Thousands of people...

...joined us yesterday as we skated along the Rideau Canal.   For the past forty years, Ottawa has celebrated winter with an outdoor winter festival called Winterlude.

It kicked off last weekend but since I was already busy with volunteering at the Pretzel cross country ski rally it was decided a group of us would get together yesterday.  Who knew there would be sooooo many people!!!!

And what amazed me more was that the four of us, coming in different cars from different directions were able to find one another at our exact meeting spot and on time!  Traffic was backed up for miles and there were road closures to maneuver around...but we did it and without incident.   Way to go Girls!!!

We walked over to Dows Lake where there is a pavilion which houses two or three restaurants (Malones and Lago) and most importantly, wash-rooms.  After volunteering at the Hypothermic Half Marathon, I've paid my dues using a port-a-pottie in winter.  So we sneaked into one of the restaurants restrooms, got ourselves bundled up and headed out to the ice.

I haven't skated in years so needless to say I was nervous to get onto the ice and go.  My greatest fear was falling on my knee, so I took it very slowly at first.
Leaving the pavilion area on Dows Lake we skated up towards the canal skating past the outdoor rinks that were hosting The Beaver Cup Pond Hockey tournament.  They were is full flight as we skated past, local radio stations were broadcasting as well as participating.  It looked like an absolute riot, 4 on 4 hockey, the way it was meant to be played ~ outdoors and on a pond.

As we made our way towards downtown Ottawa, we had to dodge kids, the occasional dog on a leash and sleighs on ice blades.  It's a happening spot, there are outdoor café's on the ice, huts set up for putting your skates on or just for resting and of course the world famous huts selling Beavertails and hot chocolate!

It was a great skate until we turned around to head back.  The wind had picked up and it was snowing.  Anyone who knows me, whether it is running, cycling and now skating into a head on cold wind, I just hate it.   Needless to say the workout skating back was hard!!  There were times it felt as if we weren't moving forward at all, but we made it!

Thanks girlfriends!

I'm finding winter more tolerable this year, just being able to do other activities other than running and not being committed to a particular race early in the season has been the cure for me.  Between cross country skiing, snow-shoeing and now skating, winter is my friend.  (did I just say that?)


Getting out and cross-training is keeping me fit, full of energy, healthy of mind and body and most importantly young at heart!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Life's fun if you don't weaken,

Lily

Fast Friday Reflections

Thanks everyone for your kind words and encouragement regarding my health issues.  Day six of antibiotics, prednesone and two inhaler's, all is well (or should I say much better).

I have to say this health scare brought a few things to mind while I was struggling to breathe and being on my own:

• carry proper I.D.; *(see note below)
• make sure your personal information is up to date; (the hospital had my former significant other listed as the emergeny contact and I haven't talked to him in 10 years).
• if you are single (like me), make sure you have a friend or friends who are willing and able to make decisions on your behalf, just in case you are unable to;
• do not hestiate to contact 911, that is why they are there, you pay for it, use it.
  

Every since I started running a little more seriously and a lot more regularly and being the consumate worrier that I am, I looked into some sort of I.D. to either carry or wear.  For years now I have been receiving emails from Active.com. and basically saying to myself, ya, right nothing will happen to me.

Well, I truly believe things happen for a reason and while I was over at Mel's blog 2nd Chances, she had just posted about RoadID.  So I figured it was the survival gods giving me a sign to finally just get some I.D.  so;

*I just ordered one of the best products ever. It's called a Road ID - perhaps you've heard of it. If you haven't, go to their website and check it out. Road ID is a great product that could save your life someday.

When I ordered, they gave me a coupon that I could pass along to my friends. Here's the coupon number:

Coupon Number: ThanksLaurel587167

The coupon is good for $1 off any Road ID order placed by 01/10/2010. To order, simply go to RoadID.com or click the link below:
http://www.RoadID.com/

If you prefer, you can call them at 800-345-6335.

You can thank me later,

Oh by the way, their website is awesome, the customer service is outstanding, and the owners are very smart and good looking.  (They made me say that part, hehehehehe).

Have a great weekend everyone,

Life's fun if you don't weaken,

Lily

A series of events...

As you know I've been fighting with ill health for the past six weeks, it has been a revolving door of maladies and for a little while I actually got a reprieve from the health gods and I could function on a low level of fitness, however, all that rapidly changed over the weekend.

Now, I do have a history of breathing problems, partially stemming from hereditary donations from grandparents and parents and some self induced indulgence while growing up in the '60's.....I don't need to go into details, but just look in your history books you young'un's, it was a happening time!!!

While living in Cairo (one of the many locations I've lived in), I picked up what is known as Bedouin Lung and had to transported to a hospital in Paris, once recovered enough to travel, I was shipped to the Tropical Disease Centre in Toronto for Pulmonary Function Physiotherapy...so, ya, you could say my lungs are my Achilles Heel.

Now, here is what happened over the weekend....

I've been sick for over six weeks and it was progressively getting worse, Saturday night I could not breathe hardly at all, it was just so scary. There was no way to find relief other than placing pillows under my shoulder blades and hanging my head backwards, similar to what you would do while performing CPR.

I emailed Jen to let her know that I wasn't going to run with her at the group run we go to at the Running Room and I figured it would just get better on its own as it has in the past.

I thought I'd come into work at the office for awhile, so I dropped into the pharmacy situated below the office and asked the pharmacist what I should take to ease my breathing...she took one look at me and told me to go to the walk in clinic behind the Metro Grocery Store, located not far from my office. It is open on Sunday's so I drove over and the Doctor at the Walk-In Clinic took me right away. She checked me out and told me that she wasn't going to prescribe anything, that I was to go to Emerg at the Queensway Carleton Hospital A.S.A.P.  She told me if I didn't go I could drop dead by midnight....

yikes,

I tried to call a couple of the Wooo Hooo’s to let them know what was going on, but no one answered their phones, everyone has a life, so off I went to Emerg where they green tagged me. I didn't have to wait too long thanks goodness.

It was all pretty scary  and after a battery of tests, questions and results, I finally got out of there about 5 or 6pm.   Off to the pharmacy (again) where I dropped almost $ 200.00 bucks on meds....I love not having any medical plan, jeezzzz.

so, there you go, my story...and the moral of the story?

Don’t goof around with your health, the difference between life and death is one breath.

Life's fun if you don't weaken,

Lily

At least this happened before Christmas not during.....