When the pace of life becomes too fast ...

Wow.

Simply ... wow.

I just realised how much time has transpired since the last time I blogged. My apologies to everyone. It's not that I didn't feel inspired to write, since I always have good ideas and stories and love to share, but frankly ...

Where did the time go?

I've been able to keep up a minimum training schedule though ... short 5 k runs, rides of 20-34 k, 30-45 minutes in the pool doing laps from time to time ... all of which has been difficult enough to do what with work, my acting career, the kids, my commitment to the dance community and a new charity team that I am creating.

So what can one do to slow down the pace of life?

1) Eat a good breakfast.

- sauteed potatoes
- grilled tomatoes
- organic pears from my mother's backyard sauteed in butter and brown sugar
- scrambled eggs with green onions, Italian sausage, and cheddar cheese
- a hot cup of Tetley tea

2) Go for a bike ride on the north shore.

Montreal is *amazing* for its bike paths. Besides, crisp autumn days call for getting outdoors and enjoying the amazing colours and fresh air.

3) Stop off at the park.

I remember taking my kids to this park when they could both fit in the bike trailer together. It's about 17 km away from our house and was our turn-around point. Our reward for cycling out this distance was a picnic and playing, such as we did again here in these pics but this time, I had no trailer to pull!

4) Invite a friend over for supper.

This is LifeAny. She's a member of the Montreal Coolrunners, like me. She used to never run but decided to do the couch-2-5k program and this year, she did her first 5 k race, followed soon after by another 5 k hilly race on a super hot day (she's crazy) and we're so proud of her.

On the menu:

- tofu in oyster sauce with BBQ pork and broccoli
- snow pea leaves sauteed with garlic
- white Jasmine rice

5) Finish off the day with hugs and cuddles from all those you love ...

Have a wonderful rest of the week! Don't forget, no matter what difficulty you're going through in life, everything is transitory ... xoxo

Me and my Coolrunning gang!

Met up with my running group at one of our favourite haunts, Hurley's!

I ate a wickedly good hamburger steak with fried onions in a peppery sauce, mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables. Absolutely scrumptious! Dragonrouges arrived after I did and ordered the same thing 'cause it was pretty evident how much I enjoyed it. Sorry folks, no pic of it as I was too busy wolfing it down to think about my camera.

Let me introduce everyone ...

Here's Turtleboy. Don't let the name fool you. He's anything but slow and is set on one thing and one thing only ... to get to the Boston Marathon.

Grommit. He's the craziest of us all ... Can be super fast on asphalt when he wants to be but he prefers using his unique "girly" duck-feet stride to romp around trails in the woods and forests, and on mountain slopes. He recently completed the newly sensational and incredibly difficult 54-mile "climb-six-mountains" challenge called Pittsfield Peaks.

Roly. He's Grommit's innocent running partner and together, they are lovingly referred to as "The Grolies". A brand spanking new ultrarunner, he competed as well in Pittsfield Peaks, his first ultra, and made it through a maddening distance of 42 miles. Wicked! Yes, Roly, I know you can now beat my marathon time ... but you just wait until I decide to pick up ultras!

Lifeany dreams of one day running a marathon. You go for it girl! She'd never thought she'd ever even run 5k and now she already has two races under her belt, and more to come! Don't listen to TB, go do that 10k this fall ... you'll be ready! Listen to your heart! You only live once, so never regret.

Here's the handsome Truxx with the beautiful Kneejerk. Truxx has the same training philosophy as I do "Why train, let's just race!" except he's got the speed. Kneejerk moved away from my neighbourhood and I "curse her" for living so far away now ... boo hoo ... I miss those 6:50 am wake-up calls to go run around the park.

Oh, and here I am ... Silly Sally! I showed Grommit my 5k *bling* and he laughed at me heartily as he pulled out his *tool*.

And here we are, the Montreal Coolrunners. I love you all! You're all so special (and so crazy!) Missing in action from the photo are the photo-shy Dragonsrouges and the already parted Mercury and friend.

Aren't we a happy bunch?

Going to Toronto tomorrow, folks, to take care of my mother - she will be starting chemo again. Please say a little prayer for her ...

Post-race mayhem and exhaustion ... but oh the food!

Sunday evening with PB

The delectable celebratory menu:
- Warm goat cheese croutons on green salad
- Curry ratatouille
- Cashew and vegetable rice
- Heavenly Hash ice cream

- PB and I stayed up way too late talking and philosophying ... ugh ... so much for getting a good night's sleep.

Monday

- had to get up and get to work by 7:30, a new contract at a new company ...

- legs felt pretty wrecked in the morning. I walked very slowly all day. The woman training me at work likes to take the stairs. I had to confess to her that I had just run a marathon. I spun around and went down backwards ... she laughed.

- getting out of the chair after sitting for a while was a little difficult, but not as difficult as going to the ladies' room. OOF!

- stayed up late and wrote my race report, so STILL didn't get enough sleep

Tuesday

- legs felt better, still sore, but I was able to go down stairs frontways

- after work and before supper I had an awards ceremony to go to ... I was sooo proud!

- post-race Chinese food celebration with my Coolrunning Montreal gang. We all ate like pigs ... (clockwise, starting at 2:00) ... tofu stuffed with crab and shrimp, salt and pepper pork chops, sesame beef, General Tao's chicken, white rice, and snow pea leaf with garlic. YUM YUM!!Another chicken dish loaded up with all sorts of vegetables arrived a few minutes later, but we couldn't wait ... we were too hungry and had to dig in and eat!

- (left to right) Don, GB (who ran the half), TB, me, Mercury (who ran the half), LifeAny, and Runningag (who ran the full)

- RG walked painfully down the stairs out of the restaurant. I ran down them past him like a mischievious urchin. TB was jealous of my "hardy constitution and incredible ablility to recuperate". Another late night ... OOF!!

Wednesday
- Headache
- Legs feel even better and I can walk at fast speeds, even want to run ... so I did so, down the stairs at work

Thursday
- I cancelled supper with a friend and ate a sandwich. I had not even taken off my make-up nor brushed my teeth when I fall asleep at 8pm. I was exhausted, what with not having had enough sleep and starting a new job (the stress of a sharp learning curve and new environment!)

Friday
- Got up without the alarm this morning. If I had set it, I would have had the time to go run. Instead, I slept in and got 11 hours sleep. Let's say, I felt super-energetic having now gotten enough sleep. I'm going to have to find a way to expend some of this energy this weekend ... I feel fully recuperated! The real test will be running again ...

I've just got to go run a quick errand!

Thursday: Ottawa Marathon Training - W6, Day #3
Planned distance: 21 km
Actual distance: 20 Km

Well, it was actually a little over 20 km, but I had a few walk breaks in there ... needed them desperately. It was 29C outside and the sun was blazing.I had ran downtown to a doctor's appointment and then ran back via "the mountain". Montreal is definitely not a flat city.

Friday: Swim training

5 x 200 m = various drills: kick, pull-buoy, one-arm crawl, swimming on side

5 x 200 m = front crawl

20 sec. rest inbetween sets

Total swim = 2 km

Followed by an evening of three hours of super fun swing dancing!


Saturday: Ottawa Marathon Training - W6, Day #4
Planned distance: extra day of running to try to make up for my lazy bones
Actual distance: 4.5 km

I ran to go pick up my car at the garage after they failed to change my winter tires since they had broken my mag lock key ... the LAST time I'd gotten serviced by them!! The mechanic had failed to tell me this, obviously to cover his total incompetence at stripping both the mag lock AND the key.

Ottawa Marathon Training Summary: Week #6
Planned Mileage: 59 km
Actual Mileage: 35.5 km

Not what I should have run, but still a 29.1% increase from last week's total of 27.5 km.


I went to watch my Coolrunning friends do an early evening race, the "Défi du printemps" or "Spring Challenge". It was strange to be at a race and not be in race gear, but heck, I was on my way to a Norah Jones concert!

It was a nice race course through one of Montreal's main parks, starting and ending at the Olympic Stadium. Here's KZ doing a 10k!


Special kudos to LA for her first ever, a 5k! She's bib #1310.

It was interesting to finally be on the spectator side of a race ... I screamed words of encouragement to as many runners as I could as I passed them on the park paths on the way back to the car ... their smiles and eyes said it all, and I only wish that more spectators had turned up.

So for those who have ever volunteered at a race or gone out to cheer us athletes on ... THANK YOU!!