.Booked

After being back the running train for a week now, I'm feeling pretty good. I ran 15.2KM in 1:53 with the help of my bestie & pace car Krissie who runs a lot faster than me and it felt pretty good! Although I do like running on my own, for my long runs it's nice to have company and someone to lead the way to keep my pace up! I think that's why I always run faster during races because it's almost like I'm chasing people!

During my runs I almost find that I've been tuning out my music because I've been listening to the same songs over and over again. I have so many pictures on my phone (mostly of my adorable son) that I don't have space for a lot of music, and haven't made myself a new playlist since I started running again back in June. I'm considering trying out Spotify Premium to try out some new playlists. Right now they have a special where you get three months for 99 cents. This way I'd be able to download playlists to listen to and with the new upgrade it actually hooks up to the Nike Running app as well. An added bonus is that I'll have access to a ton of music for our trip to Australia - which by the way we officially BOOKED this week! I am so excited to see my sister and brother in law and visit a place I've never been, and excited for Kendrick to meet his auntie and uncle! Our first stop is Vancouver where I'll be running the Vancouver Rock N Roll Half Marathon (and hoping to get a personal best wearing my Oilers hat) and that night we'll be taking a direct flight to Sydney! 15 hours on a plane with an eight month old may prove to be a challenge but hopefully he'll be good like he was on the flights to and from Vegas! After three days in Sydney we'll hop on a plane to Adelaide where we'll spend the majority of the next three weeks visiting. So EXCITED! And so much planning yet to do...

During my 8KM run today I had a lot of things going through my mind. I find that I do a lot of reflection and thinking when I run. This is part of the reason why I quite enjoy running outside. It's very much multi-tasking as my brain is going a million miles a minute listening to music, watching where I'm going, planning my route, and brainstorming random things. Today for example as I was running through the river valley, I wondered how I would look if I dyed the tips of my hair blue and turquoise. I'm not usually one to go with fads, but I thought it would be something interesting and while I'm on mat leave is the perfect time to experiment with this kind of thing. Then I thought about how funny it would be to take a picture of Kendrick, Brian and I so you could see the back of our heads; Brian's hair is longer than normal, mine would have funky coloured tips, and Kendrick has a bald spot in the back of his head. Ha! I don't know why this came to mind but these are the random kinds of things I think about during long runs.

I'd like to start doing stairs with November Project on Wednesdays and hills on Fridays! Once I get my sleep figured out I'm going to try and make it out once a week. I'm so terrible at hills that I think this will definitely help my endurance.

Kendrick hit a couple of milestones this week. On Monday he rolled from his back to his front, so now he can roll both ways! Now that he's figured out how to do that he doesn't stay on his back for long. Friday night we put him in the crib for the first time for the night. He's been sleeping in a bassinet in our room and has been sleeping really well so we finally decided to make the move. He's been doing good, however now he moves like crazy during the night and we usually find him facing the opposite direction on his stomach in the morning! He also attended his very first Edmonton Eskimos game on Saturday night. Our little dude is growing up.

xo

-Dianne

PS: I'm also happy to report I'm 20lbs away from my goal weight, 4.5 months postpartum. I still only have a couple pairs of pants that fit besides my running gear, but I'm starting to slowly feel much more comfortable in my own skin. YAY.

PPS: After speaking to the nurse at the health clinic today I was also told to make an appointment with my doctor ASAP in regards to my sleep issues, so I'm heading in on Friday. I'm hoping for some clarity and hopefully some natural remedies to help me sleep and take advantage of the fact that Kendrick sleeps so well at night! I'm tired of being tired all day and not being able to fall asleep at night. I can't wait to get my Fitbit to really track my sleeping patterns and see how much I'm actually sleeping at night. I hope the orange & blue ones come out soon!

.Dad

I'd be lying if I said this time of year doesn't make me a little bit grumpy. Not just grumpy, but angry and sad too. It's unfair that my Dad isn't here to celebrate Father's Day with us. He was a great Dad, and it's hard to believe that he's been gone for 2 1/2 years already.

My Dad passed away on December 23rd, 2011 from a massive heart attack. We knew he had been stressed out and his health wasn't the greatest, but we certainly never expected something like that to happen. Hearing the words "Your Dad has a heart attack, we need to go the hospital right now" just made my heart hit the ground. We were all actually on our way to catch the pre-season game between Canada and Sweden in the World Juniors tournament, and we hadn't even made it 5 minutes from the house before we got the call. Getting to the hospital and being told that your Dad didn't make it, particularly two days before Christmas, is most definitely the worst feeling I've ever had in my life.

Thankfully, earlier that afternoon we had lunch as a family at one of our favorite restaurants, Thanh Thanh (The Oriental Noodle House) on 101 Street. I was working as it was a busy time and I was trying to get everything organized to get my work visa for the London Olympics - but I am so thankful that we were able to carve out some time to go for lunch that day, which had actually been planned almost a week prior. Although dinner was good, my Dad and I had gotten into a stupid argument about the work visa, because he thought he knew the process to get one and I was sure he didn't. At the end of lunch, I rushed out and didn't give either of my parents a hug before I left because I was in a hurry. I still think about that moment often, because it was so selfish of me to just leave. Of course I didn't know that it would be the last time I'd ever see him alive, but I really wish now that I hadn't been in such a hurry because that little moment would have made a difference, at least for me.

I have so many good memories of my Dad. He was a great sports Dad; he came to almost every single one of my baseball games, gymnastics competitions, and pretty much anything my brother and I did as kids. He picked me and all my friends up at the bar and drove us home when I didn't have a car, because he wanted to make sure we didn't drink and drive and that we'd all get home safe. He was so supportive in everything I did, and was so proud when I got my dream job of working for the Oilers. He always thought it was awesome that I always managed to get the coolest jobs, and that I had managed to work for both of the major sports teams in the city. He told silly jokes over and over again and even though we rolled our eyes, he giggled about it every time. He was a fantastic photographer, and took pictures any moment he could. He also loved Paris, and since his passing I've found myself loving it even more. I was so pumped that my Dad was around when I told him I got accepted to volunteer for the 2012 Olympics in London, and he was even thinking of joining me for awhile when I was there. I did head to Paris for one day while on my trip as a tribute to him, and made sure to have a real croissant this time, as when I went when I was in Grade 8, he couldn't believe that I didn't have a fresh croissant at a French cafe! Once at the dinner table, he was trying to get mustard out of the squeeze bottle and it literally exploded all over the table, walls, and even the ceiling - and we all just couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of the whole situation. He always called me his #1 Daughter, even though I was his only daughter.

I'll probably be staying away from public places and social media on Sunday just because I know it will make me a little sad. But I feel so blessed that I have such great parents, and that my Dad was around for as long as he was. 

Happy Father's Day Dad. I miss you.

xo
-Dianne

PS: I am running in a 15K race tomorrow morning called "Run For Your Dad" and I'm raising money for the Heart and Stroke Foundation in my Dad's memory. If you would like to donate, please use the following link: https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1079555&supId=406821148

.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