kkkk...Houston?...kkkk....we have a problem...kkkk

As in total lack of motivation.

I have done very little this week in the way of working out. It it too cold to run outside. I can't even get myself on my bike. This is a recovery week so I am not feeling all THAT bad...but still!!

And I look ahead to next week and HOLY HELL!! I have 2 90 minute rides. Let me say that again...TWO 90 minute rides....Two...

So a bit of a mental break this week will serve me well, at least that is what I am going with!

I am sleeping. I have not slept like this for many years. I am loving that I am sleeping! My kids are sleeping so I am sleeping. Luke is now in a bed and it appears as though a pillow has made him not rock at night anymore...or I am just not hearing it...I don't really care what the reason is, I have slept 3 solid nights this week. Three!!!

Work is incredibly silly. The end of our busy season. Although not very busy this year! The markets, perhaps? Have had some interesting conversations with clients. My perspective is this: very much Nick Murray, I know, I even e-mailed him one day and asked him for a job, but here it is: if you are working and earning money and saving, we are never going to see world class companies on sale like this ever again in our lifetime. Get your money into the markets....now. Are you investing for the next cycle or for your lifetime? Get very clear on this point first.

If you are retired or nearing retirement, what is the plan? Possibly you must consider working longer, saving more, adjusting your income needs from your investments. Stop complaining about what has happened and either get on the boat or get off. Nobody wanted this. Nobody expected this. If you have not saved enough to weather a storm like this, then you have some very tough thinking to do.

"It has been tempting to think that there is some investment strategy out there that will give us higher returns with less risk and therefore relieve us of the need to sacrifice and save. It's never true."

I heart Nick!!!

my (almost) new mountain bike

Yesterday I rolled out of bed to go for my swim. Was not much of a swim but was good to move the body. I had bought a new bathing suit and I think I bought it too small...cause it kinda feels like "things" are hanging out everywhere. Must have been a skinny day when I tried it on!!

Anyway, I was pulling out of the garage and lo and behold someone had dumped a brand new mountain bike right by my fence! Brand new! Super nice and super cool and looked super expensive. I put it in my garage thinking "Cool! I have a new bike for the spring/summer!"

I get home after swimming and announce to my husband my awesome find.

He freaks out.

Apparently, it is wrong to keep something that was stolen.

However, I did not steal it, someone else did, and left it for ME!!

Annoyed and convinced I was right, I go to work and take a poll in the coffee room.

What should I do? I know the right thing would be to contact the police (cause seriously gang, the bike looked really expensive, the name on it was "Shimano" - are those expensive? and somebody has got to be looking for it)...but then what...the bike will sit in storage until their bike auction this spring.

Would it not be better to be in a home that will love it and use it and appreciate it? I pleaded my case, like no other.

But the consensus was to give up the bike, it was the right thing to do, and the lost and found people are coming today to get it. And nevermind the potential headline "Saskatoon financial planner; caught with stolen property!!" EEEEEEEK!!!!

Dang!

Jenna ratted me out....

It was an 80's RockStar Party!!

This is not how to re-hydrate after a half marathon...but was lots of fun!!

If you grew up in ToonTown...you must remember these varsity jackets from E.D. Feehan highschool!! Yes..their sports teams were The Trojans!!And check out my vintage jean vest...the patch says "Motley Crue" The back had a huge Crue patch as well...super 80s cool!!

Lynn and I rockin out to WHAM!!! Wake me up before you go-go...now it will be in YOUR head all day too!!

A couple of the guys rockin out...

Whoop...at the limit for alchohol!! But check out the "Iron Maiden" patch on my vest!!

She insists it's her husband's shirt....

further analysis...

...because I am a nerd, I plunked my garmin info into Motionbased today for the run from yesterday.
Well, well, well....My time at the half way mark was 1:06.02. My goal was to NOT fall apart in the second half, where I always seem to struggle, run steady, run all of it, finishing time was 2:12:06!!!! Can't get much more steady than THAT!!!!
Sure didn't feel that way but Garmin never lies...

Hypo Half Marathon Report

Or: My Awesome Training Run!

Or: Damn the Windchill Makes it Cold

Or: Running Through Snow Banks: Tips on how to save your ankles

Just some alternate titles for this post.

It's done. 2009's edition of the Hypo Half Marathon! A few weeks ago I was looking forward to putting down a decent time on this run...as in down around 2 hours...but then a week of not sleeping and then getting violently ill, made me change my focus. This was now just a long training run getting my legs ready for the Half in May.

Started out running with a tri-gal who, imo, is super fast...she said she wanted me to pace her to a two hour run...I was like, that's nice, but considering my very best time is 1:57, I may dissappoint you! So we chatted for the first few kilometers and I was feeling really good, but it did not even cross my mind to try to run with her, cause that would be no good for later in the day!! So off she went and I totally hung back...goal #1 accomplished...just do my own thing at the start, don't think you are a hero and go out too fast!!

The course was an out and back on the trails. There were a few points where we actually had to trudge through snow banks...I shit you not!! I had to stop twice to let others coming the other way by as there was not enough room for both of us. The first half felt good...nice and steady...when it started to feel really good, I slowed down on purpose. Got to the turn around in just over about one hour. Just kept trying to run steady and stay strong both physically and mentally. Never did I want to walk. Goal #2 accomplished....it is still faster to run slow than it is to walk!! The only part I walked was up the Broadway Bridge which was at the 20km mark and uphill and the footing was kinda crappy. I thought it better to just walk than slip with tired legs and hurt something.

It was pretty nice on the way out but we ran back into the wind and holy smokes...it was dang cold..as in I could not feel my mouth and missed it one time with my gatorade!! Ha Ha!! Came in at 2:12...exactly what I did last year.

I feel really good about the run. I have not ran longer than about 1 hour and 15 since last September...so this was a friggin LONG way to run for me!! The time is slower than I think I am capable of, even at this time of year. But these last few weeks have been a good lesson in adjusting things in my head when life happens.

my new crush...

Brad Paisley!

WOW! What a talent! I was super impressed with that concert last night! He was very, very good....if you like country. (between you an me, I swear I saw my husband's feet tapping a few times...) I still didn't know much of his music, but there is just something about a live show from an true entertainer. Highly recommended!

AND I was a good girl....I did not have anything to drink...even though the bar fridge was wide open in the suite...and booze was flowing far too easily...you get accountants and lawyers away from the office and watch out! I was SO tempted to wear my heels last night...cause I scored some backstage passes...and you know, wanted to look cougar-hot in a pic with Brad...but did not want to have any sore legs/feet for my run on Saturday. Let's just say I am giving myself the best chance at a half decent run...even sacrificing looking taller...and as it turns out, these days you don't get to take your own picture, there is a photographer who snaps one, then you go to a website and BUY the picture...whatever...didn't need the evidence that bad.

I feel good today. The best I have felt all week. The sitter is booked for tomorrow am (hubby has a ski-doo rally starting at some god-awful time in the morning...) The running clothes are washed. I got a pep talk from Coach Justin yesterday. Okay...I am calling it a pep talk...he basically said eat as much as you can for the next two days (LOVED that advice!) and drink as much water as you can get into your body...you don't want all the liquids lost in the past week to haunt you at about kilometer 17!! This is now a very long training run so go have some FUN!! We shall see what the morning brings!!

gonna party...like it's my birthday...

The big 3-8 today. Whoop! And I promise to take the ugly balloons off this blog tomorrow!!

Plans? Have tickets to Brad Paisley tonight. One of the lawyer firms we work with sent me the tix and they are box seats...oooolala...something I have never done before!! I could not tell you one song Brad sings, but hey, should be a fun night! Matthew thinks we should go to the Fun Factory for my birthday and Luke thinks I should ask for a Spider Man cake...

Other tidbits, we got some scary news about my sister's MS yesterday. Yeah. My sister was diagnosed with MS about 6 years ago and it has now progressed. I was super freaked out yesterday because she is such a vibrant and fun and cool gal and I could tell she is scared. She put on a brave voice but older sisters (me) can tell these things!! She is in Calgary and my mom (the nurse) is flying home from Arizona to presumably take control of the situation...my bros was at the hospital with her last night so she is in good hands!! I just don't know enough about the condition and of course my head reels with all the negative things you hear about it. And these days, I really don't feel good about anyone I love being in the hospital for any length of time...if you are there, you must be very ill, cause they ship you out pretty quickly if your not. She is going to need lots and lots of help and support. And this means many more trips to Calgary!!!

Aaaaand...I have the hypo half marathon on Saturday. I was feeling all sorry for myself as I was so sick for those few days. And I don't know how the human body can live for 4 days on only crackers, OJ and a few jujubes... But I ran yesterday...in minus 80...on my jujube diet...I just needed to. Felt very good. Except that my iPod cords froze. I had lots on my mind. I was going to cop out and only run half of the half...but I looked at the course and they have changed it so it is an out and back...used to be around the bridges...so you could choose your bridge to cross if you weren't feeling up to the run and get back to the start...NOW there is no choice but to run the distance.

So I will run the distance.

In honor of my sista who will probably never be able to run at all...not that she would ever want to...she kind of balks at running...but it will for sure make me tougher thinking about it when it starts to hurt out there on Saturday!!

my dad reads my blog

Hi Dad!
Sorry about the craziness today...I was freaking out so had to vent somewhere and chose my blog to do it...
It's aaaaaaaallllllll good.
No bad days.
(My dad has that sticker everywhere; on his truck, on his window, on his cabin, in his kitchen...i mean everywhere...)

sick and bored

Was super sick yesterday.
Hit with something nasty...really, really nasty.
Feel better today but didn't go into work. Now i am kind of bored....no kids in the house makes a very peaceful and quiet space!
But going back to bed very shortly to make sure this "thing" is out of my body as soon as possible!!

soccer in the living room

Why not? When you're 6 and 2.5...got home from swimming today and the furniture was all pushed to the edges of the living room and the boys (the big one included) were playing soccer in the living room. Shall we say my blood pressure went a little high!! Can't wait for the weather to get nice so I can throw them outside.

Sunday swim today. I was late. No reason other than we went out for v-day last night, caught a movie and weren't home until after midnight!! WhooHoo!! That is the middle of the night for me. So I slept in, had a family cuddle in bed, and was in no real hurry to get to swim practise. The main set was 12x100 with all sorts of swim, kick, pull, IM. Then we did a timed 800 meters. Didn't feel like I was working all that hard and got on a guys feet just for the heck of it. Even bounced off the bottom a couple of times as I WAS swimming kind right up his butt and needed to give him some space!! All in all we did it in about 12 minutes.

Holiday Monday tomorrow. Super busy week coming up at work. Going to try to do those mile repeats again...outside. We live in an old area of town where the streets were measured in miles, and this is the prairies so the blocks are exactly one mile squares. I will be up and down Eastlake Ave early tomorow am!!!

bad saturday

Today was a day for mile repeats. The instructions were to run 3 x 1 mile at my half marathon goal pace. The secondary instructions were to try to do them on a track. I have never done a "track workout" so thought it might fun and interesting to go to a different setting and do a run!
Not so.
I got up today in lots of time and the weather forcast was minus bloody hell. So I went back to bed a bit more convinced I should try a track workout. I was wondering why I would do a run like this in such controlled conditions when in reality, I will be running outside in the cold with lots of layers through the snow. Would it not be better to practice your goal pace in the conditions you will be running in? Yet another question for Coach Justin. I read other's blogs and workouts and it just sounds so hardcore and cool to say "my track workout today was...blah, blah, blah..."
Off to our one and only indoor track. I have never really liked it in there, I have always found it dry and it is only a 200 meter track so you are rounding a corner, like, every few seconds...it feels like. I do a little warm up, read the instructions, what lanes are for who...walkers, fast joggers, slow joggers etc. Time for my very first indoor mile!! GO! Started Gary Garmin and then tried to think about how many laps that is...better just watch Gary. Got to about 10 minutes and 45 seconds and Gary tells me I had only ran 1400 meters. WHAT!!! And it felt pretty good!! Big let down.
And my left leg was bugging me from running in one direction the entire time. So I changed directions to start the second one...I just figured if I ran in the walking lanes, I would be coming up behind people and could easily move over and run by...not so. Got yelled at a few times. So I moved to the outside lane and did not realize that the wheelchair racers had started. The sign had not said anything about time limits and when other groups would be starting...so I got yelled at by them too!!!
F*ck it.
Went home.

something my dad would do...

Happy Friday the 13th!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLdgZvtnmKo

i want to cry

I am so tired I want to cry.

My little baby Luke, age 2.5, has decided this week he would rather get up at 3:00am and fool around for an hour than sleep. Oh...my...gosh...I nearly sent him packing last night. And then I cannot fall back to sleep so I have been going to bed, waking up at 3:00, trying to convince him of all the reasons he needs to go to sleep, and then not sleeping the rest of the night.

I am so tired.

At least he gets a nap during the day.

I. Do not.

Training? What traning?

I have done nothing since Monday. Nothing.

Talked to Justin yesterday and his thinking was this is a good week to do less. (he used the word "less" when I have done nothing...) Thank-god. I have the hypo half marthon next weekend. NEXT weekend. He assured me all the work for that run was done a few weeks ago. Thing is, I don't remember...he reminded me, I have the endurance, I can do this, the trick is to NOT do too much before now and NEXT Saturday. tomorrow is a set of mile repeats. I am bound and determined to get out and get these done...I have given my daycare strict instructions, NO NAPS!!! So I get a super cranky child at the end of the day that I will hardly be able to tolerate, (and with me being exhausted, somebody pray for our sanity at about 5:15pm tonight...) but my plan is to have him into bed and he SLEEPS THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!!!!!!

Sigh.

valentine's project

Matthew and I finished his Valentine's tonight...whew! Homemade. Cut out hearts, glue them together, put a hole in the middle and a lollipop through and voila!! We have some cute little lollipop flowers to give to his class mates. Don't know if you can see, but he wrote each name on the flower...so cute! Thank-you martha.com

5km race day

Yep.

Did what I was told not to do.

Don't run the 5km race today as you will be tired from the 10km run yesterday. Too bad. I'm the only one who knows this body and I was a bit bummed about my run yesterday so I made it to the 5km race with the attitude, let's just see how it goes. Jenna and Alex were there so I could always run with them and chit chat!

Started out feeling pretty darn stiff with tired legs. Pay no attention. Just run. Pretty quickly, I was all by myself with no one really ahead of me and nobody behind me. Right after the half way mark, legs started to feel not too bad...so ran a little harder...and then a little harder...and still a bit harder...ended up running a whopping 17 seconds faster than my January run!! I had eaten way too close to the run and thought I was going to puke the entire way...not kidding here...I was trying to take my mind as far away from my guts as possible...and even walked a good way up the path away from everyone at the finish thinking if I barf, hopefully no one will see...was doing the whole "just swallow hard...do not come up...think about something else..." Love this sport!!!

Brainfreeze 10km Run Report

Ugh.

It was a beautiful day here in Saskatoon! Above zero temps, sunny...gorgeous. The bad thing about a day like today, is that the trails full of snow, get kind of soft and in some spots very, very slippery. Not all that great for running a Kelly Fast 10km!! Even if it would have been 5 degrees colder, the trails would have had just that much more grip.

We started out under the Broadway Bridge and there was lots and lots of people out which was great. The run was a fundraiser for the University Cross Country Team so lots of cute, young runners out in their Huskie gear...

Back to the run...the first km was hard. Too hard. My legs felt heavy, my breathing was laboured, I felt awkward. I looked down at Gary Garmin and he told me my pace was 5:07...holy no good!! Slow down!! The footing was okay but I was slipping a bit now and again which was frustrating. Got to the 2nd km and took a peek at Gary Garmin and he told me my pace was around 5:11...holy no good again!! What am I doing? It's a beautful day and I just feel like running!! But I slowed down considerably just to save myself for those last 2 kms. The next 5km were steady and they felt okay. Not the best but okay. I had a headache from being up all night. One of my sleepless nights where I toss and turn the entire night. The night before I had been up with Luke all night so two nights with no sleep makes a tired body.

The last 3km were spent trying to keep up with another gal. She pulled me along the entire 3km. There were a ton of people on the paths so we were having to slow and dodge pedestrians. The footing across the Broadway Bridge was horrendous. I couldn't see the path as it was in the shade so I would look up and then down and my eyes could not adjust in time. I literally tip toed across...walked a good chunk of it...so Gary Garmin told me my end time was 58:07.

Will be honest, a bit disappointed in this as my head beat me before it even started. I was super tired...had a headache...just could not get my head into the run at all.

Good thing we are only in February!!

who's in?????

Was checking out the GWN website today for no real reason and I see that they have not filled up their team category...only 28 registered...room for 50 teams.

So who in blogger world is up for entering a team?? I could swim...who wants to bike and run...?

C'mon!! Would be FUN!!

hack

I am a hack. A bike hack to be exact.
I am really, really into a great book..."The Book of Joe"...and was up way late reading it last night. Oops. Missed my bike workout this morning. Will try to get it in tonight but not sure... puh-lease, can I miss just one workout?? This is my third week without missing ANY...until today...possibly...we will see what the night brings...
Have my 10km run on Sunday. Babysitter is booked. We have no other plans for the entire weekend but Shaun's hockey game and my run are at the very same time!! So I better run fast as the sitter is putting the cost of the run up by about 25 dollars.

Going to buy some new run pants for the run. Why not? The pants I have now are about 12 years old. They are actually embarrassing. But I have not cared. There will be some well dressed runners there on Sunday...maybe I should try to fit in...maybe I should wear my CTS jacket? I'm sure it makes me faster....

awww...shucks....

So....I get uncomfortable when people make a fuss about my swimming...I do!!

I have swam since I have been 8 years old. It's like walking for me. I just do it and it's easy.

I learned to swim in our pool in the backyard and then my mom put us in the competitive club when I was 8 years old. Every Mon/Wed/Fri we would drive the hour into Saskatoon from the farm for swim lessons and back again. A year or so of that and my dad realized that the $$ he was spending on gas was a mortgage payment!! So they bought a little house in the city and we moved...the city in the winter and on the farm in the summer time.

I get amused when the triathlete gang comments on my swim times...cause believe me, I was not all that "fast" when I was kid. I made it to Nationals only once, I was never picked for any teams, always on the "B" relay, never won any medals. But I always liked the social part (some things never change!!) and we travelled all over the country to meets which was kind of cool as no other kids at school were flying to Toronto for the weekend...

Anyway, I have super mixed feelings about my time in the pool. We would train 4 hours a day. Two before school and two after school. We would log about 10,000 meters per day in our peak training weeks. I did not learn how to play any other sports...like volleyball, I am horrid on a basketball court, I can't skate, I could not throw a baseball if my life depended on it, the only kids I knew were the ones at the pool! I have sworn up and down on my children's lives they will NEVER do this!! They will experience everything! It was alot of pressure and it took me a very long time to realize that the pool is not my life...just because I am not a top-notch age-group swimmer, does not mean I can't do well at other things. On top of that, my coach for about 9 out of the 10 years used to tell us we were "fat"!! Jenn will back me up on this one....he totally messed with our heads and as young, impressionable girls, his tactics were just WAY OFF!!!

It took me a VERY LONG time to be alright with who I was outside the pool. I am pretty sure my parents divorce was largely due to the time my mom spent with the swim club. (in fact I am 100% positive but that is a story for another time....)

On the positive side, swimming taught me lots and lots about dedicating yourself to something you really want to do. Organizing my time. I learned to love running through swimming as we had to do lots of dryland training. Hard work ethics...the a-hole coach used to make me swim with the boys as he called me a "work horse" and good at pacing, we would do sets like 20 x 200m or my favorite was 100 x 100m on about 1:20...

Anyway, I steered clear of any water until well after university was done. Stepped back into it very slowly about 8 years ago...then got asked to be on a team for a triathlon and shall we say, the rest is history!!

Now if I could only get good on that bike....

I have a lazy right arm

That is what Mike the swim coach told me today. When I am tired, I swing my right arm around and do not complete my stroke under water like I should. I said "But I am tired!" He said "But that is for sure when you should be concentrating on getting it right!!" Thanks.

It was too cold for my run yesterday morning. I am getting soft. I will not run outside if it is colder than about minus 15. In my Tuesday afternoon chat with Coach Justin, he told me he got a sunburn on Sunday while out riding. Nice. My weather stalking (thanks Melissa for that awesome term!!) told me the day was only going to get warmer. So I went out after supper and did my fartlek intervals. I am getting faster at these. I am happy with that! I had a bit of a hissy fit on the phone yesterday with JP...tell me again, the BIG picture? All this training by myself with nothing to gauge my progess is getting boring!!

Then he reminded me....do you not have a 10km run this weekend? Oh YEAH!! I almost forgot!The instructions are to run that sucker as hard as possible. This will give us a good gauge of where I am at. My time goal is around 55 minutes. My secret time goal is around 53 minutes. Either? Would be my world record so maybe a realistic goal would be a bit slower than that, but I've always been a bit of an over-achiever so let's aim KELLY FAST!!!

Got to my swim today as well. Was a good one. I like all the longer stuff...we did a pyramid...100m; 200m; 300m; 400m; 500m and then back down again.

weekend review

Did a super hard bike ride last Friday that was supposed to be done on Thursday but with my sleeping issues...as in I just don't sleep...I had told myself that if I happen to wake up in time Thurs morning, I will do the workout. But lo and behold, I actually slept!! Right to my alarm!! So up and at it early on Friday to put an hour and 15 minutes with some hard intervals thrown in for good times.

Saturday morning brought another 45 minutes on the yellow cervelo and then an hour and 15 minute run. Ran from home and felt good until about the hour mark. Walked for a bit, tried running for a bit but my legs were done...so walked to the Roastery for a coffee!! After my coffee I ran home so not sure if that counts for the last 15 minutes, but that's how it went down.

Yesterday was a swim...with lots of kick. My legs were very angry with me. But because I swam competitively for 10 years and in training we did lots and lots of kick, my kick is very strong! In fact it is my secret weapon, along with my tumble turns and I use both to try to keep up to those fast guys on Sunday morning. They were even kind enough to let me lead the kick set...hee hee!! We did a set of counting strokes and I have never really done this. So concentrating on keeping things long and strong and the steady kick, I was taking pretty consistently 18 strokes per 25 meters. I have no idea what this means. It's just how it goes. This week or possibly next, a few other tri people and I have hired a swim coach to meet us at a pool to just have some one on one time. Not that the coaches with the tri club aren't great, but I want to have someone stand over me for an hour or so and give me some reminders and I don't often get that. AND the three others that are coming are super fast triathletes....so hopefully by association (or osmosis), I will become fast (for me) too!!!