Dialing Back the Intensity (for a week)

Spring has got to be my favourite season. 

And with both my gym and my pool closed for the 4-day Easter long weekend, I'm taking that as a sign that I was meant to put training on pause.

So, I slowed things down this week to make sure that I had a chance to enjoy the stunning weather. And now I'm feeling refreshed...rejuvenated...and so happy.

I've also taken some time this week to think about how to balance work, home, kids, dog, running, swimming and gym while also adding in biking. I've been dangerously close to becoming stressed over how to fit everything in but I think I've figured it out -

• Hitting the gym 2x/week instead of 3 should give me the time that I need to get in a long ride every week.
• Riding to the gym (possible now that the days are longer) will add in two short rides :-)
• Zumba has moved to a day/time that really doesn't work for me - I'm going to miss it this season, but that frees up the same amount of time as one of my runs typically takes.

I think that's all the tweaking that's going to be needed, and I'm feeling pretty good about these changes. Let's see how the next few weeks go!

How are you keeping life in balance? Do you find that you need to tweak your routine now and then to fit everything in  - and make sure that you're still enjoying what you're doing?

Here's this week's recap -

Saturday - Spent the day with my inlaw's - took kids and dogs for a hike, then settled in for a long and lovely Easter dinner.

Kids on a log

Dogs in a creek

Sunday - Easter egg hunt in the morning...park in the early afternoon....

Kids got some excellent super-bouncy balls in their Easter baskets.
Perfect for handball and every other game we could come up with.

...and jogged over to a different park in the early evening (2.6K round trip)



 

Monday - Kids and husband had the day off. They went to the zoo while I had to go to work :-(

Tuesday - Rest day.

Wednesday - Boot camp followed by Curves circuit. Did 50 pushups, 1min plank, 70 leg lifts each side, 5 burpees, 250 crunches and 7 mins on the stairstepper.

  

Thursday - The 5 of us went to the school playground after dinner - I jogged with dog while kids rode their bikes - 2.7K round trip.

Sliding face first with your sister riding on your back seems like a good idea, no?

Friday - FIRST BIKE RIDE OF THE SEASON. I know, I know - it's April, what took so long? Mainly, I'm a wimp about riding when the temps are so cool that I get chilly during a ride. Tonight was perfect though. Felt great to be back on the bike, and I think that starting to run over the winter helped a lot - I felt remarkably strong for my first ride out, rather than rusty after almost 6 months off the bike. All good.

Rode to my gym (6K round trip), did a circuit and a few extras (100 crunches, 30s plank, 40+20 pushups, 50 leg lifts each side).

Took this to show how sweaty I was after the circuit, but it just doesn't show up.
Honestly, I was dripping!

And here's something wonderful - a lady came over to the stretching area at the end of her circuit, grabbed a mat and did 4 pushups. Turns out that these are the first pushups she's ever done in her life. Said she saw me doing mine and wanted to give them a try. She's aiming for 5 next time. LOVE IT.

Go Check the Batteries in Your Smoke Detectors, Okay?

There are a lot of really great people who live on my street, and we're fortunate to have such fantastic neighbours. I hope you do too.

See, here's the thing - there was a fire in the house next door - which we are attached to - very early last Sunday morning. Thanks to the smoke alarm waking the homeowner up and a quick response from 911, the fire was contained to part of one room of the house. Smoke and water damage have made their house unlivable for the next while - but everyone is alright, their house is definitely repairable, and their insurance company is being so, so fantastic. Our house wasn't damaged at all, thank goodness.

Howver, things were very tense getting to that point. Three houses (including us) evacuated in the middle of the night, windows were breaking, smoke was pouring out of the house, tons of firefighters and police on the scene. Scary.

But the neighbours on the street were amazing. Someone put a jacket over the shoulders of the chilly homeowner. Do you have a place to go, do you need a phone, have you reached your parents. What do you need, how can we help. Scads of offers to take our sleepy kids inside. Here, put your dog in my backyard. Trays of coffee and help sweeping up glass after the fire was out.

I know that people tend to come together in a crisis, but this was a reminder of how the people on my street tend to look out for each other in general. We shovel snow and take care of garbage cans for older folks, keep a half an eye on little kids at play, stop and chat with each other and generally know who lives on the street. We've made some good friends here.

Not bad for a neighbourhood in the middle a big city. Actually, it's pretty great.

Hope you are equally blessed.

Now - go check your smoke detectors, OK?

Here's this week's exercise recap:

Saturday: 1K + 1K run with Stella to the dog park and back.

Sunday: The above excitement, followed by 2K dog walk, then felt compelled to kickstart spring cleaning season. Pulled out the fridge and the stove and gave the entire kitchen a scrubbing down, inside and out.

Monday: 2K dog park walk; Curves + boot camp (350 crunches, 140 leg lifts each side, 30 + 30 pushups, 2 x 1min planks); down to the pool to swim 250 metres. Tonight's focus: breathing. As in I need to work on how to.

Tuesday:  Rest day.

Wednesday: Had a really, really great run with Stella before bed. Did 3 sets of 10s and 1s, covering 3.6K, and could have gone for more. Found just the right rhythm, weather was lovely and cool, dog was exceptionally well-behaved.

Thursday: 2K dog park walk. Curves + 150 crunches, 40 pushups, 35s plank.

Friday: Good Friday and a day off work - and the weather was perfect! Took Stella for a 2.8K run/walk before breakfast (not the best idea, but still not a bad run). Later in the afternoon, the 5 of us headed to the park down the street (2K round trip walk) and made the most of it! We took Stella to the dog park, then flew kites:

Lying down while flying a kite is just about the most peaceful way to spend an afternoon that I can think of.

Even Stella likes to watch kites

 

OK, your dad's taking a long turn with that kite - can we go play now?

 My son and I shot hoops while my daughter rode her bike:

Verrrry rusty. I did manage to sink a few but missed most of my shots.

Son is a bit rusty too. Then again, we both got our sweat on chasing after the ball!

...and then the kids rode their bikes home while my husband and I strolled our way back. So relaxing, so rejuvenating. Yep, pretty much a perfect afternoon. Hope the weather cooperates for you this weekend!

Strength Training through Gardening

Cross one off The List - a butterfly garden has been planted!

Bending, stretching, digging, planting...gardening is great exercise. Especially when you have to dig up sod before you can get started!

Before - front corner of the yard. Clover is starting to fill in but this is the patchiest part of the lawn.
Looking forward to having a garden here instead.

All in all, I spent about 9 hours on this project over 2 days. Started by digging up 25 sq-ft of the front lawn. Not a massive patch, but it was still long and tedious work and it took a couple of hours. Definitely not my favourite part of the project.

Thank goodness the bulk of the site prep is behind me and I can get to planting.

Woke up the next morning, eager to get planting - and realized that I wasn't sore!!! My back, hands, legs and feet all got worked yesterday but I'm feeling strong. This is a nice change from past spring planting sessions when I'd wake up the next day feeling stiff and tired.



My daughter loves getting her hands in the dirt!

Had a quick breakfast, then headed outside with a cup of coffee and my shovels. Spent a fair bit of time fussing with plant placement and enlarging the patch I dug up yesterday. My husband did the final shaping - he's got a much better eye for design than I do.

All of the plants that I put in are teeny and I'm hopeful that they thrive. Can't wait for them to mature a bit, fill in and start blooming.

For your interest, we planted: 

• Little Bluestem Grass and 3 x Dwarf Shooting Star - good host plants for larvae
• A Butterfly Bush, 2 x Spirea, 5 x Black-Eyed Susan, 3 x Butterfly Weed and 3 x Bee Balm - good nectar sources for adult butterflies
• A few flat rocks - for butterflies to land on and warm themselves
• Lavender and 2 x campanula - relocated from another garden, to fill in bare patches!
• Another garden two feet away contains yarrow - flat big flower heads make more good landing zones for adults

We also need to add a water source - I'm told that either a shallow bird bath or a dish of moist sand will do the trick.

Not the world's most impressive 'after' picture. Can't wait for these plants to grow!

Here's this week's recap -

Saturday - Dig, plant, repeat. Followed by rearranging the furniture in both children's rooms and the tiniest start to a deep clean of my son's room. Not sure that I really want to get into this - his room is filled with loose Lego pieces, "treasures" and dust. Sigh.

Waiting for our turn on the bumper boats
Once again grateful that I no longer have to worry at amusement parks about being able to fit into a lifejacket...or swamp the boats!

Sunday - Met friends for a few hours of fun at Ontario Place - rides, mini golf and so on. Fun!

Son and I at the track - pic by my daughter

Monday - Victoria Day holiday! The four of us went to the park for a few hours - rode our bikes around the track, played catch. I logged about 6K on the bike, and gave my pitching arm a good workout!

Mom - over here! I'm open!
Realized that I'm no longer cranky when my kids' throw is way off and I have to run for the ball.
Being fitter makes games SO much more enjoyable...

Tuesday - Short lunchtime walk, about 1K.

Wednesday - Short lunchtime walk, Zumba

Thursday - Short lunchtime walk, Zumba + 30 pushups.

Friday - Took the kids to the circus! Saw a friend of ours perform in the end-of-year show for the Toronto School of Circus Arts. They put on an amazing aerial and acrobatics show, and it has us excited about the prospect of taking classes at a studio closer to home this fall :-)

What I'm reading this week - Cool Water by Dianne Warren - very reminiscent of Annie Proulx's Wyoming Stories - and Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.

Now that's more like it!

After last week's false start, spring seems to finally be here. Creeping in slowly and steadily, but it's here! Days are longer, sun is brighter - we had a week of beautiful weather, and took advantage of it by getting outside.

Saturday - A day at the Sugar Bush! Took the kids to Bruce's Mill for pony rides, a fun hike through the forest, a wagon ride and pancakes & syrup to top it all off.

Eating maple leaf-shaped maple sugar lollipops beside a tapped tree.
Doesn't get much more Canadian than this!

Sunday - I went to Curves in the AM. Did a workout and 52 pushups (AWESOME). After lunch, we hopped in the car to meet our family at Heber Downs Conservation area. Spent 1H45 hiking through the forest and along the river - about 3K of trails and hills. Beautiful day!



Beautiful day for a hike! Heber Downs - March 2011


Monday - Stairs to 7 in AM, 3.2K fast walk at lunch (longest lunch walk to date), Curves after dinner + 54 pushups.

Tuesday - Stairs to 12 + 12 at lunch.

Wednesday - Stairs to 12 + 12 at lunch.

Thursday - Zumba + Curves after dinner. 56 pushups!

Friday - Stairs to 12 at lunch.

What I'm reading this week - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Shudder.

Hello St. Lawrence Market!
Trying a new route on a lunchtime walk - March 2011

Not Quite Spring

At the beginning of this week - cautiously - I wanted to believe that winter was over -

• Saw a few robins
• Bulbs started popping up in the sunny parts of the garden
• I found myself planning to clean the garage (well, soon)
• I got my bike out!

Monday: Hyacinths (left) and tulips (top centre & right) are on their way!!

Aaaaaand then Mother Nature pulled a bait and switch:

Wednesday - bulbs are totally buried in snow. Sigh.

False start aside, the longer days have got me thinking of spring and getting into the garden. Here's something awesome -

There is a small garden in the front corner of our yard, and I've been planning to expand this spring. I spent some time this winter researching native plants that will attract butterflies & bees and that can survive the sunny, dry conditions in that spot. I made a list of plants to look for at the nursery later this spring, started thinking of a site plan, and got the kids excited enough about the idea of a butterfly garden that they have promised to help dig and plant.

My design skills are limited, and I tend to cram too many plants into a space, so I have been nervous about being able to come up with something attractive...but I'm willing to give it a shot...!

Well, things just got a LOT easier! LEAF's latest newsletter announced that they have started selling native plants kits - a selection of native perennials includng a few ornamental grasses and shrubs. Kits are available to attract either either butterflies or songbirds and to fill either a 25- or 50 sq-ft space. Comes with mulch, a few design plans for differently shaped gardens - and is delivered to your door in planting season (late May) for one sweet price. All of the plants that were on my list - and a few more - are in the butterfly kit. Their timing is absolutely perfect!

If you live in Toronto and are looking to start or expand your garden - check them out! I ordered a shrub from LEAF in the past and was very pleased with their customer service, their pricing (includes delivery!), and the size & health of the plant I received.

http://www.yourleaf.org/native-garden-kits

I've ordered a 25 sq-ft butterfly kit. Looking forward to getting my hands in the dirt!

Friday - chilly but the snow is shrinking. Don't give up hope just yet.

Here's this week's recap -

Saturday - Time to get training for the June Becel ride. Rode my bike to Curves, worked out, rode over to meet my family for lunch, then rode home. 7.35K total - and nothing flat about it. Hills hills hills - and I rode the whole way! Gives me hope that I'll be OK in the 25K.

Sunday - Nothing. Lazy, lazy last-day-of-vacation day.

Monday - Ack, time to get back at it. Stairs to 7 in AM and at lunch; Curves after dinner; 43 pushups. GO GO GO!

Tuesday - Stairs to 7 in AM and at lunch.

Wednesday - Stairs to 7 in AM. Spent the rest of the day in a meeting. Sitting - until we walked to a pub. Spent some more time sitting, but this time with a pint in hand.

Thursday - Curves + Zumba after dinner + 50 (yes, FIFTY!) pushups.

Friday - Stairs to 7 in AM, quick 1.5K walk at lunch.

What I'm reading this week -  A Fearful Symmetry by Stephen Shawcross; Shame by Karin Alvtegen.