I’m officially the worst blogger ever. Wasn’t the whole point to the running/blogging journey to chronicle my efforts in attempt to one day publish the whole story? If I keep this up, there won’t be any story to publish!
I blame work. My friend Michelle and I have talked about this at length. When you’re a professional writer (particularly in the trade magazine business, where we both work), by the end of a long day, you’re far too burnt out to write anymore. I’ve spent the last few weeks writing copy for my first issue of a 12-page newsletter (on the ever-exciting topic of warehousing), and starting the copy for my first issue of a manufacturing magazine. By the end of the day, the last thing I want to do is write!
And yet, paradoxically, it’s the very thing that makes me not want to write that will one day (hopefully) get my book published. By having real writing credentials (however lame they may be), I’m ever-so-slightly more likely to get a publisher or agent to talk to me.
Ooops… this blog entry is on hold while I go deal with a screaming toddler.
Now I’m back. Chris decided to get himself tangled up in his toy car in the basement. And, like his dad, when Chris gets hurt, he gets very, very mad. Both kids are quiet now, as is their dad, who’s working on his computer right now.
But back to the purpose of the blog… how’s the running going? September has been a very strange, in-between sort of month. I’m not training for anything specific, as my 10K clinic doesn’t start until October. Our schedules have been completely up in the air, as Andrew adjusts to JK, Chris adjusts to pre-school, and I adjust to having them in daycare. It’s all starting to work itself out, but it’s also highlighted where I need to make changes.
Let’s start with the running. Technically, I guess the running is going far better than anything else. With the kids in daycare and the crazy drop-off times, most weeks it seems like all I can do is run! I’ve been running anywhere from 4 to 5 times a week, about 5K per run.
I do need to get back on a specific training schedule to increase the length of my runs, but I figure that will come with the clinic. For the next week and a half before the clinic starts, I’ll just keep steady. You’re supposed to start the 10K training with a good base of 5K training, and I really think I’m there.
But there are two other areas of fitness that need some changing. The first is the gym. It looks like it’s time to switch gyms. While I really like running, I also love spinning, and doing muscle classes, and just generally cross-training. And my gym is fantastic, and I had a blast all summer getting to know some women who went there. Andrew got to know their kids in the gym’s daycare, and we all had fun. (We even went to a birthday part for one of the kids!)
The problem is our new schedule. Andrew is in school Monday, Wednesday, and every other Friday. Chris is in school Tuesday and Thursday. And with drop off-times of either 9:10 or 9:00, I simply can’t make it across town to a 9:15 or even 9:30 class. The gym is just too far away. I find I’m roaring into the classes incredibly late, and it’s disruptive to the class, it’s hard on me, and I’m stressed whenever I get to the gym. Sooner or later, I’m going to end up with a speeding ticket or getting into an accident on my way to the gym. And I don’t want that to happen.
That means we’re on the hunt for a new gym after all. Now that the kids have settled down, I think we might be going to look at the YMCA after all. My friends who go there say it’s fantastic, and the kids can do their swimming lessons there. Mike can also get into shape there, which is helpful! We may go have a look today.
Finally, there’s one other tiny issue that’s cropping up these days. I may have my very first injury! (And no, I’m not as happy about that as I sound) I recently started seeing a new chiropractor. For 7 years, I had seen the same chiropractor and the same massage therapist. Together, they helped with my neck and shoulder pain (basically caused by poor posture – when you’re 5’11” at 13, you’re bound to have posture issues!) and were great.
Last spring, my chiropractor had a baby and basically closed her practice. My massage therapist moved away to Waterloo. I decided to see if I really did need their help, or was I just being crazy.
I really needed the help. By this fall, I was a mess. So I found a new chiropractor, at a clinic that also offers massage therapy. The new chiropractor is very thorough, and has been working to adjust my hips – something the old chiropractor never did. But in putting my hips “right,” my body can’t seem to adjust and I’ve pulled my inner thigh muscle. It’s an area that’s never bothered me before, but boy is it bothering me now.
It’s actually not stopping the exercise though. It hurts when I move the muscle, particularly after sitting for a while. But it doesn’t hurt as much when I run, and I can’t even feel it at all when spinning. So the chiropractor’s advice is to keep doing what I’m doing, and she is trying to work it out. (Unbeknownst to her, I’m also taking anti-inflammatories, and I think that’s what’s really doing the trick.) But it is an area to watch in the future.
So what’s on the schedule for the next few weeks? I’m leaving tomorrow morning to go to Houston for work, where I will evidently be insanely busy for a few days. It’s a boring trade show, and it appears a thousand PR people want nothing more than to be my best friend so I’ll write something about their sensor (or other “fantastic” product.) The hotel where I’m staying is supposed to have a gym, so hopefully I will get to do a run or two on the treadmill while I’m away. It’s certainly better than nothing!
When I get back, it will be Thanksgiving weekend (and our wedding anniversary, and Chris’ birthday….) and I will soon start the 10K clinic. So I’ll just keep holding it steady until the 10K training begins.
Happy trails…
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
The 31K and other assorted tales
Where do I begin this update? First of all, I realize I haven’t written about my training since I ran my 5K at the end of August – and it’s already almost mid-September. I knew September, with all its changes, was going to be hectic. What I didn’t realize was just how hectic it would be.
Even exercise has taken a bit of a backseat these past few weeks as our family struggles to adjust to a whole new world. Andrew, who’s 4 ½, is starting Junior Kindergarten. Chris, who is almost 2, is starting pre-school. They have started three days a week at a new daycare. I’m lucky that the daycare is run by two fantastic moms from our pre-school, so at least the boys have friends and know their caregivers. But it’s been hard on two boys who have been home with mom practically forever. (Including a trip to the doctor on Andrew’s first day for what appeared to be a panic attack.) And even harder on their mom, who’s used to caring for them herself.
What else about mom? Well, mom finds she may have bitten off more than she can chew at the moment. Going back to editing a bi-monthly magazine. A newsletter contract for a new industry she’s never written about. Taking over as president of the pre-school. Finishing up a few other writing assignments. Wrangling with clients over late payments. Trying to get the house organized. Trying to stay sane.
But this blog is supposed to be about running, not me whining about being busy! Let’s face it: everyone is busy these days. I don’t know too many people who aren’t juggling a thousand things. The real question is, how’s the running going?
The honest answer is, it’s going, but not as much as before. Since I’m not specifically training, I haven’t been getting out as much as I’d like (or to the gym as much as I’d like). Right now I’m looking on any training as a victory. I managed to get out for a short 3K jaunt this morning after dropping the kids off in various places, and I might actually get to the gym in time for spinning tomorrow! I think in a few weeks, I’ll have it all figured out.
I also decided to stick with my existing gym for a little while longer. While we debated joining the Y as a family, I feel like it’s just too many changes and too much to pile on to an already overloaded schedule. We may decide to join in January, or even later, but for now, why mess with something that’s working?
The good news is that I signed up for the 10K clinic at the Running Room! It starts on October 10th (my little niece’s first birthday!), and goes until December. This way, I can figure out what works with the new schedule, and get my trip to Houston (for work – my first time traveling on business in five years!) out of the way before that starts. It’s also after Thanksgiving weekend, which will be busy at it happens to include my sixth wedding anniversary and Chris’ second birthday. I’m really looking forward to the clinic, and I know it’s just my next step of running a marathon.
Which brings me to one more thing… the 31K Walk for Grace. Last Sunday, I embarked on a 31K walk through Bronte Creek to raise money for pediatric brain tumour research at Sick Kids. The event was in honour of Grace Stanley, a little girl who passed away last year from this dreadful disease. (I know I’ve written about this before, but it bears repeating.) The 31 kilometers represented each month of Grace’s all-too brief life on earth.
My heart aches constantly for Grace’s mother and father, having to live the rest of their lives without their little girl. I don’t know how they feel – I can’t even begin to fathom the depths of their grief. I’m wracked with a sympathy for them that I can’t possibly express. All I can do is try to help them honour their daughter and raise funds for this cause – and hope that no other family has to go through what they have gone through.
So I walked. With two other people I had just met that morning, I walked for a total of six hours in the pouring rain. And those of us who participated in the event (which also had a 5K and 1K walk) raised more than $20,000 for Grace’s fund! It was physically demanding, but, as one of my walking partners put it, walking 31 kilometers is nothing compared to the 31 months that Grace lived. (She fought the cancer for almost half of her life, being diagnosed with a brain tumour at 15 months.)
When I got home (after a hot bath), I stumbled down the stairs to the couch. I then hugged my babies so tight, and told them a little about what I had done at the walk. I told them I walked not only for Grace and all the other kids at the hospital, but I walked for them too. I walked to ensure the phenomenal doctors at Sick Kids have the funds they need to continue their life-saving research.
And for now, that’s about it. I’m still piled with work, and I’m in the process of trying to re-organize my office and deal with the mounds of paper that’s collected over the summer. I’m surrounded by piles as I write this, so I guess it’s time to get back to work. Tomorrow, I’m off to the gym for a spinning class, and then will run on both Friday and Saturday. What will next week’s training bring? Well, that’s another story…
Happy trails…
Even exercise has taken a bit of a backseat these past few weeks as our family struggles to adjust to a whole new world. Andrew, who’s 4 ½, is starting Junior Kindergarten. Chris, who is almost 2, is starting pre-school. They have started three days a week at a new daycare. I’m lucky that the daycare is run by two fantastic moms from our pre-school, so at least the boys have friends and know their caregivers. But it’s been hard on two boys who have been home with mom practically forever. (Including a trip to the doctor on Andrew’s first day for what appeared to be a panic attack.) And even harder on their mom, who’s used to caring for them herself.
What else about mom? Well, mom finds she may have bitten off more than she can chew at the moment. Going back to editing a bi-monthly magazine. A newsletter contract for a new industry she’s never written about. Taking over as president of the pre-school. Finishing up a few other writing assignments. Wrangling with clients over late payments. Trying to get the house organized. Trying to stay sane.
But this blog is supposed to be about running, not me whining about being busy! Let’s face it: everyone is busy these days. I don’t know too many people who aren’t juggling a thousand things. The real question is, how’s the running going?
The honest answer is, it’s going, but not as much as before. Since I’m not specifically training, I haven’t been getting out as much as I’d like (or to the gym as much as I’d like). Right now I’m looking on any training as a victory. I managed to get out for a short 3K jaunt this morning after dropping the kids off in various places, and I might actually get to the gym in time for spinning tomorrow! I think in a few weeks, I’ll have it all figured out.
I also decided to stick with my existing gym for a little while longer. While we debated joining the Y as a family, I feel like it’s just too many changes and too much to pile on to an already overloaded schedule. We may decide to join in January, or even later, but for now, why mess with something that’s working?
The good news is that I signed up for the 10K clinic at the Running Room! It starts on October 10th (my little niece’s first birthday!), and goes until December. This way, I can figure out what works with the new schedule, and get my trip to Houston (for work – my first time traveling on business in five years!) out of the way before that starts. It’s also after Thanksgiving weekend, which will be busy at it happens to include my sixth wedding anniversary and Chris’ second birthday. I’m really looking forward to the clinic, and I know it’s just my next step of running a marathon.
Which brings me to one more thing… the 31K Walk for Grace. Last Sunday, I embarked on a 31K walk through Bronte Creek to raise money for pediatric brain tumour research at Sick Kids. The event was in honour of Grace Stanley, a little girl who passed away last year from this dreadful disease. (I know I’ve written about this before, but it bears repeating.) The 31 kilometers represented each month of Grace’s all-too brief life on earth.
My heart aches constantly for Grace’s mother and father, having to live the rest of their lives without their little girl. I don’t know how they feel – I can’t even begin to fathom the depths of their grief. I’m wracked with a sympathy for them that I can’t possibly express. All I can do is try to help them honour their daughter and raise funds for this cause – and hope that no other family has to go through what they have gone through.
So I walked. With two other people I had just met that morning, I walked for a total of six hours in the pouring rain. And those of us who participated in the event (which also had a 5K and 1K walk) raised more than $20,000 for Grace’s fund! It was physically demanding, but, as one of my walking partners put it, walking 31 kilometers is nothing compared to the 31 months that Grace lived. (She fought the cancer for almost half of her life, being diagnosed with a brain tumour at 15 months.)
When I got home (after a hot bath), I stumbled down the stairs to the couch. I then hugged my babies so tight, and told them a little about what I had done at the walk. I told them I walked not only for Grace and all the other kids at the hospital, but I walked for them too. I walked to ensure the phenomenal doctors at Sick Kids have the funds they need to continue their life-saving research.
And for now, that’s about it. I’m still piled with work, and I’m in the process of trying to re-organize my office and deal with the mounds of paper that’s collected over the summer. I’m surrounded by piles as I write this, so I guess it’s time to get back to work. Tomorrow, I’m off to the gym for a spinning class, and then will run on both Friday and Saturday. What will next week’s training bring? Well, that’s another story…
Happy trails…
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