Snow way I'm running in that!

The competition is on!

Please head to Calgary Natural High's facebook page and "like" my photo! I'm currently in second place and I'd love to win!

Thanks!

Delayed

You know when you know something is overdue and it stares you in the face every day, but you just can't bring yourself to do it? That's how I feel about my blog. I like most things about it, but I just feel overwhelmed every time I sit down to post. Maybe I'm trying to fill people in on all that's going on instead of just saying a thing or two. Either way, I know I've been absent, but I'm just doing my best.

I finally got my lazy butt out the door for not one but TWO runs so far this week. Monday, I dressed Zoey up in her winter woolies and we tackled 7.3 slow kms. I had a great time and even snapped a photo for Calgary Natural High's photo competition. (If you don't know about Calgary Natural High, it's a new low pressure fun running group in Calgary. They meet Sunday mornings and run various distances and speeds. Check out their website and facebook page!) It was pretty cold but not too bad. Zoey took a nap and then said "hi" to all the passers by.

Our entry for the snowy running contest. I figure babies get votes right? I think voting starts December 1 if you wanted to check it out.

Tuesday I ran my first treadmill run in over two years! I honestly don't remember the last place or time I was on the treadmill, but normally I'm in a hotel, and yesterday was no different. I went down to the shoebox sized "gym" in my hotel in Edmonton and ran just under 5 km. It was interesting... Not great but not bad. Today I took a rest since I had a very challenging night. I got home from a long and delayed work day around 1:00 am and Zoey was tossing and turning until about 4:30, keeping me up the whole time. This morning, Matt suggested that next time I get home late I should sleep in the guest room so that I don't disturb her. Anyway, we had a rough go today and after some snuggly naps, I felt human around noon. We took a nice walk and that was that for the day.

Tomorrow, my plan is to go for another run outside with Zoey and tackle maybe 6 or so kms. I think I'm gearing up for the Hypothermic Half, but I may reconsider and check out the race that Leigh will be running, Run for L'Arche. I'll look into them both and decide before the end of the week, when the fees go up for the Hypothermic Half. I'm just not sure if I can pull off the training for it yet since it's earlier, but I may just go for it anyway. Thoughts?

I'll leave you with a few pics of Zoey enjoying her first steamed milk!

Calgary Subaru Half Marathon: Success!

I definitely surprised myself yesterday at the Calgary Half Marathon!

I was trying to be very realistic with my goals and set myself up for success, so I went into the race hoping for a time between 2 and 2:30. I really didn't know what to expect for a few reasons:

1. I didn't train nearly as much as I would have normally.  Most weeks I ran twice, once on Tuesdays with the Tech Shop running group, and a weekend long run.  Sometimes I got another run or two in, but not every week.
2. I did ALL my long runs while pushing Zoey in the stroller.  It is much harder to run with her, thus my times were quite a bit slower than I was used to. As the weeks went on, I decided this could work to my advantage mentally and physically. (If I pushed her for long runs, my race would feel easier running without her; if I did a long run without her and it royally sucked, I would be mentally dreading the race.) 
3. In the past two weeks, I ran the Mother's day race, and then one more 2.5 km run.  That's it
4. My longest long run was 16 km.

Sunday morning rolled in and I was jittery, but not as nervous as I normally am for races because I had a little less pressure on me.  I knew that I just wanted to finish with a smile and not hate running while I was racing. I am happy to say I didn't hate it, and it actually went by "quicker" than any other half I've done. Maybe it was because I was very familiar with the areas I was running, or that I knew no one had any real expectations so I was free to just run.

Waiting to start!

I was very thankful to be starting with Kaitlin, Matt's cousin, who was running her first marathon. Her nerves helped me forget about mine. We waited around, questioned a million times what to wear, (I ended up wearing capris, a tank, arm warmers and a headband. I was happy with that), and then just started running.

Zoey was wearing her running shoes too!

I LOVED the start, since we were in the Stampede grounds, (a nice, wide area) so I actually didn't dodge around people at all.  I also may have actually for once started in the appropriate "pace" spot for me, so I didn't waste any energy running in and out of people.  I wore my arm warmers over my garmin because I expected to take them off during the race and didn't want to have to fiddle around with taking it off, and then try to put it on again, so as I was running, I couldn't see the screen. (I ended up keeping them on the whole race... It was chilly!) As the first few kms went by, I decided I wouldn't look at it until 10 km. I was running at a comfortable pace, and I didn't want to let any times mess with my head. At 10 km, I'd look, see where I was at, and decide to push it or just survive at that point.  I ran all 10 & 1's (with the exception of the first "one" which I skipped) so I just listened for my beeps, took my walk breaks, and ran happily to 10 km. When I got there, I was happy to see my garmin said 58:something. I thought "oh, ok, I'm not totally out of it", but I also knew that I had run 10 km lots and lots during my training, and the second half would be harder for me.  I decided to "survive" for the next 5, see how I felt and go re-evaluate from there.

About 1 km later, my right hip started hurting. I don't know exactly where the pain was, but it seemed like it was in the joint where my leg stops and my hip begins. Running hurt. I wasn't super pleased. At every walk break, I tried to take big steps, lunged a little, and was so thankful to see an aid station (I walk for a few seconds at each aid station so that I can sip without choking). (Side note: I felt very pleased with myself that I thought to take my gu out of my belt early so that when I saw the aid station up ahead, I could choke it down while running and then get the water to sip it down and I wouldn't waste any extra time. I don't think I've ever remembered to do that.)  I couldn't physically run up any hills at that point due to my hip, so I was thankful there was only one little one that I had to walk up. I wasn't the happiest, but I remembered that I was supposed to be smiling so I plastered one on my face and kept going. My saving grace was that running faster didn't make my hip hurt any less, so I tried my hardest to keep up my pace. Each walk break gave me a little respite and my hip would just gradually start to hurt as I ran, so I only REALLY suffered that last few minutes of every interval.  As the kms kept ticking by, I got excited thinking about the finish and seeing Matt and Zoey. My mum rode her bike along the back side of the Stampede grounds so I saw her at 20 km. I waved up to her and she cheered. I told her I was in a little pain and she just laughed and rode over to the finish.

As I ran into the grandstand I picked up my pace, thinking that the faster I ran in, the faster I could STOP RUNNING, and I was pissed when a lady cut me off running around the last corner walked. I then turned my head to see Matt getting his phone out of his pocked and yelled "HEY!" and he looked up and was visibly surprised to see me! Zoey was fast asleep in the ergo and I think he yelled something. I booked it to the finish and stopped my garmin right on the finish line. It said 2:06:16.

Finished!

I got a medal, which was HEAVY, and wandered into the clusterf&%$ that was the grandstand. Why oh why would they pile all the finish line food and festivities INSIDE when the Stampede Grounds is literally parking lot?!?!?! It was so chaotic and it took me a good 20 minutes to get water, a banana and walk out front to meet Matt, Zoey and my mum.  At that point, the winner of the Marathon was crossing the line, and I think he got the fastest time ever for a Calgary race! Good for him!  (Another side note: I saw the guy who won my 70.3 running this race, though I don't know if it was a half or the full. He has long dreads so it's easy to recognize him.)  

So all in all I am very happy with this race. My lack of training took it's physical toll, but it felt good to know I had enough cardio to get me through and I do believe had my hip not gotten angry, I had a few more minutes to shave off.  It felt great to know that 7.5 months after having Zoey I could still manage a pretty good time (for me) and that my running life didn't end after having a baby. This was my 6th half marathon, and I do believe my 3rd best time. (7th if you count the 70.3, but I don't really.)

Probably my favourite part of the day, other than finishing my own strong race was seeing Kaitlin finish her marathon. I was tearing up while we were waiting for her to round the corner, and when we saw her I couldn't contain my excitement. I screamed and yelled and cried. It was amazing. She has worked very hard and she wasn't really sure what to expect. She ran in around 4:44 I believe (actually it was 4:41!), with her goal being 4:30-5:30, so she was super pleased. She felt great, and we are so proud of her! 

So another race is under my belt, and more to come. I just have to decide which ones!

6 months

I honestly can NOT believe that Zoey is 6 months old! On Tuesday, we celebrated by going to the dr, going to our mum & baby yoga class, and eating cupcakes. (Zoey just watched us eat ours... she didn't get any).

I've been a little absent from the blog world, and it's really just because I don't feel like I have much to say! I am so busy but I don't feel like I do anything exciting enough to talk about.  I run a little, I play with Zoey, I struggle with sleep problems... I don't feel like you all want to read me complain about not sleeping or Zoey peeing through her diapers at night.  If you do, I'd be happy to share, but I know personally, before I had a baby I really didn't care about babies, so I don't expect all of you to care!  Nicole and Rebecca might care, but I don't think the rest of you do!

I can, however, share a few running related newsworthy items today!

First, I got a BOB running stroller!!  My "old" stroller was a Valco Tri-Mode stroller, which is a regular stroller that can be used for light jogging.  We bought it on kijiji before Zoey was born, and the reasons we got that one over the BOB turned out to not really be valid anymore. I liked that I could add a kid to it later, while the bob is a single stroller with no "extra" attachments. It turns out that I don't use the stroller much at all except while running (and you can't run with the Valco when it has the extra kid attachment anyway), as I prefer to wear Zoey in the Ergo.  If and when we have another baby, I can wear the new baby and Zoey can ride in the bob, or Zoey can walk while the new baby rides, or if I want to run, one kid can stay at home!  I also wanted to save space, but it turns put the bob folds down to smaller than the Valco.  Anyway, I took it for a spin today and I love it! So much easier to control, and the sun shade pulls down a lot further than my old stroller, which is great since Zoey is a redhead and needs that protection. I also liked that it's a little narrower, so I don't constantly hit door frames when I come and go from places.  I ran 14.5 km today (FINALLY got a good long run in) and I am super stoked about the upgrade.  (We sold our old on eon kijiji and used that money plus a giftcard to buy the BOB, so we didn't end up spending much in the end, making it a little easier to handle.)

Second, I have decided not to do the NYC marathon.  We just can't afford the whole trip this year.  Boo hoo.  I would like to defer it one more year, but I found out that you have to pay the fee twice, and spending over $700 for a marathon is just not happening.  I will enter the lottery again next year and that's that.

I think that's about all I have for now!  What races are you gearing up for?

First Run

So I finally went for a run.  I got all dressed, made sure Zoey was fed, and set off with her in tow.  My start was a little difficult.  Sine Matt had the car (and the garage door opener), I had to wheel Zoey down some stairs to leave the building (instead of going up the garage ramp), and I also had to use the carseat adaptor on the stroller instead of just putting her in the regular compartment (since a piece I needed was in the car). Having the carseat meant that the stroller itself was harder to control and heavier.  Nevertheless, I set off and started a slow run.  I started huffing and puffing pretty much right away, but it felt really good to be running.  I was constantly worried that Zoey was too cold, or getting jostled too much, but she seemed happy (and asleep) and she actually likes being jostled.  (When we are driving and she is crying, she will settle if we go over bumps!)

All dressed and ready.  (Terrible picture)

I didn't really look to see how long I was gone, but I think it was about 45 minutes ish and I think I covered  around 5 km.  Nothing to write home about, but I did quite a few walk run intervals, and stopped to check on Zoey a few times.  Somewhere along the run she shook off her toque... She really doesn't like hats.

After the run, zonked out.

When I got home, Zoey was fast asleep, and she stayed that way for a LONG time.  I guess I know how to make her sleep if worse comes to worse sometime!  It's not the best to have her sleep in her carseat for a long time, but I was happy yesterday since it meant I could shower, eat and get ready for my Christmas party in peace!

Although my run was far from my best, I know that I can only get better from here!  Now that the first one is under my belt, I'm excited to get out again.  Maybe I should bust out my very first training program...

What I'm thinking about

As much as I don't want to post only about mum related things, it's hard not to since that's about all I'm doing.

• Zoey is still congested. I took her to the Dr today and it's only congestion and we just have to wait it out.  I'm relieved she's not actually sick, but I wish I could do more for her.  
• Tomorrow I'm doing a very mum thing: Going to Play a Latte, a playground and coffee shop thing.  It should be interesting.
• Zoey got a play mat yesterday from kijiji and she loves it!  She can't do much with it, but she stares at the toys hanging down, and sometimes bats at them, though I'm not sure whether that's on purpose or not.  Side note, my home is becoming a little more kid ish!
• I haven't gotten the courage to take her in the stroller for a run yet.  I'm not sure what's holding me back, but something is.  I need to just bite the bullet and take her out for a short run. (I like how I'm blaming it all on her, and not admitting that I'm nervous to run again and might not be able to run for very long!)
• I feel VERY family ish and grown up because I ordered christmas card / pictures yesterday.  I have always thought that sending out christmas cards is a very family / grown up thing to do, and have never considered it until this year.
• I would love to go to hot yoga again.  I need to do that soon!
• I also would love to get a manicure, but I don't want to bring Zoey to a nail salon and would feel really lame asking someone to watch her while I got my nails done.
• I've become obsessed with finding a well priced Keurig coffee machine.  I really want one all of a sudden!

That's about all that's on my mind!  Oh, that, and finding some long shirts so that I can wear tights and shirts and pretend like I'm wearing real clothes but really am wearing something that feels like pyjamas.

What's on your mind?

Soooooo......

So lots has happened in my life recently.

I stopped liking Reece's Peanut Butter Cups or anything related to them, which is a tragedy.

My love for strawberry milkshakes has been rekindled.

My running pace has dropped like a hot potato.

And I'm pregnant.

Woah.

I'm pretty excited, scared, nervous, and all the other feelings that go along with having another human growing in you.  Speaking of feelings, there are lots of them, all the time.

Luckily I wasn't sick at all during the first three months, just very tired all the time.  I also drastically reduced my caffeine intake (from two a day to less than one a week), but since reaching the second trimester, I've allowed myself one small one a day or so.

I'm still running, but not quite as much as before.  I'm keeping under a certain heart rate (as directed by my doctor) so my pace is dictated by it.  I ran "the baby's first race" last Sunday and it was very hard to keep it casual and not "race".  We had fun, but it was a struggle to cross the finish line a good 11 minutes slower than I did last year at the same race.

Baby's first 10 km!

I'm also not flying anymore, instead I'm working in the office for a great team that puts on events.  Unfortunately, my job isn't as glamourous as event planning, and more about printing labels and stuffing envelopes.  BUT, I get to be safe and sound and get a good night's sleep in my own bed every night.  I'm thankful that I get to put my semi-risky job on hold and get to do other duties and still get paid!

What else?  I'm having a hard time finding maternity clothes that don't make me look like a doily.  I'm also consumed with the decision of whether to buy an infant car seat or a convertible car seat, don't ask me why.  I'm also avoiding thinking about transforming my second bedroom aka the place where we store EVERYTHING into a baby's room.  I can't even think of where to begin.

So that's that!

An Amazing New Year's Eve

Though it's still early evening, I've had a pretty cool New Year's Eve already.

I headed down to Cochrane to run Martin Parnell's last 10km of his 250th marathon this year.  He is raising money for Right to Play, a children's charity, and I thought it would be cool to participate in his last run.

This is me and Marathon Man himself!

He is inspirational, to say the least, and I was so grateful to get the chance to run with him.  I asked him if he was looking forward to tomorrow, and he said "more than anyone can know.  I can't wait to do anything but run!"

He had 400m left to run before the final 2 km, so he told us all to wait while he ran up this parking lot and across a bridge and back!

The next time I feel like I can't keep going during a race, I'll be able to think about this experience and I'm sure I'll find the strength to continue!

Update

I have been absent again!

I don't really have an excuse this time... I didn't get married again or go on another honeymoon.  Ooops.

I've been running a little more than I was before, I've been yogaing a little more too, which I'm enjoying.

I've been living with my husband AND his brother, which is interesting in a small condo.

I've been flying, sometimes to Maui, which is a great escape from the cold weather.

I also bought a new winter jacket, which I love.

What else?  I took Matt to Vancouver for his birthday, and we went to the Vancouver Aquarium.  We also ate some delicious sushi for a lot less money than Calgary's sushi.

Soon, it will be Christmas and Kristen and Jordan will be here!  Hurray!

The home stretch!

Life has been a whole bunch of working and training!!

I swam lots this month, and it really improved my speed and technique.  I'm feeling great, and hoping I'll make my swim well within the time cutoff for the race.  Biking has been another story... Not too many rides on the real roads so I'm really going to focus on that after my half marathon.

Speaking of the half on the 6th, I'm getting really excited for the race!  Matt and I are heading out early and taking my gramps to a red sox game, and we'll have a little time in Vermont to relax before the race.  I'm told there's a little lake nearby, so I plan on doing a few swims there for training.  My running hasn't been exactly where I want it for the race, but I feel confident that I'll do well, and if I don't get under 2 hours, which is my goal, it's not the end of the world.  I know I have it in me, but if the weather is too hot, I think I may fade a little.  I went for a training run in the heat a couple of weeks ago, and it was BRUTAL.  It's very hot in Vermont right now, so it's not looking amazing, but I'll wait and see.  I'll do my best, and that's as well as I can do!  This race is about Team Alzheimer's, family, and enjoying myself, so if I can't perform the way I want, I will still get lots out of it.

After the race, it will be ALL about the bike.  I will have my ass attached to that seat as much as I possibly can.  I am slightly worried about the bike time cutoff for the half ironman.  I am not allowed to continue racing if I finish the bike over 5 hours after I start the race, which means the swim plus the bike can't equal more than 5 hours.  I really don't have an accurate estimate of what I'm capable of, but I just feel like I could take 4 plus hours to bike 94 km.  I guess once I get out for a few long training rides, I'll know a little more what kind of time I'm looking at.  I am a little nervous though, I'm not going to lie. 

That's about that!  Next week will involve a lot of flying and driving, but then fun and relaxing with the fam!  Wahoo!

I'm a fish.

Today was a great day for workouts!  I got up this morning, went swimming, and had such a confidence boosting swim!  I did a warm-up of 600m, with some kicking, pulling and regular swimming, then I did 1650m of continuous swimming.  Instead of just swimming and counting up to 1650, I started with 275, then I did 250, then I did 225 etc. until I got to 25 and I was done!  I didn't stop between my sets (except a few goggle readjustments), so I still did 1650 continuous, but it helped make it a little more do-able for me, and also helped me not loose count.  My biggest problem swimming is that I loose count of my laps and end up doing too few. (funny how I never do too many...)  I then did a 200m cool down and called it a day.  I just felt amazing having finished such a long swim in about an hour.  The 70.3 swim leg is 1900m, so I was only 250 shy of the total.  It made me feel so much more confident that I will actually be able to finish the swim part, and within the time cutoff too.  My whole workout took an hour, so I know I'll be able to do 1900 within the one hour cutoff.  I felt so good leaving the pool.  I started to feel a little tight in my shoulders during the last 200m, but with time I know I'll be ok.

I worked all day at the shop, mostly taking returns from the big sale we had this weekend, but the time flew by and before I knew it, I went home and got ready for my run.  I really didn't want to, but I sucked it up and went.  I did 14km around the river, and I definitely overdressed.  I got dressed, and even thought to myself "I think I'm going to be too hot", but went out anyway.  I was wearing full length tights, a tank top, a long sleeve (I almost wore a thermal long sleeve instead, thank goodness I didn't), gloves and a thermal headband.  I definitely didn't need all those clothes, but I wasn't BOILING and I survived.  It tends to get windy around the river, so I think that's why I thought I should wear everything, but I could have at least worn capri pants, no gloves, and a normal head band.  My head was very sweaty!

This week is all swimming all the time, so I'll smell like pool and have super dry skin.  Fun!

Feeling a little guilty

I have so much to say, but not enough time to say it!  I've been working and out of town for what seems like forever.  Every time I see my blog I think about how much I want to post, but I haven't had any time on the computer! 

I will start with a bike ride.  My third attempt on the bike went well.  I went on a path that was technically closed, which worked very well with me because it wasn't busy, and I had to stop, unclip, and walk my bike over parts that were under construction, and so I got all sorts of practice getting on and off my bike!  I even went in and out of aero position lots!  Yay for me!

Next was the Glencoe Icebreaker 10km race.  I saw Leana at the shop for package pick up, and she introduced herself and then we talked about how terrible my fall was.  It was nice to meet her!  Then Saturday before the race I went to a wedding reception, had more drinks than I intended, wore 4 inch stilettos, and had three hours of sleep.  I wasn't super excited to get up and race the next morning, but I gave it a go!  I took it a little easy during the first 5 km because I wasn't sure what my body would do.  I have a sensitive stomach, so cramps and stitches were definite possibilities.  Luckily, I felt pretty good and even powered up a hill and passed a bunch of people.  (Nothing feels better than being strong on hills!!)  I saw Leana at the top of the hill and again  little later, which was nice!  At half way, when I was still feeling good, I decided I would pick it up a notch.  Then, at 6km, I grabbed a quick sip of water and picked it up again.  Since I was feeling good still, I decided I would pick it up more at each of the remaining kms and hope for the best.  I got to 9km and just powered through to the end and ended up finishing with a time of 51:23!  A new PR!  Wahoo!  Normally I take walk breaks when I run, but for this race I didn't, with the exception of my quick water stop.  I can't run and drink since my stomach is so sensitive and I end up swallowing so much air.  I don't think I've ever run 10km without walking, so this was a new experience and it ended up working.  I couldn't have run 10 more km at that speed or without a break, but it was nice to know I could do it this time.  I really liked that race, and though it wasn't my "A" race, I am very happy to have a new PR.

What next?  Oh, my brother in law ran a stupid ridiculous boston marathon time!!!  I yelled out in the middle of the mall when I saw his finishing time on my iPhone tracker thingy!  Under 3 hours is just unimaginable to me!  Go Jordan!

Matt and I went to Toronto for a very weddingy weekend!  Kristen came too, and we had a big family shower in the afternoon and a Jack and Jill party in the evening.  It was strange for me, since I didn't know many people there, but it was fun and I was very grateful to have Kristen there with me!  She's such a good big sister.

I've been getting tortured by my chiropractor lately since I've had a few shin and calf issues on my left leg.  I really don't like how much he hurts me, but it's supposed to help in the end, so I'll suffer.  I've had a few bruises down my shin, on my left butt cheek, left hip, and both feet though.  He's so mean.

I've been working lots and lots, and thankfully I'm home now for about two weeks!  I'll have to hit the pool in a major way, since I've been slacking.  I luckily missed the blizzard in Calgary while I was working, so now that I'm home and the weather is nicer, I'll have to head out for bike rides too.  It's getting a lot closer to the 70.3 and I'm getting really scared.  My Vermont race is coming up really quickly too, and I need to pick my mileage up again.  I was up to 18km a month ago, but then I got had some issues and my life got in the way, so I'll have to get back up there so I can have a good, strong race on June 6th.

I think that's about all I can think of right now.  I'm sure I'll have more soon! 

OH, anyone in the Calgary area, there is a nice big Tech Shop sale this Friday and Saturday at Mount Royal College on the track.  I'll be there on Friday, and I can't wait to see what's all on sale!  I plan to pick up a few pairs of shoes to do me through the year.  I can't wait!

Bricks

Today, I hopped on my trainer on my porch with an audio book and a bike workout and started pedaling.  I didn't really want to, because I pretty much can't stand biking, but I forced myself into it.  If anyone has ridden on a trainer, you know it's a little awkward and LOUD.  I like seeing the people walking on the street below me looking around them, wondering where the loud engine like sound is coming from.  Today someone actually saw me and figured it out, which is rare.  (If you don't know what a trainer is, it's a little doohicky that you attach your regular bike into which transforms it into a stationary bike.)  I pedaled very slowly at first to let my bike warm up a bit, and then started into the workout I had written down.  It had a few single leg drills, a few high cadence drills, a hill climbing drill, and some consistent pedaling.  I suffered through about an hour and fifteen minutes and then stopped, even though I was supposed to do a little closer to 2 hours.  I just didn't have it in me, since I had to go for a run as well. 

Before I got on my bike, I set up my water belt and shoes so that I could quickly get ready for my run and re-create the race scenario as much as I could.  Triathlons are challenging because you're going from sport to sport to sport without any rest.  After getting off the bike, it's pretty hard to walk, let alone run, hence the term "brick" was coined to represent the bike to run workout, because your legs feel like bricks!  Today was no different... I could barely get OFF the bike, and it wasn't even moving!  I think my biggest fear is falling right off when trying to dismount.  Anyway I set out on my run and was instantly uncomfortable for a couple of reasons.  One, I was wearing a pretty thin long sleeve shirt, and because I was all sweaty from the bike, I got cold immediately.  Two, I was wearing a sports bra that isn't too supportive, which works just fine for the bike, but for a run, not so much.  Coupled with the thin, loose shirt, I was not happy.  I actually decided to cut my run short by 10 minutes because I was THAT uncomfortable.  Lesson learned, don't wear that sports bra again when planning a run. 

I got home, ate, showered, and then officially signed up for the 70.3!  I have been avoiding the actual registration, in case I want to change my mind and not do it, but today something just clicked and I thought "ok, I'm doing it, and that's that."  So I did. 

In other news, I realized that I won't be able to race the Calgary Police Half after all.  I'm going to be in Toronto for a wedding shower and a "jack and jill" party thing (it's an Ontario thing apparently) so I'll have to try to sell my registration.  Kind of a bummer, but maybe for the better.

Where have I been?

I'm not too sure what to blog about these days, hence why I haven't been blogging.  I really like reading people's blogs, but I don't really feel like I have much to say that hasn't already been said by others!  I really like reading sporty blogs, which helps me stay motivated and also teaches me, so maybe I'll spin my blog into something a little more like that.  For some, that means bo-ring, but for some others it might be more interesting than staring at the same post for over a month.  I've also considered just not blogging anymore, so we'll see how it goes.

I've been running, swimming and biking lots lately, which feels great and makes me feel a little better about my upcoming "year in sports".  I, like my sis, am running the Vermont Covered Bridges Half Marathon for team alzheimers (so if you want to give money to ME instead, I won't say no!), and of course the Calgary 70.3, and I've also signed up for the Calgary Police Half Marathon as a little teaser before the Vermont half.  Last year I ran that race and had the greatest support group which made my race so much better.  I felt good about it, even though I didn't make my goal of a sub 2 hour race. This year, I won't put too much importance on that race since my priorities lie in Vermont, but I'll give it a go and do my best, and hopefully learn for the next one.

I'm having a hard time on the bike these days, mainly out of boredom (since I'm riding on a trainer) and wussiness (since I just gear down when I'm tired).  Also my toes get pretty cold.  I've downloaded a couple of workouts to do on the trainer which will make it harder for me to just quit halfway through, and also some audio books to keep my mind off the toughness.  Cycling is my major weakness so it definitely needs my attention.

Swimming is going pretty well.  Again, I've got a few workouts, both technique and endurance, which help me stay on track and prevent me from just stopping when I'm tired.  Unlike running, where if I stop, I have to still walk home, swimming and biking (at the moment) are done in one spot so if I want to stop, I can.  This means I need extra motivation to keep going.  My main issue with swimming right now is the water in the ears.  Yesterday, I swam at noon, and at 4:30 I still had the ocean sound in both ears.  Terrible.  I have actually given myself whiplash trying to get the water out of my ears!  It's not the HUGEST deal, except when I go from the swim to bike, I get discombobulated and off balance because of the water splashing around in my head.  I have purchased some wax ear plugs, so stay tuned to see if they work.

OK, that's what I've got going on.  Any feedback, advice, or comments, feel free!