Happy Birthday To Me!

So, its my birthday today & I'm 34 officially. I know people who are older than me who read this won't think 34 is old, but think back to when you turned 34 & I bet you felt old at the time! (Sorry if that offended anyone, just making a point) so this birthday has been a tough one to wrap my brain around. The last one that was like this was when I turned 20....that year went okay so here's hoping this one does too!

I have some things to tackle during the next 12 months:

1. Be better to my body. I run - a fair amount - but I don't think I fuel my body very well. I ask it to do stuff but if I don't treat it right its just gonna say NO one of these days. So....guess what body!?!? I pledge to treat you better by giving you plenty of awesome food, stretching more, and (after The summer RW Run Streak) taking days OFF from running, cool huh?

2. Be competitive over what matters aka don't be competitive over every little thing! I pledge to choose my battles with this one. As much as it would totally rock, I do not need to always be first with everything. If I can keep that in mind & focus on doing my best & pouring my all into the things that truly matter, I will be better off & probably less exhausted all of the time.

3. Sleep more. This ties in to #1 and #2. Being better to my body by sleeping more (clearly this will be a challenge as I am typing this blog at 12:45 in the morning) and focusing on not doing EVERYTHING will mean I have more time to me, so I can sleep!

That seems like a good start to my 34th year of being on this awesome planet :)

June Goals

Hard to believe it is June already! wow this year is just flying by. Here;s a look at my goals for June.

Races signed up for:
 -Just one this month, the Starbucks Run for Women 5K on the 23rd. I have a 1/2 on July 8th, so prepping for both of those right now. I don't really have a time goal as I don't normally run this distance and I am not that speedy! So Im really just going for the race bling at the end!

Things to focus on:
- Im working all different shifts and days at work so my eating habits have not been great. I NEED to be taking food with me every day so 1) I actually eat, and 2) its healthy food. I've been bad for skipping lunches, or when I do go, eating fast food. Neither is good so I will change this!

- Ive started doing a few form drills. It makes me look a little nuts skipping down the sidewalk at 5AM but I don't care. Need to improve/strengthen my form and also strengthen my back muscles as they feel a little cranky lately.

- I am doing the Runners World Run Streak (info here) so I will do at least a mile each day until July 4th.

Thats all for now, off to work!

running is fun!

So, I woke up this morning and didn't move...nothing hurt...then I moved...ow.

It got better as the day went by and by the time I was on my way home, I was itching for a run. Took the dog for a walk and then went outside. It sure is hot out! Okay, well its only 15 degrees but that felt hot to me. It was great to actually have to wear sunglasses.

I just went for a short run around the pond and back - about 3K - and there was lots of activity around. The cool thing i LOVE about running is that people who are walking move outta my way! This makes me go faster, which I llloooovveee, but then I get tired so I have to slow down. Holy cow I just realized I have a 5K in like 4 weeks and I would like to run it in like 26-27 minutes which is speedy for me, so I need to work on going faster for longer..and when the weather is like this and the people are moving out of my way, its really fun to work on speed!

Today was supposed to be a day off from running, but the sunshine convinced me to get out and enjoy! Tomorrow is 5K Tuesday - YAY!

This is not how today was supposed to go...but

Today has been a lesson in many things. Things such as dealing with unexpected changes on race day, realizing what does and doesn't work, and learning and moving on. 

Today was supposed to be my first marathon, and it started out that way..until I was directed down the wrong road, and then got very turned around, lost, and finally decided to pack it in. 

During the race and the morning, I had thought I had made a wrong turn, but didn't really know how as things seemed fairly well marked and there were volunteers ushering runners everywhere. I saw later through the help of my Garmin, that I was directed to continue down a street and then turn, when I should have turned at that street. I continued running down the wrong street and ended up at a park, the route didn't show a park at that spot, and I could not figure out my way back onto the course and lost a ton of time, so I DNF'ed and called it a day. 

Good Things About Today:

- I found out my water bottle holder is awful and will not use it again.

- Up until the point I got lost, I was having a blast!

- I was on pace and felt great

What I Learned About Today:

- Walk/drive/bike ride/etc. the route prior to running it if possible, or carry a more detailed map than the one I had.

- I choose the perfect clothes, even after agonizing about it and changing my mind several times!

- I WANT TO DO THE ENTIRE RACE AGAIN. But of course I cannot do that until next year, so next year I will get it right and it will rock!

Next Few Runs Are;

- StarBucks Run For Women 5K on 06/23/12

- Stampede Road Race Half - 07/08/2012

- Dinosaur Valley Half - 09/09/2012

This is actually happening

haha, I have a bit of a funny story:


A few weeks ago, I made the decision to not run this upcoming weekend's marathon because I didn't feel I was ready for it. I had done great with training November-March and then totally done not-great with it as life got in the way, holidays came up, switched positions etc at work...basically I allowed myself to make excuses for why I didn't prepare as I should. So, I decided to register for the 10K instead. 


Then the confirmation emails/lists came out. 


I was on only one. 


The Marathon


So..I pondered this for several days and finally decided "LET'S DO THIS THING!" so on Sunday, I am running in my first marathon, in my home town, and I think that is awesome! I KNOW I will be sore, and it will hurt, but it does for everyone and if my legs hurt more than someone else's, how am I going to know that? 


Since I have made this decision, probably about 24 hours ago, I have not been nervous at all, which is a SUPER rare occurrence for me! I am contemplating what to wear as the weather is going to be weird I think. I have my food/water for the race down pat so that's no biggie. I am leaving the after-the-marathon-plan until, well, after the marathon, and I will see how I go. 


I don't have a time goal in mind. 


I am reasonably sure I will cry at the end, maybe in the middle too.


I MUST remember to bring lip gloss


My Garmin is charged, my iPod is charged. 


I still have three full days to wait!


I am excited. 


:) 

I'm Still Here!

Its been months since I have blogged, and I am committed to getting back on the blogging bandwagon. Today I am planning out my Summer/Fall running goals, and looking for a marathon in Nov/Dec/Jan that I can set my sights on.

My May Marathon prep crashed and burned, I let life get busy and didn't get the long runs in, so now I am not prepared, putting things off, and kicking myself in the butt lots for being a procrastinator.

Moving on...time to find some cool races, and figure out a plan.

Laters Baby :-)

Food

As I sit here, my stomach is growling. Its 1:50PM and I am starving! So far today I have had a bowl of Honey Chex, 2 oranges, a tomato, and about a litre of water. I have a pot of water on the stove and am making alfredo because I can't stand the grow lies anymore.

This whole weekend has revolved around food (that's typical of most weekends actually) It started Friday with a trip to the grocery store where Nick and I were both hungry. We did good though and didn't buy any junk food, we did buy a lot of food though!

I had spaghetti sauce started in the crock pot so we ate that for dinner (I finished the leftovers the next morning for pre-breakfast) Saturday we had Chicken for dinner which was awesome, and Sunday was home made pizza. Both Saturday and Sunday morning we made crepes and now its Monday and Im still eating like a crazy hungry person.

oh well, whatever food is fun.

February

10K on the treadmill, 3K walk X 2 with Lilo

Its been a while since I have updated so here I go!

Into my third week of marathon training and it is going AWESOME! It is amazing how much stronger I am feeling. The first week, on my first Sunday long run of 9K, I was DONE and so sore the next day, and then the 5K on Tuesday just felt brutal. This Sunday the long run was 18K and I was tired out (even took a nap!) in the afternoon. The next day though, I felt awesome, and yesterdays 5K was SO FUN! Such a difference in just over a week..so I am sold on this training plan as it seems to be working well so far.

I have ordered two pairs of shoes and am really excited for them to arrive. They are ones that aren't available in any stores in Canada yet, and the one place that I know is getting them in late February will sell them for much more than what I was able to order them for online, including the shipping. Here is what they look like

women's asics gel neo 33

women's asics gel excel 33

Both seem to be great shoes, not sure which is the best for me as I haven't been able to try them on. I am a neutral runner though so both are applicable to how I run. Cannot wait to try them out and see how they feel :-)

I topped out at 160K for January and by following my running schedule, will do 230 for February. I decided to do the St.Patrick's Day 5K in March which will be my first non-virtual race this year..haha and a 5K which is not my thing! I seem to take between 5 and 8K to get into my groove lately, so heres hoping in a month and a half I will be a little speedier at the shorter distances!

For February my plan is to keep doing what I am doing. 

- I am at a point where I am SO excited about my running and feeling all sorts of little wins, I am working this month on focusing on the bigger picture as well since I know those wins won't always be so easy to find once the mileage cranks up and life gets a little busier. 

_ I have been doing Monday-Thursday training in the evenings, and then Sat/Sun in the mornings. I would like to do Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday in the morning, and then Wednesday in the evening since its a bit of a longer run. This may not always work with my schedule, it is still a goal though so I can get my body convinced this is a good idea for when the weather & sunrise does allow for running in the mornings. 

- There are 2 trips planned with work for this month, so I will be doing one workout on a different treadmill, and then another one outside. Feeling good about this actually, taking in scenery I haven't seen since Summer, in Winter, will be great! Plus, the treadmill at the one place is right next to the pool...that is fine by me!!!

- Don't eat like crazy! I am ALWAYS starving after a run, so I am focusing on remaining aware of the fact that if I burn 900 calls on the treadmill, it doesn't give me license to eat whatever I want to for the day..everything in moderation. 

My favourite distance right now is 8K. its long enough that I feel like I did something, and short enough that I can push myself without worrying about giving too much effort and nixing a workout further on in the week. Also, its a distance where my time is not great, so theres the continual need to improve on the last run which is a great motivator. 

Question: What's your favourite distance and why? 

1st Training Week Done!

Run: 10 miles

So, first week of marathon training schedule is over! 26 miles this week on the schedule, I did 25 as Monday I went 2 miles rather than 3. I have to say, I am looking forward to having tomorrow as a non running day - not used to 6 days in a row for sure!

For this week, I am going to go slower Tuesday to Thursday to save some energy for Sundays run as it was certainly a challenge today!

I was looking over my schedule & noticed I started it a week early -oopsies! So I was able to tone down the week we are in Dominican, without losing too much overall so I feel REALLY good about that.

Tomorrow for cross training I am going to do yoga, need to stretch everything out & really prepare for the week. I did 2 ice baths this week & they helped soo much. Super not loving them, but the benefits outweigh the uncomfortable minutes for sure. My toes are the problem! The cold water makes them hurt SO much!!!

Happy with my results in the Twitter Road Race! I finished 14th in my age category & 35th overall female, that adds up to awesome in my books!

That's it for now, have a good evening all :)

#TwitterRoadRace 5K

Today was the Twitter Road Race 5K. Such a run idea. I really love reading all of the Tweets and seeing how many people just had fun because that's what it is all about. I finished mine as part of a 5 mile run and while the 5 miles wasn't the greatest, the 5K was okay for sure.

whoa, that's me and my cool results!

Tomorrow once all of the results are in, the rankings etc will be posted that will be awesome to see as well since there are people of all ages, abilities, and from all over the world doing this, its quit amazing.

I have 10 miles planned for tomorrow. I am looking forward to it, just wish todays run went better so I felt pumped about tomorrow, because now I just feel mildly concerned. I am having a tough time figuring out what wasn't great about it - other than my legs felt like lead and my times were progressively slower each KM!

Tomorrow is a new day, that's all I have for now.

Ice Bath

Run: 3 miles

So last night iran 5 miles & pushed myself to go a little faster every K, and I did that in 1-7 and then that's all I had so the last K was a little slower. Because I'm running 6 days this week, and typically run 5, I didn't want to chance sore legs & so I decided to do an ice bath. I filled the tub just enough to cover my lower legs & knelt there for 10 uncomfortable and chilly minutes. My toes were the very coldest & my legs looked a little red lobster like.

This morning, my legs felt AWESOME and they have stayed that way all day. So I am a fan for sure! Its so good for them, and to recover so much faster is just fantastic!

So the weekend is

3 miles friday
5 miles with Twitter Road Race 5K in there too on saturday
10 miles on sunday

So weekly mileage is targeted to be: 2+3+5+3+5+10 = 28 miles.

Then Monday is cross training....not sure what that will be yet as its super chilly outside, any ideas? Something I can fit in early AM from 5 to 6 preferably.

Running Is Awesome

Run: 5 miles

Today was not the best day ever. I was in a funk all day & really only improved at around 4, not for lack of effort for sure. I was having a super emotional day which on any typical day might be comical, but since I was also having a very serious day, it was just a little messy.

Anyway, glad I am feeling more chipper now!

I mentioned a few posts ago about the new Under Armor tank tops & shorts that I bought a few weeks ago. They truly are awesome! I LOVE how comfy the shorts are & the tanks fit well & are cool as well, thank you for Heat Gear.

I was certainly skeptical with the shorts being 'charged cotton' but seriously are charged with something super amazing as they are not hot, heavy, and they breathe really well too.

Last night's run was 3miles/5K. My legs were not sore before starting, they felt a little heavy is all. After the run they still felt good, so the rest day yesterday was a smart idea - GO ME! When I'm running I'm really working on keeping good form & not getting sloppy when I speed up or get tired. Its mostly successful although I will needto put a continued focus on this to really nail it in the longer runs.

This weekend on Saturday as part of my 5 mile run, I am doing a 5K Twitter Road Race (search #TwitterRoadRace on Twitter for more info). This is really a cool idea. Its the first one ever & there are (at the time of this post) over 700 people participating from all over the world. The idea behind it is to keep running fun & interesting & be a part of something new! All you do, is sign up, run 5K Saturday & then fill out a form with your time. All of the results will then be posted at the end. Some people have really got into it & posted logos and race numbers too.

Running Is Awesome.

Its Tuesday

This is normally a run day for me and Mondays are a rest day, but I switched up this week. Yesterday my calf muscles were so tight that I thought a short 3 mile run would do it. I went SLOW and at the end my calves felt better but my shin was really sore. So I iced it for a bit and then it felt good but my calves hurt again. So, since I don't have a foam roller, I used a rolling pin to get some of the tension out. Wow it hurt but after wow it felt good! So I decided since my legs haven't hurt that bad in a very long time, that I would take today off.

Walking to the train after work, my legs feel good! A bit heavy, otherwise good though :) so while I am thrilled about that (and still taking today off) I wonder if it was the short, relaxed run, or the rolling pin, or both? I will need to investigate further and I have ample opportunities judging by my training schedule. This week is 3 miles Wednesday, 5 miles Thursday, 3 miles Friday, rest Saturday, and 10 miles on Sunday. sounds like a decent week only 21 miles but that's because of Sundays awesome half marathon effort!!!!!

I totally feel in a great spot running wise now. I feel prepared to start this 17 week training plan, totally committed to completing it, and for the first time in a while, I feel like I have the time to devote to putting the effort in, which has been the issue in the past.

I will continue this later, my fingers are getting to cold to be able to type properly!

N+WHM

So today I ran the Nike+ Women's Half Marathon. It was awesome! Such a confidence booster and just a fantastic way to end a pretty good weekend. So I treated it just like any other race and had set a start time of 9AM. I ran the whole thing on my treadmill and I have to say it was pretty awesome wearing shorts and a tank top when we had a snow storm outside! I wore new shorts and a new tank, both Under Armor and they both were fantastic, I made good purchases there! So I started out really fast. I did the first 10K at 46:03 which is only 16 seconds slower than my PR time, but that was from last year so apparently I am much faster now! As you can probably guess, this totally kicked me in the butt for the last part of the half. I slowed down drastically and ended up with a final time of 2:10:16. I am still SO thrilled with that time, it would have been MUCH smarter to keep a closer watch over my pace at the beginning though and I may have been a few minutes faster overall. Still, so psyched about my time and feel really prepared now to hunker down and train my butt off for the marathon in May. I am going into May with the outlook of being happy with completing the marathon. But after today it would be pretty cool to finish 4:30 or better. Still that's a long way away and a much different race than the one I did today, so still my goal is to complete it..I will worry about time for the second one. Anyway, I will post more on this later. One thing I'm not too happy with on iPad is not being able to upload pictures...oh well I can edit this later and stick some in there. Good night!

It Begins...almost :)

My actual marathon training plan starts on January 16th.
This is the real deal one. Everything I have been doing for the last year and a half ish has been prep. Building base really and now it\'s game time!!! So psyched for this!!

I have a very strong feeling right now that I have no idea what I am doing. I am clueless about hydration, have not really experimented with energy chews or gels, and hydrating as I go. I guess thats about where I should be but it\'s weird to not really have this all planned out...for me anyway. So I did a little online shopping today. I found a $1.99 water bottle holder I am going to try out for longer runs, and got some Honey Stinger chews as well. I also picked up some $4.99 bungee cord laces as I have a new fear of tripping on my laces LOL such a worry wort!

The weather this winter is so strange. There\'s basically no snow and the temperatures are so nice and warm! So I was able to do today\'s run outside which was a treat. Love my treadmill but the sunshine and outdoors just can\'t be beat in my books! So I did 6 Miles around the neighborhood and although i was super slow it felt good to enjoy the sunshine. Not sure why it went so slowly but oh well, that happens sometimes and tomorrow will be better. Tomorrow is 9 miles and then it\'s taper time for next weekends Nike Women\'s Half Marathon. I really hope the weather stays nice so that I can run it outside rather than on the treadmill, time will tell!

Resolutions

I have never been much of a resolutions person. I think it's crazy that people put all that pressure on themselves at the beginning of the year - talk about a buzz kill. However, I am all for doing a list of things I want to accomplish this year, what I already have on the go.

1. Running.
This is my biggest category of goals and things I have on the go by far. In 11 days I will complete the Nike+ Women's Marathon which I am really excited about. It's perfect really as its virtual so no pressure about start lines, bathroom breaks, etc. less stress is always a good thing. My big goal though is running my first marathon in May. I have been signed up since registration opened last year, and am really excited for it. I would like to complete at least one more half this year, and possibly a full. It depends of course on how all the training goes and what's available. We have our vacation planned out for the year already so this year I am limited to what is in the area, which really shouldn't be a problem either way. This year is about continuing to build an awesome base and planning for bigger things in the years to come.

2. Eat Better.
This is also something I have on the go and have improved a lot on. I make a conscience effort to have lunch on a regular basis which is something I never did even 6 months ago. I am and always will be a salad girl, but I sometimes am too quick to shove needless empty calories into my mouth. We basically don't have junk food in our house except for the occasional tortilla chips or nachos, but that's about it. Where my weakness is is sugary, super yummy coffees! Love Starbucks. LOVE IT! And so making better choices and setting a coffee limit is something I will focus on. I will not take Starbucks out of my diet, just be smarter about what I order. That's sensible and something I can do.

That's all I have for now, I will add more later I am sure.