222.16km.
Almost Lake Louise.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
2.78km
A not fast 2.78km in 18:53. Average pace 6:47 - hang on, that IS fast for me. And pushing a 40 pound kid in a stroller while having a conversation on the merits of Transformers. Actually, not bad!
I swam on Friday for the first time in ages. It took me until about halfway through the run on Saturday to figure out why my legs felt like that gelatin product (this is a sponsorship-free area!). Just an overall crappy feeling run.
The best part about running some days is stopping. That was Saturday.
I swam on Friday for the first time in ages. It took me until about halfway through the run on Saturday to figure out why my legs felt like that gelatin product (this is a sponsorship-free area!). Just an overall crappy feeling run.
The best part about running some days is stopping. That was Saturday.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
10.66km
So apparently, it's on. Razz at Running off at the mind has challenged running bloggers to a 6.66mile race. Being that I'm Canadian, I've decided to run it as a 10.66km race. Canadian pride from Olympic fever and all that...
Monday, March 1, 2010
New Adventure
For the past two weeks, I've been trying to figure out what to do next. Now that I've finished my first half marathon (yay!), I didn't want to just site on the couch and turn back into a fat, lazy slug. I worked really hard and I don't want to lose the level of fitness that I've obtained. After much thought, I came up with two solutions:
For the first, I've volunteered to pace the 10km running clinic at the Running Room where I did my Half Marathon training. I wish that I'd had the sense to go to a proper clinic before my first 10km race and I want to encourage the people who signed up. So far, I'm really impressed. They ran way too fast on their first day out, but that's typical from what I understand. Their first long run went really well. It was very cool to encourage other people. I had (IMO) a really good pacer for my clinic and I'd like to do half as good a job. It also gives me something to think about on days (like today) where my life is less than inspirational. At least my running can help someone else, even if the rest sucks.
For the second solution, I'll be blogging on the training. Let's just say that this race involves a lot more equipment than my last race, but running is still a major component!
- Pace a clinic
- Train for another race
For the first, I've volunteered to pace the 10km running clinic at the Running Room where I did my Half Marathon training. I wish that I'd had the sense to go to a proper clinic before my first 10km race and I want to encourage the people who signed up. So far, I'm really impressed. They ran way too fast on their first day out, but that's typical from what I understand. Their first long run went really well. It was very cool to encourage other people. I had (IMO) a really good pacer for my clinic and I'd like to do half as good a job. It also gives me something to think about on days (like today) where my life is less than inspirational. At least my running can help someone else, even if the rest sucks.
For the second solution, I'll be blogging on the training. Let's just say that this race involves a lot more equipment than my last race, but running is still a major component!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
2:30!
I finished my first half marathon in 2:30 today! The official times aren't in yet, but that's what Roger told me. ;)
What a journey! I walked into the Shawnessy Running Room last September thinking that I would like to set a new goal for myself and maybe make some new friends. I did both!
Race day had me thinking about all sorts of things (and people). It's been a long road (literally - Neil, the answer is 527km if you did the whole training program according to plan. I was closer to 300km). At about 5km, I thought about Liz and legs. 5km was about 1 leg. That meant that I had another 3 to go! OMG! I was already tired and my right ankle was stiff from the cold. I stood around for an hour and a half waiting for my pace group to finish. They were all in the first wave and I wasn't due to start running until noon. I was very glad to see them, but my feet were thoroughly frozen by the time I started running. It took about 5km for my toes to totally unfreeze and get feeling back in them. By then, the weather had improved, the fog had lifted somewhat and I was stripping layers off. Oh, and I lost my balaclava somewhere along the route as I rearranged layers. I hope someone who needs it picked it up and gets some good use out of it.
About 1km before the turnaround point (10.55 km), I started my usual negative self talk. How was I going to possibly finish this? I felt SO tired and I wasn't even halfway done yet. I had just guzzled a bunch of water and ate some citrus-y Carb Booms, so I had heartburn on top of that. Very down. After the turnaround, I was following this older lady who had a really nice cadence. I was able to follow her for a while until I really got into the swing of things. I looked at my watch just when I started feeling really good and it said 12.80km. It took almost an hour and a half of running to feel "good". Weird. Before this, I never would have pushed myself past the point of feeling "not good" to be able to realize that there's often a "good" beyond that.
I was actually singing "Sherry" along with Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons as I crossed back under Crowchild Trail. I think I lost it a little there. From that point on, it was all willpower. I just didn't care about anything else in the world but putting one foot in front of the other. Right, left, repeat. As many times as it took to get to the finish line. That's when the REALLY weird thoughts started.
I was whining to myself as I went along; my hip hurts, my neck hurts, I'm tired, I'm bored, this iPod is retarded, blah, blah, blah. It dawned on me that Terry Fox did more than twice this distance EVERY DAY minus one leg and while he was dying. The whining stopped.
At around 15km, I felt like I could run forever. If I didn't ever stop, that is. Now that I'm sitting here, 7 hours after the race, I can hardly get going after sitting at all. At that point, though, I was completely convinced that I could run forever. No walk breaks, no pain, just me and my shoes. Wow. I was really loopy. And fast. I was averaging 5:30 - 6:00 per km. I NEVER run that fast. I felt GREAT! Totally invincible.
Then the next amazing thought dawned on me. My goal, in answer to anyone who asked, was to finish the race upright and smiling. It's my first half marathon, no sense being overly ambitious. I didn't really know what to expect of myself yet. All the usual lines, know what I mean?
At 19km, I realized that I had a real shot at finishing this race in less than 2:30:00. In that secret place in my heart, I had wanted to finish in less than 2:30:00, but didn't honestly think I could do it. There's no point in telling people, "my goal is 2:30", then coming in closer to 3:00 or not even finishing. Let's face it - my running career started pretty pitifully. I trained for 4 months for a 10km race, then signed up for the 5km because I didn't think I could really do 10km when race day arrived. I wanted to give myself an out. I've never really believed in myself when it comes to running.
I got pretty excited when I realized that I could probably do it in under (or really close to) 2:30:00. I pushed. Billy Joel sang in my ear about how it's My Life and I ran faster than I ever thought I could. I rounded the last corner and took a quick peek at my watch. 2:30:02. Holy cow! As far as I'm concerned, I did it! My son met me on the path with about 50m to go and ran in holding my hand. As they put the medal around my neck, I stopped my watch at 2:30:53.95.
Tonight, I sleep. Deeply and well, I hope. I'm very satisfied with myself and can't wait for the next adventure!
What a journey! I walked into the Shawnessy Running Room last September thinking that I would like to set a new goal for myself and maybe make some new friends. I did both!
Race day had me thinking about all sorts of things (and people). It's been a long road (literally - Neil, the answer is 527km if you did the whole training program according to plan. I was closer to 300km). At about 5km, I thought about Liz and legs. 5km was about 1 leg. That meant that I had another 3 to go! OMG! I was already tired and my right ankle was stiff from the cold. I stood around for an hour and a half waiting for my pace group to finish. They were all in the first wave and I wasn't due to start running until noon. I was very glad to see them, but my feet were thoroughly frozen by the time I started running. It took about 5km for my toes to totally unfreeze and get feeling back in them. By then, the weather had improved, the fog had lifted somewhat and I was stripping layers off. Oh, and I lost my balaclava somewhere along the route as I rearranged layers. I hope someone who needs it picked it up and gets some good use out of it.
About 1km before the turnaround point (10.55 km), I started my usual negative self talk. How was I going to possibly finish this? I felt SO tired and I wasn't even halfway done yet. I had just guzzled a bunch of water and ate some citrus-y Carb Booms, so I had heartburn on top of that. Very down. After the turnaround, I was following this older lady who had a really nice cadence. I was able to follow her for a while until I really got into the swing of things. I looked at my watch just when I started feeling really good and it said 12.80km. It took almost an hour and a half of running to feel "good". Weird. Before this, I never would have pushed myself past the point of feeling "not good" to be able to realize that there's often a "good" beyond that.
I was actually singing "Sherry" along with Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons as I crossed back under Crowchild Trail. I think I lost it a little there. From that point on, it was all willpower. I just didn't care about anything else in the world but putting one foot in front of the other. Right, left, repeat. As many times as it took to get to the finish line. That's when the REALLY weird thoughts started.
I was whining to myself as I went along; my hip hurts, my neck hurts, I'm tired, I'm bored, this iPod is retarded, blah, blah, blah. It dawned on me that Terry Fox did more than twice this distance EVERY DAY minus one leg and while he was dying. The whining stopped.
At around 15km, I felt like I could run forever. If I didn't ever stop, that is. Now that I'm sitting here, 7 hours after the race, I can hardly get going after sitting at all. At that point, though, I was completely convinced that I could run forever. No walk breaks, no pain, just me and my shoes. Wow. I was really loopy. And fast. I was averaging 5:30 - 6:00 per km. I NEVER run that fast. I felt GREAT! Totally invincible.
Then the next amazing thought dawned on me. My goal, in answer to anyone who asked, was to finish the race upright and smiling. It's my first half marathon, no sense being overly ambitious. I didn't really know what to expect of myself yet. All the usual lines, know what I mean?
At 19km, I realized that I had a real shot at finishing this race in less than 2:30:00. In that secret place in my heart, I had wanted to finish in less than 2:30:00, but didn't honestly think I could do it. There's no point in telling people, "my goal is 2:30", then coming in closer to 3:00 or not even finishing. Let's face it - my running career started pretty pitifully. I trained for 4 months for a 10km race, then signed up for the 5km because I didn't think I could really do 10km when race day arrived. I wanted to give myself an out. I've never really believed in myself when it comes to running.
I got pretty excited when I realized that I could probably do it in under (or really close to) 2:30:00. I pushed. Billy Joel sang in my ear about how it's My Life and I ran faster than I ever thought I could. I rounded the last corner and took a quick peek at my watch. 2:30:02. Holy cow! As far as I'm concerned, I did it! My son met me on the path with about 50m to go and ran in holding my hand. As they put the medal around my neck, I stopped my watch at 2:30:53.95.
Tonight, I sleep. Deeply and well, I hope. I'm very satisfied with myself and can't wait for the next adventure!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Well. That's a LOT of laps!
I ran 20km on a 200m indoor running track at the local hockey rink tonight. THAT'S 100 LAPS.
At least I didn't get snowed on.
Lots of good and bad mental stuff. Working through some more problems, trying hard to make decisions that I know need to make. Sore left knee/IT band again at about lap 70 or so. Almost gave in. Didn't. Glad.
Very tired. Going to bed.
Mileage to date in 2010: 122.66km - halfway between Seebee and Exshaw, near the turnoff to Kananaskis.
At least I didn't get snowed on.
Lots of good and bad mental stuff. Working through some more problems, trying hard to make decisions that I know need to make. Sore left knee/IT band again at about lap 70 or so. Almost gave in. Didn't. Glad.
Very tired. Going to bed.
Mileage to date in 2010: 122.66km - halfway between Seebee and Exshaw, near the turnoff to Kananaskis.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Where will it end?
I ran another 18km on Sunday. I'm still amazed that I did it. I'm less amazed that I went home and sat on the couch and moaned afterwards. But I did it!
I was thinking while I ran. At one point, as I was running near the parking lot at the entrance to Fish Creek (the one off Bannister), I was thinking about progression. I have wanted to know what the attraction is with running for the last 10 years. I used to work with a very fit group of people back home whose main exercise choices included running and cycling. Back then, I tried to learn how to run by myself. I watched those guys run and thought I could do it if I just did it. I failed. I ran 4km one time as my leg of the 24 hour relay in Vancouver and thought I was going to die. In fact, I was sore for almost a week afterwords. I have a photo that was taken the day after the run and I look like a puffy chunk of luncheon meat. Not pretty. Stairs really sucked that week.
So I continued to think about running and tried it from time to time. I commuted 3 hours a day at that point in my life and was dating a VERY out of shape fellow whose only exercise was the bicep curl that brought beer to his mouth. You know the one. Anyway, those were all my excuses back then.
After I got married, exercise wasn't part of our lives. We hung out with friends with whom we had great times, but the great times revolved almost entirely around beer and fried food.
Then, almost three years ago, I participated in a learn to run clinic with The Big Rock Runners. They were pretty cool. There are some serious runners involved in that group, yet they took the time to come to the learn to run clinic and tell us about why they love running ('cause you get to eat more chips) and why we should too (still learning about that one). I learned a lot about how and why and what to wear (the best piece of advice I got early on was about socks - that's a post in itself!). I ran a little bit over the next eight months, but still really didn't get it.
Then I started training for my first 10km race. The race was the Forzani Mother's Day race in 2008. So I ran on my treadmill in my basement for the prescribed distances and run/walk times during that winter. I started in January 2008. No one in our group of friends understood why I was doing this to myself. I lost about 25 pounds and trained ALONE. It was miserable. I did the race and placed 1677/1684 for the 5km run (http://www.raceheadquarters.com/results/2008/run/ForzaniMothers5k2008.html). I was registered for the 5km because, even though I trained, I didn't think I could run 10km. I actually ran 10km because I changed my mind during the race when I saw the turnoff for the 5km loop and didn't want to go with them. I was PUMPED when I got home! I was the only one who understood why this was such a big deal. I felt like a million bucks, even though it wasn't a very fast time. I wasn't sore and I had a great vacation.
I also ran the Sheep River Road Race on Labor Day weekend in 2008. Again, I ran alone. My husband and son met me at the finish line, but I ran very much alone. I hadn't kept up my training over the summer and so my hips were killing me by the end of the race and I had a really hard time over the next couple of weeks.
In the spring of 2009, I ran to escape. I didn't care about mileage, run/walk cycles or gear. I literally ran to get out of the house and away from life. It was something about my life that I could control when everything else was out of my control. By the beginning of 2009, I had gained back the 25 pounds that I lost the year before. By the end of the summer of 2009, I had lost those 25 pounds again, plus another 10 more. Physically, I felt great because of the weight loss. Mentally, I only felt sort of OK while I ran. So I ran some more to feel better.
I had finally found my reason to run. I had finally figured out the secret it took me 10 years to find. For me, I run to save my life. Now, I need to run. I didn't truly NEED it before. That's the secret.
I have a lot of blessings in my life; my son, my family, my work. I roll problems around in my head while I run. It helps me make better decisions.
Over the past three years, I have come to consider myself a runner. I didn't think of myself as a runner until I realized that it's part of who I am now and I can't be entirely me without it. It's amazing how things change.
In the past three years, I lost 25 pounds, gained 25 pounds, lost 35 pounds, ramped up my mileage to over 30 km a week from nothing and have a new dimension to my life that I can't imagine living without. I hadn't intended this to be so long and mushy, but sometimes I just get carried away. There you have it.
I was thinking while I ran. At one point, as I was running near the parking lot at the entrance to Fish Creek (the one off Bannister), I was thinking about progression. I have wanted to know what the attraction is with running for the last 10 years. I used to work with a very fit group of people back home whose main exercise choices included running and cycling. Back then, I tried to learn how to run by myself. I watched those guys run and thought I could do it if I just did it. I failed. I ran 4km one time as my leg of the 24 hour relay in Vancouver and thought I was going to die. In fact, I was sore for almost a week afterwords. I have a photo that was taken the day after the run and I look like a puffy chunk of luncheon meat. Not pretty. Stairs really sucked that week.
So I continued to think about running and tried it from time to time. I commuted 3 hours a day at that point in my life and was dating a VERY out of shape fellow whose only exercise was the bicep curl that brought beer to his mouth. You know the one. Anyway, those were all my excuses back then.
After I got married, exercise wasn't part of our lives. We hung out with friends with whom we had great times, but the great times revolved almost entirely around beer and fried food.
Then, almost three years ago, I participated in a learn to run clinic with The Big Rock Runners. They were pretty cool. There are some serious runners involved in that group, yet they took the time to come to the learn to run clinic and tell us about why they love running ('cause you get to eat more chips) and why we should too (still learning about that one). I learned a lot about how and why and what to wear (the best piece of advice I got early on was about socks - that's a post in itself!). I ran a little bit over the next eight months, but still really didn't get it.
Then I started training for my first 10km race. The race was the Forzani Mother's Day race in 2008. So I ran on my treadmill in my basement for the prescribed distances and run/walk times during that winter. I started in January 2008. No one in our group of friends understood why I was doing this to myself. I lost about 25 pounds and trained ALONE. It was miserable. I did the race and placed 1677/1684 for the 5km run (http://www.raceheadquarters.com/results/2008/run/ForzaniMothers5k2008.html). I was registered for the 5km because, even though I trained, I didn't think I could run 10km. I actually ran 10km because I changed my mind during the race when I saw the turnoff for the 5km loop and didn't want to go with them. I was PUMPED when I got home! I was the only one who understood why this was such a big deal. I felt like a million bucks, even though it wasn't a very fast time. I wasn't sore and I had a great vacation.
I also ran the Sheep River Road Race on Labor Day weekend in 2008. Again, I ran alone. My husband and son met me at the finish line, but I ran very much alone. I hadn't kept up my training over the summer and so my hips were killing me by the end of the race and I had a really hard time over the next couple of weeks.
In the spring of 2009, I ran to escape. I didn't care about mileage, run/walk cycles or gear. I literally ran to get out of the house and away from life. It was something about my life that I could control when everything else was out of my control. By the beginning of 2009, I had gained back the 25 pounds that I lost the year before. By the end of the summer of 2009, I had lost those 25 pounds again, plus another 10 more. Physically, I felt great because of the weight loss. Mentally, I only felt sort of OK while I ran. So I ran some more to feel better.
I had finally found my reason to run. I had finally figured out the secret it took me 10 years to find. For me, I run to save my life. Now, I need to run. I didn't truly NEED it before. That's the secret.
I have a lot of blessings in my life; my son, my family, my work. I roll problems around in my head while I run. It helps me make better decisions.
Over the past three years, I have come to consider myself a runner. I didn't think of myself as a runner until I realized that it's part of who I am now and I can't be entirely me without it. It's amazing how things change.
In the past three years, I lost 25 pounds, gained 25 pounds, lost 35 pounds, ramped up my mileage to over 30 km a week from nothing and have a new dimension to my life that I can't imagine living without. I hadn't intended this to be so long and mushy, but sometimes I just get carried away. There you have it.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Mileage
As of today, I've logged another 48.01km. That makes a total this year of 70.83km.
Redwood Meadows.
Redwood Meadows.
Outdoor Fartleks vs. Treadmills
Definitely outdoor fartleks. Definitely. The treadmill was SO boring tonight!
Last night:
We ran the same route that we ran on the first night of the clinic. I could swear that they installed a moving sidewalk since we last ran there. It felt so much easier this time. Fartleks were fun, in a twisted sort of way. I liked speed work better than hills. I found it easier to randomly sprint a given distance than to wrap my head around how far/hard a bunch of hills are.
Warm evening, 5.92km in 42:52.
Average pace: 7:14/km
Fastest speed: 18km/hr (3:25min/km)
Tonight:
Blah. Treadmill is boring. Even my iPod & Jay Leno didn't really help. It feels so much longer than any outdoor run. And I get so much hotter indoors. I really should look at getting a fan.
6km, 51:00
Gotta see how Roger Mac likes the indoors. Haven't downloaded this one yet. I think he thinks I only went about 60m.
Last night:
We ran the same route that we ran on the first night of the clinic. I could swear that they installed a moving sidewalk since we last ran there. It felt so much easier this time. Fartleks were fun, in a twisted sort of way. I liked speed work better than hills. I found it easier to randomly sprint a given distance than to wrap my head around how far/hard a bunch of hills are.
Warm evening, 5.92km in 42:52.
Average pace: 7:14/km
Fastest speed: 18km/hr (3:25min/km)
Tonight:
Blah. Treadmill is boring. Even my iPod & Jay Leno didn't really help. It feels so much longer than any outdoor run. And I get so much hotter indoors. I really should look at getting a fan.
6km, 51:00
Gotta see how Roger Mac likes the indoors. Haven't downloaded this one yet. I think he thinks I only went about 60m.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Longest Run Ever!
18km yesterday. That's the longest run I've ever done. I walked the last 4km with Tina. We were both having knee problems, so we figured it was safer to walk it than keep running and be worse off.
The best part was that the rest of the group doubled back and walked out to meet us after they finished! That was so cool.
I have to say that I'm impressed with myself. I'm always surprised at the range of emotions that I experience when I run. In one workout, I ran through elation, defeat, insecurity, and the sure knowledge that even though the rest of my life is f***ed up, I can still run. Running is there for me, even when everything else is falling apart. That's amazing and I'm so grateful for it.
18km
2:23:36
Burned something like 1000 calories!
Sunny, -10 at the start
Coffee with part of the group after!
The best part was that the rest of the group doubled back and walked out to meet us after they finished! That was so cool.
I have to say that I'm impressed with myself. I'm always surprised at the range of emotions that I experience when I run. In one workout, I ran through elation, defeat, insecurity, and the sure knowledge that even though the rest of my life is f***ed up, I can still run. Running is there for me, even when everything else is falling apart. That's amazing and I'm so grateful for it.
18km
2:23:36
Burned something like 1000 calories!
Sunny, -10 at the start
Coffee with part of the group after!
Friday, January 15, 2010
So THAT's what IT band pain is!
I ran on the Vegas Strip on Wednesday morning! Amazing! I ran last time I was there, but it was a pretty unenthusiastic 2 or 3km. This time was 7km from the hotel to the Welcome to Las Vegas sign. We walked most of the way back and stopped for coffee, pastries and Margaritas. Very fun!
By the time we were in sight of the sign, my left knee was killing me. It hurt on the lateral side, next to the kneecap. The knee was very stiff and I was having a hard time putting any weight on it. We rode the tram from Mandalay Bay to Excalibur, which made the pain even worse when I tried to stand up after sitting, or when we went up or down the (many) stairs.
It's probably my own fault. I didn't stretch well, we walked about 10km on Tuesday, and the entire run was on concrete. Ice and ibuprofen helped. From what I can figure, I should probably take a couple of days off if I'm going to survive Sunday's long run. Rest, more ice & Advil should do it.
I find it interesting that it's the same side as the hip problems I had last spring. I thought I had the hip under control, but this makes me wonder if the hip problem was misdiagnosed and it was all IT band. Hmmm.
A few weeks ago, we were talking about why we run. I run because I love dressing up to go out, especially in Vegas.
Speaking of progress...
June 2009, also in Vegas
Tuesday night after seeing Jersey Boys.
By the time we were in sight of the sign, my left knee was killing me. It hurt on the lateral side, next to the kneecap. The knee was very stiff and I was having a hard time putting any weight on it. We rode the tram from Mandalay Bay to Excalibur, which made the pain even worse when I tried to stand up after sitting, or when we went up or down the (many) stairs.
It's probably my own fault. I didn't stretch well, we walked about 10km on Tuesday, and the entire run was on concrete. Ice and ibuprofen helped. From what I can figure, I should probably take a couple of days off if I'm going to survive Sunday's long run. Rest, more ice & Advil should do it.
I find it interesting that it's the same side as the hip problems I had last spring. I thought I had the hip under control, but this makes me wonder if the hip problem was misdiagnosed and it was all IT band. Hmmm.
A few weeks ago, we were talking about why we run. I run because I love dressing up to go out, especially in Vegas.
Speaking of progress...
June 2009, also in Vegas
Tuesday night after seeing Jersey Boys.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Wow!
I feel amazing! Hungry, but amazing! 11.94km in 1:29:24, which I realize isn't that fast. I was the last one done this morning, but I did it and I feel SO good!
I also took my amazing, Type A personality dog, Jake, with me. He tried so hard to get me to the front of the pack because he just hates being behind anyone. He was such a trooper! By the end, he thought he was still good to go, but he just flopped down and gave up in the car. Usually, he's whiny and anxious to get out of the car, but he was silent all the way home today. Poor boy, he'll be lying around the house all day now!
No coughing either. Good thing, because my abs get really sore by the end of such a long run and it's hard to cough.
Warm weather - 5 degrees or so. Sunny, almost no wind.
11.94km
1:29:24
Sore hips and knees, but I did all of the runs without breaking.
Average pace: 7:29/km
I also took my amazing, Type A personality dog, Jake, with me. He tried so hard to get me to the front of the pack because he just hates being behind anyone. He was such a trooper! By the end, he thought he was still good to go, but he just flopped down and gave up in the car. Usually, he's whiny and anxious to get out of the car, but he was silent all the way home today. Poor boy, he'll be lying around the house all day now!
No coughing either. Good thing, because my abs get really sore by the end of such a long run and it's hard to cough.
Warm weather - 5 degrees or so. Sunny, almost no wind.
11.94km
1:29:24
Sore hips and knees, but I did all of the runs without breaking.
Average pace: 7:29/km
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Goals
'Tis the season, right? I was just reading on one of the blogs that Neil follows about the guy who set himself a mileage goal for 2009. There's a thought - a mileage goal for 2010. Up to now, I've always just gone and run. What about setting a goal?
I don't know if I'll do another half marathon (at least right away), so I don't want to set a goal that's in keeping with constantly training for a big race like that. This past summer, I finally discovered why I like running and I only did about 5km at a time, maybe 2 or 3 times a week. I'm more comfortable doing longer runs now and I would like to keep it up.
22km a week is do-able. That makes 1144km in a year. Wow. That would be like running from home to Portland, Oregon. Or Brandon, Manitoba. Or Rainbow Lake, Alberta. Or Surrey, BC. OK, I'll choose Surrey, because that's where my best friend, T, lives.
So far this year, I've logged 22.82km. South Calgary. Woo! Here I go!
I don't know if I'll do another half marathon (at least right away), so I don't want to set a goal that's in keeping with constantly training for a big race like that. This past summer, I finally discovered why I like running and I only did about 5km at a time, maybe 2 or 3 times a week. I'm more comfortable doing longer runs now and I would like to keep it up.
22km a week is do-able. That makes 1144km in a year. Wow. That would be like running from home to Portland, Oregon. Or Brandon, Manitoba. Or Rainbow Lake, Alberta. Or Surrey, BC. OK, I'll choose Surrey, because that's where my best friend, T, lives.
So far this year, I've logged 22.82km. South Calgary. Woo! Here I go!
I feel like Julie Powell!
So I re-entered the land of the living the other day. Finally feeling back to human - not quite 100% yet, though.
Anyway, I checked the blog and Neil commented. And I found out the other day during our run that someone else checked out my blog. Wow! People actually read this and noticed that they connected with me. Very cool. Thanks for the support!
I will NOT, however, be cooking anything with large quantities of butter anytime soon and telling everyone about it. This isn't that kind of blog, even though I love butter. This is more about the random, amazing, fantastic and (let's face it) HARD self-torture that we all love called running. Well, slow jogging in my case, but whatever. I'm out there and it's friggin' cold, people!
OK, down to business. Last night was EIGHT hills. 8.6km, according to my faithful running partner, Roger (my amazing Garmin Forerunner 305).
Distance: 8.6km
Average pace: a pitiful 8:20/km
Coughing: not too bad. Worse after I got in the car to go home. Couldn't find my ventolin.
Weather: very cold and a nasty north wind. Very glad of layers and my new wind resistant vest. Mark's Work Wearhouse has got some amazing stuff that I'm using for running. Base layers, balaclava, fleece. Wicking is awesome!
How did I feel? Pretty good. Probably 7/10. Sore this morning, especially my second toe on my left foot. Toenail issues. Don't know what to do about that one. I thought that cutting that toenail would help some earlier discomfort, but it made it worse. Hmm.
Anyway, I checked the blog and Neil commented. And I found out the other day during our run that someone else checked out my blog. Wow! People actually read this and noticed that they connected with me. Very cool. Thanks for the support!
I will NOT, however, be cooking anything with large quantities of butter anytime soon and telling everyone about it. This isn't that kind of blog, even though I love butter. This is more about the random, amazing, fantastic and (let's face it) HARD self-torture that we all love called running. Well, slow jogging in my case, but whatever. I'm out there and it's friggin' cold, people!
OK, down to business. Last night was EIGHT hills. 8.6km, according to my faithful running partner, Roger (my amazing Garmin Forerunner 305).
Distance: 8.6km
Average pace: a pitiful 8:20/km
Coughing: not too bad. Worse after I got in the car to go home. Couldn't find my ventolin.
Weather: very cold and a nasty north wind. Very glad of layers and my new wind resistant vest. Mark's Work Wearhouse has got some amazing stuff that I'm using for running. Base layers, balaclava, fleece. Wicking is awesome!
How did I feel? Pretty good. Probably 7/10. Sore this morning, especially my second toe on my left foot. Toenail issues. Don't know what to do about that one. I thought that cutting that toenail would help some earlier discomfort, but it made it worse. Hmm.
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