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April 15, 2013
“Get Outdoors Weekend”
Ahh, spring. That time when the weather shifts, the birds chirp a little louder, the grass looks greener and the sun shines warmer…unless you live in Calgary. And to be honest, I’m not even complaining – just telling it like it is. Second winter arrived this weekend.
Keep in mind this shot was taken in the morning AFTER we cleaned the snow off and drove for a while to get it warm. It may not look like a lot, but it snowed for most of the weekend here and many highways were on red alert or even closed down. But that’s what you get when you live in the foothills of the Rockies – unpredictable, crazy weather – even if it’s supposed to be spring. 
On that note, I was VERY happy to have gotten up early on Saturday morning to get my first long run of marathon training in: 13 miles of solo fun!
Up at 6, eating around 6:15 am (toast with almond butter, cinnamon and half a banana + a small cup of coffee) and then putzed around, putting off the departure until officially around 7:10 am. Then, it was run time.
I was surprised by how pleasant it was outside – the absolute perfect temperature for running – and was excited to feel fairly good, even after not the best night of eating (a typical, “It’s Friday!” meal that I try not to make a regular just because it’s the weekend…). I ran all along the Bow River, up above it in the hills, back across it and down the Memorial Stairs and turned back, arriving home in just over 2 hours on a foggy, misty morning.
What a great feeling of accomplishment! I came home and Mikey was still in bed – made me feel like a rockstar for committing to that run and doing it before he was awake and kickin’!
It’s been a great first week of Banff Marathon training! June 23rd will be here before I know and I am getting stoked to keep training and make this marathon dream a reality! Below is the plan I’m following (source below) from Hal Higdon that I found online.
(source)
I simply took a “Novice 2″ for a first-time-marathoner and counted back the number of weeks until the marathon, which put me at about 10 weeks out. I started with week 9 as my week 1 and look forward to more 4, 8 and 17 mile runs in the coming week!
On that running note, GOOD LUCK & RUN HARD to all those racing at Boston today! What an accomplishment to get there and run and I hope it’s an amazing experience for you all!
Shortly thereafter, a former client/friend of mine came over to work on my dreads. I was one happy camper when she was done and enjoyed her company and great work on my locks!
That’s when the snow started coming down. We made it to church that night just fine (loving our new series called “Crazy Love” so much!), went out to eat with friends for Mexican afterward (great company during a blizzard!) and then snuggled in for the night, unsure if our planned ski day would go on as planned Sunday. It’s one thing to drive yourself, but a group of 20 cancer survivors and supporters in a bus? We were hoping, but not sure if the day would go on.
…and it did! Thanks to a bus driver who was willing to drive through a few rough patches of road, we made it out to Lake Louise and skied the day away! Wait a second – a full-on ski day in mid-April?!
That’s right.
Special thanks to Peter Anderson, a cancer survivor and Lake Louise ski patroller and the amazing ski guides (Paul, Misasui, Jim and Tom) who stuck with us, guided us down the mountain and gave us incredible tips.
Another huge shout-out to Wellspring Calgary and Anna who organized the event this year and partnered with Southland Transportation and Lake Louise for an incredible (free) day – what a blessing! We didn’t even know it was “Go! Get Outdoors Weekend” when we bumped into MLA and Minister of Wellness Dave Rodney, but that capped the day off when we grabbed a group shot with him and the owner of Lake Louise, Charlie Locke.
(source)
(You can read more about the government’s initiative at the link above; what a neat idea!)
It was an amazing day!
And that was about the weekend – running, indulgent food and skiing with an amazing group of people. Can’t ask for much more than that! 
Anyone else get outdoors this weekend, rain, snow or shine? I love that our government is getting behind the idea of getting people OUTSIDE! Like Dave Rodney said, there are people who aren’t cancer survivors sitting on their couch and watching TV while we were out skiing. You don’t have to be good at anything, it doesn’t have to be for a long time and you can go out solo or with people – just make some time this coming week to get yourself outside – I will too!
Have a great start to your week, friends! Live well & be well,
Bonnie
December 26, 2012
5 Days for 5 Years
Hey guys!
Well, it’s been quite a while since I’ve popped in to say hello because Mikey and I were away celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary in the back country of Little Yoho Valley. So, let me start by wishing you all a belated Merry Christmas! I hope that your last few days have been filled with family and friends, relaxing and eating good food that doesn’t come around too often and also peace as we remember those not with us at this time of year.
I have so much to share but don’t have all the pictures from our family Christmas time (they’re on my in-laws’ camera), so here’s a quick bullet-point recap of the last few days plus a little something special at the end:
- Took off from work Wednesday the 19th with two extra bags of something special – I unexpectedly won the wine draw! I greeted Mikey at the car, ready for the 2.5 hr drive to the trail head, with 10 bottles of wine! He laughed pretty hard and we took off for the mountains, car loaded and full of anticipation.
- We arrived at the Great Divide Lodge around 10 pm (after an essential stop on the way) and brought our gear inside, quickly laying things out and hitting the hay for our 5 am wake up.
- Our goal? To make it to the Stanley Mitchell Hut in one day! (The actual result? Well, we didn’t make it in one day. Let’s just say we broke trail through knee-deep snow and getting about 14 km took us 8 hours…We were exhausted from the sustained effort, disheartened at knowing we wouldn’t make it and ready to stop for the day – but I’ll let the video below tell the rest of the story!)
- We made it out – all 25 km in just under 7 hrs battling some of the most bitter cold and harshest winds I’ve ever experienced – and it was an absolutely epic trip!
- We drove home, showered up and made it to the Christmas Eve service at church with Mikey’s parents by 7 pm! After that it was a late dinner at his parents’ place with a family friend, Betsy, and good time together before our friend Jon arrived around 11 pm from Edmonton. All in all, the last few days were filled with good conversations, sleep-in mornings, great (read: unhealthy but delicious!) food and not much movement – just what we needed after such an intense trip! A big thanks to my in-laws for their generosity, great cooking, encouraging words and support and for a wonderful Christmas! …more on that (mainly in pictures) to come!
I hope you’re all continuing to enjoy a slower paced few days…if you’re feeling anything like me, you’re ready to get back on the clean eating train and get some good workouts in! I’ve taken the last few days off because we worked HARD in the back country for those turns…but now it’s time to hit it again! My friend posted this video on his Facebook wall and it motivated me to brave the cold for a run tomorrow morning – so I’ll leave you with this bit of inspiration.
Catch you guys later! until then, live well & be well!
Bonnie
Weekend Fun & Weekday Anticipations
Hey guys! Tuesday is upon us…here’s to a great rest of the week! And if you’re looking for a great core workout today, look no further than over on Lindsay’s blog for today’s Tuesday Trainer edition of core work. I was unable to get my act together to post a video, but there’s plenty of good ones to choose from there from lots of wonderful women! Check it out and strengthen that core!
Thanks to those of you who commented and tweeted about my Zensah leg sleeves post – I loved sharing my thoughts with you! I wore my sleeves AGAIN today for a good workout – my calves needed the extra support and I was happy to give them a little snug hug in my Carolina blue babies.
Saturday morning after my favorite weekend clients, I headed out to the mall to meet my fellow personal trainers from work for a little shopping spree! Our uniforms are lululemon tops and black pants/capris and every now and then Fifth Avenue Club gives us some money towards clothes (helpful and so generous!). So we got a few work-related clothes and then I picked up this new workout top too…I love it! A fun, cute tank top that I feel great in, and I think it’s wonderful to feel great before, during, and after a workout. lulu’s clothes are expensive, but the quality of the material and the fit is worth it for a few items!
Later Saturday we headed to our friend’s Craig and Mandi’s house for an evening of hanging out. We had a great, healthy meal and the proceeded to go buy gummies and cookie dough for a movie at their place – gotta cave to the goods every now and then when it’s movie time!
You know it!
We didn’t want to leave their house (and are currently in the midst of planning for a sleepover some weekend soon! ) but had to head home to get up early Sunday morning for a Survive & Thrive Expeditions ski day at Lake Louise! A group of young adult cancer survivors and supporters met at Wellspring in Calgary and bussed up to the hill for a gorgeous, fun day of spring skiing. A special thanks to Peter Anderson, a survivor and incredible skier who just started chemo again for his brain tour the day after our event, for organizing the event! Thanks also to the incredible team of ski instructors who volunteered their day to ski with us, our friends Ryan & Elisa (and their adorable baby Bryce) who helped volunteer, and to Lake Louise for the tickets and rentals! What a great, inspiring day.
Monday was a great day at work: 2 at-home clients then to the gym for the afternoon/early evening and then three of my favorite girls to train at night before heading home for an 8 pm dinner. LATE for me! But the new(ish) norm around here. Thankful for work, the ability to help motivate and encourage, a good team to work with, and a chance to workout at work! #noexcuses Today it was all about a quick & effective workout: intervals on the treadmill and core work on the mat (first round speed, second round inclines, third round speed). It was great! Left me sweaty and d.o.n.e.
Funky outfit cred goes to: lululemon (on top), my NorthFace running shorts, Zensah leg sleeves, & New Balance shoes.
Looking forward to some full days of work, good people interaction, celebrating the 10+ year members at a party with work later this week, and a few times with friends interspersed throughout the days.
Hopefully more workouts that leave me like this after they’re done:
From a weekend Tabata workout Saturday: cardio & core, 20 sec on, 10 sec off for 16 total minutes of different moves! I.love.to.move.
What are you looking forward to this week?
Any good workouts planned?
And most importantly, if you could have ANY snack during a movie, what would it be? For me it’s all about licorice/Nibs/Wine Gums…I love the gummies. 
Have a great Tuesday and I’ll connect with you guys soon! Live well & be well,
Bonnie
Easter Weekend in the Mountains
Hey guys! Whew – it’s been a while, hasn’t it? Sorry for the long delay in blogging – I have been absolutely busy living life, just like Tina has been over on her blog. Things have been busy between clients at the gym, in-home clients, our recent conference in Vegas, and time spent with friends over Easter. Speaking of which, I had to share this cute photo I saw on Facebook (not sure of the source):
…Happy (late) Easter! How did everyone spend the weekend (celebrating or not)? I always welcome a three day weekend but above all am so thankful that Easter is about more than cute bunnies! I celebrated this weekend not in church and with family like I usually do, but in the mountains and with friends – both of which are like church and family, come to think of it! Our good friends, Ryan and Susan, who run our Survive & Thrive Expeditions kayaking trip, came up from Idaho for the weekend. Avalanche conditions were more stable, there was lots of fresh snow, and we had a 3-day weekend…it was a recipe for an amazing trip! So out into the back country, out of cell service and away from computers we went.
Day 1: fueled by Pony snacks (that we eat on the river!) & ready to go!
We headed out for a day trip on Friday with our friend Luke in tow to Black Prince in Kananaskis Country. The hike up was long but it was virtually unpopulated and a beautiful day! The only down side? Super slushy, grabby, concrete-like snow. Much more of a coastal snowpack and tough to ski in, but great to get out and tour together and spend the day outside under amazing mountains.
Day 2: fueled by donuts after a great night in Canmore having a Good Friday meal with Mikey’s boss & her friends!
The next day we left, ready for an adventure together and drove up the famous Icefields Parkway on another gorgeous day. Our destination this time? Parker Ridge, where we planned to skin up and ski down a fun face and lap it all.day.long. And that’s exactly what we did!
Despite some bad blisters (I’m talking silver dollar-sized!) that Susan endured, the day was perfect. We got 5 or 6 runs in and tracked out the place (you can tell in the first picture above). Warm weather, good friends, and perfect conditions – a Saturday doesn’t get much better, my friends!
That night we headed to the one and only stop around, The Crossing, for a place to stay. It was cozy and crammed, but we enjoyed hanging out together in the little hut with amazing mountain views, a warm shower, and comfortable beds. We debated camping outside and had brought all our gear, but we were glad we stayed inside and chilled out all evening.
Our last day began with lots of hiking and elevation gain as we chose to summit Cirque Peak. Once again we got some amazing weather and were so thankful to be outside in it! The views were amazing, the skiing was epic, and the company delightful, as always; even the snowboarder and skiier we met and hung out with were great to have along to the summit and down.
Our lines!
Beautiful views; heading down.
It was definitely a weekend to remember. Mikey and I do have video and more pictures from Ryan and Susan coming soon, but it was too great not to share what we had right now! We love these guys and sure appreciated an uninterrupted weekend of fun and good conversation with Ryan and Susan. Thanks for making the trek up to Calgary to connect, guys!
And since tomorrow is Tuesday, here’s a head’s up on what Lindsay will be putting together for this week’s Tuesday Trainer:
Head over to her site tomorrow for some more Adventurous April submissions, the idea behind which comes from Janetha over at Meals and Moves. Check out her site for info and join the community of people taking small steps to try something new this month! Love this initiative.
When’s the last time you tried something adventurous? Cooked a new-to-you squash, tried a new machine at the gym, joined a new fitness class, finally said “hi” to that lonely person in your work place? Big or small, whatever it is, here’s to an adventurous month and some personal growth along the way.
Thanks for putting up with my sporadic posting…it’s good to be back! Be on the look out for more videos/pics from the weekend and some new workouts to add to your repertoire! Live in the truth and power of Christ’s Resurrection today! Live well & be well friends,
Bonnie
D5 Creation