Fall Fun!

Fall is my absolute favourite season!  The colours, the smells, the crisp autum air!!  I love everything about it.  

Fall is also filled with fun family activities.  There is the Niagara Wine Festival, Thanksgiving and the Balls Falls Craft Show, Halloween and so much to explore.  It's also Apple season.  Apples are my favourite fruit.  I've been told the story multiple times of how apple was my first word as I would follow my grandpa around saying it over and over until he gave me some of his.  He used to eat an apple every night after dinner.  

This weekend was the Wine Festival.  When I was a kid it was called the Grape and Wine Festival.  It changed a few years ago.  I remember as a kid watching the parade. I also remember that before the parade hundreds of runners would go by.  The race is called The Run For the Grapes. I have always wanted to run it and once I became a runner I thought of it pretty quickly.  There is a 5k and a Half.  I want to run the half but I cannot make it in under the time limit.  This next 12 months I am going to work hard to get faster and hope that I can, just maybe, make it.  I have lots of time and with the proper dedication I think I can do it.  

For now I leave you with a picture of the girls enjoying sno-cones at the park after the parade:)

CycleFit Round 2

After Saturday's hiking adventures I had a very sore ankle yesterday.   I knew it was going to hurt.  It's the one I rolled a couple of weeks ago when I was running and by the time we got home from the hike it was pretty sore.  Today it was feeling much better.

Tonight was my second time doing CycleFit.  It was not much easier than the first time but it was more fun because I knew what was coming.  I was able to adjust things quicker and was able to push a little harder.  Tonight was just myself and one other lady.  She was super nice and I hope she is there again next week.

Last week I was not really happy with the fact that there is a full wall mirror in front of the class.  No one looks awesome when they workout and I definitely didn't love watching all the wiggles and jiggles.  Today I decided to use that mirror to my advantage and watch what my legs were doing.  What I didn't expect was that I would be watching muscle move.  I could see the definition of my upper legs as I pedaled and I could see some definition in my lower legs.  I was so excited when I noticed and it gave a bit of drive to keep pushing.  I can't wait to watch that image in the mirror change!!!

Adventures

I've always liked hiking but rarely do it.  Fall is my favourite season and the most beautiful one in our area so earlier this week I decided we were going to take the girls hiking today.  Of course today has to be the warmest day of the week, maybe month.  It was still beautiful and while it was quite warm, once we got on the trail is was nice.  We went way longer than expected due to a wrong turn that took us on the longer path and caused us to have to turn around and go back the way we had come.  All in all it was a great time though.  Poor Christina was getting very tired by the end though.  Adryanna was in glory because she caught a toad:)  Next time we will go to a different place with a shorter trail. I think we will do the one we did today in a few weeks though and make sure we take the shorter route:). Here are some pictures of our time.

By the next time we go much of that green will be starting to turn colour and the fall colours will be so beautiful!

Twenty Pound Challenge!

I like to have specific goals but have found I need to put them out there and generally do better if it's a short goal.  Yesterday I was driving back to the office and thinking about what I want to work towards in the journey.  I figured out how many weeks to Christmas and decided that the goal will be to get to (or under) 200lbs.  That is about 20lbs (depending on the day it is a couple lbs more).  I haven't been gaining but I haven't lost in a few weeks either.  January is when I go for my physical every year and I would love to show that I have worked over the year.  So all those things helped make the decision that 20lbs would be the goal.  

Last night I opened my Facebook page to find out that someone in a group I am part of has created a 20lb weightloss challenge.  The time frame?  Between now and January 1st:). I immediately joined the challenge and have created my game plan.  With the support of that group and knowing there will be weekly checkin days will help so much.

Today has been a good day.  I ate fairly well and ran so I'm happy with my start. This weekend I plan to run 10k and we have told the girls we will go hiking.  I'm excited that they want to do these things.  We also have to teach Christina to ride her bike with out training wheels. It's going to be a good weekend!!  

CycleFit Fun!

Last night I arrived at the gym planning to do my usual routine.  I went upstairs and wandered around for a minute.  I just didn't feel like the usual.  I looked at the board and saw that there was a 30 minute beginner CycleFit class starting in 15 minutes.  I decided to do a couple of my weight machines and then head in.  I got there a few minutes early to talk to the instructor and get the bike set up. 

The class was lots if fun.  We went fast, we went slow.  We stood up, we sat down. My legs were on fire!  I much preferred the standing cycling to the sitting.  I found it easier no matter what gear we were in. By the end I was dripping sweat and saying "see you next week".  

Then I finished my weights and did a 20 min power walk on the treadmill until it was time to pick up the girls.

I felt great last night and today my legs don't hurt at all!  I guess I have to try harder next week.  Before that I think I better put in a request for a standing desk at work though.  My legs may not hurt today but my tushie isn't as lucky.  Maybe I better look into some padded shorts if I'm going to keep going to this class.  Ouch!

Heart Update

Today we switch gears a little.   I haven't posted an update about Adryanna's heart in a while and she had a cardiology appointment last week so I thought I would capture it here too:)

As always she was seen by not only her regular cardiologist and an Echo Technician, she was seen by a student, a Cardiac Nurse and a couple more Echo Techs.  McMaster is one of the top hospitals in our province and it is also a teaching hospital.  Adryanna has a rare defect with a rare repair done to it.  She is the perfect teacher:) 

I knew something was different when the Echo was being done because she spent a lot more time than usual and I didn't think it was simply because the student was there.  This wasn't a first and they never take long.  Then the Tech went and got another and there was low talking and pointing.  They couldn't be totally sure where the device that was used to close her defect was.  It was hard to see and as it turns out isn't totally blocking the blood flow through the tunnel like it should.  

Once we got to talk to her cardiologist we found out that they can see and hear some pretty significant flow through the device.  They could see a little last time but it was more this time.  They are not too concerned about it.  She did a 24hr Holter Monitor three weeks ago and that was totally normal.  The only real change to her treatment plan is instead of waiting a year to see her again they will see her in six months instead.  Until then she will continue to live life, taking aspirin daily and antibiotics before any trips to the dentist.  She still has no restrictions and no worries.  That is what we always want to hear!  

A Tough Decision = A Great Run

I will not be running a fall half marathon.

There it's out.

I will not be running for a variety of reasons but the biggest one is my family and out plans.  See in January we are going to Florida for a week and we want to go to Universal Studios and a few other fun places.  We will probably need to rent a car for the time we are there.  There will be many expenses.  We have told the kids that there will be no extra, unnecessary spending. So why do I get to justify spending over $100 for one race?  

Reason number two?  When I started running it was for my health and so I could play with my kids without getting super tired and having to sit or watch.  It was not to spend hours and hours training each week for races.  Does this mean I won't run any races?  Of course not.  I still fully intend to run the Niagara Falls Women's Half next June.  It was my first half and has a spot in my heart.  This training I have not had my heart in it.  My head has not totally been in it either which has made training suck.  I wasn't looking forward to my runs anymore.  I was tired and the rest of the day after my long runs I felt like crap and didn't want to do anything.  Doesn't exactly fit with my original reason for running does it?

I spent a lot of time this past week thinking about it and looking at the consequences of not doing a race.  I know that I run more if I am training because I have to, thay was the biggest thing to consider.  I know I might struggle to keep going but I feel like I am motivated this time more than in the past.  I know I want to be able to run a good race next spring and I know to do that I have to keep going now. 

Today was my first run that was just for me and my health.  No training goal, no pressure to be fast or to be better than last time.  Just a run for me.  I ran 10k and it was awesome.  I felt great through most of the run despite the nagging feeling that I am getting a cold.  It was just me and my run.  

What's my plan now? I really like the 10,12 and 14k distances so I will keep my long runs fluctuating between those distances.  I may throw in the odd 16k when I am feeling good.  Come the new year I will make a schedule and train for the Half in June.  Hopefully by then I will be down some weight and feeling good about the training.  Until then I'll just enjoy the run!

Four!!

Nope didn't take up golf:). Today marks four years since I started to run.  Funny that today was also my best run in a few weeks.  I didn't think if the runiversary when I left this morning but remembered when I came home.  What a crazy thing this running routine is.  I've never in my life stuck with any sort of exercise as long as I have stuck with running.  I may have slacked off and gone a few weeks at a time without running but I have never quit entirely.  I wish I had a total of how far I have run in that time. 

This morning when I got back from my run and had stretched and was looking at Facebook this picture came up.  

It is as if it was written specifically for me. The first night of the learn to run clinic I couldn't run 1 minute.  Today I am still a back of the pack runner but I ran 15k!  I can run half marathons!!  Definitely stronger with each run.  So to all those who have supported me along the way I say "thank you". I could not, would not be where I am today without the support.

August!!

August was a much better month than July.  I reached my running goal for the year and updated it.  I went back to the gym a few times and I had lots of vacation time.

I started the month in Florida becoming an aunt.  I didn't run much there because of the stupid heat and humidity.  I got back on track when I cam back and ran a total of 54km which isn't what I should have run training for a half but things have been really tough and I am starting to question even running that half.  I am scheduled to run 16k this weekend so we will see how that goes and move forward from there.  I am hoping as the weather cools down and fall starts to arrive my running will improve.

Other interesting things that happened in August?  We went to the Canadian National Exhibition for the first time.  It was a long day full of fun.  The girls went on lots of rides and enjoyed exploring all of the different areas.  We took the train to and from the CNE as well and the girls had a great time with that.

Now that September is here and school has started we are getting back to the usual school year routine.  The girls love their teachers so far and should do well overall.  I just love the routine of it all.