Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Last Nights Run... Just for fun, fun, fun...

3 miles - 30:48
5 km - 31:51
Then some walking at 3.5-5...
And since I was in *her* town... Some sprints for E*...
200m at 8.5 mph (what!?) with 200m walking recovery at 4.0  times FIVE!
4 because it equals 1 mile and then one more just for fun!
5 miles in 54 minutes...
And a bit more walking for fun,fun!
5.63 miles in 65 minutes!
Fun, fun, fun!

*E is my new (super)hero... She does 400m sprints with her trainer (and I don't know if they are 8.7 mph or a pace of 8.7 minutes per mile it really doesn't matter - that's crazy talk!) E - you are most definitely hardcore!

Run, run... for no reason run, just run...

I will be running tonight - after my half marathon I didn't run for 3 days... it's been two since the 15k, I will run.  I have no goal mileage or time... I am running a 10k in 3 weeks which I'm not even thinking about right now (though personally would like to get under 1 hour - stretch goal...)...

Tonight I am just going to run - for no reason - just run.  No expectations just freedom*.

*note - I'm in Toronto for work and hence working, lots.  But my hotel has awesome treadmills with personal tvs so I will be there running (freely?)

Saturday, March 26, 2011

One day to go... Confession (I'm freaked out!)

I am really freaked out about the 15k race I am doing tomorrow... it doesn't even seem like it's happening yet though I have to be out the door by 6:30am at the latest...

Up until this past week when work swallowed my life I've been putting in the training.  I know my body is capable after all it's only 9 pieces of 10 on 1 (possibly hopefully a bit less). I'm really worried about the mental focus...

Going into the half marathon just over a month ago I was focused, I knew it would be hard but I had a plan, I could visualize the course and how it'd feel.  Where I'd drink and have a gel but this time... this time it's just "happening"...

I feel like I'm taking it for granted since it's 6km less than a half and well, I've already done a half... BUT THAT'S WHAT FREAKS ME OUT!!  It's *still* 15km... I'm the girl that could barely manage 5k back in November... and I'm taking 15k for granted!!!  I'm scared.

But tomorrow morning I will get up at a ridiculous hour (in the dark), I will put on my running shoes and make my way to the start line.  I will do all this because at the end of the day I know I can.  I will hurt, I will want to quit but I won't.  I will finish!  I have to get that focus.  I have one more day to get there.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

7 days to go... my workout

Training called for 12k this weekend but I wasn't feeling up to it today so decided to just go out with the group I signed up for the Sun Run with and run whatever they were doing...  ended up on my own in between two groups just how it worked out with the speed however it was nice to know there were others out there 'with me'...

6km, 37 minutes - 6:10km

Saturday, March 19, 2011

9 days to go... aka how I celebrated St. Paddy's Day

Skipped out on work early last night to go for a run with my friend JD and his awesome (1 year old) twin girls (note: they weren't running but chilling out in their stroller...hee).

Met him at his place for what I was thinking would be 4 miles (6.4km) and when I mentioned this his reply was - I thought you said 8k  (5 miles)... oops, yes, that was on the training plan (though my head had believed all day that I only had to run 4, ugh!)

At least I had a good idea of how far this run would take us - from his place (near kits pool) to granville bridge would be approx. 3 so a bit past that and back... ready set go.

Since I was thinking we had a mile less to run than we did I changed the pieces from 10 on 1 (which I've been doing a lot lately) to 8 on 1.  We maintained a pretty solid pace through out of approx. 6:15 min/km (approx. 9.8 km.hr avg), 9.84 min/mile (6.1 mph)...  yay!

Not long after we started the rain started lightly but then the sun came out and the downpour proceeded - yes, pouring rain and sunny (only in Vancouver?).  It was warmer than I'd expected and mostly sunny after the brief bought of rain and a great run.  Glad to have finished it but nice to change it up a bit too.

Got my arm workout in afterward playing with the girls - they were quite enjoying me lifting them overhead to see themselves in the mirror and I was their new climbing gym it seemed.  Great fun (minus the being peed on twice...haha, to be expected I guess during naked baby time)

I do have to admit however that on my way home I snuck past McD's to grab a (finally back) Shamrock Shake that I've been craving for quite some time - just for memory sake - we used to have them when I was younger - and although they say they are mint flavoured they are some odd green flavour with a hint of mint - it's distinct though - they are exactly how I remembered them.

A great way to spend March 17th - no hangover for me today!



Photo: Dingle Ireland 2009

Thursday, March 17, 2011

10 days to go... my workout (and awesome inspiration!)

Last night:  So don't want to go for the 5km training run on the schedule tonight but I WILL (if only because I have a friend who will run with me - and talked me into it - her rationale... we can knock out 5k pretty quick*)
*yes we can


Knocked off that 5k (3 mile) run last night (rather) quickly... I mean, 31:30 not so bad.  Not my fastest but then again my fastest has always been on a treadmill where I can set the pace that I then have to keep - outside on my own? not so easy...
a big thanks to the fitblr universe... I posted just as I was leaving work that I was going to run (but really didn't want to - walking up one set of stairs yesterday and I could feel my tired legs)... anyway.  Got home, was sitting on the sofa checking out the route from my friends place and checked tumblr again... now note I was super close to texting my friend and asking if we could skip the run (and she was so hungry she probably would have agreed) but then I saw this:

and the words from easyrunner stuck with me... just get it done!  And we did.  There was a calm kind of rain - a (slightly) different route - random conversation - and sprinting in circles for the last 700m*... all kinds of silly fun.  And then it was over... my friend and I got creative in her kitchen afterwards and had an awesome salad (spicy and sweet pecans ftw) and coconut breaded turkey breast... turned out quite well.  And as she said - we make quite a team.  Yay for a great (and unexpected) tuesday evening.
*she is faster than me and we always typically do some sprint pieces at the end of our runs - we were near olympic village and there is both a bridge to walk over or a path around (approx. 200m loop) and so I said, laps... that way she could run her speed (fast) and I could run mine (not so fast - avoiding saying slow)...  it worked!
Thanks Kimberley!!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

12/13 days to go... my workouts (saturday and yesterday)

Skipped my 3 mile run on sunday in favor of focusing on some goal planning and dinner with good friends.  It was well enjoyed and makes me glad I'd got the 5 miler in earlier in the week when I only wanted to do 3.

Saturday was another PNWORCA winter series small boat race...  this was hosted by my paddling club so there was no crazy earlier morning wake up to drive to Seattle... little bit of a sleep in and off I went.  I was dearly nursing my coffee before the race knowing that I'd probably regret it when I was on the water but surprisingly it didn't bother my stomach... sweet!

So - 10km race - took just over 90 minutes... ugh.  The wind really picked up on the way back so not only were we fighting an outgoing tide we also had a massive wind in our faces... it was rough.  But I survived.  If I only had bigger 'guns' and better technique it wouldn't take me so long since my endurance isn't the issue anymore.  And I'm using my legs a lot more... my glutes were really sore afterwards...

Sunday - Kim and I had talked about getting a run in on Sunday afternoon and I was dreading it but yet still picked up when she called me.  She convinced me (not that hard) and off we went.. 7 miles in 75 minutes - 10 on 1 by almost 7... (approx. 9km/h avg.).  It hurt, a lot as I wasn't well hydrated or fueled and my body was still tired/sore from racing the day before.  Managed to get through it though...  it was our first run together in the rain (it started half way back when we turned into the headwind).  Kim made me dinner afterward (and did the dishes because she rocks)... great end to the weekend!  Today - rest!

Friday, March 11, 2011

17 days to go... my workout (yesterday)

Sooooo.... last night I didn't feel like running.  I hadn't run since Saturday due to having horse adventures and leaving my still sweaty workout clothes in a plastic bag after Saturday morning's run and then being in the hotel again on Monday with clothes that for good reason are still in the bag.  I flew home (jetlagged) on Tuesday but knew that there was still a 5 mile run waiting for me on the schedule so... I laced on my shoes to enjoy the (minimal) afterwork daylight and went to it...

My schedule this week also has a 3 miler (and a 7 miler) and I really thought hard about doing only the 3 miles but kept running.  I really didn't want to run but my legs did it for me - they kept taking me further from home until I was at the end of a newly found trail - almost 4 km from home (2.5 miles) and then I started back - knowing that I'd run the whole way as darkness approached.  And I did it...

Rocked out 8km (5 miles) in 52 minutes (6 on 1 by 7 plus a bit).  Felt good to be done!

Reward was a new hot pink foam roller to aid my achy IT bands...  and ouch!
http://img2.prosperent.com/images/250x250/www.activeforever.com/images/product/medium/A16723.jpg

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Just get those shoes on...

Saturday was booked pretty solid as I wanted a bit of a sleep in as I had such a luxurious bed...




I was meeting an old friend for brunch at 11am and going to my little buddies hockey game and taking him to another friends farm to see his horses and hang out.  As I lay there though I realized that it was likely the only time during the weekend that I'd find to get my 4 mile run in so I did... got out of bed and onto that treadmill for that run and I'm glad I did though it was hard to do...

4 miles, 41:59... not too fast, a bit more walking in the last mile but got it done!

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Workout recaps for this week...

Traveled to Toronto (ugh!) on Tuesday and been tied up in meetings (not literally) so have had very little internet time... good and bad I suppose.  Anyway, it does not mean I haven't been running, it's been a good week... helps that the hotel has awesome treadmills with built in TV's... if my gym at work in Vancouver had those... wow!

So recap:

Monday - run with Kimberly...
10 on 1 x 6 for a total of 10km... increased the pace of the last two minutes of the last 4 pieces which felt good... sprinted the last minute as well... was fun and good and DRY!

Tuesday - traveled to Toronto and ran 3 mile on the treadmill in the hotel
4 on 1 x 6 between 6.0 and 7.0... 3 miles in 29:29

Thursday - 3 mile run on the hotel treadmill
4 on 1 x 6 between 6.0 and 7.0... 3 miles in 29:19

I also give big props to anyone who lives in a cold climate and runs outdoors in winter with a freezing wind... man it's cold here.