Week #1: Half-Marathon Training

My feelings towards signing up for a half-marathon clinic were all over the map this week. Excited.  Exhausted.  Determined.  Overwhelmed.  Proud.  Nervous.  Encouraged. Guilty.  On top of the world.  Barely making it through. You are probably thinking, Yikes. If she feels like this on week 1 out of 14, how is she ever going to make it?!?  Well, I have thought that this week as well!

 

Why did I choose to do this?  Well, I love running and challenging myself.  I’ve ran and trained for a couple of half-marathons, and have ran in a few 10K races, since having my first child, nine years ago,  and each time  I feel I have learned something about myself through the experience.  It’s been approximately three years since the last time I ran/trained for a half-marathon and I just feel like it's the right time for me to embark on this journey again, and my husband has agreed to support me and take on more so that I can do this (he is 100% awesome!).  This time I am seeking motivation and expertise from a local business that runs various running clinics for people of all levels and for various distances.  I really want to achieve a PB time, my previous times were 2:10:00 and 2:06:59, and I know that in order to achieve a significant improvement I need an external push and some education on how to achieve this.  

 

I was not disappointed on night one of the clinic.  The group of individuals that filled the room, all experiences and levels, were warm and inviting.  The coach was enthusiastic and very approachable.  We had a fairly intense workout, which included a warm-up run, dynamic stretches and then 8 X 60 second sprints.  Well the first one I started off HARD and 20 seconds in I thought, I HAVE TO STOP, I AM RUNNING OUT OF FUEL.  I didn’t stop because the beauty of running in a group is that you aren’t going to be the one that stops!  I did learn to start off a little bit slower and to build my speed as the minute went on.  Also I found people in the group that ran a similar pace and kept up with them.  It’s awesome to do that because it’s extremely motivating and keeps you from letting yourself off the hook too quickly, forcing your body to adapt and push through. 

 

Here is what week #1 looked like:   

 

Monday- clinic

Tuesday- Cross-training, Shred by Jillian Michaels, Level 2 (this is an awesome at home workout that’s total body in 20 minutes; it also has three levels depending on your current fitness level)

Wednesday- 6km run (so sore)

Thursday- 6km run (race pace) on the treadmill

Friday- 5km run

Saturday- 10km slow run

Sunday- yoga/recovery day

 

Mid-week I was really doubting my decision and feeling discouraged but by Thursday evening my legs felt better and I could see the end of week #1 in sight.  My running buddy and I finished the last run for the week early this morning and we felt pretty darn good. 

 

If you are thinking about taking up running here is a link for a couch to 5K training program.  If you are currently interested in pursuing a 10K training schedule you can find a free one here.  If you have a current fitness goal that you are working towards please feel free to share.  

2008 Victoria, B.C.  1st half-marathon; 2:10:00

2013 Bridge City Boogie 10Kwith some awesome ladies and the best little cheerleaders in the world.  Personal Best 57:06.

Week Long Love Affair with Skinny Jeans: Mommy Style

I had this past week off from work and decided to take advantage by wearing my jeans almost everyday.  I currently work in an office that is fairly conservative so I tend to wear a lot of pencil skirts (which I love), dresses and dress pants.  When  I am at home, my  "go-to"  bottoms are my Lulu Lemon pants (which I've had forever), skinny jeans and occasionally leggings.  This was how I wore my jeans over the last ten days while still having the ability to hang out with the girls and do the things they want to do such as painting, working on crafts, helping me in the kitchen, even teaching me gymnastics moves, which I attempted ungracefully.  It was so nice to have the week off but it's back to skirts, dresses and trousers tomorrow.  Have a great week everyone!

Meeting Cooper, Our New Nephew

I  became an aunty for the second time!  Logan’s sister and her husband welcomed their first baby, Cooper, into the world on February 11^th, 2016.  We waited for the news anxiously at home, keeping our cell phones with us at all times.  Finally, the call came in shortly after 7p.m. that he had arrived, and mom and baby were doing well.  

On Tuesday we made the trip to P.A. to meet the newest member of the family.  When my eyes fell on him I couldn’t believe how teeny, tiny he was.  Swaddled into his cobalt blue blanket, he honestly looked like a tiny jellybean, sweet enough to eat.  My sister-in-law was very relaxed and offered the baby to me to hold right away.  Umm, yes please!  As he rested in my arms all this love for him just seemed to overtake my body and make me melt all over.  Babies are truly remarkable little humans who make every person feel hopeful, peaceful and loved.

 

Watching my husband, who has always wanted a little boy but ended up with two wonderful and lively little girls, cradle him in my arms was extremely heartwarming.  My husband is a gentle, caring and an intuitive father and I know he hopes to provide this little baby with endless hours of playtime as he grows up.  Even more emotional for me was watching my little girls go absolutely gaga over their little baby cousin.  I suspected Anya would be into the baby, she is a doll player, but I was moved to see Halie, who is much more reserved and shy, hold her new baby cousin with such tenderness and love.  The girls have had other babies around but something about Cooper being their cousin, brought out a new side out of them.  They often came in to look in on him, to ask me what was wrong when he let out a little cry, and to fight over who got to hold him and whose turn it was. 

Cousins are those childhood playmates that grow up to be Friends Forever.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Logan and I always talk about what kind of an aunt and uncle we aspire to be.  We already have a nephew, Alen, who we love, adore and consider to be a part of our family.  Alen arrived on  October 5^th, 2003, to my sister and her husband.  Even though he lives in B.C. we spend a great deal of time with him and invest our time and energy into making our relationship with him strong.  When he was little we went out to visit him often and when we were there, we were completely hands-on.  As Alen has grown, our love and bond with him has grown also.  I will have to write a post about just Alen one day in the near future.    So here are a few ways of how I plan to build my relationship with Cooper: 

 

 

 

 

1. Play, play, play.  When children are little and as they grow they want a playmate.  You know the kind that’s willing to get on the floor, play silly games, and pretend to be the car, train, superhero, etc.

2. Quality time.  Spend quality time with and without his parents around.  To get to know a child really well you have to invest time into them.  So little dates of all kinds such as ice cream, park, swimming pool, etc.

3. Family relationships.  Build and encourage a strong family relationship between Cooper and the girls. Cousins are the next best thing to siblings.  

4. Be SILLY.  Laugh until my side hurts.  Let my inner child out to play.  Make fart sounds.  After all I am not responsible for the type of person he turns out to be.  :) 

5. LOVE HIM.  

Please feel free to share your favorite aunt/uncle/niece/nephew moments.