GU Energy Gel

Tonight was the first time I tried an energy gel while running. About 45 minutes into the run I stopped to take it. The first mouthful was a little strange, but, since they're mainly sugar I gulped the rest down easily. The consistency is definitely gooey, hence the name of this brand. I ahd the Lemon Sublime, next time I'll try the Orange.

I think it helped. I ran eight miles and was pretty consistent in pace throughout, even the long hills on the way home.

Getting Things Done is done

This morning I finished reading Getting Things Done by David Allen. I had set a small goal to complete the book by the end of Jan 2008; I'm a few days late, but, I'm not beating myself up about it.

For me, this book makes sense and I would recommend it to anyone who feels overwhelmed by all of the tasks they must complete on a daily basis. The workflow that is presented in the book meets my logical mind and I have started to see real benefits from implementing it in my life.

Like most great ideas, there is nothing earth-shattering in the book, it is mostly common sense stuff, however, it has helped me to get back on track and not to worry about everything.

Near the end of the book their is a quote from a friend of the authors', Steven Snyder:

There are only two problems in life:

1. you know what you want, and you don't know how to get it;
2. you don't know hat you want

First steps !

I had a most amazing birthday party ever last night. My friends(of course, including lola) threw me this awesome birthday party and I had so much fun ! Everyone completely cracked me up!!!! One of my plans, "Go out there, have more fun!" took its first steps.

Lola plods along...

I feel like I'm neglecting this blog however I am still on the path to completion. It may not seem like it's going very quickly but the truth is, I'm not on a backward slide so that's all good. I just have to realize that things cannot happen instantaneously...

My space hasn't been cleaned entirely but I can still manage to see both the top of my desk and the floor. That's a really good thing. I will be embarking on a filing project to move all of my financial records from the tin boxes under my bed to something more condusive for filing. It'll decrease my floor space but at least things will be tidy. I also plan to take the things to the consignment stores over the next week to free up some more of that space. Wish me luck!

As far as other things that are on my list, they goes as follows:

Get more exercise: Well, the weather has been cold and slippery so I haven't been doing much walking but I have been doing my crunches and a few upper body exercises with and without weights. Oh, and the yoga thing is going well. I'm planning to purchase a set of kundalini yoga dvds so that I can do more of that at home. I found a site where I can get what I'm wanting at a much cheaper price due to both the low price and the great exchange rate we've been enjoying lately... Oh, and I wanted to show my enthusiasm for this photo gallery of a playground for pensioners in the UK. I think that we should have many more of these... It'd decrease the need for gyms...

Eat better: Okay, so if I say the word caffeine and chocolate (which I really don't like anyway), you know that I haven't exactly been doing that well with this. I do try to get some vegetables though...

Lottery savings fund: I'll make another substantial deposit by phone tomorrow. (I've got to do some clever financial work to make that happen and won't get to it until the end of the day). Anyway, I'll be two-thirds the way there by Monday morning.

No real comment on the last two items. I really have to get item four plus some errant bills out of the way before I can start on them.

Sorry about the brevity of this. I've got to go and eat lunch...

Kirby - Monthly Run Log

• Feb 2008 - 55.64 mi
• Jan 2008 - 65.42 mi
  

MapMyRun - The ASICS Run 100 Miles in a Month Challenge

Last Updated: 020080220

020080220 - We had company over the long weekend and I didn't run. Today was a long one. I think I have 9.37 mi to complete in the next day or two.

020080213 - I missed my run yesterday, so today was eight miles. The hills are getting a lot easier.

020080129 - Yesterday it snowed! I missed my run so I had to increase my distance today to keep on track -- did 8 miles in the wind and rain - my knees are a little sore.

Today I logged into MapMyRun. MapMyRun can be used to record walks, hikes, runs, biking, etc. It's free to join and you can slice and dice as much data as you like - even information from a GPS unit if you have one. Its not perfect, they do not support Garmin upload from Mac OS X :-(

I hadn't been to the site in months. They've added some useful new features, one of which is goals. So, I bit the bullet and joined the ASICS Run 100 Miles in a Month Challenge.

Unfortunately they don't offer a widget to add to your blog, but, I took a region capture so you get the idea.

2008, New year, New plans !

I'm going to take this opportunity as a reminder for myself, but also to encourage each other to accomplish what we have set up to do in 2008. Every year, just like most of people do, I made a "new year's resolution. But when I look back now, I don't even remember what I made a resolution about last year.
But ! I have a feeling that this year could be different. I'll make it even a just bit different. I live in a different place, go to different school and hang out with different people from last year, so somehow I feel that I myself would be a bit different, in a both positive and negative ways. "Stay focussed" is definitely what I need to do in order to enjoy my life more and challenge what I haven't acomplished. I'm going to share just a part of my plans for this time because I need some time to think more.

• Go to places that I've never been to
• Go out there ! Have more fun
• Manage time well
• Learn how to cook
• Spend more time with my sibilings
• Eat more veggies
• Give most focus on studying, I mean school work