May Run Everyday Challenge

One of the groups I follow on Facebook put out a challenge to everyone to run at least one mile everyday in May.  They did one a couple of months ago but I wasn't running nearly enough at that point to sign up so I didn't.  This month I have taken it as the motivation I need to get back into routine.  The past two weeks have been awesome.  I have stuck to all my goals but I know that two weeks in the grand scheme of things is peanuts.  So I clicked accept and made my own alterations to the rules.  I plan to run my usual three runs but I am going to start walking our dog every day as well. I have always wanted to be able to take her running with me but she can't walk in a straight line and I can't run in a straight line which makes for some serious tripping.  So I thought this might be the opportunity to try that again and build up slowly.  So my plan is that I am going to run on my own the three days that I would normal run and on the other days I am going to bring her for a walk and run part of that.  I don't plan to time those shorter runs or measure the distance but I think it's a good way to see if the dog and I can be compatible running buddies and it keeps my motivation going.

The other thing that is exciting right now is that I have changed my run times to early morning.  It is beautiful out there at 6am right now and I love watching the world slowly wake up.  A lot of my runs are through residential areas so I get to see lots of other people out for walks and runs, I get to see bunnies hopping across lawns and hear birds chirping happily.  It is peaceful and wonderful.  Today I took my first trip to the canal path since they re-opened it.  It was closed for most of the winter for repairs.  The amount of people out there at 8 am is amazing!  I was a bit sad to see that in their repairs they have yet to replant all the trees and a lot of the grass is gone but hopefully they will get that done soon.  I also got to see two big boats going through which is always fun.  Wondering where they are heading, where they have come from and what they are hauling.

It's really, really spring in Canada now and I'm so excited!

Chicken Chili

This was my new recipe this week! It was something Christina had at daycare earlier in the week and loved so I thought I would try it too. Super delicious and super easy. It cooks in the slow cooker all day and at the end you cook some quinoa on the side and mix it together. I don't have a recipe to link to this post but it was just 3 chicken breasts, a can of tomatoes, can of kidney beans, can of black beans, can of corn and jar of salsa. Chicken goes in first then cover with all the rest. Cook for 6 hours on low then pull the chicken out and shred it. Put the chicken back, in stir and serve.

I managed to exercise 5 times with two of those being runs. It feels so much better to be out doing things again and feeling good.

On the weightloss front I lost 1.5lbs which is just over my goal for the week.

I have not had pop despite a trip to the movies last night. It has been offered several times but each time I chose water instead.

Overall it has been a good week. We are off to the gym tomorrow morning and then Adrian and I are going to see Guys and Dolls at The Shaw Festival:). Looking forward to another great week ahead!

A bit of an update!

Recovery from tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy is on average two to three weeks for children and a month or more for adults.  Christina is 9 days post op and is almost 100% back to herself.  The main reason for this surgery was her giant tonsils.  She did not have recurrent infections.  In fact she has only had one throat infection and that was only three weeks before surgery.  Her tonsils were just so huge that she would snore so loud it could be heard in another room and they believed that she had sleep apnea.  The hoped outcome is that she will no longer snore and will sleep without any interruptions.  In the end this should improve her mood, behaviour and eating habits.  She fit the definition of sleep deprivation almost to the letter.  She had trouble focusing, mood changed at the drop of a hat and she never seemed full.  So now that we are well on the way to healing and sleeping better the truth will show.  Already I can see an improvement in her eating but that may just come from the fact that it still hurts to eat.  Her focus has been somewhat better and she is listening better.  She's still not sleeping perfectly because her throat drys out and hurts but another week should do it and we can start to really determine if her wildness is nature or sleep deprivation.  I don't want to see too much of a change in personality but with her starting school in a few months I need her to be able to focus better and listen better.

As for me I got up and ran this morning.  I went back and forth on what to do and decided running was less work than going to the gym.  It was a cold and ugly run with lots of walking but I did it and am damn proud of myself.  Two days ago it was over 30c and today it was -4c with the windchill.  My lungs don't like the cold but held up pretty well.  The problem I ran into was the wind.  I failed to look at that part of the weather when I checked the temperature.  It was a very strong wind that didn't let up and would almost stop me in my tracks when a gust would come up.  I walked alot of the part that was into the wind and used it for an extra push on the part that was with the wind.  I then decided to sprint the last 100m or so just for fun:)  I wanted to see how fast I could go!  I'm a turtle runner for the most part, slow and steady.  My average pace is around 9mins/km.  For that last 100m I ran 7:15mins/km!!!  I'm pretty proud of that and the fact that I didn't die when I stopped.  Tomorrow is swimming for the girls and I think Christina might be well enough to go back.  I think I would like to go early and work out before they swim:)

Here We Go Again:(

I'm so frustrated with myself yet again.  I have got to get my shit together and get this journey headed back in the right direction.  I have no more excuses!  I'm loading up on new recipes, cleaning out the fridge and cupboards and going grocery shopping.  I will get things under control.

On the good side of things I may have fallen off the wagon a little but the positive is that it's not so far off that I have gained a bunch of weight and feel totally horrible.  March was a terrible month full of stress and way to much happening.  As a result my recurrent stomach trouble flared up, and I mean bad!  The plus side of that was that when I went to the doctor he didn't just fluff it off like my old one would have.  He adjusted my medication to help calm the problem and ordered some tests to see what else might need to be done.  The stress ended and with the medication change this week things have felt pretty good.  Tomorrow I will test it all out with a run or early morning trip to the gym.  It's supposed to be cold and I'm feeling like a wimp so the gym is looking probable.  I have also decided that I am going to work with some personal goals and see how that works out for me.  Of course I'll share them here since it has always kept me accountable in the past.

1.  Try at least one new recipe a week.  If anyone has a good one they want to share or knows good blogs to check for recipes please pass them along!

2.  Stop drinking pop!!  I've always been a big pop drinker and I know it is terrible for me.  In the past I have tried cutting down or only having it on special occasions.  This time it just needs to go!

3.  Exercise no less than 4 days a week.  I would like to make it daily but with kids and other obligations I know that won't always be possible.

4.  Be happier just being me!  I have spent many years hiding the real me in certain situations and I think that is detrimental.  I have a totally different side that people who aren't close to me just don't get to see often.  I will let that side out because it's a fun and often hyper side!

5.  Lose 1lb per week.  It has taken me 35 years to reach the weight I am now and I have no disillusions that I will be able to lose it all in a couple of months.  It's just not possible.

So there we go.  Hopefully I can get back on the blogging wagon a bit too and keep things up to date.  I stopped posting because I started to feel like I was always posting the same story about how pathetic I was being.  No longer!!  It's all up from here!

Surgery #2

Christina had her tonsils and adenoids removed yesterday and it went very well!  She is behaving quite well today too.  I was worried because she is a very energetic child who does not sit still very well.  She also does not stop talking most days.  Today she isn't talking much at all and it sticking to the couch.  She's still her silly self but just in a calmer way.

Her surgery was done at the brand new hospital which was a little exciting and a little scary.  With any new place there are bugs to work out and things that come up that you just can't plan for.  Our day went very well though with only minor bumps along the way.  They have state of the art equipment and great ways to keep the family informed while someone is in the operating room.  Each patient is given a tracker number and there is a screen that tells you where they are during surgery.  This is fabulous as long as the person responsible for updating it at each step remembers to do so.  We missed talking to the doctor after her operation because we went to get coffee and when we came back the screen said she was just at the prepping stage.  We went across the hall to drink our coffee because you aren't allowed to have anything in the waiting room (infection control purposes).  Less than five minutes later we went in and found out that she was done and the doctor had been out but since we weren't there we didn't get to see him.  Fortunately everything went as planned an there was nothing to worry about.  The only other minor bump in the road came when she left recovery to go back up to the Childrens Daystay Unit.  I was with her in recovery but Adrian was out in the waiting room.  No one told him we were going up.  Again we were fortunate that we had been told about an hour in recovery then she would go up.  When an hour passed with no word he asked and found out we were gone.  It was only about five minutes after we had gone.

Overall our experience at the new hospital was great.  All of the staff and volunteers were wonderful to deal with and we left feeling we got the best possible care we could.  Every step of the way we were asked for feed back from the volunteer assigned to us and we gave lots.  The biggest issue right now is communication as far as I'm concerned.  Practices changed to make things more efficient but people need time to adjust to change and things are still new.  I'm proud that we live in an area with such a great new hospital and that they are forever improving the way things are done to best serve the patients.

March Madness

Last week was a week off school for most kids in Ontario. Usually I take the week off as well but wasn't able to this year. I decided way back in the summer that I wouldn't because I am part of an organizing committee for a small conference happening in a couple of weeks. I didn't know how busy things would be at this point and didn't think it appropriate to take time off so close to the event. I did however take Friday off to spend with the kids. We had the big kids for the week too. For months we have been trying to plan a day with our close friends and their little guy so we made Friday that day. We all headed out to see a small aquarium and then did some shopping. We met back at the friends house for dinner and catch up time. It was great to see them and to spend the day chatting with them. I miss my friend when we can't get together . She is a friend that I have known for many years and through many changes. It's always nice to just chat with her and know that I can totally be myself.

I have also done a lot if thinking about my health and my stress level this weekend. Work is out of control busy to the point that last week I didn't even eat a proper lunch most days. That was completely my lack of planning and preparation. I know this and know that I need to work on that. Work itself is not going to slow down anytime soon. My caseload is not going to get much smaller and with graduating students it could well get bigger. Once this conference is over it will free up time that I can then use to catch up on things I have let slide. I don't like feeling that things are being left undone because of time issues. I don't like leaving things for weeks without doing them and I don't like feeling like the people I support are not getting the absolute best service possible. In the end it will all go back to normal and in a few months I'll be complaining that I don't have enough to do because it's summer and everyone is away. For now though I will have to keep on going and make sure that I do the best I can. I need to make sure I am planning lunches that I do not have to heat and things that I can eat while driving from one meeting to the next. I will also stop making excuses for why I can't run or exercise after work. I know if I do it I will not be so tired and will be overall healthier and happier. My health depends on me getting things in order and my family depends on my health!

I'll leave you with this little guy! He is penguin who lives at the Aquarium of Niagara. He was caught in the wild and was born in 1978 which is the same year I was born. He was a rescue and they have taken very good care if him. I felt quite the connection with him, perhaps because of our mutual age. His name is William:)

Something new:)

Tonight was our first Thursday at the gym in a long time. The programs for the girls are better on Tuesday and Thursday so those will be our nights now. Tonight I decided to give Zumba a try for the first time. It was very hard but very fun! I am not the most coordinated person around so it took even more effort than I expected it too. However this will now be my new Thursday night workout. Today I ran 20 minutes before Zumba but from now on I will do my runs outside on Monday and Wednesday nights.

It's starting to get a little warmer and is staying light later. This will be good for my running which has been terrible lately. Between the cold air and the cold virus I've been fighting I haven't been able to run outside so much. It aggravates my asthma and makes it very hard to keep running. This weekend it is supposed to get quite warm so I will take advantage of that to get a good long run in. We'll have to wait and see how long that long run actually is when I try to do it.

Next week is March Break for the kids here. Unfortunately I have to work most of the week. I will enjoy the break in routine though!