Friday Five

Oh geez - I have had so many posts floating around in my skull and I can't seem to get my wits about me to get them written and posted.  Ah to have an eighth day each week, just for writing.

But - today, I want to take a moment to get a few thoughts out into the interwebs in case anyone is wondering where I've been or why I've suddenly vanished.

1) Running
Running was going so well those first two weeks I was back at it...and then enter Doodle the Buttsurfer.  One Saturday morning, the kidlet hopped up onto the bed, sat on my legs to wake me up and before I could stop her, she raked her bony little ass back and forth across my shins.   HOLY SHIT!  So much pain.  And pain that didn't fade.  I was so sure she had rebroken my leg.  I was able to get in a couple of pain-free runs on it (usually once a week) but then the next run would reduce me to hobbling back to the office.  Thank goodness for understanding run partners.  

I talked to Dr. Dale about it and he assures me my 40lb midget can't re-break my leg.  He tested it for me and all of the break tests he applied didn't bring any pain with them.  His conclusion is that she irritated the outer coating on my bone which is still trying to repair itself and that until the nerve endings have healed completely (and it could possibly take years!) that I can expect to have setbacks like this for a while.  So not good news but not bad news either.

I have taken this week off running and the shin sensitivity is already much better so I will attempt a run or two again next week and see how it goes from there.  Luckily, my upcoming goal races have nothing to do with running...

2) Relaying
Once again this year, I will be running Banff Ekiden with my beloved Little Bloggy Bluebirds.   All of the original members except Leana are returning (she would have loved to but had a prior commitment that our late decision didn't jive with).  So Tina, Michelle and I are all back in the lineup and we welcome two new bloggy members: Susan from Do Things Always and Lindsay from Strive to Stride.

We also have a brand spanking new logo for our revamped team!

I love it, but I designed it so I am obviously biased.  I think it fits our team really well and, as you'll see on relay day, it is a perfect fit.

I am "running" the shortest leg (around 4km) for obvious reasons.   My team has been awesome about my speed or lack thereof, just encouraging me to be there with them again this year.  So I would like to run 3:1 if I can, but if not - I'll power walk it and do the best I can.

On Oct 18 - keep an eye out for #littlebloggybluebirds!  Maybe this year we can get it to trend if enough people cheer us on!

3) Walking

It is just 3 weeks until I head to Vancouver for Rock n Roll Vancouver.   I am so excited and have been planning my whirlwind trip non-stop since last week!   So many people to see in a very short timespan.

As for the race - I was so sad to do it, but my body cannot handle a half marathon right now.  It has been one setback after another this year and I think if I tried to do the half - even if I ran it with people willing to go slow for me - I'd risk refracturing my shin.  I am NOT willing to take that chance.  Instead, I scaled back to the 10k.  I honestly think it will be the more beautiful of the courses because it is entirely around the seawall, but I was facing doing it alone after begging and pleading with a few unwilling friends to also scale back.

My reality is also that I will need to walk that 10k.  I am not trained to that distance but I can do a leisurely 10k no problem.  So - in a Sunday morning email conversation with my best friend (who lives in Vancouver), I proposed that she join me!   AND SHE ACCEPTED!!!  We had been trying to figure out when we could get together on this quick trip anyway and what better quality time can two longtime friends have than strolling along a 10k and stopping to dance at every band?   We are going to have a blast!  She isn't a runner so she'll make sure I walk it and I will make sure we are outfitted for the occasion!

4) Travelling
I am not sure I ever wrote about it, but last December, Impact Magazine had this 30 days of Giveaways that they did - giving away highly giftable things throughout the holiday season.  I entered a few of the prizes but hadn't won anything throughout the month and hadn't given much thought to it overall.  So, imagine my surprise when one night (just before Christmas), my Twitter account suddenly goes nutso with congratulatory messages.   I had won the grand prize...and it was a doozy.  Two nights in a lakeview room at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, complementary breakfast both days, ski shuttle, ski valet, lift passes etc etc.   Hubby and I are both of the non-skiing variety, but we thought we could take advantage of it late in the winter to snowshoe up at the top of the mountain and enjoy a kid free couple of days.

And then I fractured my stupid tibia.  And it took 7+ months to heal.   Finally, last month, I looked at the voucher and noticed it would expire in the middle of November!  Eeek!  We decided we'd better just use what we could and get that kid free weekend underway ASAP.

And so tonight, we are heading to the mountains!   Expect my Instagram feed to fill up with all kinds of Rocky Mountain beauty.  We are hoping to do one of the teahouse hikes and to sleep in (a novel thought) and just generally pamper ourselves in the luxurious surroundings and restaurants.

5) School
As for the real reason I have so thoroughly vanished recently...it is all about school.  Kindergarten, to be exact.  I never realized what a time hog having two kids in Kindergarten would be for me.  I almost feel like I have gone back to school!   Our little family is starting to fall into more of a groove with it, though, and I have a trillion blog posts milling around in my head that I plan to funnel out here soon.   Most of all, I think I have a few time management posts I need to write as I have learned so much about doing it all in the last month.

So that's where I'm at.  and I really am hoping I can be back in the game again really soon.  I miss blathering about myself blogging and need to get back at it.