.Delicious

I felt I needed to blog strictly because I wanted to share an amazing recipe that I tried tonight. Italian sausage stroganoff. OMG. I can't even begin to tell you how amazing it was because it wouldn't do it justice. More on that later...

I had to head to physio last week because my back was bothering me. In all honesty it's been bothering me for awhile but it hasn't been bad enough for me to actually stop training - until two weeks ago. I actually had to cut a run short because I was in so much pain, which was incredibly frustrating. After going to physio it seems like I had this same muscle injury last year (which I honestly didn't remember at all - baby brain IS still kicking 16 months later), but this time he decided to treat it a little differently. He actually did some acupuncture which I admit, scared me a little. I'm not a very big fan of needles so I guess it was a good thing that I couldn't see them getting inserted in my back. Turns out the treatment worked pretty well as I felt really good for the next three days! I ran my second 15K last weekend and although my back flared up a little bit I managed to get a new personal best of 1:41:45. The best part is that I know I can do better. I wasn't feeling 100% so the fact that I got a new personal best despite that makes me feel really good. I have one more 15K training run this weekend with MEC so we'll see how it goes. I went back to physio today to get some more acupuncture done, so I'm hoping that I'm in really good shape for the weekend. 

The Edmonton Half is fast approaching and I'm still undecided on how I'm going to run the race. I'm either going to run it like normal and go for a new personal best, or I'm going to try the run/walk method and follow the 2:15 pace bunny. I just don't know what I should do! It also happens that leading up to that day we'll be moving out of our house and into a new house AND moving offices. August is going to be slightly busy! This will make lunch time runs all that more important as I feel like it's going to be hard to get up early and I'm not going to have the energy when I get home from work (not to mention that I really enjoy spending evenings with Kendrick!) Bootcamp runs out in the next two weeks so after that I'm going to try heading back to Blitz for morning HIIT training at least once a week. I'm finding that my extra strength training is helping me feel less sore after races so I definitely want to keep it up. I'm going to continue with running 2-3 times a week with a longer run on Friday or Saturday, and also continue with stairs on Wednesdays. I feel like my training is paying off because I've done a few personal bests already this year so I'm really hoping it continues!

I ordered new SHOES! I also ordered new shoes for Kendrick - but in fairness he's gotten just over seven months out of his last pair of baby Nikes so I'm pretty impressed. I had bought Kendrick baby Nikes in the next size up awhile ago but they have been packed away for a few months as we were anticipating moving sooner, so I ordered him a pair of baby Pumas and a pair of baby Asics. I may have a baby shoe problem. For myself, I decided to go with the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus. After my last 15K it was clear to me that my shoes were close to being done, so it was time to bite the bullet and try something new. I thought I noticed my shin splints creeping back up on me the last few months on occasion, so I'm hoping a change of shoe will do the trick. Nike has a great return policy where you can return them within 30 days for any reason, so if they aren't perfect I'll send them back and try a new pair. I'm hoping they will be great and they arrive soon so I have time to break them in before the big race.

I've lost a couple pounds so I'm starting to feel a little bit better. I'm still struggling a bit with work/life balance and getting organized in the few hours I have before Kendrick goes to bed, but it's going not too badly. I'm very thankful! My baby is also 16 months old in a few days. He got his first hair cut last weekend and is truly starting to really look like a little boy. It's a bittersweet time for this mama.

xo

-Dianne

PS: The more running I do the more I wish there was some sort of app that I could have on my phone to alert someone if I was ever involved in an emergency. Not to say that I'm super paranoid as I usually run in very populated areas but if something did happen and someone tried to grab me or steal from me while I was running, it would be nice to be able to press a button and alert someone of my whereabouts. Or, if I say I'm going to be an hour and it's been an hour and 10 minutes, someone would be able to check the app to find out where I am. Is there such a thing? If not, I feel like someone should invent one! It's better to be safe than sorry.

PPS: Ok, I need to share this amazing recipe I tried tonight. Bonus points that it's a one pot recipe, as that makes clean up oh-so-easy! I love beef stroganoff so when I came across this on Pinterest I knew I had to try it. The original recipe is here, however here my adapted recipe with Italian sausage:

1 teaspoon of olive oil

3 cups of fresh mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup of sliced onion

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 package of ground Italian sausage

1 tablespoon of smoked paprika

4 cups organic mushroom broth

2 cups of rotini pasta

3 pickles, diced

1/2 a cup of low fat sour cream

salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a big pot on medium high heat and cook the mushrooms until soft and tender. Remove and place in a small bowl. Cook the onions and the garlic in the same pot for a few minutes until translucent and fragrant. Add the Italian sausage and cook until tender and browned, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Add the paprika and stir. Then add the mushroom broth and pasta and bring to soft boil. Continue to cook until the pasta is soft. Add in the diced pickles and stir. Remove from heat and add the mushrooms back in along with the sour cream. Serve, and enjoy! Seriously, I feel like I could eat the whole four servings it's THAT good!

.Vulnerable

If you read my last post, I'm sure you noticed that it came from the heart. On occasion, we are all guilty of portraying life as fan-freaking-tastic when it's really not. So I felt I needed to get some things off my chest and truly I did feel a lot better afterward.

Thankfully, one of the stressors has lifted itself! We got the good news that our house had sold yesterday and we are over the moon! It's still a little stressful that we have to find a new place in the next two months, but we've seen a lot of places we like so it's just a matter of making a decision. We are looking for our "almost forever" home - which means we are looking for a place to settle for the next 20ish years or so until Kendrick and one day future baby move out. Then the plan is to build our dream home. There are definitely some exciting times ahead!

Father's Day actually went a lot better this year. I'm not sure what it was, but it didn't seem like there was a black cloud hanging over the day like there was last year. I'm so lucky to have such an amazing man as my husband and the Father to Kendrick!

Photo by Breanne Marie, Edmonton

Photo by Mandi D Photography, Edmonton 

I crushed my first 15K of the season this past weekend! I'll be honest, I don't know why I signed up for a 15K when I was probably only ready for a 10. When I signed up for the race package I tried to up my mileage in the monthly races leading up to the Edmonton half. I should have done another 10K, and then completed my first 15K in July. When I realized my error it was too late to do any changes so I went for it anyways. Considering the course was pretty hilly and through some thin trains at some points, I felt not too bad for the first 12K. The last 3K however were tough and I was struggling. I was also a dummy and didn't eat beforehand, which is a no no especially for a long run like that. Usually under 10K I can get away using an empty stomach and sport beans, but 15K was too long. My longest run previous to this was 9K and although I didn't feel prepared, I actually wasn't too disappointed with my time of 1:46:09. I have another 15K on July 1 (which is actually my favourite race of the year, the Canada Day Road Race) and another on July 10 before the big half on August 21. My goal for this week is to run 9K tomorrow and 12K this weekend to hopefully get my stamina up. I also didn't feel as sore after the 15K as I thought I would, which means my cross training at Blitz Conditioning boot camp is paying off.

Speaking of boot camp, we are outside and I don't know what it is but mosquitos LOVE me. It's awful. Even after wearing bug spray my legs have at least 25 bites on them. I don't understand why they like me so much!

I'm still working on losing about 7 pounds so that my abs show up a little more. It would be really nice to do this before I get pregnant again, as I've heard it's much harder to lose the weight the second time around. I've been keeping up with bootcamp every Tuesday and stairs every Wednesday, and running 1-2 times on Monday, Thursday or Friday. I think the biggest thing for me is eating. I need to be planning better and eating better as I know I haven't been at my best lately. The food prep has been tough, I just haven't had the energy at night. I need to get better at this! My goal is to get back on the meal planning wagon this weekend. I am motivated!

I'm also craving a vacation. Particularly to Disneyworld. One can dream...

xo

-Dianne

PS: I tried out a new Epicure recipe for pancakes for Father's Day breakfast, and it went really well! I literally went on the Epicure website and searched for "pancakes" and decided to try the Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes recipe. The only difference is I added a tablespoon of cocoa to get some healthy chocolate flavour without the calories and the sugar of the chocolate chips. They tasted amazing! I think next time I may try adding some Sweet Coconut Vegan Protein Blend protein powder to the mixture too! I also used only whole wheat flower as well. 

PPS: I think I'm going to invest in a new pair of Nikes next month! I'm brand loyal and I've been using Nike Flex for the last few years and am looking to change it up. Anyone have a favourite brand of Nike runners they recommend? I'm looking at trying out the Nike Free Run Distance shoe as that was rated #1 by a poll I saw, but I am not sure if I'll need more support than that yet.

.Commitment

Hey blog? Did ya miss me?

It's been awhile since I've blogged and really my only excuse is that life happened. My little dude turned 14 months old today. Every day I take a moment to sit and just stare at him and thank God for all of my blessings. I am truly blessed and so lucky!

After a bit of a lull in workouts due to some after hours work commitments (and me just having a hard time waking up in the morning), I've gotten back on track. I've continued to lead a group every week to do stairs for an hour at lunch time once a week, and I'm starting to notice results! My goal is to make it all the way up the 202 stairs without walking and after the last time I made it up 3/4 of the way almost every time! Even doing this once a week has made a difference and it's definitely inspired me to continue to lead this project every week!

I also joined our company running club last week, and wow was I in for a run for my money! I already knew that some of the people running were faster than me (as they mentioned the last time they ran they ran about 10.5K in an hour), but it ended being a great learning experience. I ended up running 7.26K at a 6:12/K pace - which is quite a bit faster than my average running speed. I actually ran 5K in 30:29 - which makes that my fastest 5K...EVER! It made me get to thinking that maybe I'm not pushing myself quite hard enough when I go for runs on my own. If that pace is do-able for 7.26K, maybe it could be do-able for 10! My goal eventually is to get my 10K time under an hour and as luck would have it, I actually have a 10K run booked for this weekend! I plan to do a couple more runs before the big race so we'll see if I can push myself a little harder during training and really kill it this weekend.

On top of running and stairs, I also joined the Blitz Conditioning's outdoor bootcamp! I absolutely love bootcamp, and working out outdoors (despite the fact that all the fluff in the air is making my allergies crazy) is one of my favourite things to do! Unfortunately our first class happened to fall on I'm pretty sure the hottest day of the year which made it a little bit tough, but we powered through and I drank a lot of water! Props to my cousin Adriana for signing up with me so I always have a work out buddy!

Now that our house is on the market, we've been doing some extra budgeting and I started meal planning again! Confession: I hadn't meal planned since my blog post back in March!! Here is myplan for the week:

Monday: Dill Pickle Soup - this actually turned out delicious and was even a big hit for my son!

Tuesday: Slow Cooker Pineapple Chicken - substituting pineapple sauce because I could not find any teriyaki sauce that didn't have soy in it.

Wednesday: Cheeseburger Gnocchi - we had this last week and it was so delicious I'm making it again!

Thursday: Cabbage Roll Soup - this sounds amazing!

Friday: Leftovers or take out

I find that when I meal plan I spend less on groceries as I only buy what I need for the week! I also find it's a lot easier to follow my plan if I prep the night before. Last night I cut up the potatoes, carrots and pickles and through them in a giant freezer bag with the chicken stock and spices. Then when I got home from work today I took it out of the fridge and threw it straight in the pot - which was very helpful and made things easy while I was dealing with a baby toddling around and wanting attention. What are your favourite recipes? If you are looking for some new ones, check out my Pinterest page - I have a section specifically for recipes I've tried and loved!

That's all for now! I've been going to bed late for almost two weeks now so I don't know what's wrong with my body clock. I need more sleep!

xo

-Dianne

PS: I've been thinking more and more about following a pace bunny for the Edmonton 1/2 Marathon and the more I think about it, the more I'm going to do it. I think my problem is I usually start out faster in races because I'm feeling really good, but as I keep going I start to taper off. Maybe this will teach me some planning and have me run a more consistent pace throughout. I officially registered for the race (along with the Canada Day Road Race which is one of my favourites to run every year), so I'm getting really pumped for this summer!

PPS: I started selling Epicure! Don't worry, Stella & Dot is still my main squeeze, but I decided to take the plunge as I absolutely LOVE their products! Feel free to check out the product here - I have an online party open right now until May 21! Happy shopping!

.Toughie

Last week I had a bit of a tough week.

Did you ever know that kid in school who never studied for exams but yet still managed to pass them all with flying colours? I knew that kid, and it drove me nuts because I was the type that really had to study hard or things just wouldn't stick in my mind. Even as an adult student I still have to study my butt off for exams, even if I go to every class and take notes.

I feel similar about losing my baby weight. I know some people who were back to normal within a couple months and yet, I'm still 25lbs from where I want to be. It's slightly frustrating, especially because I've been working really hard to get active again! Note that I'm not frustrated at the lucky people who managed to lose weight without doing anything, I'm just more bummed that it's taking so long for me and I feel like I'm working hard! That being said, I try to keep things in perspective as much as possible. I really only got the OK to work out seven weeks ago, and it took nine months for my beautiful baby to be born and for the majority of it I wasn't really able to be active. And if I'm ever sad about it, I just take one look at Kendrick and think WOW - my body truly is amazing! I'm going to treat myself to a new running shirt when it gets closer to race day that flatters the new me!

Last Monday (Exactly 12 weeks postpartum) I started the Nike+ half marathon training program for the second time. The first time I only got a month in before I had to stop because I was pregnant, so this time I'm looking forward to taking it all the way through. The first time I was also doing the intermediate program because I had been running regularly and this time I'm doing beginner. I'm also training in KM's this time instead of miles. I originally trained in miles because the number was smaller (which I know is a mind game, but we runners do that sometimes) but this does get to be confusing when the markers for Canadian races are in KMs. Since my next couple halfs are in Canada I'm going to continue training in KMs I think and see how that goes. It also makes me feel like I'm doing longer distances! :)

Week one went ok but I struggled getting back into things. My times were quite slow, but I completed all of my runs.

I did my long run on Sunday instead of Saturday because we had a busy day on Saturday and I didn't have a chance to run. I find that is usually my biggest struggle, time management and finding the time to run while someone watches Kendrick. It was tough, but I made it through yet I ended the week a little bummed out because I'm so far off my old pace. However, I made up for it yesterday when I did my 8km run so I started the week feeling very positive. 

My back started to act up again so I booked another physio appointment to see if I could get things worked out. In the mornings and if I sit or stand for long periods of time essentially I feel like an old woman until I get moving. Since I can't avoid sleeping I need to find a way to fix my back so I feel better in the mornings, as that is my favourite time to run! Once it hits the +20s in temperature I find that too hot. Keeping my fingers crossed for a cool August day on August 23 for the Edmonton Half! :)

xo,

Dianne

PS: Last week I also accidentally invented a recipe for peach banana oatmeal mini muffins. Accidentally, you say? So those who know me know that I am terrible at following recipes because I like to add my own flare to everything. Sometimes it works and sometimes...not so much. I tried out these apple cinnamon cookies here a few months ago as some of the ingredients were supposed to help with milk production, and they were delicious (I added strawberries too). Since I didn't have any apples but had canned peaches and an overly ripe banana, I thought I would try to experiment. The batter turned out to be not as firm as cookie dough so I put them in mini muffin cups and voila - a new amazing recipe was formed! Thank God these are fairly healthy (they are refined sugar free, soy free & clean eating approved) because I swear I eat 5-6 a day. I am going to double the recipe next time. Perfect for breakfast or a little snack, and even more perfect for those who breastfeed (don't worry men, you can eat these cookies without lactating I promise). 

Recipe:

1 1/2 cups of whole oats

1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour

1 cup palm sugar

3 tbsp Brewer's yeast

3 tbsp flaxmeal

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1/2 a cup of melted butter

3 tbsp water

1 ripe banana

1/3 a can of no syrup added peaches

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients together in one bowl, and mix wet ingredients together in another bowl. Chop the peaches into tiny peaches and smash up the banana in a bowl with the rest of the wet ingredients. Add peaches to wet ingredients, and mix well. Then add slowly to the dry ingredients and mix well until consistent. Put liners into mini muffin tins and fill each one to the top. Bake for 13 minutes or until tops are slightly browned. Makes approximately 36 mini muffins.

PPS: Kendrick turned three months old yesterday! Oh, how the time flies! Here's one of the outtakes from our mini three month photo shoot yesterday. My dog always wants to get in on the pictures!

.Smile

April 14th, 2015: Kendrick smiles for the first time (and it's not even because he has gas!)

I don't plan to be one of those moms who document online every little thing my child does, but having the first smile happen today melted my heart a little more than usual. I had been reading some things online and read that the first smile usually happens around the six week mark. So I had been anxiously waiting and when he was awake trying to make faces and talk to him so he would smile. Until today, his only semi-smiles happened when he was gassy - which was pretty funny but not really the same. I am one happy mama! :)

It's been a bit of a tough week. My Nonno (grandpa in Italian) passed away yesterday after being in the hospital since Thursday night. I am so thankful that Easter happened and we all got to spend some time together before he passed away. I was able to take a four generations picture with my son, my Mom and my grandparents and Nonno was able to meet and hold Kendrick. I won't forget the looks on my grandparents faces when we brought him over to them for the very first time. I haven't seen them that happy in a really long time and that in turn made me very happy! We spent some time every day at the hospital since Thursday and every time Kendrick was able to bring some sunshine into the room just by being himself. We are so lucky that he's been such a good baby; he doesn't mind being passed around and doesn't play strange with anyone. He also has periods where he's wide awake and very interactive and is starting to make faces and noises that just light up the room! I can tell it's been therapeutic for especially my mom and Nonna, and yesterday when we found out the terrible news cuddling him made me feel better too. It's kind of like puppy therapy: go into a room full of puppies and it's hard to stay sad! The same goes for babies, and I'm so happy that Kendrick got to meet his Bisnonno (great grandpa) before he passed away.

Since I've been leaving my house more than average these past few days, I've really started to realize how little clothes I have that are fitting comfortably. I'll be real for a moment and say that I've lost about 20ish pounds since Kendrick was born (by doing absolutely nothing because I can't) which has been great but it's kind of hit a plateau. This is to be expected since I haven't been able to work out, and although I'm not eating terribly I admit it's pretty hard to eat three balanced meals a day while I'm taking care of a newborn. I've noticed that some of the weight I've gained has been in the legs and even arms, so I'm in between my normal clothes and maternity clothes at the moment. Not to mention that any pants that are remotely tight bother my c-section incision so I can't wear those either. 

This means I hate practically my whole closet. 

I suppose if I look at the positive it means that I get to go shopping. I've been able to sell a couple of decorations and things from my wedding so I'm going to head to Lululemon and pick up another pair of running leggings. Not only are they comfy right now, but I'll be able to wear them when I start running again too! At home I wear loose fitting sweatpants and plain tees so it's very comfy but I don't really feel comfortable leaving the house looking like I just got out of bed. It's a big change but I'm hoping once I'm able to get active again I'll be able to shed that extra 25 pounds and feel fabulous again!

Six more days til my six week appointment! Fingers crossed for good news!

xo

-Dianne

PS: Remember my excitement about heading to the Urban Diner for eggs benedict the last post? Well, that was ruined. The manager/part owner was extremely rude to my friend because her child was crying for awhile. Disappointing for a local business but this isn't my first negative experience there and now I won't be going back. 

That being said - where is the BEST eggs benedict in the city?! All suggestions welcome!

.Crazy

I'm. Going. Bonkers.

Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not bored with the little man; Kendrick keeps me entertained (and tired) all day and he's wonderful. But I'm going slightly crazy being cooped up in the house, especially when the weather is really nice! As much as I love catching up on Friends on Netflix, watching TV all day is very boring. 11 more days until my six week appointment where I'm really hoping I get the OK to carry the carseat so Kendrick & I can start going out during the day! I have my eye on Mommy & Me yoga classes, some walks around the neighborhood and in the river valley, and making visits to my office and Brian's office so that our co-workers can get some baby time! Every time I see someone running I get really antsy - I miss it so much! I can't wait to get back into it!

My incision is healing really nicely - they sewed it up so well that you almost can't even tell it's there! Other than having a little difficulty still getting out of bed or sitting for long periods of time I am feeling pretty good. It's starting to hurt less and less when I cough, sneeze or laugh so I'm hoping the healing process is going well. 

Yesterday I opened the door to let the dog out and saw how amazingly gorgeous it looked outside and got the bright idea that maybe I'll try to figure out the Baby Bjorn carrier we got and take Kendrick on a quick walk! I got really excited, except that Kendrick was screaming and didn't want to sit still while I took it out of the box to try and figure out how to put it together, so I gave that up for the time being. 

Have I mentioned 11 more days until my six week appointment?

This weekend I'm meeting up with a two of my best friends from elementary and junior high at Urban Diner - I'm hoping that I can get the crab cake eggs benedict that I've been craving for months! One of my friends had her little guy the night before Kendrick was born (and in the same hospital) so I feel like they are born to be best friends. We reconnected at a fundraiser dinner a few years ago after not seeing each other for over 10 years, so it's been really awesome to share this whole new Mom experience together!

I can't believe it but Kendrick is one month old today! Time is flying really fast! Some people think he looks more like me, and others think he looks like Brian - I think he's perfect. I take a picture of him looking adorable almost every day (and my phone's memory is slightly full because of it) and it's amazing to see the changes that have happened in the last month! I've been searching Pinterest for some ideas on monthly pictures we can do with him and got some great ones! However why is it that when I try it it doesn't look nearly as good as it does on Pinterest? Damn you, perfect pictures on Pinterest! In any case, Kendrick looks cute and that's really all that matters. Since we didn't have a doctor's appointment today I couldn't get the exact weight so I weighed myself carrying him and then weighed myself without him to get his weight. Hopefully my scale at home is semi-reliable.

I'm thinking that Kendrick & I may go sit on the deck for a bit and soak up some of the sunshine we're getting with this early summer weather. Thank you, Mother Nature!

xo
-Dianne

PS: I've been using Stella & Dot's "Keep it in the Bag" diaper bag and it is AWESOME. Pockets for anything and everything. It's cute and it works for boys and girls - and it's not even too girly for Dad to carry! It also comes with a travel friendly changing pad, which I've used and comes in really handy when my son decides to pee as soon as the diaper comes off! When I go out, I throw my wallet in there and use it as my purse too. It just got a price reduction so go check it out by clicking here!

PPS: Forgot to mention, Kendrick & I are going to VEGAS for Stella & Dot's yearly sales conference in July!! I am so excited! More about that in a future post - but feel free to throw any baby traveling tips my direction for the time being! :)

.Missed

There were a few things I really missed while I was pregnant:

• Medium rare steak
• Eggs Benedict (poached soft with a ton of hollandaise sauce)
• Sushi
• Super hot showers/baths
• Hot tubs
• Running

Unfortunately with the c-section, baths and hot tubs are out for another month or so. When I get the all-clear, I'm actually tempted to go buy a day pass for a YMCA or city recreation center and just go sit in the hot tub for 20 minutes - that's how much I miss it!

As for the food, I haven't had the steak, eggs or sushi yet. Once we really get settled with the baby, Brian promised he would make me one of the best steaks I've ever tasted! For eggs benedict I want to head to Urban Diner for their crab & shrimp cake eggs benedict. It's been awhile since I've had it and it's SO delicious! I can't wait! And the sushi, well I'm not sure where I'm going to get sushi yet. I've always liked sushi but I've never really craved it, so it's been awhile since I've been to a good sushi restaurant. Does anyone have any suggestions on where I can get some good sushi?

Sadly, in the last couple months I found out that both fundraising runs that I did last year (the Underwear Affair for cancers below the waist, and Run for Your Dad for the Heart and Stroke Foundation) have been cancelled. Not only were they cancelled for 2015, but it looks like they are going to be cancelled for good. This makes me so sad! I picked those runs very carefully as I was running for my late aunt/godmother and my Dad, so the fact that they are now nonexistent left me wondering what I could do to raise money this year? I posted this on Facebook to see if anyone had any suggestions and my friend Kelly suggested the Heartbeat Run which is happening in Edmonton in September. The money raised is going to the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute which I think is a great cause. I have an email out to them to find out if strollers are allowed on the course for the 5K or 10K walk and if they are I may do the walk with Kendrick! If not, I'll have to decide whether I'll be ready for a 5K or 10K run at that point. Considering I'll be doing a half marathon at the end of October, I may opt for the 10K run to get my legs in gear, but we'll have to see how it goes. I don't want to get too far ahead of myself just in case, but I'm excited to know that I will have a fundraising run to look forward to this year and raise money for a good cause in memory of my Dad. 

Another walk I'm thinking of doing is the 5K Canada Day Road Race first thing in the morning on Canada Day. Last year I did the 15K (not knowing I was pregnant, there were a bunch of hills and I still managed a PR!) and I loved the route. It was a lot of fun! This year I'm not sure I'll be ready to run a 15K at that point, but I may do the 5K with Kendrick to get the legs moving. I really want him to love the jogging stroller and coming to exercise with Mommy so that he gets used to it and I can get in shape while still spending time with him! The 15K was hilly and quite challenging but I think the 5K will be a lot of fun. 

I miss running. Can you tell? :) 30 days until April 20th!

.Truth

Sorry blog... I haven't forgotten about you. It's just kind of hard to write about running when you haven't been running in a few months!

My last run was July 13th. It was fairly short and I didn't feel like running but I ran anyways. I was battling a little injury but nothing major.  

On July 5 I completed the Edmonton Spartan Race. On July 6, we found out I was pregnant. This baby is going to be a warrior!

This is FABULOUS news and news my husband and I had been hoping to receive for a few months! I can't even explain how terrified and excited I was (and have been) at the exact same time. I went to the doc the next day and they confirmed the news. I looked at the doctor and said "So...what now? What do I do? What can I do? HELP?"

A few months prior, I had really started to put more effort into my running. I completed five weeks of a 12 week Nike running program where I was running 3-4 days a week and feeling like my running was improving. I was confident that I could shave at least 20 minutes off my personal best at the Edmonton half in August. I had also stopped having that casual beer here and there to try and cleanse my system. I told my doctor about all the sports I was doing this summer and he said I could still run (but no half marathon) and play slo-pitch, but ball hockey had to go. I emailed my doctor afterward as I wanted a second opinion on the half marathon and he agreed and said it probably wasn't a good idea. Not only did he think I'd be exhausted, but he also said he didn't want me to overheat or raise my heart rate too much as that wouldn't be good for the baby. Fair enough. Baby comes first!

I really did want to continue running. I had been following blogs like Through Heather's Looking Glass and NYC Running Mama (which are both FANTASTIC blogs by the way) for some inspiration from moms who continued to run while they were pregnant and tried to gather as many tips as I could so I could prepare myself to run when I got pregnant. Then I learned a very important lesson - everyone's pregnancy is different. I'll be 19 weeks tomorrow and one of the symptoms that hasn't gone away since the first trimester has been exhaustion. My running plan prior had been getting up at 6-6:15AM a few times a week to run so I could keep my evenings free. Once I got pregnant I had a hard time getting up at my regular time in the morning, never mind super early. We also had an absolutely amazing summer in Edmonton, and a lot of July it was +30 outside. I don't like running in that kind of heat normally, and I certainly didn't think it was a good idea to run in it while pregnant either, so unfortunately I fell off the wagon. I give HUGE kudos to both those mama bloggers and any other woman who can keep up a fitness regimen while they are pregnant - you guys are my heroes! I just can't manage to get the energy!

I had a bit of a difficult first trimester, with a couple of urgent trips to the doctor and an emergency ultrasound but thankfully everything so far has been A-OK. I am also happy to report that the last month or so I've been feeling a lot better! I'm still very tired, but overall I'm feeling pretty good and starting to get more excited by the day! We found out on Sunday (in the presence of my family on Thanksgiving) that we were having a baby boy! I'm hoping we have a future NHL star on our hands who will spoil his parents when he makes the big leagues! :) Big thanks to my friends Kelly and Bryan at B and K Custom Cakes for making this amazing cake for us!

I'm going to shift this blog a bit for the next little while onto what I'm doing to keep in shape while I'm pregnant, and then getting back into shape once I have the little one! I'd be lying if I said my motivation level was high right now - as in all honesty it's extremely low, and exercise has been the farthest from my mind. However, I'm trying to do the little things to try and keep as active as possible. For example, I'm going for more walks (my doggie is happy) and trying to go for 1-2 KM and speed walk when I can. Because I haven't run in so long I'm not going to start back up now, but I am going to do my best to try and eat better (which is hard when you crave burgers and McDonald's, but don't worry I only cave 1-2 time a month) and try to continue to live a healthy lifestyle throughout the remainder of my pregnancy. One thing I'm considering is signing up for a half marathon in 2015 to make sure that I get my butt in gear once the little one arrives. I don't want to go far or use too much vacation because we're hoping to visit Australia late next year to visit my husband's sister, so I'm thinking of either the Edmonton Half in August (mostly because it's local and I'm familiar with the course) or maybe the Rock n Roll Half in Vancouver, BC in October (if it's around the same time as this year). The thought terrifies me as I feel like I'll be starting from scratch - but with the Nike Training program and some friends who have promised to help me along the way, I think I'll be able to do it! And I can't think of anything better than my little man waiting for me with a big smile at the finish line - so THAT's my motivation.

Am I crazy? Maybe. But if I'm going to run a marathon before I'm 40, I gotta keep moving. I can do this. 

:)

xo

-Dianne

PS: Anyone know where in the Edmonton area I can get a fancy jogging stroller for under $300? The ones I like are close to $1000 and that's slightly out of my budget! :)

.Detox

Ever come back from vacation feeling like you ate like crap and gained 10 pounds? I tried to justify the fact that I didn't run while I was in Florida on the basis that I walked a LOT when I was outlet mall shopping, at Magic Kingdom, and at Seaworld, however I think that basis is pretty weak. I was so proud of myself for bringing two sets of work out gear (especially since I squished 7 days worth of clothing into one carry on bag and one gigantic personal item), however I didn't go for a run once. For shame!

I've kinda gotten off the beaten path the last 2.5 weeks and quite frankly have become a little lazy. Knowing that I was toning down my training for the rest of the summer made me a little less motivated to do those runs in the wee hours of the morning. I find my running endurance disappears rather quickly if I don't run on a regular basis, so I'm determined to get back running at least 1-2 times a week even if I start off a little sluggish. My eating habits haven't been the best either - I find sometimes that when I eat something bad, I figure that day is a write-off and I don't really care about what I eat for the rest of the day, and that's a big no-no! Today for example, I'm "Detoxing" slightly as I had a fairly healthy sandwich for lunch and have a spinach salad for dinner, as I feel pretty guilty for what I ate yesterday. That being said, everything I ate yesterday was DELICIOUS...but maybe a little too much deep-fried goodness. Yesterday for lunch, some co-workers and I hit up the Taste of Edmonton, which for those of you who don't live here, is an amazing food festival that happens right downtown! You buy tickets and restaurants from all over the city have booths where you can try samples of different types of foods. Everything I tried yesterday was amazing, however I think 3 or 4 of the samples I tried were deep fried (don't get me wrong, that's not all they serve at this festival, those were just the things that caught my eye and they were delicious!). I also had a piece of cheesecake on a stick...because who can resist a piece of white chocolate raspberry cheesecake on a stick?! Then on my way to a concert last night, we had to pass through K-Days, which is another one of Edmonton's summer festivals, and I had half a bag of mini donuts... (mini-donuts are almost as much of a weakness as cheesecake!).

Knowing that this weekend we will be hitting up some festivals, I've decided that I'm going to start of a bit of a detox starting on August 1. I don't believe in fad diets, but what I do believe is eating clean, eating a little bit from all food groups, and of course eating healthy. So this is my plan starting in a little over a week:

- no processed foods

- no sugar

- lots of fruits and vegetables

- lean meats & protein

- healthy snacks

- no soy (my stomach has been bugging me lately so I'm sure my intolerance has something to do with it as I haven't been as careful as I should be!)

Of course, it would be unrealistic (for me at least) to do this 100% of the time, but I'm really going to try and aim for 90%. The key is eating out less, and cooking at home more. I find that when my fridge is stocked with healthy veggies and foods, I will be more likely to cook at home. If the fridge is depleted I'm more likely to go out and get something for lunch or dinner, and sometimes convenience is so much easier than eating healthy. I'm going to try and rid my house of all the bad stuff like chips (although we don't buy a lot, I still manage to find some on occasion) so the temptation isn't there. On top of this, I'm going to aim to run 1-3 times per week depending on the week, but keep my mileage down under 10K so I don't push it. I'm hoping within 2 weeks or so I'll start to feel a difference. Anyone want to join me? I may need a support group!

The important thing to remember is that we are all human, and we are all bound to fall off the wagon once and awhile. As long as we can get ourselves back on track and build that willpower, our goals are definitely attainable!

xo,

-Dianne

PS: Stella & Dot's brand NEW collection got released on Monday! Check it out at www.stelladot.com/DianneCK and let me know if you want to host a trunk show and get some bling for FREE! :)

.Training

#OperationMCO was a little hit & miss this week. Although I was eating healthier, I wasn't eating as healthy as I wanted to. I find it hard to adjust when you get used to eating fatty or fried foods, and it doesn't help that they are delicious! I've also been bad with recording in my food journal; I started out with good intentions but as the week went by, I got lazy. I vow to be better next week!

In the few years I've been running half marathons, I haven't really followed any training program. I've looked up quite a few online however I've never followed them exactly. The one I have been trying to follow lately is two shorter runs during the week, and then a longer one on the weekend. Before I got sick, I was also trying to incorporate having one two run day on the weekend so I could prepare for my double run on June 14th, however unfortunately I haven't gotten back to that yet. This weekend, my plan is to run 11K tomorrow with some friends who are preparing for the Spartan Race in July, and then play ball hockey in the evening - so there won't be any time for a double run. That's ok though, as that's a lot of physical activity for one day.

I've decided to try something different before the Edmonton Half Marathon this year and try to up my personal best of 2:43 by maybe five to ten minutes. Before I ran Canmore last year, the Edmonton Half was my personal best, so I'm confident that this is an attainable goal, particularly because the course is mostly flat. Enter the Nike Running coaching program.

This program works on the Nike Running app and involves 12 weeks of running to prepare you for your next half marathon. I typed in the date of the half, and it has me starting on Monday. I chose "intermediate" over "beginner" simply because I've been running for a few years now, and even though I'm slow, I don't want to start over. I've been doing some training on my own so I think this will be a challenge, but I'm looking forward to it. The coach will have me running five times a week, cross training on Thursdays, and then a rest day on Sundays. This does change a little bit as the weeks go on, and some of the runs aren't just straight runs - they include intervals and different paces which is a type of training that I haven't done too much of. I'm hoping that I can stay strong and avoid getting injured during this time period so I can see how effective this program really is. The big challenges will be on week seven and week nine, when my scheduled long runs will be 14 miles. I've never run that long before! This will be a good test to see if I'll be close to running a marathon in the next few years, as that's not something I want to tackle until I can run a half in 2:15 or less. We'll see how it goes, but I'm feeling optimistic!

June is a ridiculously busy month for me, so I anticipate that most of these runs will be in the early morning. Thankfully the runs during the week for the most part will be completed in less than an hour, so I shouldn't have to get up too early. Even though I find it hard to get up in the mornings, I also think that the morning is the best time to run! It's nice and cool in the summer, it's quiet, and I find myself re-engerized for most of the day afterwards. 

One thing I do need to look into is the use of chews or gels to help with a pick me up during races. You aren't supposed to run super long distances with just water, so I'm going to need to do some research on which ones are good (and which ones are soy-free) and that don't taste like crap. Does anyone have any suggestions? I don't like the taste of artificial fruits and I'm not really into chocolate (I know, what's wrong with me?)

Until next time,

xo

-Dianne

.Back In

It's been a long few weeks but after heading to physiotherapy on Thursday last week, I was able to get the all-clear to start running again! YAY! Turns out I have agitated/pulled my sartorius muscle, which actually goes all the way up from your knee to just under your abs.  I had no idea it went all the way down to my knee until the physiotherapist starting pressing on it and I felt pain! I'm still not exactly sure how I did it; I know I tweaked it during ball hockey three weeks ago but I can't pinpoint what exactly I did. Thankfully, she gave me the green light to run as long as I wasn't feeling major pain (minor discomfort is OK) so I am quite relieved! I went for my first run this past Sunday since I've been injured, and although I felt tired and sluggish (which could have partially had something to do with the beers I consumed at the Backstreet Boys concert the night before, which was AWESOME by the way) my time wasn't too bad. I made it just over two miles before I decided to walk the rest of the way home. I did feel some discomfort in my left leg, but not enough to stop the fun. I ran again with my hubby on Monday and this time we covered just over 5K, and I felt no pain or discomfort during the run and I was much closer to my normal tempo for time trials, so I felt a lot better! I'm still feeling fatigued and I can tell my endurance has suffered, but I'll get that back. I'm going to arrive early to work tomorrow or Friday and do a run in the river valley to start my day, and maybe try to do that one more time this week, so I'm hoping by the weekend I'll be back up to close to my normal pace!

I went back to physio this morning and let her know about my runs this week, and she said I'm making great progress! I made a follow-up appointment for next week, however she said that if I can continue to run and work out with no major pain, I should be good to go! I still have some sort of joint issue in my right ankle that hasn't completely gone away, so I might keep the appointment if that stays the same. Essentially running and walking don't hurt, but standing on the ball of my foot does. It looks like I'll be wearing flats for another week!

I also did another class of Yin Yoga this past Saturday at Lotus Soul Yoga and what a difference this instructor made! I enjoyed it about 10 times more than I did the other instructor, which I found interesting because in hot yoga I didn't find it really mattered what instructor I had. I'm going to try and go back during the times that Joe is instructing because that class was amazing!

Since I've stopped taking the vitamin with soybean oil, I've started feeling a little bit better, but my stomach has still been a little uneasy. I'm looking forward to meeting with the naturopath again next week to see if we can find out what's bothering me and I can go back to feeling normal again! I know sometimes it can take more than a week for soy to leave the body so hopefully by the time I go see her I'll be feeling better already!

The next few months are so busy with school! Currently I'm taking part time classes to eventually complete my Marketing degree, and I am about a year and a half away from finally graduating. If there's one thing I'm going to tell my future kids, it's going to be to finish school before they get into the work force! I've found it to be quite challenging to work an eight hour day and then sit through three hours of class. I didn't want to take a summer class this term, however I only ended up taking one class during the winter because of the wedding, so I had to catch up this summer. Usually I take two classes per term in the fall and winter and take the summer off. Thankfully this class is only until late June so I'll have the rest of the summer to enjoy! We've got a camping trip planned, and hopefully a trip to Florida, along with some slo-pitch games and training for the big Dragon Boat race at the end of the August. 

I LOVE the Edmonton weather right now! Feel free to comment and share your plans for the summer; I'd love to read them!

xo

-Dianne

.Stupid Soy

I grew up with a few allergies as a kid. I was allergic to peanuts, nuts, eggs, fish, shellfish, dogs, cats and snow mold. I remember being rushed to the hospital when I was about four years old, when the daycare I was at gave me a cracker with peanut butter instead of cheese whiz. It kind of scares me to one day have kids with allergies, because when they are young and in school or somewhere that you aren't, you just never know what they might accidentally eat! Thankfully, I grew out of a few of my allergies as I got older. I beat the eggs allergy when I was about 10, and to this day I'm not a huge fan of them unless they are cooked a certain way, added to a meal where I can't really taste them, or if they are my mom's special scrambled eggs with cheese. I actually have switched over to egg whites in the last few years for the majority of my egg eating in order to eat a little cleaner!

I took an allergy test about eight years ago just to see if I had grown out of any other allergies. I told the allergist that I knew I was still allergic to peanuts so please don't test me again for it...but he did anyways and the dot swelled up like a balloon. I'm still very allergic to peanuts, cashews, walnuts and fish, but found out that I can eat shellfish (yup, I'm the opposite of most) and almonds which was pretty cool. Since then I've found a new love for shrimp, lobster, crab and scallops, and I even tried sea urchin in San Francisco when we were there in July of 2013 (and it was DELICIOUS!). I also seemed to have grown out of my allergy for some dogs and cats, as I have one of each now and don't feel sniffly all the time! I still have seasonal allergies, but that's something I think I'm stuck with. I used to get so sick when I'd roll down the hills with my cousins near my grandparent's place as a child, but it was so much fun!

About a year or so ago, I started to feel like I was having trouble digesting foods. I was bloated all the time, and food would just sit in my stomach. I felt miserable, and it interfered with my social and physical activities. I went to the doctor and they sent me for a bunch of tests. Besides my iron levels fluctuating from high to low, everything they tested for (including celiac disease) came out negative, so he sent me to a naturopath. The naturopath figured it was probably some sort of intolerance to food, so she put me on a restricted diet for about eight weeks before Christmas. I had to cut out gluten, dairy, corn, eggs and soy from my diet for a full month. Those I guess are the most common allergens, and the point of the diet was to see if one of them was the culprit in making me feel so gross. This diet was HARD when trying to eat out - most foods in restaurants have one of these things! Working on game nights, I was very lucky to have a very friendly kitchen staff who made meals for the media - and they worked with me for that time span to let me know which foods had what - and if I couldn't eat anything on the menu they would prepare something just for me. Eating at home was no problem, as I have been a "label-checker" and eating mostly organic for a few years now, so most of the food in our fridge was OK.

After a week and a half, I really felt no different and was convinced it wasn't one of those foods. I emailed the naturopath and she encouraged me to keep going, saying that some of these foods can stay in the body for long periods of time if they are consumed regularly. So I did...and a few days letter, I finally started to feel better! I even lost 10 pounds (and of course gained it all back when I started eating normally again)! After one month was over, the key was to slowly add things back in once a day, and see if I had a reaction. I thought long and hard about which item I should add back in first, and finally decided on soy because I was 99% sure that wasn't the problem. Boy was I wrong. I had tofu noodles for dinner that night and within about 30 minutes of eating, I started to feel that gross feeling again that I hadn't felt in weeks! Tried three different types of soy in a three day span and got the same reaction, so took it back out of the diet and added everything else back in, to feel fine.

So, it turns out I have a soy intolerance! It's not severe enough to be an allergy, but it's annoying enough that I want to eliminate it from my diet so I don't get that gross feeling all the time. It's strange to ask at restaurants if they use soy, as most of the time the servers have absolutely no idea. Sometimes the cooks don't even know if they bring in packaged items! However, I've found that certain restaurants in Edmonton such as Joey, Local, and the Keg have knowledgeable, friendly staff and/or allergen menus so I can find out what I can eat beforehand and don't have to be fussy at the table. I really dislike being "that" person who has to be picky about their meals, but feeling good is important so if I can do my research in advance it makes things easier for everyone!

You'd be shocked how many foods have soy in them. Mostly processed foods have soy, so in a way this is a good thing for me to avoid them. But I will miss edimame beans, tofu, Lipton chicken noodle soup and Clif bars! I just found out last night that the VITAMINS I was taking had soybean oil in them. Really!?!

Living with an allergy/intolerance is not the end of the world but it's certainly an eye opener! I've started keeping a list of restaurants that are soy-friendly and know which items that I can have, so if you have a family member or relative that is intolerant to soy (as apparently it's fairly common now-a-days) or just want to avoid it (which may be a good idea considering after doing some research I don't think it's the best thing for you to eat anyways), let me know and I'd be happy to share!

That's all for now! First slo-pitch game of the season tonight! Hoping my injury is starting to heal enough that I can jog to first base! :)

xo
-Dianne

.Throwback Thursday

This blog will be a little off topic (since talking about my injury and how frustrated I am that I can't work out isn't that exciting), but it's hard to believe that my winter wedding was almost 3 months ago! It's amazing how much planning goes into one day, for it to fly by unbelievably fast! What an amazing day it was though.We got our pictures back yesterday! Here's a sneak peak:

 

 

We were lucky enough to get married in a beautiful church, surrounded by 200 of our favorite people, and have a lovely photographer (Photos With Ashley) to capture all of our special moments. It was only -20 or so, so the outdoor pictures were a tad cold but we had enough beer in us by then that I don't think we really noticed! Special thanks to the Alberta Aviation Museum and Central Social Hall for letting us do some indoor pictures at their venues!

 

I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful day. Love you husband! Cheers to many more happy years to come! :)

xo
-Dianne

.My "Why"

If you would have asked me in junior high or high school what kind of sports I liked, I can guarantee you that long distance running was the farthest from my mind. My first love was artistic gymnastics, which I did faithfully until I was 20 years old and involved in a car accident. I had to stop cold turkey for 6 months, and my body couldn't really handle competing at a high level after that. I dabbled in adult classes and occasionally go to drop-in, but sadly it's probably been a few years now since I did a back-handspring.

I participated in track and field through school, but mostly in long jump and shot put, which was fairly shocking for most considering my scrawny frame at the time, but I had built up arm muscles from gymnastics. I even qualified for the city finals a couple of times to represent my school! I also remember in gym class being told we had to run the 1500M, and having to walk for most of it and being one of the slowest in the class. It wasn't until a year after I met my now husband Brian that I even considered doing anything long distance.

Brian had mentioned to me in our first year of dating that his new year's resolution was to run a half marathon or complete a triathlon. I thought it might be fun to do that together, but wasn't sure I'd actually be able to do it. I had just joined an outdoor bootcamp which I loved, but when it came to anything running I couldn't even run a full mile without being out of breath. My body had changed a lot since I quit gymnastics and although I still had the small frame, I wasn't nearly as muscular or had the cardio fitness level I used to have. I also have a mixture of normal asthma and exercise-induced asthma, which I had never let stop me in the past, but worried that it may in this case.

So I thought to myself - I want to help him complete his goal AND I want to take part in this challenge as well. As I was taking part in bootcamp, I overheard one of the participants talking about a half marathon in Vegas that they were attending. I went home and looked it up - and said to Brian "Hey - how would you like to complete your new year's resolution in Vegas?" I had excellent travel benefits with my job at the airport at that point, so we booked our trip and started to train. We did some running together, and I continued in bootcamp. When it got too cold to run outside, I ran laps at the Kinsmen Sports Center. I think the most I ran before the big race was about 8 miles...and that was tough, so my goal was honestly just to cross the finish line before the 4 hour mark when they started removing racers from the course.

To this day and 4 half marathons later, the Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon is still one of the coolest races I've ever run. We ran the inaugural race in 2009 which involved closing down the famous Las Vegas strip and running all the way up and down it (and then some) in the early hours of the morning. All the big hotel signs were lit up with encouragement for all the runners, and showed pump up tweets from friends and family. We ran the race together, and unfortunately Brian re-injured his knee while running so he ended up power walking after about six miles. Because of this, we ended up being the same speed and ended up crossing the finish line at the exact same moment holding hands. After that, something clicked. I was so happy I almost cried at the finish line, and even more thrilled that we were able to do it together. My goal was to finish the race in under 4 hours, and we finished in 2:58:16. I was hooked.

Fast forward to 2014 and I've fully caught the running bug. I've completed half marathons in Edmonton (AB), Canmore (AB), Disneyland and Disneyworld. I've completed some 10K's and 5K's along the way too. This summer I'll be running Color Me Rad (5K), Spartan Race (5K + obstacles), the Underwear Affair (10K to raise money for cancers below the waist), Run for Your Dad (15K to raise money for the Heart & Stroke Foundation), and the Edmonton half (13.1M). Currently I'm working hard on my 5K time to get it under 30 minutes, doing bootcamp 1-2 times a week at lunch, and fitting in some stairs and hills workouts with November Project Canada (which I will definitely go into more later in other posts). When I'm not running, I want to run! My personal best in a half marathon is 2:43 and I'm looking to improve that to 2:15 before I start training for a full marathon. My running goals include qualifying and running the Boston Marathon and New York Marathon one day!

Whenever I do a Stella & Dot trunk show, I start off by telling the ladies my "Why". This is something I've learned while working with Stella & Dot; and it's essentially the reason why you've decided to go on your journey! My "Why" for running is not complex; I love doing it, it keeps me in good cardio shape, and it provides that sense of accomplishment that I was missing in my life. One thing I really miss about gymnastics was competing - and although I don't race to win against other competitors, having people cheer you on and wait for you at the finish line is incredibly rewarding for me. I decided to start writing this blog to keep myself accountable with my running goals, and to share the random ups and downs I go through. Thanks for reading!

Keep calm & run on. Right? :) Now, to get over this bad cold so I can get back on track...

xo
-Dianne