haha Good morning to you toooooooooooo! I can't top that one though!

Grrrr that's because P&P sucks. Well, not really, but they should send you your prize, like yesterday!

re: no prize in pet contest.

RATS!

(sorry, i just had to say that)

it's only a stupid contest.

hell i haven't rec'd anything yet from the june cat one.

Oohhhhh I'm going to have to look into one of those racks this week. Unfortunately the holes under my car will probably be rust. LOL She's rusty but she's a toughy. My little 1998 Hyundai is a tank! bahahahaha

A good pair of shoes will run you probably around $150, taxes in. It's a huge investment but sooooooooooo worth it. My mom is a nurse and used to have a ton of hip problems. I fitted her for a pair of running shoes to wear to work and she hasn't had a problem since. She said she's actually saved money because they'll last her forever whereas she was replacing her old ones a lot. There are tons of coupons on the go now if you buy them at the Running Room. There's a 20% on Vector cereal (I think some Smart Canuckers have them in the trade section as well) and it's good until September, a 20% on Nordica Cottage Cheese, and if you pay by Visa there's a 20% at visaperks.ca It'll save you tons.

If you bring in your shoes you're wearing now the attendant can have a look at the wear pattern and see how you've been wearing your shoes. They can recommend something. You don't even have to buy them at the RR but we're all more than happy to give you an assessment and fitting to make sure you try something with the right amount of support. There are also inserts called Superfeet that range in different degrees of stability and can function as an over the counter orthotic to give you support if your shoes aren't worn and you don't want to invest in a new pair.

I'll stop shoe babbling now. I honestly have a running shoe problem. lol I've had sooooooooooo many aches and pains from my crappy genetics (I have had tons of leg problems since I was a kid) so I tend to get waaaaaaaaay too into shoes. LOL

ya okay. how much am i gonna pay to buy shoes the RIGHT WAY?? your suggestion is right on tho. i walk on the side of my foot, and should have proper shoes because of that and my back probs.

my son has saved up $50 so far, to get a bike off kijiji. i want a light weight one. we usually drive on the paths (asphalt) in back of our house. or the road. maybe a sidewalk or two.? i don't want to worry about shift gears and stuff. just want an easy ride down and back. but i want a lightweight one. i had one b4 that was really heavy. and when i added a bike rack to hold stuff, i couldn't drive it ..dumb me lol

anyway, i have only seen 2 different truck ones. but if your worried about theft, get the kind that has a lock with it. i usually just use my bike lock and wrap it around the bike and the bar of the rack, but i also rig it up under the car (the bottom straps), way up underneath you'll find "holes" no not rust ones! the car is made this way, i hook it there. not so easy to steal. then tie the straps together too.

i'm paranoid. my rack holds 3 bikes. now not all bikes will fit and you may need to buy an adapter (i think esp for girls bikes), so they have that bar that goes across to rest onto the rack. so make sure of that b4 you buy.

we got ours at canadian tire. i think it was like $60. but it's a good one.

no maybe it was zellers...

Phew. I'm so sorry I didn't get back to you until now. It's beena crazy, crazy week. The Tely 10, Newfoundland's biggest road race, was today so this week has been nuts!!!

Acupuncture does indeed suck. The type of acupuncture I have to undergo is a very aggressive, deep tissue type for unresponsive injuries. It's called Gokavi Transverse Technique (or GTT) and if you google it you'll see how nasty it is. It's sckening but it works. I feel like I'm coming around a bit and finally got the okay to get back on my bike and swim. It's not running but at least it's something. It's so hard when you're used to being super active and all of a sudden it's taken away. I miss running so much. It's my life. Not being able to run the race today was heartwrenching. My injury has halted me completely. I haven't run since May 4th. Defying the pain is what made it so bad since I didn't listen when it started nagging the first time. I overdid it and then my entire leg went crazy.

Walking is great exercise too! The biggest tip I have is to invest in proper shoes. Seriously, you'd be surprised how much a great pair of properly fitted shoes can do. If you have a Running Room near you it is worth going and getting a gait assessment to see what type of shoe you need. I used to be crippled as a young teen and then adult, until I realized I have gait problems that can be corrected. Now I live in running shoes, even when I'm not running! If you're anywhere near Spring Garden or Bedford there are stores there that will be glad to help you out. Proper shoes are hard to come by when you don't know what to look for and, unless you work in the industry, there's really no way to know. It's unfortunate.

Biking is fantastic as well. I live for my bike. I have a mountain bike but my father said he wants to give me my first road bike for convocating from grad school in the fall. I'm so excited about that. I taught myself how to swim last week so I can finally start training for triathlons. Mind you, I'll be the last one over the finish line but I can't wait to get started. I just need my leg to heal first. For now I'm happy with my mountain bike and the little bit I'm permitted to do. And hey, saving for a bike is sooooooooo worth it! I saved for almost two years for mine and found an amazing deal secondhand. I love it! It's super light and my baby. If you have any questions about bikes when the time comes just fire them my way! I'll do my best to help. Oh, and what type of bike rack do you have? I'm looking at buying a trunk one as well (I'm with you on the roof thing) and I have no clue what I'm looking for.

I did get the bookmark and I looooooooooove it!!! It's gotten so many compliments at work. I'm an animal fanatic so of course I squealed over it. haha! I also love to read so it will be put to good use.

Well, time for me to stop procratinating from my thesis and get back to work. I have a 5 am rise to get to the pool to squeeze in a swim tomorrow since I have to be at work at 8:30 am for a session with New Balance. Yay for free goodies! LOL Then I'm working a 10-5 shift right afterwards. Not fun!

I hope you had a great weekend!!! Thanks again for everyone! You're the best!

my mom had to do the acupuncuture thing. she kept track of how many needles they stuck in her and proudly went around telling ppl. *sigh* old ppl...

i'm glad we got to know each other better. this secret santa thing really brought everyone closer together. if i had of known about those cute rats at the time, i woulda put something in..course if i hadda been thinking, i probably coulda found more info on your profile page DOH.

so the pins are for a running injury? is it slowing you down, or are you DEFYING THE PAIN???

i admire runners, or anyone that can exercise..not that i'm unable to, but i'm so fat (see avatar) and back problems that it would take me a very long time to see results.

i am walking 20 mins to beach and 20 mins back. still kills me to walk, even up a slight grade. drives me nuts because like 2 years ago, my son and i used to walk all over hell and creation. 2 1/2 hour walks were nothing for us. we used to love getting lost in our neighbourhood on the paths, and we'd come out like, oh bloody hell, i see the sawmill! which was probably an hours walk back when we're already tired. LOL. those were good times.

so you got any tips? are there stretches i should be doing?

i do got a good pair of walking sneakers. and i bring water.

on our walks we hunt for recycleables to cash in. my son is saving up for a bike for me. by time he gets enuf $$$ it'll be winter....

well, not if he gets a used one..he should have almost enuf by this weekend. (hubby gets em at work too).

but i want a lightweight bike, so i can lift the damn thing onto my carracks. i don't know why anyone would want to put a bike on their roof. i got a trunk one, and my son's bike, heavy as hell, takes 2 of us to put it on.

i'm rambling as usual. have a good day!

ps: did you get the cow bookmark? i think i tucked it into a pocket..

cows and roosters are my fav animals. something to remember me by

Eeeeeee I thought it might be you! Seriously, when I've told friends what I got they asked if it was someone who knew me well. Thank you, thank you, thank you again!

I hope all is going well in your neck of the woods! I hope you're getting some of these nice sunny days like us...and yes it's 5:30 am and I'm awake. Mmmmmmm coffee before the pool and then an accupuncture torture session...

YOUR WELCOME! I thought you would never get it. It was so funny that you said you liked Garfield. what a coincidence! The "how to in the woods" came from my friend's bookstore. She recommended it when i told her I was doing a secret santa for a runner that lives in newfoundland. She's from NFLD too. she said it's a good book for anyone that goes in the woods at all. so it'll give you something to read while you rest. glad it gave you a chuckle.