The Mom Squad

Yesterday morning I had the usual Tuesday morning 5.00 am run lined up . I have now aptly called this group the Mom Squad for we all have kids. There is another member of the group which I will remain nameless who has abandoned the group in favour of doing hill training in the evening instead.  I don't see the allure of doing killer hills after a full day of work but hey each to their own, right?  If this nameless member wasn't running Boston in April I would be a little bit more offended but I understand, a little :-).   I am sure she will be back with us post Boston but we might need to put her through some initiation first.

Anyways the work out stats are as follows:

Warm-up: 2.5k

Speed work: 1k - 5:01/km; 1k - 4:58/km; 1k - 5:03/km; 1k - 5:02/km

Cool down: 1.6k

Total approx: 9k

It was a little icy/slick on many parts of the route so although I can say I gave it my all this morning, I know that there was some conservatism within (for fear of slipping) which probably affected us a little bit.

When I got back home I started to feel a huge lump part way done my throat that kept on contracting and releasing. I have experienced this same sensation when I eat honey which I have a known allergy to and thus stay away from. It is a very painful sensation when the contraction occurs and with this incident I know I hadn't eaten any honey pre-run. I did have an English muffin with jam which I don't normally do but I would never have thought that this could bring on an allergic reaction.  I have been reading a lot about wheat lately and how it can bring on exercise induced anaphlaxis shock which I guess is what happened or some variation of.  After a dose of kids Benadryl (first thing I found) and a Reactine it subsided within an hour to the point I didn't need any follow-on care and just became an annoying sensation for a few hours post.  Phew!  Well if I ever needed an incentive to get off wheat/gluten this is it. I must admit that I did have gluten throughout the day with no further affects but then I didn't exercise at such the same intensity either. With a lot of things it is a combination of factors that lead to the given event so now I know.  

So with a disaster averted, I shed my running gear and prepared for a day of skiing with my youngest daughter.  Something I haven't done in over 12 years and then 7 years prior to that and it would be her first time skiing.  Where 2011 was a year of simplifying, 2012 is a year of trying new things, doing things differently and really expanding my experiences. Part of the line up for this year includes.... indoor BMX biking, indoor rock climbing, trail running and maybe a race or two, some more skiing, and other activities still to be determined. I am looking forward to this lineup and what else might get added to the list. Here is to hoping that my stellar record of 0 injuries holds.

More to follow on the skiing experience....

Starting Back

It has probably been close to a year since I have last posted and I am determined to start tracking my activities here on in for personal accountability and also it will give me a vehicle to go back and recount many accomplishments and achievements that I am hoping to realize this year.


Last year was supposed to be a year of simplifying my life and in the end I think I did a pretty good job in living up to this goal. A lot of learning took place and there are a few things I am still struggling with, such as not being disciplined on the eating front.  So over the next few weeks I intend to lay out my plan for 2012.


Let's start with today....Last night I vowed to get up early this morning and go to a 6.00 am Functional Strength and Conditioning class. First, this is pretty new for me to incorporate anything but running into my regime. I bought a 10 pack pass for these classes through a Groupon special and I am loving these classes. The class routine pretty much has you go through a circuit each time focusing on different muscle groups.  Today, the focus was on the upper body and then we did 15 minutes of hard core spinning.  I absolutely love these work outs and would love to continue once my 10 class pass is used up but this place is charging $180 for a months membership and I believe there is a $85 new member fee. They are not willing to budge on this so I am determined to either find another gym that offers something similar at a fraction of the cost or create a routine at home that I am going to do. 


Last night I also had my husband to take before photos, front, back and side. Oh they were awful and motivating at the same time. I don't have the courage to post them, maybe once I accomplish my 'weight' goal.  I totally appreciate that weight should not be the complete metric to abide by when trying to lose weight but it will serve as one of the indicators of my success. Ideally I would like to lose 16 pounds.


My husband and I are going to New Orleans to run the Rock 'n Roll half marathon on March 4th which is 6 weeks less a day away. I would be happy if I could lose one pound a week and beyond elated if I could lose 8-9 pounds by then. So the challenge is on!


A good friend forwarded me this link yesterday and if anyone is faced with any type of challenge, whether it be physical, emotion, financial, this video will certainly give you some great inspiration.  The whole concept of living beyond limits resonates strongly with me given my daughter's severe disabilities and the impact it has had on the family.  I can honestly say that we are living beyond limits, it is possible and these limits without question continue to morph and evolve so there will never be an end point. However, hearing and seeing stories like this one only adds fuel to the fire of living life to its fullest with whatever cards you are dealt.


http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_purdy_living_beyond_limits.html#.TxwDiNhgJvE.email


Juliana

TGIF

Last night I was supposed to do Yasso's with the group but I am still fighting off a cold and didn't have the energy to expend on them, so I headed out with the group on their warm up portion and left them to do their Yasso's while I headed back.  I only did 6k but in the end I think that was the smart decision.

Distance: 6k
Pace: 6:07/km
HR Avg: 145 bpm

It is interesting to note that my Heart Rate was up despite the easy pace so it does show me that I needed to back off last night.

Last night both girls slept straight through the night which is a a rarity in our household. We probably could count the number of times this happens in a given month on one hand. Usually it is little L crying in the night because of growing pains or nightmares or needing a drink or just needing her mom. The funny thing is I don't feel any more rested this morning and still have a lingering sore throat to contend with. At least I don't have a full blown cold to contend with like my husband does, so I should be grateful.

My husband just got a message from the school asking to speak with us concerning their ability to get R. on and off the bus.  She is considered mobile and can walk up the three steps on the bus, and often does so with great excitement, but doesn't have the coordination to walk down steps. At home we often have to carry her down the stairs which at the moment is still doable but she is getting heavier, 52 pounds to be exact, and she does not provide any support/assistance in the process. Well the school is finally finding it too difficult I guess and have asked if she could come in a wheelchair.  She does have a wheelchair and it actually stays at the school for they put her in it upon coming off the bus and bringing her back to the class because they have to bring a few students back to the class and R's legs don't always cooperate, plus I think her pace might be too slow at times for them. She is not to use the wheelchair during her classtime other than to use it as a seat for we want her to use her legs at every opportunity she can get. Anyways, even if we were okay to use the wheelchair to transport her, she goes to daycare for the afternoon and they are not wheelchair accessible and would not be able to lift the chair down 4 stairs or store it anywhere during the afternoon, so it is not an option.

Since the bus R. is on also supports wheelchairs, I don't understand why they don't use the electronic lift that is on the back to either lower Reilly to the ground so they don't have to lift her out or bring her wheelchair up on the bus and then put her in it and then lower it down.   Duh?   It makes me feel that even though she is mobile it would be 'easier' on everyone if she comes in a wheelchair and stays in a wheelchair until she leaves for the day.

I am told that the aids are not supposed to lift a child above 50 pounds so maybe the alternate solution we should explore is put R. on a diet to lose 2 pounds. LOL. I really should weigh her again for the past couple of weeks she hasn't eaten as much as she normally has so maybe she is back to 50 pounds and then I can let them know she is still within limits. Crazy. 

I know every family has their challenges but sometimes it is these little things that really wear you down or highlight the insanity of our world. In the same breath though I know things could be worse and need to keep reminding myself of that.

March comes to a close

It has been over 2 months since my last post and I have created a lot of blog posts during this time but unfortunately they were all in my head and never made it to the screen. I envy those who can keep a regular blog site for it is a wonderful way to share so many great thoughts and achievements that often serve as an incredible source of motivation. I have come to terms though that it might not be in the cards for me, given my schedule and demands, but here I write. So who knows....

I will start small today and see where it goes from there.

I ran Around the Bay 30k on Sunday and had an amazing race. Hopefully I can elaborate on this at a later point. For the record books though I came in at 2:48:14 and felt great at the finish line. 

Yesterday I joined the Running Room (RR) for a nice easy run and kept to this goal:

Time: 1:13:42
Distance: 12.09
Pace: 6:06/km
HR Avg: 137 bmp (something I am starting to track)

Total Distance for March: 190.56km

April Goals:

1. Run 210 km total mileage
2. Lose 3 pounds
3. Upload and analyze Quicken data for March
4. Spring Clean the following rooms:
           i)  Downstairs bathroom
          ii)  Upstairs bathroom
          iii) R's Room
          iv) Garage

Can you imagine?

Talk about a frustrating finish, in my opinion the race organizers should have done a better job in transitioning the vehicles off the route in the last few meters of the race, check it out for yourself http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/Video-Japanese-runner-makes-wrong-turn-in-Tokyo?urn=oly-303945