underpass. Then we turned back.

As we walked along, we noticed how muddy the Greenway was. All the rain we've been getting of late had obviously washed dirt over the path. And the swampy area right next to the Greenway looked rather deep. I could just imagine this setting in a horror movie (picture on lower left of the eerie scene). But it was a pretty good walk, and we both managed to get 3 meals each for hungry folks! That made my post-walk oatmeal taste even better.

A Muggy Day with a Side of Ankle Problems

Today, I opted to go for a run at lunch. Since I hadn't done any weight lifting or other crossfit-type exercise, I decided to do my 1:1 intervals, but instead of only walking, I would alternate between doing push-ups and sit-ups. Things didn't work out so well. First, the day was really hot and muggy. I could feel the heat beating down on me, which didn't help me during the running part of my "circuit". I think I managed to burn my hand on the hot pavement during one of my push-up sessions. And then as things progressed, my ankles just felt more and more weak, aching a bit and just unwilling to carry me any great distance at an acceptable pace. So, during this exercise routine, I told myself to take it easy. I was on my own, and I had nothing to prove. So I spent more time walking today than I usually would, and I didn't get as many push-ups and sit-ups in as I would like. But regardless of all that, I managed to provide over 3.5 meals for Feeding America. So, I'm proud. I did something physical, and some hungry people will benefit.

You Can't Stop Me, Little Nipper!

Today, my buddy wasn't able to join me for our normal Tuesday run, so I opted to hit the Greenway by myself. I was having a rough morning at work, and I was ready to burn some negative energy. So, I got all my apps and music ready and headed out to the Greenway. I did my little warm-up walk, and once I made it to the bridge, I started my intervals. Within a few seconds, I was derailed.

A couple walking their two dogs were approaching me on the bridge as I started my run. I managed to bypass the woman with her little labrador puppy, but the spaniel-type dog with the gentleman was having none of my running. As I was passing by, he leaped up and nipped my bat-wing. I gave a little cry of shock and stopped immediately to assess the situation. I didn't seem to have any broken skin, and the man and woman were profusely apologetic. I believed them when they said he was UTD on his shots. But I was irritated (although I tried not to show it). I was out to burn negative energy, and more of it slapped me in the face within a few seconds of running.

But despite the little mishap and losing a little bit of time with the incident, I got back to work on my run, and managed to do well: 2.5 miles in under 40 minutes. I'll take it and let Charity Miles give those 5 meals to people who need them.

What's Good for the Piper...

We got a little lazy this weekend when it came to walking the dogs. They got some exercise on Sunday when we took them to the park, but Saturday only presented a short, parking lot walk. So, I was ready to get back into the routine. Piper is really responding well to having these afternoon walks with the family. This time, I led Piper while Cliff strolled the baby and guided Tokie. He did really well, and the walk was obviously good for him as you can see by the smile on his face. But it was also good for other pups and cats. It only took 0.9 miles to get 2.25 vaccinations.

Exercising for Two...Charities, That Is!

Hooray! It's Friday. Normally, I have lazy Fridays, but since Sarah and I missed our usual Tuesday run, we rescheduled it for today.

The critters were out in force today. We saw lizards, dragonflies, and a friendly little snake on our run. We managed to make it 2.6 miles in about 40 minutes (I estimate down due to stopping for the photo, etc.), which provided over 5 meals. Yea!

Update: My second exercise session happened this evening. When I got home, we opted to do a walk with Piper and the baby again. Cliff walked with Piper and I strolled the baby (in flip-flops...not a great idea, BTW). We did our normal route, and if I would have just walked a tiny bit further, I would have gotten two whole vaccinations. Oh well, there's always next time.

An Evening Walk to Provide a Meal

This evening after I got home from work, I was ready to take Piper for a walk. We missed his (what is becoming) usual walk yesterday because of dinner plans, so I definitely wanted to get him on his leash. Since Cliff was the last one to man Piper's leash, I opted to take the reins while Cliff pushed our girl in her stroller. We opted to leave Tokie at home, which she didn't like, but she doesn't really like walks longer than our parking lot. So, we did (what is becoming) our regular route, and then back to the house. Piper did very well. Although he tries to challenge me, he obeyed most of the time and didn't pull too badly. And 0.8 miles later, we not only have a happy dog, but we also have 1.5 meals for the hungry.

Boo, Accelerometer...Poor Furries!

Today, my running buddy had a work conflict that prevented us from running together. So, I decided to go to the gym and meet Helen. Helen is a type of crossfit workout where you do three rounds, three minutes each (with two minutes rest in between) of 15 situps and 15 lunges AMRAP (As Many Reps As Possible). So, I did my crossfit training, which took a little less than 15 minutes. I did about 7.5 reps. I guess that's ok, but I have nothing to compare to it. Not knowing what to do with myself for my remaining gym time, I decided to get on the treadmill. Treadmill and I don't get along, but occasionally, we have to put aside our differences so that I can run.

So, I launched Charity Miles and set it for an indoor run. I knew it would be monitoring my phone's accelerometer, so I tried my best to make sure my arm was swinging properly while I ran. Boo, the accelerometer didn't work very well. I ran a mile as is evidenced by the picture of the treadmill, but the accelerometer only registered 0.2 miles, which was only a half a vaccine for the furries. Oh well, I'll try to get them the other half of that vaccine when I take the pups for a walk later.

 

UPDATE: I did take the pups, the Cliff and the kid for a family walk after work (around 6:00 p.m.). Since I relied on my GPS for the walk, I got in another 0.75 miles, which helped provide another 1.8 vaccinations.

Rainy Dog Walk for the Animals

Our dog Piper is a sweet pup with a host of problems. Lately, I've been wondering if we should find a new home for him. But I'm not ready to give up on my boy. In an effort to continue training Piper, I'm trying to get him out for a walk in the afternoon. When I got home today, the sky was threatening bad weather. But I wanted to do a family walk. I got the dogs on their leashes, and Cliff got the baby in her stroller. Unfortunately, the rain started coming down a few minutes after we walked outside. Cliff, Tokie and the baby had to abandon the walk, but I was not to be deterred. Piper and I walked 0.8 miles in the rain. We managed to provide 2 vaccinations for a couple little furry ones. But best of all, Piper did really well on our walk. He challenged me a little, but on the whole, he listened and did well. I love that boy!

Feeding America on a Sleepy Stroll

As is becoming our normal Sunday routine, we opted to go to the mall and make a few rounds with a couple friends and their cute little boy. The little tikes got a bit of playtime, but I could tell our girl just wasn't feeling it today. But we still managed to circle the upper level twice and the lower level once, which equated to 1.25 miles, or 2.5 meals. Not bad for leisurely walk with our sleepy girl.

Strolling with my Girls to Feed America

Although we didn't go far, I still took the opportunity to log my Charity Miles. When I got home from work, I announced that I wanted to go for a family walk. So, we leashed the dogs, strollered the baby, and away we went. Even though we only walked 3/4 of a mile, it still meant we earned 1.5 meals for hungry folks (a total of three between the two of us). Not horrible for an impromptu stroll.

Salsa Sipping on Intervals for Shots for Furries

So, that's an odd headline. I feel I must explain (briefly). Last week, my awesome coworker shared her homemade peach salsa with us. I didn't have any storage containers in which to carry said salsa. So, I used a couple of my hydration bottles to transport some salsa home. Even though the bottles got a wash through the dishwasher, the overwhelming essence of cilantro and onion is still clinging to the inside of my bottles. So, my run today was like being at a fiesta. Ole!

My buddy Sarah was back this week for our run, and we did 1:1 intervals. We made it 2.5 miles in 40 minutes (includes the warm-up, cool down and obligatory post-run picture). Not bad! And we managed to amass over 6 vaccinations for the furries. Ah, that great mixture of runner's high and warm & fuzzy. I like it!

Strolling the Mall for Feeding America

Today, Cliff, Ramsey and I met with a couple of friends and their cute little boy to stroll the mall. I didn't make the same mistakes this time that I made last week. I stayed on 3G and was vigilant about restarting the app whenever I paused it. It was definitely a leisurely walk with a little baby playtime thrown in for good measure. We walked a little over a mile and got over 2.5 meals to feed hungry people. So, since Cliff did his app as well, together we amassed that's 5 meals. Yea!