Vancouver

Planes, Trains and Automobiles – re-imagined

Again with the timing of appropriateness. Twelve years ago yesterday, after about a month and a half of tinkering with the idea, Big Ring and I made our togetherness official. For 12 years, he has been my number one cheerleader, my number one support, my number one bestest friend of all. The things he has done for me, the love he has given me, the specialness of him, I cannot imagine life without his hand in mine. And the story I share today is a perfect example of his greatness. Let’s go back about five or six months. Back to those strained months before I got into dietetics. I told Big Ring if I got in he would have to throw me a party, a big party, a huge party. This was going to be a party for me, but also very much for everyone that helped me. And there […]

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Assumption kills the race

After years months of negotiation, reviewing routes, location, timing, and swag for various organized runs, Big Brother and I finally put our hats in the ring for the Vancouver BMO 8 km route to be our second annual sibling rivalry run. By all accounts, this run had everything. The timing was perfect for both of us, it wasn’t during the height of the summer heat or summer travel, it features a beautiful scenic route around Stanley Park, and it’s for the most part a flat run, which Big Brother emphasized was important (you will recall the hill that broke him in our last run). The distance was also a compromise for both of us. It wasn’t 5 km, which Big Brother wanted, nor was it 10 km, which I wanted – a happy medium. But today, I regret to inform you the second annual sibling rivalry run has been postponed 🙁

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The big ‘C’

I’m not Brittany, and I’m not Christina. I’ve run marathons, half marathons, countless other races. I’ve ridden up the demanding hills of Horseshoe Bay on my bike, and twice in one day up Jericho. I can climb the Grouse Grind in a respectable 55 minutes. And I thought, as scary as the prospect is (just like all those other things once were) I could surely compete in childbirth too. The docs, however, seem to have other ideas. A couple weeks ago my obstetrician asked what my intentions were regarding childbirth. It’s not the first time I’ve been asked this question, so I was prepared, and instantly said I wanted to go the natural way. She gave me a questionable look (apparently the size of my  hippopotamus thumb-sucking alien baby is cause for concern) but left it there merely saying, well we won’t know whether the baby will be able to

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For the love of bling

It wasn’t Tiffany’s, but it was bling. As I stood in the cool Juneuary air with my moms, my favourite running chick and Miss Speedy next to me, a smile washed across my face while listening to the event organizer talk of the reasons why we had all congregated at Thunderbird Stadium that morning: “We wanted to stay fit, keep active, bond with other women,” she said. But my favourite running chick, she knew we were there for other reasons. She leaned over towards me, soft giggles exiting her mouth as she whispered, “I’m here for the bling!” Indeed. Saturday morning my moms and I walked the 5 km Starbucks Run for Women, while my favourites ran the 10k. Favourite Running Chick and Miss Speedy. It’s always a risk signing up for first-time events, knowing that they can’t possibly live up to the glory of well-established runs, but hoping they

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Never Eat Soggy Weiners my butt

I knew something wasn’t right, could feel it in my bones, my legs, my feet. But I kept going … and going … and going. I had directions, Big Ring directions, which for most people probably border on the obsessive with the amount of detail in them, but for me are a necessity. You see, I get lost. A lot. It doesn’t matter how often I have walked, ran, cycled or driven an area, I will inevitably get turned around re-seeking that area. I get lost in the town I grew up in,  the town I currently live in, heck, I even get lost trying to find my way home again. Directions have absolutely no meaning to me, I don’t trust GPS’, I can’t read maps, and seriously, what the heck is up with that Never Eat Soggy Weiners compass cross that you learned about in Grade 3 – it doesn’t

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