Onward.

The end of this week was much better than the beginning...
In the last blog I mentioned that I had a few nagging issues, which is fairly typical when in the peak of your build. One of the issues was this knot I had in my back that started two days before the Zoo Run 10 km road Cdn champs. It was a heavy week of training and I was just finishing a run and thought I just slightly tweaked something in my back. I continued to go to my regular weekly physio and massage appointments but it wasn't getting that much better. It was really bad this past Tuesday when I tried to do mile repeats on the track. My lower body was fine but I just couldn't breathe properly due to the tightening and pain in my upper back between my shoulder blades. It was really bad in the mornings and since I had a sick kid home from school, I had to do a few 5 am runs. It was also one of those weeks with three nights in a row that I was up every hour, on the hour for nightmares, trips to the toilet, and kids falling out of bed. These things definitely did not help. So my physio and massage treatments got a bit more aggressive and frequent to treat the issue. Thankfully with the help of Ron O'Hare, Paul, Sherri and Cynthia, we got it figured out, which included a connection to my broken ribs incident in February. Part of the plan included running later in the day, which made it tricky with Jonathan's work and the kids' schedules but with a Team DuChene talk, we got it done. It's not easy for me to ask for help and admit that I can't keep all the balls in the air but with STWM only 2 weeks away, it was critical. And being humbled is also a good thing.
I finished the week with a 35 km run that included a steady 29 km with a 6 km pick up at the end while perfecting my carb "sweet spot" as Trent Stellingwerff calls it. Knowing your ideal hourly g carbs and mL fluid is key for race day and one must practise ahead.
It's officially taper time for two weeks (although last week we cut the mileage a bit due to the back issue) with one complete rest day each week and runs between 3 km (day before race) and 24 km (last long run the week before). My husband will be away for work for a few days so I'll get my mommy jobs done in the day and get to bed early with the kids in the evening. Toss Thanksgiving in there and I should be well rested, recovered and relaxed. Onward we go.

Still working on my College of Dietitians of Ontario renewal, which includes reading this book co-authored by fellow Registered Dietitian/Saucony Athlete/Mom/Marathoner, Kimberly Mueller.

My friend, Britanie - boosting my van a few days before chemo round 3/8. Such a great gal. Such a great friend. She just got some positive results back, which we are thrilled about! Thanks for the thoughts and prayers.

Yep, a screen time moment. It happens. And what an interesting mix of items on our kitchen island!

Van needed a new battery so we walked home from school and stopped by the park. Love these moments.

Enjoying writing regular columns for iRun magazine. I have one in the current issue on being active as a family. I've also done a few iRun podcasts, which has been fun (click on date): July 27, 2013 and August 2, 2013.

Greek salad with sardines on kale. Yes, I quite liked it! Like I say, no salad is ever the same.

One of my favourite comfort afternoon snacks is peanut butter & ground flax seed on pumpernickel toast with a cup of coffee.