A quickie tonight

July 31  Plan:4k steady  Actual:  4k easy

I set my alarm for 5am this morning, truly intending to get up early and get my run done before my day started.  We leave on vacation tomorrow and I knew there was lots to be done this evening so it all just made sense.

The alarm went off at 5.  I got up. Went for a pee.  And went right back to bed.  I just couldn't do it.

So after my last day of work before vacation I laced up my shoes and did a slow paced 4k. 

The temperature was lovely, not too much sun, and there was quite a breeze to keep me coolish.  That breeze got gusty a few times but never enough to blow me off course.  I quite literally did an out and back tonight - ran into an adjacent suburb and, once my watch said 2k, I turned around and came home.

Once again and despite not having a second coffee today, heartburn found me and really impacted the last 1.5k of my run. Not sure if you've ever tried to run - or do anything - with heartburn but yeah, it's not fun.  At all.  I was cursing myself and my stupidity for forgetting as I watched my pace slow because I simply had to take more walk breaks.  I chastised myself for not having taken the pill and just under 1k from home I came up with the bright idea to carry pills with me so I could take them en route if necessary.

Then my formerly functioning brain kicked in and reminded me that I had, in fact, done just that.  And that there were two zantacs and two immodium safely tucked in the zippie thing in my fuel belt.

Well sweet fuck. 

But alas, nothing to drink it with.  Smart brain did a facepalm in front of dumb brain and reminded me that yes, I did have something to drink it with.  Water.  You know, in the bottles held by the hydration belt that also held the pills.

Not my best moment.

But in the end I was able to pop the pill in and let it start to work its magic.  Felling much better now.

Shoes and accessories are packed and at 9:05 tomorrow morning we're getting on a plane to Mexico.  Plan is to try to get in three 3-5k treadmill runs during the stay which means no LSD for me this week. I'm okay with that.

Likely won't be able to update the blog while away so see you on the other side!

I almost cheated

July 29  Plan:  5k tempo   Actual:  5k done.  Just barely, but done.

I DID NOT want to run tonight.

NOT

AT

ALL.

I knew I'd have time tonight so instead of getting up stupid early I decided to run after work.  Which I kinda hate.  And boy howdy did I pay for that decision!

Got home from work and it was crazy overcast.  Like, skies about to open up and drench the universe overcast.  So I threw on my clothes and headed out the door as soon as was humanly possible.

5k was on the plan tonight.  Okay, fine.  5k.  No big whoop.  A wee bit longer than the 3 and 4 I've been doing lately but hey, 5k ain't no thing.  I've done it a bunch of times.

Except tonight. Tonight, it was a thing.

First, for whatever reason my lower calves, kinda like where my heels meet my calves, were crazy sore around the 2k mark.  What the what? Never had issues there.  Annoying as hell.  And my knees were a bit twitchy on the outside, too.  Huh.  Maybe I didn't stretch enough after my long run this weekend?  Who knows.  All I DO know is that everything felt tight.  Ugh.

To add insult to injury I forgot to take my zantac when I got home before I headed out.  I get heartburn quite frequently and usually it's very well controlled with a simple wee pill.  One in the morning and I'm generally good to go.  Unless I have a second coffee in the afternoon, then attempt to run.  Yyyyeeeeahh.  One pill pre- run makes everything fine.  Forgetting?  Not so much.  And that's what happened today.   The forgetting.

So there I was, hobbling along the sidewalk, feeling a fiery burn in my throat and, oh yeah, that familiar twinge in my bowels to top it all off.  Good times, I tell ya, good times.  It was a real pleasure to be me earlier this evening.

Thankfully I managed to escape the rain for the most part.  Shortly before the 4.5k mark, when I was actually quite close to home, the drops started. I was in pain, had heartburn, I needed a bathroom, and now I was getting wet.  Never, never ever ever in my life, have I been so close to just packing it in and saying a giant fuck you to the running gods as I was in that moment. 

I could see my house.  Where it's dry, where there are meds and, perhaps most importantly, three toilets - one just inside the front door.  I could SEE it as I rounded the corner.

Just tweak the Nike app, the devil on my shoulder said.  No one has to know.  You work hard, you run hard, it's less than .5 of a km, you barely made it out here tonight to start off with, you should be proud that you made it this far.   Doooooooo it.

And yet I ran on, right past my house and up to the corner so I could turn around, come back and hit my 5k mark.  For realz. 

That was close.  Crazy close.  Had a horrible pace, worst in ages, but I did it.  Those 5k are real, every single step was taken by yours truly.  And hey - I didn't shit myself.   Two thumbs up right there.

Those are the wee victories I'm going to hold on to.  Small though they may be, tonight they feel mighty indeed. 

A Sunday quickie

July 27  Plan: 3k steady  Actual:  3k steady

Today I knew there was a short one on the agenda but I had no idea when I was going to fit it in.  The weather forecast was all over the place and I really wanted to sleep in so I did just that and decided to roll with the weather punches, whatever they had to offer.

Got my sleep in on (after one of the most severe thunderstorms I've ever been through!!) and hopped out of bed at 8:30.  Micheal was leaving for the day with his sisters so I knew my time was entirely my own.

I popped open the blinds and there wasn't a cloud in the sky - nothing but sun everywhere.  I waffled back and forth about when to go and decided that if I wanted to run outside I might as well go right then and there to get it over with before the temperature increased even more.  Higher temps AND all that sun?  Killer combo.

Thankfully the schedule only called for 3k so I knew it was something I could get done relatively quickly.

I donned the race shirt from yesterday, thinking it was as good a day as any to break it in.  At first I wasn't wowed by the colour but it grew on me over time.  Sure made me easy to spot on the road!

 

Was going to do a quick out and back but decided half way through to just keep going.  Actually worked out perfectly and I got back to the house just over the 3k mark.  Will have to remember this for future 3k days!

Incredible how the weather changed though.  Not a cloud in the sky just after 8:30?  Here's that same sky about 40 minutes later.  Clouds galore!  Which of course made for even nicer conditions because I wasn't being blasted by the sun. 

 

In hindsight it was the perfect time to go out for a run.  Got it done nice and early, left me plenty of room to do alllllll the errands I had to do today, and I didn't have to a) run later when it got even hotter or b) run in the rain tonight or c) hit the treadmill.  Woot!

Rest day tomorrow then back at it Tuesday night.  Hard to believe there are only two more runs before we leave for Mexico on Friday!  I'll miss my LSD on the weekend but have packed my gear so I can do at least two runs while at the resort.  I WILL do at least two.  :)

That's it for today!  See you on Tuesday.

Race report - Durham Quarter Marathon

July 26   Plan: 9k LSD  Actual:  10.5k LSD, Durham Quarter Marathon Race

Soooooo if you read my recent posts you know I've complained a lot about how my running has been lately.  I've felt slow and fat and hot and bloated and blah, many times in my past few runs, which made me a bit more trepidatious than usual going into today's race.  Not cool, my friends, not cool.

Running has never been easy for me.  Ever. You'll never see me type the words 'went for an easy 4k' because they'd never be true.  Every bit of running is hard, IMHO.  Not insurmountable hard, otherwise I'd never do it, who's kidding who, but it's mentally and physically challenging all.the time.

Part of that is because I'm significantly heavier than your average runner.  Still way smaller than I used to be but let's call a spade a spade - I'm not 140lbs.  I have way more of me to haul around.  Which makes it harder on my muscles, joints, heart, lungs, you name it.  And all that makes me slower than most people too, a fact I've come to find some strange sense of peace with, despite the fact that eventually I'd like to get faster.

 But these past few weeks took a toll on my running psyche and thankfully a great group of gals helped pull me up and out of my self induced funk when I reached out and asked for some words of support.  I held on to those this morning while I waited at the start line and they served me remarkably well.

You see, this race had pretty much every opportunity to be a disaster.  It rained, my Garmin wouldn't connect, I had 'system' issues, I was crazy stressed out about it, I was at the very back of the pack and my worst fear was being at the back, did I mention it rained?, I was worried about my new phone getting wet, my IT band started to hurt, then the sun came out and it was HOT. 

And in the end?  I'm delighted to report that none of that mattered, none of it bothered me at all. 
  
Start to 2.5k:

Micheal dropped me off at the start line and I promptly made my way into the line up for the porta potties.  Why they never have enough I don't know but I one thing I did know was that I had to pee.  And perhaps more.

Sigh.  WHY does my body have to betray me gastrointestinally with every big race!?  I'd even taken a pre-emptive Immodium last night to ward off evil and while it kicked in eventually it was touch and go there for a bit.

Finally got in for my pre-race pee, sanitized my hands, and it started to rain.  Fantastic.  Just spitting so nothing too horrid but still.  Damned weather folk - they said it wasn't supposed to start until 1pm.

Walked to the back of the pack because I knew I wasn't going to be fast this go around.  I had decided to make this my LSD and not really attempt to race it hard because, well, I'd had shitty runs lately and didn't want to put too much pressure on myself.  So back of the pack it was.  Once I got there, I promptly took my starting line selfie and pressed the button on my Garmin to get my signal so I'd be ready to go at start time.

Well damned if the satellites don't like Oshawa because I couldn't get a flippin signal.

I can't run without my Garmin now that I have it.  I NEED it like I need oxygen.  Well okay, that may be overstating it, just slightly, but still.  I need it to track my intervals, to see how much further the next km, all that stuff.  And the bastard wouldn't get a signal.

Even after the gun was fired.  We were off, and I wasn't ready.  Fuuuuuuuuck.

I started running, because that's what you do when the gun goes off, and still nothing.  So I actually pulled myself off the course, stopped, and waited for it to finally connect.  Then boom - I was ready and could finally get started.

Of course, this now left me at the very back of the pack.  THE last runner.  One of my worst running fears is to be the last person to cross the finish line.  You know, the one that the dude on the bike hangs out with the whole time?  Yeah, that person.  I don't ever want to be that person. And all of the sudden I was primed to be that person right from the get go.  Waaaah.

I gave my head a shake and started running.  And felt a bit better when I passed a few people.

The first 1-2 k were through the streets of downtown Oshawa leading us to a long trail.  Some of the side streets were closed off to us which was nice but once we hit Simcoe we had a single lane to work with which was more intimidating but given where I was in the pack it wasn't a big deal at all.


2.5k -5k:

Once we hit the trails everything changed.  For starters, the skies opened up more and the rain came down with a bit more gusto. It never got torrential but was definitely enough to get a good soaking going on.  But because we were on trails from here on out, most of the time we were saved by the tree canopy.

It's without reservation that I say this was the second most beautiful route I've ever run (the Vancouver seawall being the first).  We traversed the same creek many times by running over quaint wooden bridges.  Because I was at the back it was relatively quiet and peaceful (despite the tunes blaring in my ears) and I really had the opportunity to enjoy running for what it was in that moment - me and the pavement and nature.  Cheesy but true.

The route isn't flat but there weren't any really crazy hills either so it was just enough to keep you guessing as to what elevation was coming next.   It was pretty cool to run over this bridges and under all kinds of tunnels - including one that had us run under the 401!!! Nifty.  And noisy.

There were a few lone runners around me during this time and one of them was obviously there to encourage her friend, her much-slower-than-her friend, to keep going and finish strong.  We were generally moving at the same pace, give or take a walk break here and there, and it was nice to see just how encouraging she was to her friend - and even me on more than one occasion! - throughout the course of the race.   She helped us push a bit harder to get to the 5km marker.


5k-8k:

I was starting to feel a bit tired around this point so I popped a Shot Blok for a hit of energy.  Even if it was pure placebo I was going for it.  In this strip we left the one park and crossed over into another one on the Oshawa waterfront.  The rain had stopped, the sun was starting to come out, and rounding a corner to a gorgeous lake view was the mental boost I needed as well.

I'd never been on any of these trails or down to this waterfront park so turning every corner was a new experience which I really enjoyed.

After the 5k mark we were joined by the 1/8th marathon runners who had started relatively close by to that point.  Most of them had gone through already but a few stragglers were on the route still.  As I rounded another corner a group of girls, maybe 12 years old, where standing there with great signs ("Go Stranger, Go", "In my mind you're all Kenyans", "If it was easy, I would do it", 'Tonenails are for sissies", "Call a cab, it's faster", "Run like you stole something") which made me laugh and broke up the monotony of the run by that point.

Then shit got real.  I rounded another mystery corner and sweet merciful crap - a hill.  A crazy, nasty, straight up hill.  So much for relatively flat!  I tried to run up it but realized it wasn't going to happen so I walked my way to the top. Thankfully what goes up must come down and there was a nice downhill portion on the other side.


8k to finish:

By this point we were exclusively on the waterfront, lake to my left.  The sun came out for a bit and I not so secretly hoped for it to slip back behind some clouds because it just made everything so hot.  The benefit of being so close to the lake is a breeze so I took that for what it was worth and just kept going.

It's funny, at this point I knew I was in the general home stretch.  And I still felt great!   My legs were good and I was better able to fully run my intervals from 8-10k than I was from 3-7.  Weird, but I'll take it!  As far as I'm concerned that bodes well as I get into the longer distances to truly be ready for my half - it was great to acknowledge that my legs weren't dead by that point so I took some momentary pleasure in that.

Because I was running my intervals straight as others were starting to lag it meant that I was able to pass even more people.  Yay!  People whose backs I'd stared at a long time I was now passing.  Delicious.

With 1k left to go we rounded a corner and yet again, a killer hill.  Like really, who puts THAT kind of hill less than 1k from the finish line!?  Not fair at all!  So I pushed myself a bit until I got to about a third of the way up then allowed myself to walk the rest.  From the top I could see the finish line at the end of the winding trail so that gave me a boost and I went for home.

Micheal and Finn were there as I crossed the finish line which always makes me smile.  I eventually remembered to stop my Garmin and my Nike app and promptly downed the bottle of water a volunteer handed to me.

We stepped out of the way a bit and I got a big smooch from the husband and many muddy paws on my running pants from the pooch.

A short while later the two women I'd mentioned earlier - the one runner with her friend motivating her - crossed the finish line and walked past me.  I looked at her friend and told her she was lucky to have such an awesome cheerleader to run with her and keep her motivated.  She agreed and her friend gave her a huge hug for finishing, then turned and gave me one as I thanked her for helping push me along, too.  Gotta love runners - sweaty hugs from complete strangers are totally normal.  :)

Did some grocery shopping a la Leanne at the finish line, took a quick look around, then it was time to go. The sun had started to come out more and it was a perfect setting for the end of the race.

Once in the car I looked up my time.  It was gun timed only, so yeah, obvs this is a longer time than it actually took me to run the course because a) I was at the back of the pack right from the start and b) I pulled off for a bit to get my Garmin signal.

When I did the Sporting Life 10k back in May, my first 10k ever, I finished in 1:14:02.  Going in to today's race I knew a few things - one, I'm slower (aka heavier) now than I was then, this race was .5k longer, and it wasn't all downhill like SL was.

I told myself that I'd be happy if I could come in under 1:30, all things considered.  I'd be delighted with 1:20, but 1:30 would be okay.  Gun time, as you can see on the left, is 1:24.35.   Nike says 1:23:49 and Garmin says 1:23:25, so a whole minute less than gun which is much more realistic.  And I could probably take another 10 or so seconds off of the lower times because it took me a bit to remember to turn them off once I crossed the finish line.

So all in all, a lovely day.  I'd like to get my pace up - today was a very slow 7:57 - but I'll get there.  Eventually.  The course was beautiful, I never got completely soaking wet, I passed people that I wanted to pass, and I came nowhere close to last. 
 
Today, that's good enough for me.  :)

And if you read through alllllllll of that, thanks for reading and for all the support!!!

Debbie Downer runs again

July 24   Plan: 3k steady  Actual:  3k steady

So this run really sucked.

I feel like I've been saying that a lot lately.  My runs have sucked.  I feel like I get tired so quickly and don't have the energy to get through them properly.  I feel slow and fat and hippo-esque.  My pace is getting slower instead of faster and the more I run the harder it seems instead of easier.  This isn't the way it's supposed to be!

See? Debbie Downer.  I warned you right in the title!

I guess part of it is running in the summer.  Today wasn't crazy hot but it wasn't cool, either.   But I'm sure that most of it is due to the excess bit of weight I'm carrying right now, extra pounds that just make it harder than it already was to run from point a to point b.

I'm sure I've said before that I've lost a boatload of weight over the past few years.  A few - just a few, thankfully -  of those pounds have crept back on and I'm attempting to deal with them yet again.  Believe it or not, losing weight is the easy part - it's keeping it off that's the biggest challenge of all.  Trust me on this.  And again, it's not like I've gained it all back, not by a long shot.  But I'm sure anyone out there would agree that you really do feel an extra 10, 15, or 20lbs when you run.

As I said, I'm working to get them back off again and I know I will.  I'm not worried that I'll return to over 330lbs.  No way.  Not even close.  Ever.  Not happening.   I just want to be at a lower, more manageable weight in time for my 15k race in September and the half this blog is all about in October and mark my words, I will be.   I WILL BE.

I also take into consideration that I'm going on vacation down south one week from tomorrow and I know that I'll come home up even more.  Just the nature of vacation and the way my body processes food.  And alcohol.  So I'm in this weird spot now where I'm trying to eat super well - give myself just enough to fuel what I need to run while taking off a few pounds to give me that buffer for when we go away.  The hard core weight loss work will start again when we get back. But I'm trying to be extra good this week and next in particular to mitigate some of the damage to come.

To top it all off, I have a race Saturday morning.  The Durham Quarter Marathon, starting at Oshawa city hall and running through some trails and parks, ending at the waterfront.  It'll be my longest race to date albeit not by much - 10.59k or something like that compared to Sporting Life 10k in May.  And I know I can do this distance, I've done it and more many times before.  But I'm down on myself right now because I feel so crappy and bloaty and tired and gross.

Fingers crossed tonight's run was like a dress rehearsal in the theatre.  Conventional wisdom dictates that a bad dress means a good opening night.  Here's hoping that theory applies to running as well!

So now I'm going to do my best to eat well, stay away from the new granola I tried that I think is making me bloaty, take some Advil to counteract the pain in my arm from getting a tetnus shot yesterday during a routine doctor's appointment (seriously - if I had known it would hurt this much and make every step of my run jar my arm I might have skipped it!!), get lots of sleep before the race and hope for one hell of an opening night.

If you've got a moment for some spare good thoughts Saturday morning 

Will be back to tell you all about it on Saturday!

It's starting to get dark at 5am...

July 22  Plan:  4k tempo  Actual:  4k tempo attempt

Just a quickie post for a quickie run today.

Since it's so damned hot here today I knew there was no way that I was going to run after work so the 5am wake up it was.  It was hard to get out of bed this morning.

Really hard.

Like, a hair away from impossible.

But I did it.

Dragged my carcass out of bed, threw on my clothes, and hit the road.

In the dark.

Yes, the light she is waning in these early morn hours.  Wait, that doesn't make sense at all.  It's taking longer to get light.  Yeah, that's it.
Light or no light, it was steamy as anything, even at 5.  I can't imagine attempting to run in that humidity later in the day with the sun beating down on you.  No thanks!

I think I'm taking tomorrow off - just too much else going on this weekend - then will be back at it on Thursday, likely after work because the weather's supposed to cool and I need my sleep.  The next few days at work are going to be borderline psychotic so I'll take all the sleep I can get.

I really really didn't wanna, but I did

July 20  Plan: 4k steady  Actual: 4.2k steadyish

Man, I'm tired today.  Slept in as I said I would but was still out of bed by 7:30.  7 frickin 30.  In what universe is that sleeping in???  Mine.  Sad but true.

Was still raining so I knew there was no point in heading out to do my 4k right away.  So I hung out in my jammies, had a cup of coffee and some homemade blueberry pancakes, and chatted with hubby about the merits of getting ourselves a new camera prior to our trip south in just under two weeks.

Finally pulled myself together, had a shower, then we left to do some in store browsing which, of course, turned into a purchase.  On the way home we stopped and since it was National Ice Cream Day I grabbed some Baskin Robbins ice cream.

Now, I don't eat ice cream generally speaking.  I go to Menchie's for froyo every once in a while but real ice cream?  Almost never.  So yeah, this was one hell of a sweet treat.  So sweet that it was almost overwhelming!  But thankfully I only got a small serving and was able to enjoy every last bit.  Which made my run that much more important - all them calories weren't going to burn themselves!  Well yeah, they would, eventually, but still.

I really really really really didn't want to go.  I was tired and comfy, sitting right here on my couch.  I didn't feel like getting dressed to run, let alone running itself.  But I hauled my ass upstairs, put my shit on (including my new Moving Comfort bra, which I now adore!!), and got outside.

Hells bells it was steamy!  Still overcast so no sun to speak of but man, I was dripping like never before when I got home, after only 4k!   I felt like I was completely overheating so I peeled everything off and hopped right into a cold shower.  Bliss I tell you, pure, unadulterated bliss!

Pretty uneventful otherwise.  A hot, steamy short run to round out the week. Rest day tomorrow, then an early morning run Tuesday since it's going to be insanely warm.  Until Tuesday!

Back in double digits

July 19  Plan: 9k LSD  Actual: 10k LSD

The Running Room schedule calls for the long slow distances to be done on Sunday, mostly, I guess, because that's when their run clubs are, but I much prefer to do my long run on Saturday.  Not sure why, just do. This weekend was no exception.

As I've said over the past few days I haven't felt great, like I was coming down with something.  I didn't run Thursday night even though there was 3k on the schedule, but between being out for dinner with a friend Thursday and therefore getting home late and just not feeling well I knew it wasn't going to happen.  So I just didn't do it.

Then Friday I felt like this cold I've been battling was making real headway so I wasn't sure if I'd be in any shape to run today.  Thankfully I woke up this morning and didn't feel any worse than I had previously so I got up and went out to see how I'd feel.

The plan was to cut it short if it felt horrid but thankfully, all good.

The best part was that it was overcast and not too hot when I started out shortly after 8am.  This beautiful sky, as photographed here, is a runner's dream.  Well, this runner's dream at least.  Not threatening enough that I had to be worried about getting drenched, but just enough to ensure that none of my much needed energy was sapped by the killer summer sun.

These delicious conditions continued for the first 5k of my run but alas, all good things must come to an end and the sun started to come out in earnest on my second half - unfortunately the part where my run is on a slow, steady incline.  Perfect. 

All in all it was still a nice run. Felt good to get back into double digits again - it's been a few weeks since I've been over 10k.  Even though the plan called for 9 I felt it necessary to stretch it a bit in preparation for next weekend's Durham Quarter Marathon that I'm signed up for.  10.59kms through the streets and trails of Oshawa.  Looking forward to it, and feeling more ready for it now than I have been for the past few weeks of shorter distances.

In other general notes about the run, I saw at least four bunnies in my travels, starting with this guy in my own backyard just before I left.  Not sure about everyone else, but these guys are living up to their prolific reputation this year like never before - they're truly everywhere! 

4k steady on the schedule for tomorrow.   Bought two new running bras today and am looking forward to taking one of them for a spin.  Will likely go in the evening because I really really really need to sleep in tomorrow - that's right, it's not a want, it's a real need at this point - but also because it's supposed to rain in the morning and I'd rather avoid that if at all possible.  We may be taking the dog up to a puppy festival in Port Perry with friends in the late morning so that helps solidify things time wise.

And if all else fails, there's always the dreadmill.   Ugh.  Fingers crossed for decent afternoon/evening weather!

Have I mentioned how much I hate the treadmill?

July 16  Plan: 4k tempo  Actual:4k treadmill

As I mentioned yesterday, today was the 20 minute challenge at the Running Room.  I signed up but decided that I'd go only to pick up the hat and not to run with the clinics.  I had a lot of other stuff to do today so decided to get my 4k run in before I left, meaning I had to get right to it the minute I got home.

Which is precisely what I did.  To save time - and because there were some pretty ominous looking clouds overhead - I jumped on the treadmill we're currently borrowing from friends. 

I know I've said it before, but I really, truly hate the treadmill.  I love the convenience and the flexibility it gives me, but that's it.  I find it so much harder than running outside, I can't even begin to describe it.  That 4k damned near killed me.  4k! 

By the time I was done I was a sweaty, disgusting mess.  Ugh.


Finished up, then hopped into the car to go grab my hat.  And here it is!  Not too shabby for a 15 minute drive to my local store.  Fits well, has a mesh top which might allow my hot head to breathe a bit when I run.  And it was free.  So all good in my books. Grabbed a new bra when I was there - looking forward to seeing how it will fit and if it will do the trick. 

3k on the schedule for tomorrow.  Will make a game day decision about whether I actually do it or not.  Am having dinner with a friend so might get home too late to make it a good idea.  And I'm okay with that! Time will tell. 

The short ones sometimes seem the longest...

 July 15  Plan:  3k tempo  Actual:  3.3k tempo-esque

Why oh why do the 3 and 4k runs seem as hard if not harder than the uber long ones?  Sheesh. 

I suspect tonight had a few things going against it.  One, I'm not a huge fan of running in the evening, even before dinner, but the schedule for the week made it a necessity.  At least I managed to get out before I ate but even then I still got those telltale stitches in my side.  No fun.

The wind was also my enemy this evening - holy gale force, Batman!  There were times when I was running straight into it and it felt like I wasn't making any progress at all.  So much extra energy to get a shorter distance.  Rawr.

Then there was the sun.  It had been a cool, cloudy day earlier on but this evening the clouds parted and out came the sun. And at 6pm on a mid-July evening, the sun is still quite high in the sky and there's not a lot of shade.  Which means a hotter run than I'm used to.  And it sapped my energy.

I decided to go a different direction for this short run because I just needed the variety - I'm already getting sick of going down the very same path multiple times per week. 

This is a general route I've done before but haven't in a while so decided to go for it.  Glad I did, if for nothing than the variety that I sorely needed!  There's a nice long stretch that allowed me to do something resembling tempo work so I was happy I was able to kick it up a notch for a least a part of the run, as per the plan.  I did a lot of walking, even during this 3.3k, but was able to get my pace a little faster than it has been for the past short while.  So all was not lost.

Another tempo run tomorrow and we'll see what happens.  It's the 20 minute challenge at the Running Room so I'm supposed to be going there to do my run.  I signed up mostly for the free hat and to just participate, but I'm painfully afraid of trying to do a tempo run with the half clinic. 

I know I'd just hold everyone back and I can't deal with that right now.  Too much stress for something that's supposed to be good for me.  So I think I'm going to go, in my running clothes, get my stuff, then come home and run around here like I normally would.  Or, if I really get my shit together, I'll get my run in BEFORE I get there and then can just come home and have dinner, get on with life.  Time will tell!!

Like I said before, I really don't run well with others - I much prefer to just get out there and do it on my own terms.  Me and, with all this sunshine today, my shadow.  :)

 

This is why I don't run after dinner...

July 13, 2014  Plan:  3k steady  Actual:  3k very slow

Sigh.  I pretty much never run after eating dinner.   It's like my body laughs at the very suggestion of running post meal.  Which is why I've learned my lesson and pretty much don't do it. 

Because the second I do, up pops a stitch.  Instantly.   Do not pass go, do not collect $200.  Boom.  Stitch.  And tonight was no exception.  Alas.

Since this morning was rainy and I was desperate to sleep in, I decided that I do my lowly 3k run tonight instead of earlier in the day.  Which is fine, but I kinda ran out of time before dinner so I had no choice - run after or skip it.  Since I really didn't want to skip it, post dinner it was.

The weather was nice enough so I elected to go out instead of the dreadmill.  So that part was okay.  It was humid still but I wasn't being attacked by the sun as I was earlier in the day.  The last thing I needed was more sun on my sunburn!

Started out really slow and stayed that way for the entire 3k thanks to the stitch - this might have been my slowest pace ever!  But I didn't really care - I just tried to enjoy being out there. 

One of the joys of running at this time of day is the availability of public washrooms along my route that just isn't there at 5am.  You can see I took a wee detour shortly into my route for a much needed pop into Menchie's for a bathroom break.  Would have loved to have stayed for some frozen yogurt but it was a quick in and out.

I did, however, eat a bug along the route.  That was fun.  Not.  I get enough protein in my diet, thanks. 

So that's pretty much it.  Short post dinner run, terribly slow, mega stitches, ate a bug.  Back at it again on Tuesday.

Ahhhh weekends

July 13, 2014  Plan: 3k steady   Actual:  8.12 LSD

 Had a massively busy weekend ahead of us so I decided to get up super early and do my long run today instead of Sunday as per plan. One, because I prefer long runs on Saturday and two, because it's supposed to rain tomorrow and I'm what you might call a delicate flower - I avoid running in the rain if and when I can.

So that decision made, I was up out of bed at 6:30 this morning, ready to pound the pavement for a no later than 7am start.  Happy to report I just made it.

I like this route a lot - it's one I use often.  A good downhill section, nice long stretches, not too many lights given the distance, and it feels okay.  I've run it a bunch of times now.  And while the plan only called for 7 this week I knew that since I skipped one of the weekday runs and I've done this so many times before, it was no biggie to add that extra k into the mix.

Was interested to see what my HRM would tell me today so I was sure to wear it.  Thankfully the sun wasn't too blazingly hot at this time of day and I was able to spend a good portion of my run in shade which really helped.  Nevertheless, my heart rate was all over the place.  At one point I peaked at 173 or something insane like that - and this is after running down a big hill!  What gives!?

Then my HRM started playing games with my mind.  I decided that I wanted to work on keep my heart rate a bit lower where I could so I decided that every time I crossed the 170 mark I'd switch to walking until I got back into the low 150s.  Well.  You'd be surprised at how long that can take!  And prolonged walking breaks are no friend of a decent pace, and as my pace slowed down that brought on a whole new set of mind games. 

So I gave my head a shake, reminded myself that I'd been just fine all these times before and that while the information was useful in many ways, I couldn't let it take over my run.  So I switched the display on my watch and paid attention to other details for the remainder of my walk.

The highlight of this particular run was realizing that if I ran on the east sidewalk going up Garden Street I could have shade pretty much the entire way up.  No so on the west side, the side I've traditionally run for whatever silly reason.  Alas.  I guess some lessons really are better late than never.

Once I finally got home after my HRM mindfuck run, I hopped in the shower and quickly got ready to head up to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for day two (to us) of the Grand Prix.  Micheal loves race cars and racing in general and I have to admit, the first time I went with him two years ago I was skeptical.  I don't give a flying proverbial about cars so this was really me going in solidarity/moral support for him.  Luckily and to my own surprise I really enjoyed myself so this is something we look forward to each summer.

They've changed the schedule around this year so whereas in the past we would have one for a few hours on the Sunday to see the races he was interested in, now we have to go three days - Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Eeps.  He's a huge Porsche fan so was really keen to see the GT3 Cup Challenge races last night and this morning.

I was delighted because this year there were not one but two pink Porsches in the race.  Anyone that knows me is well aware of my addiction to the colour so this was just an extra sweet spot to the day.

After the race we toured around the paddock to get a closer look at the competing cars and I found one of them.  Driven by a woman (too cool) named Michelle Snow, I have to say I loved the decal on the rear bumper of her car:

Loved it so much it's my new Facebook cover picture.  And while I don't necessarily pass a lot of boys at my current running speed, I love the sentiment. 

Back to the track tomorrow if the rain holds off, then likely a late day 3k treadmill run.  Enjoy the weekend, everyone!!

In the pink

 July 10, 2014   Plan:  4k steady  Actual:  4k intervals

Lovely conditions for a short run today.  I'm still kind of hating the 5am wake up - today was truly a test of will to get my ass out of bed.   But I was supposed to be going to dinner with a friend tonight so I knew there wouldn't be time to run afterwards.  As it turned out my friend had to cancel so I could have run, but in the end it all worked out for the best.

5am is early, yo.  Like, crazy early.  Thankfully the sun is up by this time - for now, anyway - and the temps aren't too bad.  But one look at the Nike summary to the left tells the story - 10 degrees at 5:14 am and according to them, it's still dark out, hence the moon!  Eeps.  

But running in these temps with hardly anyone else out on the road is its own kind of bliss.  And today I was feeling good and really enjoyed the run.   Oh - there was a 3k run, I believe, on the schedule for yesterday but I skipped it.  Three nights in a row last week made my legs a bit sore so I decided I could go without this week and will reevaluate the Wednesday run next week.

Wore my new Saucony shirt that I got at the outlet and sweet mary mother am I in love with it!  I know that's silly to say but man, when you find a shirt you love to run it you hold on to it for dear life! 


Can't really explain what it is about this one but it feels like I'm wearing nothing at all.  It doesn't stick in weird places, the white parts (side of arms and the stripe in the back - you can see it reflected in the mirror) give me fantastic ventilation, and it's so crazy bright no one is going to miss me.

And....

...it perfectly matches my beautiful shoes.


 

Aren't they gorgeous?  I know I showed off my new Glycerin 12s the other day, which I also love, but these babies will always have my heart.  When I first got the 11s they were blue - that was the only option in Canada.  I was a mega sad panda the day I tried on those shoes.  Blue?  Nothing about me says blue!

But they feel like slippers - a veritable dream.  So I had to buy them, despair and all.  True proof that I was willing to invest in function over form!

Then I found out that they existed in pink but weren't available in Canada.  I searched high and low and scored myself a pair in the US on a trip there in early May and was like a kid in a candy store when I actually had them in my hands. 

So yeah, all that to say that I was pink from head to toe for today's run!  And it was fabulous. 

The run itself was pretty good.  I'm finding it fascinating to have this heart rate monitor. I know I've mentioned it in an earlier post but my heart rate is surprisingly high when I run.  Like, hovering between 155-164 when I'm just running at my regular slowish pace.  On my walk breaks I can get down to about 123 or so but then it's right back up.  My maximum heart rate should be 180 so yeah, 164 is way high when I'm not actually pushing myself.  I'm scared to death at the prospect of doing hill training or real speedwork - my heart will explode!

Would be interested to get any thoughts or feedback on people's experience with heart rate monitoring - are they generally accurate?  Is this something I should be concerned about?  The only real solution to get that rate down is to run slower, as far as I can tell, and I just don't think that's possible!  My pace has already slowed a lot instead of getting better over the past few months.   WTF?  Ugh.  I'm at a loss.

Now the whole thing is kind of freaking me out.  Some times too much knowledge is a dangerous thing!

Will be interesting to see how things shake out when I go for my 8k run Saturday morning.  Will report back. 

First run with the new gear day!

July 8, 2014  Plan:  4k tempo  Actual:  4k run and walk

Here we are again, back on the road.  Enjoyed my few days of rest but was happy to get out there again, especially sporting my finds from the weekend. 

It was my first time using my new watch with heart rate monitor but I think I'll talk more about that in a future post - too tired to actually form really coherent sentences beyond talking about new, pretty shoes, and I have some real questions about HRM that I'd like to tackle with more brain cells firing on all cylinders. 

So for now, let's look at some pictures, shall we? 

 Holy fog, eh?  Yeah, that was pretty insane!  Took the first picture as I headed out the door at 5:20 in the frickin morning and zoinks, was it ever surreal!  The pictures don't even begin to do it justice - you literally couldn't see in front of you. 

I usually run on the road in my 'hood because it's just more comfortable for me than the sidewalk but today, no flippin way was I taking that chance!!

I was worried - and rightfully so - that cars wouldn't even see me if I chose the road so sidewalk it was.  The picture to the right is one of the major arteries around town - see those headlights way off in the distance?  That's as much as you could see of any approaching vehicle.  And it wasn't that far away.  I could go on and on and on about the crazy fog but I'll stop there, I promise.  On to other exciting things.


Like new gear!  New shoes, new Garmin and new tank top.  Yes, you read that right.  A tank top!  Me!  In public!  With my insane batwing arms!  But I went for it, mostly because I found this  awesome tank while shopping at Kohl's in the USA this past weekend.  See?  Pretty!  The tank, not me.  I look like a bag of shit at 5am.  Look at my eyes!  Eeps.  But I digress.

So yeah, the best part about the tank top is how well it goes with my spiffy new shoes - the Glycerin 12s.  Just out.  Soooooo pretty.  Soooooo comfy.  And sooooo much cheaper in the USA than here, sadly.   Go ahead, ooh and ahhh.  I know I do.  :)

So there you have it, pretty pretty pretty.  And oh, did I mention that my new watch is the exact same purple as my shoes?  And top?  Yeah it is.  Oooooh yeah.

Annnyway, there's the gear overview.  I suppose I should mention how the actual run went.  It kinda sucked.  Again.  The humidi-fog was gross to run in, everything felt sluggish, and I'm feeling the after effects of a weekend of not so great food while we were away.  Time to get back to better eating habits to see if I can shed some of this narsty bloat with the hope of feeling better overall.

Until next run!

An overdue weekend update

July 5  Plan: 7k LSD  Actual:  7.4k LSD

Got up surprisingly early for a Saturday to do this run for a few reasons.  One, wanted to beat the heat.  And two, more importantly, we were on a timeline.

Plan was to finish the run, have a quick shower, hit Starbucks, then drop the puppy off at the boarders and hit the highway for a two country outlet shopping tour extravaganza.  And that's precisely what happened!

Run started out quite well - the conditions were lovely.  A nice breeze, no humidity, and the sun, while omnipresent in the mega blue sky, wasn't beating down on me just yet with killer intentions.  I had planned to do my 8k route - one that would have made for a nice rectangle in the picture to the right - but given our time constraints and some sore legs I opted to try out a shorter route to be closer to 7 as per the schedule.

Run started off with a nature inspired comedic twist. I was but two streets away from my house when I was approaching a family of Canada Geese.  About six adults and an additional six babies, though they were hardly babies by this point - more like geese tweens.  They were in a grassy area just to the right of the sidewalk I was planning to run along as I rounded the corner.  I barely made it three steps before what I can only assume was Mother Goose came flying towards me with the devil in her eyes.  I quickly fled the scene and made my way to safety on the other side of the street.   Yeesh!

The rest of the run was relatively good.  Legs felt okay for the first few k and I really flew down Anderson - great hill there that's a joy to run down.  Up, not so sure yet, but I'm considering it for hill repeats in a few weeks.  We shall see. 

As I rounded the corner to head up Garden, the last long stretch of my route, I lost steam. Big time.  I couldn't get through my intervals, requiring more walking breaks than normal, and started to get some strained feelings throughout my legs.  I was really surprised that they were bothering me so much, especially since not two weeks before I'd run twice this distance, and then some!  So strange. Is it the weather? The fact that I'm just going shorter distances overall?  Who knows.  Hopefully it improves!

To add insult to (almost) injury, the last km was run straight into insane winds - where the hell did those come from!?  I actually started laughing as I was trying to plow my way home.  At least I didn't have much further to go from there. 

Micheal and I had a great time on our weekend trip and were both exhausted beyond belief when we got home last night, hence why this post is only getting knocked out now.  Better late than never?  Here's hoping.  Also the schedule called for 3k yesterday as well but yeah, didn't happen.  Noooooo way.  Too tired, not enough time, pick an excuse, any excuse.  I'll make it work.

Rest day again today, then back at it again tomorrow.  Now my biggest decision is whether or not I put on my brand spankin new shoes for the run.  :)

Back tomorrow!

Oh foul bowel, why dost thou betray me?

July 3  Plan: 3k steady (but I was going to swap out tempo today)  Actual: 3k.  Just 3k.  Done.

What a day.  Lots going on, busy day at work, lots of walking during the day so my legs were a bit sore, especially since this is now running three days in a row - and I had to wear dress shoes for my walks.  Ouch!

Annnnyway, at least the humidity broke and it was a lovely evening for a run.  Once I finally got out there.  I got a new phone today and had to back it up with all the new stuff before I could hit the road - how else would I be able to track these very important three k?  Ha.  Ugh.

The transfer took way longer than I'd expected so it was late by the time I finally got out. Not too late, like 7:15, but still way later than I'd hoped. 

The skies were somewhat overcast which was a nice change and the breeze, well, it was just delicious. 

The first half of the first k was reasonably good.  I felt a bit more tired than normal but chalked that up to the later run and the busy day.

And then, then it happened.

That all too familiar stirring deep within.  The one that says - oh crap. 

Literally.

I ran past a Menchie's and thought hey, there's a great place to stop.  And stop I did, bumping into my sister and her family while there.  Made my way to the facilities and alas...the signals I'd received earlier were only early warnings and I left without completing my mission.  Bugger.   I never like to look a gift toilet in the mouth and knew I wouldn't have other opportunities along the way. 

Got back on to my route and tried to pick up the pace.  Went reasonably well for the rest of the route but then stirrings once again returned and this time there was no mistaking their intentions.  Time she was a tickin.

Decided to forgo the last loop near the house and ran straight there.  At the 2.89 k mark of my run.  Yeah, couldn't even get that last .11 in!  Ugh.

Made it in time thankfully then went back outside to finish.  Ran up my street maybe 10 houses then back again and I was done.  Finally done. 

Rest day tomorrow and I'll really enjoy it, I must say.  Am considering going for a massage for my legs as they're a bit twitchy which is strange considering that even though I've run three days in a row I've done less kms than I would normally do in one of my long runs.  Alas. 

Have a great weekend, everyone!  Will do my best to post on Saturday after my long run but hubby and I will be heading to the USA to do some shopping this weekend - but only after that run!

Boo to summer colds

July 2  Plan: 3k tempo  Actual:  3k steady

So yeah.  Feeling craptastic.  A cold is coming, I can feel it.  Have been fighting it off for a while now but I think it's winning, sadly.  You know how as it shows up you don't sound like ass but you feel like you've been run over by a truck you're so tired?  Yeah, that was me today.

Was hoping that I'd feel better as the day wore on but alas, just felt more tired.  So I left work about 45 minutes early today to get home a bit earlier.

Debated whether or not I'd run.  Was really torn - the whole feeling tired part of me said skip it.  The whole optimist part of me said maybe it will help and make you feel better, so do it.  So I compromised and instead of doing a 3k tempo as per plan, I swapped out tomorrow's 3k steady and did that tonight on my treadmill.  At least the rain helped make the treadmill decision that much easier.

Got home, threw on the running clothes and jumped on, promising my husband that I'd quit if I didn't feel great.   Decided on 4.6 as my speed and managed to get my 3k in with one short walk break so I could drink some water half way through.  Ended up with a 8:04 pace but I'm totally cool with that, all things considered.

In the end I'm glad I did it.  Helped get rid of my headache and I'm glad I didn't just give in.  The plan for the rest of the night is to watch Big Brother at 8, then bed at 9.  Fingers crossed lots of rest and sleep helps to stop this in its tracks before it gets worse.

Until tomorrow!

First tempo attempt = epic fail!!

July 1  Plan : 4k tempo,  Actual: 4k not really tempo, more fartlek-y

First, Happy Canada Day, everyone!  So proud to live in this amazing country where diversity, multiculturalism, peacekeeping, tolerance and national pride thrive.  Happily flying our flag in our front window.  :)

Okay, back to running.  Soooooo yeah.  First tempo run this morning.  If you saw yesterday's post you now that I wasn't really sure what I was doing but that I was going to give it a shot.

Well, give it a shot I did.  And I flopped.  Ha!  But that's okay in my books.  I figure all of this is a learning curve and I have to start somewhere.  And considering I didn't really know what I was supposed to do as I got started, everything and anything was possible.


Thankfully it was a bit overcast this morning as I headed out at 7:30am - just enough cloud cover to be helpful without threatening rain.  Not that it really made a difference in the long run, though.  It was still as hot as ever before.

Opening my front door I felt like I was stepping in to a sauna it was so humid, and as I picked up the pace it felt like I was trying to breathe in one, too.  Ever tried to take deep breaths in a sauna?  Yeah, it's kinda cloying and gross.  That was me running today.   24 degrees at 7:30am?  Cray.

Over the past few days I've relaxed a wee bit in my eating habits.  Long weekend and all that, and I've allowed myself some latitude.  Nothing insane or super indulgent, just not the very strict healthy eating I aim for during the week when I'm living according to my schedule.  I'm a Virgo, I like routine.  What can I say?

First k, as a result, felt a bit slower and heavier than normal.  Mental note - get back on track today so tomorrow doesn't suck as much!!

Once that warm up was done - albeit at a disappointing (to me) pace - I decided to turn up the juice.  Rounded a corner and started increasing the speed.  For the first little bit it was weird and hard - like my body doesn't even know how to go faster.  I pushed and it pushed back with a hell no, sister!   But I knew I was still going faster than I normally do so that was something.  I guess.

As you can see from looking at the colour patterns in the map below, I didn't last long.  Ha!  Not long at all.  I went as far as I could with that burst of speed, then had to dial it back and walk a bit.  Then back to running for a spurt, then walking again.  This is why I say this was more of a fartlek-y style run than anything else - there was nothing steady about what I did today.

That second k was at least faster than my traditional pace, so I suppose I can't say it was a total fail.  Not as fast as I would have liked but hey, at least I can say it was faster so I'll take it. 

I wonder how different this could all be if I was running in spring or fall when it just won't be this hot.  I wonder how much of this is weather and how much is me?  My abilities?  What I'm capable of?  I like to think a good portion of this is weather related but man, does it ever play with your mind!

As I ran along today I reminded myself that so much of this is mental as much as physical.  The sun and heat can mess with my body but they also mess with my mind, making me second guess so many things.  And remembering that can be a good and a bad thing.  A good thing so that I cut myself some slack as I'm trudging along, feeling like I'm underwater.  A bad thing because sometimes I feel like I use the heat as an excuse to walk when I should just be pushing on, pushing myself harder to get better, get faster.    Ugh.  Such a mindfuck.

Alas, it's done for today and it's on the schedule for tomorrow again.  Hmmmm.  I think I'll get up early to do a pre-work run instead of chancing the thunderstorms they're calling for yet again.  Now to decide if I do a repeat tempo or go for a steady instead to break it up.  Game day decision, methinks.  :)

Enjoy Canada Day, everyone!!!