Things that are working/Things that aren’t

I’m back baby!!

In the past 2 weeks I have gotten into a bit of a training groove. It hasn’t been all rosy 100% of the time- it is a process- I’m taking it day by day- but I’m happy to report that I had a “4 runs” week and then a “3 runs” week and I started out this week with 10k yesterday and a swim this morning. Giddy up!

Things that are working;

1. Prioritizing. Which means- go for a run and leave the dishes if the kids are at daycare and school and/or the ol’man is in a good mood and will “babysit” (whatever?!) It also mean realizing I am FAR more efficient after I exercise- I have, in the last 2 weeks been back to a running schedule AND gotten back on my feet with a course I am taking. Coincidence? I think not.

2. Run every other day. My knee/IT band does not like to be called into action 2 days in a row.  Cross training will be key and something I will have to push myself to do.

3. Do not panic if I cannot shower after a run. Getting the run in is priority- there are ways to freshen up without a shower, and with my schedule there are some times where I cannot do both. Big deal. But please feel free to let me know if I stink. Really.

4. I have just re-discovered the joy of on-line grocery shopping (SPUD.CA) As the working and running Mum of 6 I gotta say I love it! If you are interested in trying it use the code CRVAN-HOLSHC and each of us will get a $25 discount. They even have a huge recipe section where they show you the recipe and you can put the ingredients right into your cart for checkout. Pricewise they show you comparisons with major grocery chains and they are they same and/or slightly lower than the competitors AND if you have a standing order you get 5% off AND 20% off many bulk orders.

5. Signing up for a race gives me the motivation to get my butt out and running. I knew that about myself- so what took me so long?

What’s not working;

1. Need to stretch more need to stretch more need to stretch more…

2. Strengthening exercises… do them!!!!

3. Drink water- seems like a no brainer- but uh, apparently I have a HUGE brain.

All in all- things are looking up- Mamalegato is running and all’s well… until the kids get home and I haven’t done the dishes ’cause I was running.

Come hell or high water…

I’m doing it. I’m gonna run come hell or high water- my post last week where I ran (pardon the pun) down every (quite valid really) reason I can’t be running right now just didn’t sit right. Instead of making me feel “better” or “relieved” or “off the hook”  I was just depressed about it. Running became so important to me- and not just running willy-nilly -half -assed- mamby-pamby  but TRAINING just felt so great, as hard as it was, and I want to be doing it, no, I NEED to be doing it, so I must find a way, and I will.

I ran this morning, despite having piles and piles of work to do, I just went out for a 5K and it was glorious and when I walked in the door I walked straight over to the computer and registered for the Historic Half Marathon in Fort Langley on February 21 2010. (Thanks to njb for the nudge!) Done. I needed that. It’s a tiny step and I need to recognize that this is totally the honeymoon phase, that initial excitement upon registering for the race. Next month when it snows and I’m in the thick of holiday mayhem I just might be whining a tiny bit. But for now I’ll enjoy the “I’m going to run a race” high.

Run-iversary

I miss running. I miss running a lot. Lately as I been driving like a crazy woman to work and back, picking up and dropping off children, I will pass places that I used to run when I was training for the marathon. It is the “far away” places that get to me the most. I see them and I can remember how I was feeling. Pacific Spirit Park across form #’s 1 and 2’s school, The MacD’s in Kerrisdale that became a regular bathroom stop on long runs, the intersection of West 33rd and Granville…crossing Granville always made me feel like I was truly doing a long run.

I am too busy to run right now. I usually make an argument about this, knowing that I must always give myself that push to just make time- but I have less than no time… I’m fighting to stay a float here. Just a sampling of what is going on; I’m working 2 days (plus 1 short morning) a week, I am WAY behind in this for-credit university course that I am taking and trying desperately to catch up, we are full on in reno-hell here . Our downstairs is unusable, everything is jammed into the upstairs, there is dust and debris everywhere with a constant parade of trade guys coming through the house, and the ol’man goes to work and then comes home to work on the house which means that I have to do all the extra-curricular activities on my own, these include for this week 9 hockey times (games and practices) 2 piano lessons, 1 choir rehearsal, 1 1st Communion class, 1 Confirmation Class and 2 dance classes. I have not gone to bed before Midnight and I have gotten out of bed at 5:30 everyday. And then there’s the homework, (mine and their’s )and lunches and cooking for 8 people everyday. Oh yeah, and I’m taking the boys to U2 tonight and I have tickets to see David Sedaris Sunday. STOP THE MADNESS!!

I am really not complaining per say, it is more like I am trying to let myself off the hook for not getting out there to pound the pavement, because I do, for whatever reason feel a tad “guilty” for not running.

 

But mostly I just miss it. My body misses it. I just don’t feel right.

October 31st marks the anniversary of my Marathon journey. I cannot believe it was a year ago that I started this whole thing. In the back of my head I have a plan that would see me, on Nov 1st, starting it all over again. That is what I would like to do, I would however also like a nap. We’ll play it by ear.

Time keeps on ticking…

I don’t have time to be doing this… I don’t have time to be doing anything really, or that’s what it feels like- Have you ever been so busy that you don’t even know where to start, you kind of feel frozen? I guess that’s called being overwhelmed, I am overwhelmed at the moment.

I won’t even go into all the gory details- but just wanted to share something that I found inspiring.

It’s about Annabel Lyon a writer from BC who is winning many awards for her book The Golden Mean (which I haven’t had time to read. LOL!)

“Lyon wrote and researched The Golden Mean over eight years, through two pregnancies, her UBC teaching job, and her childrens’ infancy and toddlerhood. You don’t have to be a parent to recognize that as a feat of great discipline.

“If I sat down to write 100 words, I’d write 100 words. I wouldn’t let myself get psyched out that I don’t have hours to work. I would tell myself, ‘well, I have 15 minutes while the children are napping, and I’m going to go write one sentence.’”

See the whole article here

What inspired me was her approach to her art/work of writing and balancing that with Motherhood.

That’s where I want to be.

I’m sure I could get there, if I just had the time.

Je suis ici!

I am here.

Life is CR-azy.

2 runs in the past 2 weeks.

New job, new kids schedules…

I am determined I will run again, VERY soon.

I cannot wait for things to settle down, but rather, must figure out how to work within this chaos. Because really, when is my life ever NOT chaotic?

Still thinking about a marathon in the Spring.

You’ll hear all about it.

Heigh Ho Heigh Ho…

I’ve been away for awhile, we went on our very fun trip to Tofino (saw whales, a bear an eagle, lots of sea lions, surfed, boogie boarded, evening fire on the beach… did it all!) and when I returned I had 1 week to prepare for a job interview.

Not just any job interview, but pretty close to my dream job interview.

Not just any job interview but pretty much my only job interview in the past 10+ years- and before that, it wasn’t job interviews, it was auditions, similar, but not the same thing.

I have to say I felt as best prepared as I could be, I went in to it wanting to have fun and I did. I tried really hard to focus not so much on wanting the job so bad, (it would just be so perfect and great pay and good hours and, and…) and tell myself that I was probably a long shot because, well, I’m pretty sure I am a long shot, but that doesn’t make me want it any less.

I should hear within the next couple of days and I gotta say the waiting is brutally stressful. This job would change my life dramatically and while I do feel I’m totally up for the challenge, the sooner I know my life is about to change the quicker I have to prepare for the change. And I like planning.

I’m very ready to jump into work. I love been a stay home Mum and I have been pretty much doing it for almost 17 years give or take a few years when I was working in spurts- I do worry how I would make the transition to working outside the home or rather, I worry more about how the rest of the family will adjust n to me working away from the home- but I really feel a need to do it. And frankly raising 6 kids, in the city is proving to be very very tricky on one salary.

And so I wait, and in the meantime I am trying to figure out how to be totally on my game the next time a similar job posting comes up. So far I know it involves getting out there and working in my field but I think it also involves me getting a graduate degree- somehow, someway. As the Mum of 6 kids I totally acknowledge that this will be tricky,but, and I know I have probably mentioned this before, I am kind of a “where there’s a will there’s a way- kind of gal” and I am, at the moment anyway, feeling kind of pumped, so we’ll just have to see how far this “will” can take me.

Baby steps

Did I mention that I am finding it hard to stick to any kind of programme?  There many things to “blame” it on (the heat, the kids being home for summer vacation, my “iffy” knee)  but mostly I am staying calm about the whole thing and trying to find that balance between taking the summer for what’s it worth (I’ve got 6 kids home for summer vacation fer cryin’ out loud!) and giving myself that little nudge that I need to get out there and push myself just a little farther.

I am happy to report that I have run 4 times since last Saturday- Saturday was 8 K on my own and the last 3 runs have been with the ladies in the evening in the 5 to 6.5 k range, and I must say I am very grateful for the motivation they have provided me with for getting out there- I think all 3 evenings, it is quite possible that I may have talked myself out of going out after the little ones bedtime, but knowing someone is waiting for you makes ALL the difference. I love my solo runs and wouldn’t trade them- they are my therapy,  the ONLY time I am ever alone but I was really and truly in need of some company out there and am thrilled to have found it.

So, all in all, the slump is lifting, slowly but surely, and I am taking baby steps, baby steps forward and that’s all that matters at the moment! I would like to somehow slip in that strength training I have been talking about- it seems simple enough- I basically have the equipment I need to do what I need to do but somehow- in the big jumble that is my life, I fall into bed and think “Doh! I forgot to do my exercises!” So that is THIS baby’s next step!

Feelin’ Hot Hot Hot!

My “haven’t run in 3 days” excuse de jour? It’s just too darn hot!! It seems we’re breaking records in the temperature department here in balmy Vancouver… 33.8 Celsius!  and while I don’t have too big a problem with it myself I find the kids to be particularly cranky, and of course the last 2 nights have been a disaster in terms of children and sleeping. And so, I’m cutting myself some slack AGAIN! And when I say cutting myself some slack I mean that I am cutting myself slack in pretty much every aspect of my life! I haven’t run, read, cleaned and today I’m adding cooked to that list as I am ordering pizza. The Ol’Man is out on a boat with some work buddies and #1 has gone out for the evening with friends so I’ve decided that take out is in order… you know you have a big family when you’ll realise there will only be 6 people home for dinner so what’s the point in cooking and you might as well order out!!

The only thing that I have found myself able to garner much enthusiasm about is our decision to book a family get away… we’ve hummed and hawed about the whole thing for  several weeks now thinking that camping was out of the question as there is a ban on campfires in BC because of the weather (because what is camping without the fire?!) and then we were seriously considering me taking the 2 older boys away to get some 1 0n 2 time…  (Vegas perhaps?) and then after much discussion we decided that we could all use several days away from the city and this house, so we are going to Tofino which I am very very excited about. The last time we went was when #1 and #2 were 2 yrs and just a few months old respectively and I have been talking about going back ever since- so we’re biting the bullet, whipping out the ol’ plastique and going for it. Can we afford it? Not really. But we need to get away in a big way and I believe there will be something for everyone there. The older boys are already talking about surfing and the little ones are hoping to see a whale. And the best part? I was able to book a big honkin’ SUV that we can all (the WHOLE family) ride in comfortably… on airmiles. How sweet is that?

And did I mention the Back To School package arrived from the big boy’s school today?

So now I figure I have a little something to motivate myself- something to look forward to, so I should be able to hunker down for the next 2 weeks and train, clean, read, clean, cook and generally organize my life  knowing there will be this 4 day block of fun coming up…

As long as the weather cooperates… and we all know the weather is a little unpredictable non?