A time of renewal

I was up bright and early this fine Easter morning.  I went for my regular Sunday morning practice run with the Running Room.  It was just me and my clinic instructor this morning and she asked me if I wanted to try running the incline on Cootes Paradise.  Going down was a breeze because it was all down hill.  Coming up?  That was another story entirely.  Not only was I already tired because it was the end of the run, but it was all up hill!  What was I thinking to agree to something like this?

Let me tell you I felt like utter crap by my last interval.  My legs felt like lead and I just wanted to curl up into a fetal position and cry like a baby.  But my instructor was great.  She kept talking to me and getting me to focus on things and before I knew it, we were done.  I can't believe that I finished without embarrassing myself by sobbing uncontrollably or losing my faculties.  And the funniest part of the whole run was that once I was coherent again, I actually uttered the words, "that was great...I feel great...I can't wait to do it again"!  I have clearly developed some masochistic tendencies.

My instructor said that she doesn't love running, but loves how it makes her feel.  I totally understand what she means by that.  I can't even categorize myself as a runner, but when I'm struggling in the middle of my run, swearing that this is definitely the last one I'm doing EVER...the minute I finish, I'm pumped to do it again. And I feel like a million bucks!  Maybe I'll never run more than 5K, but right now I don't care.  The endorphins that running releases is a huge motivator to keep on going.  That and I have a great group of running girls who are super supportive and also keep me focused.

This cracks me up every time I see it.
And is 100% true in my case.  Ask anyone I run with!

So my eating this holiday weekend.  Well, overall, I didn't do too badly.  Although I followed more Phase 2 than Phase 1 of the metabolic diet that I'm on, I actually did pretty good overall.  Yesterday I had dinner with my family and prepared my mother's traditional Easter meal of ham, scalloped potatoes, sauerkraut with kielbasa, sauteed shredded carrots and roasted green beans.  I only ate the ham (which is super high in sodium), sauerkraut (also higher in sodium), and the green beans.  And I drank an ocean of water.  I also didn't eat any of the cranberry orange loaf that I made, or the apple pie I served...or any of the chocolate that is bountiful at any Easter feast.

Today I had dinner with my in-laws.  I pigged out on salad and roasted chicken.  Oh sure there was also lasagna, peas (the ones with mushrooms and garlic that I love), potatoes and tons of desserts (including more chocolate), but I stuck strictly to the chicken and salad.  I didn't find my will power lacking or temptation rearing it's ugly head.  After all, there will be Easter again next year.  Maybe by then I'll be in a place where I can enjoy a few more things during celebrations.  Overall it was an enjoyable weekend.  I got to spend time with the people I love most and even got to see some visiting family who live in another province.

What made this holiday special for me:

1. Seeing the excitement on my son's face when he realized that the Easter bunny had left him something.  
2. The people I got to spend it with.  
3. Conquering my run this morning and pushing myself to do something that made me nervous and doubtful of my abilities.
4. Being able to cook my family dinner without the exclusion of family favourites, while still maintaining my willpower and dedication to myself and my health.

Hope you all had an awesome Easter weekend!