.Faster

2:33:27

That's a full 10 MINUTES FASTER than my last personal best in 2013. 10 MINUTES! I'm sitting here a little over two weeks later and I still am not quite sure how I did it.

The Edmonton Half Marathon went really well. I worked my way up near the front of the pack at the start and slowly made my way to the side and kept up a good pace. My second kilometre was my fastest at 6:16, and my slowest kilometre was at the 19K mark at 7:49. I ran 5K in 33:35 which for me is pretty good! Ideally one day I'd like to get that under 30 minutes and get my 10K time under an hour; I'll get there eventually. The best was seeing Kendrick at the finish line! He did catch my eye for a split second as I ran by him and my friend Krissie who was gracious enough to watch him while I ran since Brian was out of town, and that was the best. I sped up and sprinted across the finish line. I could tell I really pushed it hard because my body felt like it was going to fall apart! I definitely need to do more cross training, especially since the Red Deer Super Spartan Race is coming up this weekend!

I wasn't expecting to beat my personal best by so much time especially 5.5 months after Kendrick, but now that I've done that I think I want to go for another personal best when I run the Vancouver Rock N Roll Half at the end of October. Originally I was thinking of having a goal of 2:20, but the race is less than two months away so I'm thinking a goal of 2:25 or 2:30 might be more realistic. I am so happy that the weather is cooling off, but I have to say I haven't been motivated to run lately. I've been tired and waking up in the morning is hard when the baby sleeps in (I know, I know, I am VERY lucky to have a baby who sleeps!). I'm going to go for a few runs and mix in some strength training this week so I can prepare for Spartan on Saturday, and then I'm going to get back and focus on my running again so I can aim for that personal best!

This also has me thinking about running a full in the next few years. One day there will hopefully be a baby number two, and I've heard that it's harder to lose the weight the second time so I'm thinking of possibly training for one next year. I think Vancouver will be a good pace marker in my decision, as if I can beat my personal best again it will provide me with a little more motivation! Right now when I finish running my lungs go back to normal pretty quick (even with my asthma) which to me means I can keep going. My body however is cramped, sore and I'm in pain. The soreness lasts usually a day or two and this has happened to me the last two times I've beaten my personal best. To me this means that I have to up my fitness level in other areas, such as strength training. When I used to do gymnastics we would do at least an hour of conditioning after every practice, so I'm thinking I'm going to start incorporating some of that in after every run to make my body stronger. I don't think I want to attempt a full marathon until I can get my half time under 2:15, but we'll see how I feel at the end of October.

According to my Nike Running app, my shoes are at 432 KM.

That doesn't include of course a lot of the walking I've done so I'm sure I'm close to 500 which means it's time for new kicks! I love the Nike Outlet because you can get such good deals on last year's shoes! I've been wearing Nike Flex Running 2013's, and I managed to find the same pair today (just different colours) for $49.99. WOO HOO! I tried on some other shoes and didn't like them nearly as much, so I'm sticking with what I know! I also may have bought Kendrick some baby Nike's as they were on sale for $20 and I couldn't resist. They are so darn cute!

xo
-Dianne

PS: Kendrick and I went to cheer Brian on at Tough Mudder this weekend in Drumheller, AB where the weather was absolutely terrible. It was +8 and raining the whole afternoon! I made the last minute decision to throw my Baby Bjorn carrier in the suitcase as I've been meaning to try it out with Kendrick for months. It ended up being one of the best decisions I've made all weekend! We figured out how to use it on Friday night and on Saturday I used it to carry Kendrick around while we waited for Brian to finish. AMAZING! There was so much mud it was disgusting, and seeing people push their strollers caked with mud was even worse. Instead of worrying about the stroller, Kendrick was snug as a bug next to my heart with two layers and a blanket on top with a touque. This also freed up my hands so I could carry an umbrella! He absolutely loved looking at everything and even took a couple of naps. I wish I would have started using it sooner! Does this make me a granola mom? Today we took Thor for a walk and he babbled and kicked the whole time. I also did some squats, and  with Kendrick being about 15lbs now it was a good work out! I never got into the woven wraps but I do really like the Baby Bjorn and will definitely be using it more often!

PPS: Since my banana peach oatmeal (lactation) muffins were such a hit, I did some pinteresting to see if I could come up with a new recipe to try out. I am close to perfecting a maple carrot cake version, so stay tuned! I'm hoping to post it next entry. 

.Yawn

I realized that it's been a lot longer than I thought since I ran last; nine days ago yesterday to be exact. Oopsie. I didn't mean to take a nine day break but between being busy, preparing for our trip, and being flat out tired it just didn't happen. I'm still learning to juggle life with a baby!

We just got back from Vegas on Saturday from Stella & Dot's national conference (Hoopla) and it went really well. Not only was the conference really good and very informative, but Kendrick was an absolute rock star. On the flight there I took people's advice and had his soother in for landing and take off and he didn't fuss at all. He just sat in my lap and stared at me! :) On the way home he was a little fussier as the flight was during his bed time (will try not to make that mistake again), but when he went to asleep he stayed asleep and we managed to get him home and in bed without him fully waking up! During the sessions he either slept or played with his toys, and when he got fussy and I picked him up, the people behind me made faces at him and he giggled and smiled. I couldn't have asked for a more well-behaved baby and now it's given me a lot of food for thought for when we travel to Australia in the fall!

So after doing a bunch of research I have decided that I'm going to purchase a Fitbit. I had one of the very first ones that clipped onto your pants and to be honest I didn't like it. But that was quite a few years ago and I think I'm ready to give it another chance. That being said, I'm not sure which one to buy! I thought I was pretty set on the Fitbit Charge HR however now I'm considering the Fitbit Surge. I really wanted something that has a heart rate monitor built right in, but that also tracks my sleep (for the past year or so, even before I got pregnant, I have been having problems sleeping for long periods of time). The big differences between the two are that you can get text messages on the Surge (doesn't really matter to me), change a song on your music (good, but really not a big deal to me), track multiple sports and the big one: GPS. As much as I love my Nike running app, it's not really meant for walking so when I use it for walks it brings down my average pace. It's not the end of the world, but I use that pace to figure out approximate KMs when I'm on a time limit. It would also be beneficial when I'm on vacation or running outside of Canada. The Nike app would cost me a lot to use data and I wouldn't be using it on hikes or other walks. Of course, there's also the $120 price difference ($179.99 VS $299.99). So many decisions! I still have some time to think about it as in either case I would want the blue or tangerine colors (basic black is way too boring) which haven't been released yet. Feel free to comment below if you have a preference one way or another, I'd love to hear feedback!

Speaking of sleeping terribly, I think it's time to make a trip to the doctor and the naturopath. I am a terrible sleeper. I am tired all day but when night time comes I find it really difficult to fall asleep and I wake up multiple times a night. These are the nights I should be sleeping because Kendrick has been sleeping through the night for about two months now! It's starting to really affect me so I'm going to see if I can figure out something. What are your tips for falling asleep at night?

xo

-Dianne

PS: Product Review: Yurbuds - $27 - Sport Chek

I have been looking for new ear buds as I find regular ones don't stay in my ears and I'm constantly re-adjusting them. I had ones that went around my ears but mid-run they would start to hurt so I was in the market for some new ones. I went to Sport Chek on the weekend and was looking at some $80 fancy ear buds when one of the workers came over and told me about Yurbuds and said one of his coworkers swore by them. It says "Guaranteed to Never Fall Out" right on the box, so I thought I'd give them a shot. 

As it turns out, they are awesome! I ran with them for the first time today and they were super comfortable and honestly didn't move, even though it was quite windy. I didn't have to re-adjust them once! I am very impressed and at a $29.99 price point they were worth every penny. They also sell sets for $40 and $50 but I couldn't see much of a difference other than the accessories so I decided on these ones. They also say they are specially made for women and have two sizes. Two thumbs up!

PPS: I know a few new mommies so I wanted to post some of my tips for air travel with a baby! I was very lucky that Kendrick was so good, but there were a few things that really helped me!

- Pay extra for the "plus" seats. On Westjet they are $50 and you get extra legroom, your first & second bag checked in free, and free food and drinks. Since you'd be paying $25 anyways for your bag, this is a no-brainer. If possible, also book seats A&C or D&F so there's a chance that no one will sit in between you! That extra seat is a bonus.

- You're probably going to bring more than you need. I packed way too many diapers, outfits and formula. But you just never know and it's better to be safe than sorry!

- Feed or give baby a soother during landing and take off. It helps pop their little ears!

- If you can help it, don't fly in the evening. I had to wash bottles and pump in the airport because we checked out of our hotel at 10:30AM and didn't leave until 8:30PM! If given the choice I would fly in the morning or afternoon

- Check with your airline but you should be allowed to take a diaper bag along with your own carry on and personal item. I kept all baby stuff in the diaper bag along with extra outfits, food and diapers. You never know when there will be a delay! You are allowed to take formula and breast milk through customs, just take it out for security so they can scan it.

- I found people around me were really helpful! If he started getting fussy the people behind me or beside me would make faces at him and he'd smile and giggle. It was a big help!

- Don't be afraid to ask for help. I find that hard sometimes but people (especially the flight attendants) will be happy to hold your baby for a moment while you get organized!