Three Things Thursday: Everything’s Coming Up Roses
GOOD
I won another Twitter contest! I be getting a prize pack from Shower Pill (makers of towel-like wipes for stinky athletes) just by following them on Twitter and retweeting about their contest. Yes, it’s marketing at it’s best, but I’ll take it!
I haven’t even tried their product, but I already love their customer service. I was contacted, told that they didn’t have my shirt size, and was it okay to send a substitute size? For the “hassle” (I guess) of potentially being out the shirt as I wanted it they also said they’d send a second box of wipes! I assume most companies would just have had a take it or leave it attitude since it was a contest so I’m extremely impressed! And now I have extra wipes for my stinky self at Ragnar in June.
BETTER
I finally got to try Nuun All Day! The new line is enhanced with vitamins rather than electrolytes so, stating the obvious, you can add it to your water all day! Smart cookies, those Nuun people…
It comes in four flavours: Blueberry Pomegranate, Grape Raspberry, Grapefruit Orange, and Tangerine Lime; there are 15 tabs per tube and it works out to be the same cost per tab as regular Nuun. Colin and I tried them all out yesterday. A little more water than I needed to drink right before bed, but I was excited to try them. The order above is how I’d rate my favourites. Since I don’t drink water very often (it doesn’t taste like anything!) I decided to see how a very diluted tab would taste. I put one tab in 48oz/1.4L. It is perfect for me! Just enough flavour and colour to trick me into drinking water. I’m sure I’ll still drink it according to directions (1 per 16oz/473mL), but I’m loving this alternative.
Just a little bonus for my American readers who want to try All Day or buy any regular Nuun for that matter (sorry, Canada, they don’t ship up here yet):
Use the code bloggerslovenuun when purchasing at shop.nuun.com to get 15% off your order!
BEST
It never ceases to amaze me how much social media can open doors or what happens when you get up the courage to ask. For the second time this year I get to be a race ambassador! After completing Earth Run on Sunday I was tweeted a congratulations from the Surrey Marathon for finishing the race. If you remember from a few posts back I was considering them as my fall marathon until I decided I just wasn’t ready for another full. Anyways, I said thanks and cheekily asked if they needed an ambassador for their race. Turns out the answer was yes!
I am going from having nothing on the schedule after Ragnar in July to training for a half marathon on 30 September! You can bet that there will be many blog posts about my training in the weeks to come so please, please keep me accountable!
Three Things Thursday
1. If you are from Greater Vancouver you’ll already know which areas of town to avoid because of useless drivers. If you’re not and ever come here stay the heck away from Richmond (or if you fly – because that’s where the airport is – get out ASAP)! Confusing roads, annoying drivers and just plain not where I wanted to be this morning. But I wanted the car love my husband and he had to work there today. So I braved the roads and was thankful that it wasn’t raining since that would have made it worse. Glad that part of my day is over!
2. Spud has his first ever field trip today. He’s going ice skating – also for the first time ever. I’ll be the proud mum in the stands with the camera…
3. My friend, Gina, is going to try to kill me this afternoon. We haven’t been running together as much as we’d like lately so I jumped at the chance to join her. Unfortunately I think that I just might die tonight as it’s an interval run. My body no longer understands what it’s like to run fast. However, the threat of thundershowers might just make my turnover quicker! I told her last night that she might get a strength workout in by dragging my body home. I’m only kidding a little bit.
Three Things Thursday
1. I ran on Tuesday.
2. I ran last night in the rain with Colin and Spud.
3. I ran today! My legs are tired and appreciate the pink CEP socks I won last week.
Three Things Thursday: Slacker Edition
1. I still have not done my race report for the BMO Vancouver Marathon and it happened almost 2 weeks ago. I keep finding other things to do and when I sit down with enough time I just don’t have any desire to do it. I want to write about it, but I’m still a mixed bag of emotions. Obviously I’ll have to do a separate post on that.
2. I haven’t gone out for a run since the race. The marathon was on a Sunday and I thought I did really well helping my legs recover. I wore compression socks a couple days before the race, had on my sleeves during and was back in socks for a couple days after. Unfortunately by last Tuesday or Wednesday I was having some pain in my right shin. All of my consulting with Dr. Google determined that I probably gave myself shin splints during the run due to the road cant and the stress of running on concrete/asphalt the whole time. It’s been better the last couple of days, but I’ve yet to get the motivation to get out the door.
3. Okay, nothing to do with being a slacker, but I need to complain about my other race-induced injury. I have a black toenail. Not that it’s a big deal or that it’s my first. But I went the whole training cycle without one. I was so proud of myself. And it’s the stupid one (right foot, next to baby toe – would you call that your ring toe?) that I couldn’t get rid of for a year before due to re-injury. AARRGGHH!!! I’m not even sure how I did it. It’s not the shoe – I know that for certain since my running shoes are one size larger than my regular size. I’m banking on it being from walking around town after the marathon. I was probably shuffling and every time I took a step I unknowingly rammed my toes to the end of my shoe. I was in so much pain that I didn’t notice anything different!
Three Things Thursday
1. I’m still holding out hope for good weather on Sunday. They’re saying it will be sunny and 14C/57F. I’m a little anxious about the rain forecast for Monday and that it might decide to show up a day early. Fingers crossed!
Today
- 10°C
- 60%
Fri
- 12°C
- 4°C
- 30%
Sat
- 13°C
- 5°C
Sun
- 14°C
- 5°C
Mon
- 13°C
- 9°C
Tue
- 15°C
- 6°C
Wed
- 14°C
- 7°C
2. As much as I love a good wedding I, on Colin’s wise recommendation, will not be staying up to see “Wills and Kate” get married. Something about getting a good night’s rest before the marathon and all that. But I really should. I stayed up with my mum to see Charles marry Diana in 1981. Granted, I was 16 months old and don’t remember it, but it’s kind of a tradition…
I’ll watch the ceremony on replay. I can do with out the “insightful” commentary from the likes of TLC, etc. Thankfully we have access to the BBC – it seems more official in a British accent anyways. Like what matters in all weddings all I want to see is her dress and maybe the flowers (phbpht, love and commitment). Can’t say that I’ll be buying the official coin releases from the Canadian Mint (remember we’re still a Commonwealth country), especially since the 2 together would cost $130!
3. The Canucks squeaked into the second round on Tuesday with a 2-1 OT win against the Chicago Blackhawks!
Our last clinic session was supposed to be held tonight (no run) so it’s been moved from the store to the nearest pub to watch game 1 against Nashville and maybe chat a little about what to do after the race is over…
Three Things Thursday
1. Colin and I have a 16km/10mi race pace run to do this Friday or Saturday. We am going out of town to visit his parents for Easter. They live in a town that could be termed “Podunkville, British Columbia”. So, my options are:
- to run 8km out and back on the highway – boring and there’s the chance of being hit by a car, truck, or big horned sheep (and my mum might
kill menot be too fond of that option). - to run a big loop around town like we did last summer. Pretty, but there are lots of hills. Not conducive to keeping at pace and the only real hill in the race is going over a bridge. Might be counter-productive.
- to run around town as it is almost exactly 4km to run a square loop. Repeat 4 times. While this will be the most boring route EVER I think I’ll have to take it. Did I mention that Colin and I don’t run the same pace? Yeah, we’re not even close – my race pace is his steady… So it would probably be best to be at least somewhat close together.
Three Things Thursday
1. I’m finally getting a run in tonight. It’ll be my first since Sunday (shh, don’t tell my running friends…). It’s not that I don’t want to run. I’m a stay at home mum so I have the time. I just have ZERO motivation to run when I have to do it on my own. My running partner cancelled on Monday since her little guy was sick. Totally understand that! But I just couldn’t drag myself and Spud out in the pouring rain. Tuesday… rain again. Wednesday… no rain, but when I have a speed workout on the schedule I know it won’t get done if I’m pushing +60lbs. Lots of self-defeating thoughts this week. In case you’re wondering why I don’t just go out on my own in the evenings Colin was working late all those nights (I’ll spare you my thoughts on that).
2. My final 32km/20mi run is on Sunday! Hip hip hooray! And Eek! That means taper is just around the corner… oh, and a little 42.2km run too.
3. Spud made me this sculpture this morning:
He keeps making me “presents” for my birthday that I have to leave on my bedside table. Unfortunately we have a bit of a timeline/3 -1/2 year old logic issue. My birthday was on 17 March. However, he keeps thinking that it’s coming up because my mum didn’t make me my usual birthday cake. Yes, I have had the same 3 layer chocolate cake made for me every year since I was about 5… I tried explaining that I won’t be getting presents again when we finally do have the cake, but he doesn’t really get it. So, until we have cake, I have a feeling Spud will be giving me lots of hand-made gifts and yelling, “Happy Birthday Mummy! Here’s your present!”
Three Things Thursday
1. I have a cold and it sucks. Spud thoughtfully passed it along last week and now I’m stuffed up, but have a drippy nose at the same time (?). Hopefully getting out to run will get it out of my system.
2. I abhor am learning to love hill repeats again. Every training cycle I do them and then after every race I slack off. I completed week 1/7 yesterday with 4 repeats. I’m supposed to do 600m hills with a grade of 6-8%. I figure that my 410m hill with an average grade of 10% (12% for 200m, turn corner, 8% for 210m) is good enough. Thankfully my friend came by with her little girl and she was nice enough to watch the kids at a park while I ran. This meant that I didn’t have to push Spud up the hills with me. I know I won’t be this spoiled every week, but it made my run so much more enjoyable!
3. I’m off to bake. I don’t do it often – it’s more Colin’s thing, but I can make a couple of things pretty well. Today it’s Apple Crisp and Banana Bread. Good thing I run so often so I can eat what I make!
Finished product: Is it bad that I want this to be my dinner when I get back from clinic?
Three Things Thursday
1. This is my 100th post!
2. Nerd that I am I’ve been checking my stats to see how many people have looked at my blog! It’s amazing what a little publicity on a bigger blog can get you:
Three Things Thursday
1. Technically my 18-week training began on 26 December 2010, but it didn’t really feel like it started until I’d had my first clinic night last Thursday. So, as of today, I’m one week in. Sunday’s long run (only 10km) was great. Good weather, met some new people, and ran at a pace I didn’t know I could sustain. The calendar I printed out with my run and core/strength/stretch schedule is up on the bulletin board. I’m proud to say that I’ve ticked off “yes” on everything I’ve had planned. We’ll see how that goes this weekend since I’m working on Sunday (long run day) and now need to move a couple of things around to get my 13kms in.
2. I signed up for Tall Mom’s 1000+++ challenge this year. That’s running over 1000 miles in 365 days. Do-able, yes. Especially since I’m aiming for 1250 (2011kms). It will be nice to have some accountability. Click the picture if you want to see what it’s all about or if you want to join!
3. Core/strength/stretch is kicking my butt. I know I need it, but wow. I have it on my schedule 4 times/week and am hoping that if I can’t do all 4 days I’ll at least get in 2-3. Thankfully after 3 sessions I’m not hurting as badly as before. Deciding to start at 10:30pm the night before a long run = bad idea. I could barely walk on Monday. Colin, as he did the day after my first bootcamp, thought it would be funny (harhar) to tickle, poke and generally torment me.
Three Things Thursday
1. I just had my first Christmas orange. By this I mean a mandarin orange. And I must specify that it was a Japanese mandarin. Stores might try to entice you to buy the Chinese mandarins – they’re usually cheaper – but they just don’t compare! This is a big thing in my household – once we’ve started getting oranges (by the boxful, of course) we know Christmas is just around the corner. Spud was excited to try it with me, but once it was in the bowl he turned up his nose, which I was fully expecting. He deigned to suck some juice out of a piece, but that was it… I love these oranges since it’s a tradition that Santa leaves one in the bottom of our stockings. On Colin’s request Santa leaves his to cool in the fridge.
Three Things Thursday
1. I’m sick. Yaaay! Spud has had a cold for the last almost 2 weeks and yesterday I started with the sneezes and drippy nose. Hopefully I won’t get the puking and coughing…
Love My Runners 