I’ve been hanging around the blogosphere and twittersphere for years.  Almost too many to mention.  Ok – at least 5.5 yrs because I remember writing a blog post about my first pre-natal Dr’s appointment when I was pregnant with Sierra back in November 2004.  See – here’s that post.  Over the past 5 yrs that I’ve been blogging I have become very friendly with a great number of people that I have never physically met.  I call them my bloggy friends.  I chat with my friends on Skype, Twitter and through our blogs almost daily.  I really really want to meet my friends – in person, but we’ve never really had the money for me to go visit my friends – there’s always a more important bill to pay. 

This year a great number of my friends are going to the BlogHer Conference (yes – a blogging conference, can you believe that I have NEVER been to a blog conference?).  The conference even has a 5k Fun Run that I’m putting together a learn-to-run forum and clinic to help other bloggers train for this run.  I really really want to meet my friends in person, and meet the people that I’ve helped train for this event. In particular I really want to attend this seminar: “Fitness Blogging: Motivate yourself and Your Readers“.  But, I can’t afford to buy a ticket to go.  Hubby has enough air miles for me to get to NYC, but we don’t have enough cash to pay for my conference ticket.  But wait!  There’s a contest!

I want to go to this conference and meet my bloggy friends so badly that I’m entering a contest to go.  Moomette, who has a product reviews and giveaways blog can’t go due to other commitments, so she’s giving away her conference pass!!  Moomette – please pick me so I can meet my friends, run the 5K and cheer on the gals I’ve helped train for this run!  Thanks!

Mom On The Run - Sharing Health and Fitness Tips Because Life is a Marathon... Not a Track Meet

I’ve been running and running and training and eating healthy and skipping junk food for 10 wks now.  I’ve lost 8lbs – slowly.  It has seemed painfully slow at times.  Working out, eating healthy etc seems like so much work for such little return.  Stepping on the scale each week after running 30k or more and doing weights and finding a 0.5lb to a 0.7lb weight loss is frustrating.  Running is getting easier and I’m getting faster, but it doesn’t seem like I’m getting smaller. 

It’s no wonder so many of us are looking for the quick fix weight loss answer.  But with so many of us looking, how come none of us has found it yet?  Could it be that it doesn’t exist?  Could it be that the 1/2 a pound per week loss I’m experiencing is actually fast?  Is a loss still a loss, not matter how big or small it is?  It’s so hard to keep convincing myself that.

Oh I do have more energy – and more laundry thanks to my sweaty exercise clothes.  My kids are having fun doing exercise videos with me – they particularly like a Fit MOMZ n Fit KIDZ video that I got this week.  Sierra loves to crawl under my planks and pushups while I do the video, and Brooke actually DOES the video with me.  It’s a great way to give the kids attention while fitting in a workout, making this weight loss thing a little easier because I don’t have to find the time to do it.   My legs were on fire after my first attempt at the video.  The girls made me do the Preschool and toddler workouts back-to-back on Tuesday, and last night they made me do the preschool and infant workouts.  I hope that with them pushing me this week I’ll lose more than my usual 0.5lbs… 

Here’s a snippet of the video I found on their website:

What exercise activities do you like?  Have you experienced weight loss success?  What have you done to lose weight?  Do you have any advice for me on how to make this easier?  Faster?  Help!

Mom On The Run - Sharing Health and Fitness Tips Because Life is a Marathon... Not a Track Meet

I don’t pay attention to blog stats and analytics, if I did I probably would write more to get more comments and visits etc… So tonight I randomly decided to check my Google Page Rank – ok so it wasn’t entirely random… There’s a contest I wanted to enter and you need to have a PR of 2 or higher to enter). I was surprised when it showed me this:

Mom On The Run - Sharing Health and Fitness Tips Because Life is a Marathon... Not a Track Meet

As you may be aware, I’m training for the Mississauga Half-Marathon (May 16, 2010). When I tell people this I’m often asked how I train for a half-marathon. Being as sarcastic as I am, I often have to stop myself from responding: “By running”. I think what these curious bystanders really want to know is how do you build up the running distance? How do you build a half-marathon training program? So below is an outline of how I structured my training program. I started my program in January only able to run 3k! I hadn’t ran in 4 months and when I last ran in September my average distance was 5k. I only run 4 times a week. I now can complete 13k easily and my pace has improved by an average of more than 30 seconds/km (I’ve also lost 7 8 lbs).

I’ve phased my training because SPEED is a combo of ENDURANCE and STRENGTH. You can’t build strength without endurance and you need strength and endurance to build speed.

Jan & Feb was my endurance phase. On December 27th I began running after being sedentary for 4 months (I had fallen and broken a few rbs and they needed some time to heal). 3k was HARD! However I pushed myself every weekend to run a few more k’s and was finally able to run 13k this past Sunday. My long runs are slightly slower than my mid-week runs by about 20 seconds/km. I did this because my goal is speed – if I train long and slow I will perform long and slow.

March – my focus will be on strength while maintaining my endurance. I’ll be doing this by doing hill repeats on Wednesdays and my weekend long run will remain consistent at 13-15k.

April – this will be my hardest training month, and this is the month that injuries often appear, so I will need to listen to my body. I will be bringing all of the hard work form the past 3 months together on Wednesdays to do speedwork on the Ching Track. I will run 800m as fast as I can followed by short rest intervals. My weekend long runs will be consistent at 15k-18k.

May – this will be my two week taper – I will slowly decrease my running distances during the two weeks. That said, recent research has indicated that the shorter distances should still be run at a high intensity to maintain the speed that was built up. It’s possible that speed and strength is lost faster than endurance is. (I think this was in the March issue of Runner’s World).

Taking my phases into consideration, I’ve structured my training program to alternate hard/easy/rest days to allow progress while hopefully perventing injuries:

Mondays: Easy around the park 2-3 laps depending on how my legs feel.
Tuesdays: Yoga stretching and lengthening of muscles (I call this my “active rest” day).
Wednesdays: Longer run 3x around the park or Hills or Speedwork
Thursdays: Powerwalk with weights (sport specific strengthening of the upper body, as this contributes to running speed) or if my legs are sore I swim with pull-bouys.
Fridays: Easy around the park 2-3 laps depending on how my legs feel.
Saturdays: Long run – I’ve built up my distance from 3K in late December to 13K now – I will continue to build up my distance over the next 8 weeks to 18K
Sundays: REST!

I would be more than happy to help coach you and anyone else who wants to learn to run! I am working on completing a learn-to-run forum where I can offer you advice, tips and a training program. If you’re interested, sign up for my newsletter (in my sidebar) so that I can help you on your way!

Mom On The Run - Sharing Health and Fitness Tips Because Life is a Marathon... Not a Track Meet

Last week winter FINALLY decided to show up here in Toronto! Yay! Hubby was away in LA, so the kids and I spent 2 nights and one day of his business trip sledding. It’s been AGES since I wrote about the kids or even shown you pictures of them, so below are a few that I took (yanno, in case you were in Sierra & Brooke withdrawl):

Sierra & Brooke's Big Ass Snowball

Brooke & Her Sled

Mom On The Run - Sharing Health and Fitness Tips Because Life is a Marathon... Not a Track Meet

Wow!  Everyone did a fantastic job in Week #1 of the Healthy Challenge! 

Getting the results took a little bit longer than I had expected, so for that I apologize.  There was a four way tie for first place between: Amanda, Colleen, Kia and Sylvie!  Way to go ladies!  Because there was a four way tie, I had to use Random.org to choose a winner:

Yay!  The winner is Colleen from http://kennedyandzach.blogspot.com/ ! Way to go Colleen!  See – eating your fruits and veggies gets you free stuff too! I’ll contact you via twitter for your address so that I can send you one of these cute water bottles:

Week #2 will be finished tomorrow night – I also want to remind you that this is a week by week contest.  Each week you start fresh, so don’t worry if you didn’t get all of your servings in all 7 days, you can try again fresh each Monday.  Also, if you are new to the Healthy Challenge you can still enter for Week #3.  

Here’s how you can participate:
1.  Complete the form on the original post.
2. I’ll send you an email next Monday asking you how many days you were able to eat all 7-8 or 8-10 servings of fruits and veggies (Monday to Sunday). You will have 24 hrs to respond. If you do not respond then I will assume you aren’t participating.

Good luck everyone!!!

Here are the results.

Mom On The Run - Sharing Health and Fitness Tips Because Life is a Marathon... Not a Track Meet

And the winners are….

#9 – Tricia of http://www.desperatelyseekingsilence.com/
#1 – Kia of http://bodhibear.blogspot.com/
#7 Keita

Congratulations ladies!

Mom On The Run - Sharing Health and Fitness Tips Because Life is a Marathon... Not a Track Meet

This morning got off to a scary start. I woke up in my daughter’s bed still in my work clothes from yesterday at 6:20 am. She and I looked out the window at the beautiful, fresh fallen snow, and my hubby’s car tracks in the driveway. He had already left for his business trip to LA. Sierra went downstairs to watch TV while I stayed behind to check in on Brooke. I looked first in her crib – no Brooke. I looked in her “big bed” – no Brooke. I looked in the master bedroom – no Brooke. I called down to Sierra – no Brooke there either! My heart began racing and I frantically began searching the house. I looked all over the main floor, then down in the basement – no Brooke. I ran back upstairs to Brooke’s new “big bedroom” and kicked our Rottweiler off of Brooke’s “big bed” fearing that Molly was laying down on top of her and suffocating her. Thankfully, Brooke wasn’t there. Where could she be? Fearing the worst I began screaming her name; “Brooke, Brooke”! Then out of the play tent in her new “big bedroom” I heard a tiny, sleepy, voice cry out “Mommy?” I swear, that will forever be the sweetest voice I have ever heard in my life, and I pray this morning will be the scariest morning of my life.

What’s the scariest thing your kids have ever done to you?

Mom On The Run - Sharing Health and Fitness Tips Because Life is a Marathon... Not a Track Meet

As you’re all well aware, I’ve been trying to eat healthier and to influence my family into making healthier food choices.  It hasn’t been an easy road because my husband just doesn’t naturally gravitate towards fruit, veggies, dairy etc… The more processed it is, the more likely he’ll crave it, buy it and bring it into our house to tempt me.  Burgers, hot dogs, fries, pizza… He doesn’t go out of his way to sabotage my efforts, in fact he’s being as supportive as he can given my lack of cooking skills.  He’s put on a brave face and tried everything – though I have caught him making a burger at 9 pm to fill himself up.
I have tried lots of things these past six weeks – some things were a big hit (ie: green beans sauteed in bacon fat) and some things were a big miss (ie: Tofu and veggie stirfry in a peanut sauce..).  This has lead to my new nick name:  “Captain Janice, guardian of good eating” and all of my cooking efforts have been nick named: “Adventures in nutirition”… (This may sound familiar to you because of the Playhouse Disney mini-show Captain Carlos).
My adventures have been fun and frustrating.  I’ve been trying some exotic meals but have found that all in all my kids actually like nutritious food and will eat it if presented as an option.  Sometimes they have even chosen it over junk!  When I really started paying attention I realized that they do eat pretty healthy – as long as it’s fruit or dairy abnd they prefer raw stuff over cooked veggies, so maybe I should just stop trying so hard?

Mom On The Run - Sharing Health and Fitness Tips Because Life is a Marathon... Not a Track Meet

This is my Mamavation post for February 15, 2010.

Two weeks ago I was struggling. Hubby was travelling, I injured my calf, I was PMS‘ing, my weight loss was hitting a plateau… There were so many excuses and reasons to give up. But I didn’t. At the encouragement of the Mamavation Sista’s, I kept on pushing through and this past week I stepped up the intensity of my 1/2 marathon training by running each run FAST and getting up early to swim two mornings this week. I should have gotten injured this week with all the training, but I didn’t – you know why?

Yummy Veggies

I ate. And I ate well. You see, we’re having a Healthy Eating Challenge at work. We’re tracking how many servings of fruits & veggies we eat each day as we strive to meet the amounts reccommended by Health Canada: 7-8 servings for women and 8-10 servings for men. I met the reccommended amounts every day this past week. It wasn’t easy – I’ve eaten an enormous amount of salads, bananas, carrots and other fruits. The toilet and I have been best friends

I’ve trained for, and ran several marathons and half-marathons before, but I’ve never ever paid attention to the role nutrition plays in my training. I figured I was burning tons of calories training and could eat whatever I wanted. I never realized until this week how much fuelling my body properly helps with recovery and keeping my legs & mind feeling “fresh”. Every run this week has felt effortless! In fact, on Wednesday I set a personal best that I shared in my first vlog. I ran 6km at a pace of 5:16/km. I’ve only maintained that pace for that distance once in my life – and that was over 6 yrs ago (when I was much younger, and didn’t have any kids).

The increased running intensity, swimming, yoga and healthy eating MAJORLY paid off this week: according to Wii Fit I lost 4.6 lbs last week!

My weight loss progress

(BTW-here’s instructions on how you can create one of these charts for yourself)

I totally broke through my plateau and I’m well on my way to continuing the journey to my wedding weight! I only have 6 lbs to go! I can possibly finish losing the whole she-bang by our anniversary! Yay!

I couldn’ve done this alone. I know a lot about health, nutrition, training etc.. But I struggle with motivating myself to apply my knowledge. I’m human too. I have stress, emotions, PMS and all that other stuff. I’m so thankful to have all of you helping me! All of the Mamavation Sista’s have been so supportive and inspiring! Reading everyone’s progress, struggles and triumphs each week has helped me in a way that I just can’t put into words. I’m so thankful to everyone for helping me become the best me that I can be! Thanks everyone!

To challenge and inspire you, I’m having a Healthy Challenge!
Read THIS POST to learn more and enter.
Good luck!

PS – Have you entered my SADE “Soldier of Love” CD Giveaway yet?

Mom On The Run - Sharing Health and Fitness Tips Because Life is a Marathon... Not a Track Meet