.Really

It's a very Dianne thing to get random injuries that make people go "Really?!" when you tell them what happened. Insert a new one this past week - random arm injury from running.

Let's back it up a bit. In the last month I've been leading an indoor stairs club at work one or two times a week for 35-40 minutes of stairs. It's been very positive, and it's been nice to get back into the groove of working out again. Last weekend I started running again and OH did it ever feel good. I'm very much a seasonal runner as I absolutely love running outside but won't when it's too cold, there's too much snow or it's too icy. I guess that makes me a whimp. But it also makes me incredibly anxious all winter and I look forward to the spring so I can get the legs moving again! That day was this past Sunday.

My pace was slow, even a bit slower than my usual half marathon pace, but I felt really good. Damn did it ever feel good to get back out there! I was feeling really good and woke up the next morning a little sore, but chalked it up to the fact that I haven't run in awhile and was working out some new muscles. When I noticed my shoulders were a little sore, I figured it was because I kept them too tight when I ran. So Monday night, I went for another run. This one I wasn't feeling quite as great and even a bit sluggish but I thought that was probably because it was after work and I'm usually a morning runner. That night though the pain got worse, and as Tuesday went on it got to the point where I was having trouble picking up Kendrick (who's only 24 pounds) so I knew I had to go see the doctor.

My doctor wasn't in so I saw someone else. They had me do some physical testing (seeing how high I could lift my arm, reaching, etc) and said that they didn't think it was anything serious, but they'd set me up for an ultrasound and to take some Advil and the pain should subside in a few days. They thought it likely was the bicep muscle. I went to book the ultrasound and they said only a specialist can do it, there's only one location in the city and the earliest they can get me in is May 5. Seriously. So I went for a second opinion, and they told me that there's a possibility that it could be tendonitis, and if it's happening now it could happen again. He told me to try my best to pinpoint what I did last Sunday that could have caused it and I said honestly all I did was run, and was confused because I used that same motion to run stairs in the month prior. I asked if I should run (since on Friday I was feeling better) and he said yes, and if it hurt again to come back and see him. So I went for a run yesterday.

I went 7.5 KM and even though it was still at a slower than I would like I was feeling absolutely fantastic. So you can imagine my surprise when I woke up this morning and started to feel more pain in my shoulder. Grrr. Back to the doctor I go.

That being said, I will not let this stop me! I've noticed in the past month that the days that I'm physically active for more than 30 minutes, I feel a lot better overall. So I definitely plan to keep this up as often as possible and sign up for the MEC 10KM in May. I still have passes at Blitz that I need to utilize and I'd like to continue doing some yoga at Moksha too! I also signed up for an adult gymnastics class. Gymnastics was my passion almost all of my life, and it's been a long time since I've done any sort of training, so I'm really excited. Work is going to get busy again but I'm determined to keep that work/life balance that I've been keeping for the last few months when it comes to getting fit again. I admit that seeing my posts from last year at this time make me a little jealous and sad, because I'm pretty sure I've gained 10-15 pounds between then. That being said, this month was the year mark of being back to work after maternity leave and I think I'm slowly finally starting to get into a groove. This makes me happy!

Until next time...

xo

-Dianne

PS: As I was listening to my playlist at the end of my run, "Wasted Time" by Keith Urban came over my headphones. I admit I sang along to some parts but had never really listened to the words before. One line caught my eye...

Although I certainly don't consider running "Wasted Time", I do know a lot of people who are not a fan of running at all and may consider it as such. I just loved this line of the song because it reminded me of why I like running so much. I love running outside as it allows me to clear my head, de-stress, and set the tone for a really good day (especially running in the morning). As I was singing along to this song I just had to laugh - my hope for everyone is that they find something in their lives that they can be passionate about!

PPS: I really want to get back to writing once a month! I finish school in a few weeks and don't start up again until September (I'm taking two classes right now while I'm working full time) and I'm hoping that frees up a little more of my time. I also do have a re-brand in the works and am hoping it will be all good to go by the summer. Stay tuned!

.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!

.Lessons

Lesson learned this week: Running with a stroller is HARD!

Obviously baby brain is still affecting me considering I thought pushing a 53.5lb stroller with an almost 15lb baby in it while running and keeping up my pace would be a walk in the park. NOPE! 

We decided to go swimming on Thursday so I thought it would be good to get a run in and run to the pool. I tried putting Kendrick in just the stroller portion without the carseat, but he's still too small and the straps didn't keep him from moving. The time of day also meant the sun was right in his eyes, so I opted to keep him in the car seat so I could provide adequate shade and he'd be nicely tucked in. He's 5.5 months old now and can hold his head up very well so I wasn't concerned, plus the route I had in mind was mostly smooth gravel and wasn't too bumpy. 

When I started to run I realized that it was a lot tougher that I expected! Any small incline seemed like a hill! I managed to keep my pace up however I took many walk breaks. It took a lot more out of me than I thought! I got a thumbs up from a senior on a bike, and a high five from some teenagers on the way. I arrived at the pool covered in sweat even though it wasn't that hot out. Kendrick I assume enjoyed himself because he slept through pretty much the whole thing. I'm impressed with the work out and after I finish the half marathon on Sunday I'm definitely going to be running with the stroller more often, especially now that it's getting cooler! I went for another run today when it was nice and cool outside and my little buddy was pretty pumped to wear his Snoopy toque!

My pace was slower today (also because of the race tomorrow I didn't want to push it) but I took less walk breaks so I was pretty satisfied! The weather was at about +11 when I left and for me it was perfect. 

It's been hard to run four or five times a week as my Nike running plan suggests, but I still have been going 2-3 times a week. My pace for July averaged 7:28 and for August 7:31 and although I still feel a little slow it's not too bad. I just keep reminding myself that I had a baby five and a half months ago, so let's be realistic. The peak of my training happened on August 8th where I ran 19 KM. My recovery was fantastic and I actually wasn't that sore the next day, so I consider that a really big win. I'm also going to download Spotify Premium so that I can start looking for some fun playlists to run to. It also times out perfectly so that it will expire the day we get back from Australia, so I'll have unlimited music to listen to not only prepping for my next half, but also on all the long plane rides!

Last week I was really nervous for the Edmonton Half but now I'm starting to feel more confident. It still flip flops from time to time but I'm starting to visualize finishing and it's making me feel a bit better. Also knowing that I will have a few people cheering me on from the sidelines makes a world of difference! I packed my bag for tomorrow, picked my outfit, and really am as ready as I can be.  I felt this shirt was best suited for tomorrow!

My goal is to finish before 2:58 (which was the time of my very first half in Vegas in which I trained way less). I have a tiny little bag of cherry blasters that I plan to eat as my reward when I finish!

xo

-Dianne

PS: I did go see the doctor about my sleep issues. Essentially he asked me a whole bunch of questions and doesn't think I have postpartum depression which is a good thing. He suggested taking some natural sleep aids on occasion, and also to move the baby monitor to the other side of the room (or out of the room completely) so that I wasn't compulsively checking it. Moving the monitor was tough, but it's now in a place where I can't reach it and that has helped a little bit. My sleep is still not the greatest but it's definitely better than it was. My brain just doesn't want to shut off! 

PPS: I've got a pretty bruise on my leg from a wipe out two weeks ago. I was running through a crosswalk during rush hour traffic, tripped over an invisible line and wiped out. I landed mostly on my hands (of course I wasn't wearing pants with any pockets so my phone went down first and I cracked the screen) and on my left knee. My right ankle was slightly twisted as well, but I didn't feel that until the next day. When I fell I was so embarrassed that I jumped up and kept running for another 1/4 kilometre so I was alone again, then walked the rest of the way home. I was so mad and upset I didn't even post the run to Facebook like I usually do. Usually when I get outside I feel better even if I'm a little tired, but my body was just not feeling it and I pushed myself to get out there anyway. Lesson learned. :)

.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!

.Whoa

I'm a teeny bit sidelined at the moment. 

Throughout my pregnancy I had back pain. I won't lie, it was pretty annoying. I figured it was because of the extra 50lbs I gained and I think part of it was, but it came back after I had Kendrick and has been really bugging me in the last week or so. On Monday my back was so sore that I could barely lift him up, so I knew I had to go see someone. It's very discouraging to get injured when you feel like you haven't been doing a lot, so I was a little bit frustrated when I booked my physio appointment for today.

Thankfully, after my appointment it doesn't seem to be too bad. They told me likely some things were moved out of place when I was pregnant and when I gave birth so I need to strengthen my core muscles and that should help. I still have to be careful training my abs and core because of the c-section, but the exercises he gave me to do seem like they'll be ok. He said yoga is good, stretching is good, walking is good, and running is...well...maybe I should wait a bit. Ug. He said to keep an eye on it and run when my back starts to feel better, as he said it is a good sign that it's feeling much better than at the beginning of the week but I have to be careful as it could become chronic. Considering my half marathon training program for the Edmonton Half starts on Monday, I'm going to take it easy this weekend and hope for the best!

I forgot to mention in my last post that a few weeks ago a crazy idea creeped into my head. I wondered if maybe, just maybe, I should consider training for a full marathon. Part of me felt really inspired and motivated and the other part said "ARE YOU NUTS?!"

In the last few years as I've been training for half marathons, I had previously decided that I wouldn't train for a full marathon until I could get my personal best under two hours and 30 minutes. I got about 1/3 of the way through the training program for the Edmonton Half last year before I realized that I was pregnant, and I was on pace to smash (yes, smash is the right word) my personal best by about 10-20 minutes, which would have gotten me close to or under the 2:30 mark. I also told myself that I wouldn't train for one until I could run a half and not feel like I wanted to die. The last half marathon I did I finished confident and hit my personal best of 2:43, but my body felt like it was going to fall apart. Although my lungs were good, my body was extremely sore and fatigued and it really gave me something to think about. 

So I started to think about running a full this winter and before baby #2 becomes a thought. Running in the winter is not an option for a whimp like me because it's way too cold in Edmonton to run (for me anyways) so I started to look online to see if there are any races that weren't too far away but in a better climate. It looks like we are going to head to Australia this November so we haven't planned any other vacations. I ended up finding the Rock n Roll Arizona which is in January of next year. I'll still be on maternity leave and usually you can find cheap flights to Phoenix; not to mention that the temperature there at that time of year won't be too hot for running! Of course money doesn't grow on trees either...I'm going to use the Edmonton Half in August and the Vancouver Rock n Roll Half in October as trial runs and potentially start a marathon training program after the race in October and make the decision later on this year. I got some support on Facebook from a couple of my mom friends who ran marathons within a year of having their first kids, so it gives me some hope that it is do-able!

Unfortunately I've fallen off the smoothie train a little bit and haven't had that many smoothies this past week. I will get better next week when I start running again! I found it harder than I thought to get up and run after Kendrick gets up around 5ish so I didn't get to that either, but I'm going to have to come up with some sort of plan before Monday as I have to get in 4-5 runs a week! I'm remaining positive that I can do this. 

xo

-Dianne

PS: My aunt told me about these sites called Ebates and Ebates Canada where you earn a small percentage of your purchase back when you shop at a bunch of retailers online. I checked it out and signed up and made my first purchase at Vista Print as I needed some new business cards. I got 90 cents back on my $35 purchase. If you do a lot of shopping you'll want to sign up. It takes seconds and some sites have some really good deals. Check them out by clicking on the Ebates links above!

.Update

Ok, so June got away from me a little bit. What a crazy month! Between school twice a week, slo-pitch starting up, trying out a new five day a week half marathon program, training for 25K in one day, work and life in general, things have been a little nuts! I didn't mean to go this long without writing so it's time to catch up.

On June 14th, I ran two fundraising races! The first one was called "Run For Your Dad" and it started in Louise McKinney Park in Edmonton and weaved around the river valley. It was a 15K and I raised over $1500 for the Heart & Stroke Foundation and even won 3rd place in fundraising! I absolutely killed it. I felt really good throughout the race, and besides the hills I ran most of it. According to my Nike+ app, I ran 9.45 miles in 1:44:16 - and if I kept that pace for a full half I would have beat my half marathon time by a lot! I also ran my fastest 10K ever in this stretch! I was pretty happy with myself - very sore, but happy I completed it. That one was for you, Dad!

Also on the 14th, I ran in the Underwear Affair, which is a 10K to raise money for cancers below the waist. I ran this one in memory of my aunt/god mother Carmela Amelio-McCaw and was able to raise $1000 for this cause. Even after running the 15K in the morning, I still managed to complete the 10K in a decent time (for me anyways): 1:10:56. Another big one was that I could still move the day after! Usually after 1/2 marathons I'm pretty sore for a few days (after my very first one, my hubby had to push me out of the airport in a wheelchair, I was so sore I couldn't move!) but I recovered very well this time - this gives me hope that not only my running but my endurance is improving as well!

I decided that my running was going so well, why not enter one more this summer? So I entered the Canada Day Road Race on July 1st. Getting up and being at the legislature grounds at 7:00AM proved to be a bit of a challenge, but I think this race was my favorite race of the summer! As much as I love the river valley, I am used to running in residential areas and on main sidewalks, so this race was perfect! The route went over Groat Road, through Hawrelak Park, and through the university area of Edmonton and it was awesome! There were a few nasty hills, including one at the very end, but I actually improved my 15K time by running in 1:43:55! I'm thrilled with this time! Made for a tiring rest of the day but completely worth it.

This past Saturday, July 5th, I was able to run the Color Me Rad race in Edmonton, and then also the Spartan Sprint! I was pumped to do Color Me Rad as last year I had to pull out because I sprained my ankle the week before. My friends had a blast so I was eager to try it again. To be honest, I was a little disappointed. I guess I had higher hopes - the race didn't feel like a 5K at all, and the color idea was cool, but some of the stations weren't even stocked. Fun idea, but I think that will be the first and last time I do that race. The Spartan Sprint on the other hand was a lot of fun. Although the parking was disorganized, the race itself was way better organized than last year. And no running up and down rabbit hill four times (that's definitely what killed me last year). I'm still waiting for the final results, but I'm pretty confident that I did better than the year before. There was a nasty storm the night before so the mud was disgusting - but it feels so rewarding to finish!

In between these runs, I was going to school part time taking a philosophy class. Philosophy is not really my thing, but it was an option course that I had to take as I'm working towards my marketing degree! I'm still about 8 classes away, so I decided to take a summer class this summer, which proved to take up a ton of time! I also started up slo-pitch again, and although at the start I couldn't full blown run because of my groin injury, I was still able to play. I really love slo-pitch. Did I mention I was playing ball hockey as well? Our Sunday night ball hockey team won the Rec Plus division in the Edmonton Sport & Social Club! WOOP! That was a lot of fun too. I was running 3-4 times a week in the morning trying my best to following the Nike+ 1/2 marathon coaching program as well, and was blessed with really nice weather thankfully!

I had one more race planned for the summer, and it was the Edmonton 1/2 marathon happening on August 24th. I still have some time to think about it but I think I'm going to cut down on my training for now. As much as I love the coaching program I'm doing, I have some nagging injuries that just don't seem to want to get better. My groin injury completely went away, but then somehow came back, and although it doesn't bother me when I'm running, it tends to bother me when I complete one. I also still have a bit of an ankle injury that I have to go back to physio for. I'm not sure what the problem is, but I can't fully point my toe or stand on my tippy toes, which means I've been avoiding heels for the last couple weeks. This also doesn't bother me while I'm running but seems to bother me afterward so I'm doing more damage than good. I'm going to continue running 5-6 miles a couple times a week to keep it up, and see how I feel in a few weeks and then make a final decision on the Edmonton half. Although I'm disappointed it's been a fabulous racing summer for me and I'm already looking forward to finding some fun races to do next year! :)

I'm also heading to Orlando in 8 more sleeps, and couldn't be more excited to hang out with my Stella & Dot family. Speaking of Stella & Dot - I noticed I've reached over 1000 views! Thank you SO much for reading my blog! I've decided to hold a summer contest, see details below:

1) Share my blog on your Facebook page or twitter
2) Pick a day & book your summer Stella & Dot trunk show with me (you can email me at DianneCK39@gmail.com and reference this blog post)! Our new collection is launching in mid-July and I'd love to earn you some of it for free!
BONUS: Refer someone who books a trunk show before August 31st and you'll get a bonus entry into the draw!

When completed. The winner will receive a FREE engravable name bar! You can engrave it with whatever you like! Your name or initials, children's names, someone special to you, a cool word that means something to you, etc - your choice!

Small print: you must live within a 30 minute radius from the greater Edmonton area to be able to enter this contest.

That's all for now!

xo,
Dianne

.Injuries

I am what I think you could call "accident-prone". My first (and only) major injury doing gymnastics was a sprained ankle, and I did that doing a simple round-off (essentially, a cartwheel with oomph and landing on two feet) the day before one of the biggest competitions of my gymnastics career. My dad took me to the medi-center after practice where the doctor told me I shouldn't compete the next day. My response: "Oh, I'm competing. Tell me what I can do to make it through." I ended up taking all the elements of difficulty out of my routines and completed everything but vault; I even placed 7th on beam out of the 20 competitors! I'm sure the other girls were just shaking their heads as I hobbled up to get my ribbon.

Most of my major injuries have come by accident, or plain stupidity. In 2012 while playing slo-pitch with my company team, a ball from another field came over the dugout and hit me in the face while I was playing first base. The ball broke and shattered my nose and I needed 3 stitches, but thankfully I came out of that without a concussion or anything more severe. Then last summer, again playing slo-pitch, I jumped to catch a ball that was overthrown to me at first base. When I landed, I landed half on the base and half on the ground, so my ankle rolled and I ended up spraining my ankle quite badly (to be quite honest, I can't even remember which ankle I sprained the first time, so it may have been the same one I did as a gymnast, I'm not sure! This sprain was much worse though, and I spent 3 hours in emergency for them to suit me up with crutches and give me some T3's). Being on crutches for almost 2 weeks was definitely not fun, especially because my house has a lot of stairs, and I was headed to Stella & Dot's national conference in Las Vegas in 10 days!

The trip ended up going very well, people were so nice and helped me get food and such when it was a buffet, and I was able to get early entrance into our conferences so I could get a good seat without worrying about getting trampled in the crowd! Thankfully, I also went to physio and was able to train and successfully complete a half marathon less than two months later - and hit a new personal best while I was at it!

It's every athletes nightmare to get injured or sick; it puts a dead stop to training and when you're in the groove, it can sometimes it can be very hard to get that motivation back. That's kind of how I feel right now. The last few weeks, I've been making an effort to run and work out more, and then last sunday playing ball hockey I pulled a groin muscle (I know it sounds dumb, but I didn't even realize a girl could do that. Apparently I should have paid more attention in my anatomy class in university). After being in pain the first day, in the days following the pain started to subside to the point where 4 days later, I didn't feel it anymore. Unfortunately on Wednesday I started to get sick and caught a nasty cold that's been going around, so that kept me couch bound for a few days as well. I had contemplated going for a run yesterday, but then the weather gods decided to make it snow here in Edmonton (and I don't run much in the winter; more about that in a future post). It was probably for the better; I went dancing last night for my friend Sheena's birthday and I felt a little bit of pain while dancing, but not while walking. I went to play ball hockey today and realized damn, the stupid pain is still there. It's just in a different spot than when I started!

I had high hopes for this week including an early morning work out tomorrow, November Project on Wednesday and Friday, bootcamp Tuesday and Thursday, and some runs on the weekend. I was going to start it off easy since I had to take a week off, and see how the week went. Now it looks like I'll be spending the week with an ice pack! I'm trying to think of the positives though, as there is still 6 weeks until my first races of the season, so I still have lots of time to prepare. In reading a couple running blogs, I've also found out that there are other runners out there who do double runs in one day, so I'm not the only crazy one! (I will be running a 15K and a 10K on June 14th, both for different charities. They are both close to my heart so I couldn't choose - I'm hoping next year they will be on different weekends!)

Tomorrow starts a new week! As per my friend Debbie's advice, I may look into some yin yoga this week to help stretch everything out. Fingers crossed!

xo
-Dianne