For Months on End

Earlier this week I was talking to the Hubs about figuring out race plans and looking at my calendar. I'm already signed up for a Half in May. I'm hoping to do a full in the fall. So my calendar will basically have me starting half training as of the first week of Janurary and techically the week before my half is when I would be starting training for a full. I'm going to have to talk to someone about how to work all this out but its looking like I'm in training mode from Janurary till Mid October when the race I'm thinking of is.

WOW... Thats all I got when I think of it all. wow.

Sunday Long Run.

Wow its been a while since I've done one of those. Since I ususally try to get 4 runs in a week I can get them all in during the week and let the weekends be family time.
Well I've been browsing some training plans and realized that since I'm signed up for a spring half that means training will start again in Janruary. Like literally the first week of the New Year. Thats going to require regular Sunday runs again. So off I went yesterday.

It felt great. I managed to keep up a great pace and not get to tired throughout. My only mistake was that the route I was taking while fine for a regular weekday run wasn't the best for a Sunday run. Part of the route was on the Danforth in Greektown and

hmmmm a Sunday during the Hoildays......

Yeah totally forgot how crowded the sidewalks would be. Oh well I got through it all.

Oh and yeah did you know that the Black Eyed Pea's last album will last you (well me at least) about 8km.

Break Time

Today is the first offical day of Christmas break here at our house. Thankfully I won't have to worry to much about getting runs in. The only questionable days are this upcoming Monday or Tuesday. But its a case of making sure I head out after Hubby gets home from work. Wednesday till Sunday we'll be at my parents and I can head out for a bit there and leave the boys with my parents. Then Hubby is off for the second week of break so thats easy to still get the runs in at my regular time or maybe a bit earlier.

I only have 27.5 more km to go till I reach 900 for the year. Didn't really start the year with any kind of goal but while its not the 1000 mile challenge that some are doing I know for a fact I can do over 1000km next year with my goals in mind.

Speaking of..... What plan did anyone whos done a full marathon use for their first?

I figure if this is something I want to do I should look at plans and how to make it possible and see how it will affect the family schedule and you know get the Hubby's support.

Three Things Thrusday

1. Soooo last night was our boy's school's Christmas concert. They were so adorable and thankfully niether of them froze on stage. Bug's class did two poems and the second one was about Aunty Flo who sends pairs of underwears every year. They ended it by pulling underwear out of gift wrapped boxes. The audience loved it. Seeing all the little undies was funny. Trouble's class did a song and while he did do all the actions, he also threw in some of his bum shake moves into it. Thankfully its all on video to embares them in a couple years.

2. Broke out the running tights for yesterday's run. Very happy I did so, because even though my legs were a bit red when I got home they didn't feel cold while out and well that's what counts right. I also got myself a thick fleece headband thing since I can't do winter hats when running. I think I might be winter ready almost.

3. No run today. Trouble was up constantly last night. I can't even remember if I started my coffee yet. It's so hard when they're up and crying but can't or won't tell you whats wrong. So you can do nothing but hold a crying kid. For one it pulls on your heartstrings and two its annoying because you're tired and just want to sleep. I think there was 5 times he woke up. Of course the last time was at 5:30 am and he wanted to watch cartoons since he got enough sleep somehow within the night.

Tannenbaum 10K

Thats me in the pink BTW, on the way to the finish.

Well for some reason I was nervous in the morning from the time I got up till we lined up at the starting line. Now I can see that it was because I wasn't excited or sure about what I got myself into.

I got up at 7 and got some coffee and breakfast in me to wake up. By 8 I was dressed, had at least 3 bathroom breaks and was ready to head out the door. I took the bus down so no one would have to get up in the rainy weather. I got down to the Running Room store hosting and dropped my bag off and waited inside with the other runners.

I got into a conversation with a women wearing the Vibram shoes. Then another lady joined in and that really calmed the nerves down. Apparently the first lady's husband was running barefoot in the race and normally does. His secret? Keeping crazy glue on hand should he get a cut or something. hmmm. Finally it was start time so we headed outside to the starting line.

The race capped out at 250 people I think.
THIS is the link to the route. There were huge puddles right at the start so there was lots of bumping into people. But we got past that and got on the trail. KM 1 and 2 felt great. I was thinking it wouldn't be too bad. Aside from some of the runners who weren't looking out for others before moving around the path. Or the couple times when we encountered big puddles and some wouldn't move over so the person next to them got a soaker.

Starting really feeling the winds in km 3-4 but from 4-8 when we were going in the opposite direction the winds were crazy! I'd see the people in front of me and behind me and we'd all be walking since we were running about that fast anyways. As soon as the wind would shift even a tiny bit on angle we'd all get back going but of course be stopped again and walking into the wind.

Turning the corner around 8km was HEAVEN!! There was a dad with his little girl manning the turnaround and she was so cute giving high fives to everyone as they went by. Feeling the wind push you towards the finish was amazing. I was able to catch my breathe and let my legs go. I definitely let the winds carry me to get me going.

Of course there was a bit of headwind heading back but knowing there was less than 1km to go just got me through it and powering as much as I could so it could be over. Yeah the big puddles were still there but I just went right through them. I already had soakers so really it didn't matter at that point.

Finish time of 1:03:xx

I didn't stick around since I knew I wasn't about to get any awards. I was getting cold and since I forgot to bring a change of clothes, grabbing a coffee and heading home were my only thoughts.

Once I got home I lost my medal to the kids. They thought it was awesome and it became an award for their stuffies for a while. Hubby sent me right up to the bathtub so I could warm up since he could see how frozen I had gotten.

All in all, would I do it again? If I had someone to run with, sure. The unpredictable weather definitely means needing the extra support.

Quickie Version

I did the race in 1:03:xx.
There was no "race" considering we were next to the lake and the winds were crazy!
4k of it was running into headwind. We were running as fast as we walk :P But the HEAVEN of it after the last turnaround and it pushed you!!! AHHHH!!!

Full report tomorrow. The cold and wind was exhausting. I'm more tired than when I did the half. Go figure.

I should be good now.

Well considering I have a 10k race on Sunday, I figured I should give 10k a go today for my run. I've done 8k and lots and lots of 6.5k runs. But for some reason I've stopped doing 10k or more. So today I did it. I ususally do it in about an hour and I did today. I didn't feel the greatest for parts of it but I know thats partially because I didn't eat much before heading out. I wasn't staying hydrated very much.

I really wasn't taking care of myself. This time of year things tend to get hectic and some things tend to drop a bit. Sadly for me it was important things. But I know I could do the 10k and not die. (I knew I wouldn't, but I thought it would be harder to do)

I've already spent the rest of the day drinking my water, eating the good healthy stuff. Taking care of me.

Now that said. Sunday's race is sooo not something I'm even remotely thinking of PRing in. First off that there's be like no real training. Second "The Weather Gods" are calling for a 90% chance of snow/rain. It's supposed to be in the + side so that'll be nice but we're running next to the lake so the winds might be rough.

We'll see I'm running for fun and well for the medal you get afterwards.

HBBC
runs - 6+8.3+10 =24.3
F&V - 4 (see it was a crappy week)
Low impact - 1
Total - 29.3

Baby its cold outside

Its cold out.

Like really cold. (ok fine its not to bad without the wind)

Ok some of you have it way colder out but whatever I'm complaining anyways.

The worst part is there is a wind tunnel on the street where the boy's bus stop is so yesterday I was supposed to run but the winds (thanks to the tunnel thing) were practically pushing Trouble over (hes tiny at only 30lbs)and in my running gear I couldn't imagine running in that. So I went back home and did a DVD instead. Of course I remembered about the wind tunnel when I had to go out to get more wrapping paper and it wasn't too bad anywhere else. D'oh!

So today I was ignoring the damned wind tunnel and getting out and getting my 8k in. The wind were better today but man I felt so sluggish and blah out there today. I had no trouble keeping it up and moving but my legs felt stiff the whole time. Thank goodness for mental muscle. And surprisingly most sidewalks were cleared down to the pavement so I didn't have to worry about slipping anywhere.

But once I was home, man it took forever to warm up. I drained all and I seriously mean all the hot water in the tank on trying to warm up. I drained my coffee in record time getting the warmth of it in me. Thankfully it was floor washing day so that warmed me up and got rid of the chill.

Trouble had a speech therapy assessment this afternoon so after that the Christmas tree is going up finally! We wait to decorate the inside of the house till after his birthday so it doesn't get taken over by the holidays. But by Dec 8th? All bets are off baby and up the stuff goes.

Trouble is 4!

Happy Birthday to my favouritest Trouble maker!

Busy week

So much so that I would think of things that I would want to blog about but then of course I'd forget them. Blah!

So big mismash of things today.

***
Hubby was invested as a Beaver Troop Leader earlier this week. It was cute. Theres a book that the leaders read to the Beavers and thats where they get the leader's nicknames. They even let the kids pick. So Hubs is now Scouter Ringtail, or just Ringtail. I love that he got one of the more fun names. I think he does too.

***
Bug made me crack up laughing yesterday with a conversation we had on the way to the bus stop. Something like this.

Bug "I wonder what car we'll get"
Me "We have a car honey and we're not getting a new one yet."
Bug "No for when me and M get grown up" (That's his little girlfriend)
Me "Oh I dunno they'll probley have lots of new kinds of cars then" (remember they're 5)
Bug "Yeah, Maybe a van to hold all our babies would be good."
Me (trying not to laugh too much)"Yeah a van sounds good."

Of course I shared it with M's mom and she thought it was awesome too. My kid is quite the planner.

***
I don't think I have many or any local mom's looking for preschools in my area reading this blog but I have to speack of the awesome
Dentonia Park Nursery School. Both of my boys went there and loved the amazing teachers. Its a cooperative school so families are really invovled and its a great way to get your little ones ready for big kid school. Honestly I miss it.

Last night was the auction that raises tons of money for the school (its a non-profit school) and past parents are invited to attend and check things out and have a great time talking and big on items.

I walked away with a 1 hour massage and 2 chiropractice appts. A 3 month pass to Goodlife. and a cute backpack about half full of candy(ring pops and such)Anyone need some stocking stuffers?

Happy December!

Well the countdown to Christmas is basically on! Its not quite offical in our house till the 8th. The 7th is Trouble's birthday so I like to wait till afterwards to fully decorate so his day isn't taken over by the hoildays.

We started baking cookies yesterday. We did some sugar cookies and some molasses gingerbread cookies(Hubby did those ones). Today we'll decorate the sugar ones and start to fully love December.

The weather here is crappy. Like really crappy. Those who have snow? I'll trade ya for our rain. This morning it started out at around 6C(42F)and was only going to get colder. The light rain we were having was supposed to turn to rain/snow this afternoon(which it did). So decisions, decisions.... Do I run in the rain in the daylight or wait for the snow and dark?

I ran in the rain. I love running on the first of the month. Its like recharging and setting the standard. I went out and got 6.5k(4 miles) in. The rec trail I usually run on has a creek next to it. Man it was really barreling by this morning. Saw none of the regulars and I don't blame them at all. I saw a couple people walking their dogs and I got a couple "shes crazy smiles" or just a stare from one lady. Also I did see one other runner and from her reaction I bet we were both thinking "YEAH! I'm not the only crazy one out here in this!!" Thankfully tomorrow the rain should be done and I can get out there again with less lake puddle jumping.

Three Things Thrusday!

1. Of course a very Happy Thanksgiving Wish goes out to all those in the States. Enjoy some pumpkin pie for me. Just a little slice.

2. Christmas shopping will be done this weekend. The little boys are being shipped off to Nana and Papa's house for a sleepover so Mommy and Daddy can get gifts. This is honestly going to be the first year in forever that we won't be scrambling at the malls the week before Christmas. I think I like it already.

3. Last night I made 80 little enchilada triangles with phyllo. It look like these.

Hubs work does a group potluck and groups of 4 each week over 4 weeks do a themed lunch. His was mexican and so thats what I made. For some reason he didn't want to bring a dessert (weirdo). I'll find out later what everyone thought. and Yes I did make the sauce too, that'll be for dipping.

800!!

Nope, not # of posts and clearly not # of followers.
But Kilometers! I keep an spreadsheet where I put in the distance of every run I've done this year. This morning's run of the usual 6.5km put me to 800km or 497 miles this year so far. It is just amazing to see how far I've gone.

For fun so far this year I've run the distance from Toronto to Colchester County, Nova Scotia. Or if I was going to the States I've run the distance from Toronto to Savannah, Georgia. That is far.

Now there is no way I'm going to top 1000 km or even 900 for the year at this point... but I see a goal for the New Year.


HBBC
Tuesday- 2 (F&V and 20 mins streght workout)
Wednesday- 4 (run) So far

Ouch

Well I slacked today. I just didn't have the energy to go for a run. I didn't stretch like normal after my run yesterday so my legs felt heavy all day. I decided well I should do my stregth training DVD since I know I have weak arms. What better reason to stop whatever excuses than getting a point for the HBBC while getting a workout in?

Yeah my arms auck. They're a touch sore from a 30 min DVD. My stomach is ok from doing the stuff but you'd think having to carry around a toddler would give my arms something but nope.

Oh well, at least they'll be in good condition for putting the Christmas tree up today after school.

Starting HBBC!

Well the first two days of the HBBC didn't go to well. I got the fruit and veg in on the first day but no real exercise on day one. On day two there was not many fruit and veg since we went the Parade and enjoyed many treats, but there was about 2km of walking along that damned parade route to get to our stop then finding the coffees, hot dogs, getting back to the subway and bahh...

Today was much better. I got the F&V done by dinner and I got my run in today. I did 8.5km(5.2 miles) this morning. It was drizzling a bit at the start with a bit of hard rain, not quite a downpour but enough to soak you in the last km and a bit. It actually felt really nice since I was wearing a long sleeve shirt and it was like 11C(51F) out there and a t-shirt would have been fine.

So,
Saturday- 1 point
Sunday- 2 points
Monday- 6 points

La la la I can't hear you...

..... apparently that's what some (not all of course) of those who run natural think about those that run with music.

I've read this opinion on running message boards before and never really thought much of it. I mean sure whatever, I don't usually think to much of it. I read an article in the latest issue of Runner's World where two people debated running with music and did some pros and cons to it. The Con person kept bringing up that listening to music means you're not listening to your body and your breathing and footfalls. Oh and not paying attentions to surroundings.

Its pointless to run if you're going to be wired. How does that help you disconnect from the busy life so you can unwind and focus on all the wonderful things around you? Sometimes the music helps me unwind. Sometimes hearing a great song can take my mood from crappy to happy and can even put my mind in the zone so I can focus.

I dunno about you, but maybe I don't have my tunes cranked high enough but I can definitely still hear and am aware of my breathing. and if I'm hearing my footfalls its because my form is off and I need to fix to it. and I wasn't aware that listening to music while running also made you blind, I always thought the Church said it was something else that did that but, oh well. I can still see the cars next to the sidewalk I'm on, I am fully aware of where the crosswalks are. Really the only danger is if those around me hear me sing along with whatever I'm listening to. I could scar them.

In all seriousness, I get the issues. If I'm bringing music on a run (if I'm not on the rec paths), I only use 1 of my ear pieces so the other ear can hear things around me. And of course I don't use music for every run. Maybe a bit more than half involve music.

What about you? Do you run with music?

Silver Lining

I'm currently sidelined basically and its still not fun when its you being sidelined due to someone else. Bug is sick. Crazy fever(that started Monday and broke last night thankfully)throwing up(also now done) and we're debating strep throat right now. Was hoping to get him into the Dr today but they are already overbooked(as usual) so its my job to keep him comfy and ok till we can get to the after hours Ped's clinic when Hubby gets home.

So therefore I am not running. I usually run as you all know when the boys are in school. Well when one isn't in school I'm stuck at home. Sure I could go for a run after Hubs gets home but last night Bug wanted Mommy to stay on the couch with him and so thats what I did. His needs for me were much great than my need for a run. Ok, not by much but still.

So therefore I'm grateful for the great run I had on Monday. I did my usual 6.5k route and I did it 2 minutes faster than I did all last week. and I didn't feel as crappy as I did last week during the almost end of the run. Plus today Bug is helping me avoid heading out in the crazy winds we're having with bits of rain after the crazy storm we had last night.

Silver linings are always easy to find once to go looking for them.

No Run = No Coffee

Am I the only one who's stomach can't handle coffee before a run? It always gets things going, even if it doesn't need going. We'll leave it at that. Last night I was stupid and jinxed myself. Getting ready for bed I was telling The Hubby that now that Trouble has been finally sleeping through the night and therefore so was I (getting 8-9 hours each night wohoo!) I was more tired when the alarm goes off now than I was when I was getting up countless times at night.

So you can all see where this is going right? Apparently I didn't. :(

I spent most of the night getting Trouble back to sleep. Though the majority of it I don't think he was fully awake for. But true to my word I was up easily at 7am. Go figure. So of course I wanted... sorry...needed a coffee this morning. But it was also a run day. Bah!!! So I got the boys together and off on the bus. Already in my running gear and off I went. 7km and a wonderfully hot shower later.... mmmm coffee.

I'm really happy I got out there. Today it was about 4C this morning and I started with my thin jacket, t-shirt, those one size fits all gloves, pants. Yeah the gloves lasted 1km and the jacket was taken off just halfway. Totally wished I could have been like an elite in a race where they take off their stuff and just throw it off to the side. But I like my jacket so it went around my waist.

PS. Dave Hollander (who wrote THIS Article) and his friend are Jackasses.

Same old same old

Route that is. I generally do the same route all the time.I start at my house and then go around the corner-ish to the parking lot of the local Rec Trail. Its 3k from parking lot to parking lot. If I finish back at the first parking lot its my usual 6.5k route. If I decided to battle the long gradual hill back home its 7k.

I like watching the seasons change. I like watching the frost that's covering parts of grass be rampant at the start of my run and come back and the sun has melted it.

But I mostly like the regular people I see. We never do more than a "Hi" or "How are you?" or even just a wave or a nod but we're used to seeing each other.

There's:

- Beard guy with his white huskey, I usually see them twice.
- Happy guy with his huge smile, I see him on the way out. He has one leg that doesn't bend properly.
- A group of 3-4 that walk their 6 dogs together.
- Two older men who get into debates over things as they walk the path together everyday.
- My group of Asian exercisers as I call them, there's like 12 or so of them who walk to the Dawes rd parking lot and do stretches and maybe some Tai chi. I see about half of the group as they walk the path to the parking lot on my way out. The men always say "Hi" The women usually wave.
- There's one women who does Tai Chi at the other end of the 3k path by herself. She told me once when I mentioned the other group that its too distracting with others.

There are usually other runners or people out walking their dogs that we always say Hi or wave. Maybe they'll become regulars too. I just hope as it gets colder out I don't lose all my people, who would I say Hi too?

Racing again.

So I signed up for another race. Suprising I know. The Tannenbaum 10k. I realize I seriously need goals and goals that all me don't quite cut it. I find that setting a goal of improving pace or speed don't work unless I have a way to test them. Sure I can get a new PB (or at least attempt to get a new one) on regular runs out after weeks of work. But a race is the real test for me. This race is also great because as part of your registration fee you're required to bring in a donation of a new unwrapped toy or non perishable food items.

Plus how fun and addictive is standing at that starting line and crossing the finish line?

A great run

If you look over ----> at the daily mile widget thingy, you'll see that my last run was less than 5k at a s.l.o.w pace. It was also I think one of my favorite runs in a while.
Last night just as I was started to marinate the fish for dinner I realized I still wanted to get a run in and that I should at least get 5k in since that would take me about the 30 minutes the fish needed before it was time to cook it.

It was also back to standard time and it was starting to get dark out so I started getting ready to head out quickly. Bug then asked if he could come too on his bike. I said sure and got him dressed up and off we went. I didn't get any pictures (sadly) but it was a great run. We had to be careful since some sidewalks were busy and we were talking away about Christmas, how far away Bug's birthday was, if I found races for him next year, you know important stuff. We got a bunch of smiles from some people when they realized he was biking and I was running. One guy said he thought it was a great idea.

Though I definitely recommend having "races" with your kid on his bike when you need to get some speed work in there. We had 2. "Mom, lets go as fast as we can and see who wins"

Best part? afterwards while eating dinner. "Dad, me and mommy went really fast and went really far too. like 18. It was super fun. We're going to do it again another day too."

Three Things Thrusday!

1. I've signed for Amanda's Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge.
It'll be great to keep me motiavated with all the baking I plan on doing.

2.I got out running again today! My goal right now is at least 4 days a week. Not going to far but just keeping moving. Don't want to lose all the effort from the half training cause that would suck. I just went slow and steady since during the wee early hours Trouble crawled in to bed with us and they sleep so weird when they're little so I was stuck on my side all bent up. Which gave me a sore hip come 7am. It actually felt really good to not push things.

3.My pumpkin pie from two days turned out fabulous! Hubby was in heaven eating it.(actually theres only 2 pieces left and I only an a tiny piece tuesday.) He brought some in yesterday and everyone was ohh whats that? and wheres the rest of it?. So I'm making another one today since I still have 2lbs of pumpkin puree left and Hubby will bring it in for everyone. Believe me I love some pumpkin pie but I can only handle 1 teeny piece then I'm good for practically the year.

Did it again!

Yeap got out there again this morning.
another 5k done. At this rate November will kick October's ass in just over a week.

I was dressed much better. I need some ear muff thingy thought. I just wore my wide headband over my ears and that kept them feeling good in the cold. It was -2C this morning so 28F for those of you down south. Yeah Cold, but I was ok in my long sleeve and pants. I did wear those cheapy fits all mitts.
I'm sure thats what made todays run feel so much better than yesterdays.

I gotta go finish my pumpkin pie. I'll post pics of it later. Maybe I'll even be nice and share my recipe for the best ever pie dough.

October Sucked

As far as running is concerned anyways. I'm not even going attempt to make excuses or whatever. I logged 36km for the whole month. Even before half training my lowest month was 60-some kms. Most of it was no motatvation. I had nothing to get me out there. The feeling awesome after just wasn't enough when a gloomy day was clearly winning in the mood department. Plus I got myself really worked up about Trouble which was overdone. In hindsight I realize I worried about nothing really, but I couldn't see it at the time. If something bad is going to happen to anyone in my little family its going to be him, The past almost 4 years just prove that(and his 5 hospital bracelets).

November is back on the wagon. I got there today. I'm planning on getting out there tomorrow too. Espeically since we're eating Pumpkin pie tomorrow for Hubby's birthday. Cause seriously who wants cake when your wife is going to make your favourite pie from scratch?
*BTW anyone want some pumpkin puree? I did two small cooking pumpkins and I got 3lbs of puree. Thats 3 pies worth. I'm going to have to make something else to send with him to work tomorrow just to get rid of some this stuff*

Anyways, there's a running group heading out Tuesday nights and while I'm going to miss tomorrow I'll be out there next week onward. Nothing like having others waiting for you to make sure your ass gets out there.

Oh and I can't forget to post pics of the boys from last night.
Trouble as Mr.Bones the skeleton.


Bug was supposed to be a pirate but had a last minute change of heart to last year's Superman.

Just like waiting for a race to start

You know that feeling when you first wake up the morning of a race? Maybe it starts the night before but that "Woah, something big is going to happen" feeling?

That's what this morning felt like. I had things set up the night before. Bug's snack for school, his halloween costume in a bag for the sitter to put on him. Trouble's spare outfit, the cards and paperwork we needed to bring.

We got up with the alarm. Both Hubby and I wide awake much earlier than we normally get up at. First we got Bug up and ready for the sitter's (shes across the street) and then we got Trouble up and out the door to the hospital (The doctor's with a H mommy). Got through registration quickly and up to the Ped's floor. Got him checked in and in his little hospital gown. We had to be there an hour and a half before the scheduled start time and that was 8 so by 7am Trouble was hanging out in the playroom with the other kids waiting to head down to the surgical floor. While we were waiting I mentioned to Hubby that it felt like waiting for a race to start. I'm all nerves till I hit that start line and let things fall where ever they go. I just couldn't see that damn start line.

by 8:15 the Doctor came and collected Trouble who I found out afterwards had no issues doing anything asked and was apparently full of "what's that?"s. We went off to the waiting room and Ahhhh there was my start line. I was fairly confident I would cry after I sent him off but nope. It was sad and scary but no tears. It was time to just go and let all the prep work and doctor's do their thing. I know while we were waiting I kept reading the same two paragraphs over and over again in the book I was reading and that sucked.

I couldn't even tell you what time it was when they said he was in recovery and that one of us could go see him. I was just up and didn't even give Hubs the chance. and Trouble was PISSED. He was pissed with the IV in his hand. He was confused and didn't like that at all. He was the loudest one in the recovery room so even though there was some kids who got to recovery before us we got sent up the after care room first mostly to get the noise out of there. It did take a while for him to calm down and that was hard having your 3 year old cuddle for like 20 seconds then fling themselves away from you and fight any help. Bah. But eventually he calmed down. It even took a while to convince him that you had to drink some juice or have a popsicle before we could take the IV out and go home. But he got that one too. I think his favourite part was at discharge he got a bag of Halloween candy and a new toothbrush. We were home by 10:30-ish. By noon he was fully back to normal and you'd have no clue unless we told you that he had minor surgery under general that morning.

He even joined his brother for the Kindergym and Art class they take on Friday afternoons.

I told him we have to go back in two weeks for a follow up to make sure the stitches all dissolved and to get the test results. He asked if he gets more candy. yeah he's fine.

Three Things Thrusdays

1. I have the best kids. Yesterday the drilling from the work being done behind our house was insanly loud. Bug suggested we go to the mall. "We want to play in the play center while you go shopping or something mommy". Yeap, like I need a 5 year old to encourage me to go shopping kid free. Each child is $5/hr at this place and even though I ddin't buy anything for me, that was a well spent $10.

2. Suddenly the idea of doing a Marathon next fall scares the crap outta me. Have you seen the training plans they have out there? The full out effort involved?? I'm sure you have since a good chunk of you have done a Marathon. Yeah I'm gonna wait till the New Year to even think about it anymore. Bah.

3.Can someone explain why the little halloween chocolate bars are soooo much better than the full size ones? I'm going to go with the variety it gives. And the fact that I have kids means there will be no shortage of the stuff after Sunday. Anyone want to lend me some extra willpower?

Which came first?

So I had a great run pace wise. I had an average pace of 5:59/km for 6km.

I also had what would qualify as a nightmare last night. I dreamt that after the surgery on Friday we got a call. They are going to biopsy the growth they are going to remove because it developed quickly and need to make sure its nothing serious. Ok. No one thinks its anything serious and we've talked to 3 different doctors so we're ok with. But apparently my sub conscience isn't. That phone call in my dream was them telling us that Trouble has cancer. Yeah cause that's a dream you want to have. Hubby says that the nerves are from the dream. I'm thinking the dream is a result of the nerves. You can control thoughts and such way better in the day when you're in control, at night not so much.

So I headed out this morning with the hope of keeping myself from injuring myself and I did that but man. I'm tired! 6km doesn't normally take this much out of me. I'll be honestly and mention that there was a couple(3) stops in there because I was generally doing a 5:30 pace but needed to catch my breathe since it was getting all over the place.

Is it Friday afternoon yet?

Back out there

and it was rough.
I figured it would be but man! I was keeping it around my normal pace which was a struggle in and of itself with the way my thoughts were going, and it felt like I could walk faster. In all honestly I know I wasn't going that slowly.

But I did it, I got back out there when it would have been sooooo much easier to have a cup of coffee, or do my errands, hit the bookstore (btw, I need a new one, any book recommendations?)

Today's weather was wonderful so that helped, although I was wearing my pants rather than my capris and wished I was in the latter so I was warm and I knew I didn't drink enough water over the weekend and that I wasn't hydrated enough.

So!

Back on the bandwagon, back to behaving and getting out there. I'm even thinking of joining the half marathon clinic thats starting next week. I need goals.

Still here

Not really running.

Trouble is having his surgery next week. I'm a basket of nerves about it. Its a minor in and out surgery but of course its still surgery. It doesn't help that when we went for a pre-op meeting with the anesthesiologist no one on the Ped's floor knew why we were there since they do the pre-op clinic on a different day and we weren't on the list for that. Plus he as apparently booked for the adult pre-op so we got sent back and forth and I was almost ready to cry since people kept expecting me to know what was going on. Bahh!

But they gave us the clinic thing 45 minutes later anyways. But we weren't there for that and had to go back the next day for the orginal meeting anyways. There was 5 kids including Trouble waiting to be seen and no one came for over 2 hours. Thankfully Hubby took him that time, cause I would have lost it. This was for kids that had other medical issues that they want to be careful about during surgery like Trouble's VSD (hole in his heart in layman terms) .

Next up is the pre-op check up with his regular Ped on Friday. So that will be the easy one. I tried running, but I'm going way to fast. I usually do around a 6 minute per km pace and I keep doing around a 5 minute pace. I couldn't even do 1km at that pace and I was worried about injurying myself so I'm allowing myself to take it easy and just do other things to focus my mind on. So the main floor of my house is really clean. Plus today since it was nice out the little boys and I went to the Zoo. If anyone knows about the BIG hill for the Canadian Domain, thats a workout in and of itself. We always go down there to see the land bison, its like a rule in our house.

Just another week and things go back to normal and calm down. whew.

He's caught the Bug!

This morning we carbed up with some yummy pancakes. I couldn't say no to Bug with his excitment about his big race. We headed up to Richmond Hill and it was insanly easy to find the park. Got the Hubby's and Bug's bibs and got ready.

Showing off their numbers



Then they were off!



It wasn't long before they were back.


A mere 7 minutes and 11 seconds later.
PPSSSSttt, Don't you love his watch? That was his insistance since hes going to be a racer like mommy.


A proud boy.

Of course I was asked on the walk back to the car.... "Mom when its nice again after the winter, I get to do this again right?"

Yeap, my Bug has been bitten.

Since I'm a Dork like that

Check out what I made Bug for tomorrow for after he does Run 4 Rett

Three Things Thrusdays

1. The Bug (the older one) is now a beaver. Last night he got his scarf and woggle. Next weeke he'll get his tail.



and now his little brother is dying to join as well.

2.While I definitely plan on keep up the distance and getting a kick ass high distance base going I'm planning on getting more fit and being more healthy over these cooler months. I'll be perfectly honestly in that I eat a lot of junk and I need to work on cutting that way way back and getting more exercises in. I would love to be in a bikini next summer minus the muffin top and little mom belly..

3.

Oh yeah I signed up for Toronto Women's Half that'll be next May.

Added bonus, its practically in my backyard. I run that area all the freaking time so I know it well and can kick ass along that route. Plus it can guaratee a good support group there since part of the route is 2 mins from my house. I did the 10k this past August.

Back!

I hope everyone had a great weekend.

We survived camping. It was a really great time. One of Hubby's uncles owns 140 acres outside Huntsville and a huge group of us go up there each year. There was roughly 40 of us this year. The nights were cold but ok except Saturday night it got below 0 and there was frost covering everything in the morning. Brrrr. Just means lots of layers and lots of coffee.

I didn't get any running in though. One of the Hubby's cousin's kids decided that this year he would do a solo and camp away from the group. He was being checking on regularly but the second night there he had gotten lost. He was found and other than being very cold was fine. But after that no one was really allowed to go off on their own and no one else wanted to go out for a run. But thats fine. Before dinner on Sunday a group of us went for a hike and I wish I had worn my watch for that. We didn't go to far but just to see the elvation would have been amazing.

I did talk to another of Hubby's cousins and I am definitely doing Around the Bay in March. I also got a run in yesterday and it felt good. The rec trail I take a lot is looking so amazing with the leaves and the colour. I LOVE the sound of leaves crunching under foot.

I would have gone out again today but I've been on the Halloween costume hunt. The little one is going to be Appa, the flying bison from The Last Airbender and I knew I have to make that one. The oldest was going to be Superman like he was last year so its easy there but now he wants to Aang from The Last Airbender and of course my kids pick impossible to find costumes so I have to make his as well. Unless I can find super fast shipping from somewhere....

Get Ready

Finally got a run in this morning. Monday the stomach was not letting me get to far from a bathroom and then it was raining Tuesday. Now if I was training for something then sure I'd be out in it but since it wasn't making up its mind whether it was going to drizzle or rain hard, I made up my mind to hang out at home. The weather was again awesome out. I think I'm going to be really sad when its time to wear pants for running. Though the only bad part about todays run was that since it rained ALL DAY yesterday the ground was wet and muddy and so twice(since I don't learn my lessons the first time) when I went around people walking their dogs and had to go on the grass to do so I landed in mud and it went through my socks.

I think I'm going to be crazy and bring my runnning stuff camping. The weather is supposed to be in the high teens and sunny and Come On! Out there in the back roads and maybe trails with the trees changing colours and nature still alive, like I'm going to let that go and not get out there.

This weekend is also Running Diva Mom's Virtual 10k Race I'm going to get it in on Friday before we head out since I don't know any routes up where we're camping. Its just safer that way.

Rambling.

So September was a good (ok Great) month.
I ROCKED the half marathon. In doing so I also got my highest distance month. 136 km or 84 miles. Its funny because other than my long runs on Sundays I didn't really go that far. Just goes to show you what a lot of shorter trips can do.
While I was getting my run in yesterday I was just in my t-shirt and capris and I was getting such funny looks from some of the people walking their dogs. They of course were all bundled up with pants, coats and for some hats. Bet all the older ones thought I was going to die of a cold.

Hubby is signed up to be a Leader with the oldest's beaver scout group. Hes so excited, more so than the 5 year old and that kid is thrilled about being in Beaver training as he calls it.

Fall is offically here weather wise. I'm dying to go pick apples and our pumpkins for this year. I want to bake endlessly. Though it funny that I never eat half the stuff I make. I'll have a bite or two to make sure its good but no real desire to eat it, just make it. Hubby's co-workers love that about me. I always send the extras to work with him.

Now what?

As of now my racing schedule is free and clear. I'm debating what to line up for next. I was thinking Resolution Run since thats where I got my 5k PB but we'll be out of town. Around the Bay looks awesome and fun. One of the Hubby's cousins did it last year. I'll ask them when we met up for Thanksgiving camping next weekend about it. Did the Santa Shuffle last year and didn't like it much. A friend did the Tannenbaum 10k last year and liked it. Plus its local and for a charity. My main plan to keep the distance up. Keep my strong base. I find I do better with goals(races) to keep me on track. No goals mean I'll let other stuff come ahead of my running and I don't want to lose the recent hard work.

Camping? for Thanksgiving? Yeap you heard right. The Hubby's extended family goes up north a bit to the Huntsville area where one of his uncles has I think 50 acres and a group of around 20 or 30 go up and rough it out in tents for the long weekend. There is literally nothing up there but land and you have to bring everything up. But its really lots of fun. This year, the littlest guy will be ready to do the hike Sunday afternoon. The hike ususally starts around nap time so the littlest ones and mommys stayed behind, so it'll be more fun for me this year to say the least.

I did manage a little over 5k yesterday and it felt great to be out there. My watch died so I'm not sure of the time but I do know I was pushing it more than I should have. My legs were really sore all evening but I'm also sure the fact that I haven't been drinking much water and my eating hasn't been the best since Sunday. So I'm taking today off. Might try again tomorrow, well more than likely, unless the weather's crappy.

Scotiabank Waterfront Half-Marathon

You might want to grab food or coffee or something. Just warning ya.

Sept 26 2010

Gun Time: 2:21:00
Chip Time: 2:12:49
Gender: 2334/4402
Age: 521/884 (W25-29)

I had a rough night; I kept waking up, not from thinking I slept in just from the OMG of it all. At 4:45am my alarm went off and up I got. I quickly posted about being up early on Facebook and attempted to eat some breakfast but a couple bites in I had to give up. Thankfully I had packed a couple bars to try on the way there. I got out the door and walked to the streetcar stop. I wasn’t dressed quite warm enough so I felt the chill of 5:30am. I read a book and got a couple bites of food in me on the way downtown. I followed the crowd of other crazy people and got to the hotel that was doing baggage check and was happy that I could hang out there instead of outside for a while. While in line for the bathroom I started talking to some other ladies and one of them was from Nova Scotia, she came here just for the race(came the day before, leaving the day after, wow).

At 7:00am I headed to the corrals, and thankfully I did since it was crazy packed out there. I a spot I guess in the middle of the green corral. I was next to the 2:15 continuous pace bunny and just wanted to at least keep in my sights, since that would mean the 2:30 bunny would be behind me. I listened to the buzz around me and just kept thinking “OMG I’m doing this!” We didn’t hear the national anthem at all but we heard the buzzers go off and I remember being a little sad I couldn’t watch the elites go. But then we got to move up. Most people started running but then of course congestion had us walking and running repeatedly till we got the official start.

I started my watch at the first mat and off we went. I kept at it slowly and decided to not weave through people and just take it easy until the crowding eased up.
I did my best to stay consistent and decided to keep a couple people in my sights since I lost the pace bunnies before the start line. I went without music for the first 3km, just enjoying the feeling of energy from the other runners and the spectators; I loved reading signs people had. I completely abandoned my plans of drinking water/Gatorade every 2km when I hit the first water station at 3km. I remember seeing the line up for the porta-potties and being thankful I wasn’t there. Suddenly we were at 5k and all I could think was that I was ¼ of the way done!

I don’t remember to many details for most of it, except for seeing a bunch of water bottles on the ground and thinking that sucks. That the 2:15 pace bunny group that was doing 10 and 1s could move over since half of them were on the other side of the pylons and there was tons of room on the road. There were lots of times that I remember thinking I should slow down a bit and not kill myself, but I was back and forth with that constantly. I found the original pace bunny and ran with him for a while or did the 10 and 1s if I was near the other bunny. I was really all over during the race but it worked well for me apparently. At 10k I was so happy that I was feeling ok still and that the turnaround was coming up soon. At 12k I pulled out my secret weapon, gummy bears! I had about 5 of them while running which was easy and so much better than those gels (shudder).

Just after the turnaround I saw Tom’s cousin’s wife and waved to her. Someone had a shit load of Fiber 1 bars and they littered the ground, I stepped on a couple and that felt weird. A bunch of the signs and the cheering sections had me teary eyed and almost crying a bunch of times. I had to think about anything BUT the race. If I thought at all about what I was doing I was going to breakdown in tears. 15k was only 6 more to go and I couldn’t believe I was still feeling great. My legs were feeling it a bit but really only at the water stations since I cannot drink and run out of those cups at all. More awesome signs near the end “That’s not sweat, its your fat cells crying.” “Your legs will forgive you eventually”. But even the “Go Daddy Go” sign I saw almost had me crying again. The turn up Bay towards the start there was a guy running behind me (who I thought was a pace bunny keeping the people going) shouting things like we’re close! Kick it up! Everything you got!

The 800m to go sign saw me picking it up a bit. That’s when it started feeling like there was something on my chest.

500m to go had me fighting back tears and I kept pushing. I was trying to look for Tom but had no clue where he was.

From there, there was signs marking every 100m and I wanted to just stop but I didn’t and at 100m when you saw the finish line and the clock I just sprinted with energy I didn’t know I had, about to ball my eyes out (I’m sure I got some “awesome” pictures coming). I clapped my hands above my head as I crossed the finish line. I DID IT! I kept moving and was wiping at tears. Mostly amazed that I was sure I beat 2:15 which I was only hoping to come close to when I started. I couldn’t stop staring at my metal when I got it. I got my senses back and found a stop to get some stretches in and went looking for water and food.

I found out after that Tom and his friend who came down didn’t actually see me since he thought I was wearing pink or purple. Because apparently the outfit with the white shirt I had out the night before wasn’t enough of a clue as to what I would be wearing. But he saw the elites finish and thought that was amazing so we’re going to go check out the finish line of the Goodlife Marathon next month.

All in all, it was a fantastic race, I would definitely do it again and I loved practically every minute of it. It was such a positive experience and I was floating on air for the rest of the day.

Half Marathoner!!!!

I did it!!!
2:12:49



Race Report later today!

Yeah sure.....an easy run.

So today was the last run before Sunday. (duh duh duh)
It called for 3k but thats the point where everything starts coming together so I decided an easy 5 would be fine. Except it wasn't an "easy" run. Apparently now that my body knows it can go at a faster pace, it likes to do so. Lots of times I would look at my watch and see 5:30 or 5:45 (something around there) and thinking "holy crap slow down, its supposed to be an easy run". I think I'm going to have to set my watch to beep at me if I go faster than a 6:00 pace. Beacause anything faster than that will kill me before the finish line.

But I'm all set. I wore everything I plan to race in for today's run so I know I'm good. Its all in the washer as we speak so I can have it set aside tomorrow. Well I didn't wear my fuelbelt but I'll have that for Sunday. The water stations are every 2-3k and I sip water or gatorade every 2k in my training runs and I've decided to not mess with my system. I have no issues usually with my belt. I'm getting my playlist organized tonight so I'll have my pick me up music when I need it. Watch is already on the charger.

Next time I come here, I will be an half marathoner.
Hopefully with a good report and awesome pics.

Three Things Thrusday

Yeah I know I'm totally not consistent with these things.

1. I have a bib # for the Scotia Half. I'm #7684. It definitely sounds like a crossing the finish line with a huge smile kind of number. That's really my only goal for Sunday. Well that and beer afterwards.

2. Spending basically two days at the hospital isn't the greatest for eating well. Especially when their cafeteria closes at 2pm. Blah. Today after getting the boys off to school, I hit the market and got lots of healthy yummy stuffs.

3. Next year at the end of August the hubby and I will be portaging in Algonquin Park! Its one of the things on his bucket list and since he'll be turning 30 next year I figured that would a great idea. Thankfully he agrees and is super thrilled about it.

I thought Taper Week

was supposed to be easy.

Well running wise it is. Life wise its a bit crazy.

Monday for the most part was good. Then just at bedtime for little boys, the youngest came back down stairs with blood all over his cheek. There was a raised mark and he keeps picking at it and got it going again. It took us an hour to stop the bleeding. and then we got him back to bed. In the morning it started again so I took him to the ER since our Ped's office couldn't get him in till the end of the day. Spent about 5.5 hours there and got a referral to a plastic surgeon to see about getting rid of the damned mark to stop him from picking at it.

Did that today and after waiting 4 hours, it was decided to take it off and hes going to need a 5-10 min surgery to do that. We'll find out when after the Dr's office calls us.

Oh did I mention I had a job interview today? I doubt I got it. I had applied for a different position and I got called for this one and well its way above me.

Thankfully I got a 6k this morning to help calm my nerves. Thought apparently my stomach and running on nerves tend to = potty breaks.

Of course tomorrow the first day this week I can finally catch up on stuff around here, the water is getting shut off for mantainence. Guess whos doing lots of laundry tonight?! Tomorrow is also the meet the teacher night where we find out whats going this year in the classrooms.

Seriously I'm looking forward to Scotia now, just to get some time to myself again.

Almost there!

I did the "long" run today instead of yesterday. Yesterday the boys had a party in the morning so I had planned to run in the afternoon. But then it was so nice out we decided to go for a family trek. The boys rode their bikes and we walked. It was lovely being out there with them.
We even got to see the start of fall.


























And the next chance I had to get my 6k in was after dark so I figured I'd switch days and do it today. Of course I decided to try a totally new route out and of course the sucker was hilly. I managed to keep the pace somewhat steady I think so wohoo.

Over the weekend we went and got me some new running kicks.

















Apparently mine are looking old and worn. I guess 600+ km will do that.


Today is also my mom's birthday So I have to send some extra Love her way!

Why do you do this?

Why do you run?
What got you really started?

For me, it was Scotia last year. I'd like to say it was the Run for the Cure , but it wasn't. I mean that one gave me the proof that I could be a runner. But the Marathon I saw awoke something in me.I had already been doing the Learn to Run clinic that got me from not being able to run for a minute to my first 5k.

It was the first year the marathon would be coming through the Beaches. That Sunday morning after a group run we got back to the store from our route and were told that the leaders would be coming through within the next bit (less than 30 mins I think) and we should stay and watch. So I called Hubby up and told him I wanted to stay and watch a bit. Yeah whatever he was fine with that.

Then



I saw them go by. The elites. I cheered, I clapped, I bounced up and down in excitement.I got teary-eyed. They didn't look tired. They looked like they just started and some were smiling. I stayed and watched the regular people go by. I was awed. I cheered and clapped till my hands were sore. I even saw Marlene go by. I saw all the spectators cheering.

Right then and there I wanted it. I wanted to run a marathon. I wasn't even at 5k at that point. But a marathon? I'm not there yet. In 10 days I'll be half way there.

The Hubby is thinking this time next year I could be tapering for the Full. I could be running that same route that awoke whatever got me into all this. I think hes crazy but really why else would we be doing this.

What drives you to get out there and pound the road?

Running Errands

Literally....

I've never done that before. But there was stuff I needed to go get while the boys were in school this morning and I needed to get my run in since 5am this morning was not happening. So I got all in my running stuff and got the boys on the bus and got the garmin working and was off. Where I was going is a 10 min walk from my house, I managed to take a super loopy route and turned it into a 30-ish min run. So that was great. Errands and run, check!

What crazy is after I got home I looked at my paces

1st km - 6.09
2nd km - 6.26 (which is interesting since there was a big downhill on this part)
3rd km - 6.26
4th km - 6.13
5th km - 5:46

Say what! I try hard not to pay attention to my watch when I'm running. But I LOVE checking it out afterwards at home. See I was thinking it was windy and thats why I was huffing and puffing that last km, that I was getting tired cause I didn't sleep well and I had a coffee before I headed out and usually I don't do that ever.

I think between a couple small things like that last km this morning and how I started out at the Woman's Only 10k race with the -6:00 pace after my half I'm seriously working on speed. Hell I think I'll sign up for the Resolution Run and try to beat my PB (thats where I got it last year).

The Stars were Bright

You know the ones in the sky. I'm sure the ones downtown at TIFF were too but I don't know about them doing that at 5am.

During my run this morning I got the experience quite the chill since it was only 7C(44F). Definitely gonna be getting some arm sleeves for early mornings and cooler weather. Though it did feel great near 5k or so since there was no sweat pouring off my body like it was a couple weeks ago. I was even getting kind of tricked into running faster than normal with the cool air.

So yeah it was totally dark out and the sky was amazingly clear. Definitely saw some constellations but not exactly sure as I had to pay attention to the ground and cars and stuff. Of course there was a couple raccoons like usual but we've learnt how to keep an eye out for each other and avoid each other as well. Though a cat around the half way mark totally scared the crap out of me. It was getting into a green bin for an early morning meal/snack. When things fall over in the wee early hours its loud. Especially when its less than 5 feet from you.

And on something totally not running related can I just say how jealous I am of those of you who get to dress nice for work. I'm currently looking for a part time job or something now that the boys are in school part of the day, and I was applying to a baking job and I dressed up in a nice pair of dress pants and a nice shirt with shoes that weren't sandals or runners and I felt great! I can be a total hottie when I want to. Think I might even take a picture before the jeans and t-shirt come back out for the park this afternoon.

Farthest Yet!

My legs are numb. Ice baths totally do that to ya.

Earlier today I did 20km. The farthest I go in training for Scotia. In 13 days according to the countdown on their website I'll go a bit further. I'm excited and nervous. The nerves are mostly because I had a rough run today. Around 13k I started boinking. It was hard since it felt more physical than mental and I keep having to give myself pep talks.

You've run further than this.
You can do it.
Theres coffee and lunch waiting for you at home.
I know its feeling sore. But we're almost 3/4 of the way there.
18k was a piece of cake.
You got it.
Just don't stop.

Of course there was lots of stopping. I think one of my main issues was that I can't stand gels, shot, those jelly beans, etc... They all make me want to gag and throw up, and thats never a good idea. I usually take water and gatorade out with me on long runs and alternate drinking them. Think a small handful of skittles or something like that would help?

Once I did hit 18k I did start to feel better. I was sooo close to being done. 19k was glorious and I was smiling again. Just that little bit more. Of course the full weight of how tired my body was feeling didn't come till I stopped running. I'm surprised I managed to walk the bit of a way home and not fall over.

I love my husband, I came home to my coffee starting and lunch being prepared. He even kept the boys away while I swore my way into the ice bath. Maybe I can have a Large Mocha waiting for me after the finish line?. That would be love.

Cheers and Tears

Well one downfall of the cooler weather is that its harder to get out of bed in the early hours to get my runs in. Not helping either is the youngest. Hes been up around 4:30am for the past two days and he much prefers mommy to hang out with rather than daddy.

I did manage to get my run in yesterday after the hubby got home from work. Yeah I still prefer morning running since I kept feeling so tired and blah. I definitely needed my music to keep me going. The plan was 8 which I did to but it took lots of debating. At one point I was thinking of just 5 then maybe just 6, no no 8, but I'm tired and my legs are sore so 6, and it was like that till I hit the 3k mark where I'd turn around if it was just 6 but I kept going so I got the full planned 8.

No, run today, but come Monday my runs will be able to happen after I get the kids on the bus. Thats right the second one started school today.

Think hes a bit excited?





(Yeah I tried to trim their hair using the buzz buzz and I screwed up so yeah...... Good thing hair grows quickly and they don't do school pics for about 2 more months.)

I totally had to keep the tears in check while they were getting on the bus but once it started pulling away I couldn't help it. You would think I didn't have him in preschool last year at all for 3 mornings a week.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Today started with an 5am wake up to get 6k in. Since it was nice and cool out I got a good pace going and was able to push it a bit. There was a group of old(er) men having a coffee out and I got some great encouragements and a couple hellos. That was nice.

Then once I was home, fed, showered and enjoying my coffee it was time to get the oldest up. The little one was already up when I got home and was hanging out in bed with daddy. It was the first day of school today and the big one was excited and wanted to know when we could go out and wait for the bus. It was running late today as it apparently always does the first day so I sent him to school with another mom from our bus stop and the little one and I will pick him up just to be on the safe side.

But here's his first day pic. I get to keep the little one with me till his first day on Friday.

I Love Fall

So with 3 weeks till Scotia, todays long run was 18km. Instead of heading out early in the morning, I didn't get out till just before lunch. We had a friend over and I had a drink (or two-ish) so I decided to do the run later in the day so I could get some water into me, plus sleep in a bit. (Isn't it kind of sad when 8-8:30am is sleeping in?)

I got my stuff together and headed out. It was a wonderful 15 degrees out and NO HUMIDITY! I decided to not listen to any music till I needed either the motivation or something different to distract me. The route was 9km out and back. I didn't need any music till about 11k. Though I did find a great plan for the race. I do best when I take water every 2km just an oz or two at a time. Around 12k I tried to take a gel again. I could only get half of it down because the texture still makes me gag but I think that half of one helped keep me going without fading like I did when I did 16k with nothing.

I did the the whole thing without sweat dripping down my face. Without feeling like I was swimming. It was incredibly easy to be in a good mood the whole time. Have I mentioned I love Fall.

Some mornings Coffee is needed first

I had 8k planned for this morning.
Ok I get up and get dressed.
Go downstairs to get my bowl of cereal in.
Getting ready go out the door, forgot my socks, back up to get them.
Crap left my watch in the basement.
Ok, oppps still hot out there, I'll need water.

Finally I get out there.
Half a KM into my run my shirt is bugging me. It keeps feeling tight around the front of my neck. Look down only to realize its on backwards. Of course there's like 4 guys walking down the street around me towards the bus/subway station now watching me rotate my shirt.

To bad my stomach can't handle coffee before a run.

Three Things Thursday

Yeah yeah I'm jumping on the bandwagon.

1. 23 days till my half!!! My long run this week is 18km. I'm so nervous and excited (more so this one) about the race. I just have to start planning the logistics of it.

2. I really really applaude those of you living in the southern states who run. I mean its been about 31(87) when I come back from a run at 6am and you run in that weather normally. I get all complainly and cranky till I get back into my A/C'd home. I cannot wait for fall weather to come and stay. The only sad thing is come October the farmer's market comes to a close. :(

3. I'm so happy school is starting again next week. I love my boys but I realize that me running in the morning before they are up means I spend more time with them and I love that, but that also means there are plenty of days where I am with them from the time they get up till bed time. With the heat waves we've been getting we've been staying indoors alot during the day and doing hte parks in the evenings so it means they've been up a bit later then I would like. And it means lots of time together in close quarters. You can only do so many play dates and trips to the mall and stuff before that gets boring. I do have lots of lovely crafts around my house right now.

Come on Fall.

This morning's run was not fun. It was 22C(71F) with a humidex of 30C(86F) at 5:30am!!!! By the time I finished my run I was no longer running I was swimming. I want the cool fall weather to come. Honestly I can't wait for the days of putting the boys on the school bus and heading out for a run.

But in some good news. my runs for August totaled 103km!


Before then it usually topped out around the low 70s. I used to see all those bloggers doing the 1000 mile challenge and think they were crazy for running that much but now that I'm getting into those long runs ever though I'm only at 563km(350miles) for the year I can see how you can hit that when marathon training. Though at this point I have no desire to try that yet. Let me get through this half in 4 weeks!!! and we'll see.

Women Only 10k Race Report

August 28th 2010

This race had the whole family coming to it, just so we could continue on to Windsor afterwards. The night before we got all packed up and in the morning after eating some breakfast and loading up the car we got the boys up and put them in the car still in their PJs. Once we got there parking was crazy due to the fact that there was supposed to be over 500 runners. Tom let me out before he found parking since I was supposed to meet up with some friends before things started.

I went off to the bathrooms and ran into some friends and we talked till we figured it was time to get in place. It was chilly out prior to the 8am start, but I like it that way. Once the countdown finished we were off. I wasn't planning for a PB and decided to just enjoy the run. When we hit the 1km mark I looked at my watch and was amazed to see that I was running a 5:25 pace! Way faster than the 6:15-ish I usually run. I figured I should watch it and slow down a bit and around the 2k mark where we came across the firefighter water station I did slow it down to a 5:37 pace. I was rather amazed that I was breathing ok and not killing myself. At this point I was thinking ok I'll keep it up and see what happens. If I do well I'll prove that I can go faster than I thought and if not I'll know that this pace is too much for me.

I slowed it down a bit due to some hills and the bridge. I run on this bridge almost every weekend and this time it freaked me out since with all the runners on it it was literally bouncing and I had to walk a bit on it.

I continued towards the turnaround. The sun was getting hot now and I slowed down to an almost 6:00 pace. Around 3.5k the leaders were already on their way back. I let out a couple Woo-hoos! And decided to let that motavate me to keep it up and not let the pace get much slower. The turn around was tight and I was only a minute off my 5k PB. On the way back to the finish line I was making plans to work on my speed after this half marathon I have coming up. If I could get so close to my PB for 5k then it is something I definitely can work on beating.

Around 7k I started to feel the heat from the sun and even some of the fast start and was starting to burn out. I had breakfast at this point almost 3 hours before and I should have had some fruit while on the ride over. I had to take an extra walk break in between the 6 and 8k water stations. I don't even really remember what the firefighters looked like from the water station except that I got water from a guy with a mustache.

Around 9k I needed to walk again since I was burning out big time and just wanted to be done. Once we got to that final corner and the volunteer there said that the finish line was just up ahead I was thrilled. I pushed it a bit and got ready to find my men. They were there before the finish line and I waved at them, though it took the youngest a bit to see which one was mommy. If the oldest was in runners and not sandals I would have definitely had him come finish with me. As soon as I passed them I kicked it into high gear with everything I had left. I was not letting the clock hit the 1 hour mark.

Gun time: 59:18:1
Chip time: 59:13:8
Overall Pace: 5:56
Age Group(20-29): 44/102
Gender Place: 136/331 (there was 1 guy running this race)

Home Again

Home Again
Jiggity jig.

Well it was a wonderful weekend. I'm going to be writing and putting up my race report later on today. My Father In-Law's birthday party was great fun. Everyone had a great time and the food was soo yummy. I couldv'e eaten non stop all night, but thankfully they took the food back inside at a point.

Sunday was a great day with a visit up to the In-Law's trailer and we took the kids swimming. I so want a cottage or a trailer to go to during the summer. Someone get my hubby to win the lottery. I'll invite everyone up for BBQ to celebrate. LOL.

But while I was gone I was given this award












from Mel at Tall Mom on the Run
and there are rules.

1. Answer the question: If you had one chance to go back and change one thing in your life, would you and what would it be?

I would have been a lot more smarter about money in college and for that while afterwards. I truely feel like we could have been in a better position had I been more careful.

2. Pick 6 people and give them this award. You then have to inform the person that they have been selected for the award.

1.Running from the Law
2.Deb Shrinks
3.Making of Runner
4.foward Foot Strides
5.Foodie at the Finish Line
6.Endurance isn't Only Physical

3. You have to thank the person (people) who gave you the award.

and Thank you Mel! You are such a inspiration with that jogging stroller of yours pushing up those hills.

Ready, Set,....

Got a run in this morning. There was an amazing chill to the air. Its really lovely to not be sweating just from moving and being outside but actually doing something big. I ended up cutting my run a couple km short. It was supposed to be 8 but I did 5 since just under 4 I came across 3 late teens/ early twenty-somethings smoking pot at 5:30am!!!! WTF. They didn't say or do anything but it gave me a the creeps so I headed home since I didn't want to be paranoid the whole rest of the run.

But the suitcase is packed (its only a one nighter so its not a lot) since we're leaving for my In-Laws about 4-5 hours south of us for FIL's B-day party literally right after the race and I change into non sweaty clothes. Race gear is all set out and I just have to make sure snacks are ready for the little men.

I'll post my Race report and all the fun stuff when I get back Monday.

Have a great weekend Y'all (can I say that since I'm not southern, I doubt Southern Ontario counts. LOL)

Off the top of my head.

Raising kids and running don't always go hand in hand. I mean sure the big one wants to run too and can do 1km. But the little one...yeah no. He has a rough night, like last night and therefore I have a rough night and I'm surprised I was able to function at all this morning. Of course that means the planned run for this morning got cancelled. Sure it could have just be moved to tonight but its was farmer's market Thursday and that means lots of fruits and veggies and lots of park. The market we go to in the warmer months is at a local park so you can go let your kids play for hours either at the playground part and/or the wading pool, pick up your food stuff and then head home. This always means bathtime and other fun stuff so I know Thrusday nights are not a good night to run. My fingers are crossed for decent night tonight. That was I can get some time in tomorrow morning.

Today marks 1 month till my first half! I'm excited and nervous. I know I'll do fine but I figure a new outfit for a confidence boost will be a good thing so thats one of my plans over this next while. I gotta look good for those pictures right?

This weekend is going to be a busy one. Saturday morning we're getting up and all hopping into the car to head over to my next race. The Toronto Women's only 10k. Literally half an hour or so afte I finish we're hopping back into the car to drive 4-5 hours south to my In-Laws for my Father In Law's 60th birthday party. and we'll spend the night there and have fun seeing everyone. (its hard to get all 4 siblings together, we need functions like this to do so) So I'll do my race report when we come back.

MCM Mama virtual race report

A couple weeks ago I signed up for a virtual race hosted by MCM Mama in honour of her 40th birthday. There was 3 distances to choose from 4 miles, 8.25 miles (in honour of the day) or 40km. I decided on the middle distance of 8.25 miles since I had a planned run already this weekend of 13k (8 miles).

The morning started off ok. Till I looked outside around 6:30am and saw that it was raining lightly. Well I figured I should head out anyways. My In-Laws are visiting this weekend and I wanted to get my run in early so I wouldn't really be taking time away from their visit.

Making sure I had my hat I took off around 7am. The light rain felt nice since it keep me cool so the first couple of km went by easily. I did get a couple weird looks from some people walking all done up with their coats and umbrellas. I was doing a good comfortable pace that was quite helped by the first big hill that was thankfully a downhill so it definitely helped me there. It was still raining and when I got along Queen St I decided to do some window shopping to distract myself from the wet. Usually when I run down there I see a bunch of runners but today there was no others out.

But the real fun started when I turned onto Greenwood. It apparently was downpour on that street but
of course not till I was on it for a bit. And the best part was that the sidewalks were completely flooded. I had made it about halfway through my route and then the soakers came. The roads weren't any better unless I wanted run in the middle of the road which since there was cars on there wasn't the best idea. I had to run in the grass for a bit to avoid getting more water all over me. Of course my outfit was soaked and my hat was dripping water for the rest of the run.

Other than the rain the only other issue was that I since I was getting so wet and carrying extra weight from that was that I was running faster to get out of the rain but I was tiring myself out and I needed extra walk breaks so I could finish the route. Of course in the last 3k the rain went back to a light rain and I was still dripping water. I even managed to get a side stitch and had to stretch that out before I could continue on but I got there.

I don't think I ever was happier to see my house at the end of a run.

13.35k (8.30 miles) done in 1:28:20

Around we go

Got out again this morning. My ears must be super sensitive since I was sleeping with the little guy and when I woke up had no clue what time it was (note to self: plug back in their clock)so I went back to my bed only to find it was time to get up. Thankfully the hubby poked at me with his feet till I got up.

After getting ready it was wonderful to not only feel but breathe in the crisp air. It was a wonderful 14C out(that would be 57F for the US folk).

I usually do a loop run. I leave my house in one direction, come back from another. This morning was no different but during my run I realize that its still a pretty big decision on which way I decide to go. For example. Direction A would be mean a faster time since while there was hills there was more down hills than uphills. Direction B would obviously be more up hills than down but that bit more of a workout. It was tempting to take A but what the heck B it was. The only real downside the was bathroom issue with 2k to go. Of course that last 2k was all residential and had I taken A there would have been a coffee shop or grocery store I could have stopped in. But hey what better time to work on speed work so to speak.

Of course nothing beats (after hitting the bathroom and getting out of the sweaty clothes) a 3 year old telling you that "you need to go back to bed mommy, I wasn't done cuddling." Yeah the coffee can wait a bit more.

Opening the Window.

I gave myself the rest of Sunday and pretty much a good chunk of Monday to sulk about the abandoned long run. I ate junk food and I was lazy. I ignored the training calendar posted next to the desk, and I ignored the Scotia 1/2 route I put on the fridge. But Monday night I was done sulking whether I wanted to stop or not. It was time to move on and keep running. That walls will only stay up if you let them.


Yesterday morning (that would be Tuesday) I set my alarm for 5am to get a run in. It went off.

"I should get up and try to run"
"I don't want to get up"
"I'm not"

then I shut it off and went back to sleep.

Last night I set it again.
This morning (that would be Wednesday) it went off again.
and I got up.
I figured I needed to give it a shot and go out. I have 6 weeks till my first half and its important to me that barring any injury I complete it.

I went out and I wore my watch, but didn't really play attention to it. I just wanted to be able to look at the info after. It was a good run. I ran well and didn't encounter any wild life. I thought at one point not to far from home that I was at 5k and was only at 4k so I figured I'd add that last one on since I had a bit of energy still going.

Of course the best part of that run was that after I came home, I made lunch for the husband, finished a water bottle, ate a banana. Then I went upstairs changed back in to my PJs and crawled into bed. Kicked the husband out so he could go to work and slept for another hour and a bit till the kids woke up.

BAM!

I think I've hit a wall.

Excuse me while I try to find a door or window.

F%#&$&^*%&($HGJ$$

Ugh.

Well this has been a fun week. hahahahaha. Yeah no. Not really.

I mean the Michael Buble concert rocked. It was amazing and I would definitely go see him again any chance I could get.

Otherwise. I have no desire to eat well, to make sure I get my water into me. I mean I am eating somewhat decently and I am drinking more water than juice and coffee and no pop so thats good. Right?

I'm in a funk this week. I've decided that I'm not doing tempos anymore earlier and I think I'm going to give up the planned hill repeats, well adding more hills to it anyways. I think 5 hills is enought. Training is taking the fun out of running. I hve no issue getting out there for my steady runs or my long run but the hills and tempo keep getting put off or ignored completely at the moment. I'm just going to run. If I go fast great. If I do hills during runs then awesome. I want to go into my first half being happy about the effort its taken me to get there. Not thinking thank gawd I'm done with the serious training.

So anyone have an island I can run away too? I'll bring the books and treats and the pop music filled Ipod.

500!

This morning's tempo run didn't go quite as planned, Apparently grapes are not the best thing to have with toast for breakfast. That was the only new thing in my breakfast. By time I hit the 3k mark I was ready to throw up so I had to abandon the tempo part and just trying a steady run so it wouldn't take to long to get back home this morning. Ended up with more walking breaks than I should have to for a 5k but I made it home, breakfast still in me.

It was weird outside this morning since there was a fog/mist thing all over. At one point I was running across the street from a sports area and the baseball fields. Theres a path that separates the baseball diamonds from the playground and skate park. I couldn't even see it, and all I could think was that if I was running in there no one would see me and it was a tempting thought to pop in there for a bit.

But today's big news is that this mornings 5k put me at 504km of running so far this year. I wonder how much farther I can get this year.

Good and Icy.

Well I got my long run of 16k(10 miles for the US folk) in this morning. About 2k in I started to feel some drizzle, but hoped that it wouldn't amount to much till after my run. Yeah.... at about 5k it started to pour. It only poured for about 3k I figure since I'm not exactly sure when it stopped and went back to a drizzle since I was drenched.

I took a new route that basically took me up to where my next race is happening. Its weird now being at distances that really take me out to new places and allow me to stay on the trails/bike paths rather than having to be on sidewalks.

I was a bit worried about this run since for the past all my long runs have been with at least one other person so I had someone to keep me going and push me. Today's run, I was all by myself. I just made sure my Ipod was stocked with some good music. I had to take a quick walk break every km from 13 on since the nice break from humidity we had the past two days was leaving and I could the stickiness starting up again. But I got it all done. I'm thinking I might need something other than just water on my long runs too. Since the next while has me adding to my distances and going out further, I'm getting tired in the last 1/3 of the run.

Afterwards I decided to try something new for recovery and took my first ice bath. OMG that sucker was cold. Like Lake Ontario cold. Thankfully the kids were no where near the bathroom so they didn't hear me swear as I was getting in. Though my legs do feel better from it, and aren't too sore to move.

Oh and two days to the Micheal Buble concert!!!!!!
My mom is coming to watch the little men (Best Nana EVER!)

Opa!

Yesterday the humidity was gone!
Sadly I was up from about 2-4am with the little guy who decided he was hungry and needed to watch Thomas the train. So when my alarm went off at 5 for my run I just shut it off and rolled over. I was kicking myself when I realized what it was like out there but since I missed my hill run this week I figured I could just go do that after hubby got home instead of just a 6k run in the early morning.

But in the meantime it was good, The boys and I went to the Zoo in the afternoon and went and saw their favourite animals. Didn't even need a stroller thanks to the Zoomobile. Hubby was even nice enough to come and pick us up on his way home from work so we didn't have to transit it back during rush hour. Love him!

After we were home, I had about half a Clif bar to give me that bit of extra energy, got dressed and out the door. The hills I like to run are about 3km away so its a good warm up there. Another reason I love these hills is because its 4 of them right next to each other and none of them are the same. The second one is my least favourite and last night it was the only one I had to convince myself to not stop on. Its straight up. The others have either a quick rise and more flat at the top or a curve to make it more gradual or it flattens out a touch in the middle for a road. Nope this one is just up. But I didn't stop and afterwards felt good for doing 5 hill repeats. I even enjoyed myself a nice Sapporo (beer) afterwards when I got home.

No running today, Long Run tomorrow of 16k I think. Today we're going to go lick some asphalt. Ok not really. Its a Greek food fest thing called Taste of the Danforth where they shut down a good chunk of the main road so we can eat meat on a stick, meat in a pita, and have some yummy sticky treats. Its the one time of year I wish I was Greek. One of these years we're going to have to ditch the kids and do the party aspect of it at night. But they love it too.

Hot morning in the Summertime

I started running in the mornings mostly to hide somewhat from the heat of summer. So up I get at 5am and out the door I go. Today was a short run, I'm supposed to do hills but my legs keeps cramping up every so often so I decided to just to do a nice and easy run in the neighbourhood so I could pop back home if I had to.
But my Gawd. It was 30 degrees (with the humidex) out there at 5:15 when I walked out the door! (That's 86 for those down south). I swear the hot weather is following me to the early hours. I might need to start heading out Marlene early to avoid the heat.

The Bug how rides a two wheeler. We tried it out over the long weekend and he does well when hes not around other people. They make him nervous. But we did get him some bike gloves. He wanted them last time we went to the bike store to get Trouble's bike helmet, and we had told him when he rides a two wheeler we'll get them and of course after his first ride it was the first thing he mentioned, "I need my bike gloves like daddy". I think our family has another athlete on the go.

Happy Runniversary

Today marks a year since I started my first Learn to Run clinic with the Running Room. Our instructor Rob was great and always up for some good conversation and motiviation. We started out with 2 minutes of walking and 1 minute of running. It was so hard and I was so exhausted after that 1 minute of running. The goal at the end of the clinic was to run a 5k and it seemed impossible almost. I've made a couple running friends from the clinics (I've taken the LTR, 5k and 10k)and still run with some of them regularly.

I'll be honest in that there is a lot of things I try and they don't last long. I was actually suprised at myself for never stopping at this. Just kept putting one foot in front of the other and went. I'm a perfectly average middle of the pack runner and I'm perfectly fine with that because I still get out there. New Personal Bests would be awesome but thats not why I run.

Over this past year I've run for:
My Sanity
the Freedom
the Achviement
Fitness
Friendship
to Inspire
for Me

among other reasons.

Today, I went out with my buddy Steve. Yes hes one of the friends from the LTR. We did 12k together and I added on 2 more since he was done and tired. So I got 14k today. We did it with doing 10 and 1s and it was a beautiful moring. The sun was out but there was a slight breeze. The route had plenty of shady spots thanks to the wonderful trees on the bike/trail path. The conversation was enough that neither of us felt like giving up and at times we didn't even notice the distance adding up. I'm 8 weeks away from my first half. I'm starting to up the distance every week with the long runs and its exciting pushing myself to go that bit more each week.

Now off to go celebrate today with some homemade lemonade and peach cobbler. Yum.