Tale of the Trail and V for Veg

I am a terrible blogger as of late...we are moving out of our house in 10 days, moving into my sister's house for 7 weeks and then moving into our new house in early September. My son has finished school and my daugher is entering the "I'm 4 years old and I can anything!" phase. Summer and its crazy schedule is upon us and time is just slipping away from me!

That said, I have two topics for today.. The first is my debut to trail running - I LOVED it! it was fantastic and I will absolutely do it again. I was very nervous about things like the etiquette during the narrows and how to maneuver through uneven terrin and as it turns out - these were reasonable things to be nervous about! However, it was great and I STRONGLY recommend to any runners - particularly if you are feeling a little blah about your running. The event has a real "ECO" vibe to it, right down to the earth friendly music at the finish! As expected, my friend totally kicked my butt but hats off to her - she is a short distance machine. She loved it as much as I did so we will do another.

Secondly, I am going to add a cooking and nutrition element to the blog so I need some help! I need some good examples of fruits and vegetables that are maybe not exactly mainstream. Everyone is familiar with the standard things we see but I want to open up the mind a little and find some that are less popular. I want to set up my articles from A-Z so try to think alphabetically with your ideas! Lastly, I want to find ways to use these fruits and veggies in a family friendly way so if you have any tips/recipes/ideas or links that you can suggest, pass it along in the comments on in my email - runmommy@rogers.com

Thanks

p.s. For anyone that follows it - Dementieva is beating Serena Williams in Wimbledon right now.. not by much but it is shocking nonetheless. Match Point for Dementieva---oops back to Deuce..

Best Friends and Opponents

This weekend will be a first for me..my first trail run! I am really excited but very nervous! I am not sure why because the distance is short but the idea of all those hills and different terrain have me a bit spooked. Also, being a Canadian, we could only get out on trails in May because it was either frozen or sludge until then. Not to mention, I don't like to go out to the trails by myself so I have to ensure I have a partner with me. This can be challanging when most of my running partners are also Mom's with crazy parent schedules. As a result, I have only done 2 trail runs and the race is this Saturday!

Here is my other problem and it is NOT a reasonable one. I often run with one of my best friends. Our children are both the exact same age and sex and we see and/or speak to each other nearly every day. Even our names are only different by the placement of the "E". She was a great short distance runner in her youth and as an adult she is still very active in hockey, lacrosse etc.. She and I are running this event together and she is PUMPED. However, she normally cuts runs off at 10km. While training for my marathon, she would often meet me on my second loop so to give me a push but she was not going more than 10k.

I am definately the stronger long distance runner and have far more mileage in a week but I can say with certainty that she will KICK MY BUTT in this race. She is super fast on the short distance. This has me a little bummed out! Do you think that is strange? What is even more strange is why would I even want to be so competative with my closest friend? Is that a woman thing or just a human being thing? It is even more strange that we are hardly Olympic competitors in our 20's. Does anyone else think that once you have a mortgage, two children and exceed the age of 35, we should be a bit more forgiving to ourselves and our fellow competitors?

One of my favourite things about running is the racing environment. I am addicted to the energy people give off and I can honestly say that I am fine with total strangers running me down but it stresses me when it is my best friend. I feel the same way when I am play soccer and tennis. I don't lose any sleep when a team of stranges mows us over but last week I played against a friends team and felt compelled to kick (forgive the pun) it up a notch. Playing tennis with my brother in law is probably the best workout I can get because I refuse to give an inch.

I think I need a little therapy!

Laptops, Sippy Cups and Running Shoes

So is the woes of a working mother. Don't get me wrong, I love my job. I spend all day encouraging Corporate Canada to support their employees in improving their lives, their health and their overall wellness. In this trying economic times, the message is louder than ever.

However, there are days.....for example, Friday of last week I started the day like any other with one MAJOR execption. I like to run in the mornings - it gets the job done, I get a nice jump start to the day and frankly, my evenings are often absorbed by so many other things. However, on this day, I just didn't. No reason really, I just took the children to day care, came back to change into running clothes and go. I was a little concerned about time as I had my first meeting at 9:00 which meant a short run and a quick shower but I had done it before. This particular morning, I just wasn't feeling it and instead, I read the paper (online of course!) and drank a tea and got myself ready at a nice leisurely pace. - I should have known not to mess with the order of things as I discovered throughout the day.

Off I go to my meeting, smugly enjoying my change in schedule and thinking about some article I had read in the paper. When I drove around a corner toward my meeting, my bag fell off my seat and its contents went flying out. Although a pain, it is usually not a problem but this time, a wayward sippy cup was in my bag from the weekend. Of course the lid had come loose and now the contents of the sippy cup were all over the place - including my wallet, my Blackberry, my expense cheque that I had not yet desposited....When I say contents, I actually mean GRAPE juice. Excellent. I allow myself a few cursory statements not suitable for family reading and carrying on thinking about how I was going to pitch out all the sippy cups and therefore end the ongoing battle with my four year that she is WAY too old for them. There, now I felt better.

I arrive at my meeting where I am scheduled to speak to a large group of community nurses about our new partnership with their employer. The room in which I was presenting was large and what was probably at one time a cafeteria. I get myself set up and pull out all my materials. Then I pull out my laptop for the presentation slide show and begin to source an electrical outlet. Now, under normal circumstances, it is faily likely that an outlet is a no brainer. But keep in mind this was a cafeteria and the set up of the room is not exactly "standard". With no outlet to be found, I think - no problem. The laptop has a battery right? Of course I had forgotten that on Thursday, I had sat in a coffee shop between my meetings where there was no outlet and I had used up most of the battery life. Now I am standing in front of 200+ employees eager to learn of the wonderful changes their employer is embarking on and my presentation will probably only last about 10 minutes on the charge I have. And so it continues...

End of the day arrives and I pick up my children, go home, make dinner, chat with the hubby and put kids to bed. I spell out the mishaps of my day and he says, "maybe you should have run this morning after all?". After thinking about this, I decide perhaps he was right. Now after 8:00pm, I change my clothes, put on my running shoes and head out the door. I am determined to correct the universe! I start up the hill that we live on (I won't miss that when we move) and get to the top - about to the turn the corner when I trip over a ledge on the sidewalk. Not only to a trip but my foot goes off the sidewalk and into the mud to the side. When I say mud, I acually mean, swamp that has been freshly filled by the rain in recent days. My foot, up to the ankle, is buried in indescribable sludge and when I pull out my foot, I see that my shoe is not even visable.

I turn around and call it day. :)

Run Like a Family

This weekend was quite an internal debate. I was registered for the 1/2 marathon in Ottawa and I was quite excited about it! I have been training pretty hard to increase my speed and I really wanted to have a good result. I also planned on spending the weekend (Ottawa is 4 hours away) with my cousin and aunt and it was going to be a lot of fun.

Then, there was a problem. In the past few weeks, I have travelled for work, my husband always travels. Our house is in chaos as we undertake the daunting task of packing it and moving to new house in the summer. Our 6 year old son has had a few minor issues at school with attention span and following instructions which often parallels my husbands travel schedule. Our 4 year old daughter has had a terrible flare up of her arthritis - all of which has resulted in a less than mellow environment in our little family of four.

On Thursday when my aunt called to confirm details for the weekend, I found myself not wanting to go. This was a surprise to me because I was really looking forward but in that moment, I just wanted some peace and order. I felt terribly guilty as I was only planning on brining my daughter with me. I thought my son would enjoy a little private time with Daddy for the weekend. However, as I was talking through the plans with my cousin, my son asked if he and Daddy could come too. When I asked him why he looked at me like I might be crazy and said, "Shouldn't we all go together?".

It occured to me then that my weekend would be far better served just hanging out as a family. We had a yard sale Saturday morning and raised several hundred dollars for The Arthritis Society. Last night we hung out with friends and their kids, this morning we all went to play soccer and then this afternoon we went for a bike/run/rollerblade on trails along Lake Ontario. Now my children are in bed and out cold by 8:15 after a busy weekend where we were all together. That is a great feeling!

I may not have done the event but I think I made the right choice. I often tell myself that the benefit of my running on my children is tremendous. They see what it is to be active and competative. They get the "bug" to challenge themselves and they feel good that their Mom runs, plays soccer, plays tennis. They also get a Mom who is more relaxed, in strong physcial condition and gets her healing in running shoes instead of prescription bottles. However, I often forget (or chose to overlook) the disadvantages they have. Sometimes on a Sunday morning, they just want to hang out with me on the couch or go for a walk. They don't want to wait for me to head out for 2 hours. When they come to see me run, they are really only excited for the final 10 minutes and could care less if I run 5k or 25k. I may have to remind myself more often that children are just children. Then it may be easier to catch their cues when they pass them on.

I'm Back! With a Twist....

Hi everyone!

Well, after just a few weeks away from the blog..I am back! But it is a little different this time. I have been talking to Amy from the Runners Lounge about a concept for their website that has me very excited! As nearly all of my blog buddies know, I have two small children, work full time outside of the home, have a busy husband and so on. I really enjoy reading all the great posts about the successes people have and the truely remarkable speeds, acheivements, mileage - very astounding! Having completed one marathon and several 1/2 marathons, I have yet to achieve my time goal so my hats go off for all those that do! I realized not that long ago that if I really wanted to do it all, there were some things that had to be removed from my life. As a result, I decided to break from my blog even though I knew I would miss it.

That said, I have come to realize that I really need this outlet for much more than just for running. I love reading the posts and embrace the feedback from others. Getting to know the bloggers has really been an inspiration! However, I need to channel my energy into the world I know best soooo....... I have decided to work with the Runners Lounge on something very exciting!

We thought that there was a great opportunity to create a new outlet on the Runners Lounge for a very special kind of runner - MOMS! With Mother's Day just behind us, I realized that running for Mom's is much more than just for exercise. Lots of Mom's start running after babies are born to lose the weight but discover a much better reward. Maybe you were a runner before you were a Mom or maybe not. Maybe you ran during pregnancy, or maybe you run with your kids now. Maybe you run to get a break from your kids or maybe you run to be a better mom. No matter how you got there - we want to hear from you!

Before we launch this great project - we want to know what you are looking for. What interests you as a Mom runner? What would you want to see? Are there topics out there that you think are not addressed enough? What do you think is missing? I have a TON of great things that I would love to write about but it is only interesting if people are getting what they are looking for! Maybe you are looking for a great network to start running groups for moms or maybe you want to start a team?? So many great things can be done but we are hoping you can help figure out what to do first!

One of the first questions we need to answer - we need a name for our group! I would love to have a great catchy name that says WE ARE MOMS AND WE RUN. Ideally it is just a few words and is not too cheesy. What do you think? Surely there is a Mom out there much more creative than me who has some great name for a bunch of crazy women who parent and run! It would also be great to have our own logo or design that was easy to recognize!

I know this is not going to be as interesting for the male bloggers or all those great running women out there who are not mom's but I plan to still read all your blogs as much as I can. I am very excited about working with the Runners Lounge on this project because I can really expand on what I know best as a runner - being a Mom who runs!

Thanks for all your input and please pass along this message to any other Mom's out there that you think might have some thoughts, advice, ideas - just about anything will do. You can comment on this post or even better - send me an email at runmommy@rogers.com. I can't wait to get all your replies and watch for us on the Runners Lounge!

WINNERS!

Hello all!

Thank-you so much for all the participants in our virtual event - Reese's Run (4 for 4 on the 24th). Marci and I were very happy with the outcome and could not have been more excited to hear all the updates and reports! I have some winners! Send me an email at runmommy@rogers.com with your details and either Marci or I will make sure you get your prize. Congratulations!

$100 Running Shoes from Online Shoes - Sara (Rookie on the Run)

Book - Explosive Running - Aron (Runners Rambles)

Book - Pfitz - Kristen G.

Restaurant Gift Card - Lori D. and Shannon W.

Marci and I really enjoyed putting this together and we hope you enjoyed it too. Personally, I cannot express enough how much the support of our event, the kind words my husband and I have received and the wonderful posts we have read have meant to us. As a parent, the first instict when receiving bad news is to worry about every last thing that could go wrong. You want to fix it and you want to take on the pain and suffering yourself. By doing what we do and by finding ways to give meaning to it, my husband and I feel a little less helpless. Our daughter is one of millions that suffer with JRA and "grown-up" arthritis. Please know that your contribution is much bigger than just this event....it is definately much bigger.

Thank-you again to all the bloggers out there as I will miss posting about my ongoing rambles and reading all of yours. I could not have done my first marathon without this support and I wish you all the very best. I am sure I will peek in on everyone from time to time and hope to bump into at least a few in each event I go to!

Good luck and keep those laces tied :)

Run Mommy (Christy)

Reese's Run The Grand Finale!

Hello all!

I am afraid this has been a CRAZY month and my blogging has really fallen aside. I miss reading all the posts and talking to others about running, parenting etc.. I continue to be amazed by all the accomplishments that people have acheived!

In my running world, I am planning to run the Ottawa Marathon in May, my first trail run in June and the Goodlife Toronto Marathon in October. Of course Marci and I plan to participate with the Joints in Motion late this year! I remain focused on the 1/2 marathon but will likely consider the full marathon for the JIM event. I was asked to participate in an event at my son's school to talk to the kids about running which was a great experience. I am still addicted to my Garmin although I may need to take a class in it. :)

On that note, I wanted to remind everyone of Reese's Run this Friday! Marci and I are very excited and we have lots of great prizes such as a pair of running shoes from Online Shoes, gift certificates for restaurants, books etc.. I have already received a few emails from people who have already done their 4 miles or 4km or whatever they chose to do. I am overjoyed by the response so far so I hope all you will participate! As an update, Reese is my 3 year old daughter and she suffers from Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. Her treatments are ongoing and her prognosis is unknown but we have found a way make ourselves feel like we are doing SOMETHING to improve her life. Marci has been generous enough come on board to support the Arthritis Society as well and we are very excited about it!

Click on the banner below (or click here) to be linked to the donation page for the Arthritis Society. Then after your event, send an email to me or Marci (I am runmommy@rogers.com) and hopefully you will be a winner!

On Monday, we will post the winners! On that note, Monday will be my last post on the blog. I have enjoyed this process quite a bit and I will miss reading about all of you and posting my thoughts. However, life is busy, busy, busy and occassionally we have to prioritize!

Marci and I appreciate all of the support everyone has given so far to Reese's Run and good luck!

Christy