next up.. Ironman Coeur D'alene

So Ben and I decided to sign up for Ironman Couer d’alene about 2 months ago. We decided that an Ironman every other year is reasonable since it is such a sacrifice in every aspect of your life: Physically, emotionally, and financially. After taking the last year to get my body in working order again, I was eager to start training. We each took our experience from the last time round, and we each made our own training programs to suit ourselves. The funny thing is our training programs are COMPLETELY different. Not even a little bit the same. Which goes to show how those generic training programs on the internet are probably not the best approach. One major difference between out programs is that I have chosen to maintain going to Hot Vinyasa Flow yoga once a week. I went to my first hot yoga class when my chiropractor suggested it back in May, and I find myself seriously looking forwards to the class each week. If I miss a week my body feels it: my body feels tight, achy, and my asthma worsens. Hot Yoga is very addicting, and feels so good. Personally I think it has helped with my running a lot. Along with Yoga, I found my chiropractor this past year. I go once a month to get myself all aligned again, and seriously that is another aspect of my training that I think will become pivotal to my success. It’s been 2 months of base training where I’ve been working primarily on my running, with some biking and strength thrown into the mix, and I have NEVER felt so strong and so good. It is pretty exciting, and I attribute this to both Yoga and my Chiropractor.

I find that compared to the last time I started training, I have much more of a mental focus. I know how hard ironman is, I know my goals, and I know what it is going to take to achieve them. Also, Ben and I have both ditched the twice a day workout which I think definitely helps. Last time we trained for Ironman I think we just got way too burnt out in the first month and never really recovered. We learned there is a fine line between training and over-training and it is a tight rope that must be walked every day by every athlete, since normally we all just want to go out at the same intensity as the race every workout. But realistically that isn’t possible. I’ve learned rest days are important, and every training day cannot 5 km race pace. I find I have been relying on my heart rate monitor to hold me back, and I have really focused on warming up and cooling down.

I am really quite excited about this race. More excited than last Ironman where I was just SUPER nervous. I know I can do the darn thing, now I just want to do it better, and with less of a roller coaster.

Dear Pinterest

I haven't been inspired to write a blog lately, but I finally feel like I have something to say. Just like every other female, I have spent countless hours on Pinterest, mindlessly scrolling through "pins". My favorite thing to do on it is just click on "everything" and flip through all the stuff that other people have pinned.

Then today it dawned on me, Pinterest just illustrates everything that is wrong with the society we live in. It is a collection of people posting about the perfect home, the perfect wedding, the perfect love story, the perfect parent, the perfect body all while eating delicious food. I mean, really, is it ever possible to have all that? And what is perfection? does that make you happy? Because I don't know about you but I kind of like my not so perfect, but amazingly wonderful life.


So here is my letter to pinterest:


Dear Pinterest,

I have to admit, I have re-pinned countless recipes, home decorating ideas, and crafts from you. But here's the thing, you kind of make me feel bad about myself. The other night as I was scrolling through all the wonderful pictures, I was mesmerized by everything christmas (even though christmas is nearly 2 months away, I found myself getting lost in the christmas pins.) I was Imagining myself surrounded by christmas decorations that I will have created perfectly, while entertaining a small christmas party with wonderfully delicious appetizers on perfectly matching place settings, and I realized that right beside that recipe for delicious chocolate pound cake(that I was clearly going to make for my perfect christmas party)was a pin about how to loose 40 pounds in 40 days and it dawned on me: Pinterest, you promote the impossible image that the media imposes on society. This perfect life that everyone should strive towards. You're not entirely to blame, however, because the worst part is we all embrace it and seem to find it so important that we pin these images to an online board to come back to time and time again, and to share with others. Mostly things that we will never attempt to do or make. We create this board of pins which illustrate the perfect life, with hours wasted in our real life. The funniest thing is people post an exercise board right next to a recipe board. Now here is the thing, I am an athlete. I have had a hockey scholarship in the US, and I have completed Ironman Canada. I can swim 4 kilometers, bike 180 kilometers, and run a marathon.. all in the same day, but I will never look like this:

My husband and I eat healthy, and I workout 6 days a week, however, if I do happen to make have desert that others make I often feel guilty about it. Why? because like most females in society I want to be thiner, like those pictures on pinterest. Typically this is how it goes, wow I wish I could have a body like that oh but look at that delicious carmel popcorn recipe mmmm... foood. By no means am I over weight, infact typically I am quite happy with the way I look. But I can do lunges around a track and yet I will never have legs that look like this :

Life is short, and I shouldn't feel guilty about eating all some of this:

So pinterest I am breaking up with you. I am tired of seeing half naked girls, with shredded abbs beside the "tastes just like olive garden fetecinnie alfredo" 120000 calorie meal. I'm not entirely sure what I will do with those hours in the day I waste spend scrolling through all your glorious pins, but i'm sure it will be alot better spending time in my real life than pinning pictures about a perfect life.

Sincerely,
a recovering pinterest addict

"And in the end it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years"

Well 2012 has been no less insane than 2011. Lets see where to begin:

Oh right... we moved into our new house! I totally and completely love it. My favorite room? Our bedroom. We got all new beautiful furniture, and we finally have a big enough closet to hide keep all our clothes. It has become a total room of relaxation and sleep. The rest of our house is pretty awesome too. We finally have enough room for entertaining which is exciting.

Then, after being in our new house for 3 weeks, we decided to take the plunge and get a dog! We've wanted one for the last 4 1/2 years but just never had the space and plus we were renting. We started at the humane society and were thinking about adopting a huge dog named wally. he was adorable, a great puranese mixed with a poodle. The problem was that he had some issues; he was really nervous around new people and situations. And although has never biten before, when dogs are nervous you never really know what they'll do and he's so big he could really do some damage. After thinking about it for some time and feeling really guilty we decided wally probably wasn't the best fit for us since we like to have people over and go on random adventures. Then we found Rudy. A 4 month old labradoodle. We found him online and by friday we were driving 3 hours to lethbridge to pick him up. We lucked out he is a really good puppy. Really smart, adorable, and loves to cuddle. Since we work all day in Calgary, Rudy has to go in his kennel but we have someone come every day to let him out for a play and potty mid day. It has definitely been an adjustment having a dog, I mean we're pretty spotaneous and get up and go so we've had to adjust a little but we love him to pieces.

Then I got a promotion at work. There was a position that opened up and I didn't even think about applying for it since there was alot more senior people above me for the job. The job posting dropped off the system, and I knew some people at my work had applied for the job. Then a week later i was called into my boss' office and they offered me the job. I was in shock, but definitely flattered that they thought that much of me. I wasn't supposed to start the new job until March 5th and I was supposed to partner with the person who was already in the job. But, he up and quit last thursday. So i've been thrown into this job without any training and just winging it. Needless to say it's been pretty stressful. On the plus side I now have an office with a window! moving up in the world.
I am also going to be working part time for Murray's new business. He's just started up a spraying business and I will be doing all his paperwork for him. I'm excited for that too. Bring in a little extra cash, and help me diversify my resume from just banking.

On the training front, Ben is planning on doing the Sinister 7 (a 150 km run through the mountains) cause he is crazy, I on the other hand was planning on doing maybe a half ironman or marathon. But, I have decided that I need a break. My body really took a beating last year training for the Ironman, and I think I am just burnt out. I also need to get my hips/knees/feet/back in order. So I signed up for the 5 peaks race series which is 5 trail races throughout the summer from 10 k to the last one being a half marathon. I thought it would just be a fun way to stay active but not go to crazy. It has been kind of nice not training. Running without my watch to seeing if i'm on pace, relaxing if I just don't feel like going to the gym, ahhhh :). I'm also excited to do alot more camping/backpacking this year. We love it, but with training last year we didn't have any time. So Ben's race is the first weekend in July and then we'll be free to do what ever after.

We're also headed back to Ontario may! I have never met ben's father or his grandma (his only remaining grandparent) so I'm pretty excited to meet them. We're also excited to meet out little nephews Owen and Elliot. It will be a quick trip and we have alot of family to cram into the 5 days that we're there but it will be fun. I have made ben promise to take me to niagra falls since I have never seen it.

We're also planning a 10 day road trip for our aniversary in September. We have always wanted to drive down the oregon coast. And since a beach vacation isn't really in the budget this year, we're going to go exploring. We're hoping we make it all the way to California (and maybe I can convince ben to go to disney land :)). It's just going to be us, our car, and our tent for 10 days. It'll be fun. If you have any must see places along the way definitely let us know!

Ben and I keep laughing about how 1 year ago we never would have thought we would be at this moment. I mean we weren't even engaged yet! Like the quote above we like to cram a whole lot of living into our years.

Well that's all for now. I promise I will try and write at least once a week.