meditations of a blueberry

Just after finishing! It's been one month since I had the experience of a lifetime--running in my first half marathon in Vancouver. It was beyond amazing, especially getting to experience it with my closest friends. Team in training is truly an amazing organization. Last November , I could barely run for three minutes at a time. Yet, three weeks ago I ran a half marathon . Amazing. Just amazing. I can't say enough good things about TNT. They helped turn this non-runner who hated running and thought it was a pointless way to exercise into a runner who can't wait to get out for a run, even during the bitter cold of an Edmonton winter . They helped me make my health and exercise a priority, all while raising money for a great cause. They helped me change my life. I can't thank TNT and my fantastic coaches enough for the difference they've made in my life. Exercise is now a part of my life that I look forward to and that my body craves. Running through pa...

The TNT Prairies team bright and early before the race! What a journey . My body is tired, achy, and sore...and I am so incredibly proud of it. Sunday was the BMO Vancouver Half Marathon and I rocked it. I ran 21.1 km through the intense pain of an injured knee. I finished with a time that I never imagined was possible, especially with an injury. I ran for 2 hours and 26 minutes, barely taking any walk breaks since every time I walked, the pain in my knee tripled when I started running again. I fought back tears throughout the entire race, not only from the pain, but because I was in such shock that I was actually running along with 15,000 other people. I may be stubborn, but I've never seen something like this through to the end. So the fact that I actually did is amazing to me. I don't know how many times I felt the emotions start to overtake me, especially near the end. Near the start of the race It felt like it took forever for the race to start after the gun wen...

In November, I embarked on a journey that would change my life. A journey that would train my body and my mind to push me to places I never in my wildest dreams thought were possible. A journey that would result in a smaller body, but a stronger body. A journey that I thought would culminate with the half marathon on May 5. A journey that I am now realizing doesn't end just because I cross that finish line. The half marathon in Vancouver doesn't signal "the end." Instead, it is just another step in the journey. A journey that has had many twists and turns, mountains and valleys, and a lot of much needed emotional and spiritual support. Last night, I attended a sharing circle with Mother Haven and momstown as part of momstown's Fit Mamas program. I wasn't sure what I would get out of it, but I knew it would be amazing. During that hour of sharing, I listened as the other women talked about how they now see their bodies as strong, how they were proud of them...

February 15. Re-commitment day. The day when running this half marathon became real. The day that I suddenly became personally responsible for whatever I don't raise from my fundraising goal for TNT. For three months, I have been training. Running. Pushing myself beyond what I thought I was capable of. Focusing on eating healthy and eating to fuel my body. Raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through many, many fundraisers. It has been a very, very busy three months between all of the fitness training, planning, and executing of fundraisers. When I started on this journey , I started with the knowledge that come February I could drop out if I didn't think I could do it, whether that be the physical side or the fundraising side. Honestly, I was a little intimidated by not only the training, but by the large amount of money we need to raise. But now here we are three months in. Not only have I raised more than half of my fundraising commitment, but I have pr...

In two days, I will have been on this journey to the BMO half-marathon in Vancouver for two months. It's sure been some ride so far. I have learned so much about what my body is capable of, and I am starting to see the strength that it used to have back when I was in high school. The weight is slowly dropping, and clothes that I thought were a lost cause are starting to fit again. I know I will never see my pre-pregnancy body though. And I am okay with that . I have the marks of a mother, and I wouldn't have it any other way. The stretch marks, the saggy skin in places, the little signs that I have had a baby, the body that just isn't shaped the way it used to be. These are my battle scars. Signs that I brought life into this world not once, but twice. Signs that my body stretched to unbelievable amounts and accommodated a 10 pound baby . No amount of training will get rid of them.  I am at peace with that. Changing that part of my body is not the goal of this training a...