The Midlife Reframe

Category: fitfluential

  • Running – For Me


    My last “official” race of 2017 was the Valley Harvest 5k.

    It was a warm day.  I had a head cold.  I managed 30 minutes and I was happy 😃

    I chose Valley Harvest because of the beautiful scenery in Wolfville…..and the blanket.


    Taking all expectation off of myself has given me back some of the joy I was missing when I ran.  The shorter distances have been a blessing as well.  My body was hungry for a break.

    Last weekend was a fun run to support Feed Nova Scotia at the Canada Games Centre.  It was a beautiful day, and a great turnout.

    I ran with a couple of my running peeps from the neighbourhood and we had a great run!  Plus, there was pie, Starbucks, and Booster Juice at the end 🙂

    I’ve run a couple of days this week during my lunch hour, and I felt great.  It’s bringing me back to the start.  My lunch runs are 3k and it’s the perfect distance.  I can get away from my desk, get the rush, and burn off some steam.


    I am finding my balance.

    Finding the joy.

    Running for me.

    @crazymamaruns

  • Races, Brain Melts, and the Return of the FitBit

     

    Began 2017 on the right foot. Let's hope I don't injure anything, lol.
    Began 2017 on the right foot. Let’s hope I don’t injure anything, lol.

    Okay,

    So over the holidays I decided that I seriously needed to keep moving this year.  Not just for my physical health, but for my mental health.  I sat and muddled about a fall half marathon.  I wanted something close to home (because I am without my own vehicle, and would need to acquire one for long distance travel) and fun.

    I ended up choosing the Half at Maritime Race Weekend.

    Here is the elevation for MRW Half :)
    Here is the elevation for MRW Half 🙂

    I did the Tartan Twosome there last year (5ks) and really enjoyed the atmosphere and all the goodies offered post race.  Also, the views in Eastern Passage are amazing!

    Also, I purchased a Believe Journal over the holidays.  SUPER EXCITED.

    Plan Amy, plan.
    Plan Amy, plan.

    I am ramping up to start training for the BlueNose Half Marathon shortly and have been writing in my journal daily.  I should be receiving my plan soon and am looking forward to getting back on the training train 😉

    You said Brain Melts?

    Oh yes, brain melts.

    Once I had registered and started to plan out my races, I had a brain melt.

    Then panic.

    What had I done?!?!?

    I am usually a one big race and then all the smaller distances to keep me moving.

    I did not get the kms in that I wanted my first week and by the weekend, it caught up with me:  work, life, running, KERSMASH.

    I had an anxiety moment.  A brain melting, bugs crawling on my skin, flight (not fight), moment.

    I’m good now, but it was yuck.

    And now, let’s talk about the FitBit.

    I Thought You Divorced Your FitBit?

    I did.

    We recently made up, for now.  I put my step goal down to 8,000 and joined a challenge.

    Results from first full week:  I can’t do challenges.  It still ramps up my brain and makes me super anxious.

    But I decided to still wear it.  If anything I can see my sleep patterns and make sure I do get up and move around (she says as she sits and types, lol).

    It gives me some motivation to be active, and see lovely sights such as this on my lunch hour:

    Halifax Waterfront
    Halifax Waterfront

    That is what’s been happening here in the land of Amy so far in 2017.  Come back around soon, as we get ready to document the Odyssey that is my life and how I am going to manage 2 Half Marathons and my brain!

    @crazymamaruns

  • Looking Back….Looking Ahead

    Christmas at Mom and Dad's
    Christmas at Mom and Dad’s

    So here we are.

    2016 is slowly coming to a close.

    2017 is on the doorstep, patiently waiting.

    I decided a year or so ago that I would not do resolutions.  It’s just not me.  It sets me up to self sabotage my well thought out plans.

    This month has been hard mentally.  Deciding what to hold onto and what to let go of was a big thing.  Like taking out my mental garbage.  It’s surprising how much we can hold onto.  Some of it drags us down and some lifts us up.  This week I have been trying to take out my mental garbage.  That has not been an easy task.  I’m doing it.  I. Am. Doing. It.

    I am also thinking about the year ahead and what I want to do when it comes to running.  I won my registration to the BlueNose Marathon this year and I will be gearing up for the half marathon again.  My desire is that I finish it in under 2 hours 10 minutes, as that is my current personal best.

    I’d like to do a fall half marathon as well.  This means I REALLY need to train and run smart in 2017.  It also means I have to take care of myself mentally as well.  Not being on top of my illness and letting it take over my body can throw a big wrench into my plans.  Depression can shut your body down.  If you don’t pay attention it will show up as aches, pains and then injury.  Total body shut down means it hurts to move all the time:   getting out of bed, walking down the stairs, breathing, etc.  Not good.

    I have started weight lifting again (as I type this I have some major DOMS going on in my upper body, and the typing struggle is real, hahaha) and will make an effort to schedule in my yoga daily.  I bought new gloves for weights, a yoga strap (I had been using an old scarf), and a block (again, using something other than a block, read:  my travel foam roller) today to keep me in the groove.

    I am hoping that I can keep this train rolling into 2017 and focus on good food as fuel, proper hydration, and a smart plan when it comes to training.

    I will be thoroughly documenting my ups and downs this year.  My trials and tribulations 😉  Weekly posts will give you an idea where my body and brain are, I promise!

    My train derailed early last year, and I plan to keep it on the rails for 2017.

    I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday season so far, and I wish you all the best for the New Year! xo

    @crazymamaruns

     

     

  • Remembering Who I Am

    img_0986
    Pic courtesy of George Inglis Photography

     

    It’s been a while since I’ve posted.

    I wanted to wait until I was “situated” in my “new home” to do so.

    I’ve moved the blog from one platform to another.  So feel free to let me know what works and what doesn’t work!  Feedback is appreciated while I continue to tweak some things 🙂

    TeenThing has a job and is working.  She is finding her way and I need to find mine again.  I’ve been a mom for so long I forgot who I am, lol.  So now I begin the whole process of “Finding Amy” and remembering what it is that I want to do with my free time (this is outside of running, lol, that I got covered).

    In other news, I have been slowly getting my physical fitness back.  Early morning yoga and HITT workouts have been keeping me going until I rejig my gym schedule and get some classes/swimming/track time figured out.

    Half Marathon training begins full force in January.  I will be running inside and outside this year.  So when it’s full on bitey wind and bitey snow, I will be at the Canada Games Centre busting up the track.  A nice option to have this year, lol.

    I should be back to regular posts this weekend, so keep your eyes peeled, I have LOTS of stuff to share!

     

    @crazymamaruns

     

  • The Things I Struggle With During Injury Recovery

    I’ve Been Absent

    Photo courtesy of Bitmoji 🙂

    I have found it hard to express everything I have been doing/feeling lately.

    It dawned on me that this is what I should right about.

    I haven’t been unable to run for a bit.  I injured my left calf when I attempted to bolt out of the apartment with my daughter’s lunch after she left early one Sunday morning for work and had left it on the floor.  That was before Thanksgiving (Canadian Thanksgiving, lol).  I have been in physio ever since, and was just cleared for fast walking.  I had my first DNS because of this injury, and I was not overly upset.

    At 44 I am more concerned about being able to continue my running journey into my retirement years than I am about running a race.  I was more bummed that I had just planned my reboot and was sidelined in an instant, lol.

    After fast walking, leg day!

    Needless to say that since the onset of this injury, the schlump has been around.  I think every injured runner goes through it.  Lethargic, doing other activities hardheartedly (even though you really should suck it up and get at it), and just being absolutely miserable.  I could not get myself out of “that place”.  I tried other things to get me out of the schlumps, but no go.

    It was like I was stuck in molasses.  When I talked about my racing stripes (physio tape) and where I was with this injury, I just wanted others to know I was in “that place”.  We all have been and will be. You’re cranky that you can’t run.  You don’t care about anyone else.  It’s very self centered really.  A selfish pity party.  I share my  pity parties because I think it’s important to let other runners know it’s okay to be in that frame of mind.  It’s human to feel that way.    I am not looking for anything, I just want to share the good and the bad.

    (It also wasn’t helping that we are entering into Fall/Winter darkness.  That makes me want to hibernate.  Arrive home – enter PJs – become one with chair.)

    I didn’t need inspirational quotes (we all know how much I LOVE those – see HERE). I didn’t need a motivational speech.  I didn’t want a “well it could be worse” blurb.

    I needed to figure it out on my own.

    Why On My Own?

    Because unless I am going down the rabbit hole, I am the only person who can kick myself in the ass.  I know what my motivators are.  If I can’t kick myself in the ass, then I know something bigger is looming, and I ask for help.

    Once I was able to start stretching and doing small amounts of activity, I started to feel better.

    Now that I can do full on “Leg Day” (without explosive movements, not there yet) and fast walking, I am more optimistic.

    I struggled with how to write this down without sounding like I was complaining.

    I struggled with how to lift myself out of the schlump.

    I struggled with how I was dealing with it.

    I am struggling with how to remained focused on making myself a stronger runner before my half marathon training in January.

    I Won’t Struggle For Long

    Because I know what needs to be done.  I just need to sit down and plan it.

    If I need to, I’ll ask for help.

    I will get over this schlumpy schlump, hopefully better prepared for the next one 😉

    @crazymamaruns

  • October: Time for a Reboot

    A BIG reboot.

    After my last race(s) during Maritime Race Weekend, I took a break.

    There I am!  2nd from the left during the Sunrise 5k 🙂
    I needed this break.  Needed to take a step back.
    There has been a lot going on in “the background”.  TeenThing finally has a job (yay!).  As I sit here writing this post, she is at her first shift (training).  I am just over a full month and a half on low dose hormone for perimenopausal joy. (This is something my doctor and I discussed when I was in to see her for my shingles.)  There was some residual fatigue from shingles as well.  Work has been busy (which is good, because my brain needs that for survival, hahahaha).
    Things are better since I have seen my doc, especially for the perimenopausal joy.  I am not as absent-minded or moody AF (Which, astonishingly, I knew wasn’t my mental illness.  This is a whole other beast.  A weird, WTF kind of beast.)  Can’t get rid of those hot flashes though, lol.  Took some time for me.  Got some new hair (actually this colour is extremely close to my “before gray” hair).

    Who IS that mama??
    I also needed to step back because I was losing my running mojo.  I had two great races but I wasn’t getting that “HELLZ YEAH” feeling on my runs.  I also wasn’t feeling GOOD.  I felt off.  I needed to find my mojo again.  My love of feeling the burn 😉

    I found it today.  Fighting a head cold, on the couch, I found it.

    I watched From Fat to Finish Line on Netflix.  Remembering the way I felt during my last two races:  the people, the atmosphere and the support of everyone who runs.  How much of an accepting family runners are.
    With this new month I am doing a reboot.  I need to really, because I run a 5km race later this month, lol.
    So, nice and easy goes the train.  I signed up for the “new” Bad Yogi 30 day challenge, will head back to the gym on a regular schedule, and start kicking those kms in the butt.  Also, I bought Run Fast Eat Slow to get my cooking mojo back!
    [For anyone who needs to have someone kick their butt to get their mojo back, check out Carey (A PT and Coach) with Running Moms.  She has great programs and is a fantastic motivator.  I was kicking ass before I got sick and hormonally screwed, lol. I am also pretty sure that was how I made it through my two races with great times!]
    What do you do when you lose your mojo?  Take a break?  Work harder?
    What works for you? 
     

  • Race Recap: Maritime Race Weekend Sunset 5k and Sunrise 5k

    Arrrrrgghhh Matey!

     

    This was my first time running Maritime Race Weekend.
    It did NOT disappoint!
    I registered for the “Tartan Twosome” Challenge, which gave you entry into the Sunset 5k on Friday evening and your choice of race on Saturday (I opted for another 5k as the route is relatively flat).  This would give me an extra medal and some sweet swag!

    Sunset 5k

    So, since I worked on Friday, I hopped on the Ferry and took the Public Limo to Fisherman’s Cove in Eastern Passage which is the backdrop for this Pirate themed weekend 🙂  It consists of small “houses” which have local merchants selling their creations and restaurants to quiet your rumbling belly after walking (or running, lol) around the boardwalk.  It is the Start, and Finish Line for each race.
    I arrived early and checked my bag with a couple of the awesome volunteers. There are so many people that gave their time to make sure everything ran like clockwork.  (A HUGE shout out to all the volunteers who make Maritime Race Weekend happen!)
    Corrals were set up so that you could line up according to your finish time with a spot for the 5k walkers as well.
    There were Pirates everywhere (lots of runners ran in costume) and of course, music to match! 
    When we started out there was some congestion.  I ran with my friend Shannon for the first half, but when we got to the turnaround point, I got tied up in a kerfuffle of people and lost her.  I took a walk break to get back to a spot where I could run without running into anyone, lol.
    The views on this race are amazing.  I wish I had taken out my phone to take some photos, but I had forgotten my Garmin and my phone was my GPS (Strava) so I was trying to NOT look at it, lol.
    Once I got back to Fisherman’s Village and hit the corner before the Finish Line I kicked it into high gear.
    I PB’D MY 5K!!!!
    29:25 was my chip time.  Strava had me at 29:30.
    I was able to RING THE BELL 🙂
    Medal #1 – LOVE IT!

    It’s the PB/First Race Bell!
    Oh yeah I rang that PB Bell!  Eeeee!

    My friend Andrea gave me a lift home.  I had a hot bath, a quick snack and got ready for bed.  I had to race again the next morning!

    Sunrise 5k

    Saturday started at 5am.

    Good Morning Moon!

    In order to get half decent parking I had to leave at 6am.  Coffee, dry toast, gather gear (and yes, I remembered my Garmin, lol) and get out the door.
    It was chilly.  I wore my Badass Mother Runner shirt with a very light jacket.  (Thank you Another Mother Runner Store!)
    I met up with Andrea in the parking area we scoped out the night before as we sat in traffic on the way home, lol.  We hung out and had a quick snack before joining the throng of runners walking down to Fisherman‘s Cove.
    This is THE morning.  5k, 10k, half and full marathon.  We hit the porta potties right away and it was a good thing we did.  That lineup rivaled the corral lineup, lol.  We met up with another RunAtCan Twitter bud (Catherine) and had a little shake out run.
    We corralled and had a mini warm up (both races they had 3rd Degree Training do the warmup for the runners – thanks guys!) and waited for the race to start.
    And not to worry, the Pirates were out in full force on Saturday as well 🙂
    Did I say how beautiful this run is??
    It was congested getting out of the gate and for the first little bit, but we found a “spot” and kept that as much as we could.  Andrea was running the 10k, so we bid each other farewell as I hit the turn around point.   Now I had room to move 😉  I had an issue with my water (it would not slip back into the belt, lol) so I had to walk to get it rectified.
    I was able to wave at Tim on my way back (that is my first picture above, lol) and enjoyed the view as I came back into Fisherman’s Cove.  I kicked it and came in at 30:33!
    The Pirates gave me my second medal and my super awesome challenge medal!

    Yahooooooooooo!  Medals 2 and 3 🙂
    I met up with my friend Jill at the finish line.  She had her PB that morning!!  We are both running the BLT 5k in October (look out world!)

    Super Happy Jill and Amy!
    I got myself a bagel (from Izzy’s Bagels, soooo gooood), some trail mix, and waited for the rest of my friends to run in.  
    (There were quite a few of my RunAtCan and Twitter peeps running, it was great to see some of you!)
    The weather was amazing.  You could not have asked for a better weekend.
    Once “The Gang” made it in and got some food, we went and took the ticket off of our bibs and a got our post race beer!

    Part of The Gang, having beer, lol.
    All in all, this is one race I would definitely recommend for anyone looking to run here in Nova Scotia.  It was well run, the volunteers were amazing, and the atmosphere is fantastic!

    A girl with her Pirate Booty!

     @crazymamaruns
     
     
     
            

  • Our "Last Year of School"

    Class of 2017

    It seems like just yesterday I was getting TeenThing ready for Primary.

    This year, she is graduating from High School.  On September 8th, she starts Grade 12.

    Vacation Dessert = Happy TeenThing
    We’ve been through a lot throughout her school career.  Intense conversations with teachers, moving from one part of the city to another, toxic friends, her mom’s trip down the rabbit hole, etc.
    With “the odds” stacked against me as a single parent, I must say that all in all, I’ve kicked some parenting ass.  I mean, if you look at all the old “stats” out there, my kid should be a hot mess.

    But she’s not.  Why?  Because I was involved in her life.  I asked questions.  I left her to be who she wanted to be.  I didn’t force her down a path she was not comfortable traveling on.
    Did I guide her where I could?  Yes.
    Were there yelling and tears?  Yes.

    Did I sacrifice a lot?  Yes.

    Was it worth it?  You’re goddamn right it was.  I passed up quite a bit over the years, but to have her turn out the way she is, right now, it’s the greatest reward as a parent.  Even more so because I did it on my own, with a fantastic support system.

    I wouldn’t change a thing really.

    Now to navigate our way through this last year with Graduation photos, parent meetings, Prom, Graduation ceremonies, Graduation Trip planning, and trying not to go bankrupt in the process, lol.
    (Side Note:  Back to running this week.  Slow but sluggish progress to get my kilometres back.  Happy to be able to get back out there!)
    Happy Back to School Everyone!


  • Confessions of a Social (Anxiety Filled) Introvert

    Sounds Funny Right?

    I love being out around people.

    Sometimes.

    I know that my mental illness contributes to my “I can’t people” moments.  I’ve learned that is just a part of who I am now, and that’s okay.

    I had a really bad anxiety filled “OMG I am going to be out in a group on the open water” moment Friday night.  This was right before my 2nd sea kayaking adventure at East Coast Outfitters on Saturday.  Now, I absolutely LOVE this activity.  Like LOVE LOVE.  But I had this “how can I get out if it” moment that I had to sit down and talk myself out of.

    It is always worth it in the end, going out and doing something I love.

     

    Happy Me.  I have awesome friends.

    The struggle is real.  REAL.  So, to show you the weirdness that is me, here are some of my confessions:

    1.  I get the heebie jeebies just about every morning on the bus.  Especially if it is full.  I have to listen to my meditation app, a podcast, or turn up my music and try to make myself small so no one is touching me. I only talk if it is necessary, like if the bus is on fire.
    2.  I love people watching, just sitting out amongst the everyday hustle and bustle, but being in a large crowd turns me into a flight risk on occasion.  The “world is closing in on me” feeling sneaks up and turns me into a panic stricken ball looking for the nearest way out.
    3.  I get excited to make plans with my friends to do something AWESOME.  About 4 to 24 hours after the fact, my brain hijacks my heart and starts to plan an escape route. 
    4.  I can work a party like a rockstar, once I’ve had time to analyze the room. If there are too many “in my face people”, I start to plan my stealth, ninja-like, exit.
    5.  I love being in crowds and meeting new people.  Depending on my level of social energy, you may get the low down of who I am and what I stand for, or you just get the Cole’s Notes version of me.
    6.  I may want to spend every weekend out and about, but that drains the fun out of me.  There are days I don’t leave the apartment, and it doesn’t bother me at all.  Silence and a reboot are what I need.

    In the right environment, I will flourish.  I just need to be with the right energy.

    So, if I seem a little “stand offish”, I’m not.  I’m just feeling you (and my surroundings) out.

    @crazymamaruns

  • Lessons Learned from a Less Than Ideal Race – Canada Day ‘EPIC Canadian’ Edition

    My 10km Epic Canadian Race on Canada Day was Hot and Humid!

    Post Race Me 🙂
    We went into the long weekend here on the East Coast of Canada (Nova Scotia) with some hot and humid weather.  This was my first summer race.  Ever.  My previous 10km races were a while ago.  A Bluenose 10km and a Valley Harvest 10km.  I was a sub 1 hour 10km girl then.  Three years ago for the last one, lol.
    Lesson #1:  Keep on hydrating the night before, even if you think you are adequately hydrated and keep an eye on the weather.
    I woke up a little late on Friday, had my usual coffee and oatmeal and got dressed.  The meal was a little later than I would have liked, but I needed food.
    Lesson #2:  Stick to your alarm and get up on time to make sure you eat long enough beforehand.  Also, drink more water.
    I met up with some friends after hanging around the post party area for awhile.  We chatted and then it was time to head up to the start line.  I was feeling the heat and my body was sore from increasing my weights at the gym.  We hopped in close to the front and soon we were off!
    Lesson #3:  No matter how excited and pumped you may feel.  STOP STARTING FAST!  For some reason, at at least one race, I forget this lesson and start out faster than I should.
    I ran with a RunAtCan Twitter bud and did 10 and 1s with her up until 4kms.  Then I was not feeling so great.  With the heat, the late breakfast, and going out fast, it was a recipe for nauseous stomach.

    Lesson #4:  Always have 3 “goal times”.  One for an ideal day.  One for an okay day.  One for a “Oh My God I May Not Make It Through This Day Alive” day. 

    At 4kms with my stomach wanting to empty its contents, I knew I was not going to pull out a good time.  It became an “Oh My God I May Not Make It Through This Day Alive”  goal time day.  I took water at every water stop after that.  Some for me, some over my neck.  I had electrolytes in my water belt (Nuun).
    Lesson #5:  All races teach us a lesson.  Good and bad.  Embrace the run and if you can, finish strong.
    I got a little of my mojo back in Shubie Park and felt okay.  Hit the turnaround (with some tunes being played on the race route) and started back downhill.
    Cruising along and hit 7kms.
    Bottom of the hill.
    PAIN IN MY CALF.  Similar to the pain during my training run for the Bluenose Half.    I was pretty close to crying.  For real.
    I stopped for a minute.  Walked.  Ran a bit.  Walked.  Ran a bit.
    Chugged along in the gross hot and humid conditions.  Water and Nuun when I needed it.
    I sucked it up after my freezie fix about 500m (give or take) out from the finish and ran to the Finish Line.
    My chip time was 1:08.  Two minutes less than my last goal time.  And really, not a bad finish at all considering the conditions.  But I will admit, in that moment, I was so upset that I did not finish in under an hour.
    Final Lesson:  STOP BEATING YOURSELF UP.  (For me:  Remember that your surgeon told you to run and enjoy it.  You are NOT going to pull out a fast pace like you used to do with the OCD in the knee.)  Run because you love to run.
    So,  I am back to my physio exercises for my calf.  Will continue to do my gym workouts.   Back to yoga classes at the gym (I need a teacher to guide my form).  Keep my weight training going and ease up on myself.  Do some nice easy runs once the calf is happy and enjoy the ride until the next race in September 🙂
    What lessons have you taken away from your bad race??