I'm a Blonde + Other Thoughts

First off, last Thursday I made a drastic change by dyeing my hair and chopping off quite a few inches. I'm blonder than I expected to be but I love it. I'm also super happy I got rid of the length because it's so much lighter, easier and faster to style, and I feel like I actually look like an adult, now. I'm just having some phantom-hair issues and can't seem to grasp that I need way less product than before.

This weekend might have been my laziest in existence. Besides a little shopping I did a lot of sleeping, eating, and catching up on my huge Netflix list. I really felt like I needed it because even today I feel like I'm coming down with something. However, the highlight of my weekend was ordering these fish tacos when Michael and I went to lunch on Sunday.

I started taking an iron supplement last week and I have to admit I did not do enough research into taking iron because I was caught off guard by the symptoms I was experiencing. The worst of it was being so bloated it hurt - I even woke up bloated! After complaining on Twitter someone suggested I eat an orange with the supplement because the vitamin C and fibre helps. I don't know if it was placebo or science, but it seems to have worked. The only downfall is that you are supposed to take it on an empty stomach to ensure it gets fully absorbed in your intestines.

Last night I think I might have sleep walked. I woke up at 3 in the morning, my television off (I always fall asleep with it on - bad habit), my computer had been put away (I was using it as a charging station because I ran out of plugs), and half of my clothes were off. I have no idea what happened but I have zero recollection of doing any of these things.


What are you looking forward to this week? 
Do you have any funny tricks, like oranges and iron supplements? 

Getting Rear-Ended AKA My Recent Excuse for Skipping the Gym

I had the most wonderful long weekend. Michael works a lot of hours so we finally got to spend a large chunk of time together. We barbequed, watched the entire second of Scream, ate 1.25 pies, and even took a road trip to pick up a beer being released for my favourite brewery's - Sawdust City - birthday. AND I fit in an 18K training run.

I thought I was setting myself up for a happy, short week but that came crashing down Tuesday afternoon when I was rear-ended. The details of what happened are not as important as that I've learned a lot about people, my insurance company found me not-at-fault so it won't cost me anything, and that even though things don't cost money you can still stress and spend a lot of time doing things which is almost just as aggravating.

My experience with my insurance company was luckily very positive. After taking all the details they assured me that my deductible is waved, my insurance costs won't go up, and that they take care of a lot of little details - they sent my information to a local shop and to a rental car company so both could expect me and will bill my insurance directly.

However, like I mentioned I still have to spend my time and energy organizing everything. A major accident happened yesterday on the highway and it down for a few hours. This affected me trying to get to the repair shop before it closed even though my boss let me leave early. I managed to make it there right when it was closing but thankfully the staff was extremely nice and spoke to me, took pictures of my vehicle, pulled off my bumper panel that had been hanging, and booked me an appointment to come in next week. I also had to contact the rental car company to let them know about the details of my appointment so they can get a car to me. All positive things - just time consuming.

I'm also a little sore. Nothing major - just a little muscle pain and headaches I'm dealing with. Plus the stress of the week is taking a lot out of me. The last two nights I've been in bed before 9PM and I'm sleeping until 6:30AM, the latest I get up for work. This week has me worried because I carefully constructed my outline to lead up to my next race, and now I'm less than a week and a half out and my schedule has been thrown upside down. Basically, I know I'll finish the race but I have zero confidence in what my time will look like. I'm trying to look on the bright side - all my costs for my car are taken care of, I'm safe, healthy, and relatively uninjured, and I still have a race planned for March that I can focus on if this one goes badly.

Life is funny.


Have you ever been in an accident? 
Any fall races on the agenda? 

September Goals

Happy September 1st!

As much as it's a little scary how fast this year is flying by, I'm excited we're into September. October is probably my favourite month but the lead-up is nice, too. Last month I did better with achieving my goals so I thought hard about what I wanted to accomplish for September. A lot of great things happened to me professionally and mentally last month so it's not a surprise that a lot of my goals are fitness related.

1) Finish strong.
The Canada Army Run is on September 18th. I want to finish my training plan strong and run a solid race. I already know it's unlikely for me to PR but I want to enjoy the run, especially since I'll be in my favourite city in the world - Ottawa.

2) Buy a new foam roller.
I mentioned in my August recap that it became difficult to foam roll because it's getting out of shape. I've already started doing some research and I hope to pick up a new roller before race day.

3) Decide on my fall/winter goals and make a plan.
I don't have another race until March, meaning I don't start my next training cycle until Christmas Day (yes, I already mapped it out). That gives me three months to decide what I want to focus on. Strength? Flexibility? Endurance? I think I'm leaning toward strength but we'll see how I feel after race day.

4) Become a morning person - again.
Before my scheduled changed I loved being an early riser. I'm slowly getting back into it and my goal is to start going to the gym in the morning like I used to. I love getting a workout in first thing and having a gym all to myself at 5AM. This means I need to start getting myself to bed at a decent hour.


What are your September goals? 
Do you goals usually follow a theme?