Happy Holidays !!!

This will probably be my last post until after Christmas, it's just way to busy to find time to get on the computer. It has been a new week ... a week of trying new things !!! Sunday I met with my trainer at the gym and we went through some drill exercises, she's wants to see what I can and can't do ! Let's just say..push ups still aren't my strong suit..lol ! There are some really cool machines at the gym, so it should be a good place to kick my training into high gear since I'm approaching the 10 month mark to be ready for Greece !! I also tried out one of the group classes on Sunday, called "Beat it". It should have been called "Beat Me"..lol , It was a very fast kick boxing class. Not only did I suck at the coordination part (there's a surprise..lol) but my joints definetly didn't like the jumping around. I had to see the Chiropractor this morning cause I popped the rib out in my back and holy crap my knee was sore. So it was back to the pool where I know I can't get quite as hurt. So tonight was a water workout at the gym. It was good, nothing like any other water workout I've ever done. This one involved weights in the water and alot of fast laps. You don't think you are working any muscles when you are in the water but holy moly when you get out you can sure feel it. I have to say though, the water workouts are my favorite. I'm not a swimmer and I hate putting my face in the water, but my body does much better in the water. So it will be off to the pool on Wed again.

Happy Holidays to Everyone !!!

A New Week !!!

I know I know I'm alittle slow at the blogging. It has been a bit of a rough week and I'm anxious for a new week for sure. Although with the business of Christmas, will this coming week be much better?!? I hope so !!!! I did my swimming on Monday and then I had my dental surgery, so the rest of the week has been spent recooperating from that. Weight loss should be good this week since I can't eat much until the stitches come out. I seriously am tired of bananas..lol ! I don't think gaining weight over Christmas will be an issue since chewing is kinda off limits for a month. I guess it will be mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce for supper...lol ! Oh and I guess pumpkin pie is mushy..lol !
Sunday (tomorrow) I meet with my trainer, she's going to set up my program for me, and then I have my last swimming lesson after that. I have to say swimming at the gym I just joined is awesome. On Monday I had the whole pool to myself and I did 45 minutes of laps. I am excited to do the yoga classes and get started on the program my trainer sets up for me.
I'll let you know how my last swim lesson (comedy act) goes tomorrow !! lol !!!

Cheers !
http://arthritis.akaraisin.com/p/jodyjordan.aspx

Holy Busy !!!

Tis the time of year..busy busy !!! I seriously can't believe it's only 12 sleeps til Santa comes. I honestly thought I was going to have everything done by now but no such luck.

So some exciting news on the training front. I joined the gym and I am so excited. I have lived here for almost 2 years and didn't realize the gym just up the road had a pool in it. It all started with a flyer and coupon delivered. Normally I don't take time to read most of the junk mail but
for some reason I decided to check these flyers out. So after a phone call and a visit to the gym, I bought a membership. Now I only have to drive 5 minutes to do swimming instead of 20 minutes, so I'm pretty excited about that. I love all in one places.. a pool, group fitness classes and a very nice gym all under one roof and one low monthly fee..lol !!!
So after chatting with a couple of people at the gym and explaining to them my situation and my upcoming marathon, we decided that maybe I should use one of the personal trainers at the gym for a few weeks. So after much debate I decided to try it out for a few weeks. I met with her this morning to go over goals and such so I'm pretty pumped. It sounds like I will be spending alot of time at the gym...lol !!! I start tomorrow morning with the swim and trim water workout (which is 3 times a week) followed by some treadmill walking !!!
Hopefully my blogging can keep up with all the workouts...LOL !!!

My swim lesson today was just as comical as ever... today we were learning the whip kick and breast stroke. Talk about needing to be coordinated..holy crap !!! And then at the end of the class our teacher was trying to teach us some diving in the deep end...hahaha that was funny too!!! Only 1 more lesson next Sunday !!! I'm sure our instructor will miss all us crazy wanna be adult swimmers...lol !!!

Here's to a busy week !!! :-)
Can't wait to share all my progress with you !!!

http://arthritis.akaraisin.com/p/jodyjordan.aspx

Swimming !!

Sunday Swim Lesson...Okay so here's the deal...if I ever say I'm interested in doing a triathalon, please remind me how much I hate swimming...LOL !!! So the swim hat and goggles helped but I never realized how coordinated you needed to be so that you don't drown. I seriously can not do the front crawl, breath out in the water, turn my head, take a breath in and put my face back in the water and know which way my arms are supposed to be going. So you think it sounds funny when I type it ... well I have to say anyone that is watching is probably laughing their ass off...LOL !! We also learned to do a whipkick ... so doing the whipkick on it's own wasn't bad, but then we were supposed to incorporate our arms and do the breast stroke. That takes even more coordination then the front crawl.
If they just let me do laps on my back doing the back crawl.. it's all good, I can actually do that one with out too much of a comedy act..LOL !!

Monday Night..Deep Water Workout ! So I decided to try the deep water workout before I start the water bootcamp in Jan which incorporates lane swim and deep water workout. It was great, I didn't have to put my face in the water (which I hate) and it seriously didn't take as much cordination as the front crawl. I think my joints will thank me if I focus on water workouts.

Enjoy the rest of your week !!!

http://arthritis.akaraisin.com/p/jodyjordan.aspx

Back Indoors !!!

So it's back inside to the treadmill !!! For now anyway, it's Calgary how long will it last that I have to stay inside to walk !?! Only until the next chinook, which after today, I really hope is soon. So I think my body is healed so I can resume my walking !!! After yet another injury (a fall on a slippery sidewalk and a banged up leg this past weekend), I think I am ready to get back on track !! I was away on the weekend and happy to report that I was able to get some walking in (before I got hurt, thankfully). It was a tad chilly and I was frozen afterwards but I'm happy that I did it. And thankfully, even being away, I was able to maintain my weight and not gain anything cause there really was alot of sitting around!!!! lol!! I have to say though, thinking about all my friends scrapbooking without me while I walked and froze was not a good motivator to do 10km...lol !!!

I was very excited to get an email last week from an old friend that I haven't talk to for awhile. It was really great to hear that she's been following my blog and hear her words of encouragement ! Thanks Tracy !!!

I also got some disappointing news this week...an email from our coordinator for the Joints in Motion Team has moved on to other opportunties. I do wish him the best but will miss him for sure !!! Still trying to convince him that he should should join the Greece Team though...he was a there for the start of my journey and I think it would be great to have him there at the finish too !! He wants to do a marathon so I really hope he picks the Greece Team !!! I did tell him it would score some brownie points for the girlfriend if he said they were going to Greece..what do you think ?!? lol !!!

Off to swimming this Sunday !!! With swim cap and goggles in hand, I hope it makes things a bit more tolerable, although those 2 things don't stop me from ingesting half the pool...lol !!!! A good picture though I'm sure !! LOL !!!

Thanks again everyone for your continued support, my goal is to reach 55% before the end of the year !!! Everyone is gonna love getting my Christmas Card asking for money...lol !!!!

Have a good weekend !!!

What next ?!?

Thank god I have the best Chiropractor ever, Dr.Rob is the best and I would be in worse shape if I didn't have him taking care of me. So I finally get the hip and low back cooperating and now all week I have had like 50% mobility in my neck. He says that I popped out a couple of ribs in my upper back and it's straining the muscles into my neck. I could look right, but looking left..nope didn't happen, which made driving quite a challenge! Today is the first day that I could actually look left.
It's still a bit painful but at least I feel like it's improving.
Today was my first day of the swimming program I registered for and I wasn't sure if I should go or not but I decided to give it a try. It was either going to help my neck or kill me..lol !! It wasn't too bad, a couple of tense moments when I was doing the back crawl but I made it through. Came home and iced my back and neck and it hasn't been any worse than before swimming. I decided I needed to learn how to swim properly so I could move my training into the pool. Land training is apparently taking a toll on my joints so I need to try the water workouts. So for the next 5 weeks I am taking swimming lessons to be able to swim properly and not drive other people that are trying to swim lengths completely nuts..lol !!!
I have to say though, I now remember why I hated swimming as a kid and why it's never been my thing. Water up the nose, swallowing half the pool, burning eyes, face in the water..etc....etc...etc...LOL!!! So stay tuned for some comedy acts from the pool...LOL!!!!

So with the whole back/rib/neck thing going on I was only able to walk 15km this week ! Now with my pool training I will set some goals for number of lengths I want to accomplish in a week as well !!!! (as soon as I'm comfortable swimming 1 length of course..lol)

Wish me luck !!!

Have a great week everyone !!

Jingle Bell Run !

YaY !! We did it ! Our Team "Daring Dozen" walked the 10km in 1 hour and 44 minutes !!!! We were the only team that walked the entire 10 km course, so we were of course the last ones to finsih. :-) I am so excited that so many of my friends joined in to support me for the walk. It was great to finally reach a goal I set of being able to do 10km at once ! The last couple of Km's were a bit of a challenge but with a little push (literally..lol)from my team mates it was all good !
It was alittle disappointing that with all our hard work, the coordinators were disassembling the timers and everything when we arrived and everyone was leaving ! What's up with that anyway, like walking 10km isn't as important as running it...geesh !!!
I felt pretty good walking but once I stopped at the end, it was like someone strapped a piece of plywood to my back and butt..lol ! Thank goodness for ice, an epson salt bath and chiropractor appt !!! Muscles are a bit sore but really not too bad ! The blister on the ball of my foot hurts more...LOL !!

Thanks again to my Teamies and to everyone that pledged for the 10km ! I'm now at 51% of my fundraising goal !!! A great feeling to be past the 1/2 way mark ! :-)

Dam Hip !!

So after 2 chiropractor appointments my hip is feeling a bit better. I was still able to keep up with my walking this week with my new Joints in Motion Teamie !! I wasn't able to meet my goal of 35km this week but I didn't want to push myself too much especially when my 10km walk is tomorrow (sunday Nov 15) . I contemplated switching to the 5km route but I really want to do the 10km, hoping that it will push me to the next level where I can walk 10km once a week after this. (I know..me and my expectations..lol) It's going to be a great walk and hopefully my 11 other team mates won't have to listen to me whine every step of the way about my hip..lol !!!
We have decided on a team color of yellow since it's a healing color, I was wondering if I should just dress up in a banana suit...LOL !!!!

I will post tomorrow and let you know how the 10 km Jingle Bell Walk was !!! :-)

http://arthritis.akaraisin.com/p/jodyjordan.aspx

Fundraising is at 51% wooohoooo !!! Only 49% to go !!!! Thanks everyone!!!

Lots of Change !!!!!

Wow it's been a couple of weeks of change change and more change. So do you want the bad news, good news or GREAT news first?!?
We have had some great news as far as our family is concerned...our youngest 2 children are now officially adopted, so we are very excited about that. As you probably read in my profile my children are a huge part of life and inspiration and now all 3 are finally adopted after much waiting.

This past week I spent 4 days in Banff with hubby while he was at a conference and had a great time. I so enjoyed the indoor and outdoor pools, especially with my hip giving me so much grief these days, the water exercise felt really good. I also managed to get in a massage which helped a bit too.

I did get some disappointing news but it has all turned around to be great news !!! The Arthritis Society had to cancel the trip to Vienna in April so I was asked to choose another destination. They said this was the first time ever they have had to pull a team from a destination. So after much thought and discussion I have decided to do the Athens Greece 2010 destination. The only challenge with doing Athens is there is no 1/2 Marathon, it's a full marathon !!!! I do have a couple of extra months to prepare for the full so hopefully it's enough time. The great news about doing Athens, is now I have a long time friend that is joining me. She has decided to join the Joints in Motion Team and take this journey along with me. I am very excited about her decision to join me.

Our "Daring Dozen" team is only a week away from the Jingle Bell Walk/Run for the Arthritis Society, it's Nov 15 at Heritage Park in Calgary. We are entered to do the 10km !

The other GREAT news is my fundraising is at 50%..wooohoo thanks everyone, your continued support means the world. Although my destination has changed and gives me a couple of extra months, my goal is to have my fundraising completed by April so that I can focus solely on my training.

http://arthritis.akaraisin.com/p/jodyjordan.aspx

Enjoy your weekend and I look forward to continuing to work towards my goal of 35km of walking this week. :-)

That's Better !!!

I have been struggling with alot of pain in my hip, so I was finally able to get in and see my massage therapist. Holy crap did it hurt but now it's feeling a bit better. I'm hoping that the pain in my knee was from walking funny cause of the pain in my hip..we will see !!!
It's total body workout tonight, so we will see how my hip holds up to that.

Our team of 12 is almost complete for the Jingle Bell Run/Walk on Nov 15th, we only need one more member !!! So come out and join the "daring dozen" :-) Registration is $25.00
and we are going to be walking the 10km !!!!

I am so excited that my fundraising is at 48% now, what a great feeling !!! Thanks everyone !!!!
http://arthritis.akaraisin.com/p/jodyjordan.aspx

Back Online !!

Yes I have been doing my walks (on the treadmill) and my total body workouts on Tuesdays.
I have only been able to check emails and things from my phone and updating my blog
doesn't work so well from a phone..lol !

Sadly though I still haven't been able to hit my goal of 35km in a week !! I get close but just can't quite get there. I'm sore as heck today after last night's "boot camp". My chest and stomach
muscles are sooo sore... I thought we worked those muscles already..what the heck !!! I keep telling myself sore is good, that means I'm working hard ! :-)

My fundraising goal is at 46% ... woohooo !!! Thanks everyone !!!!


http://arthritis.akaraisin.com/p/jodyjordan.aspx

Happy Thanksgiving !!!

Just want to wish everyone a "Happy Thanksgiving" !!! It was a great weekend for us with our family. We enjoyed an awesome turkey dinner and some good laughs. So much to be thankful for.
Being on the farm makes for some enjoyable (and hard) walks !!! :-)

Back to routine tomorrow and boot camp to start the week off....yikes !!! LOL !!!

Busy Week !!

Who knew that renovations, 3 kids, after school activites, appointments and walking could keep one person sooo busy,...hahahha Yesterday was boot camp and holy crap... we had a different instruction and wow, did she work the crap out of us. On that note...my abs and my arms are killing me again..lol !!

The treadmill is my new bestfriend, it's so much easier to get the time to go into the basement then to gear up and go outside.

So far I have 10 team mates for our Jingle Bell Run... wooo hoo that is awesome. Oct 15 is the deadline for early bird registration. Come on out the more the merrier. :-)

7km on treadmill...an hour and 20 minutes

18km to go !!! woohooo !!!

http://arthritis.akaraisin.com/p/jodyjordan.aspx

Weekend Stuff !

Our first snowfall ... but by afternoon the snow was gone and only the cold remained.
Great news, I have about a team of 8 for sure for the Jingle Bell Run/Walk Nov 15th !! My goal is to register a team of 12 !!! Registration deadline is Oct 15 so post here or send me an email supportmyjourney@shaw.ca

Thank goodness for my treadmill, I still wasn't ready to face the cold...brrrr !!!

5km in an hour on the treadmill followed by my situps and push ups.

Only 25 km to go to my goal this week !!!
Have a good week and hopefully the sun will shine !!

http://arthritis.akaraisin.com/p/jodyjordan.aspx

I hate the Cold !!!!

I know it's inevitable but I still don't like the cold. So as you've probably noticed I didn't make my goal of 35km again this week. :-( So I will try try try again this week. Now with the cold.. yikes !!! Thankfully I have a treadmill in my basement so today I wimped out with the first cold day and migrated to the basement to put a few KM's on the treadmill. I'm actually thinking that I might log a few more KM's cause I can watch my favorite shows and walk walk walk and the time just flies by. :-)

On the treadmill : 5KM .... 5.1km/hour ........480 calories burned
Plus 25 situps and 10 pushups afterwards

Only 30 km to go !!!!!

http://arthritis.akaraisin.com/p/jodyjordan.aspx

Jingle Bell Run/Walk

I am looking for people to join my team for the upcoming "Calgary Jingle Bell Run/Walk" in support of the Arthritis society. The event is Nov 15 at heritage park in Calgary.
Registration is $25/person and I would love to get a team of at least 8, hoping for 12 !!

There is a 5km and 10km available, after we have a team we will do a vote as to whether we
do the 5 or 10k. Deadline for registration is Oct 15 so post here or send me an email
supportmyjourney@shaw.ca !!

This event is totally separate from my Joints in Motion Journey, I just thought it would be fun
to get some friends together and support one the Arthritis' society other events !!!

Can't wait to sign up our team !!!!!

Ouch !!!!

Okay so last week after "TBW" I didn't feel too bad. Today, after last nights workout, holy man, my shins and thighs are killing me. It was an effort to go up and down the stairs all day.
I was actually a bit stressed today thinking that I really need to go out tonight and get my walk in but holy crap my legs are WAY to sore !!
Guess What? I did it... thanks Kelsey for getting my butt out there and walking through the pain.
I know I whined a bit...lol and yes my back is still tingling...lol
Next time though could you huff and puff just alittle bit up the hills...lol !!! (even if you fake it...lol) Thanks it was fun, glad I went !

Wed Walk ...6.99 km ...5.2 km/hour... 1 hour & 21 min ...523 calories burned !!!!

Wohooo only 16 km to reach my goal of 35km for the week.

http://arthritis.akaraisin.com/p/jodyjordan.aspx

Log Time !!!

Just wanted to check in and log my walking for yesterday and today !!! Plus don't forget it's Tuesday.."TBW"(total body workout... bootcamp in my mind..lol) yep hard core one hour workout !! :-S

Monday Walk .... A.M. walk 3.23 km .. 35.30 min ...5.5km /hour...237 calories
P.M walk 3.12 km...34.00 min ...5.4km/hour...230 calories

Tuesday Walk ... A.M. walk 2.95 km...34.18 min...5.1km/hour...221 calories
P.M. walk to and from "TBW" 1.45 km one way x 2

Goal 35km... woohooo 12.20 km only 22.8 km to go !!!!

Fundraising goal is now at 42 % .. Thanks everyone !!!! :-)

http://arthritis.akaraisin.com/p/jodyjordan.aspx

Fundraising Garage Sale !!!

Awesome news, I was able to raise $375 to put towards my fundraising goal. $265 from the items I sold plus 2 people that donated directly online !! Also a big thank you to my friend Zuky who donated some pictures to sell as well. Thanks !!! So I am so close to the 40% mark and that is so exciting.
I gathered up the items that didn't sell this weekend and donated them
to Goodwill, so not only was I able to raise money for Joints in Motion, I have a few empty boxes and totes in the garage. Time to start collecting for the Spring Sale..LOL !!!

Now that the garage sale is done, I can refocus and work towards hitting my goal of 35km by the weekend. Remember the challenge... :-)

Not only was my garage sale a fundraiser, but it also reconnected me with a childhood friend who
I haven't seen in almost 17 years. It was awesome chatting with her and finding out that she does triathalons. I know she's going to be a great inspiration and help to my training.

Here's cheers to a new week and LOTS of walking and working out !!!

http://arthritis.akaraisin.com/p/jodyjordan.aspx

End of the Week !!!

Woohooo... I made it past the 30% of my fundraising goal..Thanks Donna !!

So it's Friday and I didn't meet my goal AGAIN !!! Alittle closer this week though.
Wednesday I did a walk, only 4km but I made it out. Getting ready for this fundraiser garage sale on the weekend
is keeping me busy. I also joined Weight Watchers this week, so we'll see what I can adjust diet wise that might speed up the weight loss a bit. Although I have changed alot of my eating habits, I still seem to struggle with the weight, so I guess we will see if having a stricter plan to follow will help.

So I set my goal again 35km for the week !!!

I have a challenge... When I finally reach my goal of 35km for the week (hopefully it's this coming week), you or (if you've already donated) you ask a friend or family member to sponsor my journey !! :-) I need my supporters to help keep me motivated so lets do this together !!

http://arthritis.akaraisin.com/p/jodyjordan.aspx

Thanks Everyone !!!
Enjoy your weekend !!!

"TBW"

Tuesdays ...my "Total Body Workout" day. I just recovered from last week...oiiii !! Hopefully this week I'm not as sore. I think last week was so brutal because I wasn't able to take my injections for the arthritis for 2 weeks when I was so sick. So no meds in my system + an intense workout = sore sore sore body !!! lol So I was able to do my injection this past weekend so hopefully that will help the soreness factor this week. :-)

I walked to and from "TBW" which is 1.5km each way. So I didn't walk a whole bunch today but
I need to pace myself on "TBW" days !! I did wash all my floors on my hands and knees, that was a workout..does that count ?!?...LOL !!!

17 KM to my goal !!! :-)

Thanks again everyone for checking in to see how I'm doing. :-) Thanks to my awesome cousin that is helping me out with my fundraising goal with some canvassing in her community !!
29% and counting...anyone wanna push me to 30% :-)

http://arthritis.akaraisin.com/p/jodyjordan.aspx

Busy Day

I have decided to hold a fundraising garage sale next weekend. The proceeds from the stuff
we sell will go towards my fundraising goal. So we have been busy gathering things, setting up and pricing all weekend. But even after a very busy day I did get some walking in.
Thanks Zuky for the walk but I really wish we wouldn't have talked about how far 22km really is..LOL

Sunday
5.47 km in 1.04 hour
walking an average of 5.1km/hr
408cal burned

So if I include my biking that's 15.47km towards my goal...only 20km to go !!!!

Bike Ride

Okay so I didn't make my goal last week of 35km ! But I am definietly off to a great start for this week. We did a 10km bike ride this evening with the kids. They so love being involved.
And it's back to "total body workout" on Tues and I am starting my swim program as well this week.
Hopefully the water workout leaves me a little less stiff and sore than the "total body workout"..LOL ! I so have to keep reminding myself that I have arthritis, actually after doing the intense workouts my body is pretty good at reminding me...LOL !
So my goal is to reach my 35km by Sun 27.
A few more donations have come in, that's great news !! So my fundraising is now at 27%

Enjoy the rest of the weekend !!!

http://arthritis.akaraisin.com/p/jodyjordan.aspx

Details

Wow, so I found out some exciting details today about the upcoming marathon !!!

The dates have been set for mid April (14-20, 2010) and a few details about the route !
This is the information from the website:

Be a part of the The Arthritis Society's Joints In Motion Training Team when it heads to Vienna, Austria for the Vienna City Marathon and Half Marathon.
More than 30,000 runners from 100 nations participate in the Vienna City Marathon, cheered by thousands of spectators. You will be fascinated all the way from the start at the UN City to the impressive finish on Heldenplatz.
The route boasts one of the most culturally-impressive marathon routes in the world and is of moderate difficulty with an incline within the first half, and the second half being downhill and flat. The full marathon course is open for six hours and the half marathon is open for three hours.

It's a moderately difficult route (yikes..lol) During the first half of the route it's a steady incline and the second half is downhill and flat. So the question I keep asking myself is because I am only doing the half marathon does that mean that my entire portion is uphill?!? Or maybe we start part way the route so we all FINISH in the same spot ?!? I seriously can't wait to get that answer !!!
Holy crap what happened to telling me I could walk the whole thing..lol cause that isn't going to happen if I have to finish in under 3 hours. I think the pressure has just been applied..lol !

Sept 17th
40 min
3.0km

So 19KM to go before the end of today,..hmm what do you think? :-( Better than last week I suppose and I did have my total body work out and biking in this as well so I'm okay with that.
We'll see what I can pull off for km's tonight and then set my new goal for the upcoming week !

http://arthritis.akaraisin.com/p/jodyjordan.aspx

Core Training

Tuesday night was my first class of my "total body workout" which I have incorporated into my training program. It's an hour long class of strength training and it's definietly a work out. :-)

It's awesome cause I can either bike or walk to the class so I can log those KM's into my weekly goal. It's become a balancing act now with all the kid's activities and my training but we are getting into a routine. I have some things planned to kick the fundraising portion into gear as I only have about 6 months to raise 75% of my goal. I am planning a garage sale at the end of the month and I plan to donate a portion of the proceeds towards my goal so I am excited about that !!!! Again I ask for your support and forwarding the link to my sponsorship page !

I am headed out for my walk soon so I will log the KM's later today !

Thanks again everyone !

Okay I did it... I walked 6.34 km / 1.15 hour / 494 calories !!!
Thanks Zuky for all the motivation and the extra little push !! :-)

Only 22km to meet my goal this week !!

http://arthritis.akaraisin.com/p/jodyjordan.aspx

Weekend Stuff !!!

So slowly getting back into the grove. This cold is definietly hanging in there, alittle frustrating !!!
What a beautiful weekend though, lots of sunshine and playing outside.

Saturday we took the kids biking and did about 5km, they loved it. The two little ones are in tow behind my husband and I and our oldest rides on his own. It's great cause we go for the longer bike rides and they don't tire out.

So with a new goal set I'm eager to accomplish it. :-)

Sunday Walk

3.0 km
33.56 min
221 cal burned

Only 28.4 km to go !! That doesn't sound so bad...LOL !!! Wish me luck and keep those donations coming in... they are great appreciated !! :-)

Back at it !!!

Holy Man... a week lost !!! Grrrrr !!! Today was my first day back at it, still coughing like crazy but I managed to do something. So my goal of 40km by tomorrow obviously isn't going to happen, so it's time to refocus and set a new goal !!!
Thanks Kelsey for walking with me tonight, see you next week !! :-)

My new goal is to walk 35km in total by Sept 18th.

Today :
43.36 min
3.60km
261 calories

So frustrating .....

So I decide what I am going to do and am excited to have set some small goals and go hard
with my training and WHAMO ! I get struck with a horrible cold and don't have the energy to even climb the stairs. So 2 days of doing nothing, frustrated more than you can imagine and the now the scale goes up by 2 lbs cause I'm not eating properly (hardly at all cause my throat has been to sore) and no exercise.....grrrrr !! Now with being sick I am not able to take some of my medications which sends my arthritis into inflammation mode...grrrrr !!!
Tomorrow is another day right?!? I can work extra hard to still meet my goal of completing 40km before next Friday right?!? Hopefully if I take today and get a bit more rest I can slowly
get back into things tomorrow ! I'm crossing my fingers !!!
Thanks for listening to my little vent..lol ! I guess I will go and read some more of my running book since nothing else seems to be in the cards.

Reading a Great Book !!!!

So the kids are back in school, it was a great summer of camping and family fun. I did manage to get some training in but of course you never get as much in as you would like. :-( So here I am Sept and really only 8 months to get things in shape (ok me in shape..lol)
The book I am reading "running start to finish" by John Stanton has some great points in it which I need to consider. Goal setting, is a big part and we know there is a goal at the end of this but I also need to set myself some smaller goals to be able to keep the momentum in my training. According to him I'm not ready to be running yet, which is a bit disappointing to me cause I really want to be running. :-( But it could also be why I'm struggling a bit.
So I get the kids on the bus this morning and I gear up for a workout and spend the entire time thinking and planning the next couple of months. After reading the book I realize that maybe I am trying to do much all at once and that's why I am having a hard time keeping the momentum. As I was walking this morning I was thinking I need to start a log book and keep closer track of what I am doing. At first I was thinking I would just log in a book and then I thought why not track my daily workouts right here ! That way I am more accountable to someone (you my readers) and knowing that I have a whole lot of people keeping a closer eye on me, I will be able to push myself alittle bit more each week ! So are you on board? Are you ready to give me the extra push and keep me accountable? Here's the deal though, as you see me keeping up with my logging and daily workouts, you need to do your part and spread the word to your family and friends, my sponsorship is counting on you !I can't do it alone ! I am at 25% of my fundraising goal..woohooo that is awesome news !!! If you or someone you know isn't comfortable donating online please send me an email request and I can give you a mailing address where a cheque or money order can be sent and a receipt will be mailed back to you. Remember it's a tax deductible donation.
I am going to take some of the advice from the book at back up a couple of steps and concentrate on walking faster and longer distances each week. The reality is I probably won't be a running a whole lot of the marathon anyway just because of the arthritis so I am going to concentrate on the walking and if in the end I have the endurance to run I will. I have to remember that I do have arthritis and I need to be cautious of my expectations. I just want to prove I can do this but I need to remember to be smart about it. :-)

Thankfully with my fitness watch I can log exactly what I do each day, it really is a great training tool !
Workout
9:36am 4.16km 47.49 minutes 313 calories burned !

Goal by Sept 11 is to have walked 40km in total !

Where Have I Been ????

I am back !!! I know you are wondering where the heck I have been. Well it's been a summer filled with camping and travelling. I am begining to feel a bit like a gypsie..LOL !!! Although it's been great fun with family and friends I have not lost focus of what I am working so hard towards. My training has continued even when I have been on vacation. I haven't had interenet access to keep you upto date but I promise I have been walking my butt off..literally. :-) Whether it be camping or staying in a hotel I always find a way to get the exercise in. So I'm not really one for using the exercise rooms at hotels with all the hard core buff people that use them so I opted for my own way. Walking the hallways and doing the stairs listening to my MP3 player was more my style. And holy crap there are alot of stairs in some hotels...LOL !!!
Every morning while we were camping I was up at 8:30 am and walking 4km. I even managed to snag a couple of walking partners to keep me company. It was a great walk and with my new training watch it was great to track my progress and beat previous times. I did find walking with others was way more motivating, so my plan for Sept is to commit with friends to a walking/jogging program. So if you are reading this and are interested post a comment with days and times that would work for you and we
will for sure get something planned out.
I really can't believe how fast the time is going and that I have been at this for 3 months already. Summer has been a bit harder for taking off the weight but I am glad that I have been able to at least maintain what I have done this far and continue working on my endurance. So far my arthritis is cooperating and not causing me too much pain while training and that I am very thankful for.
I am very excited to finally be able to report the amount that my silent auctions raised towards my goal... $200 !!!! That brings me up to 23% of my goal raised. Thank you to everyone that has supported me this far !!!!
With only 8 months left I definetly have my work cut out for me both reaching my sponsorship goal and training wise. I look forward to the continued challenge and I know with your support and sponsorship it will come together the way it's supposed to in the end !! :-)

Enjoy the sunny days of summer !!!

http://arthritis.akaraisin.com/pledge/Participant/Home.aspx?seid=2150&mid=9&Lang=en-CA&pid=125270

Banff

It was a great weekend of camping with Family. The weather was pretty good, a couple of rain showers I could have done without but all in all it was great.
I was alittle afraid of the scale this morning because of the marshmellows..yikes !! But it was good news, I was actually down a lb. I guess that was all the walking and biking we did. Whew..thank god !!! LOL Well lets talk about the biking...that was a bit of an adventure. It's Banff, so you're in the mountains, that means hills, hills and more hills. It doesn't matter where you ride, you go DOWN, you have to come back UP !! And not little hills, we are talking long,steep hills. Thankfully I have a couple of months of training under my belt cause otherwise...I would have never made it..lol My daughter rides behind me and my middle son rides behind my husband, so not only do I have to worry about getting myself up the hill, now I have an extra 40+ lbs behind me. Believe it or not, I actually made it back to camp...lol Let's just say we only did that once though..lol My body wasn't very happy with me the next day so I decided that walking would be alittle less painful. So I guess that's why the couple of marshmellows I consumed didn't stick to my butt..lol

I also decided that Jillian Michaels is a bully..lol I also started the 30 day challenge on the EA Active Sports for the wii, and the trainer on their is so much nicer than Jillian..lol So I guess I will alternate between the 2 otherwise Jillian is going to send my arthritis into overdrive..lol Sorry Jillian !!!

Off to finish up the chores from the camping trip. Thanks for stopping by to have a read. See you again soon.
I'm almost at my goal of 20% of the fundraising by the end of June...Thanks everyone !!!!

http://arthritis.akaraisin.com/p/jodyjordan.aspx

Jillian Michaels.

So I've started the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred...oh my what was I thinking..lol
After 2 workouts I feel like I have been beat up ! I have no doubt that if I can keep up, that woman will have me whipped into shape in no time at all. :-) I have a couple of friends that are going to join me so I don't feel like I'm being beat up alone..bringing in backup..lol I really look forward to the summer and having friends join me in my training, it's always more fun with someone else ! Although my children still make things pretty entertaining when they go with me. Thank you to those of you that emailed with suggestions for the training watches. After a couple of different suggestions I finally made my mind up and so I'm excited for it to arrive next week. :-)
Going to change things up a bit this weekend with some hiking and biking in Banff, can't be any worse then Jillian..lol !!!!
The donations are continuing and that is awesome, thank you so much to my supporters.
I'm eagerly waiting to hear what the total was for the silent auction items!!!

Enjoy the rest of your week !!!

http://arthritis.akaraisin.com/p/jodyjordan.aspx

11 km course !!!

It's been a pretty busy week both with training and the family. We are getting the trailer ready for camping this summer, everyone is pretty exited about that. So our trailer is parked at a storage facility and we take it back and forth from the house to the storage yard in between uses. I decided to see what the distance was from our house to the trailer when it is in storage... 11km. So a course I can practise on, walking out to the trailer and back is pretty much a 1/2 marathon. So I figure I can use this to build up to doing the 22km. I have to say thinking about the distance from here to the trailer is a bit overwhelming and I wonder how long it will take me to be able to walk from here to there?!? I'm sure the guy that lives at the storage yard wonders who the crazy lady is cause I swipe my card to open the gate and then I walk/jog to our trailer spot and then after we're done I do the same thing back to the gate. I keep waiting for the guard dog to jump out from somewhere and attack me..lol Hubby says he only comes out at night..lol
So I'm trying to find a watch or something that tracks accurate distance, time, heart rate etc but not sure what to go with. If anyone has any suggestions or has used one they really like and recommends please post.
More good news about the fundraising, I am now at 17%. Thank you so much to everyone who has donated. My goal is to reach 20% by the end of June and please no amount is too small, it's all greatly appreciated.:-)
Hopefully the weather warms up a bit cause snow in June is crazy !!!!
www.arthritis.akaraisin.com/p/jodyjordan.aspx

New Trainers !!

It was a beautiful weekend here in Calgary. Great opportunity to be outside enjoying the warm weather and the sunshine.
I learned this weekend that I have 3 new trainers...yes my children. I said that I was going out for a walk and they wanted to come and so I said "well you have to keep up cause mommy is training". I told them mommy has super fast shoes now but who was I kidding thinking THEY couldn't keep up..lol So the whole family heads out for some training. The kids' ride their bikes and hubby and I are walking/jogging. I have to say it was mostly jogging okay running..lol cause my littlest one kept taking off to far ahead of us on her bike and we would have to catch up to her and once we did catch up to her she would say "we are training"..lol I'm thinking to myself this isn't training, this is boot camp..lol
It was fun and the kids are so excited about "helping" mommy train.

Start of a new month..holy crap that means I'm down to 10 1/2 months to train and fundraise. When I started this whole process I had a year and it sounded so far away ...oiiii time flies.

New Shoes !!!

So I start out the week walking 2.0 miles in 42minutes.. don't ask me if that's fast or not cause I have no idea..lol My knees were abit sore so I decided not to put off getting a new pair of shoes any longer. So off to the running room I go to find a new pair of shoes. After trying on about 8 different pairs of shoes, I finally found the perfect pair. I didn't realize how bad my old shoes were until I walked with the new ones...holy moly. And the best part..My new shoes can walk faster than the old ones..LOL With my new shoes I can walk 2.0 miles in 31 minutes (and I even got the odd 1 minute run in there..lol) Now I'm even more excited my new shoes can run too. :-)

Speaking about shoes...Get out your dancing shoes !!!!
The Blues Brothers - Live in Concert!

Pull out that sharp suit and those shades and join us on June 12, 2009 for an evening you won’t soon forget! The Arthritis Society is thrilled to present “The Blues Brothers” at the Big Sky Lounge at the Stampede Casino in Calgary!
$100 gets you in the door, an exquisite dinner and all the rockin’, swinging, tail-feather shakin’ times you can handle. Don’t forget your dancing shoes!

Let me know if you would like tickets. Part of the money from the tickets I sell will go towards my fundraising goal. Support a great cause and have a great evening out all at the same time !!!

Enjoy the rest of your week everyone !!!

Silent Auction Items

There are 2 silent auctions, the first one is this Sat. May 31 at Spirit Fitness, 7425 Macleod Tr. S.W.if you are interested in stopping in to bid on any of the items.

There are 30+ handmade cards in each box. And the journal book is in a basket with a tea diffuser, tea, cookies, handmade journal and a handmade notebox.

There is also another one the following Friday at a restaurant downtown Calgary, and I will get the address for that one as well.

Scrapbooking for my cause !!

So it's been a fun couple of weeks of scrapbooking . And you wonder what does scrapbooking have to do with my journey?!? Well there is a silent auction coming up that is being sponsored by a fitness club here in Calgary and we (participants in joint in motion) can donate items to be auctioned off and the money raised for the items I donate, goes directly towards my fundraising goal. So I thought why not incorporate my love for scrapbooking into my journey. So I handmade some awesome journal notebooks and then while scrapbooking with my friends I had yet another great idea. :-) I asked everyone if they would each make a handmade greeting card and I would would put together a box of cards for the auction as well. I was so excited when I recieved 100 cards, so this week I will be assembling the cards into gift boxes to auction off. I thank everyone who made these cards in support of my journey, it was a great way to show your support and I can't wait to put them in the auction. I also received almost $200 in scrapbooking supplies from cropandcruise.com that will be donated as a silent auction item as well.
I will post pictures of the items going into the auction and those of you that expressed interest in bidding can do so. Please watch for information on when and where you can bid.
I also met so many fellow scrapbookers that are challenged with arthritis as well and it was great to hear their stories and know that I am doing this to make a difference. I even met a lady who's daughter was a part of the joints in motion's team years ago and did her marathon in switzerland on behalf of your mom who has arthritis.
So it's been a great couple of weeks and I appreciate all the donations and emails of support.
My goal is to reach 20% of my fundraising goal by the end of May !!!

Enjoy your day everyone !!!!

Wow !

Trying to figure out a start point and it appears I need to learn to run before I can train for a 1/2 marathon..lol For those of you that know me...well you know
that I have no patience and I really just want to be able to run a 1/2 marathon by next weekend..lol How is that for high expectations for myself..lol
So I have had a couple of recommendations from friends on learning to run programs and that is where I am going to start. The funny thing is, the programs all start with walking, oiii here we go again, now I have to learn to walk before I can learn to run. Good news I don't have to start right from the beginning cause guess what..I at least know who to walk. So it all begins with learning to walk faster (a brisk walk and power walking). So here we go !!!

The other "wow" part of this week is the kickstart to the fundraising I need to do for the Arthritis Society. Thank you so much to those that have already donated, you have helped me surpass the 10% mark and it's an awesome feeling.

Also thank you for the emails of encouragement, they always brighten my day. :-)

Well I'm off to go for a WALK...I'll let you know when I hit the RUNNING stage..lol

Have a great Day !!!

Getting Started !

Wow, I can't even begin to explain the mixed emotions I am feeling.I started the process about 3 weeks ago gathering information, getting my many questions answered and completing the registration forms. I love to do new things and take on challenges, so I'm excited as things fall into place and the journey begins. But all at the same time I was feeling nervous about telling family and friends, sending out the first emails and setting up my homepage for sponsorship. But it's done now and I'm feeling alittle relieved about that part. There have been a few tears already..lol happy tears of course, as the first donations came into my website, and made things that much more real. Thank you:-)

It is going to be a challenging 11 months of up and downs, hard work and training, I'm excited that you want to be a part of my support team . Wiith your support and encouragement I know I can do this !I want to inspire those around me that are faced with challenges of their own. I want to show that a positive attitude, determination and hard work can make anything possible.

The most important part of Joints in Motion is the fundraising that we do for the Arthritis society. So I'm asking you to please click on the link at the bottom of my blog page and sponsor me with you tax deductible donation to the arthritis society and together we can make difference.

My Story

I am 37 years old and was faced with dealing with arthritis at the beginning of my adult life. Over the years I have developed 3 types of arthritis which have left me with physical and mental challenges.
It started in my sacroiliac joints, which I later learned was what they call Ankylosing spondylitis. A few years I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis and it's only been in the last 5 years the Dr discovered the osteoarthritis in my left hip which is almost to the point of needing a replacement.
Fortunately I have a wonderful family and great friends that have supported me along the way. My husband and I have 3 young, adorable, energetic children that we have chosen to be a part of our lives forever through adoption. They are my life and inspiration.
I have spent the last 17 years finding ways of dealing with the pain and challenges of arthritis and that is why I have chosen to become a part of the Joints in Motion team to give back to an amazing cause and fight arthritis. I have determination and inspiration I want to share with other people facing similar challenges.
Thanks to the arthritis society and their continued research of new medicines, information and support, I have been able to overcome so many of my challenges. This journey will allow me the opportunity to prove anything is possible to myself and those around me. I want to be able to say "I trained and I completed a half marathon while dealing with the effects of arthritis."

I have the determination to make this happen but I wouldn't be able to do it without you. So join
me, along with your family and friends, in my journey in the fight against arthritis.