Speed Trials

Hm, the weeks are really starting to blend in to one another; Nico grows and develops, but it’s a bit harder to see the progress on a day-by-day basis.

One thing that he’s getting better at (and of course I don’t have a photo of it) is sitting up. He can sit up for short periods of time totally unassisted. He also doesn’t really get freaked out anymore when he topples over. And while he can’t quite roll over yet (that pesky arm gets stuck backwards) he’s getting very close.

I think he’s on the cusp of making a big leap forward, and I can’t wait. I think that playing will be SO MUCH more fun for him once he really gets the hang of holding himself up. We go to playgroup one or two times a week, and it’s great to see all the other little ones doing their own thing. I truly think that he actually learns from the older kids. I mean, he watches them so intently, something must be sinking in (even if only a desire to sit like they do). Today Nico reached out to another 4 month old (a little girl named Grace) and he actually grabbed her hand and held it. It was super sweet!

What a charmer!!!

Ange and I are both hockey fans. And we’re big NHL fans, too. We watch Hockey Night In Canada every Saturday, and I even turned Nico into my favourite hockey player for his first Halloween.

So when the NHL 2012 All Star game was to be held in Ottawa, we were stoked. Though we didn’t get tickets to the actual game or anything, it was enough having that hockey fever in the air.

On Saturday, we took Nico to the Fan Fair at the new Convention Centre. It was pretty crowded, but lots of fun. Nico wore his Sens sleeper and knitted skates, and was a huge hit! We walked around and looked at the memorabilia, and then we got in line to see the Stanley Cup.

The line was pretty long, and it took us about 2 1/2 hours to get to the front. There was a lovely couple with a two-month-old in front of us, and we chatted as we waited. Both couples had the same question: Will they let us put our kid in the cup??? When it was their turn, they asked the white-gloved official, who answered: “It’s been done, you can do it.” Gotta love that!

So Nico got to sit in the Stanley Cup!! Haha. Totally worth the wait!

And then, to top it off, our passes ended up being “winners” and we got an amazing Senators jersey signed by Chris Phillips! We never win anything like that!! Of course Angelo wore it to play hockey at the outdoor rink the next day…

So kudos to Ottawa for hosting a pretty fun Fan Fair.

If Goldilocks taught me anything, if given the option of one, two, or three runs a week, the middle option should be “just right”. But that’s really not the case.

See, if I only manage one run a week, then at least there’s a sense of accomplishment because I made it out there at all. If I run three times a week, then I stay loose and limber and my muscles are used to the exertion.

But if I only manage 2 runs a week, I get the worst of both worlds: there’s no sense of accomplishment because technically I’ve fallen short of my 3-run goal, and both runs are pretty brutal because there’s so much time lapsed between them.

So yeah, this week hasn’t been stellar. In fact, it looks a lot like last week’s training, which is fitting since my sleep has been just as lacking and the weather just as poor.

This morning’s 7k run was on sidewalks and paths that were basically sheets of ice. I ran it nice and slow (average pace of 5:55) and finished it in 41:23.  Halfway through the run I stepped on some ice that gave way to a freezing cold puddle underneath, and it instantly soaked my foot. And before I could correct my footing, the other foot landed in the same puddle. After that I didn’t even attempt to avoid the puddles along the path. My feet were so cold and wet by the time I got home, but it felt SO nice peeling off my socks and warming my feetsies on the rad!

A few people have asked if I wear anything special to run in icy conditions, and the answer is no. I just wear my regular ol’ runners, but I am terrified of falling (and re-injuring my knee) so I make sure to really shorten my stride during the winter months. My feet always land directly underneath me, so I remain pretty stable.

Nico continues to be a happy baby. And can you believe it, Angelo was actually able to capture it in pictures!! Here you go:

So we visited his Nonna today, and she was SHOCKED that the boy stayed awake the whole time we were there (from 11am to 3pm). Also, my landlord was over at our place yesterday, and he made a comment that the boy doesn’t sleep. I guess I never really realized but Nico just doesn’t nap. Sure he falls asleep while nursing all the time, but it’s only for 5-10 min tops. He never actually “goes down” for a nap.

My MIL asked if it was exhausting. Huh. I had never really thought about it, but yeah, it kinda is.

I’m going to make this short and sweet… Kinda like my training plan this week. Derp.

I don’t know, maybe it’s the cold weather and icy conditions, maybe it’s the fact that Nico had more night feedings (4/night) than usual, maybe I just needed a break, but I bailed on my mid-week run, and I didn’t do much in the way of cross or strength training this week. Though I ran 5k on Tues and we have gone on some outings as a family unit, so it’s not like I’ve been sitting on the couch doing nothing… Okay, I did a bit of that too..

So because I flaked on exercise during the week, I couldn’t very well ignore my long run this morning. I dutifully woke up, put on some gear (including my new Run for It Tights from Lululemon) and headed out the door. The run started off a little bit tough; I was a bit rusty after all. I had some tightness in my legs, but after the first km I was warmed up and the next three seemed to go by quite effortlessly. But then the last 2km dragged on and on and on. I kept looking down at my watch hoping I’d put more distance behind me, and I was always surprised at how little progress I’d made. Finally I got home and overshot my house a bit to round out the last km. I was SO HAPPY it was over. Here are my km splits:

1 – 5:54
2 – 5:44
3 – 5:48
4 – 5:53
5 – 6:10 <– Ooof
6 – 5:51

I ran it 2min faster than last week’s 6km, so I’m happy for that. I still don’t know what my time goal will be for the race on Feb 19, but I’ll take a look at my past runs and come up with a loose goal this week.

Oh yeah, one final thing: notice how I’ve done zero strength training yet. Well, lifting, carrying and babywearing a 16lbs boy is taking a toll on my lower back. It’s sore probably 70% of the time now, so I have to get smart and start working out those muscles. Cos you know, that boy’s only going to get bigger!