Pages

Thursday, December 22, 2016

Ho Ho Ho.

Like every other parent of young children out there we are living and breathing Santa and all things Christmas.  It is my most favourite time of year, the weather is warm and everyone starts cracking the champagne and taking advantage of the long afternoons, the sounds of kids enjoying themselves and making memories always brings a smile to my face.

Last week we kept up tradition of the Santa photo in the city, combined with the parade and lights at King George Square.  We have been doing this for a few years now and each year it gets better, Otto and Hugo spoke to Santa for the first time this year and put in their requests (a surprise for Hugo and a metal detector for Otto), while Miriam smiled at him and tried to pull his beard off, securing us the cutest Santa photo going around!


I always put a lot of effort into their Christmas outfits and this year was no exception but much harder than usual with a girl in the mix.  Sadly too late for this year but definitely bookmarked for next year I found a website that will coordinate both boys and girls Christmas outfits and will make custom orders for older children!  


While I understand how exciting it is for them to be getting a visit from Santa, I have been trying hard to also remind them that it is the season of giving and not just receiving, so today we did our usual bake for the neighbourhood and dropped the offering to our neighbours.  This was the first year that the boys really understood and happily went and knocked on neighbours doors, wishing them a Merry Christmas and enjoying the smiles and thank-you's from everyone.

The school holidays have also allowed me some variations on my training schedule.  Instead of hot and short runs to school we have been heading to our local park and running 5kms, followed by a play and croissants by the water, not easy to guess which version is our favourite!


All this extra training has really paid off, last week I managed a sub 28 min (27:46) 5km with the double pram, the first time I have achieved that since coming back to it after Miriam.  I was so happy and proud, fitting my training in has required a lot of planning and ingenuity at times but to have a result like that just keeps propelling me forward.  I can't wait to see where running takes me in 2017, but for right now I am celebrating the small wins, and enjoying the croissants and time spent making memories with my little people.





Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Getting back into it.

One big impact of having Miriam and training has been all about patience.  When I had Otto I wasn't doing any exercise, my activity level mostly consisted of walking our dog, I had tried to get into running but found that I just couldn't find the time, something I have a little giggle about now!  When I had Hugo it started off the same, I just couldn't seem to find the time, however after about six months I realised it was something that I HAD to find time for or else my sense of self was going to be wrapped up in these two amazing but demanding boys, and I needed something for me.

I bought my first running pram not long after so that it didn't matter if Han was home from work on time, or travelling, I could always get my run done.  It took me over 12 weeks to complete the couch to 5Km but it was one of the best decisions I have made.  It propelled me into a new passion, running was something that was relatively free, easy to do with the boys in tow and I could fit it in around our schedule.  Fast forward many months and I found Triathlon, now the boys are older and I was trying to fit in swimming, running and riding around our schedule while Han had taken a job that included more travel.

Then we decided to have another baby, it is one way to test your organisational ability by adding another human to look after, especially as Han travelled for work on the first day of term 2 when Miriam was 2 weeks old!  This time around I have had to learn patience, both with myself and my body, having a third baby, who was both big and late means that the effect on my body has taken longer to heal, and in some cases is still ongoing.  I would have loved nothing more in those early days to head out for a run and clear my head, or go to the pool and spend some time on myself, but after heading to the pool once at 7 weeks after giving birth I quickly learned that I needed to go slower.


So finally now that Miriam is 8 months old I am ready to get back into it, my expectations have been suitably lowered, I understand that it will take time to be able to do what I used to do, and while it can be frustrating, I am trying to remember to love my body for all it has given me.  Because while it might be a bit extra lumpy and bumpy right now, I wouldn't change these children for all the world.  

Sunday, November 20, 2016

So what has been happening?

So, It has been almost a year since I have sat at my desk and contemplated this spot, and I have just spent a good evening reading back through my old posts.  What a wonderful trip down memory lane that was.

To catch this space up properly would take far too long, so here are the cliff notes!


  • I did the Mooloolaba Triathlon in just over 3 hours.
  • Hugo started Kindergarten and loves it.
  • Otto started year 1 and isn't convinced by this whole school and work idea.
  • I fell pregnant and moved house in the same month.
  • I swam throughout my whole pregnancy but that was the only training I did.
  • I had the most delightful and amazing baby girl, we called her Miriam.

  • We are now complete as a family and I couldn't be prouder of our three beautiful children.
  • I competed in the swim leg of the 2016 Noosa Triathlon after 3 weeks of training and a seriously bad head cold and got my arse handed to me!
  • I have read so many books since falling pregnant and during breastfeeding and will do a post about my favourites soon.
So obviously life has been busy, fun and crazy, I am hoping to use this space to keep an online diary of my own training journey to Noosa Tri, to keep me honest and somewhere that I can come to reflect once it is all said and done!

Welcome Back!