Taper Time

It's been a pretty crazy week as I have been back in the sleep training trenches with baby #2 since we got back from Mexico. I has taken a number of sleepless nights and lots of crying, but I think we've worked it out. It is also time to taper.

I just finished reading my old posts that I have logged on my quest to run after having baby. I can't believe how fast the months have flown by. My son will be 7 months this week and I will be leaving to run one of my dream races, the Nike Women Half Marathon in Washington. I have been training diligently since my doctor gave me the all clear and I am now into the last week of my training plan.


                        Sunday          Mon          Tues           Wednesday         Thurs       Friday        Saturday

I will spend this week relaxing and packing as I will be taking my son with me on this trip as I am still nursing him and he has not quite taken the bottle yet. I am nervous yet excited. I have spent the last 16 weeks following my training plan and have been pretty good with minimal injuries. I am happy with my progress and only hope to get better. I'm not sure how I will do with this race as I will be running with two friends who are injured. I am hoping that they will rest up this week and be able to run a good race with me on Sunday.

Here's a photo from one of my runs last week. It was the first time running with a jogging stroller. I had bought this stroller the day I got home from the hospital with my son and finally after 6. 5 months I was able to take him out for a run. It's definitely different running with the stroller. It will take some getting used to. I'm hoping to get out for more runs as the weather gets nicer.

Hope you all have a great week !

4:09 #RunforBoston

My heart is in Boston today. It aches every time I think about running. All my thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this senseless act. 

I spent yesterday glued to my computer and iPhone  checking for updates on the Boston Marathon. a runner's 'Holy Grail'. The moment I heard/read about the explosions in Boston, I was in shock. I was in disbelief at first thinking that maybe it was a prank. When it finally sunk in, I was angry and was deeply saddened, I felt violated.

My good friend called me as we are both runners and consoled each other as we were both quite devastated by the news. I continued to get a number of friends messaging me to let me know what had happened.

Social media and the news agencies were a buzz and all I could do was relive the video clips that were circulating and think about was my family. I have run many races with family waiting for me at the finish line. I'm don't know "why" anyone would want to harm innocent people. All I know is that I will not let this event deter me from what I love. I will continue to lace up my runners and get outside. I will not let my anger or fear get the best of me. I will run for all those who cannot. I will hold my kids and husband closer. 

I am not surprised by all the outpouring of tweets on Twitter, updates on Facebook and stories of the people who have stepped up and helped. The heartwarming stories of everyday people who were first responders, heroes that helped the runners that were unable to finish, spectators and anyone who needed help.  I will continue to train hard in hopes that I will qualify one day for Boston. It is amazing how the running community has bonded together. I am proud that say that I am a runner and am apart of this family.

In honour of Boston, the running community suggested wearing a race shirt and run 4.09 miles to represent the time into the marathon at which the first explosion went off or run for 26.2 minutes. I will continue to run for a long as I can.

Table for 30

Sorry, for the delay in blogging.. been away and came home with a pretty bad cold.

We just got back from a wonderful week in Playa Del Carmen with 7 other families. Yes, that's right, we were a total of 8 families, 16 adults and 13 kids. It has been a work in progress. Every year we go away with one other family and have always had a good time. We always share our awesome experiences with our friends, so we decided to invite them all to join us on our yearly vacation and almost all our friends agreed to come.

Finally a group pose

The planning started in December with trying to nail down a date that we can all go. Once we figured out a date, we started looking for a location that we would all enjoy and a resort that can accommodate all our needs. The children ranged in age from 6 months to 7 years old. It was also going to be the first time for a few families to go on an all inclusive resort vacation.

So here are some tips if you're looking for a family holiday

- all-inclusive... need I say more
- look for a resort targeted to families if not you'll have grumpy seniors giving you dirty looks
- look for resorts that have a good kids club that can accommodate the ages of the children
- mini disco is a bonus for the kids
- good shows in the evening
- beachfront is always good
- elevator if you have kids in strollers if not you'll be carrying it up the stairs
- a variety of food at the restaurants are good (read reviews if possible)
- activities to keep everyone busy/happy
- flights at good times for the little ones

With all these items in mind, I worked with a super travel agent and was able to make it work.  Our friends had a fantastic time. The beach was AMAZING, white sand for miles.  The kids had plenty of activities to keep them busy and the drinks and food were plenty to keep everyone happy. We were all able to get into one restaurant for a nice a la carte dinner. You should have seen the guys face when I asked for a reservation for 29 people :)

Our resort was super and even had a well equipped gym for the guests. This was important to me as I am training for my half and was not sure if I would be able to run outside. I lucked out as our resort was in a beautiful gated community, I was able to get out for a few runs. My only issue was that it was SO HOT!!!  It was almost 40 degrees Celsius with the humidity. But seriously, I couldn't complain.  The community was gorgeous and the runs were fun, even though they were short. It was great to be able to jump into the ocean or the pool after these hot sweat runs. I was able to get in 3 runs, 2 outside and 1 on the treadmill. Not a lot of mileage was covered, but just happy I was able to run.

One of our runs and me trying out the trapeze