The scale vs. me

Hello Scale –

Will we be friends after the holidays?  Hmmm…Let’s see I’ve haven’t been running, walking or even wearing my pedometer.  I’ve been eating whatever I want ~ whenever I want including cookies and coffee for breakfast.   I’ve been drinking many delicious things including my new favorite Angry Orchard Hard Cider – Crisp Apple.  I did make some lovely homemade Chicken noodle soup and veggie quesadillas yesterday but somehow I don’t think that will counteract all the goodies I have enjoyed over the last couple of weeks.  So scale – you and I will meet on the January 2^nd.  Be ready!

Hot Buttered Rum

Hot Buttered Rum Recipe

One of the reasons I run.  This is an ridiculously easy and a delicious winter treat that my husband and I love.

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter

2 cups vanilla ice cream

rum

water

nutmeg

1. Combine sugar, brown sugar and butter in a 2-quart saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted (6-8 min).

2. Combine cooked mixture with ice cream in a large mixing bowl, and beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often until smooth (1-2 min).  (I just add the ice cream to the warm mixture and stir.)  Store refrigerated up to 2 weeks or frozen up to one month.

3. For each serving, fill one-quarter of a mug with mixture, add one-ounce rum and three-quarters of a cup of boiling water. Sprinkle with nutmeg.

Read more: Old Fashioned Hot Buttered Rum recipe http://www.drinksmixer.com/drink5667.html#ixzz2EhZXQc3K

Happy Day

                          A walk with my daughter is better than any run.

Daylight Savings Time aka I loathe the treadmill

The forty-minute mile – okay not really but it seems like it on the treadmill

Eating, not running, gained 3 pounds.  Darn!  Hit it.  Along with an abundance of children’s activities than came daylight saving time.  By the time I get home it’s almost dark.   I don’t run in the dark.  Scary.  So, I hit the treadmill.  I dislike the treadmill greatly.  Our treadmill is in the basement facing an old TV that doesn’t work.  There are old toys and what appears to be trash from my son skateboarding down there.  I listen to my iPod so that helps.  Favorite songs of the night – Tie a Yellow Ribbon ‘Round the Old Oak Tree and Leader of the Pack. (I know but it made me happy).  There is no breeze in the basement and no view except a stapled up sign to the drywall of  “It’s A Boy!” from when our son was born.  I have looked at the damn sailboat for many miles.   I totally don’t get it but I go slower on the treadmill even though it seems like a run faster and it takes a lot longer to get to three miles.  I mean I know it doesn’t but holy heck it sure seems like it.  This weekend – it’s going to be beautiful.  I can’t wait to get outside for a run or two and enjoy the weather.  

Back on "track"

Over the last few weeks with kids’ sports, teaching, classes, family obligations, colds…you know…life, there’s been little time for me much less me and running.  So, today, I got back to the track and got my normal three miles on but there was a lot of walk in my run.  It’s funny how quickly your body loses its memory for the run.  My head buzzed (that could be from my passing cold), my heart was beating fast, and my legs didn’t hurt but probably will tomorrow.  With all my minor discomforts, it felt good to be outside and running again.  As I’ve gotten older, exercise has been crucial in being able to eat the occasional Reese’s Peanut Butter Sundae (hypnotically, of course).  It’s easy to watch the pounds creep back on  - they’re sneaky like that.  On this beautiful fall day, I was glad to get back on track!

Hills

Hills are hard. That is all.

My biggest fan - The Groundhog

My family is a big fan, too. They want run especially when I’m stressed or grumpy. It’s better for all of us. But that groundhog…. He (they) is always there. There are two places I run a lot ~ a park and school. At the park, there is a family of groundhogs; one or all of them are always there to greet me. These groundhogs are not afraid of people. They seem to enjoy the traffic around the trail. I often stop running to get a picture of my friends. I always slow down as I come down this giant hill. They are at the bottom and usually right on the paved trail. The school groundhog is a bit shyer. He runs at the sight of me. The other day, he was peeking around the corner at me as I came around the school. Then he ran in his burrow as fast as he could. Being an elementary school teacher, I am well acquainted with the groundhog. I look forward to February 2 every year. Did or didn’t he see his shadow? Will there be an early spring or 6 more weeks of winter? I even have a cute paper cup groundhog pop-up puppet we make. These groundhogs are different they are my running groundhogs, my fans, my friends. And for some strange reason I feel encouraged by them. I’d liked to have a t-shirt made. Runs with the Groundhogs! They are pretty darn cute, aren't they?