Accountability Check: Getting Back on the Bandwagon

Now that summer is here so is the dreaded bathing suit season. I am not one to usually get hung up on what I physically look like, but I do like to feel comfortable in my clothes.  Like anyone else, the winter brought on lots of hardy soups and breads plus the results of having two little ones literally just over 2 years apart.  I made a commitment to DH that I would focus on getting my body back into an appropriate shape over the summer, and he is on the bandwagon with me.

So far, both of us have been up and at 'em before our days start working out in the basement, him on his stationary bike & me on my treadmill. It is a love/hate relationship I have with my treadmill because as everyone has, there are good runs and ones that you'd much rather be somewhere else.  This time around, I have to also time my workouts to #TeamA & #TeamO's schedules so that I can actually work at working out instead of constantly being interrupted.

One of my biggest challenges is going to be the accountability to myself.  I can't start cutting corners, taking time off my run, not doing my weights etc. I find it very easy to finish my run and then sit down on the floor with the kids and start playing instead of finishing off with the weights.  I need someone more to check in on me & hold me accountable.

I am loving my time at home and can't let a day go by without working out so that it becomes second nature to jump on the treadmill before starting my day.  I have a weight goal in mind, but I also have a routine goal in mind once we head back to school in just over 8 weeks.  I want to still be able to workout before school so that I don't fall into the winter slump again.

Please keep checking in with/on me over the summer to see how the routine is going.  Don't be afraid to ask me if I got through my whole workout or if I cheated. I won't be offended!

Do you have fitness goals? If, yes, what are they? How to you keep yourself accountable and motivated?

Conquering The Fear- TORW 2015 Experience

With great anticipation that I was going to participate in the biggest race in Ottawa and be a minuscule in the figures that produce the largest running event in Canada, I came to terms that I was going to conquer this fear.  I was very open about my fear & spent hours meticulously planning  out how I was going to get there, where I was going to park, what time I wanted to be places and what was going to happen afterwards.  I watched the forecast for the 14 days that my weather app produces because that was going to be another factor that I couldn't control.  My training was sporadic over the last month, but I still felt confident that I could complete the race without wondering who's brilliant idea it was to sign up. Having a newborn & a toddler at home (during hockey school season at that) was not allowing me to get regular training in, but I felt physically capable and mentally prepared.

The morning before the race I packed up #TeamOlivier & headed downtown to the Congress Centre to pick up our race kits.  It was an inspiring yet intimidating experience that I'm not sure I was prepared for.  I got there right when it was opening and so were 10,000+ other people! I should have known from the parking lot what the actual pick up was going to be like…it was like going to the mall on December 24th and expecting to get that close parking spot right outside the door!  I lucked out that someone was pulling out of a spot as I came around the corner and it was big enough to park Marc's car easily.  Up the elevator we went to the first floor and what I saw I was not expecting from a race kit pick up…people were running as if it were Black Friday and there were only 10 big screen tv's! I just stepped back and really looked at where I had to go and made sure I wasn't going to cut anyone off who was in hot pursuit of their race bib.  The line up to get into the building snaked down the sidewalk.  Here I was thinking it would be nice & quiet because everyone else should be at work right?!

In watching the crowd I saw a lot of everything imaginable…the average person who was out to keep fit, the businessmen dressed to the nines who look like they forego lunch at the mall for a gym workout and a hot yoga class, blind or partially blind athletes with their guide dogs or chaperones helping them get where they need to be, new moms pushing strollers with wee ones and VERY pregnant ladies looking like they could give birth right then & there.  I was inspired yet intimidated by the shape & condition these runners were in.  I left there feeling a little down that I was "only running the 5km", but had to put things in perspective when I looked down at #TeamOlivier having a great time looking at everything.

Race Day Saturday:

It was a normal Saturday around our house with DH gone to coach in a hockey tournament and me & the kids playing with blocks, puzzles & baby dolls.  It was the first time I was going to run a race that wasn't first thing in the morning, so I wasn't sure what I should eat, if I should nap & it was a whole lot of time to sit & think about the race that I was already anxious about.

Much to my surprise, my plans were going off without a hitch…wardrobe worked when getting dressed, remembered all my race accessories, got downtown with good time (even ahead of expectations) and settled into the condo for a few minutes to relaxation.  About 45 minutes before the start time we made our way to the starting corals.  When we got there it was a manageable crowd…anxiety in check still.

Time was passing & the crowds got thicker…the first coral was off sharply at 4.  It was a waaaayyyyys before we even started shuffling along to move up to the starting line. With 10, 742 people registered in the 5km race, it was going to be a feat to get them all moving in the same direction.  At one point, the announcer at the start line informed us that the first runner had just crossed the finish line…and we were still 12 minutes before we were to start our coral!  YES…12 minutes!  The motivation tanked right then & there in the middle of Elgin street (not that I was expecting to win, more like just finish).  Before we knew it we were off.  I tried to keep my pace steady so that I could still have some gas in the tank to finish knowing that my training wasn't where I needed or wanted it to be.  

It was fun to run through the streets of Ottawa where I wouldn't have normally driven let alone been able to go out for a run.  The temperature turned out to be almost perfect and the decision to ditch the long sleeves before starting was a great decision.  There wasn't anything I'd change from the preparation pre race to running the race (other than my training).  Once we finished the "Runner Recovery Area" was a great size to be able to walk off the race.  Medals, food, & drinks were spaced out enough to keep the crowds moving and not all bunched up.

Overall, while my time was not a personal best (nor a personal worst) I will definitely be signing up again next year. From not thinking I could even manage the crowds to get to my starting position, to finishing the race with nothing to complain about I'd say #TORW2015 was a success.

I will be recommending the race to all my other 5km race friends just so that they can experience the crowds along the route, the armful of recovery food & drink & the sense of accomplishment that I  get to experience last night.

Well done Ottawa, well done!

Sunshine & happiness today & forever.

Stephanie

New Year's Resolution 2014 - Take 2!

Roll back the clock to January 2014…the annual time of the year that we all talk about and set New Year's resolutions.  I have rarely set a resolution before because I think that change can always start and happen whatever the time of year, and we all know what happened to my blogging resolution. Somehow January 2014 was going to be different! Not sure about what we were chatting over or with in our hands, but good family friend Trish & I decided that our 2014 resolution was going to be to run a race a month together so that it kept us motivated to workout & committed to each other to actually do it.

We started off great in February running the Winterman 10 km race (yes, I had icicles on my eyelashes when I finished!) followed up by the St. Patrick's Day 10 km in March.  Each month we would show up, grumble at who's brilliant idea this was and then proceed to race.  Everything was great for the first 6 months of our resolution & then I was too sick to even think of putting my running shoes on (aka pregnant) for our next race.  I kept training when I could stomach the treadmill in hopes that I could do the next month's race, but my resolution was halted after just 4 months.

Fast forward to April 2015 and the resolution was not dead! Trish & I resurrected our unfinished business and (dragged ourselves to the finish) ran the 8km Manotick Miler to kick our race season off.  It was a MISERABLE result for me, but I have to think that 3 months prior I was delivering #TeamOlivier.  It's not an excuse I'm making, but something I have to consider when looking at the big picture.

Strike off April…but now what was I going to do for a May race? I have said since I started road races that I would never participate in the Ottawa Race Weekend simply because of the seer number of people.  I am not a lover of crowds at the best of time let alone when I have to run a race or have just finished one. Yet, enter co-worker, classroom neighbour & amazing friend Kim who texts me to say she just signed up for the 5km race weekend race & to let her know when I did so that we're in the same starting coral….Ummmmmm, haven't I said a million times over that I would never run in that race because of my anxiety over the crowd size?! OK, I guess I'm signing up!

Here's to another run and facing a fear at the same time. Can I bring my favourite blanket for comfort with me?!

Sunshine & happiness today & forever.

Stephanie