Marathon for Marilou

What an awesome run for such a great cause!  This was the fifth annual Marathon for Marilou.  It was my first time running it but I can guarantee I will be back next year.  It was a balmy -6 this morning (brrr) when we met up at 845am.  The picture above was a quick warm up led by race organizers before we hit the trail.  Such a great crowd!  Such energy and so many smiling faces despite the chilly temps. That’s me closest to the camera with the little blonde ponytail sticking out, trying to keep warm 🙂

I had no expectation of time going into this run, I knew the trail was snow and ice covered and that with such a large group it would be a little congested and slow moving.  However, once we got moving we made our way towards the front of the pack and stuck with it the whole run.  There were probably only a dozen runners in front of us.  One thing about running in an orgainzed event is that it gives you that extra push to keep moving.  There were four of us from our running club that stuck together throughout the run and finished in 1:02:23.  I am more than happy with that 🙂

It is always nice to take part in local organized events, you get to meet so many new people.  This morning I met an organizer of a local trail running club and will be joining them for a trail run either this week or next.  I can’t wait!  There were about 30 woman there from our running club also.  This running club was started by a friend of mine and within the first two weeks we had over 200 members.  At the first run, over 60 ladies showed up to run together.  Pretty amazing.  I don’t know what it is, but I get almost emotional when I see that many people joined together with a common interest, putting one foot in front of the other.  I remember being pregnant and crying when we drove by a marathon in progress.  I was emotional anyway and I just wanted to be out there running so badly.  It takes such dedication and is such a accomplishment to run in any race.

Here are a few pictures from the race this morning, as you can see the trail is pretty rough.  Lots of ice and uneven surfaces.  But the scenery is beautiful and the company was awesome.  I can’t wait to lace up and get out again!  When you are dressed for it, winter running is pretty great 🙂

Tutus and 10ks

Tomorrow is my first 10k run of the year!  It’s a free event held every year on the Rails to Trails, which is an old rail bed turned hiking trail that runs throughout the province.  The hike starts and ends at a local cafe called the Bike and Bean, and yes it is as nifty as it sounds.  It should be about -3  here in the morning, so not bad temp wise but it is going to be a tough run since the trail is snow covered and rutty from atvs using it.  It will likely be a slow go but I plan to give it my all.  I am thinking about running with my Yak Traks on.  Has anyone ever used them for trail running in the winter?  Any advice or thoughts would be much appreciated 🙂

However the run goes I will definitely be hitting up some hot coffee afterwards.  I bet I will be smelling those beans the whole way down the trail.  Mmmmmm Coffee.  I love me some coffee ❤

My oldest girl was a little, shall we say grouchy today, lol.  I am telling you, this kid is smart as a whip, determined and as emotional as a 16 year old.  Throw in the fact that she is over tired (my fault) and it makes for an interesting day.  I was trying to cheer her up this afternoon by playing dress up with her.  This was the best picture I could get.  In the rest of them she was flat out screaming or crying, ha.  Don’t worry it got better very soon after.  Nothing a few snuggles and tea party couldn’t fix 😉  This girl is so much like me it scares me.  Oh the struggles to come.  Some day it will pay off for her tenfold, but probably not for us in the teenage years, lol.

Wish me luck tomorrow! I will post my run results tomorrow night.  Happy Friday all!

Running, Reading and Rest

This 60 day Hammer and Chisel program that I am doing (this is day 4) is pretty intense.  I love it.  Although, I am finding it hard to muster up the energy to run afterward some days.  Yesterday was a tough workout and my run turned into more like a jog/walk with the dog.  I just felt like my gas tank was empty.  I think my body is just adjusting to the clean eating again after the holidays and the high intensity workouts.  Today I started to adjust my diet a bit to hopefully bring my energy back up to where it needs to be.  I added in an extra portion of carbs and protein.  I will see how that works and make additional tweaks from there if I have to.

Yesterday was a chilly but beautiful day for a run (jog) 🙂  My friend Lindsay and I take turns meeting at either my house or hers, two or three days a week, and take turns watching the kids while the other one gets a run in.  Her children are very close in age to mine, so it’s hectic but it works out great.  The weather has been very favourable here for outdoor exercise.  The early mornings are chilly but usually by midday it has warmed up to somewhere around zero.  Not bad for January.  I snapped a quick picture on the way back down the hill from my run yesterday.  It doesn’t do it justice but it’s beautiful down where Lindsay lives.  She is handy the salt water and beaches, and yesterday the sun was shining.

I am a book lover ❤ I don’t get to read as much these days because my days are filled with little munchkins that need to be loved and I am more than ok with that trade off 🙂 However, I have been itching to get a book or two in and came across a few recommendations that I felt really suited my current situation.  I am sure most of you can relate to these.  I feel like between social media, getting my bootcamp up and running, creating my website, writing on my blog and maintaining my Facebook page, I am overwhelmed and spend too many hours plugged in.  Somedays I just shut it all down and lay on the floor with my girls and play amongst the scattered toys, unvacuumed floors and stickers, which seem to be everywhere.  As a mom, you try and keep it all together, but it is quite the balancing act most days.  I am hoping these books can give me some insight and maybe a different perspective.  The Five Love Languages of Children looked like an interesting read, so I thought I would give it a try.  With your first child you are so tuned in to them, because, well it’s only that one child.  But when you have the second one it feels like you are always trying to make sure that they each get enough attention and feel special.  Anyway, I am looking forward to crawling into bed tonight snuggling my baby and reading until I can’t keep my eyes open any longer.

Today was rest day from working out.  I always feel so weird taking the whole day off.  I feel like I should be doing something.  But I know my body needs it, I could feel it yesterday.  I always listen to my body, and it was saying take a break!  🙂   It wasn’t a totally lazy day, I managed to get grocery shopping done with the girls and the house cleaned and lots of cuddles and playtime ❤

Four months postpartum pics and plan

Monday was the first day of Hammer and Chisel. The program that promises to whip me into shape. It’s day three and I think it’s a safe bet that at the end of the 60 days I am going to see some MAJOR changes. Brittany and I did measurements and before photos earlier this week. I am a girl who constantly needs to see progress. Whether that progress is in definition, strength, speed or overall health. It is what keeps me motivated and engaged.

I am posting my before pics. Four months post baby number two and three days post Christmas holidays. Progress was good until Jolly Old Saint Nick showed up, lol.

Here’s to 2016 and the next 60 days of making it happen. Every day. Commitment is showing up every single day. Pushing through the days that sweats and coffee call your name. Getting up at 4am to get it done (my kids don’t sleep, lol). And being able to break through your own limits and see what you are made of. To me nothing feels better than accomplishing something you thought you couldn’t.

I am hoping that by increasing my strength it will help me be a faster runner. I have so many things to accomplish this year! Number one, being a great mom to two beautiful little girls. In order to do that, I have to take care of me too.

I should also add that just because these are my before photos, I love this body because it is strong and healthy and gave me two beautiful healthy girls. I am posting the pictures to keep myself accountable and to show other woman that it’s ok to be any size, shape, weight, whatever. It’s in how you feel, your health and your happiness that matters. I like to push myself in everything that I do and I have to be in great physical condition to accomplish my goals this year.

 

 

Challenge, Change and New Agendas

I have so much to write about I could blog all night.  Well, if the girls would sleep that is 😉

I feel like this body is ready for challenge and for change.  I have always loved fitness but haven’t been able to commit to anything strenuous over the last almost three years because of my pregnancies with my baby girls.  This is my year.  I am ready to move forward and start achieving my fitness and health goals.  I intend to be the strongest, fastest and healthiest I have ever been.

I love challenge.  I crave challenge.  I am not settled unless I am reaching for something.  And the more unattainable it is, the more I want it.  This is especially true when it comes to my physical abilities.  Nothing feels better than breaking through my limits and achieving something I once thought impossible.  It’s not just about the physical aspect of it either, it is everything else that happens when I take care of my physical self.  I am happier, healthier, I have more clarity, more aspirations, more drive, I am a better wife, a better mom and just an overall more well rounded individual.

I am sure you have all heard the quote “I exercise because somehow completely exhausting myself is the most relaxing part of my day”.  Well, that couldn’t hold more truth for me.  If I am cranky.  I need exercise.  If I am sad.  I need exercise.  If I am angry.  I need exercise.  If I am tired.  I need exercise.  And well, you get the picture.  I just need it.  That is how I function at my best.  It took a long time to figure that out but I think I have got the hang of me now.  Kind of anyway 🙂

The only thing that makes my exercise sessions and fitness stuff more exciting, is to share the experience with someone else.  That is why I am taking my Fitness Instructor Specialist course and will be starting my own all woman outdoor bootcamps starting this spring.  I have dreamt about this for years.  This is the year.  I can’t wait to share more details.  Right now, I am still working on the logistics.  I take my course in March, write my exam in May and hope to get started right away.  See, so many exciting things to talk about.

I also have six races coming up this year, three 10kms and three half marathons.  I am back into my running and loving it.  I am not fast, not yet, but I am excited to be back at it.  It feels so good to crank up the tunes and hit the trail.  But, I will talk more about my running in another post.

I got my new Kate Spade agenda and journal in the mail today that I ordered online from Chapters.  I am such a paper girl when it comes to that stuff.  I need to see things, to visual.  Apps just don’t do it for me.  Oh and I like white boards and stinky markers too 🙂

Anyway, goodnight for now 🙂  Going to put some pen to paper ❤

Food prep and quality control :)

My oldest daughter Emma, who is almost 2, loves to help me in the kitchen.  She loves baking and cooking, playing with my spices and preparing food for her babies.  She also loves to taste everything.  That’s not to say she likes everything.  But she is always willing to at least try it.  I consider myself pretty lucky with this girl most of the time.  I have the usual toddler eating struggles some days but she is pretty good about eating her greens.

I started the Beachbody program Hammer and Chisel just two days ago so Emma and I were in the kitchen doing food prep while Scarlett was napping.  Did I mention she likes to try everything.  That includes pretty much anything she can get her hands on.  Don’t be surprised if you find my crisper full of fruit sporting tiny teeth marks.  Don’t worry, I check it all before I offer it to anyone else 😉

I was prepping veggies and washing them and before I noticed Emma had taken a bite out of pretty much everything on the counter.  I like to call her my quality control.  I guess all the peppers passed the test, they all had bites out of them, haha.

Baby snuggles and baking cookies <3

It was an ‘up all night’ kind of night. Scarlett still has this cold and can’t seem to settle at night. So lots of cuddles and extra bottles last night 😊🍼
This morning Emma and I baked some chocolate chip 21 day fix cookies, which are delicious by the way. We cut the recipe by a third so it only made a dozen. Scarlett has been hanging out in the carrier with me all morning getting lots of extra love and cuddles ❤❤❤
Today is a day of chilling and food planning. I am starting Hammer and Chisel tomorrow and need to get my nutrition in check and get organized to make sure I get my workout done. Every. Single. Day.
I am not looking forward to before pictures but I need the motivation. I don’t mind my size I just want to firm up and feel really strong and fit. Having babies leaves its mark on your body in several different ways. All worth it though, not complaining ❤😊
The holidays were so much fun but I am feeling lethargic and yucky from all the extra food. I can’t wait to kick this feeling for good!!!
Here is the link for the cookies, I am using one from another bloggers site as I don’t have a direct link for the cookbook.
http://www.reillyfitness.com/…/fixate-chocolate-chip-cookies

I’m Back! 4 months postpartum with baby number two <3

Where do I start?  Here I sit at 4am (it’s now actually 9pm two weeks later as I finish this) trying to tap lightly on the keys so I don’t wake either one of my sleeping babies.  This is about the only time I get to myself and within about an hour everyone else will be awake (or I will be asleep, since it is now night time).  These beauties of mine don’t sleep in that is for sure.  Maybe one day.  But for now I will enjoy the 4am (or 9pm) coffee and blogging.  Which I have missed. So much.  I continued to write on my Facebook page these last few months but never made it here to write, sadly.

It has been a whirlwind here the last four months.  Scarlett joined our family on the outside on August 30 weighing in at 7lbs 15oz.  She is healthy and beautiful and we are so in love with her ❤  The remainder of my pregnancy was good, the delivery was not so good.  I had a postpartum hemorrhage and retained part of my placenta after delivery, which had to be removed manually.  I lost a lot of blood and am having a longer recovery period because of it.  I struggled a lot in those first few weeks trying to adjust and being extremely fatigued due to having very low hemoglobin.  Believe it or not, the one thing that made me feel better and helped me feel more like myself was exercise.  At three weeks postpartum I was able to slowly start back into it.  I starting doing some at home workouts, yoga, some of the 21 Day Fix workouts and lots of stretching and walking.  I didn’t feel like my energy started to return until almost two months postpartum.  And even now, I struggle some days with my energy levels. If I remember correctly, I feel like it took about 6 months after having my first daughter to feel really good again.  Almost there 🙂

I feel like my posts are going to be all over the map for a little while, trying to play catch up on what is going on in our lives.  And the fact that my brain is all over the map most days.  I call it mom brain.  Well, that is what I blame it on anyway 😉

This year promises to be a great one!  There are so many things happening and so many goals I want to accomplish.  I can’t wait to blog about some of them!  But for tonight I am going to leave you with pictures of my beautiful babies and then quietly creep back into my room where the youngest of these said beauty’s lay sleeping and curl up next to her for some shut-eye before she wakes again ❤