Brrrrrrr

I am a very proud Canadian. I love the change of seasons we experience throughout the year, and it is lovely to watch the snow fall in the winter especially. Of course, there is a "but" to insert here...

As much as winter is a pretty time, it is also so, so cold occasionally. Just over a week ago, we were running in mild temperatures, watching the snow melt.  This week all of that came to an abrupt halt.  I ran in huge fluffy flakes on Saturday (with high winds, ugh) and by Monday, I questioned whether my nose was still attached to my face, as I couldn't feel it anymore after the first five miles.

I do think I am good at dressing for the weather, as I have been running in the cold (with no alternate option) for many years now. It is just that I enjoy feeling my cheeks (all of them!) when I return home, especially returning from longer runs.

So. With the cold getting colder by Tuesday, I decided to take my runs inside for a bit. My school has a gym, equipped with a couple of treadmills (thank goodness I am not into 'bells and whistles' because these machines are very basic) so I decided to utilize my lunch hour to get my runs in. Running at lunch, combined with my before-school-swimming, means TWO public showers each day.  I feel like I am packing for a small vacation every morning when I leave the house, as that is a lot of gear to haul around!

I have always disliked running on the treadmill. It is sooooo boring, running along, going absolutely nowhere. I decided to glance at the time occasionally, and imagine where I would be at that point on my usual route. Worked like a charm. I distracted myself by playing with the incline, trying to mimic the hills I usually encounter when outside.   Before I knew it, I had finished my run, and I was warm (ok, hot) and I didn't have to worry about taking off many layers, drying out mittens, and scraping snow and ice off of my shoes!

So I went back for the rest of the week!  Indoor pool.  Indoor run. I am simulating my very own summer!  Except no sunburns. Or Mosquitos. Or vacation.

My two oldest monkeys decided to try on some of my swimming gear before bath time, and they chose their poses...

look, Mama, I'm swimming!

I guess this is a 'chilling by the pool' pose?

By tomorrow, the weather should be a bit less brutal, and I will return to the slush roads.

Happy Running...bundle up!!

Tales from the Slow Lane

I can't believe how quickly time flies these days.  It must be all of he fun I am having.  Or the three kids and a hubs that works crazy shifts?  I am so glad I wouldn't have it any other way. Fitting in two extra activities into the day, instead of just one, is part of the chaos, I am sure.

But I am loving swimming so much that I am trying to get to the pool to practice as much as I can. I have a long way to go before I am out of the "slow lane" but it won't be due to a lack of determination, I can say that much at least.

Some observations from my new swimming life:

1.  Goggles kind of suck. I love how great they are at keeping the water out of my eyes, yes. But I hate that they fog up, (I've tried *spit* ewwww, baby soap, etc. and they're a tiny bit better) and I hate having stuff on my face (I wear contacts almost exclusively for that reason).

2.  One-piece "real" bathing suits are just as hard to remove when wet as I remember from being a kid. Seriously. Wiggling out of a soaking wet clingy tube at 6am in a locker room is not what I imagine is my most cute and graceful moment of the day.

3.  "shower before entering the pool" is definitely their way of making sure everyone is good and awake before heading into the water.

4.  Speaking of showers.  Taking showers in locker rooms is kind of a drag. But showers with motion sensors are just mean. Keeping the water going for the entire length of my shower (and NOT having it blast water on me while I am trying to towel-off) is a skill that I am hoping I will pick up along with the ability to front crawl!

5.  Other swimmers are so great. Lots of friendly people at pools early in the morning. I am assuming they are just like all of the other runners I know. Happy to nod and say hello, and encouraging of my baby steps toward progress. (I also hope they will throw me a flutter board if I look distressed in the middle of the pool)

6.  I really love being in the water. Especially if I've had a long run or a hard speed session.  It is such a comforting feeling to be enveloped in the water.

No, I am not going to be re-naming my blog to reflect this new fun thing I'm doing...I still quite enjoy all of my runs too. Except yesterday's treadmill run. As much as I enjoy the novelty of wearing shorts and a tank top to run in January, I find it so hard to push my runs any longer than 40mins on the treadmill (and that is even when I have a great co-worker running along on the treadmill beside me!).

Today I enjoyed a nice 9km outdoor run and the sun was shining and it was great. More sunshine, less wind/rainy snow, please!   Am happy to have snow, just not the melty slushy variety. That gets all up in my shoes.

Happy swimming/running!

Report from the Pool

Well.  I know everyone is on edge as to whether I sank in the pool today.

Nope.

And, as an added bonus,  I actually really think I could get into this swimming thing.  I was fearing my lack of coordination would have me flailing about like I didn't have a hope in a bathtub, but I tried to keep an open mind and listen to everything the instructor was asking me to do.

I have a long long way to go before I would consider myself less of a spaz in the water, but I can actually see that happening! Yay!

No photos to document the event...strategically photos of me in a bathing suit in January are rare to find, and I would like to keep it that way ;)

I should note that my friend Jay did well in the pool too.  He did well in not making me feel bad about my swim skills (or lack of) as well!

Happy running...and swimming, whatever the case may be ;)

Run like a...fish?

I know I said I would post about New Year's Resolutions.  The thing is, I am not really one for resolutions, especially in January.  It is the middle of the school year, and things don't really feel "fresh and new" even.
When I think about resolving to do anything, I realize that I am already doing a lot of stuff that I am really happy with, and proud of. I am already doing things that I know I will continue. Getting up at 5:30am to shiver through the neighbourhood run is kind of a habit. It would feel strange not to do it.  Spending as much time as I can enjoying my family is something I would love to do more, but I do it as often as I can, and I couldn't possible resolve to do it more.

So.  Back to the fact that it's January, and the fact that I am not making any actual resolutions. I do, of course, have goal races, deadlines in my work, and hopes and dreams for 2013. Boston marathon is a big race I am looking forward to once again, and if I could resolve for it to be beautiful weather on race day, I would. I am hoping it will be a fun race, and I am working and training hard already in preparation for it. I have another few races in mind for this year, and I am excited to train for them.

I do, however, have a huge milestone coming up. Tomorrow.

Wednesday is the day I will learn to swim.

Or at least jump into a pool with an instructor that will start the process with me.

It will may take more than one (or ten) lesson for me to feel as though I have actually learned, but, through pure determination alone, I will find success.

Why now, you ask?

Well.  I have always said I would like to "learn to swim". This should not be confused with floating, blowing bubbles under water, getting 'comfortable' in a pool. I loved getting in the water as a kid, I would float, doggie paddle around, and play and play until my skin shriveled. I just never took lessons, so I have never done lane swims, and, let's be honest here...I always think it is pure magic when I watch competitive swimming meets. The kicking, breathing, paddling, Oy. Seems like a lot of coordination to me!!

I said once that I would like to try one  triathlon at some point, before I am 40 (I said this before I even turned 30...it seemed so far away).  Every season, I ponder carving out the time to learn the swimming part (which, to me, seems like a good part of a triathlon to invest some time/training in, as it seems like the part that has higher chance on injury/possible death if you just try to 'fake it').  I usually find some reason to put off lessons. Then. I mentioned it casually at work. Then the snowball started to roll.  Then, it was sink or swim, so to speak, when my colleague/friend Jay said, "I'm in, let's do it.". Jay made some calls, and that was that.
Jay is leaps and bounds ahead of me, as he is looking to perfect his stroke and would like some coaching, so we are going to share an instructor (read: Amy will hog the instructor while he is too distracted by swimming to notice).

Tomorrow is the bathing suit day. Flip flops not runners. Goggles not sunglasses.  Every Wednesday I will learn more for the next 10 weeks or so.

I Am excited to get started. Now if only I could find my water wings...


Stay tuned...