Seeing as most of you that read this are close friends and family, by now I would imagine you know that Lexie and I both finished the Ottawa Marathon. Much like when it comes to writing this blog, Lexie blew me out of the water. Her time was UNREAL for a first timer (3:48:17). So if you see her, tell her she is a running adonis. I, on the other hand, decided to go the way of the The Penguin and chose to get more bang for buck and spent a little more time on the course (4:16:09). We both were super happy with the results and the media reports are correct, some tears were shed at the finish line.
A by-product of all that awesomeness has been extreme hunger, some pain, and the worst one of all, extreme exhaustion. So this post is just a quick check in to let you know we did, it was awesome, and we are tired. The recap is on the way. In the meantime, here is a song dedicated to Lexie for killing it on Sunday.
Ottawa Marathon week is here, which also means (unfortunately) that taper week is in full swing. Sticking with our training plan we started to slowly cutting our mileage 2 weeks ago. We were still running 5 times a week but our daily mileage was less then our peak weeks leading up to taper. This was somewhat tolerable. But this week...Oh this week...Four miles (family run style, with the stroller) on Monday and that is it until our 3 mile shakeout on Saturday morning. That's. it. So here's the lowdown on the good, the bad, and the ugly of two tapering (hopeful) marathoners.
The Good
Sleeping in. With midweek runs of 10+ miles I was hauling it out of bed around 5am, usually (accidentally and completely unintentionally disrupting Leigh's sleep). With midweek runs of 0 miles I get to sleep in until the boys get up, and Leigh gets to sleep in until he needs to get up for work.
Getting to sleep in means we can watch Flashpoint on Netflix for longer...Every evening. How did we miss this show when it was on TV??
Carbo loading starts officially tomorrow. This is where we get to fill our muscles with as much glycogen (sugar) as they can handle. We are aiming in essence to fill our tanks to the brim. This means we get to indulge in all sorts of yummy things. Leigh is at physio right now, and has promised me a carbo loading kick off surprise when he gets home.
The Bad
I miss my daily hit of endorphins. I am an addict, I need my runner's high.
I miss the mind clearing, mental relaxation, solo thinking time I get from a morning run. Entertaining 2 wild animals preschool aged boys all day seems much more challenging when my day doesn't start with a run.
My muscles and joints feel tighter then normal, and every ache and pain I feel is a catastrophic injury that will negatively impact my race, throwing months of hard fought training down the drain.
I feel fat.
When I see people out running I feel jealous, horribly, awfully jealous.
The Ugly
I am doubting my training. How am I supposed to run 26.2 miles when I am not running anything right now, won't my body forget what to do, won't I get weak, and tired, and my muscles will shrivel up and whither away...
Every time I pass the fridge I stop to look wistfully at my training plan, all those runs, all those miles...Sigh.
I am not sleeping well. Between race dreams where I inevitably have forgotten something, or get lost, or the course has turned into an obstacle style race, and more sleep/less activity, I just can't sleep.
So there you have it, a look into the warped and frantic mind of a (not yet) marathoner. Can't wait until Friday at 2pm when we hit the road and head to Ottawa.
Sorry for the lack of posts recently, we have been enjoying the sunshine and family time. We did our last run of the training plan as a family yesterday and are really excited because IT'S MARATHON WEEK! More on that tomorrow.
We have been after our sister-in-law since we started the blog to throw down a guest post, and she finally obliged. She will in all likelihood become a regular on here, we just haven't told her that yet. Without further adieu....
Last Fall I signed my daughter up for a 100-metre kids’ race
at a local park. She ran alongside her cousin, Lucas (they ran holding hands).
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There were other races taking place that morning (1 mile,
5K, and 10K.). When the kids completed their race I strolled on the grass with
my husband TJ, Lexie, Leigh, and our gaggle of children, making our way to the
playground, when a woman caught my eye. She was running the 5K race. There was
nothing extraordinary about her; she must have been a few years older than me,
her dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail, head bent in focus and
determination. My mind went completely quiet as she ran past me, and then a
single thought came: I wonder if I could do that.
If you know me, you may know that I
suffered with severe childhood asthma, allergies, and have never, NEVER done
anything that could be called an ‘intense’ form of exercise in my life. This
thought of running – of ME running – was crazy enough to be considered cause
for alarm.
And yet here I am, several months later, running and LOVING
it. I have learned a lot on my running journey so far. These are a few lessons
that have been important to me:
1. Hard work pays off
I shocked myself (again) by actually following through on my
plan to try running. I followed the Couch-to-5K plan
created by Jeff Galloway, which involves running for short intervals followed
by walk breaks. Over the course of nine weeks the length of the running intervals
increases until you can eventually run 5K by the program’s end. I started by
running for only one minute at a time. By week 6, I decided to see how far I
could run (before feeling worn out), and discovered I could do the entire 5K. I
had to do a lot of strength training (and a lot more running) until I could run
without feeling weak, but I am amazed at how quickly the heart and lungs can be
conditioned.
Throughout my life I have struggled with either over- or
under-estimating the value of my own efforts. Running is an activity that has
allowed me to see the benefits of my work very quickly. Setting a goal and
working towards it, slowly but surely, one minute at a time, helped me learn
that diligence will produce results. The lesson I struggled to learn with my
mind I have had to learn through my body.
2. The power of
vulnerability
When I first contemplated running, I can remember asking
myself, “Do I really want start an activity in which I will get injured?” (Injury is practically inevitable due to the
repetitive nature of running). Surprisingly (yet again) I decided to go for it
anyway, to open myself up to an experience that would simultaneously offer joy
and accomplishment as well as pain and suffering. Running has offered me a way
to discover my own strength and to experience struggle – both of which are
necessary to live bravely and confidently. (A little overdue, but hey, it’s
coming….).
For more on this topic, watch this awesome TED talk:
3. Mental toughness
It takes a lot of mental grit to run. The mind, just like
the body, needs to be up for the challenge. As I worked through Couch-to-5K, I
was surprised to find that I was talking myself through runs: You can do it.You’re almost there. More surprising is the amount of trash talk
that comes out of my brain when tackling a big hill or a time goal. Most
surprising of all was when once during a run my mind started to spew out portions
of a Jack Donaghy soliloquy from an episode of 30 Rock to keep me going. I never know what my brain will come up
with, but it somehow knows how to get me to hang in there.
I am excited
to be running, to be getting stronger, to see how fast and how far I can
go. I am so glad I decided to take on
this physical (and mental) challenge; it has been one of the most thrilling,
strenuous, empowering experiences of my life.
In May of 2008 when I was pregnant with Lucas we drove to New Brunswick to visit my cousins. Not just cousins, but my best friends for my whole life cousins. They moved out east when they finished university and I have missed them desperately ever since.
5 years and 6 kids later...
Our visit happened to coincide with Blue Nose Marathon Weekend. Amanda and my Uncle were running the 10K that year, so we roadtripped to Halifax for the weekend. We watched the race and cheered them on, and while I LOVED the race atmosphere, I know I uttered the words "running is just not my idea of fun". Ha.
The girls are a year and a half older then me, and growing up I always wanted to be like them, even when their hair and fashion choices were somewhat questionable. So naturally I guess I followed suit with running. They planted the seed, and boy has it grown.
Amanda and Ashley GOOD LUCK with your races tomorrow. We wish we could be there to cheer you on, or even better to be running with you. We love you and miss you xox
My how things have changed. Here's some shots from today's Mother's Day festivities...
I bought Leigh a tent for our anniversary, getting geared up for some good summer camping trips. Naturally we set it up in the house to play for awhile (and watch Toy Story 2). Watching a movie in a tent in the living room is fun!
It has been an amazing, exciting, crazy, happy, joyful 6 years. We are more in love with our little family then we ever imagined. That said? In a race, I would drop you like a bad habit ;)
I am so very grateful to have been blessed with my Mom. I am grateful for her commitment to her family, for the way she has always made us as her children the very most important people on the planet. Through this she gave us self esteem, she taught us of our worth and value.
I am grateful for her example in so many ways. I am grateful for all the times she played with us, and didn't stand back and watch, for the childhood memories of her being in the Etobicoke Creek with us catching cray fish and getting dirty, and tired, and happy outside all summer. I am grateful that when I came home from school, whether it was a good day or a bad day, she was there, and she knew if it was a good day or a bad day without asking. I am grateful that I had a Mom who cared enough about me to say no sometimes, now I understand why. I am grateful for a mom who showed up, who showed up not only for the big things, but showed up for the "daily details of life." I am grateful for a mom who was just there, mentally, physically, emotionally she was and is always there, because that's what it takes to be a mom. I watched her, and I carry with me all that I have learned from her, we have an eternal bond, she taught me how to be a mom.
I also can't express to Lesley Mum how grateful I am for how you love the boys. We became mothers together and I feel so intertwined with you on this journey. Thank-you for being there for me as a friend and sister, and thank-you for being Mum to the boys. that means so much beyond just Cooper's name for you. I am honoured to love your girls and to be a part of their lives.
Leigh and I met over 13 years ago when we were high school students working at McDonald's. Our siblings and many of our cousins were also McDonald's employees at one time or another, some are still McDonald's employees. One of my uncles works at the head office, and one is a franchisee on the East coast. I guess you could say that it is in our blood...Hopefully just not in the artery blocking sort of way.
Today is McHappy Day. Also known as Blow Off Dinner And Take The Kids For A Happy Meal Day. $1 from every Happy Meal, Big Mac, and hot McCafe beverage will be donated to Ronald McDonald Houses and other children's charities across Canada.
Ronald McDonald Houses are facilities located near hospitals that provide housing, education, and a variety of other programs to support families of children being treated for serious illnesses at those hospitals. When your child is facing a serious illness and your whole world is shattered RMH steps in to assist in keeping families close and connected. It gives them a haven away from the hospital, while keeping them close to their child. We are so blessed that we (and our parents) live so (relatively) close to the best paediatric cardiac facility in the world, we can only imagine how much more difficult our journey with Cooper would have been if we had to travel great distances to receive the care he needed.
You could do like I do and order your Big Mac with no meat, with tomato, and extra pickles (I promise you that you won't miss the meat), and throw in a side salad instead of fries. It's not health food, but you knock down the fat and calories a bit and still get to participate in the McHappy Day fun.
