My disappearance!

I disappeared for a bit. Life has been hectic and I have been under the weather in one capacity or another for the past three weeks. It's completely crazy.

 

Remember this post? My lack of motivation that I was sure would pick up the following week.

It did, but I also picked up a nasty head cold that I'm still fighting almost an entire week and a half later. I didn't use a sick day, fought my way through the school day and by the time I got home I was wiped! There was no running.


By Sunday, I was feeling better, not 100%, but better. I figured I'd give it until Monday to go for a run because the boys will be back at daycare and I can go whenever I felt like it. Plus the weather was absolutely miserable.

About 4:00 on Sunday afternoon, I tweak something in my back. My younger son had decided he wanted a particular pillow and the only way to reach this pillow was by climbing on the coffee table. As I rushed over to grab him, I guess I twisted in an awkward way and ended up messing up my back enough that I had to make a trip to get Robaxacet.



Well, it's Friday and I'd say I'm back up to 80% with my back. My cold is still lingering and specific movements still make my back feel funny, but it's almost there.

Unfortunately, just as I am getting better, we're headed off on vacation. Since we're traveling with the boys, heading off for a run by myself in a foreign (to me) city doesn't seem right. My running will have to wait until we get back. Hopefully that means my back will be 100% and my cold will have disappeared.

Either way, I'll be starting my triathlon training when we get back, so come hell or high water, I'll be fighting through! The Iron Girl sprint triathlon will be a little over a month away when we return!



Have a great long weekend everyone!

One Week

*Disclaimer* This post doesn't discuss running much. More my mental health.

I have one more week of school to go.

One more week and the craziness of being a full-time working mom calms itself down and I get to spend lots of time with my munchkins as I turn into a stay-at-home mom for a couple of months.

I'm really looking forward to it more than in previous years.

Not sure if it was my crop of kids this year or the fact that life is busier as my boys are getting bigger but I just feel that I need this summer break.

I feel like it'll give me a chance to get life and myself back on track.

Things just move slower. It's no longer waking up to an alarm clock, quickly getting the boys dressed and out the door and then coming home to get dinner made and to an activity. We just go with the flow, wake up whenever, no rushing.

I'm excited to see where my running and fitness will take me.

I'm starting to look up recipes to try, exercises at the playground, those types of things.

I just need to make it through one more hot, sticky week in my classroom.

Do you take weeks off in the summer?

What are you looking forward to most?

Motivation Shmotivation

Apparently, I left my motivation to do any form of exercise on Toronto Island last weekend.

I have done nothing (except hit my step goal) this week in the form of exercise. I haven't even gone for my walks during my lunch break.

Now that I don't have anything until August, my mind is thinking, 'meh, you've got time'.

The biggest motivation killer is definitely work. We have 7 days of school left and all I can think of is what I need to do to get things finished, cleaned up, organized for September, etc. We've had our new Kindergarten orientation on Tuesday and our Celebration of Learning for our current Kinders yesterday and now I'm exhausted! Next week is all about cleaning up my class.

I've decided to just ride this wave of 'meh-ness' for today.

I've also determined that next week is going to be spent getting myself ready for summer. I'm printing off recipes, workouts, calendars to keep everything organized and just being proactive for the summer. I'm setting a goal to get down to at least 150lbs by the end of the summer and I'm completely set on getting there. I'm hoping that having more time to find and cook healthier meals will get me back on track, I just need to keep the junk out of the house.

Does your motivation ever disappear?

How do you get yourself back on track?

So..What Now?

I think I'm coming down from that post race high.

I did the tri-a-try two weekends ago and the 15K race this past weekend and I'm left thinking..

WHAT NOW?

Well, first I have to make it to the end of the school year. 9 days left to go but those 9 days can seem really long.

My next race is a sprint triathlon in Grimsby called Iron Girl. They have races all over the States, but I think this is the only one in Ontario.

This race will be a stretch since it's distances are longer than the try-a-tri. I'm definitely going to start my swim training too. Time to really get to the pool for laps and when we head to the cottage I'll be doing a lot of open water swimming as well.

My training was supposed to start yesterday, but I'm still dealing with sore legs from the 15K and my left hip is acting up a bit. I'm getting some good stabbing pains every so often and they catch me completely off guard. I'm hoping to get in a light 5k tomorrow after work to see how everything feels and then we'll either relax some more or get into training depending on how it goes. Plus, I'll get an opportunity to play with my new watch a little more.

I'm really fighting the urge to sign up for a race every weekend. It's amazing the high that comes from 'racing' and really pushing yourself.

What races do you have coming up?



Nike Women's Run 15K race recap

This race can be summed up in one word:

CONGESTION!

When getting ready the night before, I jammed my bag check bag with an entire change of clothes, dry shoes, my rain jacket and my umbrella. The forecast stated rain for most of the day and I hate, hate, hate being in wet clothes.

I made it down to Toronto with plenty of time, got parked nice and close (paid a ridiculous fee, but oh well, the convenience was nice in the end) and managed to get over to the ferry line. I got there as the 7:00am ferry line was leaving (even though it was after 7) and got into the 8:00 am line up. I chatted with a few other ladies that were waiting in line as well and we were sharing stories of other Nike races. We hopped onto the ferry, rode over to the island and things were going smooth.

Where the race took place...Toronto Island

I dropped my bag at the bag check station and went wandering to find my friend, Lisa. I also ran into a mother from the school I teach at (who is way faster than me) and was heading into corral number 2 (I mean crazy fast). I then decided to hop into the bathroom line. It was long, but it was either waiting in line for the washroom or waiting in the corral. Figured I'd use the washroom. While waiting, it started raining. I decided to hang out in the washroom for a bit since our corral wasn't actually running until 10:00am (I got into the washroom at 9:00). Eventually, I headed out and waited in the corral until it was time to go.

It took a lot of time to get into a stride. There were soooo many people! I looked at my fancy new watch and my pace was around 8:00! WHAT!? You couldn't even weave in and out amongst people it was that jammed. Plus, we walked at some points to avoid puddles. Just run through them!

We continued through kilometer after kilometer (which weren't spaced out properly either as my watch vibrated about 0.14 before each marker) being tightly bunched. There was one part where we ran on a runway at Billy Bishop airport. At that point, it was wide enough that we had our own space to move. Unfortunately, it didn't last long so we were all bunched up again pretty quick.

Running the runway was pretty cool!

After that, it was just a big blur of arms, legs, swerving, slowing down, speeding up, passing, being passed, etc. I did hit my 10k mark with a better time than my last 10K. I passed that mark at 1:09 (Oakville 10K I did 1:10). After the 10K, I needed some walking time. I was just so frustrated with the number of people that I needed a little break. Luckily, there was a bridge that I was able to walk up. I had a couple more walk breaks. Once I hit the 2.5km mark left I told myself, 'no more walking'. Of course, we hit the boardwalk. On top of being congested, we added slippery wood to the growing issues. Once we got off the boardwalk, it was about 0.75km to the finish. I pushed as hard as my legs would go at that point.

I finished in 1:47:55, a 16 minute PR from the last time I did a 15K (two years ago but still). I quickly made my way through the finisher area, grabbed my food, pendant and bag check and headed for the ferry line. I had promised my boys (and my husband) that I would take them to a movie in the afternoon because I hadn't been home all day. Luckily, the ferry line went a lot faster than I expected, I got back to my car as fast as my legs would go and got back on the highway quickly too! I was thankful for my dry clothes because I was warm on the ferry on the way back and everyone else was freezing! I made it home in plenty of time to shower and have some tea before heading to the movie. 

Overall, the experience was the same as DC. Lots and lots of people that started out running and ended up walking. I was passing people that started out in Wave 4! Clearly they were either unprepared, injured or just way too confident in their abilities when they signed up. I love the finished necklace, t-shirt and sweater, but they almost need to cut down on the number of people. 

My newest necklace! Never thought I'd own anything from Tiffany's!

Even though I complain about it, if another Nike event comes up,  I'll still probably do it. Just for the bling of course!

 

Nike Women's 15K in Toronto

I'm running again this weekend.

After this, I'm taking a break until August!

On Sunday, I'm doing the Nike Women's 15K race on the Toronto Island.

I'm kind of looking forward to it, but the idea of all the logistics to get there are kind of dampening my spirits.

The race takes place on the Toronto Island, which is great in itself, except that you need to take a ferry to get across. The ferry is fine as well, once you get to it. I'm taking the 8:00am ferry across (according to my ticket), but I'm not set to run until 10:00. The ferry takes 20 minutes at most! What do I do there for an hour and a half?! I figure I'll bring my book and catch up on a few chapters while I have the chance!

Also, getting there is going to be a pain. One of the main streets into the city to get to the ferry is closed off due to the Toronto Honda Indy that is held at the exhibition. I was looking at taking the train and then grabbing a cab to the ferry terminal, but the first train running won't get in until my ferry has already left! I'm just going to drive in and wing it from there.

Oh and we're only given a plastic bag to hold our belongings for bag check. Usually, I don't even use the bag check, but since I'm going to be leaving early and hanging around for awhile I figured I'd bring some stuff to keep me occupied. Then I remembered the little bag. So I guess I'll have to see how much I can fit into my bag before hand. I'll wear my warm clothes, shove them in my plastic bag with my keys and hope they'll all come back to me.

I am looking forward to running for two reasons. One, the necklace! Not sure what it looks like until race day, but I'm really excited to get another necklace. And two, I get to use my new Garmin Forerunner 220. I got it for my birthday last weekend and haven't had a chance to use it between the weather, other commitments and knee pain. I'm hoping that knowing my pace while I'm running will help me keep going.

In my previous (and only other) 15K, I set a time for myself of 2:03. I'm seriously hoping to PB on this race and unless something crazy happens I should be able to. I finished my last 10K race at 1:10 so adding another 5K in shouldn't take me too long.

Anyway, I'm hoping that everything works out and that my race report next week is a positive one (on both the getting there end and the racing end)!

Five Favourite Summer Activities!

Summer is a fantastic time! I love that you can spend most of your time outdoors. For me, work is done (I teach Kindergarten) so I get to take some time to spend with my boys who go to daycare all day. I find lots of ways to keep them busy or else I lose my mind. Luckily, they're pretty good, just love being active.





I'm linking up at Eat, Run, Pray DC , Mar on the Run and You Signed up for What? to share five of my favourite summer activities! Here they go!


#1. Run outside!

Fairly obvious I'm sure. I don't mind running on the treadmill, but I definitely don't push myself on there like I do when I'm running outside. The fresh air, lots of things to look at, people to 'race'. It's fantastic!


#2. Splashpads and parks
My boys love going to the splash pads. They're perfect because I can bring a blanket and a book or magazine and let them run around. They have blast! I usually bring lunch as well so we make an entire morning of it. Then we drive home, both boys sleep and I hit up the $1 drinks at McDonalds!


#3. Beach

I love going to the beach. We don't go much because there aren't many decent beaches that are really, really close, but as long as there is sand and water I'm happy. Our favourite beach to go to, that is about 20 minutes away and is on a man-made lake in a conservation area is called Kelso (also where my try-a-tri took place). The water is fairly shallow, there is lots of beach space and lifeguards!! There is also a concession stand and BBQs. We often go with our friends who have kids as well. It makes for a great day!


#4. Patios

I love eating outside. It's kind of a sad situation at our house because we don't have a table on our deck in the backyard. The one we had was a mess and we just haven't replaced it. I love sitting outside and eating dinner. It also cuts down on having to sweep and clean up once we are done eating (which can be a big mess after feeding a two year old rice).


#5. Afternoons outside
Last summer, my boys would still nap (not sure that's happening this year). After their nap, we'd usually spend the entire afternoon outside playing in our 'pool', their playhouse and with their water table. Again, I grab a book, sit in my lawn chair and watch them play. No wonder I'm able to get lots of reading done!


What are your favourite things to do in the summer?