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!!!