September 2010

The second day that the kids were all at school, I had two hours completely alone. It was quiet, but strange, unfamilliar and to be completely honest, a bit lonely. I was in limbo. I was tapering from running, so I couldn't get very much exercise. I was about to start a course in a few days and I knew that I would be volunteering at the kids school, but that wouldn't beginning for a few weeks. So, I started to look for more to do to fill the time. Now, I might have just a little too much on my plate.
I offered to get more involved with the local basketball association, a volunteer position that will likely take an hour of work every day. I would like to volunteer at the school at least once a week in the classroom. I have offered to help with the parents council with the food program as well as fundraising. I need to maintain a certain level of fitness so that I can complete the half marathon that I am signed up to do in October. Lastly, I am taking an on-line course that I have been told requires at least 10 hours of work weekly. So, my lovely/lonely two hours to myself will not likely be for personal maintenance. I don't need to get my hair done that often anyways, medical or dental appointments. I took the kids to these before, no reason why they can't come now. Or grocery shopping. I loath doing this with the kids, but I I can manage to get it done with just two little people in the afternoons, when we aren't at swimming lessons or doing errands...
The thing is, I would rather be actively engaged in something, or a few things, than sitting idle. So, yes I will be busy and I will have a lot on my plate for a couple of months, but at least I will feel like I am accomplishing something. Finally, I will be able to do something other than just take care of the boys. I look forward to getting rid of my babybrain and forcing myself to think, read, reflect, and contribute outside of my own home. I look forward to being more a balanced mommy; physically active, mentally stimulated, involved in the community, happy.
If I keep this up, I may not want to return to teaching after all.

September and School

Ethan started Grade 3 on Tuesday and Toby started SK on Friday. Simon is anxious to get in the classroom and will begin on Wednesday. Here are some back to school photos from the week.

Toby turns 5

Five years ago we moved to BC with a little stow-away. Over the past year, Toby has mentioned his birthday every single day. We arrived in Metis the day before so that he wouldn't spend his birthday in the car. He loved the LEGO, book and clothes he got as presents. He spent the day on the beach playing with his friends that he hadn't seen in a year. Rather than having a formal party and giving out goodie bags, we gave all of Toby's friends kites. Even the littest ones could watch their kite fly on the beach.

It's been a While...

There must be a way to flip this right side up... Any advice?

I haven't gotten around to a race recap of the Ottawa Race Weekend half-marathon on May 30th. I have been meaning to do it, but I just haven't given myself a proper amount of time to sit down and write. It has been over a month since the run, and I still feel a sense of pride when I think of that run. It was so much fun! To do my first half-marathon with my brother-in-law, Scott, good friend Sophie, and cousin, Sophie was amazing!
The morning of the race, we were up early. I think Scott was still knackered from adjusting to early Ontario mornings, but he was out of bed by 6am. Sophie came over and we got a few pre-race pictures. We headed out and found a great parking spot close to the start line. That was a fairly significant concern for me. I didn't want to have to walk any more than necessary before or after the run. We hit to most disgusting porto-potties ever. This was when we confirmed that runners are gross! Whew!
We walked around and found Sophie H with her purple Leukemia and Lymphoma shirted team. We watched the kids race and then lined up in the corals with the 9 thousand other runners. There were so many people that Scott wasn't able to start in the appropriate coral, he was just behind me. Once we got going, Scott went by me right in front of the Parliament buildings. I was happy to see that he was able to get through the crowd without too much of a problem. Go Scott!
There were people cheering for almost the entire race. The atmosphere was amazing. I listened to every positive comment and fed off of the energy. I read the signs as I went along and tried to take it all in. The city was alive and beautiful!
I was moving along at a decent pace. I felt pretty good for most of the race. Ian, Holly and the kids were at the 17th km mark and I knew that if I stopped it would be really challenging to keep going. I gave them high-fives and kept going. I managed to swallow the lump in my throat. My the 19th km, we merged with the marathoners. I started to notice people around me were starting to deteriorate. There were runners who looked strong and then others who were literally collapsing. It was disturbing. I stopped to walk for a little while to gather myself together. That was when I heard people in the crown cheering for me using my name. They were reading my race bib. They were saying things like" don't stop now, Rebecca" "Come-on, Rebecca, you're almost there"! So I gathered myself together and pushed my way to the end. The last 450 metres were the longest of the entire race!
I crossed the finish line and felt very strange. Almost as though I was out of my body. My legs moved when I didn't tell them to. I felt nauseous and knew that I needed to take some nutrition and water. I got myself a water and my metal and sat on the grass in my silver blanket to stretch and recover. I took a few minutes and then lined up for some fruit and snacks, then found Scott. What a relief to find a friendly face in the crowd! We headed back to the finish line and managed to see Sophie H cross the finish line! I had enough energy to cheer and jump around for her. She had the biggest smile when she saw me. I was feeling good again. We didn't see Sophie S. cross the finish line, but she met us at the meeting spot and we all reflected on the run.
Overall, I was thrilled with my time, 1:57:??. Scott beat his personal best time. Woohoo! Sophie H and Sophie S were happy with their times and experiences. Woo hoo! I felt like a rock star with the crowd cheering me on for almost the entire race. And I was thankful to have completed my first half with my friends.
It was an emotional experience for me. The 21.1 km was something I had always wanted to challenge myself to do, and I didn't know if I could do it until I tried.
I spent the rest of the day recovering. I lay around for most of the afternoon. Ate a great dinner cooked by my wonderful husband Ian, and went to bed with my heart full of joy. Even a month later, I can re-live those emotions.
The following day, Scott and I managed to take our stiff, complaining legs out to the driveway to play a little hockey with the boys.
The Ottawa Race weekend was such a positive experience that Sophie S and I have signed up for two more half-marathons. We are going to do the Army Run in September as well as the Toronto Half four weeks later in October. I have a lot of time on the paths still to come before the races. My goal is to stay injury free and not necessarily run more, but to run smarter this time. I have learned a lot from that race and I know that the mental aspect is just as important as the physical aspect of running. I know I can complete 21.1kms. The question is, can I do it faster?

Bushtukah Canada Day road race

Happy birthday Canada!
 Today I completed my frist 10km race since I was pregnant with Simon and the boys all completed their first running races. The start was a small sea of red thanks to Bushtukah's red tech shirts. The race felt long and grueling. I didn't feel overly energetic when I woke-up, so I knew I would have to work mentally to get my legs moving. With that being said, I finished in 50:13. Correction! My chip time was 49:55.9! (13/66 age/gender group, 50th female) This makes me feel much better! I have a lot of room for improvement in the fall.
The real highlight of my day was watching Toby and Simon in the Tot trot and Ethan in the kids 1km kids run! Toby came first and Simon came in third. Ethan worked his little legs off and finished his run in 6:19. In the middle of the run, he saw me at the sidelines and said "Mommy, I don't like this". He kept on plugging away. I think I should tell him that no one likes the pain you feel during the race, it's finishing it and the sense of accomplishment that you get from that achievement alone that makes it worth while.
After the races, we came home for a while and then went to Kanata for the Canada Day celebrations. We spoke to a number of firefighters and the kids went into a trailor that simulated a real fire at home. The kids crawled out of the trailor and went to the meeting place as they were told. An hour later there was huge black smoke billowing into the air just a few km's away. We could tell there had to be a huge fire in Stittsville. We went home to see that only one street over, on the other side of the school, there were two homes completely engulfed in flames and the siding was gone from a third home. The damages are estimated to be at the 1 million dollar mark. It made our talk with the firefighters hit home with the kids.
All in all, it was quite a day.

Pictures from Ottawa Race Weekend

The cutest three little kids in my world.

May 24 weekend. Just me and the boys. Great great day!