Coffee, Tea or Me

The holidays are quickly approaching and the year is coming to a close. 2013 has been a wonderful year for my family and I. We are currently in Hong Kong on a family vacation and will be spending Christmas and New Years here.

I was bitten by the travel bug many years ago when my parents took my brother and I to Hong Kong to visit my family. At the time, most of my relatives were still living in Hong Kong.It was the first time I met my grandparents and many aunts and uncles. I remember being in awe of the stewardesses and of being in an airplane so large. The flight was a dream come true except getting sick during a stop in Narita. When I got home from that trip, I remembered that I wanted to go back and ride an airplane again. My parents have a framed picture that I drew for a cover page for a class with the jobs we wanted when we grew up and the three professions I drew were 1.Nurse 2. Teacher 3. Stewardess. I laughed when my parents showed this to me as I had completely forgotten about this assignment.

I had not intended on joining the airlines, it kind of found me. It has been great and has allowed my family and I to travel the world.

I knew that when I had a family, it wouldn't stop me from traveling. I felt like a hypocrite if I didn't travel with my kids. I work in the travel industry.... how could I leave them at home? I would see people do it all the time and knew that I would do the same. I must say that it is a lot more work with kids but it's worth every bit.

We started traveling with our first child when she was 3 months old and haven't stopped. We have been fortunate to take our kids to many different places. My wish is that they will grow up to appreciate all that they have and appreciate the diversity of the world.

Merry Christmas to you all.

Do you travel with your kids?

What are your tips?

My Running Funk - Off Season

It's been almost 2 months since I ran my marathon and I feel like I've been in running limbo. At first, I had the pain in my foot that I thought may have been a stress fracture, which I still need to get checked out and then I returned back to work after a year off. I'm not sure what has caused this funk. I guess I will just have to run it out.

15 degrees in December = Happy Running Mommy

Going back to work has been fun but it has also put a kink in my running. I had spent the past 5 months running religiously with a plan that my coach had given me and eating quite healthy to fuel me on all my runs. I have a wonderful job as a flight attendant which allows me to travel the world. I try to fly mostly international routes as it allows me to spend more time at home with my kids. But being on the road means that I am in all sorts of different time zones and eating all sorts of junk. I try to pack some healthy meals when I'm flying, but is tough when most hotels do not have fridges or means for me to cook my meals. I have gotten quite creative with the coffee pots and iron. I am a huge foodie and love to try new foods wherever my travels will take me. Being at home while I was training was great because I didn't have the temptations that I have every time I am on a layover.

Needless to say, I have spent the last 2 months getting adjusted to my old life, but with the new addition to our family and the heavier work load at home. I am fortunate that most of the places I go have gyms, if not running routes close to the hotel. I have been thinking about the running year ahead and training plans.

I am currently blogging from Hong Kong at 4 am local time. It is one of my favourite cities. This city is like the Asian New York, there is always something going on and it seems like the city never sleeps. It is bright, loud and jam packed with people. The hotel that I am currently staying at has a 24 hour gym which allows me to run whenever I want... BONUS!!! Did I mention that I have terrible insomnia when I'm flying. I guess you could call it jet lag, but I'm never in a city long enough to adjust, so I try to stay on "home" time. Like I had said earlier, I'm getting back into not sleeping in my bed and living out of a suitcase for days at a time. 

This is what I do at 1am in Hong Kong when I can't sleep

I have been trying to keep up my mileage but seem quite unmotivated. I will consider this my off season and enjoy the time off to let me body rest up before I amp up the training for the 2014 season.

Do you have an off season?

Any suggestions to get out of my running funk?