Just Realized How Lazy I've Been About Posting.

Last week I went running at French Rapids with 2 of my workout buddies. It was beautiful, AND I DIDN'T GET ANY TICKS! YAY!

I went on a bike ride with another VISTA on Sunday, it was super fun. Sarah is the best on-bike picture taker I know. It was really windy though, and because of the way the Soo Line Trail is situated- some gravel, some paved- we had to ride the trip BACK in the wind. It was fun, and good training. I saw my first Gold Finch of the season! And a cat eating something dead, and a very large cottontail rabbit. And lots of cows.

It's interesting when you work out hard as fast as possible, it's a different kind of sore than when you do longer trips at a lower intensity level. The muscles in my joints are sore and stiff. Hrm. Lots of stretching.

-Also-

It's so wonderful to have consistently nice weather!

Last Week+Duluth

You might not think that scenic painting is exercise, but you'd be wrong.

I was helping out Eric Gustafson at the UMD Theater: I was a scenic painter & carpenter there through work study all 4 years in college.

It might not actually make you lose any weight (mostly because of the donuts littering the Scene Shop as a way to lure in potential free labor) but it is exercise:

Standing on Concrete= ALWAYS exercise + Furiously slapping 2 colors of wet paint together= kind of exercise + 42 FOOT by (about) 42 FOOT giant flat= Yes. Exercise.

Flat= a FLAT piece of scenery that is usually a fake wall or the like. This case: a Giant Picture Frame.

Who knew how to paint a giant picture frame? Me. Well, not actually. I screwed up the shadowing. But I did make sure they used the right painting process.

On that note, I have now been christened "The Paint Alchemist." I turned brown, green, and yellow into gold. It was fun.

Enough about the theater.

This is totally lame: I was too nervous to go to Tai Chi at the Copper Top Church (in Duluth) on Sunday! I'm so silly!

Reason #1: I'm uncoordinated.

Reason #2: All of my boyfriend's friends are there. And they are boys.

Reason #3: I don't take directions well, as said boyfriend pointed out. :)

Reason #4: I'm uncoordinated.

I'm going next time. There. It's on the internet: now I have to. I will report back after May 2nd.

P.S. I wish it wasn't cold and rainy, because i want to go for a run today. I will go to Anytime Fitness, but my spring fever is kicking in hardcore. But not hardcore enough to run in the rain.

Easter Weekend

Busy Week/end for Easter:

First, we did all kinds of yard work last week! Raked off the flowerbeds and the horseradish and rhubarb.

Then the great battle! Me and the 4 square foot compost pile.

Have you ever tried to turn over a pile of dirt, from the peak down?

It was essentially a draw-i hacked out the tree roots, yes, but my back was killing me for about 4 days before i worked out the kink/misused muscles.

My mom had Easter dinner at her house which is about 1000 square feet... with 13 people. It actually wasn't bad, because it was so beautiful outside! We were outside for most of the afternoon. We put out a chair for Grandma B- she's 96- and she was one of the Bocce Ball judges. My 9 year old niece kicked everyone's butt at least once, Tony finally knocked her from glory.

So, the relevance to training here: Well there was giant dirt/rotten vegetable pile of doom... But also: Eating. I've realized recently that it is automatic for me to overeat- like many people- and with this holiday, I realized that i TRY everything without overeating! Just take a half a scoop instead of a heaping one. I don't feel guilty about eating, and I don't feel like i'm missing out!

Speaking of food, I discovered a really cool blog today, and even if you aren't a Mommy (including myself) there are some really great tips here!

Sneaky Mommy Secrets