running and stuff

I'm in a sweet spot with running right now. This morning I did my run at the Y and it felt so good. I've moved past the wall of feeling like I'm going to die and though I still prefer to run outside it feels so great to know that my cardio has improved and I am becoming more and more fit and strong.
One thing I've learned {or remembered} is that I'm highly motivated by music. Lately I can't get enough of Songza's Sunshine Indie Workout mix and today I was just flying. In fact, often when I'm running and I hear a song that makes me smile and pick up my pace, what I really want to be doing is this:

And you know what? I think I should probably go for a fist pump or over-the-head-hand-clap if I feel like it because do you see anyone else paying attention to this guy? Nope. Me neither. This guy is killing it. {Check out the YouTube video for the whole video. This guy has some moves.}

So that's me. I'm working out and it's become a good little routine for us in the mornings; me exercising and Blaise {and Jude every other day when he's not at school} hanging out with the stellar childcare workers and doing adorable little crafts. Everyone wins!

I know. I still suck at blogging these days. And that's okay. I'm trying to soak it all in and one day I'll come back more consistently. But for now you can follow me on Instagram for a daily look at life around these here parts.

Hang in there! Winter has to end eventually! {Right?}

right here. right now.

a week and a half ago i was running when i tripped and fell.
big time.
it was more incredible than embarrassing if you can believe it.
i was shocked at how far i flew and the velocity with which i flew.
i could not have stopped myself if i tried.
because of this major wipeout (Major Wipeout! - HIMYM fans?) i've had these ridiculous scabs on my knees and my left elbow/arm. i forgot how bad a "picker" i am. it's probably borderline obsessive. is it easy for anyone not to pick a crusty scab?

just me?

okay. moving along.

today i took the boys for a bike ride in their new bike trailer that my parents bought for their collective birthdays to enjoy for this summer while we're here. it was a pretty long bike ride for someone who hasn't really done a long bike ride in quite some time. just over 10.5km. (my butt really hurts.)

i'm glad exercise is part of my life.
i want and need to exercise.
not just because i feel like i'll get fat but because i actually enjoy working my body and i feel better physically and emotionally after i exercise.

i like the length of my hair right now. sometimes when i let it air dry it looks awesome. sometimes it doesn't. (right now it looks awesome.)

on the craft docket for this week with the boys is this and this. i'm excited for both.

sometimes i feel like cramming my social calendar chock full.
sometimes i feel like hibernating.
right now? i feel like i might actually be somewhere in the middle. which is a good thing.

when the seasons change is when i find it hardest to fight materialism in my heart.

i think i'm falling deeper in love with Jesus. for me and Jesus it's always been gradual. no shocking testimony here. (aside from the fact that He chose me.)

i'm also falling deeper in love with jamie (we celebrated 7 years of marriage on saturday) and i'm so thankful to have married a man who loves Jesus more than he loves me. i'm also really thankful for God's grace and mercy to me and jamie.
we were so young and immature and selfish (okay, so i'm pretty much speaking mainly for me) and yet He has used us and changed us and held us together so that i can honestly say that i do love jamie more today than i did 7 years ago.

i am continuing to surrender my hopes and desires for what my family is "supposed" to look like and am holding my plans loosely in my upward-facing palms. i have lots of hopes and dreams and desires, but i'm learning to want what Jesus wants most of all. it's usually in this state that my dreams and hopes end up aligning with God's plans and desires for me. so good!

this is the part of the blog post where most people go back and edit and delete.
but i have many people in my life that i love dearly and haven't been able to share with as much lately and so here i am. unfiltered. unedited. this is me and my heart and my life as of recent.

reflections

sigh.

i haven't picked up my camera in days.

i always find it difficult to blog or know what to blog when there's so much going on.
that's me right now.

living with my parents. in a new {old} city. seeing friends. missing friends. settling in. preparing to move across the world.
you know, normal stuff.

i'm running again.
with moving and settling in and vacationing i kinda fell off the bandwagon and my clothes are telling me that running again - it's a good idea.
i still have a sweet tooth that has a life of its own.

also, jamie just showed me this website and i really, really want to do it. with him. {how psycho cool are we?}

on sunday our pastor talked about the value in reflecting on your life experience and how it's the reflection that causes growth, not necessarily the experience.
i am striving to reflect more.
if only life would slow down enough for me to do that.

It feels good.

I'm feeling encouraged.

I ran my 5k in BC and that was at least 2 weeks ago.

Last week I only ran once but I ran hard for about 25 minutes.

Yesterday I ran again. And I was encouraged.

When I first started running a few months ago I found that if I ran on the treadmill, a comfortable pace for me to run at was about 8.5km/hour (whether I was running 30 minutes or 45).

But yesterday I was comfortably running at 10km, then 10.5, then 11km! Comfortably! I am a slow starter, but I knew that once I was warmed up, I could easily go faster than 8.5k.

It's encouraging to know that my body is getting stronger and that even though the last few weeks have been all over the place with getting in good workouts and traveling, that I have a desire to work out and keep at this whole running gig.

It feels good.

It feels good.

running

I'm on week 6 of my 10 week training program to run 10km. Now my race isn't until October, but I wanted to start training right now.

On Friday I walked up this crazy steep hill lugging both Noah and Jude in a wagon and a heavy cooler (not a part of my training) and I think I must have strained my calf muscles because my runs on Saturday and Monday were cut short due to my calf muscles cramping up. I was frustrated and disappointed - especially because my Saturday run was supposed to be 50 minutes long and I was really set on completing it.

Today was just an easy 35 min run and I did it at the Y on the treadmill.

*Side note: I realize I dislike running on the treadmill. Running outside is so much more motivating and invigorating for me. When I run on the treadmill I'm lazier and sometimes stop before my run is "over" just because I feel like it.

But today's run was great! I got stuck on a machine that is only in miles and I couldn't figure out how to change it to km's but I felt really good, completed my 35 mins and then came home to figure out how far I had run. Turns out I ran over 6km! I felt like I could have gone longer and both my legs and my lungs felt fine! It was the definition (in my mind) of A Good Run.

On Saturday I'm doing an 8km run and I just really want to finish it! I'll worry about my time later.

But since starting the program I haven't lost weight. I know that it's because my eating habits are so bad and I snack a lot at night and I have a WICKED sweet tooth. It's a bit discouraging, but I've been (re)motivated to stop my nighttime snackings (again) and hopefully that will help the weight come off.

However, I do feel encouraged that I can so "easily" run for 35 mins. The difference in how I feel when I finish is remarkable compared to when I started running.

Who knows? Maybe I'll attempt an half marathon next year!

Think Time...reviewed

Remember this?

Well, I've been moving forward on the creative front.

I've cooked with bulgar wheat, quinoa (the organic kind and the red kind - who knew?), and zucchini (I know. But I never really cooked with zucchini before.). And I absolutely LOVE quinoa. Too bad Noah and Jude don't. But hey...more for me, right?

I've also picked up my camera a lot more lately - and not just to take pictures of my boys (although the majority of my pictures are of my boys). And I'm going to try out this whole You Capture thing (click on the button on the side bar for more info). I think it'll give me some motivation and inspiration to work at being a better photographer.

I've also been running! I'm now on week 4 of a 10 week training program to run 10k. Some days I complete my goals, other days, not so much. But it's a WHOLE lot more than I was doing 2 months ago!

I'd still like to start sewing and become more confident in that aspect, but there's plenty of time for that.

It's good to get that think time, but it's even better to see what comes out of it.

motivation proclamation

This was my first week of training for a 10km race.

Remember this post? And remember how I linked to a 10km race at the Toronto Zoo?

Well, I'm doing it! I'm registered and I'm training (even though it's months away) and I'm SO excited!

So this week was the first of a 10 week training to run a 10km race. It's 5 days on, 2 days off (Friday and Sunday). So I ran 30 minutes on Monday and Wednesday and then did strength training and walking/elliptical on Tuesday and Thurdsay. Saturdays are the longer run and today was supposed to be a 40 minutes run.

So I mapped out my run for roughly 5km including a cool down since I don't have a sports watch. I figured it would take me about 40 minutes to do that.

But I got lost. I realized I had pretty much double backed which frustrated me because I actually wanted to try and do the 40 minute run and not do any less.

So I started running on every crescent I passed in order to cover more ground before getting back home.

As I turned onto my street I slowed to a walk and then did a bit of stretching on my drive way.

I got in and saw that I had ran for about 40-45 minutes.

Then I sat down and mapped out how far I actually ran.

I ran 5.5km!!!! And I could have kept going but I didn't want to get too far away and then have to walk all the way back. I am on such a high! It felt SO good as I was running and I feel so good right now!
It was really the first 3km that killed me but then after that my body got into a rhythm and I just ran.

I feel really encouraged and motivated and proud of myself.

It's been awhile since I could say I felt really proud of something that I accomplished.

*jumps for joy*