Little Sheep Virtues

Happy Friday! I'm pretty excited to be sharing this cross stitch project with you all.

Pattern: Little Sheep Virtues 1-12 by Little House Needleworks and Count Your Blessings by Country Cottage Needleworks

Linen: 36 Count Natural Belfast Linen from Kitten Stitcher

Thread: All the called for DMC plus 3722 and 3820

Final Measurements of the stitching: 14 by 14 inches

I first saw these patterns on Pinterest back in 2017 all stitched up together and it was just so lovely. I wanted to do something similar but I was looking for a different center pattern. I finally decided on the Count Your Blessings and knew that if I did a 4x4 square then the empty center spot would be a good fit for it.

I started the project on 30 count linen 1 over 2 in September of 2019 but I just wasn't liking the coverage. So I put it away and lost my stitchy bug for a long time. Enter Covid-19 and lockdown/layoff from work for 7 weeks and all of a sudden I had lots of time and not much to do. On April 21, 2020 I restarted the first block called Hope and I finished the last stitch on May 31st, 2020...

I made some changes to a few of the blocks as I went along:

• Block 2 - Love, I changed the 221 DMC to 3722 DMC. It's a pretty dusky pink and I think it worked better than christmas red for a love block. The little hearts on the bums of the sheep I did in the same neutral as block 3, 7 and 12

• Block 3 - Peace, I recharted a peace sign on the sheep bum

• Block 6 - Simplicity, I changed the 780 DMC to 3820 DMC. I wanted the sun to be more yellow

• Block 9 - Friendship I also used 3820 DMC for the flowers

• Block 11 - Gratitude, I used the 3722 DMC for the heart and the 3820 DMC for some of the leaves

• For the spacing of the blocks themselves, I wanted to keep them fairly close to each other so there is 1 empty stitch in between before I started the next one. Same with the rows below, 1 space.

• Count Your Blessings, I used the colour palette from the Virtues blocks and changed the house to 3820 DMC. I live in a yellow house, I like yellow houses :) I changed the fruit in the trees to 221 (they look like apples and we have an apple tree), I changed the flowers in the grass and the numbers to 3722 DMC because it just looked better. I made up my border to mimic the borders on the Virtues blocks. 

I kind of wished I had recharted the words to match the font on the Virtues blocks but I didn't... I may go back and redo that but I may just leave it. I'm also not totally sold on the Ecru used for the all the white with this linen colour. It doesn't stand out a lot, like the snowflake on the Hope block isn't a grabber like I wish it was. I am not going to redo all the Ecru though, no way! I'm on the lookout for a good frame for this one. I'm not sure if I'll get it professionally framed or try it myself. Maybe when Michaels has it's next sale I'll pick one up.

Over all I really love this piece. I had a great time stitching it mostly during #stitchmaynia as my #stitchsania piece a la Lindy Stitches. Each block was like having a new start and I loved how the colours played with each other even though I was messing with the order of things. It was also a meditation of sorts as I took in each word that I was working on, Hope, Love, Peace, Courage, Faith, Simplicity, Patience, Wisdom, Friendship, Kindness, Gratitude, Joyfulness and lastly Count Your Blessings. I couldn't have picked a better project to work on during this pandemic period.

Thanks for reading about my Little Sheep Virtues project. If you have questions that I didn't answer in this post leave a comment. And if you'd like to follow along with my progress on all things crafty head on over to my Instagram. I usually post there a few times a week. 

Mask Sewing

Well I bit the bullet and made up some masks for the family on the weekend. I used this tutorial I found on YouTube and some of my fun fabric stash... It was so easy, especially for a beginner like me.

But, I made some modifications of course...

- I reshaped the nose area so it wouldn't be too bulky

- cut the lower corner that went too close the ears for my liking

- I didn't add the wire bit to the nose, I think the mask fit well without it

- I found the length given for the elastics too small and it pulled on the ears... for my size I used 6 inches but for my daughter I used 7 inches, and I liked that way better. For B and his large mask I used 8 inches, also I made his mask about half an inch bigger than the pattern...

This is where I cut the tip off the pattern to make it fit a bit better by the ear

I really enjoyed making these! I could see myself making more but I really don't want to... Not many places are expecting people to wear masks but some are. I'm not against wearing a mask, heck I wear them at work all day and have for over 20 years... I'd do it to follow the "rules" and to do my part to protect people but I also know full well that this virus is primarily transferred from hand to mouth and the best way to prevent getting it, is to wash your hands and not touch your face...

But, when in a Pandemic... it's pretty cool to wear a cute homemade mask!

The two masks on the left have pointier bits at the bottom and the two on the right are modified

Have you made any masks? How about those ear savers? I made a bunch back in April for some care aids in long term homes. They were quick to crochet and I hope they helped...

Isn't it great to see so many free patterns around for making items like these? Thanks to all those that put free content out there, it's such a lovely gift and I appreciate it so much!

Cheers,
Jill

A Rambly Update

Hi everyone, it's been a bit. I've been thinking about restarting this blog for awhile now. I miss sharing what I'm up too and I miss planning and writing posts. I don't miss trying to fit into a niche though and so I've decided that this blog is going to be a ramble, just like the blog title suggests, of all my interests. And I have a few!

So I think what I'll do for this first post of 2020 is share 10 things I'm all into lately...

1. Running/Fitness: I'm still running 3-4 times a week although I have nothing to train for this year (thanks Covid-19 for all the race cancellations). I've been running with a friend in the mornings and it's been great. I've always been a solo runner but I'm loving the chatty hour runs we've been doing, it's seriously helped a ton dealing with all the uncertainty this year has brought. This spring has been the windiest I've ever experienced, it makes getting out for a run a bit of a slog some days. I keep having to remind myself that there are no mosquitoes and the wind is better than hill training! Also our little hometown gym is not opening up anytime soon due to the restrictions our province has placed in phase 3. I'm hoping phase 4 eases those and I can get back to doing some weights. All in all, I haven't been a sloth during this pandemic but I'm not as active as I'd like to be either.

Got new shoes in May, Saucony Feedom 3's. My feet are so happy!

2. Cross Stitch: Wow did I get all into this lately! I bought a ton of fabric and floss and patterns during the lockdown (for me this was about 7 weeks starting the end of March and back to work the second week of May). I also participated in #stitchmaynia (Instagram link to the hashtag), and loved it. I finished some projects and started a few more, including my first HAED. I plan on writing a few posts about all of this in the coming weeks. My love affair with needle and thread is pretty intense right now so don't be surprised if you see lots of cross-stitch posts!

3. Sewing/Quilting: I feel like I'm just getting my sewing bug back. It's been a long time since I've felt a pull from my machine. This weekend I've been really happy puttering away in my fabric stash. It's shocking how much fabric I have for someone who sews so seldomnly. I've also wasted whiled away many hours on Pinterest looking at quilt projects. I have plans to finish my red and white quilt top and then start a scrappy log cabin quilt for my niece. I've also started making project bags for my cross-stitch projects. I'm still very much a novice but I'm enjoying the process.

4. The Garden: Well this has been the worst season for wind my poor garden has ever seen. I was so excited about this year too! My husband and son made me a grow shelf and during lockdown I started about 40 tomato plants. They look pretty sad right now. I hope they're just going to root deep and produce amazing tomatoes in a few months but I'm also crossing my fingers. There hasn't been much rain this spring and farmers are feeling it. So is my lawn and garden... I planted a bunch of pots of petunias and they at least are looking amazing...

They look even better, this picture is a few weeks old, I went with red and white as a theme this year

5. Camping/Adventuring: Not so much planned so far. As I said our province is in phase 3 of reopening after a 6 week shutdown due to the Corona Virus. We haven't booked any camping trips right now but I'm hoping we'll get out a few times this summer. I bought roof racks for my car for the kayak and I'd love to get out on the water but the wind! Such a bummer. I also haven't done much hiking yet. I'd like to get out to Echo Provincial Park to do some trail running soon and really should just make a plan and get to it.

6. Knitting: Not much happening here although I have a pair of socks for B that just need heels put in and yarn to make some socks for Beth. I have a great sweater on the needles that I started back in March with really lovely yarn but I put it down when I started to cross-stitch and I haven't picked it back up. I really should. I haven't been buying much yarn in the past few years and tend to knit my stash. I still have a few projects on the needles that I'd like to finish so I should make a plan for them too.

7. Crafting in General: I have so many different projects on the go from bracelet making to dreamcatchers to rug twining. I have a ton of supplies and no desire to do it right now... I'll get back to them I'm sure but my craft room is looking a little full lately...

8. Cooking: I tried my hand at starting sour dough starter like many people during lockdown and just failed miserably at it. It was kind of funny for awhile how sad my loaves were... I'm thinking I should try again now that it's warmer but it takes such a long time to make sourdough bread and I'm not sure I have it in me to stick with it. I've been cooking so much at home due to everything being closed that I'm pretty sick of it honestly... I'm looking at getting a new cookbook to test out this summer and try to spice things up again. If you have some favourites shoot me a comment, I'd love some suggestions...

9. House Plants: Are they all the rage right now or what? I've always had house plants. Some I've had for 20 years, others bite the dust if they can't take a week or 2 of neglect... Lately though my daughter has gotten all into house plants and she's been buying them for me too so now I feel obligated not to kill them... Anyway, they're fun and I'm learning that it takes more than water and the occasional bit of fertilizer to make them happy...

I'm in love with this Monstera

10. Family/Home: B and the kids and the gsp pup Josie are all doing well and are healthy in spite of this virus. I'll post some pictures of them all soon... We did a partial kitchen reno last year and I've still got the island and counters to do. It looks so good though and I love our white kitchen. There are still more projects than time or money in this old house but I feel like it's coming along and now we are finally getting to the fun part. I like designing and dreaming and making the Pinterest boards come to life so I guess I'm grateful for big old houses.

Corona sister haircut

Thanks for giving this long catch up post a read. Let me know what you've been up to in the comments below. Places to find me outside the blog: I'm most active on Instagram and you can find me on Ravelry too. I track my running and fitness on Strava, love that platform so much, and I'm on Pinterest of course!

Stay safe and healthy!
Cheers,
Jill

Out with the old and in with the new

As I mentioned in my last post, we got a new camper last summer. I've been ready for an upgrade for ages.

I loved the freedom that the old Vangaard gave us, it was a quirky vintage (old 1976, but still working) camper. The cold water worked and the bathroom was useable, great for storage. There was lots of storage space and Sam loved the bunk. I loved the windows and how light it was in there. It was small, 21ft long and easy to get into small camp sites, which are usually the best ones anyway.

It was also a pain in the bum. It was super heavy to pull and swayed in the wind (this is Saskatchewan, the wind is always blowing here). It was musty and the fridge would mould. I had to make up the beds every night and they were lumpy and uncomfortable. There was no hot water (not that that was an issue, we camp off grid usually anyway) and the awning was super hard to unroll and of course to roll back up. Random things would break or leak because they were old. Thankfully they were pretty easy to fix, there isn't any computer anything in these old campers. No sensors to mis read or just not work...

I mean I could have kept it and done a glamper reno but it just seemed like so much work for something we only use a few times a year.

Cue the visit to the travel RV sales place... because new and shiney...

Of course everything in there is freaking amazing and new and beautiful and expensive. And of course I forgot how little we actually camp when we were looking for our dream camper (under 25ft, queen bed, working bathroom, lots of storage space, big fridge)...

We found pretty much exactly what I wanted: 23 ft, tons of space, sleeping couch/bed for Sam, great kitchen, nice bed, amazing awning with led lights, outside speakers, solar capability, so much storage! A few things that weren't exciting: microwave and tv, tiny windows and extremely dark interior, no way to bypass or override fridge controls, cheap plastic fixtures, dealer stickers everywhere, everything has a light on it to tell you it's running so constant battery drainage...

So because my youngest is now too old for daycare and I don't have that monthly payment, why not buy an overly expensive camper and pay every 2 weeks for the rest of my life? Why indeed, sigh... I want to not regret this purchase because there is so much I love about this camper but if I'm being honest, well, I kinda do. So instead of dwelling on that and because there is no way we can sell it and come out ahead, I'm determined to make the best of it.

First thing: We are going to camp a lot more!

I am going to reno the interior of this camper whether Brent likes the idea or not... shhh... don't tell him!

I have plans to paint it white inside... gasp... I know, it's brand new, but frankly I don't care. I'm going to keep this thing forever. It could totally work for us for the next 20 or more years and since that's probably how long it will take to pay it off, I say paint it white!!!

I already made curtains for it because the original ones were pretty hideous. I threw down a rug I've had for 20 years that used to hang on my wall. Funny how it was so precious for so long and now it's living in the camper.

I'm planning some kind of wall art/hanging in various places all over and fairy lights because every space is better with fairy lights.

I'm undecided about the fate of the tv. It seems like a waste of space to me since we will never use it. I need to figure out a plan for that area though. It could be shelves for knick knacks or maybe some kitchen pantry/spice cabinet... I'm just not sure.

Even though there is a ton of cabinets and storage, they are big and deep cabinets. They need shelves to make them more useable, otherwise there is just a lot of empty space at the top.

I'm testing out command hooks in various places. What I like about them is they're not permanent. If they aren't working in that spot then I can move them.

I'm also determined to take off all the outside stickers and gross gluey mess they leave behind. My camper shouldn't be an advertisement for some dealership unless I'm getting paid to do that. So Glue-be-gone is my best friend.

The plan for next year isn't set in stone yet but I want to get out at least 4 times. Summer is a tough season for Brent, he's an electrician and self employed, it's his busiest time. I'd like to learn how to hook up and drive this thing though and then I can take Sam and go, Brent could meet us when he can. Plus it's bad ass for women to have skills like trailer hook ups and backing into sites. I can do it! Ha ha. I think I can anyway!

I'm still researching the places I'd like to see. There are so many and most revolve around hiking and running trails. Seriously the best part of camping is the exploring... and the campfire food...

Are you a camper? Any favourite things to do and eat while out? Have you ever made a large purchase that you regret? Any tips for camper reno's? Leave me a comment below and let me know what your thoughts are.

Cheers and happy camping!
Jill

Well, Hello

It's funny how this blog ebbs and flows, or maybe coughs and stutters...

I love the idea of writing regularly but I find that it's like anything else I do, inspired for a time and then a chore later and eventually abandoned. I think it's because I put these expectations around what I'm doing and it just feels so rigid and tight. It's also themed and scheduled and I rebel against that after a while.

So I changed the name of my blog to reflect my rambling nature which I think will allow me to go off on tangents like I do. It's permission to follow my curiosity. And I'm curious by nature. A life long student, I love getting into something new and throwing myself 120% all in. For days, weeks, months, I soak in everything I can. Then when I'm at least proficient, I get distracted by something else... The cycle starts again... lather, rinse, repeat...

The older I get the more accepting I am of this part of myself. It can be annoying to those around me when I'm in the middle of the learning process. I just get so excited! Hopefully I can pour and temper some of that here. Or fuel it!

I have no real plan or format for this reincarnation of the blog. I do think I'll be posting when ever I feel like it. Could be once a week or more or less. I don't want to feel like I need to schedule posts or put something out there if I have nothing to say.

How 'bout a little catch up?

I'm currently doing some big renovations in my house. We're redoing our kitchen and I can't wait to write some posts about it! This reno has really got me excited about revamping the rest of the house. My living room was done a few years ago and I want to update it a bit... I've also discovered an online auction business in my small town. I have found so many treasures especially suited to the farmhouse look I'm going for.

My crafting life is still rich, I'm knitting and quilting. I'm just finishing my first official quilt and I'm in love. I think I love this quilt so much because of all the mistakes and imperfections. Really, don't look too closely... it's pretty awful but I'm so pleased with it anyway! I'm really wanting to make my own couch slipcover out of a dropcloth... and paint and distress some furniture, and recover an old ratty ottoman. I could list a million things I want to make. If I could find a way to make a living making, I would... My problem is I want to make all the things! All right now!

I've recently changed my diet to a keto/low carb/primal/paleo way of eating. I'm eliminating pretty much 100% of the processed food in my life and trying to find a balance between low carb and still eating a plant based diet. I do eat meat, I'm not interested in giving it up but I'm struggling with the whole macro thing a bit. I've also gotten serious about fasting. I aim for a 16-18 hour fast everyday. That's actually easy for me, I've never been a good breakfast eater.

As for excercise, well I had high hopes this year of running a 50k. It didn't happen. I did have a great 6 months of running though. I improved so much and enjoyed the heck out of it. I've not run since June. I miss it. I plan to get back to it soon. I'd also like to incorporate more strength into my life too. Not crazy lifting, I'm not enough of a gym rat for that, but maybe some body weight stuff at home. We'll see how that goes. Also winter is coming, like it came already, snowed, froze, melted, is warm right now but I'm not holding my breath, it's going to be a long one I can feel it. So with that in mind, I'm determined to get out skating and snowshoeing. I'd also like to ski with Sam a few times.

What else? Well I'm still a picture taking maniac. I love it, it's fun. We've been camping (sold the old Vangaard, got a new camper, will tell all soon). Been back to BC to visit a few times. Not much travel other than that.

The places I haunt...

My Pinterest account is a great source of inspiration for me. I'm a prolific pinner. It's embarasing but true...

I'm most active on Instagram. I post in bursts, just like I blog. I follow some great accounts that inspire me and I chase hashtags that fuel the creativity and fire of whatever I'm geeking out on. Right this moment it's farmhouse decor and handquilting...

I still have a Ravelry account and I while I'm not knitting as voraciously as I have in the past, I still use Rav all the time. It's the best knitting resource there is. I'm not active on the forums but I still queue patterns and add the odd new project to my page.

I think that's it for this post. It's taken me most of the morning to redesign and format this blog, blogger is pretty easy to navigate, thank goodness. I also had to download around 1200 pictures off my phone and onto my laptop so I could add a few... That's a process too... Anyway, thanks for reading this far.

Have you found yourself ready to revisit old interests? How do you reinvent yourself after a time away from blogging or social media? Are you a curiosity chaser?  Let me know in the comments below. Catch you next time.

Cheers,
Jill

Sunday Recap

Hey there, it's Sunday again... time for another training recap and Happy Mother's Day!

So for the week of May 8th to the 14th:

Monday: PT session with Mallory
Duration: 1hr

Tuesday: Week 7 Run 1
Distance: 3.8k
Time: 29:07
Average Pace: 7:38/k
Notes: I was short on time before yoga so I went for a quick half hour run. The wind was pretty crazy and I really had to battle against it in some spots, the flip side to that is it helped push me along in spots too... Balance!

Vinyasa Flow Yoga
Duration: 1hr 30m
Notes: This was a long class, slow and deep hamstring and hip stretching. Very nice!

Wednesday: PT session with Mallory
Duration: 1hr
Notes: I worked hard this class and felt it the next day. I love that sore (but not in pain) feeling.

Thursday: Rest Day

Friday: Week 7 Run 2
Distance: 6.1K
Time: 45:44
Average Pace: 7:30/K
Notes: This was a hot and sweaty run. I forgot to bring water with me and felt the lack for sure.

Saturday: Rest Day (such a windy day!)

Sunday: Week 7 Run 3 - Mother's Day
Distance: 9.4K
Time: 1:08:44
Average Pace: 7:17/K
Notes: I went out early before the wind started and I'm so glad I did because it sure has picked up to gale force again. We've had the windiest spring this year. It makes for tough running. I brought water and that was perfect. If I had realized how close I was to 10k I would've kept going around another few blocks! Oh well. It was a good run.

Total distance this week: 19.3K
Total time: 2h 23m

Question Time:

How do you train in bad weather? Outside? Inside?

Sunday Running Recap

Another week of training in the books. And the spring weather is so fantastic! It's getting hot now and I love it! Makes running more difficult though. I need to underdress more and carry water with me. Also there are bugs flying around now... some hit me, some miss me, and some get too close for comfort...

Anyway for the week of May 1st - May 7th:

Monday - Personal Training with Mal
Duration: 1hr
Notes: this round is killer on my upper arms and quads...

Tuesday - Vinyasa Flow Yoga at Surya Yoga
Duration: 1hr 15min
Notes: still loving yoga and wishing I could make myself do more during the week but that hasn't happened yet

Wednesday - Week 6 Run 1
Distance: 5.3K
Time: 40:12
Average Pace: 7:34/k
Notes: I felt tired and like this run was a slog but my stats on Strava looked good... Not sure why I felt this way but even a lousy run is good training I guess

PT with Mal
Duration: 1hr
Notes: I was really tired after a 45 minute HIIT session with Mallory and the run earlier! My whole body is exhausted after I step out of her gym!

Thursday - Rest Day

Friday - Week 6 Run 2
Distance: 4.4K
Time: 32:42
Average Pace: 7:17/k
Notes: Hottest day ever! It was 24C when I started and maybe 26C when I finished. Sam had a hockey tournament in the city so I didn't run long but that was ok with me! So sweaty! I realised during this run that I need to wear shorts and a tank and figure out how to carry water with me because I was overheated!

Saturday - Rest Day

added a run to the Bell Barn to my Perimeter Run

Sunday - Week 6 Run 3 - long run
Distance: 8.7k
Time: 1:05:36
Average Pace: 7:32/k
Notes: My goal for this run was to hit the 1 hour mark. I'm going to try to make Sunday's my "long run" day... For the next few weeks just running for an hour is good enough for me... after that I'll try adding in some more distance/time... I also wanted to test out my new handheld water bottle by Nathan. I like it so far. Glad to have water with me when it gets hot. I think I may buy another for the left hand (I held it on my right this run) because I can see how it would be great to have water in one hand and electrolyte mix in the other, especially if it's hot when I'm out on my long runs. Over this summer they will increase in length from 1 hour to 2 and half at least...

Brent loves me and makes breakfasts like this! So amazing! There are 2 pancakes under all those peaches.

So my total distance for this week: 18.5K
Total time: 2hr 18min

Question Time: 

Do you carry water on your runs and if you do what's your favourite way to do it, handheld, hydration belt, vest? If you don't carry water, do you plan your runs around water breaks or fountains or home? Do you stash water somewhere along your planned route? 

April Recap and May Goals 2017

Hello everyone! I can't believe the month is over, it went by so quickly. April started off with chilly days (-11C windchills) and warmed up to 17C and then snowed! Lots! And it got cold again, and just now at the end of the month it warmed up to 18C. Crazy rollercoaster for sure! I've run in snow gear and shorts all within a few days... So is spring in Canada...

So my April goals were:

• 6-8 PT sessions with Mal - We did 6!
• Yoga class once a week and possible home sessions if the studio is closed - I did 3 classes (one at home) 
• 12-15 walk/runs about 30-45 minutes in length - 13 training runs!!!
• 45-50k monthly total (this feels like a big number but it can happen) - Smashed this 62K!!!
• 10-12 Zombie! Run! missions - 7 runs with the app, sometimes having too many apps running at the same time is just loud and annoying...
• Finish 4 more weeks of C25K training (my app says by the end of the month I'll be running 25 minutes straight. I find that so incredible I'm not sure I can even write that down as a goal... I do think I will be running 10 minutes followed by 1 minute walking breaks but I'll throw it out here anyway) - I quit using the app the first week into the month, I was struggling with a sore right hip and shin splints and I felt the app was moving quicker that my body could adapt, so I'm following my Coach's plan and am up to running 5:1 run/walk intervals with no pain, mind you I ran on the treadmill on Friday and did a 15 minute run, 3 minute walk, 15 minute run followed by a cool down (super proud of that!)...

So I accomplished half of what I set out to do. I'm good with that. I'm running stronger everyday and I'm really pleased with my progress. I hit so close to my 5K PB the other day (35:50 from 2014) and I'm really excited to blast it out of the water by the end of May at the Perogy Run. 

My May goals are:

• 6-8 PT session with my coach
• 12-14 training runs
• trail running every sunday
• yoga every tuesday or at home when the studio is closed
• run 75K this month
• 10 zombie runs
• PR at my 5k race on May 27th the Montmartre Perogy Run

Question Time:

Did you hit your goals this past month? Do you have a new list for May? 

Sunday Running Recap

Howdy! How's your Sunday going? Get outside today? We sure did, lots of pictures at the end of this post!

Here is my recap for the week of April 24th to the 30th:

Monday - Rest Day - but I moved the university student back home for the summer and I had a chiropractor appointment to work on my right hip, he was so excellent and I think it really helped...

Tuesday - Rest Day - had an extra long work day, training that went so much longer than I planned for, tired aching feet... no yoga, boo

Wednesday - Pt session 9 - first session of the new workout plan, lots of lateral strengthening movements and heavier weights and back work! And OMG the core work was hard!
Duration: 1hr

Thursday - Rest Day -  drove up to Saskatoon after work for some professional development courses and hit the mall... shopping can be fun :)

Friday - Early morning hotel treadmill run, Week 5 Run 1
time: 40m
I did a 2 minute warm up, ran 15 minutes, walked 3 minutes, ran 15 minutes and cooled down for 5 minutes... the treadmill was slightly broken I think, it didn't record a distance (or maybe I couldn't figure out how display it) I felt great and strong but really sweaty! I can't believe I can run 15 minutes straight on a treadmill! Now to do that out on the road!

Saturday - Week 5 Run 2
Distance: 5.4K
Time: 40:24
Average Pace: 7:28/k
I hit really close to my 5K PB on this run! It's from my very first 5k, 3 years ago. I ran it April and it was cold and rainy and miserable and I came in at 35:50... I think I could beat this soon, I ran a 36:43 according to Strava! So excited about that!!! Plus the weather was cool but so bright and sunny. Just what I needed at the end of a long week. And another plus, someone littered bows along the side of the road, made me think about running being a gift and about the nerve of some people littering... Like who does that?

Sunday: Family trail hike/run
Distance: 8.4K
Time: 1:27:18
Average Pace: 10:23/k
Went out to Echo Provincial Park again... walked the first half with the boys and ran the uphills, ran the last bit quite a lot... was a beautiful day today!

So my total distance for this week: 13.8k (I could add another 3-4k from that treadmill run I think so lets say it's actually about 17k)
Total time: 3hrs 27min

Question Time:

Do you run on a treadmill? At home, the gym? Or do you prefer running outside?

Echo Park Virgin Trail Run

Hi! Picture heavy post coming up.

I drove out to Echo Valley Provincial Park with my family yesterday and got a run/hike in. It was so great! I'm completely going to incorporate this into my weekly training from now on. I can't wait to explore there more!

In the truck ready to adventure! It was so cold yesterday! Sunny but -5C with the wind. I'm over the cold thing... time for summer!

These ski trails and the hiking trails too could use better signage. Some places were not marked but obviously well kept. I'm really impressed with how well the trails are looked after!

Still waiting for the trees to bud out. Everything is looking pretty stark... The ticks are out now too (yuck), the upside, no mosquitoes!

I ran ahead most of the time and did some backtracking and looping to keep these 2 close. Josie the gsp pup must have ran triple her normal amount trying to stick with me and then chasing back to visit with the boys...

Went down the Mink Trail and hit one of the tenting areas close to Pasqua Lake. Such a pretty spot to camp! But I don't think our trailer would fit here. I'd be willing to tent it though, bring the kayak and do some running... That might be a perfect summer weekend getaway!

Decided to follow this trail back up to the truck...

This lake looks so lovely! I can't wait to get the kayak on it!

So I've been thinking about doing stair workouts (like this one or this one from the Tone It Up gals, super great free workout content and such a fun vibe!) for awhile now but there are no stairs big enough in my town. This set will be perfect! Shallow at the bottom and normal at the top. I can do these! They were fun!

 View from the top

The ginger fella died at the top of the hills... It was kinda funny... They were steep though! A nice burn for the quads and good practice to run up.

There were lots of trails to choose from. Next time I'll do all the cross country ski trails up on top of the valley first and then hit the hiking trails by Pasqua Lake. I'm really stoked about exploring these this summer!

And of course when you spend almost 7k running trails you order the biggest messiest burger in town, thank you JV for your mozza, mushroom, bacon burger! So good!

Here are a few Strava stats for you:
Distance: 6.8K
Time: 1hr 40sec
Average Pace: 8:52/K
Calories: 448

My fastest 1K split was 6:09, pretty sure that was the all downhill part of the trail!
My fastest 1 mile was 10:39.

There was an 82m elevation gain and a max elevation of 574m

My fitbit said I did 54 flights of stairs and my average heart rate was 147bpm although I got up to 172bpm...

My resting bpm for the rest of the day was 52! So funny!

Well it was fun! I plan on getting over there (it's about a 30-45 minute drive) once a week. I'm determined to trail run as often as I can this season. This was a great start!

Question Time: How are the trails where you live? Have a favourite? Any worth driving to?