Goodbye 2011...

Me & Thing 1 (pls ignore laundry)

Despite having to work Christmas day, we had a really nice Christmas. In fact, as many of my friends & family lamented this unfortunate occurrence, let's be honest. I knew what I was getting into when I chose this career & really, at least I'm not one of the folks in the hospital beds! Now THAT'S a sucky Christmas so your Nurse shouldn't be grumpy about working....so making hard lemonade out of lemons, we partly resurrected my partial French-Canadian roots & broke out the Tourtiere, Nanaimo bars & other snacky delights & let everyone open 1 present Christmas Eve.....yup, a Kinect for the Xbox ought to keep those boys busy until I get off work at 3:30pm Christmas day!  Can I just say that I have stacked up HBBC points this week by bustin' a move in Just Dance 3 ;-D (and it's a good thing that it is in the basement where no one can see that spectacle from any windows....clearly you do not have to be a 'good' dancer to win this thing...LOL!)

Christmas eve eve

My Christmas came early when my bestest, oldest friend from High School found herself at the last minute within a couple hours of our house visiting her husbands family.  We had them over & it was so, so, so much fun reconnecting with an evening of good conversation, wine & laughter!

Santa did not forget we are a family of runner's & some great running gear was found under the tree along with these AWESOME socks SD gave me.  Took them for an inaugural run yesterday & I have to say that these are going to be my go-to race socks for 2012!!!!

A quick roundup of 2011 by the numbers:

Most embarrassing one's SD could find!

Races run: 6
2 10k's
1 5 k
1 marathon
1 half marathon
1 sprint Tri

Miles run: 1218.3 ... More than double last years mileage
Average pace: 11:07.....23 seconds faster than 2010
Fastest race pace:
short race 8:37(pie & glove 5k)
long race: 9:34 (Red Baron half marathon)
Age group places: 1 (2nd in the Addison racefest 10k...no one was more surprised than me!)

This sweet shirt has a zipper pocket in the side lining! LOVE!

Happy New Year from the unexpected runner family who is ringing out the year with some awesome hockey: USA v. Canada world junior hockey.....guess who's winning ;-)

Final 2011 run

HBBC:
In addition to running, 12 points for bootie shaking, golf playing, ski racing & general uncoordinated joyful xbox kinect fun!

Stay tuned for 2012 news......

Happy New Year! Canada wins!

2011: Year in Review

Best Race Experience? Crossing the finish line of my first ever MARATHON! It was cold.  It was wet. I was SO SO happy!

Wineglass Marathon 4:53:23

Best Run? A tie between the Red Baron Half Marathon where I went sub-10 the whole way & the Pie & Glove 5K because I ran sub-9's which I have NEVER done. Plus I got to run with my family. It was the first time I'd been able to sustain those kind of paces over those distances.

Pie & Glove 5K: Our 1st full family run!

Best Piece of New Gear? Big G: During the summer I joined the Garmin generation & began obsessively tracking the stats from each run!

Big G capturing my 1st 20 miler!

Best piece of running advice you have received? One of you told me when I was freaking out right before the marathon to not worry about the time.  You only get to run your first marathon once, so just go out there & enjoy every moment.  Best. Advice. Ever. 

My kids call this my lunatic picture...it is poring, I am soaked, I still have 17 more miles to go ....I am HAPPY!

Most inspirational Runner? My neighbour Sheila who is an awesome runner & always so encouraging.

She was at the finish line & cheering for me!

If you could sum up your year in a couple words what would they be? Unbelievable joy :)

Thank you ALL for your wonderful support this year! You have lifted me up when I needed it!

Have a very Merry Christmas & a safe & Happy New Year!

Happy Running!

Jingle Bell Hell 2011

Last month, when I didn't really have anything going on I signed up for XLMIC's Jingle Bell Hell. It seemed like a good idea at the time. A good excuse to do that hill workout I have spent, well, my whole running career avoiding! It seemed like a good idea until I realized I had run up all those hills I am very careful about planning to go down only. Really. ALL THE TIME. I don't believe I have ever done hills on purpose. Ha! Well, I want to keep loving the run, don't I??????

Yesterday was a write off. By the time we got home from Thing 1's meet in Ithaca yesterday, I was stuffed full of yummy Thai food & I barely had time to slog through 6 miles feeling slightly nauseous the whole time. So this morning was my time. Got up, looked outside....great, sparkly frost everywhere....23F....super great...Thing1 up early (WTH????) as I'm lacing up my shoes says "You're going to be home in time to drive me to Friend P's house, right?"  Oh, of course...wouldn't forget that.  Ok, a deadline.  Super great.  Me: Hey Thing 1, you do hill workouts, where to you guys run? Thing 1: Well, we run up West Hill Road. Me: Oh, yeah, (mentally picturing the road), how long it that? Thing 1: Well, I think it's about 11 miles. But it's only 5 1/2 to the top. Me: 11 miles?!?!? Of hills?!?!?  I think I have my own route planned.  And out I go.

It was hard.  Seriously.  Hills are the devils work.  I'm pretty sure, right away as I head to the bottom of my subdivision that no good can come from this.  But ok, here we go....all the way to the top of the main road, & back down.  Then back up the other side, where the hill I have trouble walking up lives. Half mile up, half mile down...repeat.

Then it's out of the neighbourhood & up to the plant where SD works.  1 mile up, 1 mile down.  There's 2 entrances.  I did the 'easy' one once & the hard one twice.  I almost coughed up a lung.  I should interject here that I brought Chomps with me.  Had them lying around & grabbed them when I realized in my haste to get out the door, all I'd had was a cup of coffee.  Let me tell you, I might as well have brought jolly ranchers, they were so frozen when I got one out.  It gets better, as I'm trying not to choke on a big chomp as I plod down the a hill trying to re-oxygenate my body, my brain starts wandering in the direction of 'buccal absorption' & how I'm going to be ok, because sucking on it will allow rapid absorption & effect....and THAT is when I realize I laughed out loud at myself because I'm basically adapting hospice drug administration protocol to the energy needs of my run! I've officially gone around the bend!

Home just in the nick of time to drive Thing 1 & get Thing2 to the pool to practise. Swim season starts in January & our pool only allows kids on fridays & sundays, so it was in the water for me too! A JBH bonus ;-s......1000 yards! 

Happy Running!

Tagged!!!

Carleton Raven OWIAA Champs 1990 (that's me front row left)

I was tagged a while ago by Jose@And so it burns to pass on 7 random things about me.  I'm game, so here it goes:

1. In university, back in the day, I tried out for the waterpolo team on a dare by my best friend's (insert nasty word here) boyfriend who thought he'd make the team & I wouldn't.  He got cut & I played varsity waterpolo & won the provincial title 3/4 years.  After graduation, I didn't get in the pool again for years!
2. I met my husband because of this rash decision, because one of my best waterpolo buddies introduced me to him when he was home from school one time.
3. I like everything from Black Sabbath to Katie Perry, but 80's music is my favourite. Really, how could you not like George Michael????? ;-D
4. I used to HATE running. Like really, really hate it. 
5. Being a mother is the hardest job I've ever had.  
6. I could spend all day in the cheese section of Wegman's....I love that place....seriously.
7. I would much rather spend my free time running or with my family, so I am drowning in paper clutter in my house.

So here are my tags:
Coy @ First in Philly
Nelly on the Run
Abbi @ Higher Miles
Bobbi @ Zero to 26.2
Nikki @ Slow is the new fast
Christina @ Just running
Penny @ Pink Hat Runner

In other news, Thing 1 WON his 2 mile race at the Ithaca Invite today!!!!! He has never won a race, & was only seeded 7th going into it, but he won & did it in spectacular fashion! I am SO SO proud of him!!!!!!

So happy to have his crazy mother hugging him & taking pictures!

An alternate universe?????

If life were perfect & I had a NORMAL job (who wants that!?!?!? ;)) what I did today wouldn't be so unusual. Grab your seats folks...I ran BEFORE work. Yup, that's right folks....5K before work. I even saw the moon! I have proof! Lol! I know so very many of you slog yourselves out of bed in the wee hours of the morning, but I do not. Not ever. You see, I have to be in report at 7am & I live almost an hour away. When you work 12 hour shifts, that is pretty much your whole day. You are a better person than I if you can fit in a run too. But today I taught ATCN (a trauma course) & didn't have to be in til 9. I tell ya, I was sorely tempted to stay in bed, but the lure of even a short run was too much. Even at -9C I was grinning like a fool in the dawn light. I don't think I'll be making a habit of it, but I took true joy in being able to say yes when one of my students asked me if I had run before work today. Ya. Sure did. That's right, I rock ;-D

A Bootie Busting Weekend...

I logged some good miles this weekend. Nothing exciting or crazy but some solid, just-out-to-enjoy-it miles that fit in with my weekend plans. (I love that logyourrun has a 'just for fun' option to classify your run!) Saturday I got in 10k in between doing some household chores that we'd been putting off for a while. My husband is awesome in many ways but being Mr. Handyman is not one of them. We've had a loose bannister for a while now but resolved to finally do something about it before one of our parents breaks a hip trying to use it. The trouble was that we really had very little clue about how to tackle this chore. Photos taken on iPhone & off to Home Depot where the lumber guy gave us very explicit instructions on what to do. It took a while & we ran into a few problems, but you should see that sucker....it is SOLID! SD said he's not doing that again. If it breaks, we may have to move! LOL!

Had to drop Thing 1 off at school to catch the bus for the first indoor track meet of the year. The meet didn't START until 6pm & it was 2 hours away at a track with no good viewing. We learned our lesson last year after driving all that way and not being able to see our kid. We stayed home & took Thing 2 bowling instead. I was sorry I didn't see Thing 1 run though...he ran a 5:20 in the mile & 64 seconds in his leg of the 4x400 relay!!!!!!! Another Dad record beaten!!!! Picked Thing 1 up at 1am and he had hockey practice at 11am...ugg, tired Mum. I got in a nice 8 mile mostly trail run while he was there. There is something about trail running that makes me a better runner. I think it's because I'm more aware of my footing and I am forced to pick up my feet more.

Plus I have big news! I have been asked to join a Ragnar Relay team in the spring! I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to do it except it's the weekend after I run the Toronto Marathon and I'm not sure if I should committ to it. Also i would have to find someone willing to work for me, but I might be able to swing that. Any thoughts? Anyone out there whose run Ragnar on the heels of a marathon?

Oh, and it was cookie baking day. Thing 1 made these in the continuing saga of the IB personal project:

HBBC:
Sat: 6.2mile run + 2 hours bowling + 1 hour bulb planting (yes I know I'm late doing this).
Sun: 8 mile run
Mon: 6.25 mile run