Last week I got to spend the day with my youngest daughter, Amber. She had been sent home from daycare the day before because she was running a fever, so I had to take a day off of work to care for her.

We had such a great day together!

As I pulled her around the block on her sled, I came to the realization that it was likely that last time I would ever pull one of my toddlers around the block in the snow. So I pulled her around four times and worked up one helluva sweat. We giggled and laughed the whole time, and I didn’t care that it was work.

Kids grow up so damn fast.

I tried to think back to the last time I pulled Sierra and Brooke around the block – I vaguely remembered a time when I pulled the two of them in a chain on their sleds, while holding the leash of our now-deceased dog, Molly. That day was a distant memory, just as my day with Amber last week will soon be a distant memory.

I wish I could make time stand still, don’t you?

The post Somewhat Wordless Wednesday: I Wish I Could Make Time Stand Still appeared first on Mom On The Run.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

The post Wordless Wednesday: Getting Ready for Valentine’s Day appeared first on Mom On The Run.

This is why I’ve begun to take pictures of myself either during a workout:

 Or immediately after:

To have that permanent reminder on my phone of how good a workout makes me feel.  That way the next time I have a bad case of the “I don’t wannas” I can look at my camera roll on my phone, see all of my sweaty happy faces and say – oh yeah!  That’s why I run/swim/spin/lift.

Show me your sweaty happy face, and I’ll show you mine – just tweet with the tag #sweatyface.

Cheers!

The post Show me your sweaty happy face, and I’ll show you mine… appeared first on Mom On The Run.

Now I don’t really have anyone to take my picture, so I put my camera up on a shelf, cleared some furniture out of the way, then set the timer.  Did you know that 10 seconds is an incredibly long time to hold a handstand?  My arms are killing me!

It wasn’t smooth sailing though… Here’s a few pics of my other attempts:

Happy (handstand) Friday!

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If I can do it so can you! Layer up & get out there!

The post Wordless Wednesday: There’s No Such Thing As Bad Weather appeared first on Mom On The Run.

1. Buy new pants
   Or
2. Eat cleaner and move more.

Since I’m broke – I’m going with option #2 so I started with yesterday’s dinner – spinach salad and a grilled chicken breast:

I’m also packing my lunches, skipping the cream and sugar in my coffee (which admittedly is taking some getting used to), and also skipping my mid-morning muffin habit.

This week my fitness plan is:

Monday: Spinning at lunch
Tuesday: 6k run at lunch
Wednesday: BodyPump
Thursday: 6k run at lunch
Friday: 8k run at lunch, Swimming after the kids go to bed
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: 14k run

PS – here’s a great tutorial I found on how to blow the perfect snot rocket:
http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/5-steps-perfect-snot-rocket

Question sharing: What’s your workout plan for this week?

Want to transfer your wordpress.com or blogspot.com blog to self-hosted? I can help! Please contact me for my rates and portfolio: momontherunblog@gmail.com.

The post Eat Clean and Move More appeared first on Mom On The Run.

This year I have quite a few racing goals, including one super BIG exciting one: I’m going to California to race with 11 other bloggers in the Ragnar Southern California Relay! I’m also doing two half-marathons (the Chilly Half that I last wrote about, and Scotia Bank Toronto in the fall), plus an Olympic distance and a Sprint distance triathlon.

This is all very exciting stuff for a working mom of three little girls – I never get to go anywhere! I’ve never done a destination race! I’ve never done a relay race! But in a few short months all of those dreams will be coming true as I get to run/race on the Ragnar So Cal Blogger team with some folks whose blogs I stalk quite often:

Monica http://runeatrepeat.com/
Jena http://lifeisbeachykeen.com/
Erin http://seemomrunfar.blogspot.com/
Jamie http://runningdivamom.blogspot.com/
Thad http://ncrunnerdude.blogspot.com/
Mel http://www.tallmomontherun.com/
Meghann http://mealsandmiles.com
Brian http://www.soledaddy.com/
Rachel http://www.runningrachel.com/
Stephanie http://www.fitmomintraining.com/
Tim http://draftmag.com/new/beer-runner/

See what I mean? What a super cool running bunch of bloggers!

I wonder if we’ll sit in the vans talking about WordPress plugins or if we’ll talk training and running tactics?

This year I’m also going to officially become a triathlete - Perhaps I should change my blog name? Mom on the swim, bike and run? I’ve been recruited to be on the Ontario Women’s Triathlon Committee – Along with another triathlete I do their marketing: Facebook, Twitter, Newsletters and Website – in fact I designed this year’s website! Go visit and check it out: www.womenstriathlon.com. With the marketing of the triathlon comes participation in the race and the training clinics we host. Meeting with the founding board every month makes it really hard NOT to catch the triathlon bug – the ladies are about 20 years older than me and are in such GREAT shape from their years of training that they can totally kick my butt at any running race distance. They are so inspiring! And truthfully – they LOOK great too – so young, vibrant and full of energy.

All in all this year looks like it holds some really amazing stuff for me – races, travel, meet ups etc. I can’t wait!

The post I’m Still Running Around appeared first on Mom On The Run.

BUT…

I also went to spinning class, bodypump, and a parent & tot gymnastics class.  Those count right?

OK – I know I’m only kidding myself. So this week I vow to train a little harder:

Monday: Spinning class
Tuesday: Run 5k
Wednesday: BodyPump!
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Run 5k
Saturday: Run 5k
Sunday: Long 10k run

Sigh. This running/working/parenting stuff is hard – does it ever get easier?  Less busy?

HAVE A GREAT WEEK EVERYONE!

The post Half-Marathon Training – Week 1 appeared first on Mom On The Run.

So instead of whining and complaining about the dark, my weight, and generally feeling miserable, I decided to save y’all from me, and I registered for the Chilly Half Marathon… Again.

I swear, this race is like my personal SAD cure. The first weekend in March, which despite the cold, is the perfect weekend to race. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve done this race – I may be up to 5 or 6 times (including last year when I set a new PB there). I’ve even run this race pregnant and pushing a jogging stroller!

So I took a Visa gift card I earned from doing a sponsored post on the ol’ blog, and instead of blowing it on junk, I used it to invest in my own personal health and emotional well being. Having a race that I’ve registered for looming in the distance is a great way for me to motivate myself to get outside for a mid-day endorphin rush, and a glimpse of sunlight, even on the super cold days of winter. Training also motivates me to eat better, to make better food choices because I recover from hard long runs so much better if I give myself the proper fuel.

Besides all the great health benefits of training, I gotta admit the cute jacket for the race registrants is a very nice bonus:

(See? Seriously cute jacket. Men, don’t worry, there’s a different one for you, unless of course you like violet)

Let the training begin – wish me luck!

The post Let the Training Begin… Again! appeared first on Mom On The Run.

Happy Birthday! You’re two years old today!

The time sure has flown by – though I think I say that in every single letter that I’ve ever written to you or your sisters. (Which reminds me – perhaps I’ll do a monthly letter addressed to all three of you from now on instead of three individual ones).

Two years ago I was waddling to and from Sierra’s school 5cm dilated and scared to death that my water would break at any moment. Thankfully our Midwives came over to check on us that night because while they were over my water did break and the contractions started almost immediately. 67 min after those contractions started I was holding you! You were in such a hurry to come meet your sisters!

Here we are two years later… You are one independent woman! You want to do everything yourself, and everything that your sisters are doing. And man, do you ever get mad when we try to stop you! You’re taking parent & tot swimming lessons and gymnastics classes with daddy and absolutely LOVE them! You are doing really well, and are one of the few toddlers who really TRY in your classes. You watch your teachers and try to do what they’ve taught you to do. It’s really cute watching you practise your gymnastics moves at home.

This week you went trick or treating for the first time.

Your sisters zig zagged across the street going from house to house, while you stayed pretty much on one side. The funny part was that you came home with just as many treats as them, even though you went to half the houses. You were really cute in your butterfly costume, and everyone shelling out enjoyed talking to you while you just smiled back at them. You got really mad at me when I tried to carry you from house to house, and you also insisted on doing as many houses as you could. Of course, when we got home, you wanted us to open every single candy so you could try one bite from each thing.

Potty training… You are doing awesome! You go potty at daycare twice a day and every night before bed. We tried undies on you one night recently and you stayed dry the whole evening! Soon we’ll start on a Saturday morning and try undies through the weekend, then daycare on the Monday morning. I can’t believe we’re at this stage already – but like I’ve said, you’re so independent.

Independent Woman

Soon it will be Christmas, and winter. I can’t wait to take you sledding at the hill, pull you around the block and shower you with Christmas gifts. Oh Amber, we love you so much and you are such an important part of our family. Happy Birthday girl!

Love,
Mommy
XXXOOO

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