I am finally getting around to writing up Baby N's birth story, which is going to be a two-parter. She is only 4 weeks old now, so I figure I'm doing pretty well considering I have edited my dissertation and finished my PhD, published a paper, and learned how to be a mom, including exclusively breastfeeding, in that time.
My birth story starts shortly after my last post was published. After I found out that the baby was breech, I was fully prepared to do everything I could to turn baby so that I could have a vaginal delivery. I tried handstands in the water, breech tilts, chiropractic care, moxibustion, and even had a consult with an OB about external cephalic version (ECV) to manually turn the baby. None of the 'non-invasive' techniques did a thing, and the OB didn't think I was a good candidate for the ECV because my baby was relatively large (as per ultrasound) and my uterus is apparently very muscular. (Seriously, every medical person that touched my stomach commented on my strong uterus!) The OB was still willing to try an ECV, but by the time we got that figured out, I was showing signs of pregnancy induced hypertension. My blood pressure got progressively worse over the course of my 36th week of pregnancy, and I ended up in the hospital for monitoring for my hypertension the day I hit 37 weeks.
My general practitioner was the one that finally sent me to the hospital since I was going to her office almost every day at that point to monitor my blood pressure. She was such a great doctor over the course of my pregnancy, and she recommended that I stick with the on-call OB-GYN at the hospital for the rest of my pregnancy if possible. I later found out that that OB-GYN is actually my general practitioner's doctor, and she ended up being a fantastic doctor also.
Anyway, by the time I was admitted to the hospital, I had decided against even trying the ECV because of the position of my placenta and the high blood pressure. It was just too risky considering the fact that it probably wasn't going to work anyway. While there are a few doctors here who will attempt a vaginal breech delivery, I wasn't really comfortable with that for a number of reasons. So, by the time I saw the OB, a scheduled c-section was pretty much the only viable option for me. Since I had already reached 37 weeks, the OB actually offered to do the CS that day. I asked if we could wait 2 weeks so that I could finish my defense and so that my mom could re-arrange her travel plans to be here for the surgery and my first week of recovery. The OB was fantastic and accommodating and scheduled my CS after my defense. Ideally, it would have been the next day, but since my defense was on a Friday before a holiday weekend, we had to schedule for the same afternoon as my defense to avoid having to wait until the following Tuesday. As it was, they scheduled the surgery for a Friday afternoon, which, under normal circumstances, would not be done.
Obviously, the baby was still doing fine even though my blood pressure wasn't so hot. Otherwise, we would have been headed for a CS right away. The OB discharged me from the hospital with a prescription for anti-hypertensive medication and orders to monitor my own blood pressure regularly. I wish I could say that the next two weeks went well, but the truth of the matter is that we were basically managing a deteriorating situation in hopes that I could make it through my defense before the CS was an absolute necessity. My blood pressure didn't respond well to the medication, and we had to keep increasing the dosage to keep me in a mild hypertensive state. I had multiple appointments and an additional ultrasound to make sure that baby was still healthy. I also got admitted to the hospital a second time for hypertension after my pre-op assessment for the CS. All in all, E and I spent many, many hours at appointments and in the hospital, but it was all necessary to make sure that baby and were healthy. Thankfully, my hypertension never developed into anything worse (i.e. pre-eclampsia), the baby showed no signs of stress from my hypertension, and I never showed any signs of going into labor spontaneously, which would have meant an emergency CS.
E and I picked my mom up from the airport the day before my defense and CS. When she made it here, I finally let myself believe that things really were going to work out. I went to bed that night confident that I wasn't going to go into labor, I would finish my defense, and then we would head to the hospital for a low-stress, uncomplicated, scheduled CS. Funny story about the night before surgery, though. They gave me these anti-bacterial surgical wipes that I had to scrub my whole body down with to kill any germies that were living on my skin. The nurse did not mention that it wasn't a good idea to shave your legs before you used those things. Oh. My. Goodness. The burning. The itching. It's not like I was going to sleep well no matter what, but the surgery wipes didn't help matters at all!
My defense went as well as those type of things can. I passed, but I guess it's pretty much a given that you are going to pass once your committee okays your dissertation for defense. It was probably better for me than most people, since all of my committee knew I was going in for a medically-indicated CS that afternoon, and I don't think any of them wanted to be responsible for me stroking out if my blood pressure went too high. The defense actually finished relatively early, and left me with over an hour and half until I had to be at the hospital, which is about 12 seconds away from the Tox Centre. That would have been nice if I'd had anything to do, but I couldn't eat or drink since I was going in for surgery! So, we basically all hung around at Tox until just before 1PM, at which point E, my mom, and I headed for the hospital to check in.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
Good news, bad news, uncertainty and childbirth
I feel like I've gotten lost on my journey to motherhood, and I'm trying desperately to figure things out right now. Let me back up a little.
Even though I did all the right things to finish my PhD 2-3 weeks before this baby's due date, circumstances outside of my control (graduate studies and uncooperative committee members, I'm looking at you!) led to a lot of stress and a defense date of October 5th. That's about a week before my due date, and well into the danger zone as far as there being a decent chance I will go into labor before the defense. Even though this obviously isn't an optimal situation, I wasn't honestly too worried about going into labor before 39 weeks because neither my mom nor my sister went early with their first baby (in fact, my sister just went 40+1 with her second, but more on that later). In fact, the average first baby is 8 days overdue. The odds were on my side. Until Friday.
Let me preface this by saying that only two of my close family members that have given birth in past 25 years have had anything other than normal vaginal deliveries. One was a very serious medical situation that had nothing to do with the baby, the other was an emergency c-section for fetal distress during established labor that was related to issues with the cord. I thought that, for once, genetics were on my side. Overall, we are good birthers and breastfeeders. So, I've been planning a natural vaginal childbirth with a midwife for my whole pregnancy, and I had recently made the final decision to try a homebirth since my pregnancy had been so normal. I hired a doula for support. I read all the natural childbirth books. I should have known the other shoe was about to drop.
My general practitioner sent me for a ultrasound last week 'just to make sure' that the baby was in a vertex position. My midwife would not have sent me because she was confident the baby was vertex. Unfortunately, the ultrasound revealed a baby in the frank breech presentation. Less than 4% of babies are breech at 36 weeks of gestation, and very few of these (less than 10%) will turn head down on their own. I am definitely on the wrong side of the statistical equation for my natural, vaginal childbirth at this point.
I won't get into all the techniques I have been subjecting myself to since finding out the baby was breech on Friday. I will say that none of them has moved the baby even one inch from what I can tell. I haven't seen the doctor or midwife yet, so I don't even know what their recommendations are going to be. I have done a ton of internet research (I know, I know. Bad idea.) that seems to point towards OBs liking to schedule elective c-sections for breech babies right around 39 weeks. So, in addition to my dreams of a natural childbirth going up in smoke, I would be having an unwanted surgery while I am supposed to be defending my PhD.
I am just so disappointed and angry. Frankly, it pisses me off that no one except my midwife and doula seem to understand why I am upset. Sure, I realize that 30% of women end up with a c-section for whatever reason, but that doesn't make it suck any less when you are almost 4 weeks from your due date and already looking at having no option other than surgery to deliver your baby. Having a c-section also obviously affects future births too - not all OBs are supportive of VBACs. I feel so powerless (and also selfish since everyone just keeps saying how a healthy baby is the most important thing which makes me feel like crap for even worrying about wanting to avoid the c-section at all costs).
In the midst of my downward spiral into breech depression, I got the call last night that I am an auntie for the second time to a brand new niece. I am, of course, beyond happy for my sister and her fiance...but there is a little part of me that is jealous that she got to have a second childbirth that was the birth of her choice. I wish we could all have that, no matter what choices we may make.
Even though I did all the right things to finish my PhD 2-3 weeks before this baby's due date, circumstances outside of my control (graduate studies and uncooperative committee members, I'm looking at you!) led to a lot of stress and a defense date of October 5th. That's about a week before my due date, and well into the danger zone as far as there being a decent chance I will go into labor before the defense. Even though this obviously isn't an optimal situation, I wasn't honestly too worried about going into labor before 39 weeks because neither my mom nor my sister went early with their first baby (in fact, my sister just went 40+1 with her second, but more on that later). In fact, the average first baby is 8 days overdue. The odds were on my side. Until Friday.
Let me preface this by saying that only two of my close family members that have given birth in past 25 years have had anything other than normal vaginal deliveries. One was a very serious medical situation that had nothing to do with the baby, the other was an emergency c-section for fetal distress during established labor that was related to issues with the cord. I thought that, for once, genetics were on my side. Overall, we are good birthers and breastfeeders. So, I've been planning a natural vaginal childbirth with a midwife for my whole pregnancy, and I had recently made the final decision to try a homebirth since my pregnancy had been so normal. I hired a doula for support. I read all the natural childbirth books. I should have known the other shoe was about to drop.
My general practitioner sent me for a ultrasound last week 'just to make sure' that the baby was in a vertex position. My midwife would not have sent me because she was confident the baby was vertex. Unfortunately, the ultrasound revealed a baby in the frank breech presentation. Less than 4% of babies are breech at 36 weeks of gestation, and very few of these (less than 10%) will turn head down on their own. I am definitely on the wrong side of the statistical equation for my natural, vaginal childbirth at this point.
I won't get into all the techniques I have been subjecting myself to since finding out the baby was breech on Friday. I will say that none of them has moved the baby even one inch from what I can tell. I haven't seen the doctor or midwife yet, so I don't even know what their recommendations are going to be. I have done a ton of internet research (I know, I know. Bad idea.) that seems to point towards OBs liking to schedule elective c-sections for breech babies right around 39 weeks. So, in addition to my dreams of a natural childbirth going up in smoke, I would be having an unwanted surgery while I am supposed to be defending my PhD.
I am just so disappointed and angry. Frankly, it pisses me off that no one except my midwife and doula seem to understand why I am upset. Sure, I realize that 30% of women end up with a c-section for whatever reason, but that doesn't make it suck any less when you are almost 4 weeks from your due date and already looking at having no option other than surgery to deliver your baby. Having a c-section also obviously affects future births too - not all OBs are supportive of VBACs. I feel so powerless (and also selfish since everyone just keeps saying how a healthy baby is the most important thing which makes me feel like crap for even worrying about wanting to avoid the c-section at all costs).
In the midst of my downward spiral into breech depression, I got the call last night that I am an auntie for the second time to a brand new niece. I am, of course, beyond happy for my sister and her fiance...but there is a little part of me that is jealous that she got to have a second childbirth that was the birth of her choice. I wish we could all have that, no matter what choices we may make.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Still not a doctor...
...but I am one GIANT step closer. I finished my dissertation this week and sent it off to my advisory committee. After my committee looks it over, I still have to make their revisions and send it off to graduate studies so that they can choose an external examiner for my defense, but these things all happen on a finite time scale. So, if everything goes smoothly, I should be defending my PhD before the end of September! (I have every reason to think that things will go as smoothly as possible, because my committee chair and my supervisors have really great at moving things along since I got pregnant. Go figure.)
Speaking of the pregnancy, I'm 31 weeks today. In a way, I can't believe that I am already 31 weeks pregnant. On the other hand, I feel like I have been pregnant FOREVER and I STILL have 9 weeks before my due date. Plus, since first pregnancies average around 41 weeks 1 day, and I was 3 weeks overdue when I made my grand entrance, I am not expecting this baby to show up right on time anyway. Regardless, everything is going well so far. Baby is even already in the correct position to be born (head down, facing backwards), although he/she still has enough room to flip around in there for at least a few more weeks.
We are actually getting to the point in the pregnancy where we need to start planning for the birth and getting the house ready for baby. I am in a midwifery program run by the province, so I have the option to have either a home or a hospital birth with my midwife. As of right now, we are planning to stay at home unless there is a reason to be at the hospital. I originally thought that I wanted to have only E as my birth partner, but I have been feeling a little apprehensive in the past couple of weeks about neither of us knowing what to do or expect, especially during early labor when the midwives will not be there. A doula is starting to seem like a really good idea to me, so I am currently looking for one who is a good fit for us.
We have been trying to keep the baby junk to a minimum since we will be moving when baby is about 10 weeks old. Even so, we have a whole pile of stuff, and we don't even have two of the most important things yet (a carseat and a place for baby to sleep). I guess part of the issue is that I am set on cloth diapering, so we have loads of diapers in addition to all the clothes, the bouncy seat, the bath, the towels and blankets, the nursing pillow, etc.
Speaking of the pregnancy, I'm 31 weeks today. In a way, I can't believe that I am already 31 weeks pregnant. On the other hand, I feel like I have been pregnant FOREVER and I STILL have 9 weeks before my due date. Plus, since first pregnancies average around 41 weeks 1 day, and I was 3 weeks overdue when I made my grand entrance, I am not expecting this baby to show up right on time anyway. Regardless, everything is going well so far. Baby is even already in the correct position to be born (head down, facing backwards), although he/she still has enough room to flip around in there for at least a few more weeks.
We are actually getting to the point in the pregnancy where we need to start planning for the birth and getting the house ready for baby. I am in a midwifery program run by the province, so I have the option to have either a home or a hospital birth with my midwife. As of right now, we are planning to stay at home unless there is a reason to be at the hospital. I originally thought that I wanted to have only E as my birth partner, but I have been feeling a little apprehensive in the past couple of weeks about neither of us knowing what to do or expect, especially during early labor when the midwives will not be there. A doula is starting to seem like a really good idea to me, so I am currently looking for one who is a good fit for us.
We have been trying to keep the baby junk to a minimum since we will be moving when baby is about 10 weeks old. Even so, we have a whole pile of stuff, and we don't even have two of the most important things yet (a carseat and a place for baby to sleep). I guess part of the issue is that I am set on cloth diapering, so we have loads of diapers in addition to all the clothes, the bouncy seat, the bath, the towels and blankets, the nursing pillow, etc.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Why I haven't been around lately
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| 19 weeks |
I think the picture is pretty self-explanatory, but just so there is no confusion, E and I are expecting our first baby in October. Everything is going well so far, but I was pretty sick for all of the first trimester, and we waited to share our news until some time after that (even Grandma T didn't know until 14 weeks!). So, I've been wanting to blog, but I really had nothing to talk about since I was not really doing anything because I was sick and couldn't tell anyone what was going on. Initially, we weren't going to share with friends here until I started showing, but after 17 weeks with no sign external signs of baby, we let everyone know I was pregnant. I'm actually still waiting for a bump at 19 weeks. I am starting to get chubby but definitely don't look pregnant yet.
E and I actually just went for our fetal anatomy ultrasound yesterday. Since I didn't have a scan during the first trimester (I declined a dating scan because it was not necessary.), this is the only one we'll get, barring complications later in pregnancy. I decided very early in my pregnancy that I wasn't interested in finding out the baby's sex, but E thought it would be cool to know. Like he was going to shop for baby clothes or something? Ha. I had finally convinced him that I really didn't want to know, so we weren't going to find out, and it ended up that the ultrasound tech couldn't tell anyway due to baby's position. That, in combination with the fact that the baby just laid there sleeping while the tech smooshed it with the wand, has led me to conclude that this baby is going to be laid-back and already knows that it should cooperate with mom. Smart kid.
Unfortunately, I feel like I'm not going to have much time to update my blog in the near future either. I want to finish my PhD before the baby is born, so I have been working a lot of hours so I can wrap things up in the next couple of months (don't worry, sitting at a computer writing isn't that strenuous!). Since we've obviously heard the baby's heartbeat and had our ultrasound already, I feel like there isn't going to be a whole lot to share in the baby department anyway. The baby department and the work department are just about all I have going on right now, so I wouldn't want to bore the three of you with my stories anyway ;)
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Hips Don't Lie
My hips (and low back) are making me feel much older than my 30 years this week! In the past, I have had problems with my left IT band/knee. My physical therapist told me it's because my left femur does not sit in the hip socket the correct way, which leads to imbalance, overcompensation, strain, and pain. After PT and working with the foam roller, I finally got the left IT band mostly straightened out late last summer. Early in January, I strained something in my previously uninjured right hip while doing yoga. After this past week, my whole pelvic area, including my low back and upper legs, has been giving me fits. It never ends!
Let me back up. This has been a busy week for me. I spent last weekend at a resort in Northern Saskatchewan with 20 other grad students from the Tox Centre. We have done a retreat for the past couple of years where we rent cottages and hang out up north together for a few days. It was a great time, and there was enough snow and good enough weather to get out x-country skiing while we were there. E and I always have fun when we ski with just the two of us, but there was something extra special about heading out with a group of 10 other people. It could have been the fact that, for once, I was not the worst, chickeniest skier there. Anyway, I think the past couple of weeks of skiing have contributed to my tight, achy hips for sure.
Monday marked the start of E and his training partner S's Half Ironman training. I have been swimming with them regularly, and I decided to add in an early morning run with them too, since it's nice to have buddies to go to the gym with. So, we swam twice and ran once on my already sore hips this week.
While I was training for my marathon last year, I would medicate the crap out of myself with ibuprofen/acetaminophen both during and after long runs to avoid muscle and joint pain. After the marathon, I decided that was not a good strategy for dealing with aches and pains, so I have been trying to limit the number of painkillers I take. I'm sure my liver and kidneys thank me, but let me tell you, the heating pad is NO substitute for 800 mg of ibuprofen.
I'm still trying to find a balance here, and my hips are letting me know that I'm not there yet.
Let me back up. This has been a busy week for me. I spent last weekend at a resort in Northern Saskatchewan with 20 other grad students from the Tox Centre. We have done a retreat for the past couple of years where we rent cottages and hang out up north together for a few days. It was a great time, and there was enough snow and good enough weather to get out x-country skiing while we were there. E and I always have fun when we ski with just the two of us, but there was something extra special about heading out with a group of 10 other people. It could have been the fact that, for once, I was not the worst, chickeniest skier there. Anyway, I think the past couple of weeks of skiing have contributed to my tight, achy hips for sure.
Monday marked the start of E and his training partner S's Half Ironman training. I have been swimming with them regularly, and I decided to add in an early morning run with them too, since it's nice to have buddies to go to the gym with. So, we swam twice and ran once on my already sore hips this week.
While I was training for my marathon last year, I would medicate the crap out of myself with ibuprofen/acetaminophen both during and after long runs to avoid muscle and joint pain. After the marathon, I decided that was not a good strategy for dealing with aches and pains, so I have been trying to limit the number of painkillers I take. I'm sure my liver and kidneys thank me, but let me tell you, the heating pad is NO substitute for 800 mg of ibuprofen.
I'm still trying to find a balance here, and my hips are letting me know that I'm not there yet.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Recovery from the Weekend
I did everything I planned this weekend, and more. After a low key Friday night, E and I started out Saturday morning with volleyball practice. The Tox grad students have had a team for the past few years, but I never played until now because the team was way more competitive than I could handle. Well, we finally had enough people that wanted to play in the less competitive league this year, so I joined in. It's been years since I have played volleyball, so I ended up with giant bruises on my arms after the practice that kept me from playing in the game on Sunday night :( The team won though :)
I finally got out x-country skiing on Saturday afternoon. I met my friend S at a golf course where the local ski club sets track, and we did about 2.5 km before deciding that we had had enough of the -25C windchill blowing across the wide open course. The short distance was fine with me because I really only wanted to make sure that my skis and boots were in good working order so that I could head up north to ski on Sunday. It's always nice to see S too!
E and I went to Little Red River park in Prince Albert to x-country ski on Sunday. I've posted about Little Red here before, so I won't blather on about how awesome it is again. We managed about 16 km (10 miles) over the course of 4 hours before we decided to call it a day. Conditions were just okay (could have used a little more snow that was a little less powdery), but what a wonderful way to spend the day.
I was so tired after the weekend that a good night's sleep, which I definitely got on Sunday, wasn't enough for me to feel recovered. I ended up going to bed early again last night, and I finally feel better today. I really wish I were one of those people who could function on 5 hours of sleep sometimes, but I definitely am not!
I finally got out x-country skiing on Saturday afternoon. I met my friend S at a golf course where the local ski club sets track, and we did about 2.5 km before deciding that we had had enough of the -25C windchill blowing across the wide open course. The short distance was fine with me because I really only wanted to make sure that my skis and boots were in good working order so that I could head up north to ski on Sunday. It's always nice to see S too!
E and I went to Little Red River park in Prince Albert to x-country ski on Sunday. I've posted about Little Red here before, so I won't blather on about how awesome it is again. We managed about 16 km (10 miles) over the course of 4 hours before we decided to call it a day. Conditions were just okay (could have used a little more snow that was a little less powdery), but what a wonderful way to spend the day.
I was so tired after the weekend that a good night's sleep, which I definitely got on Sunday, wasn't enough for me to feel recovered. I ended up going to bed early again last night, and I finally feel better today. I really wish I were one of those people who could function on 5 hours of sleep sometimes, but I definitely am not!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Deep Freeze
The weather here in Saskatoon has been fabulous, with the exception of one below-average week in November, all fall and winter. I tried not to let it lull me into a false sense of security, but it's pretty hard to remember what a -40C windchill feels like when it's consistently above 0C in January. January people! Well, as is probably evident from the title of this post, the bottom fell out over the weekend, and we are now dealing with ambient lows in the -35C range and windchills of as little as -48C. This is just a special kind of cold that I'm pretty sure you can't understand without experiencing it.
Locally, the 'deep freeze' is actually a term commonly used to describe the type of weather we are currently having. The freezers that most of us have in our homes, be they fridge/freezer combos or chest freezers, cool to about the -20C mark to keep your stuff frozen. While it is considerably colder than -20C at the worst of most 'deep freeze' weather events, -20C is definitely the cut-off between tolerable and unbearable for a lot of people, so they start calling it a deep freeze when the daily high temperatures fail to reach -20C.
The good news is that this cold weather is supposed to break between tomorrow and Saturday. The other good news is that we finally got enough snow to x-country ski when this crap blew in. The weekend forecast is for highs around -10C, and most of the ski trails around here should be tracked and set by then. I am looking forward to a weekend of x-country bliss, and probably at least one day in the boreal forest of Northern Saskatchewan. It should be an AWESOME weekend!
Locally, the 'deep freeze' is actually a term commonly used to describe the type of weather we are currently having. The freezers that most of us have in our homes, be they fridge/freezer combos or chest freezers, cool to about the -20C mark to keep your stuff frozen. While it is considerably colder than -20C at the worst of most 'deep freeze' weather events, -20C is definitely the cut-off between tolerable and unbearable for a lot of people, so they start calling it a deep freeze when the daily high temperatures fail to reach -20C.
The good news is that this cold weather is supposed to break between tomorrow and Saturday. The other good news is that we finally got enough snow to x-country ski when this crap blew in. The weekend forecast is for highs around -10C, and most of the ski trails around here should be tracked and set by then. I am looking forward to a weekend of x-country bliss, and probably at least one day in the boreal forest of Northern Saskatchewan. It should be an AWESOME weekend!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Exhaustion
I'm doing pretty fantastic keeping up with my new year's goals, but my 'new lifestyle' is keeping me busy and too tired to blog in the evenings so far. I am hoping that I will get used to the schedule change soon so that I can avoid falling asleep at 9-10PM every night!
I had the most productive week I've had in a long time on the PhD front. I finished drafts of 2 different manuscripts. One is in the early stages (so, still some work to do), but the other is basically ready to submit for publication this week, and I can't wait until that is done because it's been sitting on my desk unfinished for far too long. I also got some good news about some analysis I have been trying to do in the lab that just wasn't working. Turns out that one of our reagents had gone bad/gotten contaminated, and that was screwing everything up. I can't get back the two weeks I spent trying to figure that mess out, but at least I know what the problem is now.
I am just shy of 2 weeks with no/minimal processed foods right now. To be honest, I haven't found it too difficult to avoid most processed food so far, but I have spent A LOT of time prepping food, and I've been too scared to try eating out as of yet. I am trying to keep my diet varied by trying new recipes, which has been fun and tasty. In the last couple of weeks, I've made a pasta dish with sardines (for Omega-3s), broccoli salad with dried cherries and walnuts, Tom Yum soup, and a lentil/walnut spread with watercress salad on rye crisps.
I bought a brand new swanky yoga mat last weekend, but I had to take this week off of yoga because I pulled something in my right hip (the good one!) doing yoga P90X yoga on Saturday or at my Sunday morning class, not really sure which one. I really love yoga, but I am not sold on P90X at all, especially the yoga. I find that the P90X guy (Tony??) tries to make yoga into a workout and doesn't give accurate instructions about how to do some of the poses. He makes it seem like it's okay to do more advanced versions of poses, even when you are clearly not doing them correctly because you are not at that point in your practice. And it kind of annoys the crap out of me!
I started swimming last week to see if it would be realistic for me to train for an Olympic distance triathlon this year. In lieu of endurance running, I thought it might be fun to take up a new sport (swimming) while doing shorter distances of two sports I already like (biking and running). But, I have to be able to swim for 40 minutes before I can even think about starting a training schedule. The swimming is going surprisingly well, but it has necessitated changing my sleep schedule a bit. The pool is only open early mornings and at lunch, and it's much easier for me to do the morning session. So I have to be in the pool at 7AM, which means I have to wake up at 6AM. Since I was already getting up at 6:30AM, I decided to just start waking up at 6AM every day. Hence my exhaustion in the evenings. It's only a half hour, but it really makes a difference to me. The change in schedule wrecked me so badly this week that I basically went to sleep Friday evening and didn't really wake up until this morning! (Although I think that I was probably fighting off a bug too, because my head was pretty congested.)
I try not to fixate on weight, but I was happy to find that I have already lost the 1.5 lbs that I gained over Xmas and New Years. It's definitely nice to see my efforts at living a healthy lifestyle pay off in some tangible way.
I feel like 2012 is off to a great start, and I'm excited to keep up the good work!
I had the most productive week I've had in a long time on the PhD front. I finished drafts of 2 different manuscripts. One is in the early stages (so, still some work to do), but the other is basically ready to submit for publication this week, and I can't wait until that is done because it's been sitting on my desk unfinished for far too long. I also got some good news about some analysis I have been trying to do in the lab that just wasn't working. Turns out that one of our reagents had gone bad/gotten contaminated, and that was screwing everything up. I can't get back the two weeks I spent trying to figure that mess out, but at least I know what the problem is now.
I am just shy of 2 weeks with no/minimal processed foods right now. To be honest, I haven't found it too difficult to avoid most processed food so far, but I have spent A LOT of time prepping food, and I've been too scared to try eating out as of yet. I am trying to keep my diet varied by trying new recipes, which has been fun and tasty. In the last couple of weeks, I've made a pasta dish with sardines (for Omega-3s), broccoli salad with dried cherries and walnuts, Tom Yum soup, and a lentil/walnut spread with watercress salad on rye crisps.
I bought a brand new swanky yoga mat last weekend, but I had to take this week off of yoga because I pulled something in my right hip (the good one!) doing yoga P90X yoga on Saturday or at my Sunday morning class, not really sure which one. I really love yoga, but I am not sold on P90X at all, especially the yoga. I find that the P90X guy (Tony??) tries to make yoga into a workout and doesn't give accurate instructions about how to do some of the poses. He makes it seem like it's okay to do more advanced versions of poses, even when you are clearly not doing them correctly because you are not at that point in your practice. And it kind of annoys the crap out of me!
I started swimming last week to see if it would be realistic for me to train for an Olympic distance triathlon this year. In lieu of endurance running, I thought it might be fun to take up a new sport (swimming) while doing shorter distances of two sports I already like (biking and running). But, I have to be able to swim for 40 minutes before I can even think about starting a training schedule. The swimming is going surprisingly well, but it has necessitated changing my sleep schedule a bit. The pool is only open early mornings and at lunch, and it's much easier for me to do the morning session. So I have to be in the pool at 7AM, which means I have to wake up at 6AM. Since I was already getting up at 6:30AM, I decided to just start waking up at 6AM every day. Hence my exhaustion in the evenings. It's only a half hour, but it really makes a difference to me. The change in schedule wrecked me so badly this week that I basically went to sleep Friday evening and didn't really wake up until this morning! (Although I think that I was probably fighting off a bug too, because my head was pretty congested.)
I try not to fixate on weight, but I was happy to find that I have already lost the 1.5 lbs that I gained over Xmas and New Years. It's definitely nice to see my efforts at living a healthy lifestyle pay off in some tangible way.
I feel like 2012 is off to a great start, and I'm excited to keep up the good work!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
It's a Start
Yesterday wasn't perfect (a little too much digital time and not enough PhD finishing), but I did manage to eat well and do 90 minutes of yoga. Today hasn't been real productive on the PhD front, either, but I'm hoping to knock some work out this afternoon.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Happy New Year
I thought that 2011 was going to be my year, but it just didn't end up working out that way. Unfortunately, a lot of the things I was hoping to accomplish didn't happen. Some were within my control, some most definitely were not. So, while I am not normally one for putting a whole lot of stock in the hype of the 'new year', I have to admit that I am strangely relieved to see 2011 give way to 2012. I don't typically make new year's resolutions as such, but I do have some 2012 goals to share.
1. Finish my PhD. Honestly, as I look at the numbers, I am embarrassed that I am still in grad school. It took me 3 years to finish my masters, and I am looking at 5 for my PhD if I finish this summer. That is 8 years for a degree that some people finish in 4. I am at the point in my program where I have realized that if I would have just applied myself a little more, I could already be finished. That's depressing, so I need to work hard and finish this beast up ASAP!
2. Commit to a healthy lifestyle that includes regular exercise and a balanced diet. I am good at training for big races, but I usually burn out after a race and stop exercising, which is a bad long-term lifestyle choice. Although I genuinely enjoy distance running and cycling, I have come to realize that, for me, heavy mileage is just not sustainable. Endurance training has also done a number on my eating habits. I am always tired and always hungry while distance training, and I consistently make poor (processed/restaurant) food choices then. When I stop training, I am used to eating processed food in large quantities, so I keep doing it. There are all kinds of problems with this scenario, but my biggest concern is that I am consistently not fueling with the types of foods I need to be eating. So, I guess my healthy lifestyle goals are to consistently exercise 4-5 times per week and to minimize consumption of processed foods.
3. Ditch the digital devices. I spend way too much time on the web, playing with apps, and watching TV. My goal here is to spend no more than 1 hour per day doing these things during my free time. Exceptions: exercise DVDs and watching TV while riding the bike trainer do not count.
Those are my big 3 this year. What are yours?
1. Finish my PhD. Honestly, as I look at the numbers, I am embarrassed that I am still in grad school. It took me 3 years to finish my masters, and I am looking at 5 for my PhD if I finish this summer. That is 8 years for a degree that some people finish in 4. I am at the point in my program where I have realized that if I would have just applied myself a little more, I could already be finished. That's depressing, so I need to work hard and finish this beast up ASAP!
2. Commit to a healthy lifestyle that includes regular exercise and a balanced diet. I am good at training for big races, but I usually burn out after a race and stop exercising, which is a bad long-term lifestyle choice. Although I genuinely enjoy distance running and cycling, I have come to realize that, for me, heavy mileage is just not sustainable. Endurance training has also done a number on my eating habits. I am always tired and always hungry while distance training, and I consistently make poor (processed/restaurant) food choices then. When I stop training, I am used to eating processed food in large quantities, so I keep doing it. There are all kinds of problems with this scenario, but my biggest concern is that I am consistently not fueling with the types of foods I need to be eating. So, I guess my healthy lifestyle goals are to consistently exercise 4-5 times per week and to minimize consumption of processed foods.
3. Ditch the digital devices. I spend way too much time on the web, playing with apps, and watching TV. My goal here is to spend no more than 1 hour per day doing these things during my free time. Exceptions: exercise DVDs and watching TV while riding the bike trainer do not count.
Those are my big 3 this year. What are yours?
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Crossfit Til I Died
I went to a Crossfit Bootcamp on Sunday morning. Our local lululemon offers a free fitness class every weekend so that you can try out different classes and instructors without joining a gym/studio, which I think is pretty cool. I tried REALLY hard to dislike lulu when I first moved here because I could not fathom spending so much $$$ on workout clothes. I still kinda think that their clothes are overpriced, but lulu has won me over as a business because the individual stores near me really work hard to be part of the overall fitness community. I still get a little teary when I think about the huge group of very loud lulu employees cheering for the runners in downtown Calgary during the marathon. It was definitely one of my favorite moments of that race.
Anyway, I've been trying to mix up my workouts a little bit for the winter because I burned myself out on running and biking to the point where I don't want to do them outside...let alone on the treadmill or trainer during the 6 months of winter here. I had never done a bootcamp before, AND I found a friend who was willing to go with me, so off to lulu I went on Sunday.
I should have known when the instructor said that this was a particularly tough workout that it was going to hurt. But, I convinced myself it wouldn't be that bad because we were using smaller weights than they use in the Crossfit gym. Plus, the total workout was only 18 minutes long, and that included 3 whole minutes of rest. No problem, right? Wrong. Oh so wrong.
The workout was a 6 minute circuit x 3. By the middle of the second set, I was dying. Literally dying. By the third set, the only thing that kept me going was the fact that it was the last set. When the workout ended, I really felt like I was going to throw up. The only other times I have felt like that were after running 18 miles for the first time and during a particularly tough set of bike intervals after eating too close to the start of the workout. Crossfit had me there in a mere 18 minutes. Ridiculously intense.
Today is Tuesday, and I am still sore and limping around from the DOMS. Ouch.
I don't think I will be joining a Crossfit bootcamp any time soon. High intensity interval training has never really been my thing, but if it's yours, Crossfit is worth a try.
Anyway, I've been trying to mix up my workouts a little bit for the winter because I burned myself out on running and biking to the point where I don't want to do them outside...let alone on the treadmill or trainer during the 6 months of winter here. I had never done a bootcamp before, AND I found a friend who was willing to go with me, so off to lulu I went on Sunday.
I should have known when the instructor said that this was a particularly tough workout that it was going to hurt. But, I convinced myself it wouldn't be that bad because we were using smaller weights than they use in the Crossfit gym. Plus, the total workout was only 18 minutes long, and that included 3 whole minutes of rest. No problem, right? Wrong. Oh so wrong.
The workout was a 6 minute circuit x 3. By the middle of the second set, I was dying. Literally dying. By the third set, the only thing that kept me going was the fact that it was the last set. When the workout ended, I really felt like I was going to throw up. The only other times I have felt like that were after running 18 miles for the first time and during a particularly tough set of bike intervals after eating too close to the start of the workout. Crossfit had me there in a mere 18 minutes. Ridiculously intense.
Today is Tuesday, and I am still sore and limping around from the DOMS. Ouch.
I don't think I will be joining a Crossfit bootcamp any time soon. High intensity interval training has never really been my thing, but if it's yours, Crossfit is worth a try.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Another winner
I was skeptical that this would turn out the way that all the online reviews suggested it would, but it was like some kind of magic happened in the oven.
Kale Chips
1 bunch of kale
1 T olive oil
Sea salt to taste
Preheat oven to 350F. Wash kale leaves well. Remove the stems and tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Toss the leaves with the olive oil in a large bowl. Spread coated kale pieces over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in a single layer. Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake in oven for 8-12 minutes, or until the edges of the leaves start to brown. Allow to cool.
The recipe I followed said that the kale chips are best if eaten relatively soon after being made. I didn't try to store them, but I can see where they might get soggy if you tried to.
These were surprisingly similar to potato chips, and actually very tasty. I would caution that you do not need to add as much salt as you might think, as I added too much on my first try. You can always add more to taste later. Oh, and don't leave these guys unattended in the oven, for obvious reasons.
Kale Chips
1 bunch of kale
1 T olive oil
Sea salt to taste
Preheat oven to 350F. Wash kale leaves well. Remove the stems and tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Toss the leaves with the olive oil in a large bowl. Spread coated kale pieces over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in a single layer. Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake in oven for 8-12 minutes, or until the edges of the leaves start to brown. Allow to cool.
The recipe I followed said that the kale chips are best if eaten relatively soon after being made. I didn't try to store them, but I can see where they might get soggy if you tried to.
These were surprisingly similar to potato chips, and actually very tasty. I would caution that you do not need to add as much salt as you might think, as I added too much on my first try. You can always add more to taste later. Oh, and don't leave these guys unattended in the oven, for obvious reasons.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
(Mock) Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
I am trying to get back on the eating right and exercising bandwagon after the past 2 or 3 months of backslide in to consumption of processed and comfort food in staggering quantities. I had my reasons, but I can't live that type of lifestyle long term if I don't want my weight to balloon out of control (which I don't). The good news is that my recent indulgences have only tipped the scale about 2 lbs in the upward direction. The bad news is that I never did lose the 5 lbs that I typically shed during the summer months. (Yes, I have a summer weight and a winter weight while living here. I am not ashamed. Also, who doesn't lose any weight while training for a marathon? This girl.) So, right now, I sit at about 7 lbs above what I consider my optimal weight. It doesn't sound like much, but it is around 5% of my body weight.
I am always looking for healthy, but tasty, recipes. I found a winner for my breakfast smoothie this morning. The recipe is modified from one I found on the Lululemon blog. I am a huge fan of anything pumpkin pie inspired, so I loved it. E thought that it tasted a little like eggnog, which he liked. I served it alongside a sweet potato and red bell pepper egg white omelet. The whole breakfast came in at around 350 calories each, including our coffee.
(Mock) Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
1 cup cooked pumpkin or squash (this is where mine was mock, I used roasted acorn squash)
1 cup milk (we use 1% lactose free milk)
1 scoop of vanilla-flavored whey protein (we buy it from Costco)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
5-6 ice cubes
Blend the pumpkin/squash, milk, whey protein, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice well in the blender. Drop in the ice cubes one by one with the blender on the highest setting. Blend until smooth and frothy.
Total calorie count for the recipe is around 300, and it makes A LOT. We split it into two generous servings.
As an aside, I often use squash in place of pumpkin in recipes. I have found that butternut works better than acorn (more flavorful), but that any kind of squash is better than the kind of pumpkins the stores sell for jack-o-lanterns. Since I have to make a special trip to have any chance of finding a cooking pumpkin (and probably pay a premium for it) and I find that squashes are smaller and easier to work with than pumpkins anyway, I usually just opt for squash. You really can't tell the difference.
I am always looking for healthy, but tasty, recipes. I found a winner for my breakfast smoothie this morning. The recipe is modified from one I found on the Lululemon blog. I am a huge fan of anything pumpkin pie inspired, so I loved it. E thought that it tasted a little like eggnog, which he liked. I served it alongside a sweet potato and red bell pepper egg white omelet. The whole breakfast came in at around 350 calories each, including our coffee.
(Mock) Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
1 cup cooked pumpkin or squash (this is where mine was mock, I used roasted acorn squash)
1 cup milk (we use 1% lactose free milk)
1 scoop of vanilla-flavored whey protein (we buy it from Costco)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
5-6 ice cubes
Blend the pumpkin/squash, milk, whey protein, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice well in the blender. Drop in the ice cubes one by one with the blender on the highest setting. Blend until smooth and frothy.
Total calorie count for the recipe is around 300, and it makes A LOT. We split it into two generous servings.
As an aside, I often use squash in place of pumpkin in recipes. I have found that butternut works better than acorn (more flavorful), but that any kind of squash is better than the kind of pumpkins the stores sell for jack-o-lanterns. Since I have to make a special trip to have any chance of finding a cooking pumpkin (and probably pay a premium for it) and I find that squashes are smaller and easier to work with than pumpkins anyway, I usually just opt for squash. You really can't tell the difference.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
My Blog Sucks Lately
I was looking through some of my older posts on this blog the other day, and I decided that I have gotten much too lazy about posting pictures to go along with my words. Most of the reason for this is that blogger is SO slow uploading photos that I can't bear to wait for it. I should, though, because it really adds a lot to posts. So, here are a few of my favorite pictures that haven't made it on here before, mostly because I'm too lazy to ever write up trip reports. Let's be honest, half the time I'm too lazy to even write regular posts either.
Unhappy white-faced capuchin at Monteverde
(One of my favorites from our trip to Costa Rica)
Me finishing the Calgary Marathon
Finishing a Jasper-Banff-Canmore bike tour
(with the best group of people imaginable)
Grizzly bear in Jasper National Park
Unhappy white-faced capuchin at Monteverde(One of my favorites from our trip to Costa Rica)
Me finishing the Calgary Marathon
Finishing a Jasper-Banff-Canmore bike tour(with the best group of people imaginable)
Grizzly bear in Jasper National ParkMonday, October 3, 2011
Ruling the Roost
E is in the midst of two weeks of field work, which means that Niki and I are home alone. Every time that I'm here for any length of time by myself, I realize that I really depend on E for motivation to do ANYTHING. I spent the weekend watching crappy TV shows, reading crappy novels, and eating crappy food. I was supposed to work today, but I didn't have to, and I decided to do some shopping that I should have done on the weekend instead. (In my defense, I HATE going anywhere in Saskatoon on the weekend. Saturdays are crazy busy and Sunday business hours are limited in the best cases.) Anyway, there was no work done today. There's always tomorrow, right?
I also did some cooking this afternoon so that I can avoid that whole crappy eating thing. I made fresh salsa (YUM!) and a yam-peanut-ginger-pineapple soup. I always forget just how much E eats until I make a giant pot of something, eat my dinner, and realize that I didn't even put a dent in the giant pot of something. So, I will basically be eating yam-peanut soup for the next few days. I am thinking about trying to freeze some, but I'm not sure if I have the freezer space right now.
The weather has been so beautiful here this fall. I feel guilty that I haven't been getting outside to take advantage of it, but I have just been feeling burnt out on biking and running lately. I ran a 10K last weekend in Banff on very little training. The race was fine, but every training run up until then was basically torture. I haven't been on a bike, except to commute to work, since we went to Canmore mountain biking about a month ago. I don't even remember the last time I was on my road bike. Truthfully, I just haven't been myself lately, and it's really starting to bum me out.
Obviously, I need to get out of this funk!
I also did some cooking this afternoon so that I can avoid that whole crappy eating thing. I made fresh salsa (YUM!) and a yam-peanut-ginger-pineapple soup. I always forget just how much E eats until I make a giant pot of something, eat my dinner, and realize that I didn't even put a dent in the giant pot of something. So, I will basically be eating yam-peanut soup for the next few days. I am thinking about trying to freeze some, but I'm not sure if I have the freezer space right now.
The weather has been so beautiful here this fall. I feel guilty that I haven't been getting outside to take advantage of it, but I have just been feeling burnt out on biking and running lately. I ran a 10K last weekend in Banff on very little training. The race was fine, but every training run up until then was basically torture. I haven't been on a bike, except to commute to work, since we went to Canmore mountain biking about a month ago. I don't even remember the last time I was on my road bike. Truthfully, I just haven't been myself lately, and it's really starting to bum me out.
Obviously, I need to get out of this funk!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Sarah Michelle Gellar
I wish I didn't, but I just love TV. Well, everything except reality TV. I was actually glad when programming started going the way of all reality all the time. There are just fewer shows on now that I really want to watch.
Way back in the day, I was a Buffy fan. I didn't watch the series from the beginning because we never had cable TV when I lived at home. However, the last season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer coincided with my first year living in the dorms. The group of girls that lived on my floor all watched, so we had a ritual of getting together in someone's room for every new episode. It was difficult for me to make friends when I went away to school, but Buffy gave me a reason to spend time with some people and build friendships. Buffy is a great show, and it's become one of my favorites of all time, probably in part due to nostalgia for my undergrad days.
Sarah Michelle Gellar has been in a few movies, etc. since she played Buffy, but movies just are not the same as TV. So, I was really excited when I found out that she was going to have a new drama on TV this year. I've watched 3 episodes of "Ringer" so far, and I have to admit that I am pretty much hooked. It's definitely not as great as Buffy was, but it's just bad enough to be good. And SMG has not aged AT ALL in the past 10 years. The show is currently playing in a great time slot to be one of my favorite shows - 9PM on Friday nights. I typically don't like to go out on Fridays because I am exhausted from working/stressing all week. I like to sit at home, make some popcorn, drink some sparkling wine (my new favorite!), and watch mindless TV. I did so last night and it was awesome.
Way back in the day, I was a Buffy fan. I didn't watch the series from the beginning because we never had cable TV when I lived at home. However, the last season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer coincided with my first year living in the dorms. The group of girls that lived on my floor all watched, so we had a ritual of getting together in someone's room for every new episode. It was difficult for me to make friends when I went away to school, but Buffy gave me a reason to spend time with some people and build friendships. Buffy is a great show, and it's become one of my favorites of all time, probably in part due to nostalgia for my undergrad days.
Sarah Michelle Gellar has been in a few movies, etc. since she played Buffy, but movies just are not the same as TV. So, I was really excited when I found out that she was going to have a new drama on TV this year. I've watched 3 episodes of "Ringer" so far, and I have to admit that I am pretty much hooked. It's definitely not as great as Buffy was, but it's just bad enough to be good. And SMG has not aged AT ALL in the past 10 years. The show is currently playing in a great time slot to be one of my favorite shows - 9PM on Friday nights. I typically don't like to go out on Fridays because I am exhausted from working/stressing all week. I like to sit at home, make some popcorn, drink some sparkling wine (my new favorite!), and watch mindless TV. I did so last night and it was awesome.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Untitled
I think that almost everyone who reads this blog knows that life has not been kind to me recently. Without giving away personal details that I'm not sure I want out there on the internet, I will just say that the past few weeks have been painful and very emotional. Since this was something that I wanted to keep private, the suffering has unfortunately also had to be private. I won't minimize the support that I have received from family and friends because I truly appreciate every call and message that I received, but I will say that I'm disappointed that some of the people that I love the most in this world didn't even bother to check to see if I was okay. Is it really so hard to send an e-mail to ask how I am?
Fortunately, life has returned mostly to normal quite quickly. There are still some nights that I just want to throw a massive pity party, but I do my best to minimize actually giving in to the impulse to feel sorry for myself. I keep trying to remember that there are a whole lot of people in this world that have it way worse than I do. I have a lot to be thankful for, and the bad things really aren't so bad in the grand scheme of things at all.
Fortunately, life has returned mostly to normal quite quickly. There are still some nights that I just want to throw a massive pity party, but I do my best to minimize actually giving in to the impulse to feel sorry for myself. I keep trying to remember that there are a whole lot of people in this world that have it way worse than I do. I have a lot to be thankful for, and the bad things really aren't so bad in the grand scheme of things at all.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
The Sherpa is Complete
Whew! I just put the finishing touches on my touring bike. E and I installed the fenders, and I put the cleats on my new touring sandals. It also happens to be 30C here today, so I was sweating the whole time we were working on the bike. These things always seem to take longer than they should too...
All told, this bike was a lot more expensive than I was thinking it was going to be. In addition to the bike, I bought front and back panniers (rather, E bought me panniers for Xmas), front and back Tubus racks, a handlebar bag, a new saddle, a new stem, SPD pedals and sandals, and fenders. I still have to buy a frame pump, spare tire, and spare tubes before we leave on tour in a couple of weeks. $$$$$$$
I will admit that the bike is pretty sweet looking, though.
Pictures to come soon.
All told, this bike was a lot more expensive than I was thinking it was going to be. In addition to the bike, I bought front and back panniers (rather, E bought me panniers for Xmas), front and back Tubus racks, a handlebar bag, a new saddle, a new stem, SPD pedals and sandals, and fenders. I still have to buy a frame pump, spare tire, and spare tubes before we leave on tour in a couple of weeks. $$$$$$$
I will admit that the bike is pretty sweet looking, though.
Pictures to come soon.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Where I've Been
I have been enjoying the Canadian summer while it lasts - lots of trips, Relay for Life, soccer, biking, and work are keeping me busy and exhausted. But happy.
Here are my last 3 weekends in 3 pictures:
E and S setting up in T1 for their Half Ironman Triathlon in Calgary
(June 18, 2011)
Toxicology Centre group at the SETAC Prairies meeting in Winnipeg
(June 24, 2011)
Niki and I canoeing on a portaging trip in PA National Park
(July 2 & 3, 2011)
Here are my last 3 weekends in 3 pictures:
E and S setting up in T1 for their Half Ironman Triathlon in Calgary(June 18, 2011)
Toxicology Centre group at the SETAC Prairies meeting in Winnipeg(June 24, 2011)
Niki and I canoeing on a portaging trip in PA National Park(July 2 & 3, 2011)
I am actually looking forward to a laid back weekend at home this weekend!
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Calgary Marathon 2011
It took me two weeks to work myself up to writing this post. The marathon wasn't a terrible experience or anything, but it takes a while to assimilate and reflect.
E and I left for Calgary early on Saturday, May 28th. It's a 6+ hour drive from here, so we spent most of the day in the car. I tried to stick to a relatively decent diet high in carbohydrates, but the food choices along the road to Calgary from here leave something to be desired. I ended up with coffee and a muffin for breakfast, some pretzels for a snack, and a McDonald's junior chicken sandwich with a few fries for lunch.
We made it to Calgary without incident, picked up my race packet at the expo, and checked into our hotel by about 5PM. The hotel was near a bunch of chain restaurants, so we decided to walk to Chili's for dinner. I had pasta with blackened chicken for dinner. I'm pretty sure the sauce was some artery clogging concoction, but Chili's is not exactly known for its health food. At least it was high in carbohydrates.
I managed to get a good night's sleep even in the hotel. Since the race start was a 7AM, the alarm went off at 5. There was no parking near the race site, so we drove to a commuter lot and took the C train to the race start. Temperatures were in the single digits, so I was really glad that E was there so I could wear extra clothes to ditch when the race started.
Between the marathon, half marathon, 10K, and 5K races, there were close to 9,000 people racing. About 4,000 of us lined up for the start of the full and half marathons. With so many people, it took me close to 6 minutes to cross the start line.
The first few kilometers of the race ran along the access roads to the Calgary Zoo. Because we were on the road, we couldn't see into the many of the exhibits (the road runs behind the exhibits), but there was one rather large bird making a godawful noise at one point. I got passed somewhere around here by a guy that was attempting to run the full completely barefoot! (As an aside, he finished a few minutes before me, and E said he looked like he was in terrible pain after 26.2 miles.)
After leaving the zoo, the course headed toward the downtown area. There were tons of people cheering around there, which was really nice. We crossed the Bow River after about 10K, and the half marathoners made the turn to head back for the finish at about 12K. I was drinking so much that I had to pee at the 13K aid station. After I got back on the road, I had to run up the one big hill on the relatively flat Calgary course. It wasn't really too bad since it was only 100m of elevation gain over 1.5kms. As I crested the hill at around 15K, I saw the two men leading the marathon heading back towards the finish (they were at 32K).
The next 25K or so ran through various neighborhoods in the northwest part of Calgary. Honestly, the course was not all that interesting through here. My split at the half-marathon mark was 2:29ish (2:24ish corrected for start lag). I was feeling really good at this point. I had lots of energy because I was having no problems drinking gatorade at every aid station and eating gels every 45 minutes to an hour.
At around the 32K mark, I was starting to feel it in my legs. I was very close to running back down the big hill, which I thought would give my legs a break. I. have. never. been. so. wrong. in. my. life. I am a flatlander. I do not run hills on a regular basis. In fact, we don't even have a hill that would compare to the one in Calgary anywhere near Saskatoon. As such, that hill trashed my quads and IT bands. By the time I made it to the bottom, I was having a hard time convincing myself that my poor abused legs would make it the last 8K to the finish.
So, I struggled. I walked through aid stations. I ran the rest of the time, but at a VERY slow pace. The kilometers crawled by. The high temperature for the day was only 14-15C, but I started to get a little warm because the start was cool enough that I needed to wear tights and long sleeves. Overall, I was pretty miserable between 32 and 42K (20-26 miles). At the half marathon mark, I was pretty sure that I could finish in under 5 hours. I started to doubt I was going to make it.
After far too long, I rounded the last corner and the race finish came into view. I gave the last 200m my best effort, and crossed the finish line in 4 hours 57 minutes and change. E was waiting for me at the finish with a beautiful bouquet of flowers (they are still alive right now!).
For as terrible as I felt the last 10K, it was a good race. The first 32K were great. I finished. In under 5 hours. At this point, I'm not sure if it's something that I want to do again. If I were to run another, I think I would train at longer distances to avoid falling apart in the last 10K (my max distance was around 33K before the race).
I sort of expected to feel this big sense of accomplishment when I finished a marathon. That didn't happen. It wound up being just another epic adventure to check off the bucket list. And I'm okay with that.
(By the way, I am still nursing 4 black and blue toenails. I am hoping that they don't fall off!)
E and I left for Calgary early on Saturday, May 28th. It's a 6+ hour drive from here, so we spent most of the day in the car. I tried to stick to a relatively decent diet high in carbohydrates, but the food choices along the road to Calgary from here leave something to be desired. I ended up with coffee and a muffin for breakfast, some pretzels for a snack, and a McDonald's junior chicken sandwich with a few fries for lunch.
We made it to Calgary without incident, picked up my race packet at the expo, and checked into our hotel by about 5PM. The hotel was near a bunch of chain restaurants, so we decided to walk to Chili's for dinner. I had pasta with blackened chicken for dinner. I'm pretty sure the sauce was some artery clogging concoction, but Chili's is not exactly known for its health food. At least it was high in carbohydrates.
I managed to get a good night's sleep even in the hotel. Since the race start was a 7AM, the alarm went off at 5. There was no parking near the race site, so we drove to a commuter lot and took the C train to the race start. Temperatures were in the single digits, so I was really glad that E was there so I could wear extra clothes to ditch when the race started.
Between the marathon, half marathon, 10K, and 5K races, there were close to 9,000 people racing. About 4,000 of us lined up for the start of the full and half marathons. With so many people, it took me close to 6 minutes to cross the start line.
The first few kilometers of the race ran along the access roads to the Calgary Zoo. Because we were on the road, we couldn't see into the many of the exhibits (the road runs behind the exhibits), but there was one rather large bird making a godawful noise at one point. I got passed somewhere around here by a guy that was attempting to run the full completely barefoot! (As an aside, he finished a few minutes before me, and E said he looked like he was in terrible pain after 26.2 miles.)
After leaving the zoo, the course headed toward the downtown area. There were tons of people cheering around there, which was really nice. We crossed the Bow River after about 10K, and the half marathoners made the turn to head back for the finish at about 12K. I was drinking so much that I had to pee at the 13K aid station. After I got back on the road, I had to run up the one big hill on the relatively flat Calgary course. It wasn't really too bad since it was only 100m of elevation gain over 1.5kms. As I crested the hill at around 15K, I saw the two men leading the marathon heading back towards the finish (they were at 32K).
The next 25K or so ran through various neighborhoods in the northwest part of Calgary. Honestly, the course was not all that interesting through here. My split at the half-marathon mark was 2:29ish (2:24ish corrected for start lag). I was feeling really good at this point. I had lots of energy because I was having no problems drinking gatorade at every aid station and eating gels every 45 minutes to an hour.
At around the 32K mark, I was starting to feel it in my legs. I was very close to running back down the big hill, which I thought would give my legs a break. I. have. never. been. so. wrong. in. my. life. I am a flatlander. I do not run hills on a regular basis. In fact, we don't even have a hill that would compare to the one in Calgary anywhere near Saskatoon. As such, that hill trashed my quads and IT bands. By the time I made it to the bottom, I was having a hard time convincing myself that my poor abused legs would make it the last 8K to the finish.
So, I struggled. I walked through aid stations. I ran the rest of the time, but at a VERY slow pace. The kilometers crawled by. The high temperature for the day was only 14-15C, but I started to get a little warm because the start was cool enough that I needed to wear tights and long sleeves. Overall, I was pretty miserable between 32 and 42K (20-26 miles). At the half marathon mark, I was pretty sure that I could finish in under 5 hours. I started to doubt I was going to make it.
After far too long, I rounded the last corner and the race finish came into view. I gave the last 200m my best effort, and crossed the finish line in 4 hours 57 minutes and change. E was waiting for me at the finish with a beautiful bouquet of flowers (they are still alive right now!).
For as terrible as I felt the last 10K, it was a good race. The first 32K were great. I finished. In under 5 hours. At this point, I'm not sure if it's something that I want to do again. If I were to run another, I think I would train at longer distances to avoid falling apart in the last 10K (my max distance was around 33K before the race).
I sort of expected to feel this big sense of accomplishment when I finished a marathon. That didn't happen. It wound up being just another epic adventure to check off the bucket list. And I'm okay with that.
(By the way, I am still nursing 4 black and blue toenails. I am hoping that they don't fall off!)
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