What a day!

Here has been my day today:

Cleaning lady called in sick today (ug)
Drove 3 kids to 2 different activities and got everyone where they need on time (yay)
Went for a 23 km run (yay)
Got back to the car 10 min later than expected (ug)
So arrived 10 min late to pick up daughter (ug, sorry)
Which made her 10 min late for friend's house (sorry again)
But she got the GO bus on time for Wonderland (phew, yay!)
Got to Son's hockey game: they won (yay)
But after son saw me wanted to come home and he couldn't (ug)
Went to 2 drycleaner drop offs but clothes cannot be ready for tomorrow morning (sorry)
Husband is picking up the de-humidifier (yay) so now I have one hour to stretch (yay), shower (Yay),  and vaccuum the house (yay!!) before seeing daughter's art show (YAY).

So great finding a water park in the middle of a 23 km run!!!

We have spent quite a few kms in Mount Pleasant Cemetery.  It is shady and quite beautiful.  I am keeping an eye out for Kim Bliss (friend from North Toronto CI who died in a car accident right after HS).  We have been noticing many Jewish stones which I find interesting.  I like how Glynis said that we spend our days side by side, together so why not?  Good point.
We also saw Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King who had a very modest stone which was covered in coins.  I thought that interesting as in Jewish tradition, we put stones to show we had visited.  I also thought being a PM of Canada, there would be more pomp and circumstance, but hey, we are Canadian.

I am really enjoying our time there.

Today we also went exploring the Belt Line all the way until it ends past Dufferin.  We usually stop near the Allen.  Got a bit lost looking for it.  Everyone we asked said that they were new to Toronto.  Finally found it on our own.

Having fun making new running memories and exploring the city a bit.

Good attitude

Glynis and I ran 8 km this morning in the humidity.  I had to stop every 2 km or so to catch my breath but Glynis was fine.  We joked imagining October 20 being in the middle of an Indian summer.  I told Glynis I could see her flying through it at Boston marathon qualifying speed, going home, stretching, having a shower and a snack, then coming back to the finish line yelling 'here comes Jennifer around the bend!'

I could see myself panting and finishing it in 5 1/2+ hours but never once did I see myself not crossing the finish line.  Not finishing didn't even enter my mind.

It's going to happen, easily or not.  I will complete it (but hopefully in 4 hrs).

:)

Mind over matter?

Glynis and I went out for our long run today.  We wanted to run 17-20 km.  We ended up running 19.  I would say partly due to time we did not run 20 but truth is I don't know if I could have.

We had a great run in the beginning.  Running in the rain was fine.  Cool and refreshing actually.  No big deal. We ran through Mount Pleasant Cemetery, stopping only now and then to look at a cool grave (PM Mackenzie King with little fan fare but a lot of coins on his tomb), fix a shoe, have a drink of gaterade.  I got totally lost.  I thought we were going to come up near Mt.Pleasant or Bayview but we had done a complete circle and came out back on Yonge! I felt so disoriented!  It didn't matter though.  We didn't really have a route to follow and it was so pretty and well canopied.

 I felt fine throughout.

At around 13 km, I thought about my right hamstring, just checking in, and that is when it started to really hurt.  What if I hadn't thought about it?  Would I have noticed the ache?  I tried to think about how my other hamstring felt, to try to change my focus.  Barely worked.

Since Glynis ran to pick me up, I ran her home then came back to my home.  I really wanted my watch to be the same as Glynis's so I ran around the block 1 1/2 times until it said 19 km.  My right hamstring was really starting to seize up though.  Man, I'm stubborn, or is it called dedicated?

Being a few minutes late (I was running/power walking the last bit), I jumped in the car, drove to pick up daughter #1 from school.  Stretched for a few minutes at the gas station as I was pumping $100.00 into my car (seriously $100 !!) then drove her to her friend's house.  Jumped back into the car (with a protein bar) and raced to my son's hockey game.  Came home and had a shower and some real food.

Finished the laundry, changed bed sheets, then went and saw daughter #2's art show at her camp.

After camp, helped daughter #2 re-fold all her t-shirts which were thrown in her drawers, picked up daughter #1 at her friend's house, continued with laundry and helped WONDERFUL husband who made dinner for everyone.

I feel tired, a bit sore, but accomplished.
That's what being dedicated feels like.

:)