Off to the island – race on Sunday.
Check back on Sunday morning for details on how to follow me (and Colin) during the race!
Good luck to everyone else racing this weekend! Can’t wait to read about your experiences!
October 9, 2010 | Categories: race | 1 Comment
1. Marathon
2. in
3. days
October 7, 2010 | Categories: marathon | 5 Comments
I’ve never been overly worried about the playlist on my iPod. Mostly I’ll just load a couple of albums, hit shuffle/repeat, and be done with it. But, since The Marathon is special and all that, Colin and I decided that we’d actually pick out songs. I know that I need a good 5 hour playlist otherwise I’ll probably have a mental breakdown if it starts over again and I haven’t hit my time goal. Not only is it time consuming, but it’s also really difficult. We spent a good couple of hours last night going through our iTunes and trying to whittle down what we wanted.
We definitely have eclectic choices in music – if you had compared our collections before we got married you’d wonder where the similarities were…
My playlist is comprised mostly of rock of all varieties: Pearl Jam, U2, Offspring, Hard-Fi, Linkin Park, etc. I’ve lowered my standards to have some music that I will only ever run to: ahem, Britney Spears.
Colin’s is much more diverse than mine: Brad Paisley, Eminem, Glee Soundtrack, Skillet. He’s also more judicial about his choices. He’s got one or two songs by each artist whereas I have almost full albums by some – it’s not really my fault that Pearl Jam’s last album is great running music.
We did have a good laugh over the titles/lyrics of a couple of songs:
“Sunday Bloody Sunday” – U2
“Get Through This” – Art of Dying
“Never Surrender” – Skillet
I don’t wanna feel like this tomorrow
I don’t wanna live like this today
Make me feel better
I wanna feel better
Stay with me here
And never surrender
I did tell Colin that he was not allowed to put The Barenaked Ladies’ “Too Little, Too Late” on my playlist after he joked that it should be the song that was playing just after my goal time passed…
Yesterday wasn’t half as tough as this time
This time isn’t Hell,
Last time, I couldn’t tell
This mind wasn’t well
Next time, hope I’m…
Going to be good, and I would –
If I knew I was understood
And it’ll be great, just wait –
Or is it too little too late?
T-minus 4 days…
October 6, 2010 | Categories: Goodlife Fitness Victoria Marathon, playlist | 9 Comments
Ferry reservations – Check.
Printed race confirmation and gear checklist – Check.
Reservation made at The Keg Steakhouse for post-race celebratory dinner – Check.
Ignoring the fact that I’ll be running 42.2km in 5 days – Check.
October 5, 2010 | Categories: countdown | 3 Comments
Yup. I have six (6) days left until my marathon. Well, it’s on the 6th day. Sunday. THIS Sunday.
I am trying to not think about it. I figure if I’m neutral about it I won’t freak out. So I’m working very hard to be neither excited nor anxious. Ask me again in a couple of days how I feel and I’ll probably be both, but there’s no point in getting worked up about it yet. I’m sure it will hit me Saturday morning when I get on the ferry and discover there’s no way out of what I’m planning to do…
The only thing I’m a little excited about is that I have my bib number – #120. I won’t be the 120th person across the finish line, but that’s okay. As long as I’m not DFL I’ll be happy!
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I’ve heard of taper madness, but I don’t think I’ve ever experienced it until 2 nights ago. What I know is that I’ve never had a running related dream before and since I am in the run-up to my marathon I feel all right attributing it to the taper. That, or it was catching up on running blogs while eating a warm bowl of apple crisp at 11pm.
Here’s my dream (at least what I can remember):
I arrived at the race site – pretty sure it wasn’t Victoria – and found a place to wait for the start. After a while we were told to go wait in a McDonald’s, but eventually we were fairly certain that no one was coming to get us. I wandered around until I found a race official and was blamed for listening to the first person as we were not supposed to leave the original location. Not only were we in the wrong spot, but the race had started already – like an HOUR ago!
Even though I had been waiting around I was not prepared for the race. I didn’t have my heart-rate monitor or my backpack on. I didn’t even have my socks! When I asked for help finding my socks I was handed a mismatched pair (one running sock, one regular). I complained that I was looking for my Injinji socks at which time the person helping me yelled that I could do it myself. Helpful! Eventually I found a matching black pair. I don’t wear black socks, but in my dreams I apparently do.
Once I was kitted out I had to get my timing chip. You’d think it would go on my shoe, but it was actually a little puffy sticker of a crab that stuck to my leg and went under a sleeve on my ankle. I had no idea how to attach it so some random stranger guy helped me out. Since I was glad to have had the help I insisted that I get his email so I could thank him again after the race and let him know how I did. Finally I was ready to race.
So I thought. Because I was starting an hour late I had to start with the relay support vehicles. The vans pulled out of the way so that I could cross the timing mats. I went to run across, but was told I was doing it wrong and there was a specific way to do it. I was supposed to run slowly across it, but not bounce. Kind of like a Baywatch run – in slow-mo.
Once on the course I found that it was very dark with almost no street lights. There were also no bathrooms. The route wasn’t clearly marked, but I did find a cafe in the middle to stop at for muffins. Eventually I crossed the finish line to find out my time was at least an hour and a half more than my goal time… not including the late start.
So that’s what my subconscious thinks about my marathon training. I have no idea what it means. I am either going to have a rotten race or an awesome race. If you have any interpretations please let me know!
October 4, 2010 | Categories: dreams, taper, taper madness | 4 Comments
Sorry for announcing the winner of my CSN contest late! After getting home from the Okanagan after 7pm last night Colin went to turn on the computer and its power supply blew. Awesome! Thankfully my dad had a spare kicking around his house so now we’re back up and running.
Here is the winning number, as generated by random.org:
That means that Katherine from Forward Foot Strides is the winner of the $40 CSN gift certificate. Congratulations! Please contact me at running42km [dot] blog [at] gmail [dot] com with your email address.
Thanks everyone for entering! You helped me get to 50 followers!
October 3, 2010 | Categories: contests, CSNStores | 5 Comments
Well, I’m officially tapering! It’s so nice to be done the long runs – the only one on the horizon is a 16km (at race pace) at the end of the week. I’m unusually calm about the race right now which is kind of freaking me out in it’s own way. Ask me again in a week how I feel and I will have probably changed my mind…
We’re going up to my in-laws in the Okanagan this week as Colin’s on vacation. It’ll be a nice 4 day getaway to do nothing but eat, sleep, run (a little) and buy fruit. I don’t really need 20lbs of apples or pears, but when it’s $6 for 10lbs or $7 for 20 it’s a shame to turn it down. I’ll just have to convince Colin to make more pies!
I won’t be posting while I’m up there so here’s one last plug for my CSN contest. It’s $40! You can enter here until Thursday at midnight PST. The winner will be announced on Friday… it’ll start someone’s October off right.
Hope everyone has a great week!
September 28, 2010 | Categories: contests, CSNStores, taper | 3 Comments
Selling unused sports equipment: $104.00
Finding favourite shoes in my size on sale: $119.99
Having a husband who will phone around for best price/availability
and who brings you 4 mint chocolate GU’s: PRICELESS
September 26, 2010 | Categories: Asics GT-2150, awesome husband, gu | 1 Comment
1. It’s raining. Not a big deal here in Vancouver, but I haven’t had to run in the rain in AGES. Not too sure if I’ll pull out the water-resistant jacket tonight since it’s only drizzle. I might have to use my toque though since my ears started to hurt from the cold on my run last night.
2. Hope to have new shoes this weekend. Really need new shoes this weekend – to break in before the big day and so I don’t kill my knees with the old pair. Will be selling unused sports equipment to get the funds (unless one of you would like to be my shoe-fairy-godmother/father/parent?). When you can’t remember the last time you used your snowboard or rollerblades it’s time to let them go. The place I’m taking them to apparently takes used runners too – I’m sure I’ll weep at the amount they’ll give me for my (original price $159.99) GT-2140s, but anything is better than nothing!
3. Feel free to enter my contest – $40 to CSN!
September 24, 2010 | Categories: contests, CSNStores, rain, shoes | 2 Comments
This past Sunday marked our last LONG, long runs and Colin’s first “run-in” with a bear. Scroll down to see my short blurb about his run – he’s complaining that he’s getting short shrift, but it’s my blog. 🙂
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At 32km my run wasn’t as intimidating as the first time I did that distance, but I was still a little apprehensive about it. We had planned to meet at the store at 7:30 to carpool over to the new UBC Running Room in Vancouver as they were hosting a group run.
Problem #1: No one, and I mean no one, that I usually run with was able to make it. A bit of a surprise really. No biggie, though, I figured I’d find a bunch of people to run with once we got there.
Problem #2: Another store had also decided to host a group run so there were only a couple of stores present. The other store that made it out to UBC had planned their own run out to Richmond while we were doing the downtown tour.
Problem #3: When those of us going downtown sorted ourselves out there was no 4:15 pace group like I’d hoped. There was me, Mary from Vancouver, and Christine from Surrey. Awesome! Mary wasn’t training for a marathon and only wanted to do half the distance. Christine wanted to do the full 32km, but was on her own too having only found out about the run from staff at the Richmond store a couple of days before.
So started my last long run before taper. Apparently the 23km next week doesn’t qualify as long (?), but I digress.
We started the run with a few kilometres of trails. Since Mary was a local (re: not from the ‘burbs) she convinced us that we should stay on the trail that paralleled the road rather than go down to the beach. It was really nice, but, man, it was hilly! She’d say, “oh, it’s just a little up hill here” and then we’d find ourselves going up a super steep slope. But it was worth it. Especially since I skipped out on my final hill repeats a few weeks back.
When we got out to the beach we made a quick pit-stop at the concession – it’s great to run with women who’ve had kids… and then were on our way. The run took us along part of the route of my last half marathon which was nice since I knew where we were going. Mary decided to turn around just before the Burrard Bridge and head back, but we carried on. It didn’t kill me this time like it did in the half, but I’m pretty sure that’s because we were at kilometre 12 not 18 and I wasn’t racing.
After the bridge we headed down to the seawall and it was a great to be running relatively flat. There was lots to look at too. The local Aids Walk was on as well as the Terry Fox Run. I have to admit that the tents at both with signs for pancake breakfasts and snacks were very tempting! Christine and I made another pit-stop at Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park and then went the wrong way. We weren’t lost by any means, but skipped a chunk of the seawall that we were supposed to do. I’m pretty sure we didn’t lose any distance here and we at least missed a long light at a major intersection.
Once out of Stanley Park we were on the way “back”. We still had 14km to go (so we thought, more on that later) as we headed along Denman. We’d been running for a while – I think it was around 11 – and, if you know Vancouver, you know that Denman is full of restaurants. I think the worst was that we passed a Mongolian grill place that had just heated up their grill. It smelled so good! My stomach liked my GU’s, but definitely thought that real food sounded better. We hit the seawall again and crossed under the Burrard and Granville Bridges. We were both getting a bit convinced at this point that our run was going to be over 32km. We couldn’t reconcile what we were supposed to have left with where we were. However, we thought we might be mistaken and carried on – because, really, at this point we couldn’t do much else.
We went over our second bridge of the day (Cambie) and it started to rain a little. Thankfully by the time we went four blocks it was gone; Vancouver had missed most of the forecast thunderstorms. I think that I really would have preferred the rain to what was to come – hills. Every street seemed to be a long gradual hill. We were at the 24km mark and Christine’s IT band and my feet were starting to feel it. Each time we stopped (we were doing 10 + 1s) Christine had a hard time starting again. We slowed down a little, but I don’t think that really helped all that much. My feet were feeling it because my shoes are toast. They started squeaking and the padding in the forefoot was pretty flat. We made another stop at the Broadway Running Room to fill up our water and just rest.
Back on the road feeling a bit better we set off into residential areas. This isn’t a run down part of town! Lovely houses, many of them restored, and quiet streets. The sun was shining and we were plodding along quite nicely. Thankfully there was yet another Running Room to visit (a necessity for me) at Alma. Once we finished there we were almost done! We were at 29km at this point and knew we’d be running long. There was no way that we were going to be finished in 3km. Unfortunately the one thing I’d forgotten about the run was the hill we’d have to go up. It was one of those hills that just kept going and going. And when I thought it was done it split at an intersection and started again. I just checked – it was 1.11km long. Really? At the end of a run? Thanks.
At this point I was close to done. Not only in reality, but physically and mentally. My feet hurt (thankfully not my knees) and I knew that I’d be going over 32km. This would be my (and Christine’s) farthest run ever. Since our program doesn’t call for anything over 32km I have to admit that I’ve always been nervous about race day. I was convinced that I’d suck for the last 10km and was really doubting my ability. So I’m very glad that we had to do 2 extra kilometres. That’s right, I ran 34km/21miles. It wasn’t easy and there’s no way that I would have been able to run another 8km on Sunday, but I’m not so freaked out now.
We ran in to the Running Room after 4 hours and 11 minutes. I was so happy to be done. There were still some of the promised bagels (which I forced myself to choke down) and Allison from our group had brought banana-chocolate chip muffins (which I could have eaten far more than the one I had). It was actually a great run. I had good company, the weather was decent, and my confidence level went up! Now it’s time to taper!
Here’s my route:
So that’s my run, but I wasn’t the only one in the house running on Sunday. Colin decided that he’d try for a +20km run too. He’s been having some IT/knee issues and was feeling better all last week. My parents came by in the morning to watch M and let Colin head out in our neck of the woods. Thankfully he hadn’t left about 15 minutes earlier or he would have been caught in a cloud burst. As it was, there was already a thunderstorm warning in effect for the lower mainland. It probably wasn’t the best idea for him to be running out on the dikes, but he wanted the softer surface of the trail.
As his route was a familiar one there wasn’t much excitement to be had. He got rained on for a bit of the run – he and another runner gave each other sympathetic/”aren’t we crazy?” looks – and then he found a friend. Click on the map below! There are a lot of blueberry fields in our area and the bears are looking to get full before the winter. Apparently the one he saw was just meandering down the path, taking his time and hadn’t seen or smelled him. Now, I know that I’d be freaked out by a bear. I would probably turn around and just revise my route. Colin? Not so much. He waited for a while until the bear made it’s way into the ditch/fields and was a safe distance away before carrying on. I just know that Colin’s biggest regret was not having his fancy camera with him to take pictures!
The best part of Colin’s run (for me anyways) is that he ran 32km! I was so shocked when I called and he told me that. I really wasn’t expecting him to go for it, but he said that he felt good and kept on running. Compared to a few weeks ago that is huge progress and a major confidence boost since there was a point when we weren’t sure if he’d even be able to run the marathon.
Here’s Colin’s route:
September 21, 2010 | Categories: 32km, bear, gu, long run, Running Room, Stanley Park | 2 Comments
I’m so excited! I get to have another giveaway!
Sean, from CSN, contacted me a while ago to ask if I’d be interested in hosting a contest. Since this is the first time I have been sought out by a company I jumped at the chance. Now if you read running blogs you’ve probably had a chance to check them out as there have been lots of opportunities to win gift certificates.
In case you didn’t know, however, they sell almost everything! You can get items for your house like bistro sets – which would have been nice to know a couple of years ago when Colin and I were buying grownup furniture and couldn’t find one anywhere – and cookware. You can also buy exercise equipment like treadmills and ellipticals if you are lucky enough to have the money and space to do so…
So here’s your chance to win a $40 gift certificate*!
You can get up to four “ballots”:
1. Mandatory: Become a follower or tell me you already are. +1 Entry
2. Mandatory: Click on above link (or go to CSN Stores) and tell me what you’d buy. +1 Entry
3. Link this contest back to your site. +1 Entry
4. Add me to your blogroll or tell me that I’m already on there. +1 Entry
This contest will run until midnight PST 30 September. I’ll pick the winner using random.org and will announce their name on 1 October.
*(depending on item shipping may be extra)
September 20, 2010 | Categories: contests, CSNStores | 39 Comments
1. I’m pretty sure my shoes are on their last legs. I came back from my last run (15km total distance w/11km of fartleks) with runners that squeaked and the cushioning under the ball of my foot felt very thin. Granted that I was running downhill for a good portion of the run, but I can only expect them to bounce back so far as they have 480km on them.
This sucks for many reasons:
- Obviously, I need shoes to run and ones that feel good are preferred.
- I have a 32km long run on Sunday. I will have to hope that they work out well and don’t start to bug my knees.
- I didn’t get a new pair prior to my longest run before taper so when I do get new ones I won’t have them broken in for as much as I would like prior to the marathon.
- I can’t really afford new shoes. I probably should have bought 2 pairs to begin with.
2. Colin has his ART appointment tonight. Hopefully it will help with his sore knee. The knee sleeve has helped him substantially (he’s already planning for a +20km run this weekend), but it’s a temporary solution to a bigger problem.
3. I have a contest starting on Monday. Stop by again to find out what it is!
September 16, 2010 | Categories: contests, long run, shoes | 2 Comments
Except here.
I don’t have anything to give away at the moment (please come back next week), but there are A LOT of contests going on right now…
Endurance Isn’t Only Physical –
GU – Ends 17 September
Secrets Of A Running Mom –
Chica Bands – Ends 17 September
Forward Foot Strides –
GU – Ends 18 September
Mom!…Honey!…Coach!…SisterRunner! –
Injinji Socks – Ends 10 October
September 14, 2010 | Categories: contests | Leave a comment
After 3 weeks of not being able to run more than 5km at a time, Colin went for a 10km run tonight! Yay! If only we’d known the Nike open patella knee sleeve would help so much we could have bought it earlier… maybe he would have taken water with him tonight if he had known too. It’s not a total solution, but I’m very happy that it works and proud of him for keeping at it. He’s got an ART (Active Response Therapy) appointment on Thursday that will hopefully help some more.
Countdown is in full-swing now: only 27 more days til race day. That’s 3 long runs, people!
September 14, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment
Tonight, I think that I had a near-perfect run. See my last post for an explanation of my 2 week slump. That all seemed to go away.
Here are the stats:
Distance: 6.19km (3.85 miles)
Time: 37:11
Average Pace: 6min/km (9:39/mile)
Weather: Sun and wind
Feeling: a little slow, but was actually sub-6 for the majority of the time. To me that equates to awesomeness. Walked up half of killer (10% grade) hill, but totally okay with it.
Best part of the run, though, was when I got upstairs and Colin told me to open the blinds. It was POURING! Â Good thing I was speedy…
September 8, 2010 | Categories: tempo, training | Leave a comment
The last couple of weeks have been an almost, but not quite, write-off for me in terms of running. I’ve hit a slump in my training. Since 22 August I have run a total of 4 days. That’s right. 4 days. I can’t say that I’m thrilled with myself for this lack of motivation.
It all started on 22 August when I ended my 29km long run with a couple of awesome blisters. I made them a bit worse by doing hill repeats on 24 August (yay ripped skin) so I was under self-imposed rest until that weekend in order to get my 32km run in.
On the 29th I had a great 32km run – see how far I’ve come to be able to say that – and then… nothing. I backed out of my tempo that Tuesday due to a torrential downpour, skipped 10 x hills on the Wednesday since I would have had to do them myself, and didn’t run Thursday either. My last “run” was on Sunday. I was scheduled for 23km, but couldn’t get my butt out of bed decided to run with Colin (who’s been having IT issues of late) instead. Unfortunately that meant that we ran for about 5km before he was done and then walked 5km home.
So my training/distance for the last two weeks has been crap.
Today is the day I start fresh. No looking back and feeling guilty (well, not too much). Just moving forward and getting back on track. I’m starting with a lovely, hilly 6km tempo tonight. I had plans for speedwork tomorrow, but Colin’s able to make a few extra bucks working for a friend so I’ll try to get it in later this week.
And when I opened my mail today I found this lovely surprise inside:
Nothing like having the local money pit running store send you a dividends certificate! That’ll pay for my GU for this weekend’s long run.
September 7, 2010 | Categories: gu, motivation, Running Room, training | Leave a comment
Some people exercise to relieve stress. Others bake. This is what happens when a runner comes to the conclusion that IT issues might sideline them 6 weeks before their first marathon. The runner isn’t me, but my husband… you didn’t think I could bake like this did you?*
Peanut Butter Cookies, Snails, Banana Bread, Blackberry Pie
* My only contribution was the little pile of Snails (pie dough/cinnamon sugar swirls).
September 6, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment
M’s car had to be in the shot too!
And the winner is…
Please email me your address at running42km.blog [at] gmail.com and I’ll get your GU out to you asap!
Thanks to everyone who entered! Stay tuned for another contest in a few weeks…
September 1, 2010 | Categories: contests, gu, Wordless Wednesday | Leave a comment
Just a friendly reminder that my GU contest closes tonight at midnight PST. Click here to see what’s up for grabs – it’s not a lot, but, hey, it’s free GU!
Here’s what else I’ve done this week and what’s on the agenda:
– Ran my first 32km (20 mile) run on Sunday! Yay! Made it through with only one small blister and a hot spot, which is a big improvement over last week. I learned that I have to work on my fueling better as my timing for my GUs was all over the place and I ended up with pretty bad stomach cramps at 30km. I have to say, though, that having a nap after my long run definitely helped with both the queasies and the aching legs – must remember for next time!
– Hard Core Club week 3 started. Last week was pretty much a bust and I only got 1 session in. I was trying to skip last night, but sucked it up and pushed through. It helps that Colin has to do his physio exercises too so I had company.
– Last hill repeats for this training session tomorrow! It’s technically 10 repeats, but our route is extra long we only have to do 5. Psychologically it’s better I guess…
Come back tomorrow to find out if you are the winner!
August 31, 2010 | Categories: contests, core, gu, Hard Core Club, hills, long run | Leave a comment
#1. Blisters suck! My last long run ended with me having blisters. I think it was the combination of constant drizzle, old socks (my faithful Injinji toe socks finally failed me), a piece of sand under my arch that I didn’t notice until the damage was done and eczema on my feet. The pads I put on them for my hill run on Tuesday did squat and I made one way worse than before so now I’m on a self-imposed hiatus until my Sunday long run. Let’s hope things are better then or else it’s going to be a very uncomfortable 32km.
Besides double layer socks and maybe Body Glide does anyone have any suggestions? These aren’t just hot spots, they’re full on wounds…
#2. Contests are awesome! I have a little GU giveaway on now until the 31st that you should enter – I’ve learned that blogging is all about self-promotion! See my sidebar for listings for other people’s contests – there is a lot of great stuff up for grabs.
#3. I have 45 days until my first marathon! I feel okay when I read that, but when I say it in terms of weeks it really freaks me out. Somehow 6 weeks sounds way closer than 45 days… As long as my blister issues go away (see #1) I think that I’ll do fine.
August 26, 2010 | Categories: blisters, contests, gu | Leave a comment
I got an award! Zaneta at Runner’s Luck nominated me for the above distinction and I accept it gratefully.
Here are the rules:
#1. Answer this question: If you had the chance to go back and change one thing in your life, would you and what would it be?
#2. The second thing you have to do is, pick 6 people and give them this award. You then have to inform the person that they have gotten this award.
#3. The third and final thing is, thank the person who gave you the award.
And here are my answers:
#1. I don’t think that I should have given up running when I trained for my first 10km race back in 2000. My husband and I participated in a training clinic, ran the Vancouver Sun Run and then sort of abandoned it. We half-heartedly did the race the next year, but to much poorer results and then gave it up. Not sure why, though. We were dating then, didn’t have kids and were capable, but apparently we found better things to do. Unfortunately I can’t recall what they were. Imagine what my PRs would look like now if I had 10 years of running under my belt instead of just 1-1/2 years.
#2. I’ve given the following bloggers this award because I truly enjoy reading about their running experiences…
– Andrea at Sub 4:30 – local blogger training for Victoria too so hopefully we’ll be able to meet up.
– MJ at Girl Running – she has a Mickey-ears tattoo which I think is so cool. Oh, she’s training for a half marathon too.
– Canadian Runner at Running Adventures – runs, plays hockey, is Canadian… what’s not to like?
– Michelle at Fitness Diva – the amount she works out puts me to shame! Very inspiring!
– Diana at Done the Run – new(ish) blogger who ran her first half marathon at the Seattle Rock ‘n’ Roll in June.
#3. Thanks Zaneta for giving me this award! It’s nice to know that someone reads my blog and doesn’t think that it’s boring… 🙂
August 25, 2010 | Categories: award, bloggers | Leave a comment
If you read my blog you will have seen a recent post in which I talked about my love for GU. I attend a clinic at a local running store and we were fortunate enough to have a GU rep come in to talk to us about their product. Since many of you know all about GU (for great reviews check out Secrets of a Running Mom here, who also has a huge GU giveaway going on until the 26th) I won’t do a review. What I will do is say that I managed to convince my clinic leader to get some to give away!
So, in the spirit of shameless self-promotion, I am hosting a giveaway (my first!)…
Here’s what’s on offer (one person will win all 5 items):
1 x Strawberry Chomps (promotional size)
1 x Jet Blackberry Gel
1 x Blueberry Pomegranate Roctane Gel
1 x Lemon Lime Electrolyte Brew
1 x Orange Pineapple Recovery Brew
There are 3 easy ways to enter:
1. Follow my blog or let me know you already do (mandatory) – leave me a comment.
2. Add me to your blogroll – leave me a comment.
3. Link this to your blog – leave me a comment.
Entries will be accepted until midnight PST 31 August 2010 and the winner will be chosen 1 September 2010, most likely out of a hat by my 3 year old.
August 24, 2010 | Categories: contests, gu | Leave a comment
So I finished week 1 of both the Hard CORE and Legs Love Lunges challenges. I can’t say that I hurt as bad as I expected – I’m pretty sure that having previously done bootcamp prepared me well. The problem with these two workouts is that I don’t initially feel the pain. It usually sneaks up on me halfway through the next day. This means that tomorrow night I’m going to suffer… suffice it to say that I barely made it though the first two exercises tonight (crunches and bicycle kicks). The one thing I can take into next week is that it only takes about 30 minutes to complete so I don’t need to split up the core workout like I did.
I haven’t quite set which days I’m doing my workouts. I was going to go with Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, but this week made me question it. Sundays I do my long run and I liked doing core afterward as I was already a sweaty mess. Tuesdays, if I do run, I do a short tempo so I have the time. I was supposed to work out on Thursday, but after hills x 8 on Wednesday and 10km that night my body just wasn’t into more. I caught up today and Fridays might work out better, but I’ll have to see how I feel on Sunday and if I need the extra time between core and long run to better determine my schedule. What do you think?
Here’s how this week went:
1.1
– Bicycle Kicks – 25 each leg
– Leg Lift – 30 seconds
– Hip (bridge) Lift – 30 seconds
– Plank – 45 seconds
– Lower Back Stretch – 30 seconds
– Push Ups – 20
– Side Bridge – 30 seconds each side
– 10 lunges each leg
1.2
– Crunches – 30
– (Face up) Supine Bridge – 30 seconds
– Ankle Grabbers – 25 each ankle
– Diamonds in the Sky – 20
– Shoulder Taps – 25 each shoulder
– Superman – 15
– Lower Back Stretch – 30 seconds
– Plank – 45 seconds
– 15 lunges each leg
1.3
– Crunches – 30
– Bicycle Kicks – 25 each leg
– (Face up) Supine Bridge – 30 seconds
– Ankle Grabbers – 25 each ankle
– Diamonds in the Sky – 20
– Hip (bridge) Lift – 30 seconds
– Plank – 45 seconds
– Lower Back Stretch – 30 seconds
– Push Ups – 20
– Shoulder Taps – 25 each shoulder
– Superman – 15
– Side Bridge – 30 seconds each side
– 20 lunges each leg
*meant to do whole set of exercises, but missed the leg lifts – oops!
August 21, 2010 | Categories: challenge, core, lunges, schedule | Leave a comment
Original Route
Actual Route (we only got a little “lost”)
On Sunday I had my longest run ever! It was a whopping 29km (or 18 miles). As a change of pace we went downtown to run around Stanley Park and out to a couple of the local beaches. It was a perfect day. A little too hot, but the breeze off the ocean made up for it.
As you can see from the above maps I didn’t quite hit the whole distance. There were 5 of us running together and, as none of us had a written route, it was kind of a hodge-podge of what we could all remember from the email. It was technically 28.3km, but by the end all of us were in need of water and food so we called it as it was rather than run the last little bit.
I tried out my sample pack from GU on this run and had a couple of hits and misses, but at least I know that now not further down the road. I think I’ll just stick to the ones that I already love.
The group at the turn-around.
Once Colin and I got home I figured that I’d throw in a little core work as the Hard Core Club challenge was starting (and I was already sweaty and gross). I only did 7/13 exercises, but it was better than skipping… and I just ran 29km so I figured I deserved the break!
* Started Legs Love Lunges challenge today – 10 per leg. Not much, but it’s a start…
August 16, 2010 | Categories: beaches, core, long run, lunges, Stanley Park | Leave a comment
Love My Runners 
