inspired by dooce

happy birthday

2012-02-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

Today is my husband's birthday. When he woke up this morning he decided that birthdays should be like Christmas - with stockings filled with presents and big meals. Sorry dude- that's reserved for another guy's birthday.

(source)

But I did promise him bacon...so I think that makes up for the lack of holiday-esque celebrations. Or at least it will at least make him forget about it temporarily.

Thanks for believing in me, being my biggest cheerleader, and dealing with my crankiness when things go wrong (or when I just think things go wrong...like having to fill up the car with gas).

I hope this year brings speedy marathons (hopefully a great one in Boston), good times, and lots of laughing.

And beer too. You gotta have beer. Who knows- maybe there will also be another excuse to play soccer in your suit. Whatever the year brings - I'm glad I get to be with you through it all.

Happy Birthday Jordan! And sorry that the number one hit the day you were born was by Captain and Tennille. (well, that was the US number one hit...in the UK it was by Kenny Rogers...I couldn't find the Canadian number one. I'm putting my money on Tom Cochrane or Anne Murray)

to make you laugh II

2012-02-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

In November (and perhaps November 11th wasn't the ideal day to post it) I posted one of the pictures I look at when I need to laugh or smile. One that works every time. Well, I've managed to find another. I'm not sure where I found it or I'd link to the source...but it just makes me giggle.

hello?

Hope it makes you smile- or at least makes you think of something else that makes you smile or giggle every time you see it or think of it.

Happy "Friday eve"!

things I wish I wasn't so good at

2012-02-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

There are some things that we're good at and some that we're bad at. Some things we wish we were good at and of course, a few things we wish we weren't good at. Here are some of those things that I wish I wasn't good at.

Sticking my foot in my mouth. I have a talent for trying to be funny but sounding not so funny and probably horribly insensitive. It happens more than I'd like to admit, but I think for the most part, the people who know me well know that I have these temporary lapses of judgement but generally mean well.

Pushing the snooze button. I honestly can't tell you the last time I got out of bed right after my "first" alarm. I purposely set my alarm "three snoozes" earlier than when I have to get up. I guess I'm a gradual riser? I bet I would do well with one of those dawn simulation alarm clocks...

Feeling guilty. I am really really good at feeling guilty. Unfortunately, I tend to randomly remember things I've done way in the past and feel guilty about them. That feeling of dread is not something I enjoy at all.

Wasting time on the internet. Seriously. Why do I spend so much time looking up stupid things on the internet? I waste far too much time looking at random things. I wonder how productive I could be doing other times if I only gave myself 10 minutes of random computer time a night...

The good thing about this time wasting on the internet though? Finding Garfunkel and Oats. Yeah - I'm a little late with that discovery, but better late than never? Regardless, these ladies are funny. I recommend that you start with "Pregnant Women are Smug." (although starting with F**k You isn't bad either...cause who can argue with a good kazoo riff?)

Anything you wish you weren't good at?

afternoon run for the border

2012-02-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

It was an absolutely beautiful weekend around these parts. The skies were cloudless and blue and the sun was so bright it almost made me forget that we still have a good 2 months of cold temperatures ahead. What did we decide to do on a beautiful winter afternoon? We made a run for the border and spent the afternoon in Burlington, Vermont.

It was a beautiful day for a drive and a beautiful day to wander in the sunshine. There was some sort of winter festival going on, so it was pretty busy, but that just made things feel more festive. We enjoyed the sun, checked out the shops, had some good coffee, and I ate the best burger I've ever had. (And I'm serious. So if you're ever in Burlington, head to The Farmhouse and have a burger. The juiciest tastiest burger you'll ever have) And since Vermont is the home to Ben and Jerry's, we of course had to pick up some ice cream to bring home:

You're gonna love my Schweddy Balls

If I'm honest, part of the reason I wanted to go to Vermont was to pick up some seltzer. I know it sounds weird- but I love a good seltzer and there's a brand sold in New England that is delicious. Polar Seltzer is a staple for my family in Vermont so they've spread their Polar love to the point where every time I am down there, I feel the need to load up. Bubbles? Natural flavour? No sugar? A perfect drink.

How long will the polar seltzer last?

No, we did not go just for the seltzer. We went for the fun of wandering around in a different place and checking out things that we don't have at home. But the seltzer is definitely delicious. We also managed to get some Chobani, Cabot cheese, Justin's almond AND peanut butters (although I could only find the single servings and not the actual jars of it), some Z-bars, and some random salad dressing that looked good but that we can't get at home. Is it weird that I love grocery shopping when I'm not at home? I feel like a kid in a candy store looking at all the options that I don't have at home.

A fun afternoon!

Are you someone who likes to check out grocery stores in new places?

winter running tips- shoes

2012-02-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

Last night was pretty warm for February 1st. I was very comfortable running in a long sleeved Nike running hoodie (the one I'm wearing in this post) on top of a short sleeved shirt and my regular running pants. I probably could have run in capri pants (I saw a guy in shorts- which I thought was a little optimistic) but the streets and sidewalks were so sloppy with slush and snow that all the splashing would have been quite unpleasant on my lower legs.

Which brings me to my point: shoes. Winter running is an interesting beast. Forgetting the layers and layers of clothing that can be involved, I find that the hardest thing about it is the footing and dealing with the ice and snow. Yesterday, the streets and sidewalks of Montreal were pretty much covered in slush. The melting snow wasn't draining properly because the drains were still partially frozen, so there were slush puddles at every intersection and anywhere where water could collect was full of a cold, dirty puddle of cold nastiness.

As I was running along and had to doge people, dogs, cars, and ice, more often than, not dodging those things meant stepping straight into one of those nasty puddles. Every time this happened, I prepared myself for the blast of icy water on my feet. And every time, my feet stayed dry. This lead me to say, out loud, "I love my gore-tex shoes!"

gore-tex makes me happy

I think that trail shoes might be the best thing that ever happened to my winter running. They're grippier, they're warmer (due to a little less mesh), and most importantly- they're much more weather-proof than a regular running shoe.

I have the Adidas Kanadia (I think I have the 3 and now they're on the 4) and while I do find that they're kind of heavy, they definitely do their job in tough weather. Unlike a regular running shoe, the tongue of this shoe is "gusseted" or attached to the sides so that nothing gets in your shoe from the top. They are also super grippy- the soles almost look like a cross between a suction cup and a cleat.

Thumbs up to trail shoes for winter running.

What do you find works for winter running? Do you switch up your shoes?

so about that half-marathon

2012-02-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

Around November of last year, I thought "I'm not going to run a half marathon next year. I'm going to focus on the 10K distance and see what I can do." I was tired of some of the longer runs and I think I needed a little time where I was not thinking about running. So in December I took a few steps back from running. I did it now and again, but I didn't run a lot and I was pretty happy doing that. I needed the break.

Then at the beginning of January as I was trying to get back into the swing of things, I found it hard to stay motivated to run. It is cold out and snowy out and I needed a training goal to get my butt out the door. Since I am very motivated by training for a race, my favourite running enabler threw a few race suggestions my way, and guess what? There really aren't all that many 10Ks around here in the early spring to help with that motivation. So what did I do instead? Signed up for a half marathon.

I'm a sucker for punishment?

In theory, it should be a great time of year for a half marathon. The end of April should be practically perfect with respect to temperature (though a blizzard could roll in or it could be strangely hot...but in theory it should be good) and the course seems like a good one. So again, in theory, this race has a lot of potential.

My biggest trepidation? I'm not sure if I am in the headspace to train really hard for a half marathon. It takes a lot of mental effort to push myself out of my comfort zone repeatedly. I thought of not signing up because of that but then decided two things. Firstly- it is ok to train without a PR in mind if the goal is to stay motivated to run. That can be the goal. Secondly- I might feel like I'm in a different headspace next month. And if I'm running reasonably well at that point- a PR attempt wouldn't be out of the question.

Step 1: New shoes. And on sale too.

So I guess I'm running a half at the end of April! Should be fun. Do you need a race to look forward to in order to stay motivated when the weather is crappy?

*Just a note about the blog makeover. Turns out, the comment thing didn't work out and I had to switch back. Which made me angry with blogger- so guess what? I'll be switching to wordpress (for more reasons than the commenting issue). I've got my domain name, I've done some post transfer, but I'm not done yet. So I'm staying here until I'm done fiddling around- but stay tuned for the switch to inspiredbydooce.com

better with bacon?

2012-01-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, our post long run lunch involved BLTs. Delicious. I did a short long run (decided it was time to take a recovery week after several weeks of building some mileage) but Jordan did 20 miles. While that isn't where he "tops out" for mileage, it is still a long run which usually means he's eating all day.

We had errands to run (including finding some new running shoes and the perfect cast iron skillet for fried chicken) and the following conversation happened as we were getting ready to go:

Jordan: You know what the best part of this afternoon will be?

Me: No, what?

Jordan: Eating the bag of bacon.

Me: I really need a "Shit my husband says" twitter account.

Hard to believe we had leftover bacon, I know, but it was definitely gone by the end of the afternoon.

new look!

2012-01-29T12:00:00.000-05:00

Yes, this post is stating the obvious, but if you read in google reader maybe it isn't.

I've been trying to figure out a new look for awhile and was putting it off because I've been considering a switch to wordpress for what seems like forever. But apparently I'm too lazy for that right now so I had to make some changes. I was sick of how tiny the writing space column was with my last template and it was an old one that couldn't be adjusted. It was hard to say goodbye to the green (I've had a green blog since I started blogging in 2004), but I couldn't quite get the greens I wanted so I gave up and went with this (didn't I say I had a bit of a purple problem?). I have to say- I'm pretty excited about the comment reply.

I'll still be tweaking a few things in the next few weeks (hoping to set up some tabs and some other things) and hopefully it goes smoothly. I'm definitely a trial and error person- so hopefully I don't mess things up too much. Oh- and I've looked at it in Firefox, Safari, and Google Chrome and things seem to look good- if you're using Explorer and things look funky, let me know!

Hope you're having a great weekend.

photo friday- what a cutie

2012-01-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

I got to FaceTime with this little cutie last night. Yes, that's right- she's already so smart that she can FaceTime all on her own. Ok, maybe not. Maybe she was actually startled when my face appeared on the screen...but that doesn't mean she isn't the smartest 3 month old on the block.

hello!

I'm planning on a bit of a recovery weekend when it comes to a long run. I've been building long run mileage for a few weeks so I'm excited to scale it back and do a bit of a shorter run this Sunday.

Have a great weekend! Anything exciting planned?

the bad and the good- a day in review

2012-01-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday in review- in bads and goods:

The bad- this was the scene at Starbucks at 6 am when I was on my way to catch a 6:20 train:

no caffeine for me?

The good- at least Second Cup was open. And I guess it is always nice to support a Canadian company.

thank goodness for coffee

The good- I participated in a really good session on Healthy Workplaces. It was really interesting to hear about comprehensive and integrated workplace wellness. I'm excited reflect on what I've learned and to see what we can put into practice at work!

The bad- I was starting to get sleepy after such an early morning and was feeling like I wasn't able to think properly by the end of the day.

The good- At least I had cash on me to buy a metro ticket when I got off the train. Why is this important? Because...

The bad- I realized as I was gathering my stuff to get off the train on my way home that my metro card was no longer in my coat. My student metro card...the one that I paid for at the beginning of the year as a part of my tuition so that I had unlimited transit for the year.

not all metro signs are this pretty

The good- I have been needing to replace my student ID card anyway (because they changed my student ID number in December and I still haven't replaced the card)...so at least this forces me to go talk to the university card people. I've definitely been putting it off too long.

The bad- Not sure what hoops I'll have to jump through to replace this metro card. UGH.

I have to be honest, the exhaustion (which seems to be the theme for the week- I've been tired this week) and the lost metro card ended up putting a damper on my day. But you win some and you lose some. I'm hoping today swings toward the winning. Hopefully the sidewalks are clear (they've been super slippery lately) and I can put a point in the win column with a good run!

green onions, green thumb?

2012-01-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

I am known for having a big to a black thumb. As in, everything I try to grow dies. I've tried to keep plants alive but have generally been unsuccessful. I don't know if I've never had apartments that lent themselves to plant growth or if maybe I'm just bad luck (I have to say that I'm leaning toward "user error" and that I just suck)...but if plants could run away, they would run away to me.

I can't remember where I saw it, but at some point in the last month I saw someone post that he or she was growing green onions. All you had to do was stick the "white end" into water and POOF, new green onions. I figured that this was a great low-cost experiment with plant growing and decided to give it a shot. I saved my onion butts, put them into water, found a sunny spot, and waited for the magic to happen.

indoor green house

And happen it did. The first picture was a few days into the first onions and that second one is from yesterday. The tallest of the onions has even been harvested once already. It has been kind of exciting to watch them grow and they have me wondering if maybe there is hope for me after all. Maybe I just needed to take a little interest in plant growing.

I have some clippings of some other plants that friend gave me that I've managed not to kill so far...I'll be transferring them into an actual pot with dirt soon, so hopefully they will survive the trauma of moving day and I'll have real plants that I've "grown myself' soon. Wish those little plants luck!

How about you- are your thumbs black or green?

winter running- the good

2012-01-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

I have been know to complain a lot about winter running. It is cold; the wind is not just annoying to run in, but it freezes you too; the snow and ice make you slide everywhere; and it is an ordeal to get dressed to go outside. Ideally, I would run in fall or spring-like conditions al year (clearly I live in the wrong place). The good news is- there is a bonus about winter running: it can be absolutely beautiful.

Yesterday was such a day. Though the wind was a little chillier than ideal for the first part of the run, the scenery was as peaceful and idyllic as could be. There had been a really light dusting of snow (that looked almost like soap flakes) so the snow was perfectly white and sparkly. The temperature overnight had been just right for the frost and snow to make the branches white without weighing them down.

it is hard to pretend you're running

Running along the river felt almost other-worldly. It didn't feel like we were "home" anymore. It felt like we had been transported to a quiet, far away place... The river was steaming, the whole world was white, and we enjoyed the beautiful part of the winter we usually complain about.

winter wonderland

Even though the footing was slippery and the layers were many- I'm glad I got to experience a winter run like that.

Happy Monday!

friendly competition: running camaraderie

2012-01-19T12:00:00.000-05:00

In so many sports, the competition is the enemy. You go to battle on the field or on the court. Members of opposing teams trash each other or their girlfriends. Maybe it helps get players pumped up or doing their best...but is it really the image we need? Do you really want to look up (or to have your kids look up) to people who publicly insult others?

Maybe it is the lack of big money or big media attention- but do you know who you DON'T usually catch trashing each other? Distance runners (and probably most endurance athletes in general). This article by Runner's World reminded me of why I love watching and following distance running and runners (other than the fact that I like to run): Competition Can Be Kind.

(source)

It also reminded me of one of the things I love about participating in races. I can be in the same race as someone going for a world record or a course record or a national record...and not only do I not care that he or she is finishing when I'm halfway done, but I'm cheering him or her along. The last time I ran the Ottawa 10K, Deriba Merga was trying to break the world record (unfortunately he didn't), Rick Ball was trying to break the single leg amputee world record (he did), and since it was a "battle of the sexes" race where the women start first- the women were trying to run fast enough for the men not to catch up.

That year, the 10K route ran along both sides of the canal. As I ran along one side of the canal at about kilometre 3, I could hear a ripple of cheering and noise going through the crowd. As I looked to my left, I realized it was because on the other side of the canal, the elites were running by. We were all cheering for the people who were kicking our butts.

Yes, I realize that we weren't really all in the same race. We mortals were racing for fun or personal challenge while the elites were racing for money. But the camaraderie among runners is still there. That same race, a man came up behind me just as I was struggling a bit to maintain my pace, looked at my bib to find out my name and said "you're doing great Kristen" and ran beside me for about 15 seconds. I could tell he was trying to get me to "latch on" so that he could pull me along while I struggled.

In another race (a 5K in which I just had a terrible terrible race) a guy came up behind me when I slowed down and perhaps cursed myself a bit and said "no, you can't slow down- you were my muse- come on, let's finish this together." And my experience in Oka had another good moment with another runner (that time I couldn't keep up). I love that feeling of "we've all been there" that goes on in running and in races.

(source)

Yes, there are jerks in every sport and there are great people with great sportsmanship in every sport (Jarome Iginla? Genuinely good guy from all accounts). But that Runner's World article and watching the video of Reid Coolsaet cheering on Eric Gillis as the announcer was counting down the seconds for Eric to cross the finish line and make the Olympic Standard will always warm my heart and make me smile.

Do you have a favourite example of sportsmanship?

11 randoms

2012-01-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

Nicole over at Haute Runner has tagged me for the 11 Randoms- so here we go.

Here are the rules:
1. Post these rules
2, You must post 11 random things about yourself
3. Answer the questions set for you in their post
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer
5. Go to their blog and tell them you've tagged them
6. No stuff in the tagging section about you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag 11 people!

11 Random Things about Me
1. I think I have a purple problem. Lately I seem to be buying a lot of purple and it might be getting out of hand.
2. My big toes are really long. Perhaps freakishly so.
3. I pretty much have no fear of heights whatsoever. In fact, I kind of like them.
4. My favourite number has been 13 since I was about 13.
5. I have a hard time finding shoes that I like the look of on my feet.
6. I can't pronounce Zooey Deschanel's name like it is supposed to be pronounced. I have to add the extra "o" sound.
7. Dr. Phil bugs the heck out of me.
8. I never thought I would like poutine- but I do.
9. I have a talent for putting my foot in my mouth.
10. I really wish I could do a pull up. (though it isn't like I practice or anything- I bet if I started with a band I could work up to doing one)
11. I'm currently watching a commercial for American Idol and it is pretty much the lamest thing I've seen in my life. And I'm usually a sucker for cheesy things.

Nicole's Questions
1. How many languages do you speak? What are they?
I speak English, French, and sort of Spanish. My Spanish used to be a lot better...but I understand it pretty well.

2. What side of the bed do you sleep on?
Closest to the door or to the closest path to the bathroom. In our bedroom, that would be the left side if I'm lying down.

3. Are you a morning person or a night owl?
Um...I guess a morning person? I definitely used to be a night owl but I'm definitely not one now. And since I like to start work at 7:30, I guess that makes me a morning person?

4. What's your biggest time waster?
Anything internet related. Twitter, facebook, blogs...too much time on the internet.

5. Mac or PC?
Mac- clearly Mac.

6. Can you drive a standard transmission car?
Yes. I learned on a standard and our current car is a standard.

7. Where did you go on your last trip?
We went to Calgary for Christmas. But our last trip that wasn't a visit to family was PEI. We loved it.

8. What's your favourite game (board or video)?
I quite like Settlers of Catan.

9. Did you play any sports growing up?
I played one year of soccer when I was really young. Then I played softball all through elementary school. In junior high and high school I played volleyball.

10. What's your favourite number and why?
Wow- without even reading this question, I talked about my favourite number in my random things. I think I like 13 because I find it funny that so many people find it unlucky and that tall buildings "skip" the thirteenth floor. Seriously people- just because it is called the 14th floor doesn't mean that it isn't the 13th...

11. If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
Hmmm....I really liked San Francisco. I would definitely live in the Bay area or the Pacific Northwest if I could. But since I like Canada- maybe just north of the border on the west coast?

My Questions
1- When you're in a job interview, what do you use as your "weakness"? (you know, the weakness that you can turn into a positive somehow)
2- What is your favourite food?
3- Why did you start blogging?
4- If you could go anywhere on vacation, where would you go?
5- If you're a runner, biker, triathlete, or any other sort of racer, what race is tops on your bucket list?
6- What is your dream job? (pretending that it pays well)
7- Who is your celebrity crush?
8- Did you or do you play an instrument?
9- What is your favourite "guilty pleasure" movie? (you know, the one that you like to pretend you didn't love)
10- If you had to pick a last meal, what would you pick?
11- Ben and Jerry's or Haagen Dazs?

My 11 tags (and 11 is hard)
Karen at Toronto Girl West
Heather at My Life
Lara at the things i know
Laura at Live well, laugh often, run much
Marlene at Mission to a(nother) Marathon
Kristen at Run for Wine
Leigh at All you need is Love
Janelle at The Honest Truth
Kirsten at Lobbsters
Kelsey at More Adventurous (maybe you can just put together 11 outfits for us all to wear!)
Lindsay at Cotter Crunch

Phew! I did it! And if you read all that- good on you!

a hilly and chilly nine: winter running in montreal

2012-01-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning it was about -23 degrees Celsius. -30 with the wind chill. What was I doing? Running of course! The bad news was that it was cold and the wind made it feel really quite frosty. The good news was that I was armed with 2 running friends, I was bundled up, and at least it was sunny!
So looking a lot like this (after consulting this post to see what kind of layers I wore last winter when it was this cold)

an old picture- but pretty close to what i was wearing

I set off to get some chilly miles in.

I tried to plan an 8 mile route (that's about 13km) because that was what we figured we wanted to run. But somehow we overshot a turn in the Old Town (which I guess is pretty easy to do with all the one way and small streets). I tried to plan a route with just a few hills. But somehow I forgot about one of them (and a big one). So what was supposed to be an 8 mile somewhat hilly run in the cold turned into a pretty challenging 9.2 miles (that's close to 15km) in the mostly sunny streets of Montreal.

The last hill (the one I forgot was so long) was the most challenging and I think we were all hurting by the halfway mark and pretty much everything was burning by the end- legs, lungs...it all hurt...but we did it. And I have to admit- I was pretty impressed I managed it considering my lack of long hills these days.

Something I had forgotten about with snowy running: my calf muscles take an extra beating. I end up running more on my toes in the snow. With the unstable footing, putting only half your foot down is easier and keeps you upright a little easier. All that extra work has left my poor calf muscles feeling pretty beat up- the footing has been terrible this week.

Thank goodness for compression socks.

yup- chilling in a hotel room in my compression socks

All in all- despite the frozen eyelashes, the frost forming on the sunglasses, the frozen solid scarf, and the frozen water bottles - it was a good run. Even if it did end up being a little long. (sorry ladies- my bad) I quite enjoyed my chilly and hilly nine!

What is your limit for cold when it comes to running?

photo on a friday- a vacation favourite

2012-01-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

Both nephews kept us laughing this year- as usual. This moment we managed to get with the camera:

In his hands? A turkey neck. We were about 5 minutes from sitting down to Christmas dinner and he ended up with the turkey neck- much to his grandfather's chagrin (who wanted it for himself).

Yes- his shirt says "I'm pretty much one of the best people I know"

This is the same kid who just hours later was VERY unconvincing in his "eeewww....grosss" as he stared wide eyed at the swimming pool scene in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. I'm not sure I've ever seen someone go from lying on the floor slightly uninterested to standing as close as possible to the screen with a look of "this is GREAT" so quickly. Ah boys.

Happy Friday! Hope you have a great weekend.

i'm a running enabler and you can be one too

2012-01-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

I like to think of myself as a bit of an enabler when it comes to running. I firmly believe that if I can do it, so can almost anyone (as long as you want to do it). If someone wonders aloud if he or she can run a 5K or 10K, I like to say "YES! of COURSE you can! and let me know what I can do to help make it happen!"

So with that spirit, you can imagine what my response was to this tweet:

Looking at the registration page trying to decide if I can get myself together to run the 10k instead of 5k for #Ottawa Race Weekend this yr
— Michelle C (@MSC_63) January 10, 2012

and to this one

Should I do the NYC marathon this year? I've never pictured myself running a marathon... Is training doable with a baby?
— Heather Brillinger (@mrsbrillinger) January 11, 2012

(for the record it was "do it!" for the first and "do it do it do it" for the second)

So do me a favour and go enable them as well. You can find Michelle here and Heather over here. Go encourage them!

Selfishly though? Part of me wants Heather not to do Calgary (oh- I suppose you need to read her post to understand that comment- she's thinking of running the Calgary marathon in May as a "warm-up" for the NYC marathon in November), for me to win the NYC marathon lottery this year, and for us to both do the NYCM as our first marathon...together. Our first race EVER was together

first race: 10K

and the first time either of us ran a half marathon was together.

Covered Bridges Half success- we finished on our own two feet

I think it would be pretty awesome if we ran our first marathon together. But since that would rely on a LOT of luck, you need to go over to her post and encourage her to run. I think running the New York City Marathon would be awesome- I can't wait to go watch her do it!

Do you have a race on your bucket list? What race do you think would be as much fun to watch as to run?

runner's high

2012-01-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

According to WikiHow (and they know everything right?) a runner's high is:

a term given to the feeling of euphoria that is induced by distance running. You don't have to be a world class athlete, or even a distance runner per se to experience this elevated state of mind. (source)

While I believe the runner's high exists, despite ending up grinning ear to ear post race, I'm not sure I've ever experienced one (perhaps I'm not following the steps in the wikihow article?).

blondie to my left is the definition of a runner's high.

I've been high on sugar, high on life, perhaps high on something else...but not high on running. That lack of runner's high may have ended yesterday. I can't be sure, because it could have been other things- but I'll put this out for your consideration:

It was January 10th and I was wearing capri pants on a run- definitely a reason to smile. It was January 10th and it was 2 degrees Celsius- a reason to jump up and down. It was January 10th and I had to take my gloves off part way through the run- just TRY to wipe the smile off my face! It was January 10th, the sun was shining, and I was running on my lunch break, and it was glorious. Not even a flash "granular snow" storm lasting about 5 minutes could dampen my spirits. It was warm, it was sunny, and I was - dare I say - euphoric.

So euphoric, in fact, that it is possible that the euphoria hasn't worn off because I'm willing to post this terrible picture I took of myself and sent to two friends with a message saying "Beautiful afternoon to get a run in! Do it if you get the chance!"

Go for a run!

So whether it was the sun (oh beautiful sun), the unseasonal temperatures, or the running- I was definitely high on life by mile 3 and decided to take the long way home in order to add a little extra to my planned 4. Plus, I managed to keep the pace to a sub 9-minute mile overall for the run. Not something I've been doing a lot lately! Definitely a great run.

So- what do you think- was I high on life or was that a runner's high? If you're a runner- do you get the high?

five things about me- part three

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

You can check out part 1 (from November) and part 2 (from December) if you wish...here comes part 3.

1- I really like cheese. Goat cheese, cheddar cheese, brie...but I HATE the mouldy cheeses. Anything with blue or green mould in it turns my stomach. I'm guessing that in the world of cheese, that makes me a non-cheese person. Meh- more of the other kinds for me if they want to eat the mould.

2- I have always wanted to live near the ocean.

PEI is surrounded by ocean...

3- Our first dance at our wedding was Coldplay's "Yellow." The first dance was probably one of my least favourite parts of our wedding (not because of the song). We considered not even doing it because the thought of standing there dancing while people watched made me want to run and hide.

4- I only have one magazine subscription. It is to Bon Appetit Magazine. We used to have a Runner's World subscription but decided that the online content was just as good...

5- I had a dream last night that I could touch my toes. Actually sit, extend my legs, and get my wrists past the ends of my feet. That's probably the closest I'll ever come to that feeling. I can't touch my toes...sitting or standing.

Tell me something about you.

photo on a friday- vacation at its finest

2012-01-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

Two iPhone photos of two of the many things that made me smile over the Christmas vacation:

Wild Rose Brown- a great Alberta beer

Colouring with my niece. Who knew the Smurfs (or les Schtroumpfs as I find it fun to call them) were back in?

One of these days I'll get my actual camera photos loaded onto the computer (and send the pictures to my sister that she's been asking for...).

What are two things that made you smile recently? And did you know that the Smurfs were back?

something you notice when you go back: calgary is full of trucks

2012-01-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

While I don't like to propagate the vision of Alberta as a western hick place full of cowboys...some of it is true. I did indeed see a man in full cowboy gear- boots, pants, hat, and buckle - just walking down the street. But that doesn't happen too often (unless you're taking an early flight to from Calgary to Edmonton at the airport- for some reason you see a lot of belt buckles there) because in general, Calgary is a lot like most cities in Canada. Here's where Calgary differs from most major Canadian cities: the TRUCKS. Large vehicles are common, but the trucks are everywhere. And not just for cowboys.

A few days into my visit "home", I tweeted the following:

Something you don't see in Montreal: 6 trucks at the intersection. #yyc
— Kristen M (@Moultgard) December 26, 2011

We were in a Subaru Forester, which is not small, and we were the smallest vehicle at the intersection. As someone who normally drives a VW Golf, it was a little odd to feel so small in something so big.

It was really quite notable to see that many trucks on the road. It isn't something I'm used to here and isn't something we saw in Ottawa either. I'm told that the price of trucks is one of the reasons you see so many of them in Alberta. If you're looking for something large that isn't a minivan, a big truck with the big cab is about half the price (with similar features) of an SUV. Sure, you may never USE the bed of your truck (except for when you go to IKEA or your friends with a Golf need help moving a couch), but you buy it because it is cheaper than the alternative.

Also cheap in Alberta? Gas. They were getting all up in arms about it going up to $1.07 per litre while we were there. The price of gas in Montreal when we got back? ~~$1.32~~. $1.37 (as of 12:00 PM on January 5th)

Yeah- not having a place to park a giant truck isn't the only reason you don't see them as much around here. Filling our Golf is more expensive here than filling you Hummer (and yes, we saw a few of them) back in Calgary...

this has nothing to do with the post except that it was taken in Calgary- and i love and miss the Calgary skies.

If you've moved away- what is something you notice when you go back "home"? If you haven't- what have you noticed when you've visited other cities?

a scale that tweets

2012-01-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

As I was flipping through this month's GQ magazine (looking for the cover story advertised as "our favourite sexy mormons") I came across a story called "How to Not Get Fat this Winter." In said story, there was a section about harnessing the power of shame.

Hello Mr. Damon. (if you read the story about him, you'll love him even more)

In order to lose weight, the author bought a tweeting scale. Yes, that's right...a scale that tweets. It connects to WiFi and any time you step on the scale, it sends your weight through the internets and your weight comes up on your twitter account. The writer felt that he needed to publicly embarrass himself in order to lose weight. And it worked.

In 3 months, he lost 12 pounds by making some diet and lifestyle changes. He hit the gym and cleaned up his eating because friends and co-workers could now follow his progress (or lack thereof) and even make snarky comments on the internet about it. He found the public broadcast to be the motivation he needed to make changes.

Back in the day, I lost about 15 pounds the old fashioned way: stress and poverty. I moved across the country, was planning a wedding, and was looking for a job all at the same time. So life was a little stressful. We were living on Jordan's grad school "salary" (definitely quotation mark worthy) and my savings until I found a job. So there was no money for extra snacks or dinners out. We didn't have a car- so I walked a lot. A few months later, my clothes were looser (probably too loose- I think I lost close to 20 at first) and I was definitely smaller. The challenge from that point on, was maintenance and finding a way to work healthy habits (such as exercise) into my life.

Although it was definitely a challenge, the maintenance and healthy lifestyle part has definitely gone well, but that initial weight loss part didn't really require too much "effort" on my part. It just sort of happened due to circumstance.

do you think it has a Facebook account too?

So I guess I'm curious- I wonder if the public shaming would work for me if I needed to lose weight. Would having my weight broadcast to the internet give me the motivation I needed to change my lifestyle? Would I go to order fries and think "oh wait, what will my twitter followers say if I gain weight or don't lose my 2 pounds this week" and then have a salad instead? Or would I just stop weighing myself at home or claim that my internet was broken?

Obviously it worked for this guy (good on you Jon Wilde) but I can't decide if I'd find it really motivating or if it would make me feel like crap. I kind of think it would work for me- at least for a little while.*

What about you- forgetting that it is $159- would you buy a tweeting scale? Would you fine it helpful or harmful?

*Edited to add:
I'm not thinking of buying said scale nor do I think I need to lose weight (on the contrary- I've lost some muscle mass as of late and would like to put some of it back on). I just wondered if I was in the position to need to lose weight, would I find it helpful or harmful to have my weight broadcast on the internet. It helped the author...who is a man. I kind of wonder if there is a gender divide here. Would more men be likely to find this helpful? In this case is the "shaming" more of a macho thing rather than the intense nastiness that can sometimes go along with body image and weight in the minds of women? Just something I was thinking about.

yoga on vacation

2012-01-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

Before I left for my Christmas vacation, my body was sore from sitting in front of the computer far too much. Between writing papers and working, my desk and I were not getting along. I wasn't stretching enough, I wasn't moving enough, I was spending way too much time sitting and staring at screens. My legs hurt, my back hurt, my neck hurt...I was in a world of hurt. While I knew that a massage would probably help, I decided that instead of laying on the table and having someone work on my aches and pains, I'd work through them on my own...on my mat.

And it was glorious. My muscles loved the combination of stretching and working and my mind loved the quiet calm of several yoga classes after a busy fall and during the chaos of the Christmas season. While I would have loved to have gone every day of my vacation (or even every second day), I made it as often as I could and truly enjoyed every second of it. The combination os a good sweat and a good stretch leaves me feeling refreshed every time.

A travel top tip- if you like hot yoga, check for Moksha yoga in the city you're travelling to. They usually have an introductory unlimited week or month pass for new students to each location or studio. It can be a great deal if you're planning on taking more than one class during trip. I'm guessing there are other yoga studios that do the same thing- so look it up!

And for a little peek into what else was great about being on vacation:

all pants should be soft

Happy New Year! I hope you all started 2012 off with something fun.
If you had time off, what did you do relax during your vacation?

happy christmas to all

2011-12-24T09:57:00.000-05:00

I have taken a semi self imposed and semi accidental break from the computer. I meant to put up a post saying 'merry christmas- I'm busy with friends and family and after a semester of full time work and school I need a break- see you in the new year.' but then I ran out of time before travelling.

Now that I've arrived, no one knows the password for the wifi- so I'm connection-less on my computer and actually not all that upset about it. The Internet will still be there tomorrow and the next day. That being said, I do love that I've met so many nice people in blog land so I do hope that you all have a happy Christmas or a happy whatever you'll be celebrating or not celebrating this year. I hope you all get to enjoy some well-deserved time off and enter the New Year rested and rejuvenated!

ice cream and christmas- together at last

Be safe and be happy!

scene from a semi long run

2011-12-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

I'm not on a training plan. I don't know what my exact race plans for 2012 are. I haven't decided exactly what I'm going to focus on. But I am still running. Even as the weather is getting colder, I'm putting on the shoes and getting some miles* in. Sometimes it is for a quick "reset" run between the end of my work day and the start of my evening, while other times it is a nice long-ish run in the sun followed by coffee...with some great friends.

This Sunday, none of us had any big plans for the day so after deciding to meet a little later to the morning, it was off for an "Old Port" run in the sun. It was nice to get out there and enjoy a beautiful Sunday morning. And shockingly, it was December 18th and the first time I had run in long pants- it has definitely been a mild winter!

photo break in the old port

I'll figure out what the race plans are soon enough. But until then, I'm enjoying running for fun!

How has winter started for you- mild or terrible?

*I recently read a bit of a rant by a Canadian saying that posting in miles is selling out and trying to appeal too much to the American reader. Even though I'm not a huge fan of the blog that was being ranted about, I was on this blogger's side- I actually run in miles. Yes, I'm Canadian, but I run in miles. It is just how I think about running. Partially because training plans are often written in miles and it is easier that way, but the other part is that when I started, I didn't know how far a mile was- so running a mile seemed far more abstract than running 1.6 km. So there you have it- I'm a mile runner.

funny friday sign

2011-12-16T07:15:00.001-05:00

I take the Metro fairly frequently. It is really convenient (there's a stop around the corner) and it means not having to drive or find parking in downtown Montreal. I notice this sign a lot and it makes me laugh every time.

people with reduced mobility

Is there a pregnant lady in the world who looks like that?

Happy Friday! Have a great weekend. Anyone have any big plans?

scenes from the week- christmas trees and meat, together at last

2011-12-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

So life is no great. I handed in my paper (YAAAAAAAAY) and just have to do some thesis reading and emailing and chatting. But nothing to hand in for grades until well after Christmas - so life feels much better now. My brain? Fried. I commented to my boss on Monday that it was just Monday and I already had 'Friday brain.' I was genuinely having trouble speaking in full sentences and my brain was so tired I was actually starting to feel dizzy. It was pretty nuts. But now the paper is handed in (with the thought "well...it is good enough") celebratory beers have been had, and I can follow the steps in my "cheer guide" to start getting excited about Christmas.

And since my brain is still mushy, I'll share a couple of pictures instead of trying to sound intelligent :)

First up- we bought a small tree this year but didn't have a tree stand. The other day, Jordan came home with this:

best. stand. ever.

I have no idea what it originally sold for in...what the 1950s? But the actual retail price: $5! Perfect. Especially because our tree was $25.

I took a lunchtime walk to the market yesterday. It was great to get outside and get moving at lunch and the market at Christmas time is just so joyful. Outside it smells like Christmas trees and winter. Inside, it smells like Christmas dinner. But one of the best parts of going in the middle of a week day was seeing this:

mmm...meat

I know it sounds weird, but I actually found watching the guys load the giant sides of meat from the truck to the cart. And to see it actually look like part of an animal. Some find it gross, I find it cool. And I kind of wanted to steal the cheese truck next to it.

Happy Wednesday- hope you can make it a Wine Wednesday!

If you're a meat eater- if you could only have one kind of meat for the rest of your life, what would it be? (I'd pick pork...with the hope that somehow fish didn't count)

on being a student who works full time

2011-12-12T06:32:00.000-05:00

This is my view for the work week. I work in my home office, mostly from my work computer but sometimes from my own computer.

worky worky

This is my view while I'm doing school work. I work from home, sometimes in my office, from my own computer.

that's not even half of it

That document you see on the screen of my computer? That is the paper I hope to hand in either today or tomorrow. While it doesn't mean the end of thinking about school (I need to read some more background documents regarding my thesis work and get some of that organized), it means the end of having to think about handing in my assignments for the semester.

I'm looking forward to spending a little less time sitting in this chair.

friday morning coffee

2011-12-09T07:39:00.001-05:00

Friday morning coffee is the best coffee of the work week. French press- I love you.

delicious

another sign

2011-12-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

As I've stated before- my neighbourhood is really quite interesting. So it really shouldn't be surprising that I came across the following sign while taking a walk the other day:

who shot the sheriff?

I wonder what prompted the crossing out of the word sheriff?

Have you ever actually met a sheriff?

five things about me part two

2011-12-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

Remember part 1? Well here are five more things about me:

1- When I first started running, I ran alone. I loved the alone time and I couldn't imagine running being anything other than "me time." True, at the time I didn't know anyone who I could run with, but I also didn't feel like I had a reason to run with others. Now that I run with others regularly, I can't imagine going an entire training cycle of long runs and speed work all by my lonesome. Sure, I love a good solo-run to work through my issues...but most runs are much more fun with friends.

high five!

2- I love christmas oranges. Love them.

3- If I have the choice between french toast, waffles, or pancakes, I'll choose pancakes every time. The exception might be this though:

full of buttery goodness

4- I don't believe in astrology or fortune telling or anything like that. But my zodiac sign is Cancer...and I'm really quite "crab-like."

5- Even though it meant spending Christmas away from our families, one of my favourite Christmases was the year we flew to San Francisco on Christmas day. Random fact- the customs agent did not say a WORD to me as I went through customs. Not a word. I don't think he was happy to be working.

christmas morning at the airport (with an orange)

Again- tell me something about yourself.

christmas cheer guide

2011-12-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

Even during the Christmas season, we don't always feel so cheery and filled with the holiday spirit. Maybe it was a bad day at work, winter traffic, other people being stupid, or crowded shopping mall parking lots that bring you out of the Christmas glow. Or maybe your life is just a little crazy and you're finding it a little hard to get into the spirit. If any of this applies to you this season, here are my surefire ways to get into (or back into) the holiday spirit.

1- A cup of Cheer.

red cup for the win

Even if Starbucks isn't your thing- sitting down with a nice warm cup of your favourite winter coffee, tea, or warm beverage is a nice break from all the craziness of the holidays. Throw on some music and just enjoy a few minutes by yourself or with someone you like to spend time with. Just moved to Liberia and aren't sure about drinking a warm beverage on a warm day? Crank up the A/C, put on a Christmas sweater, and enjoy the beverage for a few minutes. Then resume your pool sitting and sunning.

2- A Christmas Tree.

a very philly christmas

Even if I don't have one at home, sitting near a Christmas tree and looking at the decorations and the lights always puts me in the Christmas spirit. They're so shiny and pretty and it is hard not to feel happy when you're sitting in the glow of the tree (and if you're lucky, smelling pine!). Whether it is a tree as a part of the mall's Santa display or a tree in a good friend's living room, it always puts a smile on my face (even one that looks like this). Can't find a tree to look at in person? Open a bottle of Pine Sol, put on some Christmas music, and google image search "Christmas Tree." Then try not to spill the Sol as you sniff it.

3- A Christmas Movie

Can I refill your egg nog for you? Get you something to eat? Drive you out to the middle of nowhere and leave you for dead?

Whether you're an Elf, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Home Alone, Die Hard, or Love Actually fan, a Christmas movie is ideal for Christmas cheer. The soundtracks are full of Christmas music, the sets are gloriously cheery, and in general, things work out in the end. They are feel-good movies that make you feel all warm and cuddly inside. Even Bad Santa makes you feel good for parts of it. So find a movie, grab some popcorn, and let the cheer overtake you. May I recommend Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer? Just make sure you watch the whole way through- it is a bit of a downer if you just watch the part where society bullies the characters who are different.

4- Holidays on Ice.

(source)

No, I don't mean some sort of Disney ice capades holiday show. If you aren't familiar with David Sedaris, you should really become familiar with him. His short stories are pithy, smart, and hilarious. Especially the Christmas ones. While I'm sure reading the book is quite nice, I recommend listening to the audio version of Holidays on Ice. He narrates the audiobook and the way he tells his own stories is practically perfect in every way. If nothing else, these will make you laugh and will make you wonder what the heck the Dutch were up to.

5- Booze it up.

cause of and solution to all life's problems

If all else fails, spike your coffee, make your egg nog a double, drink gin right out of the bottle...whatever your style, booze it up good. If it doesn't put a little cheer in your step, just drink more and you'll forget why you needed cheer in the first place. This is actually probably the best option if life has beaten that holiday spirit right out of you, but just for the sake of your health, try numbers 1 through 4 before resorting to this one.

What would be in your Christmas cheer guide?

favourite things christmas blog swap- thank you!

2011-12-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

So I decided to participate in the Favourite Things Christmas blog swap over at Best thing is Love. Since one of my favourite things about Christmas is finding fun things to give to people, it seemed like a fun thing to do.

I got my gift in the mail at the end of last week and it was full of all sorts of fun goodies from Nicole:

There was hot chocolate, two kinds of barks, a gift card for some new holiday tunes, a great magazine, and of course- a little Baileys for some extra holiday cheer (and since Nicole won't be drinking Baileys this Christmas, I'll gladly dedicate that drink to her).

Thank you again Nicole! I can't wait to pick out some new music!

What is one of YOUR favourite things to do, give, or eat around Christmas?

wine wednesday- i found it!

2011-11-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

Remember when I lamented the fact that I couldn't find the "Witch wine"? Well...I found it. And it is as good as I remembered it.

spooky

I found it this weekend at the wine store and since Suz was over for dinner tonight (and wow did I go all out with preparing a fancy meal- right Suz?) I figured it should be opened. Definitely the kind of wine that is great with food but is a good "sipper" as well. Smooth, flavourful, delicious!

If you're looking for a nice red for next Wednesday, give Les Sorcieres a try.

What's your favourite red?

(and if you've noticed a lack of really good posts lately, you're right. I have to be honest- between work, school work, and life being kind of busy, something has got to give. I'd much rather do well at school, still live my active lifestyle, have time for my husband and my friends than worry too much about blogging. I still like it, it is fun, but if I'm going to let something "lag", it is going to be the blogging. And in the words of Katy- sorry, I'm not sorry. Hopefully I'll have more time soon.)

strange signs- the sports bar edition

2011-11-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

I always love a good strange sign. I also love a strange translation. Either fortunately or unfortunately, this one is pretty much just as odd in French as it is in English:

not to worry- not filmed

Oh- and this sign was in the bathroom. I suppose that might be an important thing to mention. Nothing like getting filmed in the bathroom.

Have you seen any good signs or odd translations lately?

these are the people in my neighbourhood

2011-11-26T10:40:00.001-05:00

Seen at 10:05 am: a very hairy bare-chested man...pants partway down...rubbing something in his crotch (maybe a baby wipe? that's what i like to believe anyway). On his head? A red cowboy hat...child sized...with blonde braids attached to it.

You suburbanites don't know what you're missing :)

thankful friday

2011-11-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

Even though real Thanksgiving was more than a month ago (you know, where we give thanks for Martin Frobisher's valiant yet unsuccessful attempt to find the northwest passage), as I see and hear all the Americans - my family included- talking about giving thanks and spending time with friends and family this weekend, I find it hard not to reflect on the things that I'm thankful for and that I can celebrate "aboat."

Family. And this year, my family has an extra reason to be thankful. It is always exciting when there is a new member of the family and this is the first time that "my side" of the family has had tiny feet and chubby cheeks to fall in love with. Even though Zoey has the extra cuteness factor- I really am thankful for all of my family. They are so supportive and I'm glad I lucked out on the family and in-law front!

not the hipster glasses

Friends. Moving to a new city is hard. When we moved to Montreal last year, we left a really great group of friends in Ottawa. It had taken awhile to build that up after moving from Calgary to Ottawa, so it was hard to leave knowing that we didn't know that many people in Montreal. But somehow we've been absorbed by some great people here. We've met some really fun and really great friends this year. And I'm thankful for all of my "old" friends too. So happy the trip to Ottawa isn't that long and that I still manage to see other friends around the country as well.

yay team awesome!

My Husband (and I wish that I could find a way to turn that into an "f" word to go with the list). Again- moving to a new city is hard. And we've done it twice in the last 6 years. I definitely couldn't have done it alone and couldn't have done most of what I've accomplished in the last 6 years without Jordan backing me up. He makes me laugh, he helps me believe in myself when I'm not sure I can do something, and gives me a swift kick in the butt when I get down on myself.

also thankful he isn't doing Movember this year.

My life. And finally, I'm so thankful to have won the "situation" lottery when it comes to my life situation. Yes, I worked hard to get my education and to find a job I liked and that I feel like I'm good at, but none of that hard work would have even mattered if I had been born in another time, another place, or in just a slightly different situation. I don't have to fight for any rights, I was born into a family of downright privilege compared to most of the world, I am a happy person, and I'm a healthy person. Life is good and no matter what kind of frustrations I have in the day- I have so much more to be thankful and grateful for than to be upset about.

Life is good

Wherever you're from and wherever you're living- what are you thankful for today?

november- the time of sickness

2011-11-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

I think November is the time of illness. I know a lot of people who are ill right now and now I'm one of them. On Sunday, I had a full box of tissues, as of about 8 pm on Tuesday, the box looked like this:

glad they have lotion

So I haven't run since Saturday and haven't done much the last couple of days. I'm hoping there's some sort of miracle cure out there and all of a sudden I'll feel better. What are the chances of that?

So let us think of happier things that aren't congestion, headaches, sore throats, and body aches...

Canadians- anyone jealous of American Thanksgiving this year? All this talk of family and feasting is making me want to celebrate.

five things about me- part one

2011-11-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

I didn't mean to take a whole week off of blogging, but it just sort of worked out that way. I was busy snuggling a baby and for some reason even though my phone had no problem connecting to the internet at my dad's house, my computer didn't like it. So, I decided to just leave it. I had a great time in Calgary and I'm sure I'll share some stories soon. But for now, I figure I'll share a few things about me...in list form. (and I hope to share 5 a month for the next little while)

1- I'm an absolute sucker for babies with neck rolls. In particular, this one:

Zoey

2- I have never roasted a turkey. I've never attempted it and I'm not sure when I will.

3- I get really bitchy when I'm hungry.

4- I wish I was better at putting outfits together. Every so often I come up with some good ones, but I feel like those are few and far between...

5- I got new glasses recently and I have to say- giant hipster glasses are the best thing that have ever happened to this uber-nearsighted girl. I may look a little like a hipster disney character- but I don't care...because I CAN SEE!

What about you? Tell me one thing about you.

doesn't get much better: snuggles with zoey

2011-11-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

Life is good when you're snuggling a baby:

can't complain

I met Zoey on Saturday and despite the fact that she decided to time her developmental milestone of wailing in the car with my visit, I'm smitten.

polka dots.

She likes polka dots, sleepers with apples and pears on them, she loves her mama, and her dad too. I love her chubby cheeks and her long wrinkly fingers.

so peaceful.

She has long eyelashes like her mum, red hair like her dad, and a good set of lungs like her aunt :) And as of today, she will be the hippest baby on the block with her dark jeggings (that she can pair with a pair of R2D2 slippers that she already had).

I dare you to not want to pinch those cheeks (not mine).

to make you laugh

2011-11-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

I don't know where this came from, but Jordan showed it to me a few weeks ago and it makes us both laugh and smile. Having a bad day? Bring out the puppy photo. Feeling cranky? PUPPY! You just can't do anything but smile when you see this:

so happy

You can almost hear what he or she is thinking..."I'M SO HAPPY! I'M RUNNING...AND I'M HAPPY" I kind of want to hug this puppy.

Happy Friday! I hope you have a weekend that makes you grin like the puppy.

Do you have any pictures or sites you look at when you need to smile?

three things thursday- a return

2011-11-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd do a return to three things Thursday this week. I'm exhausted after my days of meetings in Ottawa, so I'm not feeling hugely creative but I'm sure I can come up with three things.

Thing one:
I'm headed to Calgary tomorrow evening. I'm excited to see everyone (and to see ALL of my nieces and nephews), but I have to say...I CANNOT wait to see these chubby cheeks:

apparently she was snoring

Thing two:
The race photos from Saturday are up. I saw the first camera near the beginning of the race and managed to smile-

trying to run through the guys

But by the end of the race? The smile didn't come so easily- I guess that's what happens when you're giving it as much as you have.

working too hard to smile

And just for good measure, a picture of some not so great form...ugh:

eek! heel strike strikes!

I suppose that it is possible that by the time I hit the ground that foot was closer to flat that heel striking? I like to think so.

Thing three:

cheeeeeeeks.

Did I mention that I'm exited to meet Zoey? And to see my sister? Well I am. I can't wait.

Ok, so technically I only came up with two, but can you argue that Zoey doesn't count for two?

What are you excited about this weekend?

more proof that I run hot

2011-11-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure why, but I "run" hotter than most people I know. When others around me need gloves, I don't. When I drink a litre of water in the heat, they don't even need water. When I wilt in the heat, others just find it hot. It is just the way it is. When they reach for the toques (those are winter hats for those of you who don't speak Canadian), I'm just fine.

When I ran the Oka race, I was in capri pants, a long sleeved shirt and gloves and the people around me were wearing jackets, vests, scarves, hats, and tights. I took one look at them and almost put on another layer but remembered that I run hotter than most and although I was pretty chilly for the first kilometre or so, once I got going, I was really happy with what I was wearing.

I managed to get photographic proof of how much hotter I am than everyone else. I was in Ottawa for work for a couple of days and got to meet up with my friend Janelle for a run. It had been an absolutely beautiful day and I was really excited to feel like I could run in short sleeves and shorts (long shorts) on November 7th.

excited to be out running on a warm evening in November

When I showed up, Janelle was wearing layers. Lots of layers. Long sleeves, a vest, pants, gloves...the works.

lots of layers

I kind of felt like we had dressed for two completely different seasons and all I could really think was "yup, that sounds about right."

Hope Wednesday treats you well. And hey- Wednesday means WINE wednesday. Celebrate it if you can.

What about you- do you run hot? Run cold? Are you an over-dresser?

an unexpected PR- the Oka 10 K

2011-11-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

So this trail race that I talked about last week? Turns out that it was mostly on bike paths. There were a couple of kilometres on trails but for the most part it was on paved paths. Which turned out to be not such a bad thing. But I'll start at the beginning.

All week I was a little concerned that I'd get lost on the way to the race. I'd never been to Oka and I still haven't mastered the highways around Montreal. So I google mapped it, checked the directions on the race website, made sure the highways were all open, and finally just decided to trust my GPS. It got me where I needed to go fairly well. Until I got into the park. Then it decided to tell me this:

thank goodness I was on the road

Luckily, at that point there were already signs pointing me toward the race and really, all I had to do was follow the car in front of me.

Package pick up was easy and I was also fantastically excited to see a bag check in the same place. It meant I didn't have to hoof it back to the car before the race...I just got to stay in the warm, warm building. And use a real bathroom. This made me happy. It was -4°C.

Originally, I had planned on running in a short sleeved shirt and arm warmers. I was VERY glad that I packed a long sleeved shirt just in case...I needed it and ran in the short sleeved shirt plus the long sleeved shirt...and gloves, and a headband to keep my ears warm.
As I headed to the start line, I laughed as I saw this guy:

Flashy

I had no idea how to pace myself. I didn't know what the course was like and it was hard to know how I'd feel. I didn't run as much in October as I had planned. My longest run was just under 9 miles right near the beginning of the month, I had run a few 5 milers, but mostly 3 and 4 milers throughout the month. So I was well rested for this race :)

So I just ran. I worked hard. I checked my pace if it felt to easy or hard- just to keep myself honest- but for the most part, I just ran. The course was gorgeous, the sun was out, and it was a beautiful day for a run.

As I reached the top of the biggest hill, I came up to a guy in BRIGHT orange and said something like "well that was fun" and passed him. A few minutes later, he came up behind me and I felt like he wanted to pass me. So I pushed the pace a little and we ended up running side by side for a long time. As I did some math, I didn't think I was on pace for a big finish, so as I powered up what turned out to be the last hill, my sunglasses completely fogged, and I got a little bit of a stitch, I stopped and walked for a few seconds to wipe my glasses and tame the stitch.

Start and Finish line

It wasn't for long, but it did help a lot (seeing is a wonderful thing when the ground is full of potholes and other hazards). But then I hit the 8km mark, did some more math, and realized that my previous math had been terrible and that I was on pace for a PR. I just thought "ok, two sub-5 minute kilometres is nothing" but I kind of wanted to smack myself because had I done the math better BEFORE I stopped to wipe my glasses I probably would have just taken them off and kept running to save time, to stay with the guy in orange, and to stay on pace for a potential sub 52 finish. (my previous PR was 52:55). But of course, hindsight is 20/20.

At 51:38 I looked at my watch and looked at the distance I still had and thought that maybe...just maybe I could finish in the next 21 seconds...so I ran as hard as I could. How hard you ask? So hard that when I got to the finish line, I genuinely thought I was going to throw up. I leaned over to catch my breath and was 90% sure I was going to see the contents of my stomach on the ground soon. I did not. And I was happy about that. My Garmin tells me that at the end I was running a 6:08 mile. Which is kind of crazy.

Unfortunately, I didn't manage the sub 52 finish...but I did run a 52:11. A totally unexpected PR. But I'm shaking my head and thinking that Orange and I could have raced each other to a 51:59 finish if we had stuck together. He finished in 52 minutes on the dot...oh what could have been :)

Regardless though- I'm not disappointed at all (except for with my math skills) and really pleasantly surprised with how much fun I had and how I ran. My body seems to like these fall, cold weather, 10 km races. That run in Canmore last year was an unexpected PR as well. I think I just like the 10 km race distance. I should do more!

The race was well organized and I would definitely do it again. Thanks Oka!
Hope you all had a great weekend! I know some of you were racing- so tell me how it went!

i feel it in my fingers, i feel it in my toes*

2011-11-04T07:00:00.000-04:00

It is no secret that I love the red cup. I've blogged about it, I usually have "red cup day" in my calendar, and I have a ceramic version of the past 4 red cups in my cupboard that I use year round. There's just something about that red cup that makes me feel all warm and happy inside. If I'm having a bad day and someone walks by with a red cup, it makes part of the badness go away. That, my friends, is quite the powerful cup.

I had heard rumours that some Starbucks had released the red cups on November 1st but when I went to my local store, the cups were in sight but not in use...so I waited until yesterday to go back and enjoy my first Christmas drink in a Christmas cup.

tall (or mezzo here in MTL), non-fat, gingerbread latte with light whip

Usually, I like my coffee drinks to taste like coffee- which is why I would normally order a double tall non-fat latte at Starbucks (or if you want the same taste for less- a short non-fat latte). But at least a few times over the Christmas season, I go with the spicy sweet goodness of the gingerbread latte. It tastes nothing like coffee, but a lot like Christmas. And for the first red cup of the season? I get the whipped cream on top (though I don't like as much as they normally put on- cools down the drink too fast so I just ask them to go light on the whip). It fills me with joy and happiness. And that can't be anything but good.

But if it is red cup time, that means it is also almost Love Actually time. Though I might save that one until the first week of December.

Happy Friday! And happy red cup season!

What about you- love, hate, or indifferent to the red cup?

*...Christmas is all around me, and so the feeling grows.

I won't continue, because I genuinely don't feel that if I really love Christmas, I need to be saying "let it snow." I'm just fine with no snow at Christmas.

wine, it's what's for dinner

2011-11-03T06:30:00.000-04:00

Ok, not so much, but I had a great glass of wine with my dinner last night. Dinner was lentil curry, naan, and a lovely glass of red:

curry is so attractive in pictures

Clearly, I was hungry and wasn't willing to photograph my food, just the aftermath. This is why I'm not a food blogger ;-)

When I was at the wine store, what I was actually looking for was a wine that translated into English is called "The Witches":

(source)

I tried this wine a couple of weeks ago and loved both the wine and the label. As I was drinking it and admiring the label, one of my dining companions (who is quite a wine connoisseur) was saying that women are more likely to choose a wine based on on the label rather than the grape or the description. I guess I agree...although I will check the grape or the type of wine to see if it is something I think I will like.

When I went to the wine store, what I was looking for was the 2010 vintage of Les Sorcières for a price of $18 or so. What they had was an older bottle. Price? $85. I did NOT buy it. Instead, I settled on something with an equally fun label but without the sticker shock:

La Mano says drink me!

A nice Spanish red with loads of deliciousness and for a much better price. Perfect for Wine Wednesday. Apparently they'll have the "newer" version of the Witches soon...so I'll be on the lookout.

Have you tried a good wine lately? Are you a red, white, or whatever is open kind of person?

random wednesday- old, new, borrowed, and blue

2011-11-02T07:00:00.000-04:00

Some randomness for today

SOMETHING OLD- I was looking at pictures the other day and came across some fun older ones. My first race ever...with my sister. It was a lot of fun!

our first race ever

Christmas in San Francisco

And a memory from one of my favourite trips ever. I loved that Christmas trip to San Francisco. I've wanted to go back ever since.

SOMETHING NEW- this saturday, I'm running my first trail race. I'm only sort of treating it as a race...mostly treating it as a fun run event to finish off the summer and fall running season and to start off the winter running season. I don't know how hilly it will be so I have no idea what to expect and even what kind of time goal to have. Mostly, my goal is to go have fun on the trails!

SOMETHING BORROWED- Here's our pumpkin from this year. I'm calling it borrowed because I didn't carve it, Jordan did:

Owl Pumpkin is judging you!

It was the first time he attempted that newfangled carving technique. We both grew up carving triangle eyes and toothy grins into pumpkins, so this was definitely something different. But I loved our Hibou! (for those of you who don't parler francais...that's french for owl). Next year- better tools to make it easier!

SOMETHING BLUE- November tends to be grey and dreary. So not only does it make ME blue but it makes me miss the blue skies. So here's a little blue sky and sunshine to cheer us all up:

Quadra Island

So that we don't have to be reaching for this version of blue:

Mmm...gin

I hope Wednesday treats you well. Tell me something old, new, borrowed, and/or blue going on for you today! And do you have any trail race tips for me?

things i wish i was good at

2011-10-31T07:00:00.000-04:00

There are things that I am good at. Things like finding stuff on the internet (can I list "googling" as a skill?), making soup, finding a silver lining, and baking cookies.

mmm...soup

There are things I'm getting better at- like not being so hard on myself, cooking meat, and asking for help when I need it.

There are also some things I'm really quite bad at and wish I was good at. These include:

Making my house look pretty and put together. It is something I have pretty much no aptitude for. I know what I don't like, I think I know what I absolutely hate, but when it comes to what I like? I sort of know what I like and when it comes to actually putting something together that looks good? Well, that is not something I can do at all. Maybe if I subscribe to some sort of magazine it will help...or is that what friends and interior decorators are for?
Carving pumpkins. Ok- so that isn't a skill that comes in handy all too often so maybe the real thing I wish I was good at was anything artistic at all. I have poor fine motor skills so I suck at all things that involve drawing, cutting, or painting. I wish I was better at stuff like that.
Up-dos. I think I could work on this- I just need to practice with some hairspray and bobby pins and to perhaps watch an instructional video or two. I don't think I'll ever be that good at it, but I could probably get a little better and work some new styles into my repertoire.

I wonder if those are things I'll ever manage to be good at...

What about you? Tell me one thing you're really good at and one thing you wish you were good at?

signs I'm an older student

2011-10-27T08:37:00.000-04:00

Since I'm now on campus (well for the last two weeks- and tomorrow is my last day) with a bunch of youngins, here are some signs that I am not like them:

I have no desire to wear sweatpants to school
I don't want to pair said sweatpants with Uggs
Potato chips and pop (soda for some of you) don't sound like the perfect lunch
I get to class early
I pay attention and am not embarrassed to ask questions
After an exhausting day of classes from 8:30-5:30, I have no desire to go out in party
My 10:00 pm bedtime still sounds perfect.

Yup, definitely getting old.

Only one more day of class- then back to my regular work schedule (plus all my assignments). I have a feeling that work will almost feel like a break...

What did you do as a student that you cringe a little at now?

(For me it was all the crap I ate. I don't think I EVER thought about what it was I was putting in my mouth and in my body. No wonder I gained weight)

signs i'm a student

2011-10-26T08:23:00.002-04:00

Signs I'm "embracing" the student lifestyle:

I was awake until 3am on Friday night
Coffee has become a food group...so has chocolate
I've stopped reading for pleasure
Almost anything I look up on the internet is school-related
I feel like I really deserve my evening beer
I have no idea what is going on in the world
My apartment is a disaster.

I'm glad the intensive two weeks of classes are almost over so that I can get back to a semi-normal routine. (though I'll still have a tonne of work to do...just on more of my own schedule)

Happy Wednesday- what is going on in YOUR life?

monday monday...

2011-10-24T07:00:00.000-04:00

Well, I survived the first week. The days were long and there has been a lot to read and to learn, but so far so good. I've spent a lot of time staring at scenes like this:

reading reading reading

This has lead to wanting to drink a lot of this:

I do love my pumpkin beer

But all in all, it is actually going quite well. I have met with my academic advisor and discussed my possible thesis topic, met some really interesting people, and learned a lot. I'm sure I'll be complaining about the amount of work I will be doing at some point, but so far it is almost all stuff I actually enjoy and that I'm really quite interested it. Yay!

Stay tuned for a review of a great (and gluten free) Montreal restaurant: Chez Chose. Until then, if you follow me on twitter, this bag of bacon (and just the idea of a bag of bacon in general) may look or sound familiar:

mmm...bacon

Happy Monday!

What was the best part of your weekend?

my first lululemon

2011-10-20T00:00:00.000-04:00

My first lululemon was a pair of grey sweatpants. I bought them in early 2005 (perhaps late 2004) and they quickly became my go-to relaxation pants. They've been slept in, they've made me comfortable when I've been sick, and they've kept me warm and cozy while watching movies on grey days. They made the move with me to Ottawa and then to Montreal. Even though I've lost weight since buying them, they've still been a part of my life thanks to the drawstring...sure, they don't look the most flattering now that they're a little big, but they were still a comfortable "old friend."

Until now. You see, through the years, the waistband holds the drawstring in place has slowly been getting holes in it. The drawstring has rubbed against the top of its "sleeve," making holes and slowly eating away at the waistband. The other day, I pulled those comfy grey pants out of the dryer to find them now unwearable:

can't hold the drawstring anymore

Here's the thing- other than the waistband problem, these pants are in practically perfect condition. The hems of each leg are fine- no holes, no fraying. There aren't any holes or signs of wear anywhere BUT that waistband. These pants are older than my two nephews and there is just the pesky problem of the waistband.

Overall, I have to say that I'm really impressed with the quality of these pants- they've lasted for so long and with the exception of that waistband aren in really good shape. When it comes down to a "price per wear" calculation, I practically owe these pants money. But at this point, they are unwearable. I'm not sure I'm ready to part with them and to make them into cleaning rags, but I'm not sure how to salvage them.

Any ideas? Should I call lululemon and ask them if they have any ideas? Do you have an item of clothing that has lasted for what seems like ever?

random tuesday

2011-10-18T07:00:00.000-04:00

So I'm a little busy, so here are a few bullet points:

FaceTime is the best invention ever.
I am not usually a deep sleeper- but last night I was. I missed some text messages, oops.
School went well! I still know it will be an exhausting couple of weeks but the part where I'm terrified of what is to come is over and now the hard work begins.
Jordan is walking slowly but recovering well from Sunday's marathon.

I hope those of you who raced on the weekend had a great time and are recovering well. Congratulations on your races!

Are you a deep sleeper or a light sleeper?

*I apologize for my lack of creativity and likely pictures this week but I'll be trying to fit it all in! Tomorrow? The goal is to fit a run in!

back to school- thoughts before it starts

2011-10-17T07:00:00.000-04:00

So today I start my classes for my MSc (yes, it is the middle of October so it seems a little weird, but it is a kind of different program- made for people who work full time). I have two weeks of classes and other than the 40 hours of class-time a week, I also have reading to do and other assignments here and there for the next two weeks. I'll have projects to do once the classes are over, but the next two weeks will be pretty intense.

Since I'll be in school for more hours than I usually work AND I have to leave my house (ah the joys of working from home) I'm thinking about things like will I have time to run, will I have time to do my usual errands, who is going to make me dinner?

I don't think I have access to a fridge at school and I'm used to bringing/making my own lunch...what will I eat? 'Cause come on, we know how much I love food and I get a little freaky when I can't eat on schedule.

And then there's the actual school related stuff- What if I don't get along with the people in my program? (there seems to be a decent amount of group work on the schedule) What if they're all geniuses and I end up looking stupid? What if it is crazy hard and I don't understand? You know- all those little anxieties that creep into your head when you're starting something new.

I'm sure it will all go well (although I know it will be a lot of work and it will be exhausting) but I am a little nervous both about the school part and the fitting it into my normal life. I forget how lucky I've been to be able to have good work-life balance. The good news is- even though I know I'll have pretty bad school-life balance for the next two weeks, I know it is just for two weeks that things will be super crazy. I can handle a little less than balanced for a little while.

So hopefully all goes well!

Tell me- do you have good work life balance? What do you do when you find the scale tipping to the unbalanced side?

good luck runners!

2011-10-15T21:25:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is a big day for races- lots of people running marathons and halfs. I know I'll be out on the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon course cheering as loud as I can and hoping everyone has a great race. It should be a great temperature but the wind could get ugly.

(source)

I'll also be cheering the Canadian elites and hoping that the men can put up some big times. There are several of them going for Olympic qualifying times and for the Canadian record. It would be very exciting to see it happen.

Good luck to everyone running other races and to Marlene, Laura, and of course to my husband Jordan who will be tearing up the Scotiabank course. I hope the wind is always at your back and that you all have a great race!

noteworthy apples or when apples are no longer hand-fruit

2011-10-13T07:30:00.000-04:00

Yup, I'm actually dedicating a post to an apple. But here's the thing- the Honeycrisp apple is not just an ordinary apple but rather a piece of fruit heaven. Genetically it is a hybrid of what was originally thought to be the Macoun and Honeygold but later turned out to be false...look, you learned something! They are crunchy, they are sweet, they are never mealy. The name "Honeycrisp" is actually quite perfect- sweet and so crisp when you bite into it. Even better than that- they are HUGE:

Honeycrisp vs Courtland

They are so big in fact that most Honeycrisps can no longer be considered hand-fruit. What is a hand-fruit you ask? Well it is is simple: a fruit eaten out of the hand. Something that requires no preparation, no utensils, and no peeling. Most apples are indeed hand-fruit:

Courtland apple- definitely hand-fruit

But the Honeycrisp, unless you are Shaquille O'Neil, moves into non-hand-fruit category due to the fact that it would be next to impossible to eat without any sort of preparation:

Honeycrisp apple- NOT hand-fruit

The preparation time, however, definitely worth it. Once you try one, you too will be searching the stores every fall and talking about these magical apples to all your friends (this batch of Honeycrisps came to me through a friend because she knew someone with the "inside scoop"). I know it sounds weird to get excited about apples, but give them a try. Even Jordan calls them noteworthy.

Have you tried a Honeycrisp? Have you every found a piece of fruit to be noteworthy?

thankful it isn't race week or "you get what you need"

2011-10-12T07:35:00.000-04:00

Almost as soon as I left the medical tent after the Montreal half-marathon, I was thinking about a redemption race. I trained really hard this spring and summer and I know that I was in the kind of shape that would have had me PR (and got that sub 1:55) if my body got along with heat a little better. I had already been considering running the Scotia Bank Toronto Waterfront Half-Marathon, since Jordan is running the marathon, and thought "ok, that's my redemption race...I've got almost a month to recover and prepare, it will be cooler, and it is a flat course." Plus, I've run it before, so I know what to expect.

Post-Race in 2008

Instead of rushing into it, however, I decided to sleep on it. I figured I should give myself a day before I registered. I woke up the next morning thinking that I still wanted to run the race so I would register. It sold out before I got the chance to sign up. (lots of Montreal runners needing a new race perhaps?)

I looked around for people selling bibs (someone tried to sell me one for $150- double what he paid) and even considered running the half using a full marathon bib- even had a potential one lined up. But ultimately, I chose not to run. I decided that since I have to do the driving to and from Toronto and I have two weeks of intensive school courses starting on the 17th, being a spectator and being Jordan's support crew will be exhausting enough.

Now that it is just a few days until the race- boy am I glad it was sold out! (thank you universe, well done!) Work is intense this week and I have a million things to do to get ready for school. I already handed in my pre-course assignment, but I still have reading to do, tuition to pay (damn I miss my undergrad degree days when I could pay online with a credit card- easy AND credit card points), and life to organize before leaving this weekend for Toronto. I pretty much have to have everything ready to go so that I can walk in the door when I get home from Toronto on Sunday evening/night, crawl into bed, then be ready to learn on Monday morning. Adding race week nerves and stress into that would not be fun.

No racing = more beer this weekend

So in this case when it comes to this race- I didn't get what I wanted, but I definitely got what I needed! And if I don't post or don't leave as many comments on your blogs as usual, you know why. I'm a little frenzied over here.

When is the last time you didn't get what you wanted but rather what you needed?

PS- Baby watch is still going strong. No baby yet- so go say hi to Heather and tell her a joke to make her laugh! (and marvel at that fantastic picture of me on her latest post. I'm pretty sure I'm singing Bon Jovi and I had already lost my right earring- I think it was the only casualty of that night)

scenes from the 'hood- st henri's finest

2011-10-11T07:00:00.000-04:00

Since this weekend was gorgeous (seriously- gloriously sunny and it felt a little like summer). Therefore, I spent a lot of time outside. Some scenes from the neighbourhood. Here are some pictures from the weekend walkabouts.

Montreal has a really strange law that basically says "no street meat." So no sausage stands, no chip trucks, and no taco stands. Nothing that involves cooking in a place other than a kitchen. For a place known for great food, it is definitely a food downfall and with the food truck craze sweeping North America, we're definitely missing out. Lately though, businesses have been getting around the rule by cooking in a kitchen and serving the food in a portable truck. Grumman Tacos is actually based pretty close to home and it was nice to see them set up in the hood this weekend. We got to try the "Thanksgiving" tacos and meatball tacos. I definitely preferred the Thanksgiving over the meatball.

Grumman 78 Tacos

One thing my neighbourhood has a lot of is graffiti- both in a street art and in a "tagging" kind of way. This cat and dog art is something we all found very confusing when we saw it:

Are they hugging? Are they fighting? We just don't know

This one, however, is not confusing at all. I think we all know what the message is:

Do they know someone has to pay to cover that up?

It is definitely an interesting neighbourhood and I love that I get to run and walk by so many interesting sights and sounds almost every day.

And finally, because no long weekend is complete without a little refreshment:

Mmm. Beer.

I remember being at a pub in Calgary when Okanagan Spring had their 1516 release party and I have loved their beers ever since. There aren't very many places around here that carry it, so when I see it on tap, I have a hard time resisting. They've definitely changed their logo since I left Alberta (where the Okanagan Spring is a plenty) and I love their new look. It reminds me of a grain elevator- which is somewhat odd because there aren't many grain elevators in the Okanagan...but I still like it.

So there you go- a little walk around my neighbourhood. I hope you enjoyed it!

Do you eat from food trucks? Does your city allow "street meat?"

scenes from a long weekend long run

2011-10-10T07:00:00.000-04:00

This weekend was absolutely gorgeous. Blue skies, warm temperatures, and a lot to be thankful for (it is Thanksgiving weekend after all). Definitely the perfect weekend for running too. Since it was so beautiful, I figured I'd take my phone along to take some pictures (plus, still waiting on news from my sister, so I get a little anxious if I'm away from my phone for too long).

We decided to run up Mount Royal (because hey- why NOT run uphill for 3 miles?) and were therefore treated with great views and interesting sights. Since it was so beautiful out, we had a lot of company in the park, but it made for some great people watching. There was a group of guys who looked like pro-football players, a guy making strange sounds while running, and even someone running just like Phoebe (oh wait...that person was me).

on the water fountain

Once we hit the top, we had to stop and admire the view. Strangely, there was also a police car that drove by on the path just after I took the picture.

at the top of the mountain

all smiles despite all the up hill

As usual, a great run followed by some great coffee. It was even better knowing that the weekend is a long one and an earlier morning on Sunday could be followed by a sleep-in on Monday.

Happy Thanksgiving!

friday randoms- the happy thanksgiving edition

2011-10-07T07:00:00.000-04:00

Some random thoughts:

- Last night I had to go to the apple store to pick up my computers after the file transfers. It was really quite strange to walk up to the store and to have as many people milling around outside the store as there were inside the store. Lots of post-it notes and different pictures and tributes taped to the store window, lots of apples or bags of apples, and many bouquets of flowers. I was just glad that all of those people weren't IN the store. It was nice to have a little room to move and to get served right away!

-I have had two dreams about my sister's baby in the last two nights. The first was one where she emailed me to tell me that the baby would be born at 6:03 AM (and I was in a panic that I didn't know if that would be my time or her time). The second involved watching the baby move around in her belly- but in a super creepy way. Her belly would stretch so much that it sort of formed around the baby and you could do stuff like grab its hand. What Heather did was pinch its nose. It was super weird. Dreams are just weird.
-Thanksgiving weekend always marks an anniversary of sorts for me. October 2005 is when I moved from Calgary (and my family and the place I'd always lived) to Ottawa. So the first weekend of my move was Thanksgiving. I don't recommend that. But it did all work out. Since then, I think I've managed to get back to Calgary about half the Thanksgiving weekends that I've lived away. This Thanksgiving we're staying put.

Yes, definitely random.

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend! And if you aren't Canadian- why not be thankful this weekend anyway?

What are you thankful for today?

dance, sing, floss, and travel

2011-10-06T12:00:00.000-04:00

Whether you like their clothes or not (I do- even though they are a higher price point, every item I have bought has stood up to running, yoga, strength classes, biking, and endless cycles through the wash) I think most people can find something in their manifesto that resonates:

(source)

I find that different statements resonate with me depending on what is going on in my life. Sometimes I just need to "breathe deeply," sometimes I need to remind myself that how I handle setbacks is really what matters- not the setbacks themselves, and sometimes I just need to "choose a positive thought."

I've always loved the "Dance, Sing, Floss, Travel" part as well. It just seems like a day with all of those things sounds like a great one. The sushi restaurant I was at last night has us all covered on the "floss":

automatic floss dispenser? yes please!

There were a few of us who were just a little too excited about the floss dispenser and we proceeded to floss our teeth. It was a little hilarious and all kinds of awesome. Also awesome? When I put this picture up on my facebook wall, a friend of mine told me that she thinks of me every time she flosses her teeth. What can I say? I like to floss!

Flossing- yay or nay? What statement in the manifesto resonates with you today?

my sister is all grown up

2011-10-05T07:00:00.000-04:00

Today is my sister's due date (or one of them anyway...you know how due dates can be). Crazy. As I explained in my birthday post to her, we're close and being this far away during this, dare I say epic, event is a little tough. I wish I was closer and I wish I was there.

That being said- I really can't wait to get that message that says "HEY- this hurts like HELL!! Here comes the baby!"

get outta my belly!

Hopefully, for her sake, that message comes sooner rather than later. So go on over and send her your best wishes.

Do you live far away from your family? What kind of events to you end up missing?

out with the old and in with the new...computer

2011-10-04T07:00:00.000-04:00

Dear new computer,
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

duelling macs

Hooray for no more rainbow pinwheel of death and I'm very excited to get started with my new computer. But first, I need to part with it for at least 24 hours while the fantastic people at Apple transfer all my old files to the new computer.

I spent about an hour cleaning out all the clutter from in anticipation of the file transfer. My favourite "found" file was the file called "Dinner." I genuinely had no idea what it was going to be when I opened it. The contents? A spreadsheet, including formulae (or formulas if you don't want to be fancy) for my sister's bachelorette party dinner. Yup. I'm a confirmed geek.

How geeky are you? What is the true measure of your geekiness?

internet hate

2011-10-03T07:00:00.000-04:00

So I don't get hate mail and I don't think I've ever had a comment that has offended me. I've had people disagree with me, but no one has been mean or offensive. Clearly I haven't "made it" in blog land (and I'm ok with that). But here's how I know that people have a lot of blogger hate- I have the word "dooce" in my blog name.* And do you know who gets a lot of hate? Dooce.

Every week, I get hits on my blog because people are searching for Dooce. Some of them are just search terms- like dooce wedding, dooce photos, dooce larabar or more recently dooce running. But others reveal just how much people like to "hate" on the internet. Here is a list of some of the nicer ones- dooce is shameless, dooce's stupid marathon, stupid dooce, and i hate dooce.

I genuinely couldn't imagine googling something like that. Seeing those search terms makes me thankful that I've never had to deal with the hate. Would I be willing to deal with it for the kind of money she makes on her blog? Hmm- maybe....but I'm not so sure my skin is that thick. Could it thicken with time? Perhaps. But I'm perfectly happy with what I have.

Obviously I know that there is a LOT of crazy hate on the internet. You only have to look at the comments section of news sites to know just how MUCH internet craziness there is out there. I often wonder what those people did before the internet. Did they send strongly worded letters to the editor? Did they keep all that negativity inside? How did they get all that rage out before they could hide behind anonymous comments on the internet?

Don't get me wrong- I am all for constructive criticism and I love comments that challenge peoples thoughts and perceptions. A good debate is awesome. But I don't like blatantly mean comments- and I think we all know the difference between disagreeing with an opinion, constructive criticism, and being mean.

If you've ever had to deal with it- what is your technique with dealing with internet hate? (I have to admit- I kind of miss the Dooce posts dedicated to hate mail) Have you ever left a comment that you worried would be taken the wrong way when really you were trying to be constructive?

*And hey, just in case you were wondering about the name of the blog, check out my first post ever (here). You see, back then, blog was practically a four letter word. Not everyone knew what a blog was and if they did, they thought you were a bit of a weirdo for blogging (not that I'm not a weirdo). There were a few "big" bloggers and one of them was Dooce. I thought she was pretty funny and thought to myself "hey, maybe I can blog too." And so, Inspired by Dooce was born. And now that she's running- can I pretend that she was inspired by me?

paula radcliffe- still a legend

2011-09-30T07:00:00.000-04:00

Recently, the powers that be in road racing decided that the current woman's world record in the marathon was no longer valid. They decided that a record set by a women in a "mixed gender" race (so where the women are able to be paced by men) would no longer count. It would be a "best time" but wouldn't count as a world record (check out more of an explanation over at Runner's World).

The "old" record (2:15:25) was run by Paula Radcliffe in 2003. She still "owns" the new record. But that doesn't make it any better of a decision in my opinion. I don't like the rule. And neither does Nike (one of Paula Radcilffe's sponsors):

(source)

In my books and in the books of so many of us, history stands. That's a beast of a time Paula Radcliffe! The only way it should change is if a woman comes along and runs 2:15:24 or faster.

What rules do you not agree with? If you could change any rule- what would it be?

why runners need yoga (or at least why this runner does)

2011-09-29T07:00:00.000-04:00

I know this doesn't apply to ALL runners- but in general, I find that we're a bit of a "Type A" bunch. We construct training plans, we have paces to follow, and prescribed workouts to complete. There are a lot of numbers and there's a lot of thinking and planning. Even while running- we're very rarely just running for fun. We're in training, we're setting goals, and we're running with purpose.

running for fun

There's nothing wrong with that...but man it can get exhausting. This is where yoga comes in for me. Not only does it help with my tight muscles (and boy are they tight) but helps with my mind too. I don't set a goal in yoga. I can't compare my last class with the current one. I get on my mat and I breathe. It doesn't matter if my heels don't touch the ground in downward dog or if today my body wants to do cobra instead of upward dog. I just breathe and I flow through the poses.

Not only does it loosen my muscles, but it loosens ME up. As I was in pigeon pose the other day, I could feel myself letting go. Letting go of my day, letting go of my stress, and letting go of any other nagging problem I was hanging on to. That and wow did my hips feel better after hanging out there for awhile. :)

As the class wrapped up and we headed into savasana, the instructor said "and welcome home." On another day, I may have found that statement to be a little weird. But for that class, it resonated. I just lay back on my mat and I breathed. I didn't think, I didn't judge how things went in the class. I just lay there, I breathed and I let myself feel at home...and it was great.

So runners- be thee not afraid! Yoga is different and it can be a little scary at first, but it is well worth the time. You might loosen more than your muscles.

Is there anything that helps you let go?

PS- I think I'm the only one who can end up with that annoying water in the ear sound after a hot yoga class. I keep forgetting NOT to roll onto my side without wiping the sweat off the side of my head first. Yeah- I'm THAT sweaty.

dancing for cancer?

2011-09-27T12:00:00.000-04:00

I love science, I love geeky scientists, and I love watching people dance. So this is right up my alley :)

Link in case the video doesn't work: http://youtu.be/Hg1yw8D3glE

Taken from what McGill uploaded:

To highlight some of the critical work being done at the Goodman Cancer Research Centre, we gathered some of our top scientists, students, lab techs and dedicated volunteers, who turned on the music - and danced!

Thanks to our proud sponsor, Medicom, a donation will be made for each hit to support advances in cancer research at the Goodman Cancer Research Centre. http://cancercentre.mcgill.ca/

I hope it makes you smile and be sure to pass it around. We all know people who are depending on the results of cancer research.

one last post- the aftermath of the montreal half marathon

2011-09-27T07:00:00.000-04:00

Ok- so now that I've recovered (although I spent all of yesterday thirsty and with a low-grade headache) I am going to write one last post about the half.

First off- Jordan had signs! And they were awesome. The first sign said Step 1: START RUNNING. On the other side? THERE IS NO STEP 2! Besides making me laugh, the best part of the sign was that as he was just holding it at his side (Step 1 side visible), a guy ran by and said "There is no step 2!" It was pretty awesome (and I wasn't even there).

The second sign said "Hurry up- We're HUNGRY" on one side and "I like PIE" on the other. Jordan really does like pie. He's no liar. Unfortunately, the signs ended up with Suz so I couldn't take a picture. But trust me, they were awesome and they made me laugh!

Secondly- Can't say enough about the support from Suz, Sean, and Jordan on the day. As I felt like ass, they made me smile and they made sure I got taken care of and that I took care of myself. And Suz could have run faster...her body was cooperating a little more than mine was. Speaking of support, thank you for all of YOUR kind words. I really appreciate it.

Plus, Jordan got to meet Sam Roberts at the finish line :) I'm totally jealous.

And finally- I'm no longer disappointed. Even though I am no longer running to finish but rather to meet certain goals, I'm over the unfortunate-ness of Sunday. Shit happens, my body hates heat, it is better to be safe than sorry.

I'm also over it because I got an email from a co-worker congratulating me on my race. She has MS and sometimes walking is a challenge for her. In her email to me, she talked about the oppressive humidity and that she was awestruck that I ran let alone finished. It made me thankful to get out and run. Thankful that even though the heat slowed me down, I can run, walk, and run some more.

I kind of wanted to run today. But I didn't :) And hey- third time is a charm right? Next time I'll get you you 1:55 bastard!

So I'll leave you with the most flattering picture ever taken of me:

wiping the salt from my face

Enough about me, me me! Go say something nice to someone and tell me about it. And tell me something that made YOU smile over the last few days!

montreal half-marathon: PR fail

2011-09-26T07:00:00.000-04:00

Well, that was unfortunate!

I started the day feeling confident. Despite a minor weather-related freak out on Friday, I knew I was well-trained and I was feeling good. Yeah, slightly run down due to a busy week, but after a day of rest and relaxation on Saturday and a long sleep on Saturday night, I woke up feeling really ready to run and ready to kick ass.

Suz and I lined up at the start and despite wanting to curse them when they told us that next year it would be an earlier start, the race started exactly on time at 10:30 am. It started off ok. The first bit was pretty uphill so we were slightly behind but confident we would be able to make it up on the downhills.

elevation- Montreal half marathon

Unfortunately, that confidence waned as I hit the middle section of the course. I was starting to feel really hot and when I stopped to walk the water station before the 10K point, I was already feeling a little dizzy.

I had some mantras ready for when the going got tough. One in particular was written on my arm:

Cancer is an Asshole (right Kevin and Susan?)

I used that. I thought about how march harder it is to be sick or to be recovering from injuries. I thought about my hard training runs and how I pushed through those. I used the old "HTFU" and even saw someone all decked out in Hoogerland's team kit and used that.

It was hot, it was humid, but I was PREPARED dammit, I was prepared! I was also hot. Really hot. And feeling sick. I used everything in my arsenal...I tried to run faster, I tried to suck it up. I worked hard and I tried hard. I told myself that this too shall pass.

But there comes a point where mind over matter doesn't work anymore. As my eyes got a little cloudy and I told Suz that I needed a walk break (around the 18K mark), she told me it would be ok to walk it in from there if I needed to (I think she was a little worried). But I couldn't do it. I couldn't walk it in. I promised myself that I'd leave it all out out on the course. So I chose a point and said "we're running at that light." And I knew that from that point on, the next time I stopped running, there would be no more running. I had to run it in. I had to.

It wasn't pretty, it wasn't a PR, it wasn't even a sub-2 hour finish (final time was 2:01:58). But if I had left any more of myself on the course, it would have either been the contents of my stomach or it would have been my body splayed out on the course. I got to the finish line standing on my own two feet. Had I pushed any harder (and had Suz not been around) I would have ended my day with a DNF and/or in need of some more serious medical attention. Sadly, a man collapsed and died on the route yesterday. He was in his 30s.

I have never seen so much carnage on the side of the road. Runners out cold before the medical staff could get there, runners tending to other runners, paramedics everywhere...(in fact, we just missed having to stop to let an ambulance through the course- it passed just behind us) and way too many runners looking way too unhealthy both on the side of the course and in the medical tent.

The talk around me was of personal worsts and un-met goals. As I was sitting on the lawn outside the medical tent (after leaving it...yeah, needed some ice to cool down and to make sure I was ok), the group of women sitting next to me was talking about how each of them missed their goal by a minimum of 10 minutes. One lady was training for a 1:45 and ran it in 1:55. Another was training for a 1:55 and ran it in 2:20... two other ladies said that if they had had money, they would have taken the metro to the end. We all decided that today just wasn't a good day.

I look creepy

This post is getting super long, so I'm going to post some reflections and random sights and sounds from the half marathon tomorrow...but for now I'll say thank you to the best support crew there is (thanks Jordan and Sean), to all of you who left me tweets and messages of encouragement, and to the best running friend a person could ask for. All of you made me push harder (and one of you reminded me that leaving in an ambulance is not worth it).

I tried my very best. I pushed as hard as I could. I did not meet my goal. But there are other half marathons on other (cooler) days. As I sit here 7.5 hours later, still feeling too hot- I am disappointed but I know I did all I could. I think I would have finished even slower had I not been as prepared as I was.

So thank you to all y'all for your support!

race day- montreal half-marathon

2011-09-25T07:00:00.000-04:00

After spending the day resting, carbing, and hydrating, it is race day. I'm ready in my bright colours so that Jordan sees me this time and I'm ready to go. Definitely a few jitters but I'm sure they'll all disappear once I start to run.

Ready to Run.

See you at the finish line!

ready, set, goals (for the montreal half marathon)

2011-09-24T16:01:00.003-04:00

Even though I haven't talked about my training in detail on the blog, I've been training for the Montreal half marathon all summer. And I've been training really hard. 10 milers, 12 milers, many 13 milers, plus two 14 mile long runs and I topped out at a 15 mile loooong run. Tempo runs, intervals, hills...lots of preparation has gone into this race.

Although the weather forecast isn't looking ideal (damn you humidity), I'm still excited and ready to run my best tomorrow. Normally, I don't throw all the goals up on the blog, but I figured why not!

First off: Since Suz and I were running and training together, we both want to PR. Her best time is faster than mine (by almost exactly 2 minutes) so we'd both really like to run under a 1:54.42. That would definitely kill two birds with one stone as it would push me under that 1:55 that I wanted to do in May and did not.

Second: I want to quiet the demons. I've done a pretty good job of ignoring the bad voices in my head these days. But I'm still not 100% sure that those demons have left my head, so I feel like I still need need to keep that as a goal.

Third: Leave it all out there. No matter what, I want to finish knowing I tried my best. If my best is hampered a little by the weather- so be it- but I want to cross the finish line knowing that I couldn't have done better yesterday. Hopefully that also means that I finish with a smile on my face.

So...sub 1:55 or bust (but really sub 1:54:42 or bust)!

Good luck to everyone else racing tomorrow!

thursday randomness- the busy week and arcade fire edition

2011-09-22T07:32:00.000-04:00

Getting up before 5 am to catch a train is not the most fun thing to do when instead of being in bed at a normal hour, I was at the Metropolis with a few thousand people rocking out to Arcade Fire.

Arcade Fire in grainy iPhone photo

This was the second time I've seen them and they did not disappoint.When they came on stage, they seemed genuinely happy to be there (after all, Montreal is home) and they put on a great show. It is pretty hard not to enjoy a band that plays with 2 drum sets, has 2 people who can play the accordion, 2 violin players, has a guy who rocks out really hard while playing the glokenspiel, and plugs a charity basketball game saying "even if you hate basketball, it is a good cause and it will probably involve pulling our pants down."

This year, Arcade fire has won a Juno (like a Canadian Grammy), Brit award, the Polaris Music Prize, and a Grammy. When they won the Grammy for Album of the Year the internet exploded with "Arcade Fire? Who the Fuck is Arcade Fire?" If you haven't heard their Suburbs Album (which was the album of the year), it is definitely worth a listen (as are all of their albums) and their interactive "The Wilderness Downtown" video is pretty awesome. And if that didn't sell you, how about the fact that they sell a "Who the Fuck is Arcade Fire?" shirt at their concerts?

Other tired randomness:
Standing for hours at a concert makes your feet hurt.

I'm hoping to get a run in today in Ottawa. I really hope it happens.

For the first time, I'm really thinking about how to approach this race on Sunday. My usual technique involves the Barney Stinson method of running- Step One: start running. There is no step two. But this time I'm trying to look at the route and figure out where I might feel good and bad and how I'm going to deal with that. I'm open to suggestions- so feel free to share your best race day positive mantras and thoughts with me!

Have I mentioned that my sister is having her baby in a short TWO WEEKS (or so...). That is just crazy talk I tell you. CRAZY TALK.

Ok, I think that is enough with the tired ramblings. So here are some questions for you-
Arcade Fire- yay or nay?
Race day- what are your best mantras and positive thoughts?

wordless wednesday- cafe saint henri

2011-09-21T07:30:00.000-04:00

coffee and croissants

It doesn't get much better than great coffee, buttery croissants (check out the stain on the side of the bag), and good conversation. They roast, they brew, they serve with a smile. Love my local coffee house Café Saint Henri.

taper tuesday

2011-09-20T07:00:00.000-04:00

Race week has definitely snuck (sneaked?) up on me...even though it has been a 3 month training cycle, it doesn't feel like it should be race week already. My body, however, is very much ready for the rest. I'm tired, I'm sore, and I'm ready for this taper!

My schedule needs the break too. Somehow, this is one of the busiest weeks I've had in quite some time. I've got a concert to go to (hard to pass up Arcade Fire in their home town) and a 2 day work trip to Ottawa. So Saturday? Saturday will be spent sitting on my butt and hopefully having a nap at some point. And I'm guessing my train ride home on Friday may end up being nap time as well.

So this week is all about grabbing all of the rest I can get and becoming a little too intimate with my foam roller (how many weird looks and questions will I get if I bring it with me on the train to Ottawa?). I'm going to try to post when I can, but may end up being a little quieter than usual.

So just in case I can't get a post up tomorrow, please enjoy this picture of me and the Cows Ice Cream cow getting to know each other.

In Newfoundland you kiss the cod. In PEI you kiss the Cow?

Are you a fan of the rest before a the race? Do you freak out or roll with it when race week ends up being busier than you hoped it would be?

scenes from the night run

2011-09-19T07:00:00.000-04:00

5K start

On Saturday, a group of us ran the Energizer Night Race at Jean Drapeau Park here in Montreal. Apparently, it is a "worldwide sensation," but it was the first time it was run here.

We dressed in our finest fluorescent colours, put on our headlamps (which were provided as part of the race fee and were mandatory for the race), and went with the expectation of a fun run in the park.

To say that I was with a group of high energy people is a bit of an understatement:

can't even stand still for a picture

As we waited for it to get dark, we were lead in a warm up, given instructions, and then it was time to head for the start. We, of course, took pictures, sort of warmed up, and tried our best to listen to the instructions.

headlamps: MANDATORY

It was definitely dark as we lined up and perhaps it was the darkness that had the volunteer grab the wrong sign to try to corral people into the right spot. Strangely, he was holding a 35+ minutes sign partway back in the field. We kind of wanted to say "um sir? it is likely that pretty much everyone here will run a 10K in more than 35 minutes."

As we started off, the footing was uneven, it was really dark, there were a lot of people, and our race plan of "warm-up mile then half marathon pace to the end" turned into "stay safe, no face plants, no injuries before next week's race." Even with volunteers VERY well placed letting us know where hazards were and where to go, it was tough to run confidently. That didn't stop us from having fun and singing, laughing, and cheering through the entire race.

we definitely stood out- the majority were in the race shirt

The 5K course was one loop and the 10K two loops with the 10K starting 10-15 minutes after the 5K. For 10Kers, that first loop was definitely more congested- especially near the end when we were catching up to the 5K runners finishing up. We adjusted our pace accordingly. Some others did not, resulting in some unsafe passing. It was kind of scary.

Once the first loop was done, there was far more room to run and we actually ended up running that loop at half marathon pace (resulting in a definitely negative split). Then, before we knew it, we were running up the final hill (yeah- the course we thought was going to be very flat, wasn't) and headed through the finish line.

Fleet Feet in Essex Junction, VT is spreading the Turtle shirt love

One thing I definitely learned from this race- the hill training has been working! Right near the end of each loop there was a gradual uphill that lead into a short, steep uphill. It barely fazed me and we were passing people like crazy on that hill. Definite confidence boost for next week.

Overall, it was a fun time. It was definitely a little nerve wracking and I'm glad I was treating it as a fun run instead of an all out race effort. It was a little too scary to run in the dark and I wouldn't have wanted to be so focused on my goal that I forgot to have fun (or as some people seemed to be- willing to plow through the crowd) or forgot to pay attention to the uneven footing- because I would have ended up flat on my face.

yay fluorescent

Fun times, fun run. And then it was off for a late dinner after. Thanks running friends and we should really run for ramen more often! (and since I haven't asked everyone's permission to put their picture on the blog, I'll leave it off and put it on Facebook- if we're not friends, look me up!)

Did anyone else race this weekend? Any fun things to report from the weekend?

(and for the record, my glow bracelet that I wore Saturday night is STILL glowing on Monday morning)

grating butter- it really works

2011-09-16T07:00:00.000-04:00

I was flipping through pictures the other day when I came across a picture I had taken while making cookies. That evening, I decided I wanted to make cookies, but the butter was frozen. Instead of giving up (because you can't whip frozen butter with sugar to make the lovely fluffy consistency you need for cookies), I remembered a tip I had heard about what to do when you don't have enough time to let your butter come to room temperature. You grate it. So I got out the cheese grater and started grating that butter! The product looked like this:

grated butter and the best of bridge

Sure, it looked a little weird and a little like spätzle, but the important part was that it worked! Once I grated the butter and let it sit for a few minutes (while I got out the hand mixer and some of the other ingredients), it was soft enough to cream easily and the cookies were baking in no time. I was rather excited that a random tip actually panned out.

And yes, I do think wine and baking go very well together.

On the books for the weekend I have the Night Race (yaaaay!) and my last longish run before the half marathon on the 25th. My goal for the Night Race (I'm doing the 10K) is not to get too excited and run too fast. I'm going to try to do a warm-up mile and then run most of the rest of the race at half-marathon pace. Hopefully I can stick to that plan! And I'm kind of excited to have a bit of a shorter long run this weekend. I'm ready for the taper!

Any random cooking or baking tips that you've tried and that have actually worked? Anything fun planned for the weekend?

three things thursday: the other people's posts edition

2011-09-15T07:00:00.000-04:00

Well, I thought I'd mix it up this Thursday- I thought I'd plug other people's posts. So here are three blog posts I've read this week that I thought were worth sharing.

Post one is Oh Yes, You Can! (Or why I don't believe your excuses) over at Losing Weight in the City. Theodora has lost an amazing amount of weight while leading a busy life. One by one, she picks apart all the excuses people make about changing their lives for the better.

I absolutely agree with her- so many of our "reasons" are actually excuses. Instead of "I can't" a better way to frame it might be "I'm not willing to make the sacrifice right now" or "I'm not motivated enough to make the change yet." Lets all be more honest with ourselves when it comes to making changes.

Post two is Sorry I'm Not Sorry from Katy Widrick. She talked about feeling guilty for things that she sees other people doing and feels like she should do too. Then she took a closer look and thought "NO- no I'm NOT sorry for that." She loves cheese too much to become a vegan and she doesn't like chia seeds- and she's not sorry for either of those.

Her post prompted me to leave the following un-apologies in her comments section:

I like bacon too much to be a vegetarian. Sorry, I’m not sorry.

I sometimes buy the cheap factory eggs because I need eggs and they are the only ones my grocery store around the corner sells. Sorry, I’m not sorry.

Sometimes I refuel after a fifteen mile run with baguette, double cream brie, and Spanish ham instead of whole grains and lean protein. I wouldn’t even dream of apologizing for that one.

If I had to give up running or beer, I’d rather learn to walk really fast or become a great bike rider than give up beer. Sorry, I’m not sorry.

Post three is to lighten the mood and make you laugh- Steve in a Speedo's post about his horrible race pictures. As someone who generally looks terrible in race pictures, he not only made me laugh but I empathized with him. Thankfully, however, I've never had eyes so crazy it looked like I was "stealing the soul of nearby children." Wow Steve- those are awesome.

Have you read (or written) anything this week that you think I (or others) should read? Anything you're NOT sorry for?

grands prix cyclistes de montreal 2011

2011-09-14T07:00:00.000-04:00

After my run on Sunday, instead of hanging out at home (which is often needed after a long run), we did something a little more fun- we headed to a bike race. The Grands Prix Cyclistes de Montreal is a UCI World Tour event. You know what else is a UCI World Tour event? The Tour de France. So yeah, it was kind of a big deal.

I think the great George Hincapie is giving me the stink eye in this picture.

Being up close to a big bike race was pretty awesome. Watching the peleton go by- pretty exciting. One of the coolest things was seeing the difference in speed between when the group of riders is just going along and not trying to push the pace versus when they are pushing it on the last lap and going really riding like they mean it.

It was also pretty cool to be a little bit of a fangirl and get excited that I was so close to bike riding "royalty". Sure, Cadel Evans wasn't there, but his team was! And some pretty great riders were there. Best climber/Polka Dot jersey winner Samuel Sanchez, 16 time Tour de France rider (and the above pictured) George Hincapie, and countless others. Two of the definite highlights though were Ryder Hesjedal and Johnny Hoogerland.

When Hoogerland rode by at the end of the race, I could actually see the scars on his legs...(from a pretty insane incident in the Tour de France involving a media car crashing into some riders).

Johnny Hoogerland in the flesh

Now when I need to Hoogerland the F up, I've got a real life image to attach to the thought. (And Laura- feel free to steal this picture. I have another I can send to you if you want :)

I have a feeling Ryder Hesjedal really wanted to win this one. He came in 11th (after the peleton split a LOT during the last lap of the circuit) and we could tell that he was really spent at the finish.

Ryder finishing up in his "ode to Canada" Oakleys

Luckily, he had a Garmin soigneur to give him a bit of a pep talk and get him ready to go collect his top Canadian podium finish.

Soigneur doing her duty. And Sammy Sanchez's butt.

While it would have been awesome to see a Canadian win at one of the Canadian Grand Prix events, I just thought it was pretty cool to be there and to see such a big cycling event in my city. And since a trip to the Tour de France is on my bucket list (hopefully a mountain stage! look for me running up the mountain in some sort of strange hat...) this was pretty awesome to be able to watch.

Have you ever been to a big bike race? Does it interest you or is it something you can take or leave?

*I took some video, but the quality is TERRIBLE when I upload it to the blog. Any suggestions on how to make it better?

my first fifteen (miles)

2011-09-13T06:30:00.000-04:00

On Sunday, I tweeted "I just ran 15 miles for the first time. Yay me. :)" What I really meant was "holy crap that was a long run and now I'm really tired and really hungry. Somebody feed me and find me a compression body suit."

The run went a little something like this:
Miles 1-9: Holy crap. This is going to be a long hard run. How the heck am I going to run 15?
Miles 10-11: Ok, maybe it will work out and I'll get it done.
Mile 12: Hey, feeling better, things are looking up
Mile 13: Ok, getting kind of tired but running strong.
Mile 14: Still not done eh?
Mile 15: Hey, I'm doing it. I'm running 15 miles. Yup- I'm tired, I'm sore, but I'm still running.

With an elevation profile like this- I think I know why the first part was so mentally (and physically) tough:

not sure why part of the graph is cut off- can't seem to fix it. but there were 15 miles and one more downhill!

At some point during that last downhill, I turned to Suz and said "Oh my god...everything hurts." And it was true. That downhill was brutal. The only way I could make it hurt less was to run faster (as strange as it sounds)...the less I had to work to slow myself down, the better it felt.

The best part of the run was feeling tired but strong at the end. Miles 13, 14, and 15 were our fastest (although looking at the elevation are you surprised?).

I finished feeling tired but happy with my first 15 miles. I also finished feeling happy that my half marathon won't be quite as hilly!

How do you usually feel when you've accomplished a new challenge? Does it leave you exhausted or energized?

lululemon salutation nation 2011 montreal

2011-09-12T07:00:00.000-04:00

Saturday morning I did some yoga in the park. It was absolutely lovely. The class was a part of the 2011 edition of lululemon's Salutation Nation. In every city with a lululemon, there was a free outdoor yoga class at 9am.

My day started a little rushed with a wake up and a "do I have time or do I not have time to get there" conversation. Ultimately, I decided I had time if I hurried my butt out the door. So I threw on my yoga stuff, grabbed my mat, my water, and a snack and rushed out the door.

Chocolate Mint- good! (and gotta make sure Aron can keep her new job by eating Clif!)

Due to some road closures and my somewhat late departure, I definitely had to rush to get to the park and was worried I'd be late. But, because of the road closures, the folks at lululemon decided to delay the start of the class to make sure we all got there. So I settled onto my mat and got ready for it to start.

blue skies and sun- perfect for yoga in the park

I was a little worried about how uneven the ground was, but as the class started I quickly forgot about it and just enjoyed the yoga. We did some sun salutations, some flow, some standing poses...all in the bright sunny park.

One of the cool things about this class was that because it was in Montreal, the class was bilingual. The teacher flowed through both French and English throughout the class and it just seemed normal.

As the class came to an end with savasana, I was lying in the park in the sun with 100 or so others and I was truly relaxed and very glad that I convinced myself that I had time to get to the class when I woke up that morning. It also made me wish I lived in a climate where events like this could happen all year long.

Have you ever done an outdoor yoga class? If not, do you think it is something you'd like?

bragging on a friday- getting it done in French

2011-09-09T06:30:00.000-04:00

Maybe this seems simple to most, but here is what I did yesterday that I'm proud of:

proved I have been living in Quebec for long enough to qualify for resident tuition
figured out why the university decided to change my ID code (oh my silly parents for giving me a certain combination of names)
rolled with the code change
got my new code and unique ID
got my student ID card
got my student transit pass (well, the temporary one anyway...and the one paid for by my tuition, not the one you have to be younger than 25 for)
informed my department of the crazy ID (and name) change
got my email set up
opted out of the student health and dental plan.

And I did all of that in French. All the paperwork, all of the interactions were en Francais! I was really nervous about getting all of it done in my second language but I did really well. I didn't get flustered and I only "lost my words" once.

It is weird- I know my French is decent, but I feel like it should be better and when I flub up or when I can't think of something I almost feel guilty. Living in Quebec I feel like I should speak French and that I should speak it well. I shouldn't make silly mistakes and everyone should understand me.

Yesterday, I went to the University knowing that I had to get all of this stuff done and that it was OK if I couldn't do it all in perfect French. I had no choice but to figure it all out and get it all done. Once the pressure was off, it was fine! I just relaxed and things went well. I even finished my final interaction with "Wow- and I just did that all in French!" and the person (who knew I was an anglophone and that my program at the university is in English) said "and you did it well!"

So I walked away happy and feeling great. Plus, I walked away with a student ID card that makes me feel very fancy because I forgot which faculty my program is a part of:

Where do I pick up my lab coat and stethoscope?

What did you accomplish this week that you were proud of?

three things thursday- photos of threes

2011-09-08T07:00:00.000-04:00

Today, I thought I'd post three "three things" photos. Because good things come in threes?

3 beers at the Granville Island Brewing Company

3 pretty ladies hiking in Charleston Lake provincial park

3 croquet mallets at The Essex

Do you believe that good things and/or bad things come in threes?

(and in other three things news- three Sundays until my race! EEK)

confessions on a wednesday

2011-09-07T07:00:00.000-04:00

A few confessions, many of which involve trashy TV:

As I write this post, I'm watching Drop Dead Diva. I first started watching it when we had Netflix and it was something that was available...now I'm addicted and I want to know what happened.

I eat chocolate chips by the hand full. I love them. Especially the Baker's semi-sweet chips. (Though I just found out that Ghirardelli makes bags of chocolate chips- probably best I would have a hard time getting my hands on those)

I've been watching this season of Big Brother. Somehow I just can't look away. One thing I have been liking about this season is that in the exit interviews, for once the cast seems to understand that this is a trashy reality show and no one seems to be taking themselves or the situation too seriously. In the house, however, they're taking it super seriously and I love the train wreck.

Call me a hoarder, but when I saw the St. Ambroise Pumpkin Ale in the store today (for the first time this season), I bought two four-packs and would have bought more had I been able to carry it. I think I also got the people in the beer room thinking because I noticed that they each walked out with a Pumpkin Ale single. Part of me is happy that they will learn the deliciousness of the beer but the other part wanted to snatch it from their hands and keep it for myself.

The worst confession of all: I've actually watched some of this season of the Bachelor Pad. I blame Leana and Heather. They were talking about it on twitter and I had to know what they were talking about. It is truly awful...but I really want to know what happens.

There are some of my confessions today- anything to confess?
(and wish me luck for tomorrow morning. I've got an early morning tempo run planned and early is hard!)

the best thing i ever ate with chopsticks?

2011-09-06T07:00:00.000-04:00

There's a show on the Food Network called "The Best Thing I Ever Ate." The concept is that they choose a food category (like burgers, cheap eats, dessert) and interview chefs and food people about the best thing they've ever had in that category.

Not so long ago, we watched the episode about chopsticks. Giada De Laurentiis talked about drunken noodles in Las Vegas, Adam Gertler talked about slippery shrimp in Los Angeles, and Duff Goldman talked about crispy beef in Baltimore. But then Alton Brown came on the screen and talked about a dish called "Mock Eel" at A Single Pebble in Burlington, Vermont.

While he admitted that "mock eel" (or mock anything) doesn't exactly sound appealing, this dish was crispy, salty, sticky, and delicious. He said you'd never know it was mock anything and would certainly never guess that it was actually made of mushrooms. As the show implies, he said it was the best thing he had ever eaten...with chopsticks.

Since this restaurant was in Burlington, Vermont, we filed the information away for future use...and this weekend was when we decided to use it. Friday night, we went to A Single Pebble for dinner and one of the dishes we ordered (of course) was the Mock Eel.

mock eel and rice

The verdict? It was crispy, salty, and sticky. But the best thing I ever ate with chopsticks? I'm going to go with no. The first bites were absolutely delicious. But as I continued, it was just too salty. Definitely the kind of dish that if you get one order for a group of 4 or 5, you wish there was a little more per person but that when it is just two of you eating it, too much salt.

mushi with scallion brush for sauce

Obviously, we had a discussion as to what the best thing we ever ate with chopsticks was. While I didn't have a specific answer, I decided that it would most likely be something Japanese. I love Japanese food and I especially love sushi. A good piece of salmon sashimi is a little piece of heaven...
Jordan figured that for him it would be a noodle dish. He loves udon and noodle dishes.

All in all, a good meal at A Single Pebble, I'm glad we ordered the mock eel, and the Bejing Street noodles were delightful. But not the best thing I ever ate with chopsticks.

So that brings me to my question for you: What is the best thing YOU ever ate with chopsticks? Is there a style of food that is traditionally eaten with chopsticks that you love most?

i lovermont and irene was not kind to it

2011-09-02T00:00:00.000-04:00

This weekend, we're headed to Vermont for a couple of days of relaxation. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people there who will be doing anything but relaxing- there is a LOT of cleanup that needs to be done. Irene hit on Sunday and it hit Vermont very hard.

Before the weather was supposed to come, I had a message from my aunt. She was telling us all that they were hunkering down and were prepared for whatever Irene brought. I thought that maybe she was over reacting a bit. I knew they were supposed to get a lot of rain, but come on- they aren't on the coast or anything. Then I started to see pictures.

The first were of Woodstock and Quechee (two towns that are part of the Covered Bridges Half Marathon- a race I've run twice). The pictures and videos were shocking to me.

I quickly got in touch with my cousins to make sure their mother was ok. She's an EMT in Woodstock and luckily was fine- but was very busy trying to help.

Then my uncle started to post pictures and video from his neck of the woods (the next three photos are taken from his Facebook page):

Wilmington, VT

Again, he and his family were ok, but he was stuck on one side of the river and his house was on the other.

Thanks to the internet, I knew that despite the flooding, my family was ok. But not everyone was so lucky and Vermont is a mess. They have seen the worst flooding in the last 100 years. Covered bridges have been washed away, neighbourhoods have been cut off, and people are still waiting to see what is under all of that water.

My heart aches for all the people who have lost their homes, their family members, and just for the state in general. It is such a beautiful place full of really nice people (including my family). It is a state that my family lives (and loves), my grandfather loved (and worked so hard to make a better place), and a place that I love and love to visit.

Luckily, Vermonters are darn plucky and are ready to clean up and fix things up. The National Guard has brought help and people are working hard to get Vermont back into shape. But there is a lot of help needed...

So how can we help? As the video "said"- the Red Cross is collecting donations to help with relief. A t-shirt company is selling shirts to help raise money. And another way to help is by helping with our tourist dollars. If you are close enough to visit- go check it out! Once things are cleaned up go "stimulate the economy" (as my aunt likes to call it). Go see all that Vermont has to offer. In the fall the leaves are gorgeous. In the winter there's skiing. All year round there is cross-border shopping, breweries to tour, the Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory, and maple syrup. There's something for everyone.

Once you visit, you'll love Vermont too.

three things thusday- the yoga, farts, and donkeys edition

2011-09-01T04:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Thursday y'all! Tomorrow is the last of my summer Fridays so I'm both excited for an extra long weekend but sad that summer is really over. I'm feeling a little shocked that it is September. But on with the show...

Thing One: I did some Yin Yoga last night. I've done it once before and enjoyed it and last night it didn't disappoint. Especially when nearing the end of a training cycle, it is really nice to go to a class where there is no standing, not balancing, no chaturanga...just slow, deep stretches. As long as you're ok with a slow moving class and you're able to "quiet your mind" a bit, I'd highly recommend it if you need a good stretch.

Thing Two: In said class, there was someone doing a lot of farting. Which was funny...(sorry, farts are funny) but I managed not to laugh. Until I got home and thought of Ashley...and then wondered just what kind of fart it was. Then I allowed myself to giggle. And then laugh out loud. And then laugh even more when I realized I had to do a google search for vagina farts because it wouldn't work properly on her site. Awesome.

Thing Three: My sister posted pictures of her baby room yesterday. I love them. My favourite, of course, is the picture called "Donkey!" because Jordan and I bought the donkey. We were looking at all the animals and decided the Donkey was the most likely to have tattoos.

(source: heather's blog)

Two funny stories about things in that picture. Number one- what used to be in the frame shown in that picture wasn't nearly as cute as those little owls...it was a picture of her friend taking a shot...from my sister's crotch. Love it. Number two- when I brought the donkey to Heather, her husband came home later that day and Heather said "look...look what Kristen brought us." He seemed under-enthusiastic and almost confused. A little while later he suddenly said "ooooh...for the BABY...she brought the donkey for the BABY."

So there you have it- I managed to talk about yoga, farts, and donkeys all in one post. I have a talent for randomness.

Do you like yoga or is it not for you? And tell me- what makes you giggle uncontrollably?

bikes and flowers- a semi wordless wednesday

2011-08-31T07:00:00.001-04:00

One thing I love about my street is that the fences always have leaves and flowers growing through them and around them. I love when plants take over man made things- it always makes for something that looks both beautiful and interesting. For some reason, it has taken forever for me to take a picture of this particular fence, but I finally caught it with my iphone the other day. It has since become my phone wall paper because it makes me smile.

bikes and flowers

I have no idea how long it has taken for the bike to be "reclaimed" by nature...but I like it.

What random street sightings make you happy?

chili in august

2011-08-30T07:00:00.002-04:00

I just made chili. In August. And I didn't even break a sweat- something feels off. Not that I'm complaining too much- we know how I hate the heat, but it feels strange that I just made chili in August.

Picture perfect Monday dinner

Just in case you're curious- I used a variation of an EatLiveRun recipe for turkey chili. She uses two cans of kidney beans, I use both black beans and kidney beans. She uses wine, I sometimes use beer instead of wine. The recipe calls for crushed tomatoes but I like to use both crushed and diced. Plus, I like to add mushrooms and corn- just for deliciousness and extra texture. And this time? I added extra meat.

The big bowl of chili with some chewy baguette was a perfect dinner for a cool Monday evening. And since I had a serious case of the day after long run hunger (or runger?), it was perfectly filling as well.

Post run hunger I can do something about- but post long run sleeplessness I can't seem to. Lately I'm finding that the nights after my long runs, even though I'm exhausted, I just can't get to sleep. Sunday involved getting up decently early, running 14 miles, and chilling out for the rest of the day (since it was POURING rain thanks to a little bit of Irene's weather blowing our way). I was tired when I got up and tired when I went to bed but I just couldn't fall asleep...very frustrating.

Does anyone else have trouble sleeping after long runs (or other sports)?
Any meals that you're looking forward to making now that summer is almost over?

one day, three microbrews

2011-08-29T07:00:00.001-04:00

Saturday was a day for beer. We wanted to get out of the city and weren't sure exactly what we wanted to do. So since we like beer, we headed out to Vankleek Hill, Ontario for a visit to the Beau's Brewery.

We can't get Beau's in Quebec, so we wanted to pick up some of their LugTread Lagered Ale but we were also hoping to try their seasonal "Festivale" summer beer. Unfortunately for us, they sold out of the Festivale on Thursday. Just a couple of days too soon. But they had plenty of Lug Tread so we left with enough of that to keep us happy for awhile.

Beau's is all natural. So is Jordan.

Once we got back into the city, Jordan suggested hitting up the St. Ambroise Terrace- a place where the beer flows and where there is live music on weekend afternoons. As we were standing in line at the bar, I noticed they had some beer glasses on display, one of which had a pumpkin on it. I started to get a little excited...the St. Ambroise Citrouille is probably my favourite seasonal beer in the world (Big Rock Winter Spice being a close, close second). The perfect mix of beer and spice that just makes me so happy. As the person in front of us was being served, I heard words that I didn't want to hear: I heard the bartender tell the guy in front of me that they were out of Pumpkin beer. My heart sank a little and I thought to myself "really? denied special seasonal beer TWICE in one day??"

It should read the greatest pumpkin ale

Instead of just assuming they were out, I gave the bartender the "So I hear you're out of pumpkin?" Different bartender, different answer and I walked away with a cup of deliciousness and with a smile on my face (I believe my exact words were "I'm SO HAPPY").

Later that night, it was a third brewery for birthday beers with friends. Off to the Dieu du Ciel brew pub which is probably one of the best deals for beer in the city. Great beer for a great price ($6.00 a pint for good microbrew? YES PLEASE). I had a pint of their Blanche du Paradis- a Belgian style white beer that is one of my favourites. Just the right balance of the citrus and the wheat that goes down smoothly and deliciously.

And just because I was curious, I tried a taste of their Summer Solstice Sour Cherry Wheat beer. Sour- YES. Wow! Even though I enjoyed it, I was very glad to only have a couple of ounces of it.

So there you go- one day, three brewerys. A practically perfect way to spend a Saturday! (and apparently, the perfect way to carb-load for a Sunday long run)

Do you have a favourite seasonal beer? Do you like the light summer beers or the darker winter ones? (Or are you like my sister in law and claim beer tastes like piss and olive juice?)