Goofy by 50 ?!?

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Women issues - by women and for women

I have been a "real" woman for quite some time now. I went from girl to woman all of a sudden it seems the year I turned 11 and got my very first period. What an event that was... OK, if any guy is reading this you might find it a tad TMI... That said, I remember when I was younger that my periods were, well, heavy. Not only did they like to stay with me for a while but they loved to disrupt my sleep every night when they were there. And, I didn't know when they would return. Sometimes after 28 days, some times 30 and even once I waited a whole 40 days before they returned.

Well, time went by and I had my first child and all my "period" problems went away. I was predictable to the hour, didn't have any discomfort and they lasted for 3 days tops. I thought I had been blessed by some benevolent Goddess who understood that if you endure 28 hours of labor you're entitled to some kindness.

I also thought that if I ate right, exercised, didn't smoke,lived a healthy lifestyle all around, my womanhood would slowly and gracefully wither and die by the time I turned 50. Well let me tell you one thing. It's not happening. This "period" thing is taking me back to my teens! Pimples, cramps, moodiness, sore breasts, and, of course, you don't know when they'll be there. They just show up when they feel like it, which is quite often if you ask me. Yes, I'm probably very moody as I sit at my computer writing this and that's why I'm going on and on about it.

The thing is, I didn't find much literature about pre-menopause or at least something that doesn't tell me what I already know : It's the period, that lasts from 5 to 7 years before you hit menopause (and all your problems go away). I know I shouldn't complain when most of my peers suffer from heat flashes during the day and night (although I suspect my training having something do to with this) but this heavy menstruation thing is getting to me.

Firstly, I cramp like a 13 year old. It really hurts and I'm not sissy. I know because I gave birth to 4 beautiful boys naturally. And the bleeding is quite heavy which leaves me feeling weak and fatigued for a few days afterwards. I miss my workouts and that makes me even grumpier...

Besides that I put in some very nice runs last week. I'm happy with my progression and I'm being really careful with my mileage as to not repeat the same mistakes twice and end up injured before a race. I entered the Scotia Bank Montreal half marathon on April 17th www.canadarunningseries.com/monthalf/index.htm it's a nice half on a mostly flat surface and is very well organized.

But for now, I'll just plop myself on the sofa, take 2 more Tylenol and cuddle up to my big black cat.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Ready for the Superbowl!

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Reflections on turning 49

I'm turning 49 on Friday. It will be the last year in my 40's and I intend to make the most of it. I'm going out with a Bang! I've got big running plans, personal plans and work plans ahead of me. It feels good and I feel very much alive.

48 and some days ago, my parents decided to adopt a child as they were unable to have one of their own. At that time, it was quite easy to adopt a child as there were more than 75,000 children born out of wedlock during that period (I don't have the actual numbers for 1962 alone). I remember my parents telling me the story of my adoption... The nuns who were running the orphanage brought my parents 4 babies (4 babies!!!) to choose from. My father felt overwhelmed and stepped in the hallway to smoke a cigarette (hey, it was 1962!) As he walked the hallway he looked inside a window and saw me. I was crying. He took out his keys and jiggled them through the window and I stopped crying and looked at him. He went back to his wife and told her he found the child he wanted to adopt... But I wasn't up for adoption, I was dying. I was in a part of the infirmary where they waited for the children to die. I couldn't hold down anything and had lost a lot of weight.

Well, nobody could tell my Dad no! They agreed that if I lived through the night they could take me home.

Fast forward 9 years later. A week before my birthday, my Dad was faced with the inhuman task of telling his daughters that we was very sick and that we were to be very obedient and quiet for the next couple of weeks as he would need to rest a lot. He was 49.

He lost his battle with cancer when he was 50. I was 10.

I feel compelled to tell this story because I, myself, have a 9 year old, I'm turning 49 and, well, it feels like life has come full circle for me.

I'll be 49 in 4 days and I feel reborn, freed from some curse that kept me from enjoying my life to the fullest.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

New year new me?

Why does every magazine I see tells me that with the new year I must reinvent myself. I like the old 2010 me. I agree that I need a few tweaks and adjustments here and there but, I'm turning 49 in a few weeks, so who wouldn't. Since this is my first post of 2011, I'll share my goals for this year. I don't do resolutions they usually don't last and call for trips to the gym where you have to interact with machines that look more like they should be put in Guantanamo than where they are.

Goal number one : Be a better Mom to my youngest son (he's autistic and I sometimes find myself drifting away when he tries to put together the words that form a sentence)
Goal number two : cross train at least 3 times a week.
Goal number two : stick to my marathon training plan.
Goal number three : run faster longer.
Goal number four : Stick with the first three goals for the whole year.

My training was going well until today where I saw in my training log that I had a 60 minute run to do and when I stepped outside, it was freezing!!! I hit the gym to save myself on the treadmill but didn't last more than 40 minutes... I was bored out of my mind!!! I'll try again tomorrow, or maybe not, since I want to get my long run in on Saturday. I'll see. Maybe I should get a coach?