Where was I a year ago today?

A year ago today, I gave birth to our second child. It was a very quick and painful delivery and I did it all naturally. Yup, NO DRUGS. I was thrilled to have had a pretty easy pregnancy and survived childbirth a second time. I was also thinking about getting back into my runners and hitting the pavement. Yes, I'll admit it, I have a bit of a problem.

Happy Birthday !!

I am lucky enough to live in Canada where I was able to have a full year of maternity leave. I've spent the past year enjoying every moment as I know that this will probably be my last baby. So what I have learnt this year.

Take everything in stride. Things will happen whether you like it or not. My life went from a fairly routine life with one child to a crazy gong show overnight. I was thrown back into the world of sleepless nights and dirty diapers. I was now stuck at home with a pre-schooler and a newborn. I learned to relax a lot more with the second one, maybe because I learned from the mistakes I made the first time round. I laughed a lot more and didn't sweat the small stuff.

Take a moment each day to count your blessings. Amongst the chaos of daily life we often forget how lucky we are. We are bombarded daily with all the "noise". I am always amazed when my daughter says her prayers at night and thanks God for all the things that she is grateful for.  I am always humbled by her innocence. Be thankful for all that you have because there is always someone out there is is worse off than you.

Set goals for yourself whether it be fitness related or not. I had decided that I would spend part of my maternity leave training for my first marathon. It has been quite the journey. I was able to train as soon as my doctor gave me to o.k. I have learnt to juggle my time around training and being mommy and wife. It takes some work, but it's possible.  There have been some setbacks along the way but, I am fortunate to have a supportive hubby and family. I feel great and I am so excited to be running my first marathon in 23 days.

After one of our many runs together

Have a GREAT weekend.

Are you racing this weekend? 

Are you training for any races?

Rest is not a bad thing

I just got back from a lovely week away with my family in hot and sunny Florida. I was concerned at first about how I would be able to accommodate my training with the vacation, but I decided to use the week as a "rest" week.

My weekly mileage has been quickly adding up and long runs are getting longer. I am running distances that I have never run before. I never thought that I would be running a half marathon distance for a regular training run, but I am.

It has been a somewhat lonely journey. I have had a lot of support from my family and friends, but in the end it's really just me and the pavement. I was starting to get some aches and pains, so the last minute vacation was just what I needed, mentally and physically.

I squeezed in my long run before we left as I knew there was no way I would be able to run 28 kilometres in the Florida heat and the treadmill was NOT an option. But since I am in training mode, I did follow my coach's Tuesday tempo workout and squeezed in a quick 5km run. The average daily temperature in Orlando was in the 40's which is about 100 Fahrenheit. I don't know how runners who live in these awesome places train for races. It was SO hot ! The best part was jumping into the pool after each run.

After an awesome week relaxing with the family, we returned home to what felt like FREEZING temperatures. It took some time to adjust, but it's actually gorgeous fall weather. Autumn is my favourite season. It's not too hot and not too cold, perfect for running. I got back just in time for my long run. The week off was nice, but it is now crunch time. I have 25 more days until the marathon. 

My last long run was 30 kilometres (18.6miles). I can't say it flew by, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I was hoping that I would be able to pick up my speed, but alas my legs just wouldn't do it. I also developed some painful side stitches during the run and made me stop dead in my tracks. I'm hoping to figure out why this happened and how to prevent it.

Cool long run

I am excited to be starting week 19 of my 22 week training plan. Today's tempo run was nice and easy, I'm hoping I can say the same thing after the 32 kilometre run planned for this Sunday's long run.

Have a Great Week

Please feel free to leave a comment and say hello.

Have you ever experienced and cramps of side stitches, if so, how did you remedy them?

Do you like to run alone or with someone?

Summer Wrap Up

It is the Labour Day weekend, which traditionally marks the end of the summer holiday season and back to school for many kids. It is bittersweet for me as I am thrilled to have my daughter back in school, but will also miss her being at home with me. With her back in school, I'll be able to head out for some stroller runs instead of running late at night after hubs gets home.

It has been a crazy summer. It has been 15 weeks since I started marathon training. Looking back over my training log, I realised that I started my marathon training the week of my birthday. I started training with my coach Rick from Zone3Sports 7 weeks ago after being chosen by iRun and I think it has helped me with all aspects of my running.

I come back to this often

I have spent most of my summer enjoying the remainder of maternity leave and doing a lot of running. I didn't think that I would be logging this many miles/kilometres when I decided to run a marathon. I don't think I put much thought into it at all except that I wanted to run a marathon.  I have learned that I am not a morning running as  I have spent many nights pounding the pavement.

For the month of August, I logged 196.26 km/121.95 miles. I think this is totally crazy!!! I have learned to stick to a training plan and do my best not to deviate. Training for a marathon is almost like a part time job. I am very fortunate to have been able to train while on maternity leave.  I have learned to juggle and balance my duties as mom, wife, daughter and friend. I can't say that it's been easy, but I have gotten used to very little sleep. I will see how training goes as I return to work in a month. I think having a coach has helped me tremendously. Being the Type A person that I am, I needed to follow a strict plan and this is what coach Rick has done for me. He has designed a plan just for me.

This summer I was able to complete two obstacle type events,  The O Course and Tough Mudder. I ran two races in August and PR'd in one of them and raced a distance that I had never run before for the other. I am very pleased with both the results and I think this is due to my training. I have incorporated tempo runs and strength work into my training as well as taking rest seriously. Running a half marathon distance for the long runs has become a norm for me now, but I still have to psyche myself up for it the day before. I have learned to respect the distance, whether it be 5 kilometres or 42, I will never take any distance for granted.

One of my sunset Long runs

I was fortunate to be able to spend the entire summer with my kids. My daughter has been an amazing help with a newborn at home with me.  She has been a blessing in every way. I am truly lucky to be her mommy.

I look forward to the next 7 weeks of training. My distances are getting longer for my long runs and the days are getting shorter. I am sad to see summer coming to and end, but ready for some gorgeous fall weather.

How was your summer?

Are you a day or night runner?

Have you learned anything about yourself from running?