Christmas Crazies

The kids are coming down with the Christmas Crazies.

Every year they are given the "Wish Book" in which they are asked to choose a select few Toys to ask Santa for. In years past there wasn't much that they were interested in. But now they want EVERYTHING. And I mean EVERYTHING.

The Boo seems especially worse this time around. Every page. Every Barbie, Disney Princess, etc. She ask if she can have it. I tell her maybe. She hears YES.

But I think I finally came up with a way to calm her gimmes down:

The Boo: Mama can I have......list off several different items.
Mama: Tell you what Boo, Santa will bring you every toy you ask for, but then there will be none left for all the other girls and boys. 
The Boo: Oh. I guess I don't need everything then!

She is a smart cookie.

Dance A Thon

Well this morning was the annual Dance A Thon for Con Man and The Boo! They dressed up in their Halloween Costumes (Belle for the Boo and Iron Man for Con).

 They did there own little dances!  It was a lot of fun.

I am sure the kids won't want to take their costumes off for the next five days!

Finding the Time

Is there anyone else out there that seems to never have time for themselves? And I don't mean in a "I need to have an afternoon to myself" kind of way.  I mean in a "can I not SHOWER" kind of way.

This morning began like most off school day mornings.

6:00am - Hubby gets up for work
6:45 - Con Man comes into our room and climbs into bed with me
7:00 - Syd Boo climbs into bed with Con Man and I
7:07 - Cam Man wakes up with his usual morning chant "MAMA MAMA MAMA"
7:45 - Eggs and Cheese Toast are served for breakfast
8:00 - Mama tries to take shower.  And is joined by three munchkins in the process.

This mornings shower time conversation was all about Halloween and whether or not Syd Boo would be going as a Princess - or as something else - which is news to Mama.

Sigh.


School days are a little better.  We walk to school, and then I take Cam Man on a Run with me, come home and put him down for his nap.  Then I can shower alone.  But I often find myself peeking out of the shower, expecting to find someone standing there smiling a goofy smile at me.


I guess at the end of the day I enjoy that time with the kidlets. And I think they do too!
 

The Muffin (Wo)Man

Do you know the Muffin (Wo)Man?

Tomorrow night Mama gets a night off from being a Mama and gets to spend the evening with some amazing ladies.  In my time at work I have met some incredibly strong and funny woman that have become very good friends.  We are all different yet the same. Even though I spend a lot of time at work with these ladies, I very rarely get to see them in "the real world". So one of them is arranging a "Twilight" night.  It should be a blast!

I agreed to bake something to bring, along with the movies.  Since I am busy all day tomorrow, I bit the bullet and made the cupcakes today while Con Man and The Boo were in school.  While Cam Man was napping I set forth to make "Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing".

If you know me well, you know I LOVE TO BAKE. Christmas is an especially awesome time of the year. So I wasn't really worried when I began.  I am not sure I will be making this recipe again though.  But there are a few things I will do differently if I decide to try again:

• Wear clothing that you would never wear in public.  Because Red Food Coloring leaves a nice permanent mark.
• Also remember to turn OFF the electric mixer.  Do not turn it UP, as that creates a red MESS all over the place
• You are not Martha Stewart, so do not attempt to ice the cupcakes like her.

I swear, they will taste better than they look, I PROMISE!

The Boo's Birthday

Not so long ago, The Hubby and I were never sure we would be able to have kids.  Now we look around and see we are blessed with THREE beautiful children.  And in less than 5 years!  We count our blessings everyday.

The Boo will be turning 4 in October.  I can hardly believe it.  Seems like just yesterday she was born, out like a champagne cork!

Hubby and I always agreed that we would never be those parents that spend a ton of money on parties and things for our kids when the time came.  Just a nice quiet party, maybe a few friends and family.

The Boo began school this fall.  And she came to us last week.

The Boo: "Mama?"
Me: "Yes Boo"
The Boo: "Can I have a party for my birthday this year?"
Me: "Of Course Boo, what would you like to do?"
The Boo: "I would like to have all my friends from school come. Please!"
Mama: "GULP"

So Hubby and I are going to be having a party at a local kids gym for The Boo, her siblings, cousins and 19 of her CLOSEST friends.  Because we can't leave anyone out.

Wish us luck.

Adventures in Halloween Costumes

Well Fall is upon us.  Thanksgiving here in Canada is right around the corner.  And then comes HALLOWEEN!

Halloween is my favorite holiday.  Even more than Christmas.  We decorate the house up and have even been known to have a Halloween party or two!  And with The Boo celebrating her birthday before and I the day after, it makes it even more festive!

This weekend the hunt was on for this year's costumes.  We had done a little research online first.  Cam Man was easy: Thomas The Tank Engine.  He is on a big Thomas kick right now.

Con Man was a little more of a challenge.  He wanted to be a Superhero.  But which one? He finally decided on Iron Man, with a Mask and all. He is going to look pretty cool.

The Boo..............

She was another story entirely.

The Boo wants to be a princess.  Ok, no problem.  She has A TON of princess dress up clothes that would suit just fine.  But of course, she doesn't want to be a PINK princess.  No.  She wants to be Belle from "Beauty and The Beast".  YELLOW Belle.  So after two stores we were finally able to find the costume she wanted.

Why do I have feelings of dread when thinking of Prom Dress shopping.............

Once More With Feeling

I was lying in bed last night thinking to myself:

"Sarah, you haven't updated your blog in so LONG".

There is always so much going on in my brain.  What bills to pay when? What will I do at the gym tomorrow? Do I have to pick up anything for the kids for school? It never really stops. 

Then I thought about it and decided that this blog would undertake a makeover of sorts. Gone are the days where I can spend hours pouring over what races I am going to be running, how much weight I want to lose or which clinic I am going to be teaching next.

I have somehow managed to become a full time Mom overnight.  Con Man and The Boo are both in school now, which brings with it a whole new aspect.  And twice a week (and alternate Fridays) its just me and the Cam Man.  So yes, I am still running and yes, I still love it.  But so much happens outside of that, and I wanted to share it with all of you!

And the adventures we have on a day to day basis!  So I decided I would use this blog as a way to help me through the joys and hurdles that I seem to encounter.  And to talk out the things that are keeping me up at night.

So I hope you will all continue to follow my adventures.  And the adventures of the family!

Wednesday

So one full week into my half marathon training and I feel ok! I have managed to fit in all my runs, and even did my long run. I really wish we could afford to buy a treadmill for our room, since we managed to clear out a lot of crap in the last few weeks! Sometimes running in the cold is sucky!

And I lost another 3.6 pounds this week and a 5% total so far! So I am aiming for my 10% and hopefully will see it sooner rather than later!

This week has another 3k, 4k, 3k and a 7k long run on Sunday morning. I am also running with my Learn to Run as well. The cold this weekend was brutal, but I think its over for the most part and we can move onto warmers days (if you feel like -5 is warm!)

So Far So Good

Apparently yesterday was the most DEPRESSING day of the entire year. Being the 1st Monday of the first full week of a new year. I wasn't particularly depressed myself, but I can see how some people would find it to be!

I have had success again at Weight Watchers. Two weeks in and I have already lost a total of 10 pounds! I am very pleased.

My Half Marathon training is about to begin, which is making me a little nervous. I have a goal and I hope to achieve it!

This past weekend was tough in our Running Room Family. A friend and colleague of ours passed away suddenly. It was a reminder to me that life really is a gift that you can't squander away or take advantage of. He lived everyday to the fullest and was an amazing person. RIP Shawn.......

HAPPY 2011

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

So after some requests (Hi Jason! Hi Connie!) I have decided to make a better effort to update my blog again! I didn't mean to stay away for so long on purpose, but last fall was an insane time around here. Colin SMASHED his Marathon PB by almost 54 minutes (!) at the Toronto Marathon! And I became the Assistant Manager at the store. Which pretty much meant I worked ALL. THE. TIME.

So now here we are! 2011. When did this happen. A few things are going on, that I think I should mention:

I started back to Weight Watchers in the new year. You can go back and read all about my past exploits with WW, but for me it was the only thing that EVER worked. And I find with the amount of exercise I am doing right now, I am better able to keep track of what I eat. The new PointsPlus system is marvelous, especially since ALL FRUIT IS 0 POINTS! Woohoo. Now I will definitely reach for that apple or banana! I am keeping my Monday Weight In, since it keeps me on track over the weekend, especially at work (HELLO STARBUCKS and South Street Burger!)

I am also teaching this rounds Learn to Run. I love teaching this clinic, but especially at this time of year. They are all so eager to Learn to Run.

My half marathon training begins January 27th. Its on the fridge, calling to me. I am so excited about this one. Its going to be a blast!

I hope everyone still enjoys reading. I promise to keep it up more often!

Run for the Cure

Yesterday was the official Goal Race for our 5K Clinic. It was the Run for a Cure in Richmond Hill. This is a fantastic run that happens at sites all across the country in Support of Women's Cancers. I ran on behalf of my late Aunt Jacquie, and good friends of my Mom who have died from Breast Cancer, Anne and Gwen.

It was freezing! I love races where its cold, except for before and after. When you aren't moving. We met the group and headed to the start line. We had a ton of support from both our store manager Bev and Newmarket and Thornhill's managers and Assistants: Jayne, Patricia and Ed. Plus our area manager Hayley was there too! It was a great time. I knew early on I wasn't going for a PB, since I raced so hard last weekend and I was very sore still.

Thank you to everyone that supported me and donated to the cause!

So I finished in 42:51 which is still under my previous PB. So I was really happy with it. Up next is the Run4Rett. I hope that I can race it tough, but time will tell.

Foto Friday

During my 5K! My first RUNNING PHOTO LOL!


The finish line! Also my first finish with others :)


Close UP Finish!

Some of hubby too! Thanks for the idea M ;P

Run for the Cure is this weekend. My foot has been bothering me all week. So its going to be an intersting race!

Scotiabank 5K Race Report

(Let me just preface this by saying this was a CRAZY day!)

We got to the race site EARLY so Colin could race his 1/2 Marathon. The Marathon Instructor from our store, Angie, came with us to cheer on her Marathoners. After using the bathroom, finding everyone and taking lots of pictures, they all lined up into their corrals. Angie and I ran down the line to catch the start. And off they went! I managed to spot Marlene at the beginning, but she was running too fast to call out ;)

Once the final racers crossed the start, Angie and I ran a few blocks west to catch a cab and get to The Prince's Gates at Exhibition Place. It is located at the 7 and 17 mark of the race, give or take a few metres. We saw everyone there and back including hubby and Marlene. She looked so STRONG!

Then it was back up to the finish. Once I saw Colin and got a good luck pep talk, and got a good luck hug from a very sweaty Marlene :) I jumped onto a bus and headed BACK down to the Prince's Gates and Exhibition Place.

For whatever reason, everyone had to be at the site an hour before the race even began. It made for a lot of standing around and waiting. And more waiting. At this point, all I could even think is "just let me run already". We ended up lining into our corrals and soon enough, away we went!

1K

The first K of this race is so tough. You loop up and away from the gates, run around the parking lot and to about 500 metres to the Gates. There are always a lot of people and not a lot of room. I was so busy running past people I didn't notice my pace.

2K

From 1 to 2k I started to feel tired and couldn't figure out why. Then I looked down at my pace and saw a 5:59. Um, that's a bit fast for me. I brought it back and took my first walk break.

3K to 4K

This part of the race is entirley under the Gardiner and on Lakeshore. I was getting a whole lot of messed up messages on my Garmin and new I was by myself for the remainder of the race.

4K to 5K

Once you turn off the Lakeshore and up on Bay it is entirely uphill. Training where I do should help me with that, but this is where I lost my Sub 40. I knew I ran out too fast and I had nothing left in the tank. At 600 metres I actually tripped and almost fell! But I caught myself and just kept running. I saw Marlene at the finish along with her hubby and some friend P and U. High fives and I kept going. I finally saw Colin about 200 metres from the finish. He kept saying "Run, you've got this". But I already knew I was going to be about a half minute short. Once I saw the finish I think I managed a smile and went through.

I collected my medal, met hubby and we headed home.

Overall I am happy with my time. But I still have a lot of work to do. If a 2:30 1/2 Marathon time is in my future, I need to speed things up.

Mission Accomplished (B)

Sarah Macdonald - 41:32.2 Gun Time (40:31.4 CHIP)
Avg. Pace: 8:19
218/446 W 30-34
1261/2868 Overall

I am VERY pleased with meeting my B Goal. A was SO CLOSE. But I now what I need to do to get my sub 40 5K!

And congrats to Hubby who got his new PR by almost 5 MINUTES! He finished his Half Marathon in 1:48:04! WOOHOO! He is primed for his Full in October.

I will post my Race Report tomorrow! But now its time to sleep!

Foto Friday's and A/B/C

Three years ago I completed my first and ONLY 1/2 Marathon at the Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon. I will be completing in the 5K this year, but I plan on tacking the 1/2 again next Fall!

And speaking of my 5K, I do have some goals for this race. And here it is:

A GOAL) Sub 40:00 minutes (a pipe dream, but hey, a goal none the less!)

B Goal) A new PR and a Sub 43:56 (which I have done in training, so I feel good about it)

C Goal) Sub 45:oo minutes.

Anything else will be VERY disappointing. See you all there on Sunday !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Three Things Thursday

1. Last night at Run Club we had our first foray into speed training. It was fun! I think I like speed and hills. This makes Week 7 almost complete. We have our longest distance so far this weekend 6.5K. Next Sunday is one of my first three races in the next month! Wow! Then its onto the 1oK Clinic. FANTASTIC
2. I said I had some news in my last post. Well, I was recently promoted at work! I am now the Assistant Manager at the Aurora Running Room! This is HUGE for me and could not have come at a better time for me and our family. So sacrifices will be made (working most weekends and a few more shifts a week) but in the long run, it will be so worth it. And I love my job. Its perfect for my lifestyle, our family and my life. I just could not be happier and I hope to make our store the BEST!
3. Speaking of races, I am seriously considering doing a 16k Trail Run on Halloween. It's the Tom Taylor Trail 10m. Its local, has a ton of great loot and the price is right. So we'll see what I decide. Plus the fact I turn 31 the next day makes it even more exciting!
   

Time Flies

Connor started school today. I cannot believe it. It seems like yesterday he was just a baby and now he's going to school? He had an amazing time, but Mommy still isn't so sure she likes this!

And my training is flying as well! Completed 6K on Sunday and then headed out to do 4K last night. Both runs went great, but I am still having a hard time finishing on the bI&*h of all hills! No race will ever finish on a hill like this, but it still pi$$es me off to see my pace drop so badly! At least I know I am going to be able to kick it once race day comes!

I also have some news.......BUT........I cannot share it right now. Soon, but not now. And no, I am not pregnant again.....that seems to be the guess that everyone has. So far from it! I should be able to let you all know by the end of the week!

Three Things Thursday

1. Tomorrow we are taking the kids to the Jays Game! Connor is SO EXCITED. It took some explaining that he wouldn't be playing, but he is still very happy. Although, he keeps asking if Thomas the Tank Engine is going to be there (!)
2. I ran 3 hills with the clinic last night. The distance wasn't that far (3.65k) but it felt good to get my running legs back. Both Colin and I have been sick, so he will also be testing his sea legs tonight. With a 35K run for Sunday, he needs to get back out there! I will "just" be running 6K, but its the farthest distance so far in the clinic. Here's hoping it goes well!
3. There has been a lot of stress here in the past few weeks, so I am hoping that running helps me to alleviate some of it. I am also working quite a bit in the next few months, which should also help. Here's hoping the fall turns out better than this summer has been............

September

So here we are: September! Wow, time flies when you're having fun.

Only four more weeks until the end of the clinic. Two races coming up and I have to say, I am not at all ready! We were on vacation last week, and between looking after three toddlers and a nasty head cold (which I still have eight days later) I managed to run ONCE. The entire time I was gone. So needless to say, tonight's hills (3) and Sunday's 6K(!) are going to be VERY tough.

But we got a nice surprise in the form of FREE baseball tickets this week, and let me tell you, the kids are going to have a blast at the Jays Game this Friday night! Thanks C!

Connor also starts school next week. Staggered starts means he doesn't have a full day until next Thursday. But he went to meet his teachers yesterday and he was SO EXCITED. And it made it all too real for Mom as well............

Three Things Thursday

1. We ran 4K last night in our 5K clinic for 34 minutes. I am faster than I used to be, but not as fast as I would like to be. My dreams of a sub 40 5K this year are slipping I think. But I am going to try my darnedest to do it. Still 4 1/2 months to go! Plus, if you look at the finish of all of these run........no race ends on hills like THESE!
2. I've been drinking a Protein Shake before every run and it really seems to be giving me the energy that I need to kick it up a notch during my runs. Its really easy to throw together and it's delicious. When it comes to running under 5K, nutrition can sometimes be a real struggle, because you really aren't sure what to eat. You can't eat too much, because you aren't burning too many calories. But if you eat too little, you aren't properly fueled and your run ends up being pretty much a giant fail!
3. I was looking at my schedule and saw that the weekend of Road2Hope (which hubby is running the Half Marathon) I will be running 13K. Well Road2Hope has a 5/10K challenge. Its only 2K more.............
   

And onto 5K Training

Hello Bloggy Friends!

Where has this past month gone! It turns out that Sydney's little sickness was much more serious and put me out onto my butt for a whole week! It was not pretty! But I got back to it and finished the Women's Only Clinic!

We have now moved into a new clinic: THE 5K! This is the second clinic I am teaching, and its a lot different from the Learn to Run. We started week one at 5 & 1's and 3K and by this week, we are already at our 10 & 1's. The distance we cover week to week is much greater (10k is the smallest distance we cover on a weekly basis). But, I have to tell you......I LOVE IT! Starting in week 6, we also add a 4th run to our clinic night, as well as our Run Club runs! So I will be running 4 times a week.

As for races I have two coming up: The Scotiabank 5K on September 26th and The CIBC Run for the Cure on October 3rd. I will be going for a Personal best at both, but I think I have my best shot at Scotia. I just need to be closer to the front of the pack than I was last year!

Then.....its onto the 10K Clinic. I cannot believe this is all happening.......Because after the 10K clinic it the GULP HALF MARATHON?

Yep.

DNS

Tomorrow I will be getting a DNS at the Rebecca Run for SMA. It isn't my first DNS, but it still doesn't make it any easier to swallow.

Our middle child, the littlest Sydboo is sick. So very sick. So Mommy will be staying home to make sure she is well looked after.

Its par for the course when you have kids. There will be other races, and my littlest baby girl needs my shoulder to rest on this weekend. So its her that I will be supporting.

Good luck to everyone that IS racing tomorrow! I hope that all that hard work pays off!

I'm here I Swear!

Things have been just so busy these past few weeks. Either I am running or working. Or running AND working!

My Women's Only clinic is in week 6 with our GOAL RACE a week away! Where does the time go? I don't know. But we are at 6 & 1's and everyone is doing good!

I had a extremely long day today and I am working again tomorrow! But I am going to post again with some more thoughts about the race and MAYBE even a goal or two. So stay tuned!

Change of Tempo

I decided early on that to maintain my base, I would continue to run two 5k runs ON TOP of the one clinic night and two run clubs I would be doing with my Women's Only Clinic. I made up my schedule, stuck it on the fridge and marked off each run as it came. Week One, check! Week Two....uh, check! Week Three....not so much.

Looking back at my runs from March/April and comparing them to my pace now, I am currently running about a minute and a half FASTER than I was ten weeks ago. So while I am not as sore, and certainly not as tired, I am running faster and harder. So I have decided that just because I can, doesn't mean I SHOULD. I have taken those two runs off my calendar for the remainder of the clinic and I will be only running with the clinic from now on. It works for me!

And since I will be teaching the next 5K CLINIC (!) I don't want to risk injury either.

Last night hubby received an email announcing that registration was open for the 2011 Mississauga Marathon and Half Marathon. I have been back and forth as to whether or not I was going to run a half in the next twelve months. I decided to go for it! So I registered for the Mississauga 1/2 Marathon for May 2011! I am so PUMPED. I will be taking the 10k clinic this fall and then falling right into the 1/2 Marathon clinic in January. I am very excited, I am very nervous and I am very happy.


Hope everyone else is having a great week!

Friday Round Up

This week seemed so slow, yet here we are at Friday again!

Week 2 has come in the Women's Only Clinic. 7 sets of 2 & 1's and the girls are doing great! There going FAST. We finish just under 2.33 in 20 minutes last night. So I have decided to create "group leaders" that will receive 30% off clinic coupons AND a pair of socks! It will help me with the front of the pack.....while I can keep an eye at the back of the pack.

I am also trying to maintain my own base by running at least twice a week on my own, but so far, that hasn't been going so well! The weather hasn't been all that cooperative (thunder on Monday and Tuesday) so I plan on going out today for a few k's with the little man! It is going to rain again today though. We need the rain, so who am I to complain!

And since the Learn to Run clinic began on March 15th, I managed to lose about 20 pounds! Yay me. Time to go shopping for some clothes for summer, because since my operation I am in DIRE need of some shorts and tops! Especially tops!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE!

Monday Bullets

• My Women's Only Clinic started on Thursday night and I have a small, but lovely group of speedy ladies :) So I suppose that's good for me right? I feel bad for them though, that they are sweeping me lol! But seriously, my slowest runner's pace is just under an 8 minute k, so I am going to have my work cut out for me!
• On top of my clinic, I decided to incorporate two more 5k runs a week just to keep my current base steady, at least at the beginning of the clinic. Once we start covering further distances in the coming weeks, I will probably drop one of those, if not both. So right now, I don't run on Tuesdays or Saturdays.
• It looks like we might be finally getting a break from this heat beginning on Wednesday. That would be nice. I am all for summer, but in SUMMER would be nice!
• Lots of friends ran this weekend in various races! Congrats to you all! Especially in the heat!
  

Three Things Thursday

1. Okay, okay. I know that, as Canadians, complaining about the weather is sport. We aren't happy if it's cold, hot, raining, snowing etc. So I do apologize if my bitching about the heat on here or on Facebook is making people hot! But, it's May. Not July. And since it is cold out west, I can only hope that means a cool down is imminent for us too! But in the meantime, I walked out the door last night to do my run, turned around and walked right back in! Brutal. I have a 'fro :)
2. I may have failed to mention, but beginning tonight, I will be teaching the Women's Only Clinic at the store for the next 10 weeks! EEK! This is traditionally a smaller clinic, so I am looking forward to it. It will be interesting to see how everyone does with their 10 sets of 1 & 1's. We all know as the instructor, I am going to smoke them LOL! Just hope I have no fast kids..........
3. If you are a regular reader, you know how busy we can get in the summer. Well, I was looking at our calendar and we are booked solid every weekend in July and August already. How did that happen? And I haven't even gotten my work schedule yet. Killer. I wish I could say once the fall hits it will let up, but you know that is a lie. Plus, Connor starts school in September. Uh, what? When did THAT happen?

It's May 27th everyone. Only 4 more days till June. Yep.

Its Gettin' Hot in Here

So take off all your clothes!

I kid, sort of!

It's hot today. Like my fellow bloggy friend and BFF says, there is an EXTREME HEAT ALERT. I say, WHAAAAAAA!

In an effort to not die when I run, I managed to sneak out and do a 5k yesterday after spending my long weekend working and SICK. Yes, sick. Apparently, I had a random temperature, but it really made me feel awful. And we had house guests so i was just no fun and really anti social. Hopefully the next long weekend won't be such a bomb!

Back to the run: the early morning departure made no matter. It was hot, and I could feel it. May first K was almost 11 minutes, but I did manage to pick it up and finish the five at JUST under 50 minutes, which felt good. I wanted to go out tonight, but, it is so hot. I might die. I probably will..........because I am a running addict now. Who knew?

High Five Friday

Marlene tagged me today on "High Five Friday". I now have to spout off SEVEN random facts about myself. So here we go:

1. I have an irrational fear of being in enclosed places over and around water. So driving over bridges or through tunnels while I am in a car, being on boats etc. If you believe in past lives, maybe I died in a submarine accident!
2. I wanted to be a journalist when I was in high school and I even went to college to do so. But alas, a journalist I am not.
3. I am not a huge fan of Peanut Butter. Unlike some of my friends and family, I have actually had my peanut and other nut butters EXPIRE before I could eat them.....and yes, they do expire lol ;)
4. My husband and I are high school sweethearts. So, as of August 25th of this year, we will have been together for 15 years!
5. As of now, I only plan on running one marathon before my 35th birthday. I have three in mind: San Francisco, Chicago and New York. And I am hoping a certain someone will run it with me!
6. I love hockey and I am a huge Toronto Maple Leafs Fan! Go Leafs Go! I do, on occasion cheer for other Canadian teams (Go Habs Go).
7. I do not know what my true hair color is (but really, what woman really does?).

Have a GREAT LONG WEEKEND EVERYONE!

Three Things Thursday

1. I have managed to get out two more times since my race this week. Both 5k! I feel pretty good too. With the month coming to an end and work ramping up, I will be running home from work a few times, otherwise I won't be fitting running in at all in the next 18 days! This is also sort of a grey area when it comes to running. It is in between plans, so hopefully I can keep it up before my next training schedule kicks in next Thursday
2. I think I may have failed to mention that in the next round of clinics I will be teaching! YES, I will be teaching the Women's Only Clinic starting next Thursday. It is the Learn to Run program, but it id taught by a female instructor (me) and only has female participants. I will also be training using the 5k program as well. So lots of running will be had in the next few months! Phew!
3. Our celebration dinner is tonight! Yay Carbs :)
   

Hazel 5k Race Report

Saturday morning started out very badly. We got some bad news about someone and I spent most of the day in emergency. I was back and forth about whether or not I would even race on Saturday. But at the very last minute and with no time to spare, we managed to pull it together and get me to the start line of the Hazel 5k.

As I lined up to the start, I hoped that maybe the sun would peak out. But it did not, and we began under cloudy skies. Because it had been such an emotionally exhausting day for me, my only goal was to complete my sets of 10 & 1's, run my own race, and cross the finish line. Upright and smiling.

1k- The 1k sign came up fast. It is a flat course, but I seemed to be moving along pretty well. This wasn't the largest 5k race I have participated in (Scotia blew that out of the water) but it seemed the hardest to get out of that back pack. I tried to make sure I didn't go too far in front, not wanting to make the faster runners dodge around me! I had a woman that had obviously signed up on a whim (she was wearing jeans) who kept running past me and then stopping in front of me and walking. I knew I wouldn't be able to race the whole race like that, so when I saw the 2k Sign coming up, I picked up my pace and left her in my dust!

2k to 4k - nothing spectacular. I held on to my 10 & 1's, managed to keep my pace and I felt pretty good. It was cold, but it was humid. I had managed to not drink enough water during the day, and it was starting to show. But as I saw the 4k marker, I knew we were almost there.

4k to Finish - you could HEAR the finish line at about 3.5k because of the wind carrying the sound which was torture. But I picked up the pace and came into the shoot. Near the end, I managed to see Colin and the kids and gave them a high five. Then through to the finish.

Gun Time: 45:50.7
Chip Time: 44:29.9
Pace: 8:53
Category: F30-34
Category Place: 110/116
Gender Place: 753-834

I hit my B Goal! I was so pleased!

Race Day Thoughts - I want to run a sub 40 5k this year. I may even tweek my training to include a 5k at the end of the year instead of a 10k. We'll see.

My hip also held up. It felt pretty sore yesterday, but not sore enough to keep me off the road for tonight! Look out!