Ski, Snow and Running

January 18, 2016January 17, 2016 / Anna @ Piper's Run / 15 Comments

It’s been a busy few days (week) between work, snow storm #1, skiing, facilitating a workshop on the weekend and storm #2…I managed to finally get a run in yesterday!

Last week Lilly had a 1/2 day of school, so I booked the 1/2 day off work and the four of us hit the hill. This would be Hilary’s first time (3 years old) and Lilly’s 3rd year on skis. Both Sai and I went prepared to deal with tantrums potentially from both girls but the complete opposite happened.

ski jan 14 Lilly and Mommy

Both girls had so much fun. Hilary and Sai spent time “playing” on a very small hill while Lilly and I hit the bunny hill at Ski Martock. They now have a magic carpet which is amazing. I skied down backwards for the 10+ runs Lilly did. She’s skiing on her own now and figuring out how to turn and stop etc. It’s so awesome to watch her think about the process.

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I could see Hilary and Sai off in the distance and she just looked like she was having a blast. Lots of laughing and when I got over to them, she kept saying “one more time”. Looks like we’ve got skiers on our hands 🙂

SNOW!

I shoveled two mornings in a row last week so I could get to work and then spent 1.5 hours snow blowing my driveway and two neighbours driveways yesterday. We also played outside all afternoon.

toboggan

I ran last week on the treadmill and it wasn’t great so after 3km, I got off THE BEAST and did some weights and skipping.

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I did managed to sqeeze in a run yesterday after doing the driveways. 5k on snow covered roads and sidewalks that were partially cleared. The sidewalks were like running on sand – not fun.

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It was great to spend lots of time outside (even the early morning shoveling). That’s about it!

How was your weekend?

Are you running inside (treadmill, track), outside (clear roads or snow covered) ?

If you have snow – do you mind shoveling?

Injured Mother Runner: Kid Less for a Day {Snow Storm Version}

February 16, 2015 / Anna @ Piper's Run / 11 Comments

Make that 2 and a half days! This wasn’t my original plan for this long weekend as its National Heritage Day (aka Family Day) in Nova Scotia for the first time!

We planned to be in PEI with Sai but illness and the massive snow storm turned our family weekend into all of us being apart 😦 The girls and I traveled into Halifax Thursday to my parents place and they stayed put while I came home to deal with the 50cm + snow that was to come!

So, I WAS KID LESS!

First off, when you leave your kids with whomever (Grandparents in my case) it’s harder for you to leave then for them. I think I said Goodbye at least 5-6 times and they didn’t notice by the third time 😉

Second – you take advantage of your time and….

RUN OUTSIDE…..before the storm hits

Get groceries and your favourite take out for yourself (Pad Thai). Then you watch two movies, cry a few times because you miss your kids AND husband; then go to bed. You sleep in and stay in bed until 10 am! WHAT????? Oh yeah! Then you eat breakfast at 11 am.

You call your parents to see how the storm is in Halifax….really, I just wanted to know how the girls were doing!

At NOON, you decide you should change out of your PJ’s and ProCompression socks, after all you do have a snow storm to remove from your driveway. Oh wait, I’ll just fold this load of laundry on my bed….what’s that….my foam roller. 25 minutes later my legs feel great but the laundry did not get folded!

Foam rolling legs!

Then you shovel, snow blow two driveways and run out of gas! Two hours later, you eat lunch and skype with your husband SANS kiddies! Woah, an actual conversation!

After that it’s a little foggy, wine was involved but of course not before round two of snow removal. Then a yummy meal, more wine, a little twitter #RunATCan chat by the fire – oh yes, I pulled out all the big stuff!

Bundled up – round 2. Yes, that’s my Maritime Race Weekend Buff 🙂

That’s how this injured mother runner spent two days kid less.

Day Three {Today} I slept in until 9am when my phone rang (thanks to my brother), shoveled driveway, ate, cleaned the house, blogged, got ready for a treadmill run and will drink the remainder of the wine tonight 🙂

Fingers crossed we get our street plowed out tonight/tomorrow as I want to go pick up my girls. Poor Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Princes Edward Island…not sure if we can all handle any more snow!

How was your weekend?

Anyone have a big storm?

If you had a weekend without your kids, what would you do?

Tis the Season to Shovel Snow

December 19, 2013 / Anna @ Piper's Run / 7 Comments

I’m just like a kid when it comes to snow, as soon as it hits the ground I get excited. Excited for the fun the lies ahead but also for the physical activities that can take place. Now I’m not just talking about skiing or building snow men but more about shoveling snow. {don’t stop reading now….I’m not that crazy}.

A few years ago I worked at an Outdoor Centre in Ontario, where my husband and I met. For over 5 years, I worked outdoors in the cold, in the rain, in the heat of summer but most of all I LOVED working during the winter season. After a few major storms I grew really tried of shoveling the snow on our three rinks. However, I feel like our staff mastered how to quickly clear off our rinks in time for the programs to start in such an effective and almost scientific way.

I had a love-hate relationship with shoveling snow.

Fast forward a few years and owning our own house and longest of long driveways ever…I now really enjoy shoveling my driveway. Now, we do have a snow blower but it’s so unpredictable and I’ve had many nights that it just wouldn’t work for me no matter what tricks I tried. But that good old faithful shovel never quit on me.

To work in the outdoor field you NEED TO have good gear or your toes, fingers and body, or you will freeze to death. A snow storm means dressing up in my outdoor gear, facing the elements of snow in my face and a sore upper body the next day but that’s okay. It’s almost that same feeling after an amazing run or fantastic workout at the gym – you feel great. I enjoy shoveling snow.

Snow fall last Sunday (Dec 15/13)

Why? I guess mainly because I like being active. I like finding creative ways to get a workout in and shoveling snow is definitely a workout. I like the satisfaction of seeing the driveway full of snow and then the end result of it being clear. I like fresh air, cold and rosy cheeks and being outside. I like the challenge of shoveling lots of snow, even if I curse it and shed a few tears from exhaustion.

Snow storm yesterday (Dec 18/13)