Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Busy busy

Life gets busy when your boss takes two weeks holiday  Did I mention that we had just hired a new girl AND one of the guys was leaving due to moving away(to Taiwan actually). It meant me doing lots of training the new girl and learning new things myself so I could take over some tasks that buddy did. 

Monday, October 22, 2012

Weekend Wine!

This weekend Hubs and I enjoyed a bottle of the Inniskillin Riesling Pinot Grigio. It was a 2011 vintage. (Anyone else feel weird to call a year vintage when it was last year? I get the why but it just feels weird)















Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Brought to you by the Letter B

Yes that's right today's run was all about the letter B. As in bra and brum brum.

That would be a car revving.
That probably makes no sense to you but well let me show you my Garmin.

See the stickers? Those are Sally and McQueen from Cars. My boys picked them out for me. It would make me faster they said. Well in my comeback so far its working! Today I got a run in where the only times I stopped was for a red light. So 3 maybe 30 second stops in that time. And I kept up the pace, thought I wasn't trying to. I was just running and hardly looked at my watch. I felt great and it was definitely a run that made you want to get out there again.

Now for the other B

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Dusting Off the Blog!

I know I know!!!

Things have been hard to keep up with. After I got over that latest bout of depression in the winter I started having IT issues on my left leg. I'm convinced its because I tried pushing too hard and wasn't listening to my body and I basically had to take myself out of the game.

During that time though I got a job and I don't have conventional 9-5 hours my days are not the same each week so it was hard to even think about getting runs in. At the time my focus was finding a routine that worked considering for 7 years I was Stay at Home Mom it was easy to work everything in. Suddenly we had to adjust to me not getting home till bath time. Hubs making more dinners and helping out MUCH more around the house than he previously had to to. There were plenty of bumps in the road and major learning curves. But we are getting the hang of it.

And I want to get back into the hang of running regularly. I have plenty of excuses as to why I haven't started up again yet and they are just excuses.

This past weekend was Marathon Week here in Toronto! While I didn't race I have a friend who walks half marathons so together we decided to check out the expo. It was so moving to see all the people there getting ready to race. To see all the booths of different races from all over. Honestly it gave me an itch.

Of course I'm sure getting to talk with John Stanton helped a bit with that.



It just made me really want to step back into the road and join them all. I miss the community and joy that the running world holds.

I picked up this shirt at the expo and its my new mantra.


P.S there will be changes going on here since I'm no longer just a Mommy Running Through.














Monday, July 30, 2012

We are Spartans!

So the weekend following Hub's first 5k race was the race he decided he needed to be able to run for.

Thankfully we had Shorty over so she was able to stay home and watch the boys. Originally there was the though of her watching her brothers at the race site and Oh My God I am so happy we changed our minds. We were up and out the door for 9am. The website said that we should be there an hour before our heat started. We were in the 12pm heat so needed to be there for 11am. It was 1h 40m away so that gave us 20 of bank time. Score! Yeah didn't quite happen that easily. First we got coffee which was muchly needed then off we went. The ride up was uneventful. We enjoyed a child free car ride  listened to the radio and talked. We got up to the race site parking (which was actually about 10k-ish from the race site) and that's when it got crazy. They had shuttle buses running from the parking lot to the site but it was so busy that there was still at least 1.5k of walking from our car to the shuttle buses. After a bit of a line up and wait we got on our bus and to the race site. It was actually quite crazy and somewhat disorganized. They had way more heats than originally planned so I assume they didn't realize how popular this event would be. But in any case we got our forms in and got numbered up, our bag dropped off and got our timing chips and to the start with maybe 10 mins to spare.

While we waited they had a guy dressed as a gladiator and he was operating a fire hose. You can see where this is going can't you?  Yeah we got sprayed down with icy cold water. It definitely explained why the start was so muddy. It was actually funny since some groups of girls kept shrieking and trying to avoid the mud as they were trying to avoid the water. I'll be honest and admit that I hid behind Hubs mostly because I hate getting stuff on my face. So finally the count down and off we went!


Nothing was marked by the way. As the race shirt famously says "You'll know at the end". Up and down small ski hills and mountain bike trails which caused lots of bottlenecks but we were in it to have fun and not really race, since we had no clue what we were getting into. We ran for about 2-ish k before we got to the first obstacle, going up hill while under a net so you were basically crawling. Then again more running for a while on the hills. I clearly did not train for so many hills I'll tell you that much.  The next obstacle was going through a plastic tube then going up and over a ladder style net stretched across the path(There was at least 6-7 people climbing and going over with you so that rope was swinging and you had to watch at the top that you didn't get hit by someone's leg/foot or that you didn't hit anyone with yours) . Which was immediately followed by rope climbing. Which was followed by??? You guessed it! More running. I'll be honest that since there was no real course map and we were going blind I didn't really keep track of much. Those ones stand out because it was before the crazy ones came up. There was also


- 3 foot wall to climb over
- carry a 20lb(i think) sand bag through a hilly short course 
-1 chance to hit a high up hay bale with a javelin
-8 foot wall to climb over
-weighted wheel barrow


-rowing
-hay bale climbing


- balance beam
-army crawl under boards
- fire pit jumping


And the MUD! As you can clearly see. It was crazy. I enjoyed that it was a blind course since I couldn't get nervous about the obstacles since I didn't know where they were or what they were! I also didn't train at all for this and it showed. Hubs was amazing and stayed with me the whole time even though I could see there was many moments he wanted to shoot off and kick some ass. I really didn't have much upper body strenght and that held me back in some obstacles. Finally at the finish you had to get through some Gladiators and luckly for me there was some guys around me so they went for the men and I managed to squeak past.

We finished in 1:19 and found out that the course was actually 7k-ish.
Yeah this was us after getting a bit cleaned up. haha. 


But it did show me that I enjoy just running much more and Hubs enjoys the added fun (craziness on his part) of the  obstacles so I told him he should consider Tri's but hes not ready for the added distance when you combine 3 sports together. Though he is already planning on entering the Run for Your Lives 5k this September with a friend. I'll go and be the cheerleader and pre/post race photographer.

Sorry for the lateness in posting this one, but I thought I had posted it and apparently hadn't. Clearly still need to work on my organizing skills

Monday, June 25, 2012

Father's Day 5k

Earlier this year I found a Groupon deal for half off registration for the Toronto Spartan Sprint for two. So of course I asked the Hubs if he could pretty please  wanted to do it with me. He agreed and I got us signed up. A while after he decided he should make sure he could run a 5k before attempting on with obstacles in it. He signed up for a Learn to Run program with his work gym. There was a race around the finish of the program but he didn't want to sign up for that one. I found out that a friend of ours was doing a race the day after in Waterloo, their Classic. And it came with a medal! So we signed up.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

I am in AWE

Honestly

I'm trying to figure out this whole being a mom and working thing. Its hard. I imagine some of my feelings are because I spent 7 years (almost literally my last of work before having Bug was Feb 25 2005 and my first day back this year was Feb 29 2012) being devoted to my children, husband and home. Having enough hours in the day with work and family and social stuff is hard to figure out. Let alone adding in me time (AKA running) in there as well. Some days it feels like I need at least another two hours added to my day. I will not sleep less since I have worked out a very happy and well working routine on that account. I'm sure those extra hours would just get filled up with stuff.

I imagine it would easier if I had a steady shifts. I'm not an office person I don't do 9-5 type of shifts. Plus I only usually get my schedule 1 to 2 weeks in advance so I can't guarantee training days. I'm sure I could get a rough idea of what is needed each week and go from there.

Sure I found time for myself and it was easy then, honestly. I deserved the Mom's Nights Out with friends, the time it took to train for PB in races. Now I feel guilty about not coming home straight from work because if I do so I'll miss bedtime. I feel guilty when I want to take time for me because I should being spending it with my family who I now see less of. My husband is fantastic in all of this btw. He's constantly reminding me that its ok to be more than just a mom and a worker. I can be me. I should be me and keep up my running and hobbies (After all those project half done around the house need to be finished)

Is there ever a point when I will be ok with taking so much time away? I'm sure there will be and it won't be far off. After all the boys are growing up, I'm not their whole world anymore and someday they won't shout "Mommy!" when I walk in the door. I will take the time to cherish it while I can. I will try to remember that I am a better Mom when I take care of me first.

and Yes I am fully aware that is is somewhat all over the place. All 3 of my boys and Shorty are camping this weekend (I couldn't go because of work) and I miss all of them. But I will definitely be getting a run in tomorrow since I'll be on my own, guilt free.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Why I Was Gone.


What do you think when you hear depression?

I had always pictured what I saw in commercials or on tv. A person who can’t get out of bed, who does nothing but stare into space. They can’t enjoy a book; they have no desire to meet with friends. They can’t cope with life.

Well that is one degree of it. I’ve learnt that there are many ways depression can affect a person. It’s not something anyone wants to admit to. Hell I didn’t want to admit to it.  For years I’ve had something. The blues, the funks, the I don’t give a fuck, the , whatever you want to call it. It couldn’t be depression.  I was still able to live my life. I was able to get up and out of bed in the morning. I was able to enjoy a funny show. I was able to hold conversations. Clearly I wasn’t depressed. It didn’t matter that I was exhausted all the time. It didn’t matter that I spent more time sad and lost than happy. It didn’t matter that after talking on the phone I went into a mindless mode and wanted to do nothing. It wasn’t depression. I would be fine, I would get out of this funk or whatever it was and things would go back to normal. I just had to ride out this period of time.

This last round I call the I don’t give a fucks. Unless it affected me and I had to do something I didn’t give a fuck. It came crashing down before Christmas. I should have realized that it was starting when I didn’t want to and didn’t put the normal effort into the holidays. Then the New Year came and it was all hard. I had to force myself to get my kids to school rather than keeping them home so I didn’t have to put in any real effort.

I had to change things. I didn't want to see where it was headed. With help I started getting happy again. Funnily enough it took me asking for help and getting a job to really overcome it this time. I think my biggest thing this time around was that I wasn’t where I thought I would be when I was going to be turning 30. I was a stay at home mom who’s life revolved around my children and my husband. I thought I would have been more at this point. So I took the chance and got myself more.
Its part time work in retail right now, and its interesting and always changing. I sell wine and there’s always so much to learn. But I’m getting out there. I’m meeting new people. Life is definitely busier with now having 4 schedules going on in our house but it works. Hubs has stepped up wonderfully and I’m so thankful for him keeping up with my crazies as we call it. It’s been a slow road and its improving bit by bit. My children can tell Mommy is happier and is less moody. I’ve become more willing to try new things (not a lot more but enough) I’m actually getting better at time management and organizing. Mostly since I think I have to be in order to be at work for hours and then still have most of the at home things that need to be done.

I’m now sad hardly ever and I’m smiling way more. I’m doing more with my days. I’m not lost so much anymore and I have energy again. I’ve even been slowly getting back into running and reading everyone’s blogs again. Yeah I had given those up in my funk as well.

I’m putting one foot in front of the other again and moving forward.


Sunday, January 15, 2012

Been thinking

So I've done some thinking over the past week. I'm going to drop out of the Marathon clinic at the store and go to the half clinic.  I thought I wanted to do Around the Bay and that I was willing to put the training in for it. After some further thinking and realizing that having to do the distance was making me dread my runs I decided to scale back. I kept thinking it was because of the cold weather. That I run at all outside right now but I've done runs outside at a shorter distance and while it hasn't been always great there has been more enjoyment in shorter runs than the longer ones.

It means having to see about selling my bib for Around the Bay and probably having to wait till it sells out to do so but I'm already happier. I'm already less worried about my runs and how they are going. I think I was getting to caught up in what I could do since I've met some of the distance goals but forgot to really plan and think it out and take the time to ask myself if I really wanted to do distance and the races that come with it because I did or because I proved that I could and honestly because my running friends were and I wanted to stay with them. Yeah it was the latter.

Though today after some talking earlier this week I met up with some running friends. We normally talk online and haven't run together even though we all live in the same city (and I found out one is neighbours with a friend of mine! Small world!). We decided to meet up and run 5k so it was distance everyone could do. It was cold and I couldn't talk for too long since my face was getting numb but they were a great group to run with. We actually got one of the girls running a touch faster than she normally does on her own. We've already promised to do this again since the run and the coffee afterwards were such fun. Can't wait!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Is time for back to normal yet?

So I missed the 10k long run this past weekend.

My kids spent all of the two week Christmas break being some kind of sick. First Trouble and then Bug. You know what that means right? Then Mommy! I spent the weekend with a fever and miserable.

For once my Hubs was colder than me. Usually hes the kind of guy that can walk around in a t shirt while I'm in two layers of long sleeves. He couldn't cuddle with me LOL I was just that hot. Oh and the corny jokes that got passed back and forth.

But even better was that once the fever broke on Sunday, I woke up Monday with with Pink eye. Don't you wish you were me? I know its crazy exciting and fun over here. So got into the Doctors today and got some drops. On the plus side I was actually able to gross the boys out a bit when they saw my eye in the past two mornings. Usually its them grossing me out.

I feel like I might see about a short run today after Hubs comes home from work. Its going to be interesting since I have to wear my glasses all week and I don't normally run in glasses, even sunglasses. I mean I was thinking of getting some for the spring/summer so it'll help with that whole practise makes perfect thing right? Sure why not.

Now I'm just trying to catch up on things.
Like laundry, meal planning, blogs, cleaning.....
Oh and finalizing my race plans for 2012.

Nothing like a bunch of sickness to throw off everything. Fingers crossed life gets boring again.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Sssooooo......

*sneaks in, dusts off some cobwebs*

Hey! What's up?

I know I know I have some explaining to do.

I apparently took a little running hiatus, which I hadn't really planned on taking but it happened. I fully admit it.

I
Got
Lazy.

Yeap. There were so many days that I woke up and thought I would run but found every excuse in the book and didn't. I will admit that I did enjoy the time off. Spent lots of time with the boys and did some  thinking of heading back to work or heading back to school. It was maybe a small case of burn out. I'm not sure.

But now I am back. I've started signing up for spring races and I even started the Marathon clinic again yesterday. Mostly to help get me to Around the Bay at the end of March. I'm still debating the half or the full for spring but I figure regardless this way leaves my options open since the races I'm deciding between usually don't fill up and since they are on the same weekend this year I'm sure I can get into my desired distance easily at either.

So yeah Last night....

That wasn't fun. I paid for my lazy ways. We did 8k. I thought we were only doing 6k. I know 2k more shouldn't be a big deal and I did do a bit of walking. I didn't want to risk injuring myself, since its been a while since I last ran. It did show me that I could keep up a bit with those that didn't quite the break I did and I will be back with them matching paces the whole time again after getting myself back into my rhythms.

I promise a warning or something next time I decide to run away.