<p>In the midst of a snow storm here. Expecting a foot of snow. Looks like exercise will be shoveling!</p>
<p>Had to go to the mall today and ran into the Lulu store. Jackpot! Lots of clearance items, some reduced as much as 50%, but you had to dig for them among the regularly priced stuff. Walked out with 2 shorts/tee workout outfits for Mr B, crazy flower shorts for him, two pairs of shorts for myself (cant believe they were just $24 apiece!), a running tank, and long tights and a hoodie (betcha big kiddo is going to expropriate that). Wow! </p>
<p>MicroSpikes should be perfect for pushing snowblower around and/or shovelling if it’s at all slippery. Even on bare rock or bare pavement, walking in them is not difficult. It just wears them out a bit. The spikes are 1/2 inch long, so they have about as much grip as the chains on a snowblower. Perfect for that icy layer where the car tracks have been. If it’s really down to bare pavement and not icy, then leave em in the mud room…</p>
<p>Bunsen- wow! Great score at Lulu. I hardly ever see much on the sale rack at my store. I don’t know if I don’t hit it right or everything goes too fast at full price. There have been items that I wanted that have sold out online DURING THE NIGHT after the product drop on Monday night/Tuesday am and in the stores in one day.</p>
<p>Mud room. I think I’ve lived in exactly one place that had that, and it was the one you needed it for, too. Nice feature.</p>
<p>Gift card burning a hole in my pocket. I will be forced, forced I tell you, to expand my workout wardrobe. 
The anticipation is so good. I’ve been checking out the site online in a fashion similar to peering into the case at Baskin Robbins. Will make it into the local store soon.</p>
<p>Patagonia has their 50% off sale going on. Can do some serious damage. Alas, now that I’m a (fomerly) ol’ fat guy, my size is almost always gone first thing. Of course, when I was an ol’ fat guy, I couldn’t fit into anything Patagonia makes…I did manage to snag a [down</a> vest in a discontinued color](<a href=“http://asset2.surfcdn.com/patagonia-jackets-patagonia-down-sweater-vest-jacket-green-supersonic.jpg?w=1200&h=1200&q=80&o=slfJFMv0fi8QEJVxmAF1XJ9EcHAj&V=lig9]down”>http://asset2.surfcdn.com/patagonia-jackets-patagonia-down-sweater-vest-jacket-green-supersonic.jpg?w=1200&h=1200&q=80&o=slfJFMv0fi8QEJVxmAF1XJ9EcHAj&V=lig9).</p>
![http://asset2.surfcdn.com/patagonia-jackets-patagonia-down-sweater-vest-jacket-green-supersonic.jpg?w=1200&h=1200&q=80&o=slfJFMv0fi8QEJVxmAF1XJ9EcHAj&V=lig9]down](http://asset2.surfcdn.com/patagonia-jackets-patagonia-down-sweater-vest-jacket-green-supersonic.jpg?w=1200&h=1200&q=80&o=slfJFMv0fi8QEJVxmAF1XJ9EcHAj&V=lig9%5Ddown){kind=link}
<p>MOfWC, the local Lulu stores are sneaky - they hide marked down items among the regular stuff. There is also a “clearance rack”, but it is pretty picked through. The marked down items have purple stickers covering the price. I dig into piles and look for stuff that has older patterns and colors hoping to hit something with a purple sticker. The cashier was shocked I found all this great stuff on sale! And yes, sale stuff goes fast, but when it is hidden among the other things, it does not disappear too quickly. Still can’t believe the discounted runsies sold out!
Lulu also had some new stuff like plaid orang-y shorts!</p>
<p>Qigong and stretching today.</p>
<p>I got the plaid orang-y shorts a couple of weeks ago. 
I love them. Stopped by tonight after a business dinner to try on a skirt that isn’t available online at all (not even shown on the site). It was really a strange fit, so probably the first time ever- I didn’t buy anything! Of course, a gorgeous mint green/blue skirt is heading my way from the website. <a href=“http://shop.lululemon.com/products/clothes-accessories/skirts-and-dresses-skirts/Run-Pace-Setter-Skirt-54545?cc=13304&skuId=3531929&catId=skirts-and-dresses-skirts”>http://shop.lululemon.com/products/clothes-accessories/skirts-and-dresses-skirts/Run-Pace-Setter-Skirt-54545?cc=13304&skuId=3531929&catId=skirts-and-dresses-skirts</a></p>
<p>Deborah, if I were you, I’d also MAKE that pit stop in Baskin Robbins as well. :)</p>
<p>7 miles, but somehow it did not feel like it was that long of a run. Am I channeling MOfWC? :)</p>
<p>Lol. I could stand some performance channeling right now :)</p>
<p>Looked like a lovely day, idad.</p>
<p>The warm up here has mean rain, and as I feared, has exacerbated the ice dams and one leak area. This is getting old. </p>
<p>On the bright side, I’m hopeful the giant crash I just heard on the far side of the pool house meant that a major chunk we couldn’t reach there has slid off.</p>
<p>Hopefully, not the way our neighbors did…taking the shingle with it. Too dark to see but when I do the hill I’ll be able to get a good vantage. The guy is coming back today to make another attack on the west overhang that appears to be causing new trouble. Kinda feeling like whack-a-mole.</p>
<p>iDad’s pictures/videos make it all look so wonderful. Wish we had at least one nice snow here.</p>
<p>Kmc, a familiar site this week out on doggie walks has been to see neighbors out doing exactly what you said - whack-a-mole on their icicles, gutters, roofs, etc.!! </p>
<p>Beautiful day here so an outside run. I have been active, just not posting. </p>
<p>Discussion topic: the schadenfreude of people who see you not running/working out. I used to be a machine, just bullet proof, never missed a day. Now I am older and do get hurt and have to take time off. And people seem to enjoy that, not in a good way. I never thought I was smug or insufferable back in the day. I did my thing, was friendly to people I saw, didn’t talk too much about what I was doing. It bugs me that people seem to enjoy it when I am out of commission. </p>
<p>You just need to tell them that you started running the opposite ways some days so that you don’t have to run into them. :)</p>
<p>I think people make assumptions about what others are thinking/feeling. For example: let’s say my neighbor is thin and I am fat. I might assume the neighbor thinks they are better, more responsible, more will power whatever the term than me and therefore I don’t like them or resent them for this feeling. Then when the neighbor gains some weight, I can chuckle and think–so you aren’t so great afterall-- and feel better about myself when in fact the neighbor might never have noticed my size or thought anything about me.</p>
<p>When I worked in hospice we used to say–it’s not about us, it’s about them–when we didn’t agree with how someone was living their final days. So if they are happy to see you miss a day of running, it’s not about you, it’s about them and their insecurities.</p>
<p>Sort of getting back into the groove after the trip. Wednesday met with trainer, then had PT session and discussed new symptom of lower back issue - she thinks it’s all related to the recovering hip. Gave me a couple of new exercises to work with. Yesterday did PT exercises and 45 minutes recumbent bike (the NuStep is broken!!). Today did hour water aerobics class. Everything that melted here since Tuesday turned to ice over night when the temps dropped, so ice is a serious issue here today. I was very careful when I went out!</p>
<p>Speaking of scale fluctuations. I lost 2 pounds this morning from yesterday. Offsetting the 2.2 pounds I had gained since Sunday. None of which has anything to do with what I ate.</p>
<p>Oh, and the lovely snow shoeing weather was short lived. It’s rain, rain, and rain today. Not good for postcard perfect snowy hiking conditions. </p>