2010 proved to be a mixed year for me. I could have trained harder, I could have had bigger goals and I could have done better times! Time to turn over a new leaf and become more committed then ever, and make 2011 a year to remember. I have signed on for some big races, and I want to do well in all of them! I am going to kick start 2011 with Syl's Challenge, and train 5 days a week for a month! Something that I am looking forward to, and something that is much overdue! So Saturday marks a new beginning for me, and also a new training schedule! My boyfriend has jumped on board, and will be running his first marathon ever in May (the longest distance to date that he has run that I know of is 10km's). We begin "official training" on Tuesday with our first 3 mile run! Over the weekend, I will post January's training schedule, so if you see me slacking off, you can give me an ear bashing (or support, what ever you think is neccessary!).
Highlights of 2010:
* Running the Rock n Roll Seattle Marathon & Nike Women's Marathon
* Running the BMO Vancouver 1/2 Marathon (did it in a slow time but, it was fun :))
* Seeing my Uncle and Aunt, first time I had seen any sort of family in over a year and a half!
* One of my good friends Winnie got engaged on a mountain!
* Going Scuba Diving (in a pool!)
* Doing the Vancouver Mitsubishi Chase (hurt more then a marathon!)
* Having random weekends away, to Whistler & Bellingham!
* Spending a week in San Francisco (I can't wait to go back next year!!!)
What I look forward to in 2011:
*Training for a few marathons, and half marathons (BMO Vancouver Half, Fargo Full, Nike Womens Full - just to name a few)!
*Going to Fargo (crazy as it sounds, I think that I will have fun)
* Seeing my parents in June, first time I have seen immediate family in over 2 and a half years! (and make sure that I am a bit slimmer then I was before I came over, so that I can "knock" their socks off!)
* The possibility of going to Hawaii for Christmas!
* A super duper birthday weekend in Victoria in 2 weeks time :)
* Learning a new area at work =)
Hope that you all have an awesome NYE! And that in 2011 you achieve all your dreams! Here's cheers to the new Year!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Post Christmas Blues
It's sad to admit that I am suffering the blues, after a nice relaxing Christmas weekend! It is hard to get back to work, and back into normal routine, even though it was only three days. I had a great Christmas. On Friday night, a small group consisting of the BF, his sister and our friend Dee, had a roast dinner, and spent the night watching movies. On Christmas day I went back home to my housemates, where we exchanged gifts and then had a roast dinner (again, it was yummy and completely different foods). I then went back to the BF's house and exchanged gifts! I love all the gifts that I received, and felt very spoilt! A big thank you to my Blogger Secret Santa! I adored the reflective leg bands and the gift voucher to Forerunners! It was greatly appreciated, I can't wait to try out my things, and go shopping :) Hope that you all had a great Christmas, and that you are making big plans for the New Year!! (I didn't take any photos over Christmas, but will make sure to take New Years Photo's instead!!!)
Friday, December 24, 2010
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas everyone. I love my Canadian Christmas's as much as I do my Australian. The past 2 have been a blast, and I can't wait to see what my third Canadian Christmas has to offer! Hope that everyone cherishes the time that the have with their family, and I look forward to reading everyone's holiday blogs!!! Merry Christmas!
Thursday, December 23, 2010
An Australian Christmas
Let me tell you what a typical Australian Christmas is like. It is hot, and sweaty but a lot of fun. When I was younger my family used to have Roast Dinner in the middle of day after a morning of ripping open presents, and sending Christmas Cheer. As we all grew older the Roast dinners slowly disappeared and the traditional Aussie Barbie became our main meal. There was always an abundance of fresh fruit and veggies, and lots of sweets. What I love most about the family time is that it was the one time of year that we all came together in one location, and we gossiped about the year that was. It is harder now, since all my siblings have families and the get togethers are little more sporadic, and it is especially harder for myself and one of my siblings who is residing abroad.
"My Country" a poem by Dorothea Mackeller, epitomizes what I love about my home country. I do miss Australia especially at this time of year. Not being around my immediate family, and joining in on their festivities, is a reality of chasing my dream, of living in a different country.
I do love my adopted country and the people that I have met over the past 2 and a half years. I hope that next Christmas, I can once again join in the family tradition, and my bf can experience Christmas Aussie Style!
Tomorrow I will post about my Canadian Christmas experiences, but I first I want to leave you with an Australian Christmas song "Aussie Jingle Bells"
"My Country" a poem by Dorothea Mackeller, epitomizes what I love about my home country. I do miss Australia especially at this time of year. Not being around my immediate family, and joining in on their festivities, is a reality of chasing my dream, of living in a different country.
I do love my adopted country and the people that I have met over the past 2 and a half years. I hope that next Christmas, I can once again join in the family tradition, and my bf can experience Christmas Aussie Style!
Tomorrow I will post about my Canadian Christmas experiences, but I first I want to leave you with an Australian Christmas song "Aussie Jingle Bells"
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Who Inspires Me and Who I Aspire to Be
My athletic journey started at a young age. My parents encouraged me to try all sports, at a young age I started playing netball with my sister (like basketball but without moving my feet), and that grew into a wide range of sporting fields including floor hockey, cricket, volleyball, little athletics, basketball, tennis, golf, swimming and eventually cross country running. The thing about my past is that as soon as I reach a truly competitive level I tend to give up, or get overly self conscious and tell myself that I am unable to compete at such a high level.
My inspirations are my parents, my boyfriend and my good friend Winnie.
My parents inspire me on a whole different level. When I give up on myself, they are there to pick me back up and tell me to continue on. A few years ago I was on the road to self destruction, they noticed that I was eating myself to death, becoming obese, and they knew desperately that I needed help. They offered to come pick me up from University and take me to be back home with them. Under my parents guidance I was able to lose the weight that I gained by (at the time) "dragging" out for early morning walks with them, and learning to eat healthy. My parents were there for me, when I shut everyone else in the world out of my life. They have made me stronger and more determined then ever before, they helped me reorganize my life so that I could move on with it, and live my dreams.
My boyfriend Michael is my second inspiration. He is one of the most kind hearted and loving people that I have ever met. He encourages me with my crazy running goals, and trains with me to keep me on schedule. When I announced that I was going to run a marathon, he brought me a gym membership to "sponsor" me so that I could achieve my goals. He also travels with me to races to keep me company. He has not complained once, he gets up early with me on race day, and drives me to the location, and then continues to drive around to different points of the course, to cheer me on, and to keep me motivated to complete the runs. I don't know if I would have ever been able to complete my two marathons if it wasn't for him, as I had mini goals during the race to keep on going. He has never laughed at me when I mention my next goals, he has even signed up for his first marathon, so that we can train and race together. I hope that I can inspire him, like he has inspired me.
My third inspiration is Winnie. We first met while training for the Vancouver Half Marathon via Team in Training. While at first we didn't really get to know each other, we did soon afterwards by registering for the Disney Half Marathon and we travelled as a group. Winnie inspires me to train harder and be a better person. I aspire to be like her with my training and with my health. She has never given up, and she always reacts positively to whatever gets thrown at her. She is another reason why I finished the Nike Marathon. We ran together for the first half with Winnie running back to check on me, when she had got to far ahead. I feel guilty at the same time, because I am sure that she would have done a great time if she had of run on without me. Thank you Winnie :) I hope that one day I am half the person that you are!
I hope that I can inspire people to run. In the Summer I was lucky enough to be able to Mentor with Team in Training a group of people, to train for their first Marathon the Rock n Roll Seattle Marathon. I helped them with their fundraising goals, whilst training. I hope that I was a positive influence on them. My goals for 2011 is to inspire more people to run and to also become a better person with my eating habits. And also to be more blogging more, I need people to kick my butt if they find that I am lagging behind in my training. I may not be the fastest runner, but in 2011 I will be the most dedicated runner!
I will be more dedicated in 2011 in my races. I am going to train harder and fiercer then I ever have before and hope that I inspire people along the way. My long term goal after I sort out my training, is to become a run coach, and hope to one day encourage young athletes to achieve their dreams. I also hope to branch out into other sports (as a very long term goal) at compete in triathlons. My first step into this, is that I have become a Volunteer with the 2011 Triathlon Series in Vancouver, and I hope that I can draw the courage to compete with them in the years to come.
I think that I would be a good ambassador for the Team 4all Roster, because I am dedicated and will always try my hardest, no matter what the situation. I hope 2011 allows me to transform myself from a "Lazy Athlete" to a hard working athlete.
My inspirations are my parents, my boyfriend and my good friend Winnie.
My parents inspire me on a whole different level. When I give up on myself, they are there to pick me back up and tell me to continue on. A few years ago I was on the road to self destruction, they noticed that I was eating myself to death, becoming obese, and they knew desperately that I needed help. They offered to come pick me up from University and take me to be back home with them. Under my parents guidance I was able to lose the weight that I gained by (at the time) "dragging" out for early morning walks with them, and learning to eat healthy. My parents were there for me, when I shut everyone else in the world out of my life. They have made me stronger and more determined then ever before, they helped me reorganize my life so that I could move on with it, and live my dreams.
My boyfriend Michael is my second inspiration. He is one of the most kind hearted and loving people that I have ever met. He encourages me with my crazy running goals, and trains with me to keep me on schedule. When I announced that I was going to run a marathon, he brought me a gym membership to "sponsor" me so that I could achieve my goals. He also travels with me to races to keep me company. He has not complained once, he gets up early with me on race day, and drives me to the location, and then continues to drive around to different points of the course, to cheer me on, and to keep me motivated to complete the runs. I don't know if I would have ever been able to complete my two marathons if it wasn't for him, as I had mini goals during the race to keep on going. He has never laughed at me when I mention my next goals, he has even signed up for his first marathon, so that we can train and race together. I hope that I can inspire him, like he has inspired me.
My third inspiration is Winnie. We first met while training for the Vancouver Half Marathon via Team in Training. While at first we didn't really get to know each other, we did soon afterwards by registering for the Disney Half Marathon and we travelled as a group. Winnie inspires me to train harder and be a better person. I aspire to be like her with my training and with my health. She has never given up, and she always reacts positively to whatever gets thrown at her. She is another reason why I finished the Nike Marathon. We ran together for the first half with Winnie running back to check on me, when she had got to far ahead. I feel guilty at the same time, because I am sure that she would have done a great time if she had of run on without me. Thank you Winnie :) I hope that one day I am half the person that you are!
I hope that I can inspire people to run. In the Summer I was lucky enough to be able to Mentor with Team in Training a group of people, to train for their first Marathon the Rock n Roll Seattle Marathon. I helped them with their fundraising goals, whilst training. I hope that I was a positive influence on them. My goals for 2011 is to inspire more people to run and to also become a better person with my eating habits. And also to be more blogging more, I need people to kick my butt if they find that I am lagging behind in my training. I may not be the fastest runner, but in 2011 I will be the most dedicated runner!
I will be more dedicated in 2011 in my races. I am going to train harder and fiercer then I ever have before and hope that I inspire people along the way. My long term goal after I sort out my training, is to become a run coach, and hope to one day encourage young athletes to achieve their dreams. I also hope to branch out into other sports (as a very long term goal) at compete in triathlons. My first step into this, is that I have become a Volunteer with the 2011 Triathlon Series in Vancouver, and I hope that I can draw the courage to compete with them in the years to come.
I think that I would be a good ambassador for the Team 4all Roster, because I am dedicated and will always try my hardest, no matter what the situation. I hope 2011 allows me to transform myself from a "Lazy Athlete" to a hard working athlete.
Thank You!
I just wanted to say a big thank you to my Christmas Card Exchange buddies and my blogland Secret Santa!! They have truly made my Christmas season a wonderful one! What did I get from my Secret Santa?
You will have to wait for my post on Thursday :)
You will have to wait for my post on Thursday :)
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Gone Gluten Free
After days, months perhaps even a year, after I first promised myself I will treat myself properly and eliminate the foods that make me feel unwell, last Friday I leaped into the Gluten Free band wagon again. It is hard especially at this time of year, with all the treats and Christmas Cheer, but I am determined to get better and fit before I kick back into full time training come January 1, 2011. I have had excruciating headaches over the past few days, as well as a lot of confusion (but this may also be because of the lack of sleep I have been getting), but hopefully I will be able to benefit from the positive foods I am putting into my body very shortly. It also doesn't help that I still haven't gone for a decent run in a while, so the first chance I get to complete this will be Saturday, and this is when I plan to do my favorite Trout Lake Route with the BF. Other goals I am trying to achieve this week is to get final plans for the Christmas Dinner that I will be preparing on Friday Night (aka Christmas Eve).
Does anyone have any good Gluten Free recipes for the Christmas Season, or know of any good Gluten Free websites??
Does anyone have any good Gluten Free recipes for the Christmas Season, or know of any good Gluten Free websites??
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Back in the Run
I have assessed my attitude and motivation when it comes to diet and fitness, and to be honest I was not happy with what I saw. Since the Nike Womens Marathon a little over a month and a half ago, I managed to gain 10 pounds, mainly due to me eating crappy and my couch potato behaviour. What many people don't know about me is that I had a bad virus a few years back, which has limited my ability to eat wheat, gluten, sugar and lactose, as my body has trouble processessing it and well I have been ignoring the "eat clean" way of life, and after months of frustration, I will be going back to the clean eating way. It will be hard to say goodbye to my favourite foods again, but I know that I will be healthier for it, and that it will be much relief to MJ, so that he can see a happier version of myself.
Last Saturday was my first active weekend, in a long while. Went to the gym and ran on the treadmill and did 4 miles on the bike. I will be going for a run tonight as well, weather permitting, and then this weekend, it is the start of pre-training for the next 1/2 and full marathon both in May. The bonus with this is, that I will have a dedicated training partner, who will kick my ass out of bed, with MJ being motivated to train with me, and perhaps one day, achieve Marathoner status :)
Have a happy hump day :)
Last Saturday was my first active weekend, in a long while. Went to the gym and ran on the treadmill and did 4 miles on the bike. I will be going for a run tonight as well, weather permitting, and then this weekend, it is the start of pre-training for the next 1/2 and full marathon both in May. The bonus with this is, that I will have a dedicated training partner, who will kick my ass out of bed, with MJ being motivated to train with me, and perhaps one day, achieve Marathoner status :)
Have a happy hump day :)
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Devising a New Plan!!!
After a few weeks off after my second Marathon, the Nike Womens Marathon in San Francisco, it has given me a much needed breaks to reassess my goals and how I am going to achieve them. I have decided that I want to give running a serious go and master my training plan to enable me to compete to the best of my ability. I had so much fun running the Nike Marathon, (compared to the Seattle Marathon) and really can't wait to post my training plan on line, once I have it all figured out, which I am just fine tuning at the moment. :)
Monday, August 30, 2010
Finding MY Inspiration
After taking a few days off training after the last blog post, I have found a little more passion for running. My housemate kicked me into gear and we did some hill training and sprint training. Then my bf took charge and had me running to Trout Lake and back and running hills, including Prospect Hill, which I was finally able to run up. It has taking me two attempts at half marathons to run up it without stopping, which I have so far been unable to do. I completed it in my training run, and ambitious to do it a few more times before the summer season has rolled away for another year. Another thing that has given me new motivation is doing "fun" things during the summer period.
Last 3 Weeks in a Nutshell
I took time off from training to go to the beach with the housemates dogs:
It was fun to spend time frolicking on the beach with them, and took my mind off things that have been going on in my head. The transfer into my new job has been a bit overwhelming, so it was great to take some time out.
The following weekend my bf and I headed up to Whistler for a weekend getaway. It was so much fun, we didn't have enough time up there but we had fun looking at the sights and know what we want to when we get up there. We definitely want to do some more hiking up there, go canoeing and do some other adventure things. Here is a photo from the top of Blackombe mid hike:
Last weekend, my housemate and I competed in the Vancouver Chase, which is sort of like a large scavenger hunt around Vancouver. After figuring out some clues you had to find the place that the clue indicated and perform some tasks. I held a Tarantula, ate pigs ear, was in an Army Bootcamp and was a fire woman for 10 minutes. It was perhaps the most strenuous thing that I have ever completed, and my body is hurting more then it did when I finished the Seattle Marathon some months ago. If I happen to do it again, I think that it would be wise to invest in a good street map, and perhaps a Blackberry or Iphone. I feel sorry for the BF after interrupting him constantly during the day to find answer to clues and directions on how to get there. After 6 hours and 2 minutes of constant movement we finally crossed the finish line!
After some much needed rest after a long and exhausting day I prepared myself for a concert on Sunday night, one that I have been waiting to see for a while. I met up with an old running friend Ali whom I met from Team In Training and we had a bit of a chat about running. I had been tossing up whether or not to run with my Nike chip or a watch in the next marathon. I found that it was so inaccurate and frustrating, when I thought I was getting close to the finish, I had a lot more to do. She said that she ran her last marathon without a watch and found it one of the funnest marathons she has run in. So I have ultimately decided that I won't run with a watch or my chip and perhaps just my Ipod, to keep me entertained on the out and back. After dinner we went to a concert:
It was one of the most amazing concerts that I have been to, and reminded me a lot of home. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to see them, and if I get the opportunity to see them again I definitely will.
I will be taking a few days off before I get back into training, I am still very sore from Saturday, and I hope that I will be back into it by Wednesday. On the weekend I am starting a detox. I thought a long weekend would be a good time to start. I am determined to get healthy and fit by the time the next marathon comes along (eek only 7 weeks!!).
Take a look at my bf's blog here. It was a year long project and I am so impressed with how the photo's turned out (he is so hard on himself).
To my housemate, bf and Ali, thank you for inspiring me to get back on the running band wagon.
Last 3 Weeks in a Nutshell
I took time off from training to go to the beach with the housemates dogs:
It was fun to spend time frolicking on the beach with them, and took my mind off things that have been going on in my head. The transfer into my new job has been a bit overwhelming, so it was great to take some time out.
The following weekend my bf and I headed up to Whistler for a weekend getaway. It was so much fun, we didn't have enough time up there but we had fun looking at the sights and know what we want to when we get up there. We definitely want to do some more hiking up there, go canoeing and do some other adventure things. Here is a photo from the top of Blackombe mid hike:
Last weekend, my housemate and I competed in the Vancouver Chase, which is sort of like a large scavenger hunt around Vancouver. After figuring out some clues you had to find the place that the clue indicated and perform some tasks. I held a Tarantula, ate pigs ear, was in an Army Bootcamp and was a fire woman for 10 minutes. It was perhaps the most strenuous thing that I have ever completed, and my body is hurting more then it did when I finished the Seattle Marathon some months ago. If I happen to do it again, I think that it would be wise to invest in a good street map, and perhaps a Blackberry or Iphone. I feel sorry for the BF after interrupting him constantly during the day to find answer to clues and directions on how to get there. After 6 hours and 2 minutes of constant movement we finally crossed the finish line!
After some much needed rest after a long and exhausting day I prepared myself for a concert on Sunday night, one that I have been waiting to see for a while. I met up with an old running friend Ali whom I met from Team In Training and we had a bit of a chat about running. I had been tossing up whether or not to run with my Nike chip or a watch in the next marathon. I found that it was so inaccurate and frustrating, when I thought I was getting close to the finish, I had a lot more to do. She said that she ran her last marathon without a watch and found it one of the funnest marathons she has run in. So I have ultimately decided that I won't run with a watch or my chip and perhaps just my Ipod, to keep me entertained on the out and back. After dinner we went to a concert:
I will be taking a few days off before I get back into training, I am still very sore from Saturday, and I hope that I will be back into it by Wednesday. On the weekend I am starting a detox. I thought a long weekend would be a good time to start. I am determined to get healthy and fit by the time the next marathon comes along (eek only 7 weeks!!).
Take a look at my bf's blog here. It was a year long project and I am so impressed with how the photo's turned out (he is so hard on himself).
To my housemate, bf and Ali, thank you for inspiring me to get back on the running band wagon.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Running Rut
I am in a huge running rut, and I hope to get out of it soon, so that I can train for the Nike Women's Marathon. Something changed with my running goals after completing the Seattle Rock N Roll Marathon, and I hope that I find my mojo soon. I am taking action, but not the action I should. I am eating more then exercising, and reading books on Zen Running, I need to find some inspiration and someone to give me a swift kick in the butt.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Trying to Implement A Training Plan for Nike Womens Marathon
Now that I know what it feels like to run in a marathon, I know what I need to do to ensure that I am prepared for my next race, The Nike Women's Marathon in October. I have a little over 100 days to prepared for it and want to utilize my time as much as I can. I was so disappointed with the way that I felt after the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, so I want to shake things up a bit, and do a better time. I am still trying to find the right program that will suit me, something with speed and strength training, but Smart Coach says that I don't have enough time to do the plan right in the short amount of time. I am currently looking through books so that I can make a training plan that will suit me goals and my desire to run a lot faster then the last marathon. I have read a lot of negative feedback about the Nike Womens Marathon, and would like to know if anyone has an opinion on this. I am sure that I am going to have (being fully prepared this time) a lot of fun, and I am going to give it my all, maybe the organizers have changed the way the course works this year to make it satisfying for both the Half and Full Marathon runners!! Anyway, I love reading comments, so make sure to drop by to say hi!!!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Seattle Rock N Roll Marathon Report
It has been almost a week since I completed, perhaps one of the most mentally challenging things that I have ever been through. I almost didn't make it, but because I had some awesome cheer people (sorry MJ for not hi - fiving you at the end of the race) I eventually made it, in a time that seemed so well disappointing. Might as well start from the beginning:
The Expo:
This was by far, one of the best expo's that I have been to. It surpasses both the Vancouver Marathon & also the Disney 1/2 Marathon Expo. There was plenty to do and see, lots of samples and lots of talks and demonstrations. I was lucky enough to get the chance to walk around with Winnie and MJ (who didn't complain the whole trip whilst chauffeuring Winnie & I around. Thanks MJ you're the best!! So after we picked up our race packets we posed with the souvenir shirts:
I know awesome photo right. So then we continued walking around until we found a huge line up at the Sony tent. We looked to see who it was and it was Meb:
So we waited in line for a while and decided to get our photo taken.
So after dill dallying around at the expo for a little over 3 hours, we met up with our other Team in Training runner, Ali, Juneko & Veronica (and eventually Summer) and headed off to find some lunch. We found a place with "the best Gyros on the Earth" (no lie that is what the signage said), and had a bite to eat. After lunch, we all headed off to do our own thing, and get prepared for the inspiration dinner. The inspiration dinner was amazing and wasn't short of inspiring everyone who attended. There were great speakers and great food, lots of pasta to fill up on. We then headed off to Veronica's room for the T-Shirt decorating part of the evening, and to get final instructions for the race. There was lots of nervous and exited energy in the room, and then after the meeting we all said good night and headed off to our motel, in anticipation for race day.
RACE DAY:
Because I wasn't staying with the team, MJ & Winnie were kind enough to get up at 4:30am with me, so that they could drop me off at the start line. Well what I thought was the start line was about a 1.5 mile hike to the start line, but after walking around in what felt like circles, I finally found the crowd and the start line for the race. I thought that it was a little ironic that the start line was near the Ambulance Headquarters. After walking around by myself for a bit, I bumped into Bonnie, a former TNTer and a mentor for the Summer team with Winnie and I. We hung out for a bit, and decided to go line up for the "Honey Bucket" i.e. Port a Potties. Whilst looking for a good bathroom area, we ran into the entire team. Talk about a happy discovery!! We chatted for a good hour before we all had to go to our corals for the start of the race. We were all in different starting areas, so we said our good byes, wished each other luck and we were all on our way.
At 7:00am the gun went and off went the elite. It was about 20minutes before my corral got to the start line, but I was lucky enough to run into a former BC TNTer and we talked a bit while waiting to go. And off we went. I ran the first mile fairly quickly, and was impressed with how good I was feeling. The first band was playing "I come from a land down under" which I thought was a pretty good omen. I was feeling really good, and was eager to get to Mile 7 as this would be where Winnie and MJ would be standing waiting to cheer me on. Mile 7 seemed like forever to get there, but I finally did and seeing them on the sideline cheered me up a bit, as my Ipod music wasn't inspiring me, and the bands on the course, weren't really inspiring me either. The first out and back where the marathoners and the half marathoners split was running across the bridge over Lake Washington. It was about at this point that my foot started to ache. I had had problems with my foot for a while, so stopped training for a few weeks, and iced it constantly. It was really starting to bug me. After running up and back across the bridge we headed into the first tunnel. I thought I was going to faint. It was so incredibly hot, and the tunnel seemed to go forever. In the tunnel they had a DJ playing techno music, so along with feeling faint, the thumping music, just made me feel worse. At KM 20 I felt like I had had enough. My foot was killing me, I was depressed because if I was in a half marathon I would only have a little over a KM to go, and I started to talk negatively to myself, convincing myself that I couldn't do it. Then at mile 13 I saw this:
Winnie and MJ were at Mile 13 to cheer me on. I was so incredibly happy to see them!!! I ran over to them and I think I said to them "I'm in so much pain" and they said you can do it, MJ gave me a kiss on my cheek, Winnie waved her cowbell at me and I was off again. And ran I did. For another few miles, before we hit yet another tunnel. I manage to come across Ali as I was entering the tunnel and she was exiting it, we cheered for each other, and off we went in our very different directions. It was about at this point where I thought I can do it, but it is going to take an incredibly long time. I wasn't in a good place and found the lack of signage very distracting. I kept on thinking how far am I from the finish. I did what I thought was the last out and back and was about to give up again. The heat was starting to get to me, I was way over my anticipated 5 hour finish time, and was getting disappointed in myself, and sad that I was making Winnie and MJ waiting around too long for me to finish. I was about to head back into the Tunnel and another to my surprise I found this:
They had made their way again to see me. It was so awesome, that I started to tear up a bit. I could see that I only had 7 km's to go, and this was going to be the hardest 7 km's that I have ever run! I was lucky enough to come across a lot of TNT coaches, who would walk/run with you for about 6km's until you hit the 26mile mark. I had some good conversations with them, as I was then at the point, where I was walking because my body was unable to muster up any strength to run any more. Argh and then there it was a last out and back. I am not going to lie, it was horrible, and I was so angry at this point, that I swore never to do another marathon in my life! It was so incredibly hot, the drink stations were closing up, and well made me feel bad, and very uninspired. I was lucky enough to chat with a lovely TNT coach whose name I don't remember and he made 3 km's go by very quickly. I was at the last corner, where I got wings on my feet. And I was off. At the bottom of the hill was Veronica, who was cheering me on. I gave here a quick hug, and almost burst into tears, I was so sore at this point, that I just wanted it to be over. Then around the corner, and I could finally see the finish line. There weren't many people there, but that was ok. I saw Winnie and MJ and some girl across from them holding here hand out for a hi-5. Which I gave here with a big grin. I was told after the race that MJ wanted a Hi-5 but he was too late with putting his hand out. I am so sorry about that. Then I finally finished the dreading finish line. It took a little over 6 and a half hours. Way out of what time I thought that I would be finishing in.
Everyone was saying that it was a great effort, because I was injured, but at the same time I was disappointed. Maybe if I had of trained a different way, I may have been able to complete it in a quicker time.
Now that I have had a week to rest my legs, which have no soreness in them at all after two days, I have to think of a game plan for the next marathon. I swore off marathons while I was out there, but it is a great accomplishment, and I am determined to do more. MJ has even said he wants to do the Fargo Marathon next year when he goes home, which I think will be fun to run in. My next event is the Nike Women's Marathon which I am running in with Winnie. I hope that she gets better soon, so that we can start training together. So I start training next week. All I know is that I have lots of Hill work to do. I wasn't prepared for the Hills in Seattle, so I will be better prepared for the hills in San Fran...
Thanks Winnie, MJ, Ali, Juneko, Summer, Cynthia, Vanessa, Veronica, Bonnie, and Coach Ray & TNT for inspiring me during the race day, and throughout the weekend of the Rock n Roll!! You guys Rock, and made me achieve a dream that I thought was impossible!!!
The Expo:
This was by far, one of the best expo's that I have been to. It surpasses both the Vancouver Marathon & also the Disney 1/2 Marathon Expo. There was plenty to do and see, lots of samples and lots of talks and demonstrations. I was lucky enough to get the chance to walk around with Winnie and MJ (who didn't complain the whole trip whilst chauffeuring Winnie & I around. Thanks MJ you're the best!! So after we picked up our race packets we posed with the souvenir shirts:
I know awesome photo right. So then we continued walking around until we found a huge line up at the Sony tent. We looked to see who it was and it was Meb:
So we waited in line for a while and decided to get our photo taken.
So after dill dallying around at the expo for a little over 3 hours, we met up with our other Team in Training runner, Ali, Juneko & Veronica (and eventually Summer) and headed off to find some lunch. We found a place with "the best Gyros on the Earth" (no lie that is what the signage said), and had a bite to eat. After lunch, we all headed off to do our own thing, and get prepared for the inspiration dinner. The inspiration dinner was amazing and wasn't short of inspiring everyone who attended. There were great speakers and great food, lots of pasta to fill up on. We then headed off to Veronica's room for the T-Shirt decorating part of the evening, and to get final instructions for the race. There was lots of nervous and exited energy in the room, and then after the meeting we all said good night and headed off to our motel, in anticipation for race day.
RACE DAY:
Because I wasn't staying with the team, MJ & Winnie were kind enough to get up at 4:30am with me, so that they could drop me off at the start line. Well what I thought was the start line was about a 1.5 mile hike to the start line, but after walking around in what felt like circles, I finally found the crowd and the start line for the race. I thought that it was a little ironic that the start line was near the Ambulance Headquarters. After walking around by myself for a bit, I bumped into Bonnie, a former TNTer and a mentor for the Summer team with Winnie and I. We hung out for a bit, and decided to go line up for the "Honey Bucket" i.e. Port a Potties. Whilst looking for a good bathroom area, we ran into the entire team. Talk about a happy discovery!! We chatted for a good hour before we all had to go to our corals for the start of the race. We were all in different starting areas, so we said our good byes, wished each other luck and we were all on our way.
At 7:00am the gun went and off went the elite. It was about 20minutes before my corral got to the start line, but I was lucky enough to run into a former BC TNTer and we talked a bit while waiting to go. And off we went. I ran the first mile fairly quickly, and was impressed with how good I was feeling. The first band was playing "I come from a land down under" which I thought was a pretty good omen. I was feeling really good, and was eager to get to Mile 7 as this would be where Winnie and MJ would be standing waiting to cheer me on. Mile 7 seemed like forever to get there, but I finally did and seeing them on the sideline cheered me up a bit, as my Ipod music wasn't inspiring me, and the bands on the course, weren't really inspiring me either. The first out and back where the marathoners and the half marathoners split was running across the bridge over Lake Washington. It was about at this point that my foot started to ache. I had had problems with my foot for a while, so stopped training for a few weeks, and iced it constantly. It was really starting to bug me. After running up and back across the bridge we headed into the first tunnel. I thought I was going to faint. It was so incredibly hot, and the tunnel seemed to go forever. In the tunnel they had a DJ playing techno music, so along with feeling faint, the thumping music, just made me feel worse. At KM 20 I felt like I had had enough. My foot was killing me, I was depressed because if I was in a half marathon I would only have a little over a KM to go, and I started to talk negatively to myself, convincing myself that I couldn't do it. Then at mile 13 I saw this:
Winnie and MJ were at Mile 13 to cheer me on. I was so incredibly happy to see them!!! I ran over to them and I think I said to them "I'm in so much pain" and they said you can do it, MJ gave me a kiss on my cheek, Winnie waved her cowbell at me and I was off again. And ran I did. For another few miles, before we hit yet another tunnel. I manage to come across Ali as I was entering the tunnel and she was exiting it, we cheered for each other, and off we went in our very different directions. It was about at this point where I thought I can do it, but it is going to take an incredibly long time. I wasn't in a good place and found the lack of signage very distracting. I kept on thinking how far am I from the finish. I did what I thought was the last out and back and was about to give up again. The heat was starting to get to me, I was way over my anticipated 5 hour finish time, and was getting disappointed in myself, and sad that I was making Winnie and MJ waiting around too long for me to finish. I was about to head back into the Tunnel and another to my surprise I found this:
They had made their way again to see me. It was so awesome, that I started to tear up a bit. I could see that I only had 7 km's to go, and this was going to be the hardest 7 km's that I have ever run! I was lucky enough to come across a lot of TNT coaches, who would walk/run with you for about 6km's until you hit the 26mile mark. I had some good conversations with them, as I was then at the point, where I was walking because my body was unable to muster up any strength to run any more. Argh and then there it was a last out and back. I am not going to lie, it was horrible, and I was so angry at this point, that I swore never to do another marathon in my life! It was so incredibly hot, the drink stations were closing up, and well made me feel bad, and very uninspired. I was lucky enough to chat with a lovely TNT coach whose name I don't remember and he made 3 km's go by very quickly. I was at the last corner, where I got wings on my feet. And I was off. At the bottom of the hill was Veronica, who was cheering me on. I gave here a quick hug, and almost burst into tears, I was so sore at this point, that I just wanted it to be over. Then around the corner, and I could finally see the finish line. There weren't many people there, but that was ok. I saw Winnie and MJ and some girl across from them holding here hand out for a hi-5. Which I gave here with a big grin. I was told after the race that MJ wanted a Hi-5 but he was too late with putting his hand out. I am so sorry about that. Then I finally finished the dreading finish line. It took a little over 6 and a half hours. Way out of what time I thought that I would be finishing in.
Everyone was saying that it was a great effort, because I was injured, but at the same time I was disappointed. Maybe if I had of trained a different way, I may have been able to complete it in a quicker time.
Now that I have had a week to rest my legs, which have no soreness in them at all after two days, I have to think of a game plan for the next marathon. I swore off marathons while I was out there, but it is a great accomplishment, and I am determined to do more. MJ has even said he wants to do the Fargo Marathon next year when he goes home, which I think will be fun to run in. My next event is the Nike Women's Marathon which I am running in with Winnie. I hope that she gets better soon, so that we can start training together. So I start training next week. All I know is that I have lots of Hill work to do. I wasn't prepared for the Hills in Seattle, so I will be better prepared for the hills in San Fran...
Thanks Winnie, MJ, Ali, Juneko, Summer, Cynthia, Vanessa, Veronica, Bonnie, and Coach Ray & TNT for inspiring me during the race day, and throughout the weekend of the Rock n Roll!! You guys Rock, and made me achieve a dream that I thought was impossible!!!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Goals for the Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
In two weeks time I would have finished the Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Marathon (I hope). It is a scary thought. It has come around way too quickly for my liking, and now that I am injured, I am a little disappointed that I might not do as well as I expected. So I thought that now would be as good as time as ever, to write down my goals for the marathon.
Goal 1:
Not to finish last. (is that a bit insensitive?). That has always been my biggest fear when entering races, to end up last or being told that I am running too slow and that I won't be able to finish the race. I know the sense of reaching the finish line would be good enough, but not coming in last would be great! =) I have finished last in a swimming race before. It was the individual medley, and I was literally 2 laps behind the second last person. I had a standing ovation, and to me it felt like they were pitying me, I know that I should of been proud to complete it at all, but instead I was embarrassed (maybe I have grown up since then)......so hey if I finish last so be it, at least I tried my best!!!!
To enjoy the festivities with my Team in Training mentees and group!! I am really excited about the Team Pasta Party and the Victory Dinner. It will close this chapter of Team in Training for me (until I compete in a Triathlon for them next year), a experience that I have really enjoyed.
Goal 5
Goal 1:
To finish the marathon: I know that this seems pretty obvious, but now that I have an injured foot, the thought of running let alone completing a marathon, seems pretty far fetched. I really hope that my foot heals quickly, so that I can take part in it. I go for a long run tomorrow with the team, and if I am able to complete it then, I will continue on with my quest to run the full, if not, I will walk the full and change my corral.
Goal 2:To have fun and remain positive throughout the race: Having bands every mile, I think will contribute to how I feel throughout the race. I also want to feel the runners high, of completing something that I thought would not be possible (well for me anyway). I know that once I complete this marathon, I will have the faith that I can do anything. My friend suggested that I run through the pain and visualize each mile and how to tackle each mile. I can't think of anything past mile 13, but I know on the race day I will have a different point of view, and the adrenaline from being in a race, will make me incredibly happy =)
Goal 3Goal 3
To enjoy my time away! I am really excited about where we are staying (The BF, W & I), and I am hoping that it will provide the much anticipated relaxation that I desperately need. I need to recharge my emotional batteries, and think that the time away will help. I will be spending time with ones that I enjoy being around (a few of the many whose company I enjoy) and it is a chance not to think about "work".
Goal 4To enjoy the festivities with my Team in Training mentees and group!! I am really excited about the Team Pasta Party and the Victory Dinner. It will close this chapter of Team in Training for me (until I compete in a Triathlon for them next year), a experience that I have really enjoyed.
Goal 5
Shopping! I can't wait to go shopping after the Expo - thank god that we have a chauffeur to take us to any place that we want!!!
These are my goals, I can't wait to write my race review and go through the goals that I achieved :)
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Three Things Thursday - Summer Plan Edition
I have been quiet lazy with my 3 things that I am greatful for each Thursday - is it bad that I feel like I have run out of things that I am greatful for? I know that I have a lot to thank for but sometimes it is hard to think of them, and write them down - so here goes a different way of doing it. This is the 3 things that I will plan to do during Summer!
Spend Time in The Great Outdoors!!
I plan on taking lots of Bike rides and hikes this year (perhaps throw in a little camping here and there), it is the same plan as last year, but hey life got in the way and I didn't achieve many hikes or any bike rides at all! This means that I get to spend more time with my adorable BF and we can actually take time out over the weekend to enjoy each other's company. He was lovely enough to buy me a Bike for my birthday yesterday, which I am so happy about, and now I am even more eager to get out and ride, and well drag him along with me. (I love you baby =D) I also have my first marathon coming up, which I am going to kick ass in (I won't do an overly impressive time, but as long as I finish I will be happy!!) in only 4 weeks time, I am over the freaking out, and into the excitement phase. I am looking forward to laying out my race outfit in the next couple of days and take it on training runs to make sure that everything is comfortable. The coach thinks that I am ready for this challenge, and said that there aren't many hills. I nicely pointed out to him, that the majority of the course is hills, and one with a huge elevation gain.
Take more photos
Last year I received a pretty awesome camera (thanks MJ =D) and I didn't use it as much as I wanted to. This year I plan to take more photo walks and see what I manage to come up with. I will even learn how to use different camera's and learn how to zoom properly. I may even finish up the photo album that I have been making for my father for the past year - it is a long overdue photo journal documenting my time in Canada as my dad doesn't have access to the internet to see my photos.
Scuba Diving
I brought an introductory Scuba Diving pass for myself at a discount price. Pretty keen to try this at least once =)
Oh and plan my trip to San Francisco for the Nike Womens Marathon. I like to plan a lot in advance so that everything runs to schedule. It may take me just about all summer to do it!!
Have a happy Thursday =)
Spend Time in The Great Outdoors!!
I plan on taking lots of Bike rides and hikes this year (perhaps throw in a little camping here and there), it is the same plan as last year, but hey life got in the way and I didn't achieve many hikes or any bike rides at all! This means that I get to spend more time with my adorable BF and we can actually take time out over the weekend to enjoy each other's company. He was lovely enough to buy me a Bike for my birthday yesterday, which I am so happy about, and now I am even more eager to get out and ride, and well drag him along with me. (I love you baby =D) I also have my first marathon coming up, which I am going to kick ass in (I won't do an overly impressive time, but as long as I finish I will be happy!!) in only 4 weeks time, I am over the freaking out, and into the excitement phase. I am looking forward to laying out my race outfit in the next couple of days and take it on training runs to make sure that everything is comfortable. The coach thinks that I am ready for this challenge, and said that there aren't many hills. I nicely pointed out to him, that the majority of the course is hills, and one with a huge elevation gain.
Take more photos
Last year I received a pretty awesome camera (thanks MJ =D) and I didn't use it as much as I wanted to. This year I plan to take more photo walks and see what I manage to come up with. I will even learn how to use different camera's and learn how to zoom properly. I may even finish up the photo album that I have been making for my father for the past year - it is a long overdue photo journal documenting my time in Canada as my dad doesn't have access to the internet to see my photos.
Scuba Diving
I brought an introductory Scuba Diving pass for myself at a discount price. Pretty keen to try this at least once =)
Oh and plan my trip to San Francisco for the Nike Womens Marathon. I like to plan a lot in advance so that everything runs to schedule. It may take me just about all summer to do it!!
Have a happy Thursday =)
Sunday, May 23, 2010
No Title
Every now and then I run out of things to write about. I think that I sometimes live a very boring and uninteresting life - it is me, this is who I am. I haven't done much training since the Sun Run. I ran 26 km's last Sunday (it was meant to be 32kms, but I got lost and the coach had to come pick me up). I only ran 10km's today. I think that I have somewhat lost my mojo, something that I will need to get back, very quickly. I only have 32 day's left until I tackle my first marathon, something which now I am both excited and petrified about. I know that I react differently on race days. I have more energy and want to prove to others that I can do this. I need to prove to myself that I can do this in training runs. I am not sure why, but I always want to quit when I am on the training runs, even though I know that it will benefit me in the long run. Instead of running the 18kms with the full marathon runners, I opted for the 10km's instead. Why do I do this to myself - I know that I will regret it later on, but what can I do right? Tomorrow I start with a different attitude. I can do this, and I will do this! I am going to kick ass at the gym tomorrow, and then spend a relaxing day with the housemates - I am almost a year older, and I new a new attitude for my entry into my late 20's, something which I am excited about - another year older, another year wiser right? I am going to train harder and eat better (kind of hard at the moment with only have a temporary kitchen at the moment).
So that is the end of my un-motivational story - I hope that I find my grove really soon!!!
So that is the end of my un-motivational story - I hope that I find my grove really soon!!!
Monday, May 10, 2010
2010 BMO Vancouver Half Marathon & Sun Run Race Report
So it has been a while since I have updated my blog. I have been a busy little bee, and now that things are finally starting to settle down a bit, now is as good as time as ever to start writing again.
May 2nd marked the 2010 BMO Half Marathon. I was excited with anticipation leading up to the event with the hopes of getting a PB time. In the days leading up to the event, unfortunate series of events started taking place, (especially after having a fantastic Friday on the 23rd of April W & I got into the Nike Womens Marathon via lottery), the week that followed was pretty crap. I litterally had the worst week at work ever, nothing was going right, my bosses were being particularly unfriendly and on Friday (before the race) I had a mild panic attack. All the pressure had built up and it was too much for my body to handle. W handled it like a pro - keeping me constantly occupied by taking me to her co-workers farewell parties and art gallery extravaganza, and then when I went home to the BF, he looked after me well and let me crumble into a little heap of misery bawling my eyes out, he cooked me some comfort food and we watched the tube, until I had calmed down enough to go to sleep. Saturday (day before the race) was a mediocre day. I worked at the expo and walked 5 miles on the treadmill, I was a little overwhelmed by the crowd and then fought my way through to head back home in preparation for the yummy pasta party with W, F & the BF. Had a good night and a good feed. On race morning, it was the same as any race morning had my 2 bananas and drank some more fluids and looked out the window - it was gloomy to say the least. I had never run a half marathon in the rain before, and I am not going to lie, a little bit of rain is good, but when it starts pelting down and hurting, thats when I no longer the running in the rain. I met up with W & B before the race for some pre-race gossip and to line up for the port-o-potties one last time. And then we were off (I am the slower of the 3 of us and soon i was running by myself), we left 10 minutes after the gun but that didn't worry me. I quickly caught up with the stragglers from the start and was trying to find my grove. I know that it is going to be a bad run, when my body feels like exploding, and I struggle for breath after the 1st KM. It wasn't until KM 10 that I could breath properly and that's when I ran into T & L who are pretty much the most awesome people to run into when faced with the giant hill that is Prospect Point. I was determined this year to run up it completely - no stopping for the first time. I got up half way and then my legs felt like lead and stumbled to a walk. I walked the remainder of the hill, a little disappointed with my efforts, to say the least. And then it was all downhill from there (literally) a almost 2 km downhill stretch hurt my legs but I was able to power on until the finish (I did sneak in some walk breaks here and there), and finally crossed the finish line in 2 hours 44 minutes. It is not my best time, and is not my worst time, I was happy to finish, and am more determined then ever to train hills for next year attempt.
SUN RUN
My legs healed fairly quickly from the half marathon experience, I have no doubt that my Zensah compressions sleeves, helped alleviate any of the pain that I was having. I went for a training run with the BF on Wednesday and had to stop running after 1.4km's my legs felt like lead, and thought I should take it easy. I wanted a PB time in this race, and was confident of doing it, that was until I came down with a head cold on Saturday. We ate dinner (pasta party again) with the BF at Lombardos which was pretty much awesome, I can not wait to eat there again. (My BF & I have decided when one of us gets a new job we will celebrate there). Still fighting off the cold on Sunday we woke to the most beautiful day outside. We arrive at the race 40 minutes prior to starting and found our starting area. We ran into T & L and chatted with them for about an hour for our corral to leave. Once we got started I knew that I was going to do a pretty good time for me. That was until around the 4th KM and some guy decided to shove my in my back with both his arms and yell move - even though there was ample space around me to pass. I was a bit dazed by being pushed but continued to run with the BF, but it put me a little off my game. At km 7 and after running for 40 minutes, I needed to slow down to a walk to take a breather to rest my left knee and clear my head the I encouraged my BF to continue to run and off he went. I kept myself entertained for the remainder of the run, by pace stalking other runners until I had enough and went out on my own. The last KM was a full sprint for me, I knew I was beating my old time and wanted to get it down as much as possible, then the bottle neck before the turn to the finish line came up and it was a scramble to get into the best position. I found that no one was running down the right had side of the track so I was off, going past as many people as I could in the last 500 meters. And it felt pretty awesome. I did the 10km in 1hr 13min exactly. I was hoping for a faster time, but was pretty stoked with it for the shape that I was in. I probably won't run in this race again, there are too many people who seem to like to invade my personal space.
After the race we went out for post race food with my housemate C & her friend S, it was awesome. Later in the afternoon I felt like I had been hit by a truck and was falling pretty fast. The cold had taken full effect, and I feel so lethargic. I am hoping that I don't get glandular fever again. I have been told it is not likely to happen twice, but a Dr. told me that it is always in your body, and can strike you when you are stressed. So fingers crossed it is just the common cold.
I really want to get back into training as soon as possible. I only have 7 weeks before the marathon, which I am slightly worried about. I want to do well, and not have W & the BF waiting hours on end for me to finish. I want to start my training again on Wednesday, to make sure that I am rid of my cold.
May 2nd marked the 2010 BMO Half Marathon. I was excited with anticipation leading up to the event with the hopes of getting a PB time. In the days leading up to the event, unfortunate series of events started taking place, (especially after having a fantastic Friday on the 23rd of April W & I got into the Nike Womens Marathon via lottery), the week that followed was pretty crap. I litterally had the worst week at work ever, nothing was going right, my bosses were being particularly unfriendly and on Friday (before the race) I had a mild panic attack. All the pressure had built up and it was too much for my body to handle. W handled it like a pro - keeping me constantly occupied by taking me to her co-workers farewell parties and art gallery extravaganza, and then when I went home to the BF, he looked after me well and let me crumble into a little heap of misery bawling my eyes out, he cooked me some comfort food and we watched the tube, until I had calmed down enough to go to sleep. Saturday (day before the race) was a mediocre day. I worked at the expo and walked 5 miles on the treadmill, I was a little overwhelmed by the crowd and then fought my way through to head back home in preparation for the yummy pasta party with W, F & the BF. Had a good night and a good feed. On race morning, it was the same as any race morning had my 2 bananas and drank some more fluids and looked out the window - it was gloomy to say the least. I had never run a half marathon in the rain before, and I am not going to lie, a little bit of rain is good, but when it starts pelting down and hurting, thats when I no longer the running in the rain. I met up with W & B before the race for some pre-race gossip and to line up for the port-o-potties one last time. And then we were off (I am the slower of the 3 of us and soon i was running by myself), we left 10 minutes after the gun but that didn't worry me. I quickly caught up with the stragglers from the start and was trying to find my grove. I know that it is going to be a bad run, when my body feels like exploding, and I struggle for breath after the 1st KM. It wasn't until KM 10 that I could breath properly and that's when I ran into T & L who are pretty much the most awesome people to run into when faced with the giant hill that is Prospect Point. I was determined this year to run up it completely - no stopping for the first time. I got up half way and then my legs felt like lead and stumbled to a walk. I walked the remainder of the hill, a little disappointed with my efforts, to say the least. And then it was all downhill from there (literally) a almost 2 km downhill stretch hurt my legs but I was able to power on until the finish (I did sneak in some walk breaks here and there), and finally crossed the finish line in 2 hours 44 minutes. It is not my best time, and is not my worst time, I was happy to finish, and am more determined then ever to train hills for next year attempt.
SUN RUN
My legs healed fairly quickly from the half marathon experience, I have no doubt that my Zensah compressions sleeves, helped alleviate any of the pain that I was having. I went for a training run with the BF on Wednesday and had to stop running after 1.4km's my legs felt like lead, and thought I should take it easy. I wanted a PB time in this race, and was confident of doing it, that was until I came down with a head cold on Saturday. We ate dinner (pasta party again) with the BF at Lombardos which was pretty much awesome, I can not wait to eat there again. (My BF & I have decided when one of us gets a new job we will celebrate there). Still fighting off the cold on Sunday we woke to the most beautiful day outside. We arrive at the race 40 minutes prior to starting and found our starting area. We ran into T & L and chatted with them for about an hour for our corral to leave. Once we got started I knew that I was going to do a pretty good time for me. That was until around the 4th KM and some guy decided to shove my in my back with both his arms and yell move - even though there was ample space around me to pass. I was a bit dazed by being pushed but continued to run with the BF, but it put me a little off my game. At km 7 and after running for 40 minutes, I needed to slow down to a walk to take a breather to rest my left knee and clear my head the I encouraged my BF to continue to run and off he went. I kept myself entertained for the remainder of the run, by pace stalking other runners until I had enough and went out on my own. The last KM was a full sprint for me, I knew I was beating my old time and wanted to get it down as much as possible, then the bottle neck before the turn to the finish line came up and it was a scramble to get into the best position. I found that no one was running down the right had side of the track so I was off, going past as many people as I could in the last 500 meters. And it felt pretty awesome. I did the 10km in 1hr 13min exactly. I was hoping for a faster time, but was pretty stoked with it for the shape that I was in. I probably won't run in this race again, there are too many people who seem to like to invade my personal space.
After the race we went out for post race food with my housemate C & her friend S, it was awesome. Later in the afternoon I felt like I had been hit by a truck and was falling pretty fast. The cold had taken full effect, and I feel so lethargic. I am hoping that I don't get glandular fever again. I have been told it is not likely to happen twice, but a Dr. told me that it is always in your body, and can strike you when you are stressed. So fingers crossed it is just the common cold.
I really want to get back into training as soon as possible. I only have 7 weeks before the marathon, which I am slightly worried about. I want to do well, and not have W & the BF waiting hours on end for me to finish. I want to start my training again on Wednesday, to make sure that I am rid of my cold.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Three Things Thursday
Ok, so it is that time of the week again where I state the three things that I am greatful for.
1. Stubborness
I am happy been stubborn and I am greatful that I am this way. Just a little over 9 years ago my mole on my arm started bleeding. I went to the doctors and they said that there was nothing wrong with it - I made them take the mole out and it ended up being melanoma. I had to go back in and had 2 more surgeries to remove more skin around the mole. If I had not have stood my ground it would be a completely different story being told today, I would most likely be 6 feet under. I was the youngest diagnosed in the skin cancer clinic that I went to. I was 19 years old. I am overly cautious now with my body, and when I don't feel well, I try to eliminate the cause for my illness, and if I can't figure it out I will see a doctor. I know that I am now at a higher chance of getting cancer again, so I have to be extra cautious now.
2. My Parents
My parents brought be back from the brink of destruction. When I was living by myself and going to uni, I had a pretty horrible housemate and she blamed me for many things, among them her bulimia and also being drugged when she went out (I was not a party goer, but I was meant to look after her or so her parents said!!) After my housemate moved out, I started finding comfort in food, and before I knew it, I was obese, and was slowly eating myself to death - chocolate & deep fried foods were my best friends. My parents came and picked me up and I moved back home with them, and mum and dad put me on a diet, slowly I began to lose weight and regaining self confidence. I still have about 20 pounds to lose to get to my idea weight, and sometimes I do slip back into my old ways, but they are becoming less these days.
3. Music
I started playing the piano soon after I learned how to read by myself for the first time. I find that music has a calming effect over me. I wish that I had of stayed playing the piano, but when studying for finals at school it was hard to keep up and concentrate on both. When i was younger I dreamed of writing my own music and performing it for others, these days I am rediscovering the joys of singing and listening to music again. One day I will write a song, not in the next few years, but eventually when I get my immediate goals settled!!
Hope that you enjoyed this edition of three things Thursday!!
It is getting very close to the BMO Vancouver half. I will be working at the expo on the Saturday and running/walking on a treadmill for an hour, to show that anyone can get exercise when they want to :)
1. Stubborness
I am happy been stubborn and I am greatful that I am this way. Just a little over 9 years ago my mole on my arm started bleeding. I went to the doctors and they said that there was nothing wrong with it - I made them take the mole out and it ended up being melanoma. I had to go back in and had 2 more surgeries to remove more skin around the mole. If I had not have stood my ground it would be a completely different story being told today, I would most likely be 6 feet under. I was the youngest diagnosed in the skin cancer clinic that I went to. I was 19 years old. I am overly cautious now with my body, and when I don't feel well, I try to eliminate the cause for my illness, and if I can't figure it out I will see a doctor. I know that I am now at a higher chance of getting cancer again, so I have to be extra cautious now.
2. My Parents
My parents brought be back from the brink of destruction. When I was living by myself and going to uni, I had a pretty horrible housemate and she blamed me for many things, among them her bulimia and also being drugged when she went out (I was not a party goer, but I was meant to look after her or so her parents said!!) After my housemate moved out, I started finding comfort in food, and before I knew it, I was obese, and was slowly eating myself to death - chocolate & deep fried foods were my best friends. My parents came and picked me up and I moved back home with them, and mum and dad put me on a diet, slowly I began to lose weight and regaining self confidence. I still have about 20 pounds to lose to get to my idea weight, and sometimes I do slip back into my old ways, but they are becoming less these days.
3. Music
I started playing the piano soon after I learned how to read by myself for the first time. I find that music has a calming effect over me. I wish that I had of stayed playing the piano, but when studying for finals at school it was hard to keep up and concentrate on both. When i was younger I dreamed of writing my own music and performing it for others, these days I am rediscovering the joys of singing and listening to music again. One day I will write a song, not in the next few years, but eventually when I get my immediate goals settled!!
Hope that you enjoyed this edition of three things Thursday!!
It is getting very close to the BMO Vancouver half. I will be working at the expo on the Saturday and running/walking on a treadmill for an hour, to show that anyone can get exercise when they want to :)
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Tedious Tuesday
Tuesdays really wear me out - Tuesdays and Thursdays are the worst days in the week as far as I am concerned. It is something about the T's. Went to the gym this morning and wasn't very successful in my workout! Lacked energy completely. I only managed to do 10 minutes on the treadmill and then 10 minutes on the bike, before I decided that it was enough and I couldn't possibly do anymore. I am not even sure why I am so un-energetic. I went to bed early last night and before I knew it the alarm went off at 4:58am - maybe I should try working out in the afternoon - but I am worried that I will be too energised to sleep.*sigh* what to do. Anyway - I think I am getting too sleepy to even complete this blog....
Monday, April 19, 2010
Weekend Wrap Up
After a tiresome week, and then having a relatively unhappy Friday night, I was ready to embrace the weekend for all that it was.
On Saturday the weather was kind of sad - it was raining and a little cold. MJ & I got up early (well early for a Saturday) and then went for a short run - really short we ran to the video store and then back to my house so that I could pick up my togs for a swim and then back to MJ house for brunch. In the afternoon I met up with W for the beginning of our training for our triathlon (which is next year - nothing wrong with getting in early and it is a great source of cross training) at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre for a quick few laps and then we wanted to explore the hot tub and possibly the sauna. After about 6 laps we decided that the hot tub was calling our name, so we went there to only discover that the pool was filled with about 12 men, so we went back to the pool and swam some more laps. After swimming about 700 meters we decided that was a good attempt for our first outing and for a two - nie, it was great value!! Afterwards we went for a lovely afternoon tea and split in preparation for the run on Sunday morning.
On Sunday I ran 11.26kms (could have done a lot further but didn't want to push myself too hard) in 1 hour 11 minutes (but I stopped for about 5 minutes for a bathroom break) - I am not as confident as I should be for the 1/2 but it is all preparation for the full in 8 weeks time and I am going to concentrate on that. In the afternoon MJ & I played some frisbee in the park - until I was too utterly exhausted to exert anymore energy on throwing a frisbee!
Was meant to get up early for a gym session - but decided last night that today will be my rest day and I will get back into it tomorrow morning where I will hit the gym and do inclines on the treadmill - Prospect Hill will not defeat me this year!!
That sums up my weekend - I thought that I would end my Monday posts with 5 songs that motivate me during a run:
1 - Eye of the Tiger (Survivor)
2 - Hungarian (Bond)
3 - Weapon of Choice (Fatboy Slim)
4 - Bad Romance (Lady Gaga)
5 - Whyyawannabringmedown (Kelly Clarkson)
Have a good Monday night!!
On Saturday the weather was kind of sad - it was raining and a little cold. MJ & I got up early (well early for a Saturday) and then went for a short run - really short we ran to the video store and then back to my house so that I could pick up my togs for a swim and then back to MJ house for brunch. In the afternoon I met up with W for the beginning of our training for our triathlon (which is next year - nothing wrong with getting in early and it is a great source of cross training) at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre for a quick few laps and then we wanted to explore the hot tub and possibly the sauna. After about 6 laps we decided that the hot tub was calling our name, so we went there to only discover that the pool was filled with about 12 men, so we went back to the pool and swam some more laps. After swimming about 700 meters we decided that was a good attempt for our first outing and for a two - nie, it was great value!! Afterwards we went for a lovely afternoon tea and split in preparation for the run on Sunday morning.
On Sunday I ran 11.26kms (could have done a lot further but didn't want to push myself too hard) in 1 hour 11 minutes (but I stopped for about 5 minutes for a bathroom break) - I am not as confident as I should be for the 1/2 but it is all preparation for the full in 8 weeks time and I am going to concentrate on that. In the afternoon MJ & I played some frisbee in the park - until I was too utterly exhausted to exert anymore energy on throwing a frisbee!
Was meant to get up early for a gym session - but decided last night that today will be my rest day and I will get back into it tomorrow morning where I will hit the gym and do inclines on the treadmill - Prospect Hill will not defeat me this year!!
That sums up my weekend - I thought that I would end my Monday posts with 5 songs that motivate me during a run:
1 - Eye of the Tiger (Survivor)
2 - Hungarian (Bond)
3 - Weapon of Choice (Fatboy Slim)
4 - Bad Romance (Lady Gaga)
5 - Whyyawannabringmedown (Kelly Clarkson)
Have a good Monday night!!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Goals for the Weekend
Yay - TGIF - the sun is shining and hope that it stays that way for the rest of the weekend!! Tomorrow it is early morning gym session with the BF & then off to start my Tri Training with W at the pool in her complex - we are starting out with a small pool, to prevent any chances of drowning!!
On Sunday it is taper day at the GTS with the team so they go down from 18km to 10km, a distance which I am confident with. With just over 2 weeks till the BMO Vancouver Half it is full training ahead!!!
Enjoy the sunshine and have a great weekend!!!
On Sunday it is taper day at the GTS with the team so they go down from 18km to 10km, a distance which I am confident with. With just over 2 weeks till the BMO Vancouver Half it is full training ahead!!!
Enjoy the sunshine and have a great weekend!!!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Three Things Thursday
Each Thursday I am going to write about 3 things that I am greatful for. The reason for this is that sometimes, I get so caught up in the negatives, that I don't often get time to think of the positives in my life. So here is the first installment of the 3 things that I am greatful for at the moment:
Joining Team In Training
I joined TNT in November 2008 just 6 weeks after arriving in Canada. I needed to make friends (and was only travelling with one other person at the time, and they didn't like to go out and meet people) and learn how to get out of my comfort zone and learn how to run. The people that I met were amazing, and I know that they will be lifelong friends. I am now a mentor with TNT, and am also training to run my first full marathon, and next year will be training with them again for the Lavaman Triathlon in Hawaii.
Taking Dance Lessons
When we arrived here, my travelling friend decided that she wanted to take dance lessons here- it was a toss up between West Coast Swing and Pussy Cat Dolls dancing. I thought that it would be more of a challenge to dance with a partner so we enrolled in West Coast Swing. We were probably the 2 most uncoordinated people that ever participated in the class, but it gave me the opportunity to meet new people. It also was where I met my darling BF, and the rest they say is history :)
My Travelling Buddy Leaving
I know that this sound a little odd - and perhaps a little cold hearted. The thing that suffocated me the most when we arrived was only having each other to depend on. Don't get me wrong, we were really best friends before we started this trip together. But after time, it seemed that she relied on me too much and to put it simply used me until her friends arrived from home. Once they arrived, she told me that we were packing up and moving to Toronto - I am stubborn and wouldn't budge, so she left with them. The reason why this is turned into such a great thing for me, is that through the help from the BF, I am living in the most wonderful place possible, living the full Canadian Dream. I live with 4 other people, all whom I get along with really well, and it has turned my world upside down, and makes me so incredibly happy to be sharing home with them - and the dogs.
So there is a little insite - there will be more to be revealed over the coming Thursdays!!
Joining Team In Training
I joined TNT in November 2008 just 6 weeks after arriving in Canada. I needed to make friends (and was only travelling with one other person at the time, and they didn't like to go out and meet people) and learn how to get out of my comfort zone and learn how to run. The people that I met were amazing, and I know that they will be lifelong friends. I am now a mentor with TNT, and am also training to run my first full marathon, and next year will be training with them again for the Lavaman Triathlon in Hawaii.
Taking Dance Lessons
When we arrived here, my travelling friend decided that she wanted to take dance lessons here- it was a toss up between West Coast Swing and Pussy Cat Dolls dancing. I thought that it would be more of a challenge to dance with a partner so we enrolled in West Coast Swing. We were probably the 2 most uncoordinated people that ever participated in the class, but it gave me the opportunity to meet new people. It also was where I met my darling BF, and the rest they say is history :)
My Travelling Buddy Leaving
I know that this sound a little odd - and perhaps a little cold hearted. The thing that suffocated me the most when we arrived was only having each other to depend on. Don't get me wrong, we were really best friends before we started this trip together. But after time, it seemed that she relied on me too much and to put it simply used me until her friends arrived from home. Once they arrived, she told me that we were packing up and moving to Toronto - I am stubborn and wouldn't budge, so she left with them. The reason why this is turned into such a great thing for me, is that through the help from the BF, I am living in the most wonderful place possible, living the full Canadian Dream. I live with 4 other people, all whom I get along with really well, and it has turned my world upside down, and makes me so incredibly happy to be sharing home with them - and the dogs.
So there is a little insite - there will be more to be revealed over the coming Thursdays!!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Goals for the Week
This weeks it is time to put training first. Every second day I will be running in the gym, and on the alternate days I will be lifting weight. Saturday this week will be my rest day. I can't believe that the half marathon is only 19 days, it has gone by so quickly, and I have been focusing all my energy on making sure that my mentees are being catered for that it is sometimes, hard to remember that I also have to train (the celebrated their half way party on Sunday - so I was cheerleader for the day), needless to say that now that I am in full panic mode it is time to pound the pavement, and this year I just aim to complete the race, and I am not too concerned with what my time is. After the half marathon, I will have to continue the training as then I will have to focus all my energies on the Marathon in June, which I haven't seriously thought about yet!!! (give it a few weeks, and then I will be freaking out about that too!!)
My blog has been generously updated, by my adorable boyfriend, to make it more attractive. You can check out his work here.
So off to bed now, early morning tomorrow off to the gym to do weights.
My blog has been generously updated, by my adorable boyfriend, to make it more attractive. You can check out his work here.
So off to bed now, early morning tomorrow off to the gym to do weights.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Too Much Chocolate
I am not going to lie. I enjoy chocolate and always have to have some form of chocolate lying around house. I have to stop eating it!! At the moment I have a chocolate induced tummy ache, and have pledged not to eat anymore chocolate until I complete the full marathon in June - that is some kind of crazy!! From this I exclude chocolate milk - and will only include solid chocolate. The reason for the chocolate milk is that I heard that it helps the recovery process, so I am going to see how that goes!!
Training wise - I freaked out about 30 minutes ago realizing that time is quickly running out for me to be ready for the Vancouver Half - my original dream of running it in 2 hours 15 minutes, is fading fast, and my goal is to do one minute better then last year or at least get to 2 hour 30 minutes. Today was my rest day after 2 days in a row at the gym, tomorrow I am going to hit it hard and work on my inclines - this year I will not be defeated by Prospect Hill!! And now that I am aware of it, I am going to do everything that I can to ensure that I run up it!!
I will be working at the BMO Vancouver Expo this year which I am quiet excited about, working on behalf of Team in Training and promoting their fall season which has some pretty awesome events!!
Time to head to bed - going to do a big run tomorrow morning at the gym!
Training wise - I freaked out about 30 minutes ago realizing that time is quickly running out for me to be ready for the Vancouver Half - my original dream of running it in 2 hours 15 minutes, is fading fast, and my goal is to do one minute better then last year or at least get to 2 hour 30 minutes. Today was my rest day after 2 days in a row at the gym, tomorrow I am going to hit it hard and work on my inclines - this year I will not be defeated by Prospect Hill!! And now that I am aware of it, I am going to do everything that I can to ensure that I run up it!!
I will be working at the BMO Vancouver Expo this year which I am quiet excited about, working on behalf of Team in Training and promoting their fall season which has some pretty awesome events!!
Time to head to bed - going to do a big run tomorrow morning at the gym!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Weekly Goal
No that it is under 30 days to the BMO Vancouver Half Marathon, I thought that it would be now or never to take my training more seriously. Last week was a bit of a non workout week - went to the Gym once and then went to Hot Yoga once - 2 workouts in one week is kind of a bad effort. This weekend MJ & I went to Seattle - we managed to get one run in. It was a good chance to do some hill work in slight preparation for the hills that I will be running in a few months time (which I will freak out about later....a full marathon, how crazy can I be??). But now all my energy has to be focused on the next couple of weeks so that I can be prepared for the half marathon.
Today after spending a very aggravating 2 and a half hours in the Doctors Office, I went to the gym to hit the treadmill and the bikes. Ran 30 minutes on the Treadmill and rode the bike for 20 minutes - it felt like a really good workout, and built up a good sweat.
My goal for the rest of the week is to go to the gym once a day and use Saturday as my long run day - and celebrate with the team on Sunday as they have reached their half way mark!! I will also start to do some weight training - use the book of exercises that MJ photocopied for me, so that I have some guidance.
So it is off to bed for me, after drinking my bottle of water to hydrate myself, and be ready for the early start tomorrow morning.
Today after spending a very aggravating 2 and a half hours in the Doctors Office, I went to the gym to hit the treadmill and the bikes. Ran 30 minutes on the Treadmill and rode the bike for 20 minutes - it felt like a really good workout, and built up a good sweat.
My goal for the rest of the week is to go to the gym once a day and use Saturday as my long run day - and celebrate with the team on Sunday as they have reached their half way mark!! I will also start to do some weight training - use the book of exercises that MJ photocopied for me, so that I have some guidance.
So it is off to bed for me, after drinking my bottle of water to hydrate myself, and be ready for the early start tomorrow morning.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
So.Tired.
I am so incredibly tired today. I had great intentions for getting up early and going for a run, because I relized late last night that we have our Pot Luck/Motivation party tonight for Team in Training. I am really excited about this, I received great information from our meeting last year and hope to give the new runners tips on how to run in the Vancouver 1/2 Marathon, and hopefully will be able to pick up some tips myself. The reason behind the tiredness is not because of getting up early to go to the gym yesterday - which energized me all day, it was because of my housemate. I absolutely adore all my housemates and don't have a bad thing to say about any of them - except for last night. I am all for having friends over and partying it up, but I told this housemate that I was extremely tired and to try and keep the noise down after 10:30 - it was fair or so I thought. They stayed up playing video games way past midnight which should not have been a problem except that this person has an overly loud belly laugh and everytime I would be drifting off to sleep he would laugh and there goes my sleep pattern for the next few hours. Anyway - time to stop complaining and get back to it. I don't think that I will get up early for the gym tomorrow - I hope to get a decent sleep tonight so my sleep pattern can get back to normal!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Weekend Update
It's a bit late for the weekend update, but it is better late then never right? I did a 14km run on Sunday and felt good throughout. I was in minimal pain after-wards. I felt good throughout the run and enjoyed have a mental competition with myself - if I make it all the way to the hill without stopping (1km) I can walk up the hill, and if I make it to the Cafe, I can stop for a drink. Another mental competition was that there were other runners from my team behind me, and I tried to maintain my lead (although minimal) during the 14km's and would have came in before them but my legs were tightening up badly and then W caught up with me after doing the 18km run and she was in pain as well, so we walked the remaining 2km's with each other to keep each other motivated.
After the run, I began to analyze how my training is going. I am at the same pace that I was at last year before the event. And with just a little over 4 weeks to the half marathon I have to up my training. I want to beat my time from last year - even if it is only by a few minutes (which will be my personal best). I originally wanted to run around 2:15 but these are just dreams now, and don't anticipate a that time, although I will do everything that I can to achieve that run.
MJ realizing my need to focus on training has been the ever supporting BF and got up early this morning with me to go to the gym - this morning, I did the treadmill and also the bike - i only ran for 5 minutes on the Treadmill - I had a little shin pain (still from the 14km I think) and in that 5 minutes I did a fitness test. I am happy that I have gone from poor to below average and hope that when I do it again in a few weeks time I will graduate to the average level.
Tomorrow I will do light training in the afternoon - most likely a short run around the track and do some speed work. I am excited about the Easter Break coming up and hope to get some decent training in during the weekend (unless I am overcome with laziness, and honestly it wouldn't be me if this didn't happen). Oh and I read today that the Seattle Rock n Roll marathon has sold out - eek 28,000 runners should be a great race and also a bit overwhelming!!
After the run, I began to analyze how my training is going. I am at the same pace that I was at last year before the event. And with just a little over 4 weeks to the half marathon I have to up my training. I want to beat my time from last year - even if it is only by a few minutes (which will be my personal best). I originally wanted to run around 2:15 but these are just dreams now, and don't anticipate a that time, although I will do everything that I can to achieve that run.
MJ realizing my need to focus on training has been the ever supporting BF and got up early this morning with me to go to the gym - this morning, I did the treadmill and also the bike - i only ran for 5 minutes on the Treadmill - I had a little shin pain (still from the 14km I think) and in that 5 minutes I did a fitness test. I am happy that I have gone from poor to below average and hope that when I do it again in a few weeks time I will graduate to the average level.
Tomorrow I will do light training in the afternoon - most likely a short run around the track and do some speed work. I am excited about the Easter Break coming up and hope to get some decent training in during the weekend (unless I am overcome with laziness, and honestly it wouldn't be me if this didn't happen). Oh and I read today that the Seattle Rock n Roll marathon has sold out - eek 28,000 runners should be a great race and also a bit overwhelming!!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
New Inspiration
It has taken so long to write this post. I think that I definitely got the right heading for my blog! I know that I have to start pushing myself harder if I am to complete my goals of both running in the Vancouver Half Marathon & also the Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. I know that I can do it, but I always tell myself that I can train harder and faster closer to the date of the race. The truth is that I only have just over 4 weeks to the Vancouver Half and then the week after I have to Sun Run which is only 10km's but at the same time, a week after running a half it is going to be a big ask! On Sunday I ran 12kms in just over an hour and a half. The thing is I could have pushed harder and I could have run faster. I was about to stop running completely at the 5km mark and walk back. I was cheering on the rest of the team. Then T ran past me. And I thought that if he can do it while undergoing Chemo treatment then I can do it being inspired by the team that are all relatively new to running! I continued running and ran the full 12kms. I am getting excited about the run this Sunday - going in with a new motivation and also a new inspiration.
3 of the TNT mentors got together on Tuesday night for a pedicure and also a catch up and talking about our next adventures once our duties are over for the Summer Season. W & I are going to stay on and do the Lavaman Triathlon next year with team in training, and are talking about signing up for "My First Triathlon" which is a chance for people who have never competed in the sport to get out and have a go. That event is in August and is held at Harrison Hot Springs just out of Vancouver. The only thing that I am worried about is the bike ride, well since I don't own a bike, that will be my biggest hurdle.
3 of the TNT mentors got together on Tuesday night for a pedicure and also a catch up and talking about our next adventures once our duties are over for the Summer Season. W & I are going to stay on and do the Lavaman Triathlon next year with team in training, and are talking about signing up for "My First Triathlon" which is a chance for people who have never competed in the sport to get out and have a go. That event is in August and is held at Harrison Hot Springs just out of Vancouver. The only thing that I am worried about is the bike ride, well since I don't own a bike, that will be my biggest hurdle.
Monday, March 15, 2010
In Love With Zensah
Yesterday was my real first hit out in a few weeks with the team. I had invested in Zensah compression calf sleeves and arm sleeves and felt that I should take them for a try.(http://www.zensah.com/) They worked so well that I thought that I could have kept on going, and I had to tell myself to stop at the last moment, before I did myself another injury. (And no muscle soreness today) I ran a comfortable pace with W (whom I absolutely had a ball with, it was so great to be running with someone and keep me motivated) we discussed what further races we were going to do, and we have both committed to join Team in Training next year in the Lavaman Triathlon, which will both be our first triathlon, so now its time to start saving for a bike. I have to confess that going to the gym with the BF is also helping my motivation, and am so glad that I am cross training as I feel that it has certainly given a positive impact on my body. Other then that, no real exciting news, I have brought my first triathlon magazine so that I can start to prepare my body for the challenge for the next year!!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Perhaps Some Monthly Goals Are in Order
In preparation of the Half Marathon coming up, I thought that it might be a good idea to make monthly goals with what I want to achieve both training wise and health wise. Training will have to go slowly but surely. I was lucky enough to have a slow training session this afternoon after work. I ran a few laps of the oval and then did some stretches on the sideline. Anyone who might have seen me do these would have got a little bit of entertainment - I am not the most co-oridnated person. My knee again was a little tender after these exercises and I know that I won't be able to push myself to hard, for a little bit longer.
To run well, I know that I also have to fuel my body right. At the moment I know that I am not doing this. I like to blame most of this on my work environment, and I definitely know that I have to change those habits. I will be starting a healthy eating schedule and see if I can maintain it for more then 2 days. It is just too easy to eat bad things, when they are so readily available.
In the meantime, I am busily organizing accommodation for when I tackle the Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. I know that it is early planning, but I want to make sure that we have a room when we arrive and we don't miss out. On a mentoring note, I am so excited that most of my mentees have surpassed their original fundraising goals, I am so incredibly happy for them, and I know that they will rock when the race comes up in June.
I will be back very shortly with an outline of my goals that I want to achieve during the month....eek only just a little over 50 days to go until the next Half Marathon.......
To run well, I know that I also have to fuel my body right. At the moment I know that I am not doing this. I like to blame most of this on my work environment, and I definitely know that I have to change those habits. I will be starting a healthy eating schedule and see if I can maintain it for more then 2 days. It is just too easy to eat bad things, when they are so readily available.
In the meantime, I am busily organizing accommodation for when I tackle the Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. I know that it is early planning, but I want to make sure that we have a room when we arrive and we don't miss out. On a mentoring note, I am so excited that most of my mentees have surpassed their original fundraising goals, I am so incredibly happy for them, and I know that they will rock when the race comes up in June.
I will be back very shortly with an outline of my goals that I want to achieve during the month....eek only just a little over 50 days to go until the next Half Marathon.......
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Long Time
It has been so long since I have written in this blog - I guess that I don't think that there is really much going on at the moment. I have been temporarily injured which I hope doesn't last too much longer as I really want to compete in the Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon. I have hurt my IT Band and Knee again after a bad run last weekend, and it has also caused my foot to hurt - which I am getting quiet concerned about. This week I had a rest week and only yesterday went back to the gym with the BF, and did the bike and a speed walk on the treadmill. Surprising today I woke up with no pain in my foot or knee, but did not run today with the team, as I was worried that I might aggravate the injury and cause it to become inflamed again. I am currently training under a new coach and am finding it very hard to adapt to his training method.
When I previously trained with the team our coach was very understanding and was always there for our every run and approached all the team to make sure that we were going ok. Our current coach likes running ahead of the team, and I sort of feel that he gets impatient with me because I take so long to complete the runs that he sets out - the rate of increase in distance is incredible and it makes me feel very pressured to run such a great distance in a short span of time since starting training again. Another thing that I have been having trouble is that I don't have anyone that I can run with this time round. I like have someone run with me, so that we can keep each other motivated and distracted from the training that we are doing.
I think that this is part of the reason that I stopped running last week. Yes I did injure myself but I have never quit before, I usually speed walk my way back to base. Last week I just stopped running and didn't even make it back to the team. I ended up catching a bus home, which I am now disgusted with. So hopefully next week I can get back to training - even though I am not happy with running 15kms so early in the season. In reality it will help me prepare for the Vancouver 1/2 Marathon which is in May and then I can take a step back and run the 10km Sun Run the week after (very excited about), which I am very proud to say my BF has agreed to run in it, which is his first official running race.
So this week I am going to have a very positive week. I will start training again slowly at the gym with the BF and might run the 15kms next Sunday with the team. I will also start eating healthy - my current job makes it hard for me to take the proper measures to ensure that I am looking after my body and fueling it for the days work.
Cheers.
When I previously trained with the team our coach was very understanding and was always there for our every run and approached all the team to make sure that we were going ok. Our current coach likes running ahead of the team, and I sort of feel that he gets impatient with me because I take so long to complete the runs that he sets out - the rate of increase in distance is incredible and it makes me feel very pressured to run such a great distance in a short span of time since starting training again. Another thing that I have been having trouble is that I don't have anyone that I can run with this time round. I like have someone run with me, so that we can keep each other motivated and distracted from the training that we are doing.
I think that this is part of the reason that I stopped running last week. Yes I did injure myself but I have never quit before, I usually speed walk my way back to base. Last week I just stopped running and didn't even make it back to the team. I ended up catching a bus home, which I am now disgusted with. So hopefully next week I can get back to training - even though I am not happy with running 15kms so early in the season. In reality it will help me prepare for the Vancouver 1/2 Marathon which is in May and then I can take a step back and run the 10km Sun Run the week after (very excited about), which I am very proud to say my BF has agreed to run in it, which is his first official running race.
So this week I am going to have a very positive week. I will start training again slowly at the gym with the BF and might run the 15kms next Sunday with the team. I will also start eating healthy - my current job makes it hard for me to take the proper measures to ensure that I am looking after my body and fueling it for the days work.
Cheers.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Thinking on A Run
One of the main reasons why I don't like running alone - besides the lack of safety, but I also find that I have way too much time alone, alone with my own thoughts. Today I had a lot of things running through my head. The first one was the different styles of running that there is out there. I am not spectacular to watch, in fact I encourage you not to watch me, as I get very self conscience, but looking around there are so many different ways to complete this activity. I had one fellow pass by me looking like he had something wedged up his butt, or that he had been for a very long horse ride, but then I just thought to myself, he is going so quick that technique must work for him. Another few that passed me (I am not going to lie, a lot of people passed me on my run today) looked liked they were in constant pain, they were wincing with every step, but that is a step towards their dreams and goals. I thought I wonder what people think I look like when I run. I get very paranoid about people assessing my booty. This comes from being paid out when I was a youngster in Sydney on a Family holiday to help my sister move into her new apartment. I was walking with my dad in front of my brother and sister and they started laughing hysterically. They pointed out that both my dad's and my butt wobbles when we walk. I was young and naive and thought that everyone's butt wobbled when they walked, but sure enough after examining people's walking styles, I realized that everyone is not the same. Now, i don't know if mine still does it (I am assuming that it does) but I can't feel it wobbling when I run, however when I run, I waddle like I am a duck doing their run up before taking flight. I wonder if people take notice as I waddle past them?? Another thing that I was thinking about was maybe I am way to ambitious for taking on a challenge such as a Full marathon in June. I can do 5-10 kms quiet comfortably, but, they way my legs held up today, makes me wonder if I make it, although, I am not going to pull out, I look forward to the day when I complete the marathon when I can look back on this blog and wonder, what was I thinking, that I couldn't do it, look at me I did it.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
A Bit of This & A Bit of That
As I sit here trying to think of something to write, I think about my future and how happy I am at the moment. Sure I am in a area of work that has its challenges, but on a whole, the stress is somewhat fun, and being able to ressolve problems, make it all ok. I am still training, and I am happy that I have so many loving and supportive people. I did a really good run on Sunday, it was a quick 2km run and I did it in on of my fastest times. Tiger Woods came onto my Nike+ telling me that I had just completed my quickest mile which makes me strive for faster times and more training, just so I can get someone else other then Tiger telling me how good I am doing (to be honest, he isn't really my ideal role model, if you know what I mean). My quickest run however, wasn't quick enough to ensure that my housemates got to Costco in time, so that they could do their shopping, if only they had of told me they close early on Sundays, then maybe this problem wouldn't have occurred. But I wiped out my good workout in order to have a Vanilla Flavored milkshake on the deflated trip back from the shops, all courtesy of Mr L, as it had been a bad day for us all round (i never did get to buy the giant pack of TP). The good news is that the Mentoring meetings went well, and I am excited about the next chapter that is about to begin. I went to the first Info session on Monday night, have another one on Thursday and then have one on Sunday morning....hopefully we get some great people to these meetings so that they sign up to help this great foundation. To help with cross training, i have now got the papers ready for the kickboxing bootcamp, that I wanted to do, and will start that in the beginning of Feb. My only niggling thought is that I won't be there enough for the BF as he is going through some pretty heartbreaking stuff at the moment, but when you read this Mr M (aka adoring BF), i want you to know how much I love and adore you and you are the best thing a lazy girl can have ;)
On a side note I thought that it would be appropriate for me to concentrate not only getting enough execercise to make me super fit, but also start expanding my brain, and well some lack of knowledge (I may have completed a Uni degree but that doesn't neccessarily mean much - well to me anyway - and therefore i am only bagging myself out). This year I am determined to read 1 book every 2 months (why not 1 book a month, well to be honest i didn't really want to get ahead of myself and this seemed like a good challenge). I completed my first book last week, wasn't the best book but i had to get through it. I have started the second book, and have only read the prelude, once again struggling. Also to expand my mind I am doing the daily crossword puzzle in my lunch break, that way i can expand my knowledge for words. Healthy mind = healthy body!
On a side note I thought that it would be appropriate for me to concentrate not only getting enough execercise to make me super fit, but also start expanding my brain, and well some lack of knowledge (I may have completed a Uni degree but that doesn't neccessarily mean much - well to me anyway - and therefore i am only bagging myself out). This year I am determined to read 1 book every 2 months (why not 1 book a month, well to be honest i didn't really want to get ahead of myself and this seemed like a good challenge). I completed my first book last week, wasn't the best book but i had to get through it. I have started the second book, and have only read the prelude, once again struggling. Also to expand my mind I am doing the daily crossword puzzle in my lunch break, that way i can expand my knowledge for words. Healthy mind = healthy body!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Becoming A Mentor
I got some exciting news whilst I was at work today! I am going to be a mentor for the runners in the Summer Season of Team In Training. Team in Training is an organzation that raises funds into finding a cure for Luekemia & Lymphoma. They have made some amazing breakthroughs in the past years and a huge amount of credit goes towards the volunteers whom raise funds for this much needed cause. (http://www.teamintraining.ca/). I am really excited about this new challenge. I met many of my friends through volunteering in Team in Training last year and they helped me reach my goal of running my first half Marathon. At this stage I am unsure of which event I will be assisting in there are 2 running ones which are a possibilty. The Rock n Roll San Diego & The Rock n Roll Seattle. I will find out all the details on Sunday!! :) I trained again this afternoon. If you can call it training. I walked home from the train station. I did the 3 kms in 30 minutes which was at a brisk walking pace. The were also hills (argh I detest hills so much!) but half way along i got a niggling knee spasm which continued until i got home. I am not sure what is causing this, I have had knee troubles in the past, but this year I am determined no to succombe to any injury! Hey I just realised that this is the second post in 2 days....wonder if this will become a habit???
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Training Plans
Training has finally started - I am starting off very slow and will work my way up to a faster pace. This year I am determined to stay injury free! I went for a run with BF on Sunday. We ran 4km's around East Hastings. It was a good run, BF succumbed to a slight bout of shin splints, so we went a bit slower then we first expected. I am excited to have started again, and am so glad that I have someone to give me the motivational boot up the arse that I need. The other thing that I am excited about is my purchase of Nike+(http://nikerunning.nike.com/nikeos/p/nikeplus/en_US/?rs=1) so that I can track my running. We took it out for a test run and it worked really well. I know that I will be more eager to run and exercise now that I have a new toy. I am also excited about the events that I will be competing in. I have 2 half marathons that I want to complete and then a full marathon. To guide me along the way I have also have a personal trainer in Runners World (http://www.runnersworld.com/channel/0,,s6-238-0-0-0,00.html) which I will modify to suit my needs (find schedule below). My only other toss up is whether or not to take up Yoga or Kickboxing. I like the idea of meditating to let my body relax, but I also like the idea of getting a good cardio workout. I will have to make up my mind shortly, so that I can participate in a kickboxing boot camp which is starting in the first week of February. I now have a really positive outlook on the year ahead, and I can't wait to continue training!!.
| Wk | Dat | Mon | Tues | Weds | Thurs | Fri | Sat | Sun | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1/18 1/24 | Rest / XT | Easy Run Dist: 3 km @8:43 | Rest / XT | Easy Run Dist: 3 km @8:43 | Rest / XT | Rest / XT | Easy Run Dist: 3 km @8:43 | 9 km |
| 2 | 1/25 1/31 | Rest / XT | Easy Run Dist: 3 km @8:43 | Rest / XT | Easy Run Dist: 3 km @8:43 | Rest / XT | Rest / XT | Easy Run Dist: 5 km @8:43 | 11 km |
| 3 | 2/1 2/7 | Rest / XT | Easy Run Dist: 3 km @8:43 | Rest / XT | Easy Run Dist: 5 km @8:43 | Rest / XT | Rest / XT | Easy Run Dist: 6 km @8:43 | 14 km |
| 4 | 2/8 2/14 | Rest / XT | Easy Run Dist: 3 km @8:43 | Rest / XT | Easy Run Dist: 5 km @8:43 | Rest / XT | Rest / XT | Easy Run Dist: 8 km @8:43 | 16 km |
| 5 | 2/15 2/21 | Rest / XT | Easy Run Dist: 3 km @8:38 | Rest / XT | Tempo Run Dist: 8 km, inc Warm; 5 km @ 7:38; Cool | Rest / XT | Rest / XT | Long Run Dist: 10 km @8:38 | 21 km |
| 6 | 2/22 2/28 | Rest / XT | Easy Run Dist: 3 km @8:38 | Rest / XT | Speedwork Dist: 8 km, inc Warm; 2x1600 in 11:35 w/800 jogs; Cool | Rest / XT | Rest / XT | Long Run Dist: 10 km @8:38 | 21 km |
| 7 | 3/1 3/7 | Rest / XT | Easy Run Dist: 3 km @8:38 | Rest / XT | Tempo Run Dist: 8 km, inc Warm; 5 km @ 7:38; Cool | Rest / XT | Rest / XT | Long Run Dist: 11 km @8:38 | 22 km |
| 8 | 3/8 3/14 | Rest / XT | Easy Run Dist: 3 km @8:38 | Rest / XT | Tempo Run Dist: 10 km, inc Warm; 6 km @ 7:42; Cool | Rest / XT | Rest / XT | Long Run Dist: 11 km @8:38 | 24 km |
| 9 | 3/15 3/21 | Rest / XT | Easy Run Dist: 6 km @8:33 | Rest / XT | Easy Run Dist: 5 km @8:33 | Rest / XT | Rest / XT | Easy Run Dist: 6 km @8:33 | 17 km |
| 10 | 3/22 3/28 | Rest / XT | Easy Run Dist: 3 km @8:33 | Rest / XT | Speedwork Dist: 11 km, inc Warm; 3x1600 in 11:28 w/800 jogs; Cool | Rest / XT | Rest / XT | Long Run Dist: 13 km @8:33 | 27 km |
| 11 | 3/29 4/4 | Rest / XT | Easy Run Dist: 3 km @8:33 | Rest / XT | Tempo Run Dist: 10 km, inc Warm; 6 km @ 7:37; Cool | Easy Run Dist: 3 km @8:33 | Rest / XT | Long Run Dist: 13 km @8:33 | 29 km |
| 12 | 4/5 4/11 | Rest / XT | Easy Run Dist: 3 km @8:33 | Rest / XT | Tempo Run Dist: 11 km, inc Warm; 8 km @ 7:41; Cool | Easy Run Dist: 3 km @8:33 | Rest / XT | Long Run Dist: 14 km @8:33 | 31 km |
| 13 | 4/12 4/18 | Rest / XT | Easy Run Dist: 3 km @8:27 | Rest / XT | Speedwork Dist: 13 km, inc Warm; 4x1600 in 11:21 w/800 jogs; Cool | Easy Run Dist: 3 km @8:27 | Rest / XT | Long Run Dist: 14 km @8:27 | 33 km |
| 14 | 4/19 4/25 | Rest / XT | Easy Run Dist: 3 km @8:43 | Rest / XT | Tempo Run Dist: 8 km, inc Warm; 5 km @ 7:42; Cool | Rest / XT | Rest / XT | Race Day Dist: Half-Marathon @7:40 Time: 2:41:59 | 32 km |
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