“It’s supposed to be hard, hard is what makes it great.”

Today I did a 6km at Fish Creek Park. I waited until a little later in the morning and it was a bit warmer than I like, so I won’t be doing that again. Overall, the run was pretty good. My legs aren’t sore despite the Spartan a week ago Saturday and the obstacle course on Wednesday… oh and wearing cowboy boots most of yesterday (YAHOO, Calgary Stampede Parade!) My feet were a tad swollen, but the weather has been hot here and I really don’t feel like it’s pregnancy related… yet!

Through my run I realized that I need to freshen up my playlist – if you have recommendations send them my way! Most days I don’t listen to anything, but recently I’ve had music on to keep my mind occupied so I don’t focus on the need to get to the washroom. It works sometimes.

I have to admit that I am having anxiety about the run I have scheduled for July 25. Right now my my joints seem to be more loose (which is common in pregnancy apparently, but not necessarily a good thing!) This is causing my left knee to move around like never before (kind of like having someone kick you in the back of the leg without you knowing… remember that from high school?) It is such a weird sensation and not really a pleasant one so I am taking it easy and not pushing myself too hard (which is a struggle!)

The good thing about Fish Creek is that you can choose the trails you want to use – I was on the grass/gravel and stayed on the flat side, this felt good on the legs to get them warmed up for my 10k tomorrow.

Oh – you know what I did? I downloaded the ‘Airhorn App’ because I’ve noticed that Fish Creek Park is legit the only trail in town whereby very few cyclists/bikers use their bell to warn you. Therefore, today, when bikers went by without warning to their surprise I used the Airhorn. It was funny. But seriously. It is really annoying to have someone come up from behind, really fast and without warning.. not-to-mention it’s dangerous! FYI: using your horn while on a bike to warn pedestrians isn’t just a courtesy, it’s actually a law in Alberta…

In other news, some of my FitBit friends have reached out and were worried about my steps dropping off (I love you guys) so to clarify –> I did not wear my fitbit for a couple of races because I was worried it would get ruined, I’ve also been in the habit of taking it off lately (because it’s so warm) and I forget to put it back on. Because of your concern I promise to keep it on, even though it is uncomfortable right now.

Lastly, I got new asics and today was my first real run in them. I like them but I really need sneakers with a  wide toe box. Why don’t companies make sneakers for people with wide feet? There has got to be a lot of us out there?!

Hope everyone is well out there! I see lots of Mud Run and Spartan posts – way to go friends!!!

“Go for it now, the future is promised to no one.” – Wayne Dyer

People often ask me how I make the time to get the things done. [I have a four-year old, work full-time, own my own company, I’m a sub chair on a Calgary Stampede committee, volunteer around the city, read, exercise, cook & clean daily.] Phew! It always takes me aback because this is the first time in two years I’ve been super organized and somewhat in charge of my life.

But I only got to this point because two people I trusted most told me I was on a downward spiral and needed to snap back to reality. I’m so grateful for that swift kick in the ass (and I am so grateful to have them both in my life).

I started yoga. I loved it. It literally changed my life. But just two short months after, I had the scare of a lifetime.

I was having a routine eye exam when the Doctor had me wait out in the reception area as he went through results. He called me into his office and shut the door. He said, “Kat, I don’t like what I’m seeing on your scan. Let’s call your family doctor.” There were a million things going through my mind. Am I losing my vision? What the heck is this guy talking about.

I held my breath as he called, but he couldn’t get through to my doctor; he left a message saying he was with me and came across something incredibly serious that needed attention immediately: as in, today. When he hung up the phone he said, Kat, I don’t mean to worry you but this is serious; there’s a problem, and it may be neurological.”

He pulled up a test and showed me what he meant. There were many areas in scan where it appeared my eyes were not getting/sending messages to the brain. He went on to say, “This can mean a few different things. There may be something blocking…. a tumour. Or there could also be a clot somewhere. An aneurism…Or maybe MS.” At this point my mind was really racing. And so was my heart. I had a six month old baby at home. I was devastated. [I should have prefaced this by saying I became an extremely sensitive person post-baby; this literally felt like the end of the world as I knew it.]

Tests were set up immediately. I had loads of blood work and met with the emergency neurologist right away. Within a few days, I had an MRI; which was absolutely terrifying and uncomfortable, FYI. We waited very anxiously for the results. Within 12 hours the Dr called me personally to tell me himself that everything came back clear. I can’t even describe this sense of relief. I knew that this wasn’t the end of the investigation, but that they ruled out the life threatening things. Thank God.

As cliche as it sounds, that experience changed the way I think about life; it put everything in perspective. I realized I was being selfish in some of my most cherished relationships. I took my family and good friends for granted. Instead of putting time into the people and things that mattered most, I was doing the reverse. So I came out of it with the following rules:

1. Make time and put energy into the things that are truly important: health, family & friends. You need to be healthy to have healthy relationships. As soon as I started running again, I found myself more productive. I made time to focus on relationships that were important.
2. Be true to who you are. This is tough. But don’t waste your time trying to be someone you’re not.
3. Forget about material stuff, it ain’t that important. I’ve met so many people who are so driven to keep up with what other people have that I wonder, “what the hell is the point?” The size of your house, bank account, the type of car, where you vacation – it really doesn’t matter in the end…
4. Tell it like it is. I know this pisses some people off, but truthfully, I don’t care. There are too many people who worry WAY too much about what others think of them. Here’s a secret: if you’re a good person, it doesn’t matter. You will NEVER please everyone. Don’t bother trying. So if I die tomorrow, no one will be guessing about where I stood. (I’ve earned the reputation for ‘no bullshit’!)

I was unbelievably lucky that my fate wasn’t one of their earlier suspicions and it gave me the perspective I needed. That experience constantly reminds me that every single day you must do your absolute best to make the most of it. There will be good days and bad days. But don’t take any of them for granted. I knew I had to get my ass in shape. I knew I had to make some pretty serious lifestyle changes, but not just for me, so I was a better mother, partner, daughter, sister, aunt and friend.

So how do I make it happen?

I make lists. When something is important to me, I put it on the list.

I like to be busy. I feel like this is the best way to get the most out of life – pack it full of stuff to do! My family is important, so I make time for them. For work. For volunteer endeavours. For health & wellness. For social. For brainless activities. And misc. I started a bookclub with a good friend, joined committees, signed up for sports and decided to quit with the excuses like: “I don’t have enough time.” Because we all know that’s bullshit. You just find the time, whether it’s first thing in the morning, middle of the day or at night – don’t make excuses.

As soon as you decide not to let yourself make excuses you’ll be amazed with what you can do in a day.

On any given day, I can be found juggling a lot.  Aside from 9-5 work, I make quality time for my son and husband, I volunteer and make sure I exercise.

So make the most of every day, because as the saying goes ‘tomorrow is never promised.’

“JUST DO IT!” 

It has been quite some time since I posted last. There are any number of excuses I can use, but the truth is, I just starting losing track of what I’m doing and where I’m going – i.e.: I don’t have any goals. So here I go, because what’s more cliche than setting goals prior to the new year, any way?

(1) I want to get back to running a 6 min/km run consistently. When I finally did an 8km in less than 48 minutes, I was so happy. The reality is, I know I can do it, I just need to push myself a little harder.

(2) I want to get back into doing yoga 2-3x per week. As you may remember, yoga was the only way I started getting back on track the last time…

(3) I want to start cooking from scratch again. Yep. You read that right. The gal who HATES cooking is going to start doing things from scratch.

(4) And finally, when all is said and done, I hope these little changes will help me get back into my smaller jeans (yes. That’s vain. I don’t care.) I got really close when I was training for my half, but I never quite followed through.

I think theses goals are attainable. As Rick Hansen would say, “The goal you set must be challenging. At the same time, it should be realistic and attainable, not impossible to reach. It should be challenging enough to make you stretch, but not so far that you break.” 

So the plan is to start this stuff even before the new year, because the reality is that it doesn’t matter if it’s December 13 or January 1, and plus, I don’t want to be part of the bummer new years resolution stats.