Well, big news over here. I got a job! and this time it's not just any job, it is a career! Starting september 12th, I will be working downtown with scotia bank as a personal banking officer. From there the sky is the limit, especially since there will be alot of opportunity coming up in the next few years because of the baby boomer generation starting to retire, which is good news to my generation.. I will have to dress like an adult, and actually put more than 5 minutes into getting ready in the morning, but I'm kind of excited about that. I'm also excited about working downtown. When I was down there for interviews, I was amazed how different downtown is during the weekday than it is in the evening and on the weekends. There is so much comotion, there are street vendors, it is a colorful and vibrant place to be. On the weekends, it is DEAD. I mean half of the restuarants aren't even open because no one goes down there. The thing is I will for sure be downtown at the main branch for the first 4-6 months but then I could placed anywhere in the city, hopefully it's not to far away from home or else we'll have to look at getting another car.
Getting the job was a relief, but it's been complicated since I need some time off at the end of august/begining of september so they decided that my start date would be after I get back from my honeymoon.... the day after I get back.. actually 12 hours after we get back! SO I have the next month off! I struggled with this a bit because I am the type of person that needs to be busy and feel like I have a purpose to my day. It kind of feels like my whole life is on hold while I wait for all these big life events to happen; ironman, wedding, honeymoon, new job. That's a whole lot of life changing events to cram into 2 weeks!.. and a whole lot of stress both on my mind and on my body. But i am excited. And in the meantime I am going to try and keep my day busy, and really focus on training, I mean who is lucky like me and gets to train all day and not have to work? I guess that is what the pros do.. so I'll pretend I'm a pro triathlete for the next month! ha! But there isn't much time left, there are only 2 weeks of hard traning left and then tapering and resting up for the 2 weeks leading up to the big race. EEK! It's already been 8 months of training! only one more!
We are headed to kokanousa this weekend which should be fun. For the last 4 years my dad has headed there in the summer. Ben and I are planning to do lots of training, focusing mainly on swimming but we'll also do a fair sized ride (4 hours) and a couple of good runs. Then we just plan on lounging in the sun. It is supposed to be really nice this weekend and it will be nice to get out of the city!
Hope everyone else has a great long weekend!
Friday, July 29, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
and more of that training thing....
In 5 weeks from today I will (hopefully is all goes according to plan) be a ironwoman, and in 6 weeks from today I will be married to my best friend and we will be in mexico! ahh! I'm SO excited!
On the training front, we had a pretty productive weekend. Last week after getting home from the lake I felt like I was getting sick. You know the achy, feeling crappy feeling. So I took tuesday, wednesday, AND thursday off.. whoops. But I think it did my body some good. On Friday we hit the pool after work (it was a short workout though because we had tickets to harry potter!). Then Saturday was THE day. We got up, and and we got a longish run in... seperately of course. Actually I really dragged my butt and didn't get out until an hour after ben. But we both got 2 hours and 15 minutes in... Although ben of course ran like twice as far as me. But i felt really good. It was the first run in a while where I felt strong and focused. I think those days off did me some good. I got home around 11:30, we ate breakfast and then headed to canmore to climb ha-ling peak.
We motored up it, and we were back at the car within 2 hours. Starving, we went into town and had some lunch/dinner. When we got back to Calgary, we were pretty tired and we both had a solid 2 hour nap. It was awesome.
Sunday, since we had our 2 hour nap on saturday evening we didn't fall asleep until late (well midnight... but that is really late for us!). So we let ourselves sleep in on sunday. Then we drove out to highway 22 to polish our legs off on the road to nepal. We started biking at 10:30 and well, lets say I suffered through it. Despite my sore legs, being exhausted, and starving I did make the whole 60 kms loop. I jsut kept telling myself that i have to get used to keep on pushing despite being axhausted. But lets just say Ben had a very very grumpy Jen to deal with until she ate all the contents left in the fridge and had a peters milkshake later that day.
We have 3 big weeks left to push, and then 2 tapering weeks and then it's game time. I am already feeling pretty nervous for the race, but I know we will do great!
On the wedding front things are coming together nicely, and I just can't wait for the big day!
Have a great week! We're headed to Kokanousa this weekend to hang out at the lake with my dad!.. and of course do some more of that trianing thing.
On the training front, we had a pretty productive weekend. Last week after getting home from the lake I felt like I was getting sick. You know the achy, feeling crappy feeling. So I took tuesday, wednesday, AND thursday off.. whoops. But I think it did my body some good. On Friday we hit the pool after work (it was a short workout though because we had tickets to harry potter!). Then Saturday was THE day. We got up, and and we got a longish run in... seperately of course. Actually I really dragged my butt and didn't get out until an hour after ben. But we both got 2 hours and 15 minutes in... Although ben of course ran like twice as far as me. But i felt really good. It was the first run in a while where I felt strong and focused. I think those days off did me some good. I got home around 11:30, we ate breakfast and then headed to canmore to climb ha-ling peak.
We motored up it, and we were back at the car within 2 hours. Starving, we went into town and had some lunch/dinner. When we got back to Calgary, we were pretty tired and we both had a solid 2 hour nap. It was awesome.
Sunday, since we had our 2 hour nap on saturday evening we didn't fall asleep until late (well midnight... but that is really late for us!). So we let ourselves sleep in on sunday. Then we drove out to highway 22 to polish our legs off on the road to nepal. We started biking at 10:30 and well, lets say I suffered through it. Despite my sore legs, being exhausted, and starving I did make the whole 60 kms loop. I jsut kept telling myself that i have to get used to keep on pushing despite being axhausted. But lets just say Ben had a very very grumpy Jen to deal with until she ate all the contents left in the fridge and had a peters milkshake later that day.
We have 3 big weeks left to push, and then 2 tapering weeks and then it's game time. I am already feeling pretty nervous for the race, but I know we will do great!
On the wedding front things are coming together nicely, and I just can't wait for the big day!
Have a great week! We're headed to Kokanousa this weekend to hang out at the lake with my dad!.. and of course do some more of that trianing thing.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Goodsoil
The past 5 days I have been in goodsoil saskatchewan. For those of you who are not my family (however limited that may be) you may be asking where the heck is goodsoil saskatchewan. Well :
It's pretty much a very small farming town up in northern saskatchewan... and it is a long ways from calgary. You may ask why the heck we go to such a place in the middle of now where? well because:
there is an amazing lake there... and because when my great grandfather immigrated from germany, he was given land there and was one of the founding fathers of this small piece of paradise Canada. We have been going there since I can remember, and my mom has been going there since she can remember.
We had a great time, but, sadly, I had to leave Ben behind. Since he is working and it is a 7 hour drive he couldn't even come up for just the weekend. So I got to be the 7th wheel all weekend with my mom and murray, my sister and her boyfriend, and my brother and his girlfriend. Actually we had a great time. I went for a longish run on saturday morning. The day day started out promising with not a cloud in the sky which lead to a very hot run. But, by the end of my 2 hour (22 km) run, the sky had started to cloud over and it proceeded to be a cloudy/windy day. So we set up the campsite, made pie irons for lunch on the fire and just relaxed. That night we had a couple of surprise visitors in the middle of the night, as a mama black bear and her two cubs decided to visit our campsite. It was quite the excitement at 6 am, but murray managed to scare them off before my siblings in the tents had a heart attack.
Sunday we were going to head to church, but after the bear excitement we wound up sleeping in. I was planning on going for a long bike, but I had forgotten about how TERRIBLE the roads are in saskatchewan. Like seriously, there are parts of the highway that are just gravel. In fact, 2 years ago I broke the suspension on my old car when I crossed from Alberta to Saskatchewan. SO, the bike stayed parked all weekend. It was a beautiful day, and we maneged to get a few hours down at the beach. However, the drama did not end with the bears. When we launched my mom's old boat it died in the middle of the lake. Like seriously its completely dead. Paul had to paddle the boat ashore. I was planning on swimming the 3 miles across the lake, but I needed a boat to follow me, so thankfully some relatives (thank you to chelsea, cassidy, feron, lisa, and michelle) followed me in their pontoon boat with my mom and murray tagging along for the ride. I have swam the lake before 10 years ago when I in grade 9 and it took me over 2 hours. However, that was kind of a sput of the moment thing. I thought, I could swim across there... so I did. Then we tired 2 years ago, because ben and my brother wanted to try but the water was tooo cold. This year I came prepared. I brought my wetsuit, and after squeeezing into it I was ready to rock. I made it in 1 hour and 25 minutes! I guess this ironman training thing is paying off. I spent the rest of the day lounging on the beach. Monday morning we woke up to pouring rain. But by the time we finished breakfast it had cleared up and turned into another hot beautiful day. I got a quick 10k run in then headed down to the beach to enjoy our last full day at the lake. My brother, his girlfriend, and I had to leave the hot weather and started the long trip home on tuesday.
Since Ben couldn't come to goodsoil, he headed to fernie for some training and a visit with his mom. He biked 160 kms on saturday! I was so impressed. The furthest we had gone previously was 140 kms. Then Ben had a chance to go over and see the lodge where we are getting married and it is beautiful!
Despite some of the drama that happened, it is going to be beautiful and perfect.
In other news, I have a final interview with scotia bank today. This could be an amazing opportunity for me so hopefully everything works out. Actually, I have already turned down one job just because I really want this one. So with me luck!
We had a great time, but, sadly, I had to leave Ben behind. Since he is working and it is a 7 hour drive he couldn't even come up for just the weekend. So I got to be the 7th wheel all weekend with my mom and murray, my sister and her boyfriend, and my brother and his girlfriend. Actually we had a great time. I went for a longish run on saturday morning. The day day started out promising with not a cloud in the sky which lead to a very hot run. But, by the end of my 2 hour (22 km) run, the sky had started to cloud over and it proceeded to be a cloudy/windy day. So we set up the campsite, made pie irons for lunch on the fire and just relaxed. That night we had a couple of surprise visitors in the middle of the night, as a mama black bear and her two cubs decided to visit our campsite. It was quite the excitement at 6 am, but murray managed to scare them off before my siblings in the tents had a heart attack.
Sunday we were going to head to church, but after the bear excitement we wound up sleeping in. I was planning on going for a long bike, but I had forgotten about how TERRIBLE the roads are in saskatchewan. Like seriously, there are parts of the highway that are just gravel. In fact, 2 years ago I broke the suspension on my old car when I crossed from Alberta to Saskatchewan. SO, the bike stayed parked all weekend. It was a beautiful day, and we maneged to get a few hours down at the beach. However, the drama did not end with the bears. When we launched my mom's old boat it died in the middle of the lake. Like seriously its completely dead. Paul had to paddle the boat ashore. I was planning on swimming the 3 miles across the lake, but I needed a boat to follow me, so thankfully some relatives (thank you to chelsea, cassidy, feron, lisa, and michelle) followed me in their pontoon boat with my mom and murray tagging along for the ride. I have swam the lake before 10 years ago when I in grade 9 and it took me over 2 hours. However, that was kind of a sput of the moment thing. I thought, I could swim across there... so I did. Then we tired 2 years ago, because ben and my brother wanted to try but the water was tooo cold. This year I came prepared. I brought my wetsuit, and after squeeezing into it I was ready to rock. I made it in 1 hour and 25 minutes! I guess this ironman training thing is paying off. I spent the rest of the day lounging on the beach. Monday morning we woke up to pouring rain. But by the time we finished breakfast it had cleared up and turned into another hot beautiful day. I got a quick 10k run in then headed down to the beach to enjoy our last full day at the lake. My brother, his girlfriend, and I had to leave the hot weather and started the long trip home on tuesday.
Since Ben couldn't come to goodsoil, he headed to fernie for some training and a visit with his mom. He biked 160 kms on saturday! I was so impressed. The furthest we had gone previously was 140 kms. Then Ben had a chance to go over and see the lodge where we are getting married and it is beautiful!
Despite some of the drama that happened, it is going to be beautiful and perfect.
In other news, I have a final interview with scotia bank today. This could be an amazing opportunity for me so hopefully everything works out. Actually, I have already turned down one job just because I really want this one. So with me luck!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Wishing Wednesdays
I keep forgetting about this weekly post that is hosted by bright wishes. I guess when you're not working the days blurr into one another and every day feels like saturday. Anyways, this week I wish for:
1) I had a couple of interviews last week, and there is one job that I am really hoping for. So, I wish that I get it! It's with scotia bank and would lead to alot of exciting career oportunities!
2) That the weather is nice in goodsoil this weekend, so that I can do alot of training and lounging on the beach working on my suntan!
3) I wish that everything comes together for our wedding, its less than 2 months away and the last week has kind of been crazy and it has started stressing me out. But i think I have found some really great vendors now, to replace the one that is going bankrupt, and hopefully all is good.
4) That Ben and I stay healthy for the next month for the last push of training before IRONMAN! It will be the highest volume of training either of us has ever done. So we really need to accept that we're going to be tired, get lots of rest, drink lots of water, and eat properly. No more drinking copious amounts of alcohol for us!.. that is until after Aug 28th!
5) That this house will clean itself.... haha oh man.. I know it won't come true so I guess I better go do it now!
Cheers!
1) I had a couple of interviews last week, and there is one job that I am really hoping for. So, I wish that I get it! It's with scotia bank and would lead to alot of exciting career oportunities!
2) That the weather is nice in goodsoil this weekend, so that I can do alot of training and lounging on the beach working on my suntan!
3) I wish that everything comes together for our wedding, its less than 2 months away and the last week has kind of been crazy and it has started stressing me out. But i think I have found some really great vendors now, to replace the one that is going bankrupt, and hopefully all is good.
4) That Ben and I stay healthy for the next month for the last push of training before IRONMAN! It will be the highest volume of training either of us has ever done. So we really need to accept that we're going to be tired, get lots of rest, drink lots of water, and eat properly. No more drinking copious amounts of alcohol for us!.. that is until after Aug 28th!
5) That this house will clean itself.... haha oh man.. I know it won't come true so I guess I better go do it now!
Cheers!
A normal weekend?
Time just seems to be slipping away from me. How is it already the middle of July! We moved a month ago and I have no idea where the time has gone.
Our training is coming along really well. We are up to 12 workouts a week and 15-18 hours a week of training. This is really the last push before 2 weeks of tapering before the race. Two weeks ago we maneged to get a 140 km bike ride in, that's only 40 kms short of the ironman distance! That definitely raised our confidence! I felt really good until the last 45 minute when my feet started to ache. My biking shoes did not have a good insole, but we have put some new, more supportive, insoles in and so far they seem to be helping. However, last weekend we took a major step back. Both of us were feeling really burnt out and tired. So we eased off on the training and just enjoyed ourselves and lived a "normal life". Saturday we went hiking with my sister and her boyfriend. We had alot of fun, my sister is so funny and I love hanging out with her! The weather didn't look promising, but the rain held off and it was actually nice that it was overcast since it didn't get to hot. We hiked up lady macdonald, but didn't make it all the way to the top since it got soo windy it was too dangerous , but it was the first mountain my sister had ever climbed!
That night, we met up with my sister and her boyfriend again and we had some pizza and beers then headed down to the stampede. We were planning on going to Nashville north but the lineup was UNBELIEVEABLE!... like seroiusly 4 hours.. and there were people waiting in line that long! wow! we just went to the beer gardens, drank for a while, met up with my brother and his friends then went to a bar on 17th ave. Since ben and I are old we wound up catching a cab at midnight and headed home... it was past our bedtime.
Sunday morning we decided to walk the hour downtown to get our car. It was a gorgeous morning, and we stopped at nellies for some brunch (mmmm our favorite breakfast spot). We picked up the car then headed out to cochrane to help my mom and murray with their fence building. Now, I worked construction for a summer so I know how to use my power tools! It was actually a lot of fun, I love building stuff! We got a good dent on the fence building and even planted a few trees.
We didn't get home until 8 pm that night, and we were tired. We pretty much just went straight to bed. Even though we didn't really train, we still had a jam packed weekend!
This week has been busy, despite not working. I've just been busy running errands, and trying to pick up the pieces of our wedding explosion of last week. It seems as though everything is coming together. But it is also very different then we had origionally had planned, but I think this is actually going to be better!
I am headed up to Goodsoil SK with on Friday with my family. We've been going there every year since I can remember. It is a beautiful lake in just a little town in northern saskatchewan. Ben can't come since it is a 7 hour drive and he only has the weekend off. But I'm headed up for some serious training, lounging on the beach, and camping! woot! I'll be coming home on tuesday with my little brother! Can't wait!
Our training is coming along really well. We are up to 12 workouts a week and 15-18 hours a week of training. This is really the last push before 2 weeks of tapering before the race. Two weeks ago we maneged to get a 140 km bike ride in, that's only 40 kms short of the ironman distance! That definitely raised our confidence! I felt really good until the last 45 minute when my feet started to ache. My biking shoes did not have a good insole, but we have put some new, more supportive, insoles in and so far they seem to be helping. However, last weekend we took a major step back. Both of us were feeling really burnt out and tired. So we eased off on the training and just enjoyed ourselves and lived a "normal life". Saturday we went hiking with my sister and her boyfriend. We had alot of fun, my sister is so funny and I love hanging out with her! The weather didn't look promising, but the rain held off and it was actually nice that it was overcast since it didn't get to hot. We hiked up lady macdonald, but didn't make it all the way to the top since it got soo windy it was too dangerous , but it was the first mountain my sister had ever climbed!
That night, we met up with my sister and her boyfriend again and we had some pizza and beers then headed down to the stampede. We were planning on going to Nashville north but the lineup was UNBELIEVEABLE!... like seroiusly 4 hours.. and there were people waiting in line that long! wow! we just went to the beer gardens, drank for a while, met up with my brother and his friends then went to a bar on 17th ave. Since ben and I are old we wound up catching a cab at midnight and headed home... it was past our bedtime.
Sunday morning we decided to walk the hour downtown to get our car. It was a gorgeous morning, and we stopped at nellies for some brunch (mmmm our favorite breakfast spot). We picked up the car then headed out to cochrane to help my mom and murray with their fence building. Now, I worked construction for a summer so I know how to use my power tools! It was actually a lot of fun, I love building stuff! We got a good dent on the fence building and even planted a few trees.
We didn't get home until 8 pm that night, and we were tired. We pretty much just went straight to bed. Even though we didn't really train, we still had a jam packed weekend!
This week has been busy, despite not working. I've just been busy running errands, and trying to pick up the pieces of our wedding explosion of last week. It seems as though everything is coming together. But it is also very different then we had origionally had planned, but I think this is actually going to be better!
I am headed up to Goodsoil SK with on Friday with my family. We've been going there every year since I can remember. It is a beautiful lake in just a little town in northern saskatchewan. Ben can't come since it is a 7 hour drive and he only has the weekend off. But I'm headed up for some serious training, lounging on the beach, and camping! woot! I'll be coming home on tuesday with my little brother! Can't wait!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Time Flies When You're Having Fun
Where to begin. I cannot believe that it is ALREADY JULY 8th! That means there is 6 weeks and 2 days until Ironman, and 7 weeks and 1 day until our Wedding!
Today, however, is also a special day. 4 years ago Ben and I each had a moment. A moment where we realized that we had met someone very special. Ben's moment was when he finished his first marathon and felt an urge to text me and tell me how he did. Despite the fact we had only known eachother for less than a month, and there were plenty of other people he could have informed first. The moment for me was when I woke up next to him the next day, and the first thing I thought was "you're going to wake up forever next this this person." Completely illogical, but it was true. 4 years ago, Ben and I both realized that we had met our soulmate, and it has been the most incredible 4 years of my life. Ben is my best friend, my training partner, my cheer leader, my strength, my confidant, my champ, and my everything. I am so lucky to have him in my life, and I cannot wait until I can call him my husband! So tonight in celebration Ben is taking me out on a date, and I have no idea where we are going! I'm pretty excited!
On another note, we had a little hiccup with the wedding planning, when I found out that the lady that runs the lodge and was doing all the organizing and catering was going out of business. Lets just say the stress level rose to an uncomfortably high level. Thankfully, however, it all seems to be sorted out now and the guy who is buying out her share is actually going to just employ her staff and it will be identitcal to what we had originally planned. PHEW. Other than that, everything seems to be coming together nicely! Infact, we JUST booked our honeymoon this afternoon! How about a week in the Mayan Riviera in a 5 star all inclusive resort. And the best part is we have gotten an AMAZING deal on it. We cannot wait! I've never been to an all inclusive relaxing vacation in my life. It will be a blast, and just what we need after ironman and then the wedding.
Today, however, is also a special day. 4 years ago Ben and I each had a moment. A moment where we realized that we had met someone very special. Ben's moment was when he finished his first marathon and felt an urge to text me and tell me how he did. Despite the fact we had only known eachother for less than a month, and there were plenty of other people he could have informed first. The moment for me was when I woke up next to him the next day, and the first thing I thought was "you're going to wake up forever next this this person." Completely illogical, but it was true. 4 years ago, Ben and I both realized that we had met our soulmate, and it has been the most incredible 4 years of my life. Ben is my best friend, my training partner, my cheer leader, my strength, my confidant, my champ, and my everything. I am so lucky to have him in my life, and I cannot wait until I can call him my husband! So tonight in celebration Ben is taking me out on a date, and I have no idea where we are going! I'm pretty excited!
On another note, we had a little hiccup with the wedding planning, when I found out that the lady that runs the lodge and was doing all the organizing and catering was going out of business. Lets just say the stress level rose to an uncomfortably high level. Thankfully, however, it all seems to be sorted out now and the guy who is buying out her share is actually going to just employ her staff and it will be identitcal to what we had originally planned. PHEW. Other than that, everything seems to be coming together nicely! Infact, we JUST booked our honeymoon this afternoon! How about a week in the Mayan Riviera in a 5 star all inclusive resort. And the best part is we have gotten an AMAZING deal on it. We cannot wait! I've never been to an all inclusive relaxing vacation in my life. It will be a blast, and just what we need after ironman and then the wedding.
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