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!!!