Run Baby Run!

I love spending time with Evan.  I also love to run.  Combining the 2 together makes complete sense.  When I became pregnant, the 1st thing on my wish list was a Chariot baby jogger.  It's an amazing product, not to mention Canadian.  Its' tires can take on any snow drift, but the question is, can momma? 

2009

I think I like stress.  I guess it kinda keeps me motivated and focussed on an objective.  If there was no stress in my life, then I'd become complacent and literally bore myself to death. However, when the stresses start to add up, it's a fine balance of management skills.  I'm glad I'm a teacher b/c, apparently, we're 'pros' at multitasking.  I hope I can just transfer this skill to my personal life.  

As far as athletic endeavours are concerned, here's what on the calendar:

1.  Boston Marathon - April - My last marathon, for a while..

2.  Toronto Women's 1/2 Marathon - May - I hear there's a chocolate station.. Mmmmm.

3.  Muskoka Long course triathlon - June - Give me HILLS.

4.  Peterborough Half-Iron - July - Feelin' HOT, HOT, HOT. 

5.  Ironman Canada - August - Blink..I have NO clue.

My goal is to finish each one with a smile.  That being said, my type-A personality becomes a bit obsessed with numbers and results, so I usually have my 'secret' goals and am sometimes disappointed if I come up short.  For now, I will focus on my initial goal.  And to be honest, it will be definitely easier said than done, because they will all hurt like hell, so the smile may be more of a grimace..

On the home front, my Niblet is keeping me busy as ever.  It's incredible how one little person can tire you out so much.  Well, he's not that little any more.  I am currently in physiotherapy because carrying his 19 lb frame on my post-partum body has been debilitating in all areas - lower back, neck, and shoulders.  But, no matter, he is my sweet little sumo.  Watching him develop is amazing as he grows right before my eyes. 

Although it's not 2009 yet, I am excited for the new year.  The husband will hopefully be on a more structured work schedule so that will give me more permanence to my training schedule as well.  

January marks the official start of training.  

For now, I think I'll have another cookie.  

Priorities

Well, I knew this would happen but my training hasn't really gotten off the ground yet.  I'm still in my base period so apparently, it's "OK" to take things easy.  Lately though, Evan has been teething and needing a lot of attention, so he always takes the #1 spot.  Luckily, he's so cute and I love hanging out with my little dude.  But this race that I'm supposed to complete next year is always in the back of my head.. Basically, I'm just taking it 1 day at a time and 1 workout at a time.  Also, the weather isn't helping.  It's currently -20C (windchill) and not looking to get any warmer.  How's that for motivating yourself to get out and run in the dead of winter..  Anyways, enough complaining.  I just need to buckle down and get my butt in gear.

It Starts Now

Sooo, I'm sure that you know that I had a baby about 3 months ago. He is the most adorable little munchkin and I love being a mom and being on maternity leave. That being said, I still find myself getting really bored and looking for something to motivate myself to get back into shape. Sooooo.. when I heard that Ironman Canada did not sell out for the first time and that there would be a few hundred extra spots up for grabs at an online site.. I thought.."Hmmmmmm.. why not?" I called up my friend Smak and convinced her to try and get a spot as well. Well, the race sold out in a matter of minutes and as luck would have it, we were BOTH able to get spots! And a few minutes later.. I started panicking with the realization of what I had done.. hehe.

I mean, I just had a baby so my body is definitely outta shape and being a mom is a 24/7 job so I have to do all my training when Evan is asleep.. Oh, the list could go on why I will fail miserably... BUT, then I think, that's why it's such an appealing challenge. That's WHY I want to do it.

So I basically have 11 months to get this post-partem body ready to complete an Ironman. Nuff said. It starts now.

Oh, and here's a little taste of why I love this sport so much. Check out the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx8ae4TfwrE&NR=1

Silver Simon.

I haven't written in awhile b/c I've been busy being a mom. And unfortunately, I haven't even been able to watch the olympic coverage.. until Monday night. I had to watch the Men's Triathlon final b/c our own Simon Whitfield would be racing and I knew he would be a medal contender. You see, this is Simon's 3rd olympics and I hope you remember his gutsy performance 8 years ago in Sydney that basically put Canadian triathlon on the map. Many people have said that Simon was getting too old and his career was pretty much done. Well, this 34-year old has shown that he's still a well-oiled machine and that he can race with the best of them. Simon never gave up during the entire race and when he threw his hat down to start the last 200 meters of the race, I thought, "GO!!!" as I cheered him on from my sofa.

I actually met Simon in person at a Nike run a few years ago. A totally cool guy. I respect the fact that not only is he a fierce competitor, but at the same time has complete respect for his competitors. If you read his blog: http://simonwhitfield.blogspot.com , you'll find that he accidentally bumped into Jan Frodeno, (the Gold medalist), the next day and asked to get a picture together. Totally down to Earth.

Congrats Simon. You make me proud to be Canadian.

PS: Hats off also to Colin Jenkins who boosted Simon along the way. What a team player.

Well-done please.

Just a quick little update on the little guy in my belly. Niblet is quite the active fellow but I love feeling him kick and move and squirm about. He especially likes it when I have a good meal or a nice sugary drink. In fact, yesterday, I indulged in a burger (must get iron from beef...) and he was very energetic into the wee hours of the night.

Braxton Hicks contractions are coming on full force these days. They aren't painful but they literally make my stomach hard as a rock for about 60 seconds, then they subside. Also, I am quite breathless when I go up a flight of stairs.. In my head I'm thinking, "Man, I'm outta shape!" But then I realize that my lung capacity is but a mere 50% of what is used to be..

So all is good. Niblet is done all his development and now he is just gaining some fat. If he were to be born today, he would be A-OK. But for now, I'll just let him cook for about 5 more weeks. Well-done please.

32 years

No silly, I'm not referring to my age but it does coincide funnily with my bday. 32 years represents the number of consecutive years that my school's x-country team has won the regional championship which took place yesterday. 32 years!!! That's pretty phenomenal if you stop and think about it.

For the past 6 weeks, students have been training almost on a daily basis, arriving at 7am to do lap after lap and stair after stair. I am in awe of my students' dedication and commitment to this team. While watching them race yesterday, I always get a bit emotional when I see that special kid running like the wind, intensity in his eyes, gutting it out for the finish. Everybody knows that running is not "fun", in fact, it can be quite painful. But my kids have so much heart that it is simply the best feeling in the world to watch them run.

I am also honoured to coach this team. You see, back in the day when I was a kid, I also was a part of the legendary "Sea of Blue". And now in my adult years, I can give back to the school as their coach.

My kids truly inspire me. They are what make my job so wonderful that I wouldn't trade it for any job in the world. Here is an excerpt that I wrote for the school newsletter that kind of explains why I love coaching running..

Sea of BLUE Victorious at Cross-Country Meet!

On Tuesday, May 6th, 130 Hillcrest students participated in the south Peel regional cross-country meet at Erindale park. The race was approximately 3km and consisted of 6 divisions. As a team, Hillcrest dominated the day to capture 1st place in 4 divisions and resulted in winning the overall championship, for the 32nd consecutive year!

Every year, colleagues, parents, and teacher-coaches from other schools ask us, “How does Hillcrest do it? How do you manage to win year after year?” It’s kind of funny, because sometimes it’s difficult to explain what seems like such an unbelievable phenomenon. I believe that the championship legacy of the “Sea of Blue”, long established by Ms. Walter, remains the reason because it encourages students to participate and belong to that tradition; the desire to become a part of something very special that they will never forget. I believe that excellence encourages excellence but please understand that cross-country running at Hillcrest is not an enigma. In fact, all it takes is hard work, dedication, and stamina. The mental toughness is just as hard to develop as the physical toughness. It is so amazing to see students bare their hearts and souls on race day and in my opinion, nothing is more satisfying and wonderful to experience as a coach.

What is even more amazing is to witness this passion for running continue through the years. Just a couple weekends ago at the Mississauga Marathon, I cheered on countless ex-Hillcrest students race in their first 5K, 10K, and even half-marathon race!

One day, I predict that Hillcrest may even, (gasp!) come 2nd at the regional meet. But I am ok with that. Winning is a mere result, but I truly believe that it’s the journey getting there that is more important.

Sperm meet Egg

I am 30 weeks today. Crazy. Who woulda thought that after 2 years of trying to conceive, that I will be popping out a little human being in roughly 10 weeks. I am SO excited.

Let me tell you a little story. This conception was not easy. In fact, it was an emotional rollercoaster ride. I don't want to get into the nitty-gritty details but I went from 1 specialist to another, being told 1 thing and then being told the complete opposite. For 2 weeks straight, my life consisted of getting needles to get my blood tested and getting ultrasounds to track my follicles. I had to do this roughly every 2nd or 3rd day and then repeat the next month. The doctors put me in the "unexplained" category. These kinda things definitely take a toll on one's mental state. Trying to conceive became an all-consuming state of mind. It obviously became an obsession, and I honestly don't think that I'm an obsessively-natured person. I'm the type of person that usually succeeds in achieving the goals that I set out for, so this was a big slap in the face.

My counterpart was the most positive person in the world. Well, I don't know about you, but when something you want SO badly doesn't happen. You basically feel like a failure. I am used to relying on my body to be strong and doing what I want it to do, so when it didn't, I felt like my body was letting me down.

I tried different things. I prayed. I popped pills, I took injections. I stopped running, I gained fat. I took TONS of multivitamins and other natural stuff. I stayed positive.

In the end, my mom says it was a miracle. Well, I do believe that life is a miracle so I guess I would agree with her. Was it technological innovation or did I just allow my body to get 'lucky'? We will never know.

What I do know is that there are many woman out there that are still trying and aren't as lucky as me. I sympathize with them. Some couples go through miscarriage after miscarriage or spend thousands of dollars to have sperm meet an egg in a petri dish. The reason why I wrote this post wasn't because I want you to empathize with me. Rather, I just wanted you to know that there is this taboo subject called infertility that no one likes to talk about. I've met so many women that are starting to lose hope. This post is for those women so that they may stay strong and not to lose faith in the miracle of life.

POP!

It's official, I've 'popped'. For those doubters out there, the next time you see me, I can give you an "up close and personal" view of my outtie belly button. It's quite attractive, not to mention the beautiful stretch marks that are starting to appear all over my belly.

But things are still going pretty well for me. The PUPPS episode has calmed down (thank GOD!) but sometimes after swimming, my skin gets irritated and then breaks out for about 10 minutes.. Other than that, I'm starting to slow down my level of activity. I love naps.

So, the countdown is on. 10 weeks of work left until my maternity leave begins and I am SO excited.

I can't wait to be a mom.

Niblet

I was planning on blogging about my pregnancy awhile ago but then decided against it because I was feeling kinda superstitious. In any case, I am currently 7 months pregnant and entering my 3rd trimester so it's evidently official, I'm having a BABY!!

And I do apologize for not blogging in, like, FOREVER! Let's just say that I'm lazy and that I am never too inspired to write because being eloquently witty requires way too much effort on my part. So, I will try and catch you up to speed on all that has happened (baby-related) in my life for the past 7 months. I do hope that this isn't too long-winded..

If you were wondering about the title of this post, it refers to the name that my husband gave the little fetus when he was literally just a 'niblet'. The name stuck and we often refer to our growing baby as Niblet. Oh, and Niblet is a HE.

So, the past 7 months have passed fairly quickly and without too much physical discomfort. In actual fact, it has been awesome and I've been able to continue my daily lifestyle without too many changes. I have spent most of my energy on eating healthy, staying fit, and getting decent rest. Fortunately, I had zero morning sickness in my first tri but I did tire really quickly so daily naps helped a lot! The only major symptom that I've had to deal with for the past 7 months is a bit of constipation and bloatedness... until just recently..

Last week was my toughest week. Practically overnight, my body exploded into a series of hives. It actually started on my belly and I thought the itchy rashes would pass. But then, the hives radiated to my thighs, butt, arms, and back. It totally freaked me out. I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with PUPPS. Apparently, it occurs in about 1% of pregnant woman, most often in their 1st pregnancy entering their 3rd trimester. And the really wierd part, the majority of woman suffering from PUPPS have boys! Wierd huh? There is no known cause, the treatment is symptomatic, and fortunately, the baby is not affected. I don't want to go into detail but being itchy all over can basically make one feel like they're going insane. It's not fun. For example, it is currently 5:40am and I'm up because I can't sleep due to itching. FUN. Anyways, it's been about a week and the hives have gone down so I'm optimistic that they will pass.

If you are ever planning on getting pregnant, here is my word of womanly advice: EXERCISE. Now, I know that most people will say to get plenty of rest and not to over do it. That is quite obvious, but let me tell you, exercising has been key to my levels of energy and I certainly believe that if I didn't exercise, then my chances of getting: hypertension, gestational diabetes, edema, back pain, varicose veins, pre-eclampsia, and all those other afflictions that pregnant woman MAY get when they gain 30+lbs and are sedentary for 9 months, would certainly be WAY higher. Now, I'm not saying that all pregnant woman that aren't active will suffer these symptoms, but medical studies have shown the merits of exercise during pregnancy. Although, it's kind of funny, when you tell people that you went for a run at 7 months pregnant, they kind of give you a look like, "I think you're hurting the baby.." C'mon people! I mean, I'm pregnant, not sick or disabled! Anyways, just trust your body and monitor your intensity.

Hmmmm.. where was I? Oh yeah, 7 months preggo with a BOY!!! I am sooo excited and totally ready to be a mom. Dad is good too. I was kinda scared that he wasn't ready or as excited as me but to quote the movie JUNO, "A woman becomes a mother when she gets pregnant and a man becomes a father when he sees the baby." I think that quote makes sense. Although, the moment I knew when he was mentally ready was when he said to me one night as he was rubbing my belly, "I think I'm falling in love with someone that I haven't met yet.." Awwww.

So, there's my update. I promise I will write more later, but for now, I think I will catch a few more winks. Although Niblet is up and kicking and it doesn't feel like he's ready to retire. I guess he's just getting me ready for what's to come in the near future..