Personal Archives – Brie like the cheese

Proud to be Canadian

Disclaimer: I received Aftershokz Trekz Titanium headphones to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

Hooray, it’s FriYAY and the long weekend begins as soon as your work day is over! Time to celebrate this beautiful country we live in, Canada! I’m especially thankful for our healthcare and our year of paid maternity leave.

Although I’m not working (in a traditional sense), taking care of a baby is hard work! Especially right now. My 8 month-old has learned how to crawl, go up small stairs, and stand up while holding onto something. I’m super proud of her new abilities but chasing her around is exhausting and on top of that she is having real trouble sleeping. I’m hoping it’s a phase and will pass soon (fingers crossed!). Needless to day, I’m happy to have an extra day this weekend of my husband being home to split baby duties with and hopefully I can squeak a nap or two in.

Canada Day Plans

We have only one plan set in stone for the weekend – to go to the Vancouver Canadians baseball game on July 1. My husband got us tickets for Mother’s Day and I am super looking forward to it. The weather is supposed to be nice and I can’t wait to stuff my face with concession stand snacks.

I took a look back at what we’ve done in previous years to celebrate Canada Day. We don’t have any particular tradition, although maybe it’s time to start one! The last two years (2016 & 2017) I participated in the Try Events Canada Day Rock 10K and a friend’s BBQ later in the day. The two years (2014 & 2015) before that I can’t remember – possibly nothing. The two years before that (2012 & 2013) we went to the Surrey Canada Day celebration in Cloverdale. That always draws a HUGE crowd with live bands, food trucks, carnival rides, and fireworks.

What are your plans? Do you have any Canada Day traditions?

Win a pair of Aftershokz Trekz Titanium!

In celebration of Canada Day, Aftershokz is giving one lucky Canadian some of their favourite products in (you guessed it!) RED. Enter now at canadaday.aftershokz.ca!

Giveaway ends 6/29 at 11:59PM ET. Must be eighteen years or older and be a resident of Canada to enter.

Prizes:

AfterShokz Trekz Titanium headphones in red (1)
AfterShokz Sport Belt in red (1)
AfterShokz Water Bottle in red (1)
AfterShokz Towel (1)
AfterShokz hat (1)

Home Sweet Home

6 years ago • 1 comment • Personal

They say that when it rains, it pours. Well that seems to be the case with our major life events – but in a good way! A few months after finding out we were pregnant, we moved into our first home. Or I should say started moving in … because it’s been a long, drawn out process that’s been interrupted by three weddings and a trip to France, among other things. And we still haven’t got everything unpacked yet.

The last place we lived had a huge fire and the unit we rented suffered substantial water damage. A lot of our furniture was left behind because it was pretty crappy to begin with and was likely warped from the moisture. We did manage to save our TV, awesome couch, and dining set (much to my dismay). This, combined with the fact we were moving from a one bedroom condo to a three bedroom townhouse, meant that we needed A LOT of new furniture for our place.

I found out that if you make a list of everything you want from IKEA, that they will pick it all up from the warehouse and deliver it to your door for only $100. Seemed like a pretty good deal to this pregnant lady! I sure as hell wasn’t going to lift any heavy boxes. So we scouted out a bunch of furniture prior to moving in so we could order a delivery of EVERYTHING the day after we got possession.

The delivery guys did not seem impressed with the number of items they had to carry in and made a comment about how all the IKEA staff were talking about this enormous order. I’m not sure if they were joking or serious but I guess most people don’t furnish their entire house with IKEA stuff.

The total piece count was 54. It included a bed, a king mattress, two dressers, a daybed, two twin mattresses, a weirdly complex TV stand, coffee table, arm chair, footstool, two book cases, and two bar stools, many of which involved multiple boxes.

I did not anticipate how long this would take to set up. The first week of our move was mainly just assembling furniture. We’d get home from work, eat dinner, put a bed together, and pass out. The next day it would be the coffee table, and so on and so forth. We only just recently finally put together the daybed in our spare room.

The good news is that most of our other belongings were salvageable and we have a tons of wedding gifts to fill our home. Although we still have a few more boxes left to unpack, it’s so nice to finally be settled into our new home.

Top IKEA Picks

2017: Relentless Forward Movement

6 years ago • 2 comments • Personal

As we ring in the New Year, a common topic of conversation is upcoming plans for the year, especially among us runners. The icy streets and freezing temperatures have many of us daydreaming about all the spring, summer, and fall races and perusing Ultra Signup with a glass of wine and a credit card.

But not me.

I achieved some epic race goals in 2016 but this year I’m feeling non-committal when it comes to registering many months ahead for organized races … especially after having blown like five years of race budget on the TransAlpine Run in September (I regret nothing!).

That’s not to say I don’t have some pretty awesome plans for this year …

There are so many free or cheap events, challenges, and adventures available in the community. I plan to take full advantage of these.

Club Fat Ass

One of the most infamous trail and ultra running groups around, Club Fat Ass hosts a number of events throughout the year. They keep track of participation through their points series which is based on early RSVPs, distance, and time with bonus points for trash pickup. Pro tip: you can land yourself in the negatives by RSVPing and not showing up.

I’ve already got a good start by running the New Years Day 50K and partaking in the bonus polar bear dip at the end.

However, the main thing on my list is their Van 100, a double crossing of the rugged and technical Baden Powell trail on the North Shore for a total of 100 km. It’s not a race per se, but more of a self-supported (or plan your own crew/support) challenge.

I also plan to participate in the Bagger Challenge again, a friendly, honour-system contest to see how many of the run/hike-able peaks on the North Shore you can summit. I did this on a limited basis last year, attaining only the few peaks that are along the Howe Sound Crest Trail, but I am planning to bag a few more this year.

Community Involvement

At the top of my list is working with a new race series, Sweaty Yeti, as volunteer coordinator and social media manager. Started by a crazy running friend, Sweaty Yeti has plans to host challenging and adventurous ultra marathons in our beautiful corner of the world including the Survival Run Canada in Squamish (registration is open) and the Longest Day Race (currently being finalized) on the Sunshine Coast.

Follow Sweaty Yeti and Survival Run Canada on Instagram: @SweatyYetiCA & @SurvivalRunCanada, and on Twitter: @SweatyYetiCA & @SurvivalRunCA.

I am looking forward to continuing my involvement as an Altra Running Canada ambassador, West Van Run ambassador, and BibRave Pro – all fun and innovative brands created by and for the running community.

Volunteering

Last but not least, this year I will take my commitment to volunteering to the next level! Volunteering at races is more fun and less painful than actually running and just as rewarding to help others achieve their goals. I highly recommend it.

In addition to the usual local events, I plan to do the August volunteering “triple crown” so to speak by completing the following on consecutive weekends because, why the hell not?

Crewing/pacing a friend at the insane Fat Dog 120 (mile) race
Captaining our second annual Farside aid station extravaganza for the epic Squamish50 race
Volunteering for the Survival Run Canada (and so should you! Sign up here).

So that’s what I’ve got on my 2017 to-do list so far – it’s already shaping up to be another awesome year!

What are your plans and goals for 2017?