What now?

I am two days post race and feel great!!!  My legs were a bit sore yesterday but of course I hadn't stretched after the race so I expected that.  Today though they don't hurt at all!!!  I was so excited this morning when I got up and they felt so good.  My plan at that point was to go out for a run tonight after the girls went to bed but in the process of the day I only got one bottle of water in which is not even close to enough.  I was out teaching someone how to take the bus in Niagara Falls and forgot my water in my car.  It takes 3.5 hours to get from this persons house to the Literacy program he will be attending and back again.  Normally during that time I would have had two bottles of water.  I was sad!!  Of course yesterday I was doing the same route with someone and remembered my water.  Unfortunately I forgot to close my water before I threw it in my purse.  You can imagine my surprise when my purse was dripping half way through the ride!! Anyway,  tonight I thought it was best not to run and to drink lots instead.  Tomorrow is a much more relaxed day at work so I will be able to get all my water in then I will run tomorrow night. 

So now I have to decide what is next for me and my running journey.  I had planned for my next goal to be the 2-person relay in the Around the Bay but that isn't until March!!  I am certain I can run 15k by that time.  The problem I have is that it is so far away.  I know when winter gets here I will need it as my motivation to keep getting out there, especially if it's as cold as last year!!  I need something before that though.  My new plan is to sign up for the 5k Run for the Grapes and the 10k portion of the Niagara Falls International Marathon.  That gets me through October then it is only 5 months to get through instead of 7 months.  There are a few smaller races in the winter that I will probably sign up for but for the most part I will just be trying to get through the worst of the cold and increase to at least 15k.  I'm pretty sure that I could increase to that by Christmas and then just work on maintaining it from there.  Actually I am fairly confident that I could increase to that in the next month or so but I think I will focus on maintaining the 10k for a while and perhaps working on gaining some speed.

Now is the really hard part for me.  I have been really up and down in what I am eating.  I have definitely cut back on junk and portion sizes but I have also gotten lazy and need to change that.  So next week I am on vacation and Meag will have moved in.  We are going to take a day and cook a bunch of things that can be frozen.  I usually do this later in the fall when the weather is getting cooler but I think I need to do it sooner this year.  The things we will make are a chili that is loaded with veggies, "hamburger" soup (I use ground turkey) and veggie soup.  I am also thinking of making a homemade lasagna which I have never done before.  I am going to load up the sauce with veggies and use ground turkey or chicken instead of beef.  That will be supper that night.  It's also Christina's birthday this week and her party is on Sunday.  We always make homemade burgers for these parties lately and this time I am going to make some of them with half ground beef and half cooked lentils.  I saw this in a magazine and thought it was a great idea.  Adryanna is a horribly picky eater so I am going to give her one of those but not tell her and see if she likes it.  If it goes over well I will make them that way from now on. 

Anyone out there with some other good easy recipes?  Any tricks for getting more nutrition into some of the everyday favorites?

Who needs chocolate??

So today was my big race.  The Chocolate Race 10k in Port Dalhousie!!  I did it!!  I finished in 1:38:39 according to the chip time!!  I have a shiny new medal and another race bib for the door!  I am so excited right now.  I'm excited that I finished, I'm excited that I ran 10k and I'm especially excited that I ran all the hills.  There were only a few and most were little but there was one monster and one short one that was quite steep.  Then there were others that compare to ones that I run regularly.  Leading up to the race I hadn't done any hill training aside from the little hills on our Saturday course.  I had it in my head that I would run the hills on the course if I could but that I would probably walk the big ones and that would be ok.  When I got to that first giant hill I looked up it and thought "I can do this"  I did it!!! Not once, on any of the hills, did I feel like I needed to walk!!  That is what I am most proud of today.

Here I am shortly after the monster hill!

The other really exciting thing about my race today is that aside from my faithful family that always comes to my races as well as my "official photographer (Celine)"  I had extra support people today.  Bonnie, Mandy and their families came to see me finish!!  They're two of the baby group families.  Crystal and her family are away this weekend so even if they wanted to they couldn't have made it.  Apparently Adrian knew they were coming but it was a secret.  I'm always happy to see my supporters along the route and at the finish but it was great today to see the extra smiling faces.  It's an emotional thing when you are coming into the finish line when you hear your name and see people you know and love waiting for you.  I am one lucky lady. 

Anna always runs out to me and crosses the finish line with me!!

My wonderful family!! (Meag's missing but was there in spirit)

I impressed myself today too!  There was oodles of chocolate to be had and I only ate one bite of a chocolate croissant and one champagne truffle.  Honestly the thought of eating chocolate during the race made me gag so when I passed the chocolate stations on the course I wasn't even tempted and when we got our stash at the end I gave most of it away to the kids.  I just couldn't understand running all that time and distance plus burning all those calories just to eat more at the end.  Seems kind of silly to me!!!

In all of my preparation this morning I forgot to weigh myself.  I remembered about 4 hours post race so the numbers aren't going to be totally accurate.  I had eaten a sandwich, had two or three bottles of water and a cup of tea yet still came in at 239.2 which is 0.8lbs less than I weighed at 7am with no clothes and an empty tummy last Sunday.  So, as I said totally inaccurate.  When I weigh-in next Sunday we'll base any gain or loss on what I weighed last week and forget about this one.

What's next??  Hopefully the Around the Bay 2 person relay in March.  I should probably get us signed up for that soon before they sell out completely.

Bring it on!

Two more days to prepare for my 10k race on Sunday!!  Tonight I went for what was supposed to be my last big run before my race and it was anything but good.  I've been told that your best runs often follow your worst runs so I am counting on that to be true this weekend.  I need to make a game plan for the next two days.  I have lots of good food to eat and get me through so that will help.  I will make sure I drink loads of water and I will get lots of rest.  Saturday I will either go for a nice walk with the girls or I will go for a short run early in the morning.  We have Adryanna's closing day tournament for soccer on Saturday morning then we have to go pick up my race kit.  We have to go to Port Dalhousie to do this so I am thinking that will be a really good place for a walk.  We'll have a nice healthy dinner and I will get to bed early. 

If everything falls into place the way I hope it will I should be good to go for my race.  The weather is supposed to be beautiful as well.  Not too hot and mostly sunny.  It's going to be a great day.

Now for an update on yesterday's drama.  I spoke with someone regarding our cell phones and they will remove all the charges for the text messages Meag sent and recieved.  I was so upset when I saw this months bill that I was actually visibly shaking when I went into the store but the customer service I recieved redeemed my faith in them and I am happy once again.  The tornado warning also amounted to nothing but a little thunderstorm and some wind.  Overall today was a much better day!!!

Keep the positive thoughts coming for Sunday!!

Can we get a rewrite??

My goodness it's been a crazy day!!!  Actually it starts with lastnight when Adrian's Blackberry died.  The screen went crazy and it wouldn't do anything.  This morning I took Christina to the Ortho Clinic to have her leg checked.  It turns out I heard the doctor wrong or something last week.  When I peeked at her chart it says it's the fibula not the tibia.  Either way she is not allowed to walk at all and will be in a cast for at least two more weeks.  We go back to the clinic on September 7th to have another xray done and then they will either remove the cast or cut it down so that she can walk.  I figure this week went quickly so the next two weeks shouldn't be too bad. 

Fast forward a bit.  Adrian can't get his phone fixed because the account is in my name.  I have to call tech support to add him as a person who can make changes to the account.  I do this and at the same time I notice that the plan showing up on our account isn't what we were supposed to get when we upgraded Meag's phone.  Hmm,  when I checked her usage earlier in the month it showed unlimited texting and now it's showing nothing.  This could be bad.  I ask them to upgrade the plan and I send her a message saying no more texts until further notice.  The person on the phone was awesome but the computer system was being a jerk and he couldn't do it.  His supervisor will do it later.  Well it's later and the online account isn't changed.  Guess I'll have to call back tomorrow:(

Then we get home and the dog has had another seizure.  She's epileptic and has had a handful of seizures since Christmas.  She had the first one in over a month last night but today when we got home she was freaking out in her crate.  When a dog has a seizure (or at least when our dog does)  there is a very distinct smell.  She often has a bowel movement during it but she also drools alot.  It's hard to watch.  So the dog is freaking out because she has to pee and she's scared.  I got her outside and she was ok.  She's been a big suck all night but other than that she's ok.  We'll see how things go but I think it could be time for some medication. 

When the dog was outside my Mom went out too.  She noticed that the screen was out of her bedroom window.  Nothing was disturbed but we couldn't find one of the cats anywhere!!  We figured he got the window open and went for an adventure.  Christina and I went for a walk to look for him and while we were gone Anna and Grandma found him in the house.  I guess he was just hiding.

Last but not least the entire southern part of the province is under a tornado watch!!  I used to be terrified of storms but have grown out of that.  I am however still a bit freaked out by what I am seeing on the news.  There is some pretty extreme weather headed our way!!  Now we must decide, do we go to bed as always and hope for the best or do we pull the girls out of their beds and everyone sleep downstairs?  For now I think I'll leave them where they are but I'm sure I won't sleep well.  Good thing I have nothing booked at work tomorrow except a staff meeting!

Almost there!!

First I have to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

Sunday is the Chocolate Race!!  I'm a bit nervous because I haven't done any running since Saturday.   If all goes well tomorrow I will get out for a good run and again on Friday for a short run.  That will make me feel better about what I need to do on Sunday.  Normally I would have run tonight but with Christina in a cast and not allowed to walk I didn't want to leave her with Grandma since she is such a handful.  Also Adryanna wanted to go for a walk with us and I will never say no to going for a walk with my kids!  So we went for a nice little walk to the canal so Adryanna could look for boats and watch all the other people there.  She is such a people watcher already.  I can see her as that old lady sitting in the mall just watching the people go by.  It was interesting though, last night I told her she had to come and promised her a slushy on the way back.  I wanted her to ride her bike because I figured she would make it farther that way but she refused.  She's a bit scared because she has fallen a few times.  So reluctantly I let her walk.  Well she actually ran most of the way there!!  It's only about one kilometer but for a person with such little legs that was impressive.  She then skipped and ran most of the way home too!!  I was so happy with her.  Tonight again she refused to ride her bike but ran most of the way there and part of the way back. 

I have always worried about the kids and keeping them from following in my footsteps, the old ones that is!  Adryanna loves to watch TV and would sit there for hours if she was allowed.  I do my best to keep them busy and active.  Adryanna always says she's a runner and tonight I felt like she really is!!!  Christina makes me laugh when we are out.  She yells and points everytime we see someone running and asks us to run.  She is so sad right now that she can't run.  Tomorrow we go to the Ortho Clinic to have her leg checked and I am going to beg for a cast that she can walk in.  I will even pay to get one of the really good ones that can get wet!  It's just so hard to keep her busy and keep her from walking on it.

I'm looking forward to Sunday's race so much.  Two of the three big kids are going to be here to see it along with the people who are always here and the weather is going to be beautiful.  It's a beautiful course even if it is a hard one.  A lot of the course is a path overlooking the lake which, if the weather is as nice as it's supposed to be, will make for a very beautiful run.  Of course there is chocolate involved which always makes me happy.  I don't know how much of it I will eat after running that long but it can be saved for another day! 

Stay tuned!!  I'll update the cast situation tomorrow night.  Keep your fingers crossed for her!

Birthday Train Stop #3

Today was stop number 3 on the birthday train!!  It was Maisy's birthday this time and it was a great party.  It's always nice to hang out with the other Moms.  Bonnie told me that she has joined a running clinic!  I'm so proud of her for taking that first step!!!  I know she'll do awesome.  Adryanna loves going to the parties too because there are two (sometimes three) other little girls about her age that she gets to run around and play with.  Christina did awesome as well.  I was afraid that she would be upset by the other kids running around when she couldn't but she just hung out with us and Liam without any complaints.  The next and final stop is Christina's party in two weeks!

The party wasn't until the afternoon so we went out for a nice walk in the morning to keep Christina happy and off her leg.  She's been moving around a lot more today and trying to stand up so it seemed like good idea to get her out.  It was hot and muggy but not horrible.  Adrian and I went and took Christina and the dog.  We walked along the canal path for a bit then came back home so Adrian could get ready for work.  I love getting out for this many walks and hope that once Christina is healed we'll still keep going.  She enjoys them too!  I need to convince Anna to come out with us soon though.  She likes to just hang out with Grandma which is nice but I'd like it if she was a bit more active. 

So overall it was a beautiful day regardless of the fact that it rained on and off.  I weighed myself this morning and at first thought I hadn't done very well because I was remembering last weeks weight wrong. 
Here are the results: Last week 240.8lbs
                               This week 240.0lbs
Not a huge difference but almost a pound so I'll take it!!!  Have a great week!! 

An Upside to Everything!

Our week has been a very eventful one indeed.  From stomach bugs to broken bones, soccer games and bbq's we've been a busy household.  Add a couple of runs into the mix and things are getting down right crazy! 

Christina isn't allowed to put any weight on her leg at all so we have had to get kind of creative in ways to keep her occupied.  Thursday was the bbq for work so that took up a big enough part of the day and after dinner was soccer which took us to bedtime.  Yesterday Adrian took the girls shopping for the morning then they spent the afternoon with E for Erin.  I guess I should explain that a bit.  When Anna was first learning letters E was the very first one she mastered.  One of my best friends in the world is named Erin.  She was over one day and when Anna showed her an E she said "E for Erin".  Now that's what Anna calls her.  Back to yesterday though.  After dinner I decided to take Christina for a walk in her stroller.  She likes going for walks and looking at all the things around her.  She points out birds, trees, dogs, cats and everything else she sees.  So we headed out to the canal path because it's not somewhere we have gone often with her.  She had a great time.  Lots of people run along this path and everytime a runner came along Christina yelled "RUN!"  She love to run and watch people run.  Everytime I come out in running gear she says "Mommy Run?  Beena Run?"  I see marathons in her future!

Today was a busy day too.  I went out for my run at 7am with the running group and planned to meet Adrian and the girls at the local farmers market when I was done.  He got them ready and we met there about 9am.  Then we came home and got ready for Anna's soccer bbq.  After that we came back for Christina's nap and some swimming for the rest of us.  Next we went shopping and had dinner out.  By the time we got home it was 6pm.  That's close enough to bedtime that I could just let her play on the floor until bedtime.

We've done a good job keeping her occupied and only have 3 days of this left before we go to the Ortho clinic and hopefully get a walking cast put on.  Two of those days she's at daycare for part of the day.  Hopefully they can keep her busy and out of trouble. 

So the upside to things??  I am getting more exercise because I never stop moving while she's up.  I figure after the birthday party tomorrow we'll come home and have dinner then head out for another walk.  Maybe if she isn't allowed to have a walking cast I'll be able to kickstart a new routine and some added weightloss!!!

What goes up, must come down!!

Yesterday was a very eventful day in our house.  It started early yesterday morning with Adryanna and a stomach bug.  She seemed fine when she first woke up.  She came into our room and got into bed with me.  When I asked how she slept she said good but she had a small headache.  I didn't think anything of that after the day she had on Tuesday.  Less than an hour later she was asking for her barf bowl and for the rest of the day it was her best friend.  She was achy and tired.  The poor girl couldn't get comfortable all day.  She moved from couch to chair to floor and back again.  Nothing would stay down!  So when Grandma got home from work I put Christina in the stroller and we went for a nice walk to the store to get gingerale.  It was a lovely walk and Christina chattered the whole time.

About 7pm Adrian realized that he had forgotten his work key and needed it to lock up.  He ran home to get it but someone had gotten his keys and we couldn't find them anywhere!!  He left again while we continued to look for them.  When I found them the girls were in bed and Grandma was downstairs so I ran them out to him.  I left the baby monitor on and brought the receiver end downstairs so Grandma could hear if Anna got sick again.

While I was gone Christina clearly wasn't actually asleep and decided it was a good idea to go up to the top bunk to visit Anna.  She does this on a regular basis and normally she has no issues.    When I got home Grandma was upstairs sitting on the couch which automatically made me think Anna was up.  I was surprised when Christina sat up on the couch and started screaming!  It turns out that on her way down she missed a step and fell. 

She refused to stand or walk and just screamed when we tried to get her to.  When we asked what hurt she said her leg and grabbed her right one.  So off to the hospital we went for an xray.  Luckily there was a very short wait and very helpful staff.  We didn't wait more than about 10 minutes before we saw the doctor and got xray orders.  The xray was done in a few minutes and we had an answer within an hour of arriving.  So what was the diagnosis??  Fractured right tibia!!  My poor baby is now sporting a lovely cast from her toes to her knee.  She isn't allowed to walk until we go to the orthopedic clinic on Wednesday.  This is a kid who doesn't sit still.  It's going to be a long week!!  Maybe the worst part though is that she will have a cast for the rest of summer and, even worse, for her second birthday party.

Poor Beena :(

Today went well enough.  We had lots to keep her occupied and she was fairly content.  We'll see how things go for the next 5 days.  Needless to say we were exhausted today and I wimped out of my run tonight.  We had some thunder rumbling during soccer and they called off the game part way through.  I just couldn't bring myself to get out there.  I will run my 8k on Saturday and make up for it with a walk tomorrow.

Run the Crazies Away!!

I love my girls more than anything in the whole world but some days they just make me crazy!!  Tonight was one of those nights.  When I got to daycare to pick them up one of the first things I was asked was if they slept ok last night because they were miserable and easily upset.  Christina hadn't napped all day because Adryanna told the daycare lady that while they were off she stopped having naps.  Adryanna was crying at the drop of a hat and fighting with the other kids.  It was just a rough day for them.  When we got home we had kabobs ready for supper so all I had to do was cook them and reheat some rice and veggies.  It took all of about 10 minutes to prepare.  When I told them it was ready Adryanna cried because she didn't get to play long enough.  She then cried because she didn't want the peas in the rice, then because she didn't like the meat (she hadn't even looked at it yet) on and on this went.  Finally she ate!  She complained the whole time but I'm not going to play the "I don't like it so make me something else" game.  I always make sure that what I cook is something she will eat.

Adryanna eating corn!

Christina's Cheese Face!

Then there was Christina.  She's being potty trained and was doing so well but the last two days she's done nothing but pee her pants at daycare.  Well then we get home and nine hundred times during dinner she asks to go pee.  It's driving me nuts!!!  Then we get outside to play and go swimming and she has another accident.  This time not just pee though :(  Got her changed which was a task and a half, back outside and it was time to swim.  In and out of the pool she got.  She fell coming in once and hurt Grandma's shoulder.  Hopefully it'll be ok in the morning but if not it will be off to the clinic to have it checked.


Adryanna was determined that she wasn't putting her bathing suit on because she wasn't swimming.  Of course two seconds after I got in the pool she wanted hers.  Luckily she's big enough to come inside and get herself ready.  Two seconds after she got in she had to get out to use the washroom then she was cold and didn't want to come back in. 

Fast forward a bit and it's bedtime!!!!  Thankfully they both went without a fight.  That's when I got to decide.  Run or relax.  I ran and ran and ran!!  I had to run the crazies away!!!  I had only planned to run 5k tonight but first my delivery of gu gels came in today so I wanted to try the new flavour I bought and second I was so overwhelmed by the girls tonight that I decided to just run as far as the canal path would take me.  I could have a gel before I left and all the crazies would be gone when I got home.  So that's what I did!  I ran 6k tonight which is the longest Tuesday night run I've ever done.  I usually keep those ones shorter and save the longer runs for the weekend. The canal path was very busy on the way out but on the way back it was quieter and getting dark.  About half way back Adrian passed on his way home from work. By the time I got home I was tired but relaxed!  All the crazies are gone!!  Here's hoping the girls sleep the crazies away!

So, running is not just good for the body, it's great for the mind too.  I always feel so much more prepared to take on the world when I've had a good run.  When the girls get up in the morning they will be happier and it will be a new day full of fun!!

Soggy Sunday

I like rainy Sundays.  They tend to force relaxation.   Today is one of those days.  We got up to a sunny morning and decided to check out Buskerfest early because we knew it was supposed to rain this afternoon.  It was ok.  I think it would have been better yesterday when there was a bit more going on.  The buskers that we saw were good although some of them were a bit crass and some of what they said wasn't totally kid friendly.  They weren't cursing or anything just not totally appropriate.  It started to rain a bit just around 1pm so we decided it was time to come home.  Now we will spend the rest of the day inside watching some movies and just relaxing. 

It's not raining too much and if it clears up later we might go to the park and after dinner we plan to head to the Avondale Dairy Bar.  It's Cones for Kids this weekend and some of the proceeds go to the local childrens ward at the hospital.  Ice cream is always a nice way to end the weekend. 

This week should be a quiet one.  I don't have a lot booked at work so I will be able to get caught up on some of my paperwork.  I am heading to the movies tomorrow night with some friends for a girls night and I might just get to run with the group on Tuesday!!  Adryanna has her second last regular soccer game on Thursday too.  It's hard to believe it's almost done.  Summer has gone by so quickly!  Next weekend we'll be doing back to school shopping along with another birthday party. 

Now for the exciting part of my week!  Weigh in time!  I actually had to go back and look at last weeks entry to see what it was last week because I was surprised by what I saw this morning.  So here it is!
Last week:  243.6lbs
This week:  240.8lbs 
That's a loss of 2.8lbs!!!  Just what I needed to remind me that a little extra discipline and a bit extra running can make a big difference!

10K Baby!!

The bottom left number is distance!

A year ago if someone had said that within the next 12 months I would run 10k I would have laughed at them.  I refer to that girl as September Selena!  I am going to have to change that soon since we'll be in September again and I am not the same person I was a year ago.  Well that's not totally true.  I will always be the same person at the core but I am now a much healthier and much happier person.

This is about today's run though.  I woke up with that same feeling of nervousness that I wake up with every Saturday but this morning I told it to take a hike!  I was going to run 10k!  I had a small breakfast and headed out the door.  During the warm up I was already tired but I know that I need a bit of time to get the adrenaline going.  We always do a short 1k run then stop to do some more stretching.  I usually push a bit harder on that short run but this morning I didn't really feel that tired on that run like I usually do.  My legs felt great and I wasn't out of breath at all.  Usually I get to the stretching point and have some catching up to do.  Today I made it there just behind the group and they hadn't started yet.  This was a good sign!!  After the stretching I didn't wait around for instructions I just got moving.  I knew where I was going.  I felt great through the first 3k!  I felt strong and confident, I had no fatigue or pain!  At 3.5k you get to a hill, well a little valley actually, down then back up.

I am not good with hills at all.  I have never done any hill training because Adryanna's soccer games are on the nights that the group does them and soccer is more important to me.  This week I talked to Celine and she gave me the low down on the mechanics of running hills.   Aside from that hill there is a highway overpass.  Both I usually walk but not today.  Today I was determined to run both and I did! I still felt great after them too!!!

At the 4.11k mark there were two cars coming along.  One in each direction.  I noticed the one coming from behind me was going awfully slow so I turned around to see why and there was Celine!  She had come to take a picture of me at the turn around point.  I think I have mentioned the sign that is there which everyone runs up to and hits the first time they run 10k.  I was very touched that she would do that for me.  She's been such a great cheerleader for me through this journey and for her to finish her 10k run early then get in the car to come take my picture was wonderful!  It was also a great motivator to keep going even though I felt great still.

Here I am smacking the sign!

Anne also ran 10k for the first time today!

After our mini photoshoot and a bit of water it was time to turn around and head back to Runners' Edge.  Anne and I ran the rest together and it was great to have someone there for the run back.  I was encouraged to push just that little bit longer to make it right to 10k instead of stopping 300m short like I sometimes do.  It doesn't sound like a large distance but when you're hot, tired and that last little bit is up an overpass it can be challenging.  I did it though and I am so proud of myself.  I am also very thankful for Anne, she gave me that little push I needed at the end.  Thanks Anne!

So what's next?  I run The Chocolate Race in two weekends.  I am planning to run the 10k portion of the Niagara Falls International Marathon in October and Adrian wants us to do the Around the Bay two person relay in the spring.  That would be 15k each so I guess my next distance goal is 15k.  When I started running Celine always talked about when I run my first half marathon and I always laughed but now I think I might actually be able to do it!!  Maybe that will be next summer's goal!!!

That's more like it!

After a wild week of illness and fatigue I got out for a run last night after Adryanna's soccer game (they won again!).  I left just before 8pm and headed down to the canal path.  It's just under a kilometer from our front door to the canal which is perfect warm up distance for me.  I then headed north(ish I'm not good with that kind of directions).  I continued almost to the end and turned around at 2.5k.  I am by no means a fast runner and have had small children yell out to their parents "Mommy look how slow that lady is running!!"  however I did complete the first half of my run in record time!  I did 2.5k in 22:29 which would put my 5k at about 45 minutes which is my fastest 5k.  On the way back I had to stop a couple of times to wait for cars to go by before I could cross the street so my total time isn't very accurate.  Either way I am pretty proud of my run last night.  I felt strong and confident. 

Tomorrow morning I will set out to run 10k for the first time ever.  I am terrified!  I need to really work on the mind over matter part of running.  I constantly freak myself out before my longer runs.  I start to think too much and start to second guess myself.  This leads to feeling sick and that makes running so much more difficult.  Last night's run is helping to put some of that fear behind me this week.  I have been taking my iron supplement as directed by the doctor, I am almost finished my antibiotics for the strep throat (feeling much better by the way) and I am hydrated.  I feel good!  I will go to bed early tonight after making sure I have all my running gear set out for the morning.  I will get up and have my light breakfast then head out.  Twelve hours for now I will be well into my run.

This weekend is one of the only weekends this month that we don't have anything planned, actually it's the only one.  There are a couple of local festivals going on that we might attend or we might just stay home and relax.  No matter what we do it's going to be a great weekend!

Beautiful!

I love the cooler temperatures!  Last night we got to sleep with the windows open and the air conditioning off.  I slept better than I have in weeks!  I woke up in the middle of the night feeling a bit chilly and went back to sleep thinking about how beautiful this mornings run would be.  Unfortuanately I didn't make it out of my nice cozy bed for a run this morning.  My body just totally didn't co-operate.  I think my body is imposing an easy week on me which is perfectly fine with me.  I will still get out and run my 10k on Saturday morning and if things stay the way they are right now it will be the nicest run I've had in a long time! 

I am going to get out and run tonight after Adryanna's soccer game.  I have everything laid out on the bed waiting for me when I get home.  I have my route planned out and I am so excited.  I love this weather.  It's perfect running weather.

This weather makes me think of Fall more and more.  I love Fall, it is by far my favorite season!  I love everything about it.  Pumpkin pie, changing leaves, clean crisp air and lots of fun family time.  We do a lot of family things in the fall.  Christina's birthday is September 1st which isn't technically Fall but I feel like it starts things off.  Then school starts and this year I am off the whole first week.  I will get to take Adryanna to school everyday and pick her up with all the other kids.  We then have Adrian's birthday, Thanksgiving, Adryanna's birthday, halloween etc.  Plus there are several local festivals in the Fall that we like to go to.  I just absolutely love Fall!! 

This will also be the first Fall that I really get to enjoy running through.  Last year I was just learning to run and while I loved it I was very focused on the running part and didn't take the time to look around me and enjoy the beauty.  This year I am running at least an hour each run instead of building up from 10 minutes so I will have plenty of time out there alone to marvel in all the beautiful colours and smells of Fall.  I think by the time the bitter cold of winter gets here I will be so relaxed and happy that I won't even care!

What the Heck!!

Who other than me gets strep throat in the middle of the summer and when you haven't really been around alot of people??  It's a strange case too.  I didn't really have a sore throat, I would call it more of a thick feeling.  It was just uncomfortable to swallow not painful.  I thought it felt weird this morning so took some allergy medication assuming that's what it was and off to work I went.  I came home at lunch because today's the only day we weren't able to cover for daycare.  I went to look at it because it still felt odd.  Well one side was all white!  That's never a good thing but I really didn't think of strep.  I more thought thrush because I use an inhaler can cause thrush if you don't rinse well after it.  So later in the afternoon I decided to hit the walk in clinic to get the strange drop things I had once before for thrush.  Well the doctor had other thoughts and said it's not thrush at all.  He gave me a prescription for Amoxicillan and sent me on my way.  Said if I got two doses in before bed I would be fine for work tomorrow. 

This has a minor impact on my running plan this week.  I was planning to get up at 5am tomorrow and drive to a hill to get some hill training in.  I don't think I'm going to follow that routine now.  Partially because I'm not fond of running a somewhat secluded hill alone in the semi dark and partly because I do feel a bit tired and achy.  I think I will sleep until my normal time then go for my run once the girls are in bed.  It will still be semi dark but I can drag someone with me at night.  I can't do that in the morning.  So depending on how I feel tomorrow evening I'll be the crazy runner going up and down the hill a few times.  I'm going to head to the hill that is part of the course for The Chocolate Race that I am running in 3 weeks. I like the idea of running it before the day of the race.  I may try to make Thursday's run part of the course too.  I will feel more comfortable on race day knowing what I am up against.

I'm just glad I got this now instead of the day before race day!!! 

Hmmm...

My vacation week is ending, the big kids went home yesterday and the house is so quiet.  It's interesting how things change over time.  The big kids have never been here for three weeks.  When we planned it I wasn't totally sure how it would go but I was quite surprised at how well it went.  Everybody settled into a routine and life continued very smoothly!  Now they are home and it's really quiet here.  Not that they would be up this early anyway.

What did we do with the rest of our week off?  Well let's see, Wednesday we just relaxed inside because it was cloudy and threatened to rain off and on all day.  Thursday, Adrian took Ashlee and Drew golfing while Meag and I went out for lunch with a friend then we picked up the little girls and my mom and went swimming at Adrian's moms followed by Anna's soccer game.  They won 3-1!!!  Friday all the girls except Christina went to get manicures and pedicures then we all spent the afternoon swimming and tanning.  We wanted to relax because Saturday we were all headed to Wasaga Beach to take the kids home and go to a wedding!!  Adrian's stepmom got remarried and because they have kept in contact we were invited.  It was a small but nice wedding!

Before we went to the wedding I ran 9k for the first time ever!!  It was an interesting run.  My body hasn't been co-operating this week and PCOS symptoms are rearing their ugly head.  I was sluggish and felt crappy in the morning.  I left the house wondering what I was thinking, got to the store and thought about going back home, started my run thinking I would just keep it short then about 2k in I started to get my stride.  I got to 3k and ran into one of the beginner leaders who was so encouraging that I decided to keep going.  I decided I would just stick with the 8k I had done last week.  When I got to the 8k turn around I decided that if I had come that far I may as well keep going, it was afterall only another .5k in each direction.  Well that .5k, when you have no concept of where the turn around is, can feel like forever!!!  I passed a few people who were on their way back and thank god for them, I needed their encouragement to keep going.  I did it though and felt great in the end.  I am very proud of my accomplishment.

Now for the annoying part of my week.  I got on the scale this morning only to find that the number didn't change much and not in the right direction.  It read 243.6 :(  I know there are several factors at play there but all in all I think it was too much snacking, pcos and maybe my increased running causing havoc on my system and probably not enough water.  Either way it's a new week, I will clean out the fridge and get some good healthy groceries.  I have some things I want to make this week and will make sure to pack my lunch and snacks everyday.

This week will be an interesting one.  I got a message from our daycare worker that she's in the hospital having her appendix removed.  This is a person who never complains and never slows down so she must have been really hurting to go in and I am so glad she did.  I have made some arrangements for my kids and hopefully everyone else can too.  She needs at least this week to relax.  So my week after vacation might turn out to be somewhat a part time week.  That's ok with me though!!!  I get to ease back into things and I like that.

Rainy Runs

I was supposed to run last night but when I looked at the weather forcast to see what the temperature was I saw that it was supposed to rain today.  I immediately decided to cancel my run and go this morning.  A year ago I wouldn't have wanted to walk to the car in the rain but now there is something so nice about it.  Perhaps it's the thought of the rain cooling me off when I am sweating like crazy, perhaps it's the calm of the world when it rains but whatever it is I love it.

Last fall when I was learning to run we had one nasty night where it was pouring and we were soaked before we got five minutes from the store.  I thought it was going to be horrible and spent a good part of the day trying to come up with reasons not to go.  I was so happy that I didn't skip the run that night.  I don't even really notice the rain anymore when I run.

This morning as I laced up my shoes to head out I was excited.  It was a light rain, almost a mist actually.  By the time I got to the canal it had pretty well stopped but the pavement was wet and the air smelled fresh and clean.  It reminded me of early fall.

I love summer for the heat, the swimming and the beach but fall will always be my favorite.  This morning was just what I needed to re-energize. 

It has rained on and off all day.  We're just hanging out at home playing video games, watching tv and enjoying the calm.  Tomorrow it is supposed to be a nicer day again and we will all head out to enjoy it.  I'll run again tomorrow morning and it will be a beautiful run.  Even if it's sunny and hot the air will be cleaner from the rain today.  I look forward to getting out there!!!

Family Time

As I have already mentioned I am on vacation this week.  We don't generally go away for our vacations.  We have gone to Florida to visit my brother a couple of times but other than that we usually stay home.  We like to stay home and do things here instead of spending half our time travelling. 

Yesterday's adventure was Ribfest!  I love Ribfest.  We try to go every year and plan for it most of the week leading up to it.  We always end up with way to much food and bring a bunch home that we get to eat for the next day or two.  The kids love going just as much as the adults too!

Today started off with a delicious breakfast prepared by Meag!!  She made us french toast, fresh fruit salad and bacon.  It was so good!!  Then we spent the day playing tourist in Niagara on the Lake.  We started off with a tour of Fort George.  It's a rebulit military fort from the War of 1812.  I think it's funny how a bunch of old army paraphernalia can be so interesting, even to a four year old.  We then went to the big park for a picnic lunch and to spend some time in the wading pool cooling off.  After we were done that we looked at the shops and had some ice cream.  We headed home after about 5 hours of walking and exploring.  We were all hot and exhausted but again it was a wonderful trip.  Tonight Adrian and I are taking Meag and Drew back for the Ghost Tour at Fort George.  They are also a lot of fun.  Meag came to one with us a couple of years ago but this is the first summer that we feel Drew is old enough and more importantly mature enough to come with us. 

I enjoy this time because it is a break from the same old routines, I get to spend time with the people I love the most and I don't have to worry about work.  I love that I get lots of exercise and relaxation.  I love that I have a chance to try new foods and make some of the old foods that I love but that take too long to make when I am at work all day. 

I have been weighing myself most mornings since I bought my own scale.  It's interesting how much weight you can lose when you are walking and sweating all day.  Yesterday I weighed 243.2lbs, this moring I weighed somewhere around 239 and just now I stepped on the scale and I weighed 235.6!! Now I realize that it's all water weight that I lost and it's way too much water to lose.  I  have been drinking lots but clearly not enough.  I know that I will gain most or all of that back in the next 24hrs and that's ok with me.  It showed me that I definitely need to plan better when we are out and refill my water bottle where ever I can. 

Tomorrow??  Probably a trip to the local beach but not before I run my nice run by the canal. I enjoy running the canal path.  It's nothing fancy but it's calm and quiet and with a house full of 8 people for three weeks everyone needs a bit of quiet sometimes. Hopefully my body isn't to tired from today!