"Exercising" my demons

This whole blogging process started for me way back in May when I set the goal of running a 5km. If you have followed my posts, you will know that this is still a goal I am working on and one I hope to accomplish very soon! While I know I should put a date on this goal, I am reluctant to...but I know it will happen very soon.

Today I went for a run at the gym as it was WAY too hot to run at the track as I had been. I have been following  a 12 week running plan, but today I decided to take a break from that and "get out of own head" and push through some mental blocks. The goal of today's run was to not stop!

I hopped on the treadmill and set the time for 33 minutes and decided that I was just going to run! My friend Miriam had given me some great advice of slowing my pace down to be able to run for long, so I starred off at 4.5 MPH and I ran there for 23 minutes straight (minus a couple quick water sips). In the past this where I often "jumped" off the treadmill. I have never had trouble starting, but it was finishing that has always been my issue. Today was about proving to myself that the voices in my head were wrong!

I was so proud of myself as this is the longest I have even run without stopping...so I decided to kick it up a notch! With 10 minutes to go, I upped my pace to 5.0 MPH and then with 4 minutes to go up to 5.5! By the end of the 33 minutes I had run just over 4km, but more importantly, I didn't stop!! The best part, I probably could have done more if I didn't have to leave to go somewhere. After today's workout, I am more confident than ever that my 5km goal will be reached sooner than later!

All good things must come to an end......for now!

I am fortunate to belong to a tightly knit extended family on my husband's side and in the past 13 months, there have been NUMEROUS occasions for us all (or at least most of us) to get together and celebrate. This is the time we all dread...heading back to our respective cities with the hope that we be reunited sooner than later.

Last year my husband and I were married and we were fortunate to have many relatives from his side from Toronto, Ottawa, England and Israel attend our wedding. While there were some cousins missing, we had a great time and knew that those cousins would be coming out this year. Here are some pics from our wedding May 22, 2011

One of my favs 

This pic is so wrong, but so right

First Dance

Starting in the middle of July, his side started arriving again...this time for 2 weddings in the span of 2 weeks! That may sound crazy to most families, but in this case it made a lot of sense. My husband's brother and sister were both married in a 14 day span in two different cities (Vancouver and Toronto)!!! This allowed most of the family to attend both weddings, but on one trip. While at times it was overwhelming being around that many people who all speak another language (if I am lucky, I can pick out key words), it was wonderful to be surrounded by that many people who all love each other!

Some pics from his sister's wedding at Vancouver's VanDusen Gardens - July 29, 2012

Us at the wedding

Sealed with a kiss

Siblings :)

With 1 week "off" to recover, we all made the trek from Vancouver to Toronto to continue the party! One cousin returned to Israel, an uncle arrived (from Israel) and two more second cousins (from Israel) came to join the festivities! For those of you who aren't familiar with Jewish weddings, it is more than a one day event! For each of the 3 weddings, there was a Friday dinner, a Saturday dinner and finally the wedding on Sunday.

Some pics from his brother's wedding at Toronto's Liberty Grand - August 12,2012

Us before the wedding

Mazel Tov!!! With a Scottish twist! 

First Dance

 Tonight was the beginning of the painful process where we must all start parting ways and head back to "normal life." The tears started flowing with the realization that it may be a long time before all the cousins are back together in the same city. While there is another wedding coming up in May in Israel, we may not all be able to make it due to "real life". I have had a wonderful time getting to know all of my husband's first cousins on his dad's side and I am saddened that these people have only been in my life for a short time.

The next happy couple - May 2013 in Israel

While I am sure we will keep in touch through Facebook, it won't be the same as it has been these past 3 weeks. It makes me realize just how special family (especially cousins) is and how much I miss spending time with mine. Many people over the past few weeks have talked about how fast time is flying and how important family is....these past 3 weeks have really reminded me of this. Family is too important and special to take for granted and you need to enjoy and appreciate the time you have together!