Fun: A 33.28 Race

 Facts:

• 4pm on a Saturday - great time slot for running!
• 10 850 runners in the 5km. (48 000 runners this Ottawa Race Weekend - 5km,10km, 1/2 and full marathons)
• Really crowded: runners and spectators.
• Nice course (along the canal)

Pre-Race:
I have been training for this 5km since March 29th (8-week training); running three days a week; following a running schedule (walk/run; timed runs, etc) Felt ready. My goal was to to run a 5 km under 30 minutes, which was feasible since I was running 5km in 27, 28 (sometimes even 26!) minutes, with a pace of approximately 5.30"/ km.When I originally signed up, I decided to be in the green Corral (31-33 minutes), but then switched to the faster one of 28-30 minutes (yellow corral - shown in the picture below). Got it under control!
Now, how did I know I was running a 5km distance? By consistently trusting my Nike+ app on my 2012 (or is it 2011?)  iPod.

The Race:
Felt good. Ran the  entire distance. Good pace. Still had energy at the end. Never out of breath. Felt like a solid run.

The Reality:
33.28!!! ??? Really?? There must be a mistake… somewhere… My training proved that…  Maybe I was running much slower…maybe I was distracted by all those other runners…            until…
Simon asked me to check the website Map My Run (which does what it claims it does). This morning I started mapping my runs (the ones I was running during my training). So… the "5km" my iPod was indicating was really 4km! My iPod was totally off!!! (and it's not because I made a mistake with miles or set up, etc.)

My cheering squad. They're just so cute!

Lessons to be Learned:
i) Never trust technology.  What I mean is: never trust only one source of technology.
ii) You don't miraculously become a faster runner in the span of a few months. It takes time and dedication and a bit of seriousness.


My Concluding Thoughts:

• I'm quite proud of myself for running a 5km. And, if I'm doing my math correctly, (basing it on 28 minutes for 4km), I did pretty good time!
• This was my second race and my first official timed one. 
• I think I'm more like a smaller race person…like the first one I did.
• Will I do another one? Maybe in the fall… TBC

And Just for the Stats: (because we all care, right?)
Overall:  4780/10849
For women: 2322/6478
For my age group (35-39): 276/731

A Special Post: Margot is FIVE!

We all had a busy long-weekend, mostly celebrating Margot's special day.

Drinking lemonade with a straw and parasol is extra special!

I asked her how it felt to be five. She replied: "plus vieux" (older)
Five is a special age. You're really a kid at five. None of that preschooler business.

In the morning of the 16th, Margot had a gift hunt. She received two books, a water bottle and what she really wanted…

Piggy Paint Glitter Nail Polish! Oh! What joy!!!!


Later that day, we had a BBQ and cake with family (and exclusive guests ;)

The following day, we decided to check out a provincial park located about one hour North/East from here: Le parc provincial de Plaisance.

Looking at the minnows and the catfish

Part of the trail was a boardwalk. We saw turtles and even a beaver
working away.

With those binoculars, Margot couldn't miss a bird.

It was a hot day!

Photographed by MSP

Margot enjoyed picking up pebbles. It kept her busy as she was singing along
and searching for special blue rocks...

A practical way to carry her pebbles: using her hat.

Margot and Simon (mostly S) were searching for birds

Yeah!

No summer day is complete without an ice cream cone!

The following day, Margot had her b-day party with her friends from school. We resisted as long as we could, but this year Margot REALLY wanted to invite her friends (and who can blame her?). Five five-year old girls + Margot. Two hours: noon to 2pm. It was loud and busy. The house was filled with girls laughing, skipping, talking, arguing, playing. Overall, lots of excitement and Margot had super fun! (I'm glad I kept it 2 hours max!)

Sandwich lunch à la fresco!

Their favourite game? Playing school. Margot is the teacher
with the rainstick (which signals to the kids to place their
hands on top of their heads and carefully listen)

Ah! The cake that Margot so wanted:
a store-bought Ariel cake.

Simple Pleasure: Spring Beauty

Trilliums on the Waterfall Trail

Fresh Green

Magnolia Flower at the Arboretum

To Inspire: The Haunting Past

This is an oral presentation that my brother wrote when he was in grade 7. I was fifteen at the time, wearing ripped jeans, plaid work shirts, cool hats and Converse shoes. I was into The Breakfast Club and would spend hours in front of the VCR rewinding and pausing to jot down the dialogues of my favourite scenes.

Notice the second last line.
Wish permanently granted! ;)

Fun: Summertime in May!

It feels like we skipped a season: spring.
The month of April was spring - kinda - then we jumped right into summer. With sunny days and temperatures in the mid-20s, it's here to stay.

Margot's favorite DQ treat

A visit to the greenhouse to get some flowers and plants

Green Thumbs Margot

Ah yes… the sprinkler is out and so is the bathing suit!

Moment with Margot: Margot's First Book

A few days ago, Margot started writing and illustrating her own story. She did this in her room before falling asleep. Her "writing" consists of random letters sprawled on the upper part of the page, while her [sometimes elaborate] drawings take about 3/4 of the page.
She "wrote" her book in French, and it took her about three days to complete her story. She kept her pages together by using, not a paperclip, but a clip-on barrette (very ingenious!).

This first book is about two sisters, named Margot and Lisa [interestingly, Madame Lisa is the name of next year's teacher]

Allow me to briefly translate:
In this first part, Lisa and Margot's father is dead and then the mother dies. And then the two children find two castles and it's a lovely day "une belle journée".
[I love how Margot uses "elle dit" (she says) ]

The adventure continues:
The girls find their parents and their house and even the butterflies find their parents; in fact, every one in the city finds their parents thanks to Margot and Lisa (?)
I then ask her the title of her story and I think she was coming up with a clever name, going for "LiMa" (a combination of the two heroines' names), but then settled with Simon's suggestion of "Lisa et Margot".