10 km - race day!

It's done! Broken down by stats: Sophie placed 21st overall out of over 602 participants! 5/393 females!! She placed 1st in women under 19 with her time of 44:37 chip time, 44:46 official time. A podium placement 🥇

Vic placed 48th overall, 32 for guys and 6th for his age category out of 36. Well done! His time was 49:23 (chip time), 49:33 official time. He did this 49:31 two years ago.

I had a PB that I was really working hard for. 54:24 (chip time), 54:34 official time. I was 104th overall, 46th for females out of 393 and 6th in my age category out of 65. I did this race in 58:39 two years ago. It was hard. Really hard and had nothing left in my tank but very pleased with my race. 

Thoughts for next time:  it helped to stay in Kelowna the night before.  We stayed at the Grand, so no parking hassles.  We just walked to the race.  A light jog also seemed to help as we walk/ran to warm up.  No coffee before the race, but Aleve helps (no tummy troubles).  To increase my time, I will need to do some tempo runs at my lactate threshold.  I was hurting and even though I shaved 4 minutes off my time (which is huge) I ended completely spent with nothing, NOTHING in the tank.  I am very tired.

Okanagan Marathon - 10 km

Vic and I ran the Okanagan Marathon, 10km race this morning in Kelowna.  This is a great race, and one of the best 10km because it is a nice, flat route.  The marathon race is a Boston Marathon qualifier.

I was really pleased with my results, and attribute the power in my legs due to working consistently at CrossFit for the past year and a half.

Vic's time was 49:25 and I had a PB of 58:20. I'm a few years older than when I did this in 2013 when I came in at 58:45. My legs are stronger now and less fatigued. I felt really good the whole way and while I was tired at the end, I wasn't feeling completely wiped out.  Some stats: 216/708 runners. 88/444 for my gender, 20/108 in my age category.  We then had a nice Thanksgiving day at my mom and dad's.

 

 

 



Family Priority Goals 2016 - update

A few weeks ago I wrote about these 2016 Family Priority Goals.


- learning new things (Learning to play the piano.  I have asked the kids' teacher and she is going to take me on!)
- taking photos of our life (Working on what this might look like.  I think I would like to take photos of birds in 2016 -- in addition to the usual subjects I photograph)
- keeping fit (I don't know exactly what this will be, however, I have told Vic I want to do another 10 km in the fall.  I have also started to intentionally increase my weights in 2/4 weekly fitness classes).

With one month of the year down, I wanted to report out on some progress! I started my first piano lesson this week following Fynn's lesson.  Sophie is currently on a break from piano following her last exam. She did well on her exam (75%) and needs to recharge.  In her place, I have started to learn some of the very basic fundamentals.  It's tough slogging as I have no musical training at all.  I have a new appreciation for what the kids are able to do.

With respect to my second goal - birds - Vic and I did purchase a second bird feeder so we can keep attracting more birds to our yard.  We've also managed to identify at least one of the birds that comes to our backyard.  The photo is attached. 

Finally, I am so proud of myself for braving a CrossFit Lite class tonight.  I asked a co-worker about it (she competes in CrossFit) and she was very supportive and encouraged me to take a class.  I had one of the best workouts ever!  Looking forward to next Tuesday's class.

In March

Here we are roaring into March.  I am intentionally trying to slow down, savour the days more.  I think it helps when I am able to re-arrange things in my schedule to allow for more time to not rush.  That sounds like a no brainer but it is surprising how I find myself repeating the same patterns over and over, and then when I make a positive change and realize how much better it can be - I want to kick myself for not doing the change sooner.

For example, I have moved my fitness time from 5:30pm to 4:15pm on Tuesdays. That change has impacts: it means leaving work a bit earlier, so that means being very organized on Tuesdays and prioritizing my workload to ensure I get everything I need to do accomplished a bit earlier in the day.  That takes a bit of juggling but the rewards are huge. It means I get to go to a class I enjoy much more than my old 5:30 class.  It means I get to be home earlier and spend some relaxing time with the kids before dinner.  This small change enabled me to read almost an entire book about birds to Fynn this week and spend some time with Sophie while she tried out her new recorder for school.

Another change is not being hesitant to try out new sitters.  For whatever reason, I had a mental block with asking for sitter suggestions from people at work.  I had run through all of my sitter options last Friday.  Vic and I had tickets to the Symphony and very much wanted to go.  The day before, I emailed a coworker and asked her daughter if she could fill in.  She did and she was great with the kids.  It was a big relief and an easy solution.  They say necessity is the mother of invention - and it's true.

Finally, I think I have gotten over my little "fear" of showing my photos at my photo club.  I have shown my photos once before but only because I thought they were the really "good" ones.  The theme this week was Motion - definitely not my strength.  But I went through my photos, asked Vic for his opinion on which ones he liked and put together about 6 that showed Motion.  I got some good comments on them and I felt strong about making an effort.  It is rarely as bad or as scary as I build it up in my mind.

Here are a few:

post race

On Sunday, Vic and I raced in the BMO Okanagan Marathon. I ran in the 10 km and Vic in the 21.1 Km (half marathon). My time was incredibly, actually weirdly consistent over my time 2 years ago. 58.45 (58.46 two years ago). My chip time was 58.18.

What were my take-aways from this year:

1. While I trained, I could have trained for more speed. I admit that there were many days that I was dragging my butt to get and run after work. Days when I hated the thought of it. If I want to improve my time by even a minute, I will need to put more work into it.

2. I was dressed perfectly. Long sleeve shirt over top of a short sleeve shirt,and shorts.

3. I think next year it would help if Vic and I stayed in Kelowna on Saturday night in a hotel instead of at my parents' place. I only got a couple of hours of sleep as I was concerned about missing the alarm and then having to rush to get to the race. Staying a bit closer would have helped.

4. I would like to do another race - just not sure which one. I definitely like the 10km distance.

Pictures from Sophie

I put Sophie's new little book caddy that her Grandma sewed her between her mattresses tonight. It makes a little pocket to hold the books she reads at night. Very cute.

She then decided to snap some photos of Katie, her American Girl doll. This photo is Katie on the new bed she got for Christmas from Santa and her new little pet doggy that Fynn gave her.

******

It felt good to get back to my Thursday night step class tonight. I love the routine of working out with other people. I find going to the gym miserable if I had to work out on my own, but fun (or atleast bearable) when there is music and other people to liven things up.

Me

Yes, this is all about me!

Hah, so much of my day to day is not about me, and hasn't been for the past 8 years since I became a mama. Those feelings of being detached from yourself magnified that much more when Fynn was born. The days are a blur.

I complain bitterly to Vic when he suggests we go running. He drags me out two days a week. I really don't like running, especially when the weather is this warm. My legs feel heavy. I feel sluggish.

But, and there is always a but. It makes me feel so good. Like medicated good.

This picture was taken of me today after our run. I left work an hour early so we could go running. After it was over I had a shower and then got dressed to go pick up the kids and start our evening with them. That just finished running, good

shower feeling should be bottled. I feel fit, thin, happy, strong and my brain is settled. No cortisol zooming through my body doing god knows what sort of damage to my cells.

It feels so good. When days are so much about other people and taking care of them, be it at work or at home, running is the best way to get some sense of calm.

Running

Today Vic and I ran 7km. That is to the end of the Nature Trail and back.
About 6 more weeks until my 10km in Kelowna. I am feeling pretty good and finally starting to really notice the improvements in my fitness.

My hair has also really grown out since I started running and leaving behind my pixie cut!

august long weekend

We had a relaxing weekend. Back from my parents' place on Saturday meant that we had Sunday and Monday at home. We hit the pool which was nice. Maggie came over yesterday and her and Sophie were in the pool for a couple of hours. After that Sophie and her concocted a "invitation" and Maggie joined us at the Smurf's movie. We are happy to have her along with us, but it is funny how the two of them scheme up these things without checking with either parents :)

Today Vic rode his first Masters Circuit Bike Race. That's 57+ km. It was the hardest thing he has ever physically done.

The photo of him and Fynn resting on the bed with even a Tim's coffee not able to help him keep his eyes open.

I was at the kitchen table with Sophie doing some work while Sophie and Susie her tutor went over this week's drill.

All in all, a nice weekend, restful, rewarding and and gorgeous weather.

around here

We are:

- celebrating the Canucks win!!
- thrilled that our little pumpkin seeds have grown into little pumpkin plants. perfectly so.
- that I ran with Vic 4 x this week! I am now a runner :)

this n' that

Just catching up on some photos from last week of Vic's swim meet.

running and growing my hair out

Back in August, I decided I wanted to grow out my hair. It was a very short cut that I have had since about 2007. That's a long time to stick with one hairstyle. The growing out process was especially painful in the fall when my hair was not quite over my ears. I hated it and was ready to give up and get it all cut off again.

Lately it has been feeling longer. I can actually feeling it swinging back and forth just a bit when I move my head :)

Around the same time that I started growing my hair out, Vic and I also started running together. A similar journey in that it started out painfully and has since begun to feel much more natural and something I look forward to.

British Columbia Masters Swimming Championships

Vic is blogging tonight. Here he goes:

Thanks to prodding and trash talk from my buddy Ray, I decided to participate in this year's Provincial Swimming Championships in Kelowna at the H2O complex. One of nicest family friendly swim facilities in Canada.

I'm not a swimmer. Or least I don't have the depth of most of my team mates, most of whom started in grade or high-school. I took up swimming master's five years ago to help me in my Triathlon competitions. It was my weakest sport and definitely the one I looked forward to the least. Since starting Masters I have fallen in love with swimming. I diligently march off to our 1.5 hour practices at least twice a week where our coach beats me like a rented mule. :)

The competition spans two days and an evening. I felt with Sher getting back from Vancouver later Friday evening that it was only fair that I choose events that were all on one day. That way I would have Saturday at home with the kids and Sher. I'm an endurance athlete by both choice and body type. I decided to try my hand at he sprints just to challenge myself. I signed up for the 50 free, 100 free, and 200 free relay. By the way, this is my first official meet. Ever. I did well in all three events realtive to my abilities and age group. I finished 4 out of 6 in both the individual events setting a personal best in the 50m (33 sec.) It was pretty incredible to watch as most of the competitors are accomplshed swimmers. (Meaning smok'in fast)this included a few ex-olympians. The highlight? A 92 competitor set a new Canadian record in individual medally (all four strokes)for his age group.

running

Remember when running used to be called jogging? You don't call it that anymore! I am not sure exactly when that change occured in "popular culture" but it seems to have probably happened as the sport became more high profile and the gear more sophisticated (better shoes, clothing).

Vic and I run on Mondays and Wednesdays after work and before I pick up the kids. At first when we picked it up again after my hiatus over the colder winter months I really hated it (again). Now I am starting to look forward to runs. It makes me feel so good, it is hard to describe. It is the one exercise that after I do it, I know that I have truly done something that has exerted my cardiovascular system and helped get me more fit. The fact that it burns major calories is also a big plus.

Salmon Arm has a lot of hills so it is challenging to run here, but on the flip side you get fit faster.

right now

A good Saturday.
I went to my fitness class first thing this morning and that got me off to a great start. Then we had lunch and dropped Sophie off at Mikayla's birthday party. It gave me a chance to spend some time with Fynn, run some errands and buy ingredients for dinner (yes, I cooked dinner - very simple hamburger casserole, but I think it will be good).

I rented a Barbie movie for Sophie and her friend Maggie is coming over at 6:30pm to watch it with her so she is looking forward to that. For Vic and I, we are going to watch this one. It is supposed to be really good.

Day 17

My little Fynn had his daycare Christmas concert. It was so cute watching the 3 and 4 year olds sing Christmas songs. Fynn was so happy to see me arrive at 10am in the morning to daycare - I don't think he could believe it!

Other news:
- Sophie scored 5/5 on her french weekly dictee!! This is the equivalent of a spelling test. We worked very hard this week on her words and it is so nice when it all pays off. She got a special drink treat at Boston Pizza tonight. Her words are not easy: le soir, j'ai soif, voila leroi, c'est froid. (I know them too now).

- I had a nice lunch with my coworker Barb today. We spend so much of our workdays in a maze of meetings, report writing and general day to day stuff that we never get 30 minutes of non office time.

- Vic and I got a walk in together before we picked the kids up tonight. Nice to get some exercise in after a workday.

- watching this with Sophie (love this movie)

- Happy 44 years to my mom and dad!

Day 13

Vic and I went running at lunch today. It was a bit tricky because of the slush on the sidewalks but we found enough dry patches.

I dread the first few minutes and the hills, but I am trying to relax and enjoy it. What I do like is the great feeling I get afterwards. Running is a gift to myself. Especially important this time of year when there is so much stuff (and extra food) going on.

the cold season

the cold season has begun. the mailbox was frozen shut when I tried to open it tonight. we have had a bit of snow, but mostly cold, cold weather. the kids are bundled for school and daycare with mittens, hats, boots and big jackets.

while this sounds really crazy, Vic and I are continuing our running. he is dragging me out because my first inclination is to NOT do it. he bought be some cold weather running gear. it is a must. and yes, it makes a big difference. thank you, dear.

we ran on my lunch break today because if we wait till 5pm it is too dark. so, with -8 and -16 with the windchill we ran 5km today. and yes, it was cold on the face but my body was warm including my ears. it felt SO good to run and do this.

i have been feeling the seasonal cloud of angst that comes with the dark days and not getting enough sunlight. it made a big difference in my mood. my job is too stressful(in a good way) to not exercise, and even if it wasn't I would still exercise anyway. here's a photo montage of 3 months of running so far.

running

The last time I blogged about running was on September 24 when I had been running for about 4 weeks. Now it is November 5 and I'm still running! Haven't given up yet which does feel really good.

My jeans are a tad looser around the thighs and butt and my legs hurt less going up hills. Today we did about 40 minutes.

a newbie runner

About 4 weeks ago, I started running with Vic. At first it was mostly walking, but then we built it up. There are always hills in Salmon Arm so I had to get used to those pretty quickly. At first I was barely walking them, but then I started slowly inching my way up them.

Now we are hitting about 7 km, 3 x a week and tomorrow we have a "date" (complete with babysitter) to do a longer run, dinner (a freebie thanks to a Facebook contest I entered for a local restaurant) and then a movie. Perfect!

I really like running. Well, sort of. It's hard and I want to quit but not enough to stop because I don't want to go backwards. That's the way it's always been with me about lots of things. Don't go backwards.

p.s. the door mat is a cute little thing I picked up today at Lake Effects. it reminds me of fall.