I'm Back Baby

No excuses forthcoming.....Just back.

Today I had an awesome run....1 hour and 45 and it felt good and I felt strong and I feel like I have turned the corner.  Let the Marathon training begin.....Lots more tomorrow!

Metamorphosis

All I really wanted to do after Sunday's half marathon was cocoon. Although mother nature was on board serving up a perfect weather day, the run did not go my way. I am well aware of the importance of eating right the day before, and the even more important mental preparation needed for such an event. This time I beat myself before I started. After months of prep work I did everything wrong the week of. Strike number one - I tapered way too early and then enjoyed a prerace week of luxury which included night time snacking. Strike number two - I had a very busy Saturday with not much water intake. Strike number three - A horrible sleep the night before. Then after I had already struck out - Up early with a breakfast that didn't sit well. Packing my running belt with different fuel then I had used all through training. All the "what not to dos" that a veteran runner should know not to do.

I was excited to be doing the run with three of my sisters and was stoked for a fun event. I started out at a good pace and managed to keep it up for most of the race. I was on track for a 1:55 time, just before mile 11, I checked my time and it was 1:38....of course things don't always go as planned and just after the marker I felt a twinge in my ankle. It felt like I rolled my ankle even though I hadn't. I couldn't run on it as it was too painful. I walked for a bit but it just hurt more. I walked to a bench and tried to stretch it out. It just ached. I stretched it for a few minutes more, watching as runners past me, avoiding the eyes of the small groups of spectators gathered along the seawall. Volunteers asked if I was okay and I nodded and kept walking, hobbling really. As I shuffled up the hill widely discouraged as my under 2 hour goal slipped through my fingers, I felt a soft rub on my shoulder as my sister ran up behind me and said in my ear come on Kath, run with me....I told her I couldn't and to keep going. I watched her run strong up the hill and turn down heading to the finish line. I knew I couldn't walk the rest of the way. It would take forever. So I just started running. I ran hard till the end. I had never before felt the feeling of "bonking" during a long run. But here it was. Finishing well over my two hour goal. But finishing.

I told you a few weeks ago that I was becoming different..I was referring to my dedication to my training and to myself. It had been awhile since I had committed to a goal and I was proud that I was finally getting back in a goal oriented frame of mind. So I hope that explains my disappointment in Sundays run.
But sometimes in order to become diffferent we have to cocoon for a bit. Regroup. Rebuild. Retreat.

So I have taken my days of rest. Taken care of my injury by icing and elevating. I will slowly emerge and restart my training. I will learn from my mistakes and make my prerace diet and mental preparation a priority for my next run.

You can see from the above picture that the best part of the day was enjoying some sibling time over good coffee and delicious crepes. So definitely not all bad. :)

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Becoming Different

The name for this blog came to me on one of those "moments of clarity" I  get when I run.  Often I will have ideas that run through my mind as my feet run their paces.  During my first  Marathon I planned an entire coffee shop/running business with my running partner that had us serving up lattes at the Runners Lounge.....:)....ah yes...moments of clarity, brilliant ideas but not often the gumption or dollars to bring the ideas to fruition.
When I came up with the name of the blog I was thinking about how much I enjoy running from home.  Often as runners we drive to our take off point and for the longest time now I have done almost all of my training at Burnaby Lake.  It is by far my favourite place to run.  The routes are straight forward, you can go short or long, and the scenery is spectacular no matter what the weather.
Since moving to the Moody Park area of New Westminster though, I find myself just wanting to run from home.  I love running through Queens Park and around the neighbourhoods.  There are some terrific hills for hill repeats and lots of scenic views of the Fraser River and the mountains. 

I enjoyed an awesome run with my sisters the other day.  We ran from the top of McBride Boulevard in New Westminster to Bonsor Recreation Complex in Burnaby and back. Covering just over 10.75 miles of terrain we were all feeling pretty good about our upcoming Half Marathon on February 13th.  Running from home has some added perks when you are a New Westminsterite....if you run down one of the royal streets of New West...you will happen upon a "thought of the day". Lovingly written in chalk on a blackboard hung for the perusal of passersby, a daily motivator for those of us who are enamoured of the written word.  The quote written couldn't have come at a better time for those of us becoming different.

Not sure if you can make it out but it says...

 “If you want things to be different, perhaps the answer is to become different yourself..” - Norman Vincent Peale
Tomorrow a little bit more about how I am becoming different myself...

Blaze a Trail...

stronger...harder...faster...

Now don't get your runner laces in a knot....the title is not an attempt to lure new readers with a soft porn teaser.....
I'm talking mantras people!..I had a really nice fast paced run at Burnaby Lake on Saturday.....doing the loop in a respectable 49 minutes and finishing very strong and with the title words above ringing in my head.  I had found a new mantra;..stronger,harder,faster.
This months issue of Runner's World has a story on the magic of mantras and their importance to the runner....Finish Strong...Blaze a Trail....I am power....Things we tell ourselves to keep our bodies in gear and on track.  The brain is a powerful thing and words are a powerful tool to anyone, but especially to the athlete. 
I have been trying to focus on core strength and hoping to pick up my speed.  I was previously content to just finish, and I think this new mantra will help me embrace the change.  Stronger. Harder.Faster.

When I ran the Royal Victoria Marathon in 2008, I trained alone, I ran alone.  But I had a mantra.  Big League Jam.  It meant a lot to me.  On one of my long training runs I had a spectacular rolling wipe out down Cariboo Hill (if you don't know the hill it is fairly steep) that saw me sprawled on the cement looking up at the sky.  I got up and shook it off, rubbed some grass on the blood, and ran for another hour and a half.  Big league jam.

At the marathon in Victoria, New Balance was the title sponsor and they had their awesome love/hate campaign underway and a huge board in the street outside the store for marathoners to write their own love/hate.  I wrote mine ...hate injuries....love big league jam..

When I was running the marathon itself and approaching mile 19 and desperately trying to find that Big League Jam...there it was on the sign....19 mile marker.....hate injuries...love big league jam....I could have cried.  But I laughed and found some jam and carried on.

They sent me a shirt a few weeks after the race was done.  I guess it was a contest and I won.  But the real victory was the medal hanging in my car.  The real victory was reaching my goal, through hard work and training and perseverance   The real victory was the Personal Best time achieved.  That weekend in Victoria was very special to me.  I achieved all these things as a runner sure, but I also got to know me a little better along the way.  Can't wait to do it again this year!

Blaze a Trail.

To the Core

There were no Monday blues today.  The week started off with a bang and I am looking forward to the rest of the training as the half marathon gets closer.  I am enjoying running in this nice crisp cold weather.  Speaking of nice, crisp and cold, the ladies and I had a long discussion about apples when picking our lunch selection at the local produce store today.  So many varieties, colours and shapes.  Our in house favorite right now based on store availability is the Royal Gala.  I seriously love this apple.  You have to make sure you pick one with a nice shiny skin to ensure maximum crunchiness.  It is my favourite after workout snack.
I was thinking about another part of the apple tonight when I hit the gym.  The core.  Just like apples we all come in various shapes and sizes, and those of us blest with children have had our bellies stretched to the limit at one point or another, and a select few of us who were blest with twins.... well if I showed you a picture you would be mesmerized....but don't hold your breath.
A strong core is even more important to those of us over 40.   Core strengthening develops the muscles of the stomach, back and hips.  Bonus of course is a toned tummy but the benefits to the rest of our body are huge. On top of all the health benefits comes the added benefit of paving the way to our inner "stronger and faster" runner.  So spending time to strengthen your core is a "no brainer".
Tonight I tried a completely new core workout courtesy of Women's Health Magazine.  I managed to go through all the exercises and it was a really great workout.  I definitely felt the burn and I am going to continue doing these sets for awhile and see how I progress.  I did my regular routine on top of these exercises and started the whole session off with a 30 minute run on the treadmill
I know that the core exercises I have done to date have improved my running performances as well as my form.  I also know there is room for improvement.  If I keep it up, I might just transform this "mother of four tummy" to a washboard stomach by summertime.
Enjoy your apples.....and don't forget the core.

Blue Sky and Sugar Blue

Gorgeous day out there!  I decided to come out of hiding finally.  My  sister posted a link to my blog on her very popular blog and I have to admit I cocooned.  It is funny because obviously when you blog, the whole point is for people to read your blog, but the thought of people other than family reading your blog can make you freak out a little bit.

Anyway....I'm back.

I have had a really good week of fitness in spite of the rainy weather.   I took my workouts indoors for the most part and I have been diligent about sticking to my schedule and gym routines.  Luckily the work gym allows me to take more than the normal allotted 30 minutes on the treadmill due to lack of users which is a big plus for me.

Yesterday my son Gavin had a game out at UBC.  He has to be at the game an hour before so I "geared up" and brought warm woollies to change into after the run.  I had a really nice run all around the UBC campus.  It was cold and crisp and beautiful.  I just followed my legs and ran 25 minutes away from the arena and then 25 minutes back.  I didn't hit the trails although I was sorely tempted, but instead just stuck to the roads.  I finished in time to change and take in his game.  Perfect way to multi-task.

This morning the girls had a game at Britannia Arena on Commercial Drive.  If it was not so early I would have enjoyed walking "The Drive" before the game and doing a little window shopping.  I settled for coffee instead and hunkered down in the bleachers with my warm fleece blanket.  Britannia wins the award for the coldest arena in town.

When we arrived home the older siblings were just rolling out of bed.  After everyone was settled in I headed out for my run around Burnaby Lake.  Absolutely spectacular there this morning.  Perfect running weather for a long run.  Crisp and cold and clear.

After ensuring that I as well as the family had enjoyed at least some of the winter sunshine I firmed up plans with my sister for an indoor outing that was all about ambiance.

I have often talked to my siblings about the music acts at The Yale and an opportunity arose to take in a show with my sisters today.   The Yale is known as the home of Vancouver's Rhythm and Blues and is renowned for playing host to some amazing talent.  Tonight's 5o'clock show featured Sugar Blue, who Rolling Stone magazine referred to as "one of the most foremost harmonica blowers in all of blues".  I was able to talk my sisters into taking in the show with me tonight and only wish we had rounded up more of our siblings as I know my brother Joel would have enjoyed the unbelievable sounds that came from that harmonica.  The only negative was the smoke smell in that old building.  Hard to shake.  We were able to enjoy the first set, as well as the eclectic crowd, before heading home.  Good fun for this "baby" sis to be able to introduce new experiences to the older sister. ;)

As it was I was home in time to enjoy a great movie with the girls.  We had watched it the night before but I had been only half watching as I folded laundry etc.  Grace sat me down when I got home tonight and said you have to watch this movie.  I am so glad she did.  Flipped is a Rob Reiner film with a great ensemble cast which includes Aidan Quinn (I have loved him since Reckless) and other familiar faces.  It is a coming of age story told from both sides of the coin.  Beautifully directed it is a wonderful tale of young love.

Only 35 more days until my half marathon.  I feel like I am doing everything right and so far no injuries. 

Blaze a trail!

Weighty Subjects

Going back to work is always tough after a long stretch that includes lots of family and downtime.  It is also welcomed by those who like to adhere to a schedule and enjoy the routine events that make up the work/school week.
I have had a lot of flexibility with my running schedule over the holidays and my weight training has not been consistent either.  So today I renewed my membership at my work gym for the full year.
It is such a great perk when companies or office buildings offer an on site gym.  Mine is so affordable.  For less than a Starbucks coffee a week I have full use of a facility complete with free weights, nautilus, bench press, treadmills, elliptical and bikes.  It also has a really nice shower and changing room as well as lockers.  The hours are great too as it is even open on the weekend.
Tonight I opted to come home first, get dinner on the table (homemade chicken soup - yum), and get the down low on the day. 
I headed to the gym after promising the twins I would be home in time to tuck them in and read them a story before lights out.  Their bedtime on school nights was a discussion at the dinner table tonight.  Grace broached the subject by saying, " I would like to propose an 8:30 bedtime".  I asked Rachel if they had discussed their approach prior to dinner and Rachel said, "I am completely in the dark here".  So funny.  And in actuality I just hadn't  really reevaluated.  It is not like they actually ever go to sleep at 8:00pm.  As twins who share a room they often chitchat back and forth and more than 4 nights out of 7 they end up falling asleep in the others bed, flashlights under the covers, writing notes back and forth.
After a debate that was mostly for show, the bedtime was extended to 8:30 and 9:00 on Glee nights

But back to the gym.  I had the entire gym to myself which was a bonus tonight.  My scheduled run for tonight was 6km at 6min km pace.  I did that on the treadmill at no incline.  Then using my ipod application for Women's Health, I did two new weight training workouts that I really enjoyed.  If you have an itouch or iphone I highly recommend downloading the Women's or Men's Health workouts.  The descriptions of the exercises are clear and the pictorials are helpful.  It also allows you to log your sets and look back at your history.  There is a stop watch in the app so you can do timed sets as well.

All in all a successful day back to the routine.  Home in time to read two chapters of Silverwing and tuck the little ladies in.  I even managed a little accidental siesta right after reading.

Hope you carved out your me time too.