Weekly Review 2/28 - 3/5 and Giveaway Results!

Thanks to everyone who read my previous post, my 400th blog post! Today, I'll be announcing the winner of the Giveaway that I did. But first, I want to write about the week that was in another Weekly Review blog post!

Fitness
This past week was a bit of a slowdown as it was bookended with travel. It can be very difficult to get in time for fitness when traveling, but I did make an attempt a few times. I focused largely on trying to get steps on my pedometer this week.

Shape Up Montana continues. Our team is ranked 27 out of almost 250 teams, so I feel really good about that. The teams I am coordinating at school are really kicking butt, too. Our top team is actually in 3rd place in the overall competition, which is AMAZING, and the other two are 23rd and 24th. I am so proud of all of them for being in the top 25!

Here's how my week actually broke down-
Sunday- Drive home from Bozeman. 3 mile pasture hike with Jeff.

I think pasture hikes are Harvey's favorite form of exercise!

Monday- 20 minutes HIIT, 3 mile treadmill run
Tuesday- 2 mile walk, 20 min yoga
Wednesday- 3 mile treadmill run
Thursday- rest. (travel)
Friday- rest. (travel)
Saturday- 30 minutes core and 15 min elliptical

Wow... what a slow week. Only six miles of running and only 20 minutes of yoga. Lots of walking. That counts for something, too, though I guess. I plan to pick it up a little this next week!

YTD through March 5
Running: 97.95 miles
Walking/Hiking: 25.7 miles
Yoga: 415 min 
CC-Ski: 500 min / 14.1 miles (since I started tracking mileage on 1/17) 
Alpine Ski: 3 days
Mountain bike: 10 miles

Farm
We really started calving in full swing last week. In a 24 hour period on February 29 and March 1, we had eleven calves! During calving, people take turns walking through the corrals and checking on the cows, watching for signs of imminent birth and/or distress. If a cow is in active labor, we usually just keep an eye on her and hope that she can have the calf on her own. If she takes an inordinate amount of time, or of we notice feet are coming out backwards, or anything else that's not right, then we may try to go in and help her out or pull the calf. We have had very few cases where we've had to help pull a calf this year, so that's good.

My time to check the cows has been the first-thing-in-the morning shift. I wake up a little earlier than normal and walk out there between 5:45 and 6:30 a.m. depending on the day. Jeff typically goes out at bedtime and then in the middle of the night between 2 and 3:00 a.m. Jeff and Tom split duties during the day. For the overnight checks, we leave notes to each other if there's something to watch out for or a particular cow who is "thinking about it," as we say.

I find that I actually really like starting my day with this little walk. I also like that I'm looking for new life. It's kind of an uplifting thought and a nice way to bring some optimism into the beginning of the day. My pedometer is also happy to start the day right off with some steps! ;)


Life
Jeff and I were in Minneapolis for the National Farmers Union Convention. I really enjoyed the opportunity to see some close friends I have made in this organization and to get caught up on policy and goings-on. I'll write more about the Convention in a separate post. Otherwise, calving is really the main excitement of our lives right now. Also, for me, Track Season starts very soon!! Less than a week away!

Giveaway Results
ICYMI, the previous post was my 400th blog post and I celebrated with a little giveaway! Congratulations to Adria- you are the randomly selected winner of a copy of Hattie Big Sky! You'll receive your book very soon! :)

Thanks for tuning in, everyone! Check back soon for a post about my trip to Minneapolis!