Revamping goals

So one week, 6 days of working out, 7 days of making one healthier choice, and 6 days of blogging.


Something about this commitment has really triggered a change in my head. For some reason a few weeks ago there were days where I had absolutely no activity and that is just not okay for my body. I can do an hour and a half of yoga a day, or body pump, or go for a run, or do JM 30 day shred. These are things I can, and will do every day.

My other big challenge is the food thing. I was talking about it with a girl I volunteer with tonight. She is also a runner and she is also not a tiny girl. She just started weight watchers again so we were talking about our eating habits for a bit. Its interesting because I know food is what gets me to this point (aka slightly overweight, I know Im not at an unhealthy weight but Ive got a lot of excess body fat that an active girl like me shouldn't have) but I cant pinpoint one bad habit that causes me to gain weight and feel like crap.

So...food journal? I feel like this is something Ive tried a few times...but never committed myself fully to.

Here it goes. For this next week, I will sweat once a day (continuing from last week) and will write down my food intake EVERY day. I think this will be super hard. But if it helps me identify my weak points, I think its worth it.

Okay, its getting late, and Ive got a body pump class to get to in the morning so my sleep needs to be decent. The ashtanga class today was killer and Im definitely going back soon!

Body Pump

So I can;t really say enough about body pump. An hour of music, fun and working out. And by working out I mean taking my muscles to their absolute extreme. I've never been able to commit to doing weight training at the gym, long term, because I really don't know squat about it (pun definitely intended) and BP gives me all the rep/weigh info I need and keeps me focused. There is no way I would even be able to do a half hour of weights at the gym and BP gets me doing an hour!

If its not already obvious, I went to BP today and loved it. My instructor was awesome and I was just feeling great. I was fueled by some awesome sushi (way better than my last attempt) and ready for some muscle burn.

My eats today were pretty decent (although I might be sushi-ed out).
Breakfast: Oatmeal with a banana, coconut, AB, and a tiny drizzle of caramel sauce. Tea with milk.
Lunch: California roll and an avocado roll. 2 clementines.
Supper: 4 homeade rolls of sushi (about 1 c of rice total, 1/2 avocado, 2 pieces of crab and 1/4 cucumber).

Tomorrow is my day off and Im planning on heading to the ashtanga shala in halifax and getting my all levels on! Ashtanga is a more difficult practice (to me) because there are less breaks and a lot more flow. Because of a yoga challenge at work I will be going to Ashtanga once a week for a month and Im so excited about it. There are a lot of challenging and new to me classes there and Im pretty excited about it!

Anyways, Im off to make some energy bars...instead of making strait up cookies. My healthy choice of the day! (and they're vegan too).

The weekend curse.

Oh so close.

So I missed a day of blogging and missed a day of sweating. And they weren't the same day. Yesterday I was feeling a little under the weather due to lots of lovely beverages on Saturday night. So I didn't make it to the blogging but I did still manage to get some yoga in, thanks to my staff meeting. Yup, our staff meetings include some sweet yoga!

And today was sweat free (besides the minimal sweating I did at work moving clothes and boxes). I guess its kind of a cop out but Im definitely coming down with a cold and I can tell that my body needs the rest (eep, only about 3 1/2 hours of sleep was had last night) and something like moksha or a run, just wouldn't be healthy.

Although I did try and make some healthier choices throughout the day. Lunch (medium veggie sub from quiznos) came without the combo option (aka no chips and pop) and I turned down a cookie from a lovely lulu.

Best part of the day: my keys were found! Pretty sure I manifested the shit out of that one.

Something funny and maybe a little weird happened yesterday. I know I don't talk about my vegetarianism a whole lot but it is something that I am mega proud of and work on every day. On Sunday, brunch was oh so necessary so me and Mel went to Moustache for some eggs and toast. Anyways I ordered the eggs florentine which was supposed to come with spinach and no meat. A mistake was made and I got the one with the ham, and I considered just picking it off and eating what was left, but after looking at my plate for a few minutes, I had to make the switch with the waiter. I honestly felt sick to my stomach at the thought of it. I know I still eat fish, but meat just turns my stomach now.

Anyways, so weird because its only been 9 months, but a huge accomplishment.

It really happened

Yep, home made sushi. Not only do I have tons of supplies left and can make it again very soon, but it actually wasn't too hard to make AND it tasted pretty great. Comparable to Sobeys/Superstore sushi, but not up there with real restaurant sushi. I look forward to perfecting my technique though!

Anyways, today was filled with a poop load of people at work and a poop load of people at the mall I had to go to afterwards. The day was filled with small victories. At the mall I managed to not buy anything to snack on and didn't have too too many nachos before supper (a pretty irresistible snack to me, usually). Here are my eats so far: (p.s. I had about a roll and a half of sushi last night, post blogging)
Breakfast: Tim Horton's egg and cheese breakfast sandwhich on an everything bagel and a large tea with milk.
Snacks: Rice Krispie Treat and about a handful of jube jubes.
Lunch: 6 pieces of my homemade california roll and 2 clementines.
Snack: Little piece of cheese before workout (post mall).
Supper: 2 egg omelet with 1/2 tomato and some gr. onions and swiss cheese. Side of french fries. Filling, but not too tasty.

Next thing planned on being consumed tonight: several Kieth's when Im at Lower Deck with my friend Melanie. We pretty much go every Friday or Saturday night and have a few drinks and watch amazing live music. Maybe not the healthiest habit but it's something I love love love doing and look forward to it all week!

The exercise of the day was another day of 30 day shred, level 2 today. Im starting to realize that this is something I can extend past this week aka sweating once a day. Although I had a very busy day at work theres no reason I can't include some sort of exercise either before or after work every day. And those 20 minute videos' are great to include when I can't go otherwise.

Feeling great, ready for a great night.

Last minute success

I almost didn't make it today. All day I was planning on going to yoga at 5:08 and meet my friend (the instructor) afterwards to go over something we're planning for work. So I worked 7-3 and then went to the mall with my other work friend. After a lengthy shopping trip I realized I wasn't going to make it back in town for yoga, but thought "no big deal, I just need to get back for 6:08 to meet my friend" forgetting that was the sweating I had planned for work.

But I pulled through and did 30 day shred level one when I got home and now my arms are nice and tired, and Im feeling great. Work was crazy today. It was tax free at our store so it was mega busy but super fun. Its super easy to get stressed out and angry in that crazy environment but for the most part all the girls and guys working make an effort to keep the crazy fun and even relaxing. Its like we thrive in chaos. And it is super fun.

I think something that Im gonna do is just blog my eats for the day. Another way to keep me accountable and will help me with the saying NO part of my goals.
Breakfast: 2 slices of toast+1 egg with margarine. And one tea with milk AND one XL coffee with milk.
Lunch: Sushi- 1 veggie roll +1 avocado roll+miso soup.
Snacks: cookie+gummy bears at work. This was my best oppurtunity to say no today. Although I had a few GB I could have had a lot more and I only had about 1/2 of one cookie. Which Im pretty proud of cause it was delish.
Sup: Veggie and hummus wrap with every veg possible at the foodcourt of the mall (+tzaziki and feta) and let me tell you, it was delish. I also had 2 samples of pretzels they were giving out at the mall.

And I think thats it so far. Im sipping on a refresh tea from Starbizzle and about to try making sushi for the very first time! On a friday night....by myself. Love my life. And Im not kidding! See ya's tomorrow.

Small Victories.

So, day one is complete of my week of sweating and making small adjustments in my diet. I went to UFIT tonight which is a class taught by one of our lululemon ambassadors (Ryan Cairns, he is amazing!). It's basically an hour of dancing, sweating and FUN! Its my second time going and so much better this time. I think the first time I went I was nervous about how I would look or whatever and this time I wanted to sweat and have fun.

Saying no was interesting. Instead of having a few pieces of candy at work (which I usually don't think twice about) I just had water. And I went to BK after ufit for a veggie burger and instead of having sprite for a drink (I can't handle caffeine this late at night) I had water. Yes, I still had french fries but its all about small victories people!

And obviously Im blogging, and loving life. I've got a mega busy weekend coming up but lots of fun planned too, including Sunday-my first day off in 2 whole weeks. Unfortunately I have to go to work for a staff meeting but they are so much fun that its not like work at all.

Thats all for now, lovelies. See you tomorrow!

New commitments

Here are my goals for this week (and yes, I am starting my week today because I believe in doing things NOW):
-sweat once a day
-say no once a day
-blog once a day

Yes, I have a lot on my plate right now by working 40+ hours a week but these are positive steps that can be made for me to become happier and healthier.

SWEAT: Running, yoga, gym. How can I complain, I have the gift of free, unlimited yoga! My job affords me the amazing opportunity to visit 8 fabulous local yoga studios as often as I want. Running is always free. And now that Im slowly starting to get back into it, a 2 mile run is the perfect way to allow my body to get used to it again. And the ol gym. Body pump is friggin amazing, I cant explain how much I love it. I think 3 classes a week is totally doable.

SAY NO: There are always lots of options to make a meal less healthy, or have a snack at work that I just don't need. Here's what I can commit to doing. Once a day I am going to mindfully make the healthier choice, whether it means no dessert, no cookies, or no quizno's, this is something that I need to remember and commit to.

BLOG: Yes, this one might be the hardest, but 30 minutes a night spent reflecting on my day and my commitments and goals. A step in the right direction I'd say.

Today was spent at work, at Moksha yoga in Dartmouth, and volunteering. But Im not including today in my goal, because that's just cheating.

Another week. Another challenge.

Still not running. I went for 2 miles on Tuesday and had to stop at pretty much exactly 22 minutes, due to some stabbing knee pain. This was not a fun feeling. Now I've taken exactly one week off and plan on trying 5km tomorrow night with the run club at work. Im hoping this break was enough to fix whatever was out of whack and the 5km will be no problem. Hoping, being the key word there. Im not sure what to expect yet.

Im not too upset about the whole lack of running, because Ive managed to stay fairly active so far with yoga and one body pump class. But I have a Goodlife membership starting TOMORROW which I am so excited for. Im hoping to get in at least 2 body pump classes a week, a long with my 2 yogas.

Ive also managed to continue eating fairly healthy (although Im still eating out WAY too much, more than once a week). So this week is IT. This is the week that I am only going to buy ONE of my meals. I've already made lunch for the next 2 days (not so healthy homemade mac and cheese, but Im pairing it with fresh veggies and fruit). Im done wasting my money on food that I can get at home.

Thats all for tonight. Ive got cookies to make!

Check it out.

What I've been doing lately:

Runnning (although this picture was taken Oct 31, no recent long runs)

Working, Im obviously posing for a twitpic in this gem, to show off a beaut new jacket

Baking, one of my true loves.

Volunteering. Last weekend I completed my Advanced Medical First Responder course with SJA.

Oh hey blog.

So, life is legitimately busy right now.  This past week I had 5 shifts, one holiday (Remembrance day), went to 5 classes (4 yoga and one UFIT), did 2 runs, 1 swim session, and 2 hours of volunteering. So, in summary, I am BUSY.

Unfortunately this also resulted in me eating out (buying meals) like 6 or 7 times (I think, I lost count). For the most part, they were pretty healthy, and I had a pretty nice paycheck this week but its still not acceptable. Its super frustrating for me because I love cooking and baking and this shouldn't be such a problem for me. I have the time, I just try to use the excuse of being busy but its not true, I can always fit making a meal in and this is something Im working on.

Also, one of the reasons I've been yoga-ing  so much this week is because I've been taking a tiny break from running!  On Thursday I was planning on at least 5km for a morning run but ended up stopping after 2 miles and walking home because I was having some pain in my left knee. It was bugging me for a bit walking over the next day BUT no pain since. I think Im gonna test it out with a short run on Tuesday morning, but if I have to take a longer break, I will. Im not training for anything right now and the last thing I want to do is hurt it long term.

Some goals for the week:
-More blogging (2 more times this week)
-4 yoga's
-Sweating once a day
-Bringing my meal to work EVERY day

We'll see what else the week brings, I'm always hopeful.

Oh, hey blog.

So much in my life going on right now! I honestly can't remember the last night I had a full night off, with no studying or work on med school apps (or work, or volunteering, or swimming, or you get the point).

So instead of going swimming with the Halifax Triathlon club, like I usually do Monday nights) I went and hung out at my sisters for a while and then came home and Ive been laying on my bed since. Not my favourite thing to do but my body was feeling uber tired and not ready for swimming (and definitely not up for the walk to the pool in the chilly weather).

Not only does this busy schedule have me feeling a little tired, but it's definitely affecting my eating habits. I don't really know when I stopped eating really healthy but I did, and its catching up on me. Not only have I gained a bit of weight (nothing too killer) but I just don't feel as great. At the end of the day I should feel proud of the food choices Ive made, not embarrassed.

So, Im re-committing to making healthy choices with not only my food, but with my workout routine. I've only done one run since my half marathon last Sunday (and it was 2 miles) but it's actually not that I'm concerned about. I know I need to incorporate more than running and yoga into my routine (although Im starting back into 3-4 runs per week tomorrow). So tomorrow also marks day one of the 30 Day Shred.

Here are some of the health committments I'm making for the next few weeks and months:
-Only buy one meal per week from restaurant/fast food place.
-Do 30 day shred each and every day over the next 30 days.
-Drink 2L of water a day.
-No snacking after supper.
-Go for 3-4 runs per week. Including either one speed workout or hill workout AND one long run (8+ miles).
-At least 2 yoga's per week.

So thats my plan. Now its all out there. And Ill try to blog more, because it keeps me accountable! Half marathon re-cap will hopefully be coming soon :)

One more of the season

Heres my life right now:
-Working 40(+) hours a week
-Applying to 4 medical schools
-Training for my final half marathon of this season
-Yoga twice a week
-Volunteering 2 hours a week
-Sleeping 8 hours a night

And yes, sleeping 8 hours a night is a commitment I make to myself regardless of how busy I am. And yes, Im busy. Im also considering the possibility of moving out of my parents home in Dartmouth and into my sisters place in Halifax.

Marathon fever is still taking over me but since I dont really have the money to go to Disney/Bermuda for a January marathon, I think Im just gonna start "training" for a marathon (doing long runs of above 13 miles) and just (haha) do the Bluenose or Ottawa marathon in May. I literally have a craving to do longer runs.

One reason why I know my long runs have been going so well lately...weekly speed workouts! Yes, they are hell and tortuous but they are making me so much stronger. Another reason...yoga! Stretching, core work and strength workouts, yes please!

So, one more half marathon this year. Next Sunday, my father, my sister and I will be running the PEI half marathon. I am ready for this race. My training has been going well and I just feel ready. I am going to run a sub 2:10 race. Theres my lululemon esque goal for the day. Im just so beyond excited for this race.

Anyways, hopefully I can start back up with this blog (especially my experience with some new Personal Distance Record training runs) but thats enough for now. Ill leave you were some TRI pictures :) 

Pre-tri. Looking happy, but I was freezing!

Looking like a sketch bag.

Watching the men go, I was now a few minutes from entering the water.

SO CLOSE ( we had waited for 2 hours )

Off we go. This is an intense action shot of me.

Done swimming, bring on T1

Tank on

LS on....

Shoes...watch...helmet...almost done!

And fast foward to the end of the race. My actual time was 1:51, 3 hours was the clock for the olympic distance tri'ers

Stuffing my face with food...obv.

The Triathlon

I did it!

I'm officially a triathlete now, and completely addicted. The triathlon is such a fun event, and it's so exciting to be able to look forward to a different activity (instead of just more running). I seriously cannot wait for my next one. Unfortunately that will have to wait until spring, when the season starts again, but oh well...gives me more time to train for the next step up...the Olympic distance triathlon.

So here's how my sprint distance triathlon went on this past Sunday:

Worst part of the whole event: waiting for it to start. So it started super late. The olympic swimmers went out at around 9:15 (an hour late) and we had to wait until ALL the swimmers were back from their swim. So we (the sprinters) went out at around 10:15. Its not that I mind waiting, I really didn't care that it was late, but it was freezing out! It was only about 8 degrees, and I only had sweatpants, sweatshirt and my bathing suit on, so I was literally shivering for about an hour. This freaked me out, because I thought the water would be cold, and I thought I would get hypothermia when I was biking (wet hair+cold air=no good). But fortunately the water was SO warm and I was able to kill the swim (and it had warmed up by the time I got out of the water...or I just got warmer haha).

Once the chill was gone, I felt great. Swim was great (my best part of the event actually). My first transition was pretty slow, but I had no expectations for it, just wanted to try and follow all the rules and get my shoes tied properly...which I did!

The bike ride was definitely hard. It's known to be a hilly course, and the two times I've done it before were hard, but I survived :) I pretty much just kept a smile on my face and said hello to everyone that passed me (and there were several). I really enjoyed myself. It was so surreal because I was trying to really soak it all in, I wanted to make sure I remember my first triathlon. And the bike ride was kind of my time to sit back and try and process all the thoughts going through my head.

Second transition was a breeze...although the little jog from where we had to get off the bike, to where we dropped our bikes off was brutal on my legs, they truly felt like bricks at that point. Once I stashed my bike and helmet I was off on the run. I wasn't able to keep up the same pace as I have before in previous brick workouts, but I never had done the full distances in my workouts before so I wasn't disappointed at all with myself. In fact, I was super proud of myself. I was actually able to pass 5 people (2 who I specifically remember passing me in the bike) so that was amazing. Not that I was being competitive at all, it was just a nice confidence boost!

Once the run was over, I shoved some food in my face and got a drive home. I needed a shower and a nap badly! Overall, it was one of the most fun and amazing events Ive done. Pictures to come!

One job. Many goals.

Yeah, Im pretty excited to be working one job, and one job only! Since August 18th Ive been working two jobs, and that was actually my last day off. Not only have I worked EVERY day since then, Ive also run two races (10km and a half marathon) and continued to train for my triathlon (which is this weekend!!). The coolest part about this whole experience, is that Im not burnt out at all! I was smart about getting as much sleep as possible, fitting in exercise and taking advantage of my down time. I was lucky because my half marathon was right in the middle, so my taper week was the first week of working 2 jobs, and then the week following a half marathon I generally take it pretty easy with running.

Anyways, Im ready to start this next chapter in my life, the LULU chapter :) so far Im beyond loving working there, even though I havent even technically started (I've just been working inventory and doing training) but Im ready to get my butt on the floor and start educating and putting people in the most amazing clothing ever!

One of the perks of working at lululemon athletica is that they provide 2 free yoga classes per week to their full time educators, and 1 a week to part timers. This. is. amazing. Not only do I now get to try out all the different studios and classes around the city, I get to continuosly meet and workout with so many amazing people. I've been pretty overwhelmed by the oppurtunities that have been provided for me, and I know that if I put as much effort as possible into this job, the possibilities it opens up to me will be endless and amazing. Dont worry though, I haven't forgotten about med school. That is still my goal, no question.

I think Im gonna do a goal post tomorrow. Maybe not with my goals (well actually, Ill definitely include some of my goals, but I have about a million right now) but more so about the importance of them. lululemon is a huge-ly goal oriented company and its something that, when the seed is placed in your head, its something you cannot stop thinking about. I literally have though about my daily/weekly/monthly/yearly etc goals everyday since I started working there! I have a few written out here and there, but I plan soon, on doing some serious goal-setting, and I look forward to it. I have one very un-lululemon like goal that Ill share right now. Something that lululemon encourages people to do is make SMART goals (specific, measurable, authentic, realistic and timely) and this one is neither specific, measurable or timely but I think its something more of a  personal mission statement that I can use to live each and everyday by:


I will finish every day, week, month, year, and my whole life with a feeling of accomplishment. I will not look back on my past wondering where my time went. I will be proud of my successes and learn from my failures. I will not have any regrets.

Writing that out feel's amazing. I could definitely finish this post up with talks about my workouts of this week, but I'm not going to, I'm just going to relish in the awesome-ness of that statement.

Fun Run

Can you call a half marathon fun??

Heck yes you can!!
This past Sunday was the Cobequid Trail half marathon. It was my fifth ever half marathon and one of my most fun. Why fun? Well due to some seriously intense heat, my goal was dropped at about mile 7 and I realized I just needed to finish the race. So, in my last 6 miles I took it easy, walked when I wanted to, and seriously enjoyed myself. I looked at some of the beautiful scenery, enjoyed some crazy music, talked to a few of the race volunteers (had a lovely, fast, talk about lululemon with the lady at the last waterstop) and powered through 13.1 hot freaking miles.

Total Distance (according to Garmin): 13.12 miles
Total Time: 2:18:41
Average Pace: 10:34/mile
Mile 0-1: 9:27
Mile 1-2: 9:35
Mile 2-3: 9:31
Mile 3-4: 9:49
Mile 4-5: 9:56
Mile 5-6: 9:50
Mile 6-7: 10:28
Mile 7-8: 10:55
Mile 8-9: 10:36
Mile 9-10: 11:14
Mile 10-11: 11:26
Mile 11-12: 12:08
Mile 12-13: 12:36
Mile 13-13.12: 1:04 (8:51 pace)

Yeah, I probably went out too fast, but I felt pretty damn good for the first few miles and I decided that I was going to run how I felt. When I felt good, I picked up the pace. When I didnt feel good, I slowed down (or walked). Im not dissapointed in the least that I didnt make my goal (sub 2:10 was my goal). An August race is a pretty wicked little beast that caught me off guard and I realized that 2:10 was not happening. Once I accepted that, I just had some fun (see a trend here?).

Anyways, I have another half marathon in October (PEI) that the hotel room has officially been booked for, so all we have to do is register for the race and it will be a for sure thing. This will be my sisters first half marathon. Theres not much I can say about that, other then I dont think Ive ever been so proud of someone. She is killing running. So that is super exciting. And Ive made a goal of completing one speedwork a week (along with a long run and maybe a brick workout) a week until that date. I want to get under 210, and although I might readjust that goal closer to the date (faster, not slower) and to do that, I have to work on my SPEED.

Triathlon is fast approaching, 12 days and Im so freaking excited. My friend Allison just did her first ever sprint tri (same distance Im doing) and she said it was amazing. Im officially joining the HTC (Halifax Triathlon club) this Thursday night. Ive been talking to the coordinator for a few weeks now trying to get a workout in with them so I could join/pay my fees and Im finally doing it on Thursday!

Here are my pre- and post- half marathon pictures (sorry, no action shots this week) from the weekend. I think the smile in my post run picture speaks for itself. I was so happy to be done, and I felt good.

PRE

 

POST

Amazing. Im so proud, and happy, I did that race. It was such a different experience for me.

Race Recap: Navy 10km 2010

Over this weekend I completed this race.

It was a beautiful morning for a run, a little warm, but almost no wind. Me and my sister walked to the start, which was 845, and we were there only a few minutes early. The course was two laps of a 5km loop. It was an awesome course. Fairly flat, with only a few rolling hills to help keep the legs fresh. Now, I did not take my Garmin with me (I was staying at my sisters for pretty much the whole weekend and didn't have all my usual running stuff), so I have no stats besides the important one.

Total Distance: 10km
Total Time: 55:56

Remember when I said I wanted to see 55 on that watch...well I did! I was so close to not making the goal but I was able to push  my legs and make it through that last few kilometres, and it felt awesome. It felt amazing to set such a specific goal for a race and actually make it!

Here are the few pictures from the race (one action shot and two post-race beauty ones):

Great weekend, great race.

In other news: yesterday I attended the Select NS IncrEDIBLE picnic in Dartmouth. I think Im gonna write a longer post about this later. It was not only an amazing event but it confirmed to me that this is a "cause" that I REALLY want to get involved in (i.e. the local food movement here in Nova Scotia) but I just need to do some research first.

Also: New job :) I got the job at Lululemon in Halifax. I cannot explain how excited I am for this. But its gonna be a crazy few weeks while I finish up my work at Starbucks and start working the new job. Its all about time management, and mine is going to be tested!

Swim. Bike. Run

I gotta admit, swimming, biking and running for 2 hours, is more fun then running straight for 2 hours.

There, I said it, there is something that I enjoy more than running. At least for right now. Last night was my `triathlon` workout, that I actually had planned for last week but due to thunder and lightning was rescheduled to last night. I swam for 750m (roughly estimated the distance according to the buoys on the lake), biked 11 miles (it was getting dark so I didn`t want to risk doing the full 12.5) and ran 3 miles. I wasn`t going to risk doing my sprint triathlon in September without getting my legs used to doing all 3 of the sports, one after the other.

And I gotta say, it felt darn good. Swimming is not my favourite thing to do, and I feel like Im going so slowly when I do it, BUT it`s nice to get over with first. Biking is fun. I have a decent hybrid bike to ride on (it`s my moms) and I love going fast. And then there is running.

With my long runs for half marathon training (oh yeah, I have one of those in 10 days) I run slow, and it is laboured. It is GD hard. But the 5km at the end of a triathlon is not slow for me. For the last 3 brick workouts Ive done (all biking 11-13 miles and then running 3.1 miles) I`ve averaged about a 9:05 pace. I am able to push my legs to their limit. I`m not usually able to keep this pace for a regular old 3-6 mile run, and definitely not for a long run. So going fast at the END of a giant workout like this, feels damn good.

Summer is going amazing. Just had an epic weekend, and looking forward to another great one. My best friend Kari just had a baby, and he is a beautiful, extremely healthy little boy. August 18th will be a very important day every year for the rest of my life.

Also, got a second (solo) interview at Lululemon. Which is damn awesome. I would love to work there :) I`ll leave you with one of my favourite quotes from their manifesto:
 The conscious brain can only hold one thought at a time. Choose a positive thought.

Some perfect summer days.

I've realized that my favorite days this summer have included some intense physical activity. Thursday was a 20km bike and a 5km run, and an hour of hot yoga. Saturday, a 10 mile run. Yesterday was about 18 miles of biking around the city and hot yoga, and today another brick workout of 20km/5km combo. Although most of these days have been my days off (tonight I am working) I find that even on these days, I'm not exhausted by any means, I tend to enjoy my nights more after a morning of working out. That's always a worry for me, that my long workout days will be write offs for doing anything else, but that has definitely not been the case recently!

Thursdays Brick Workout stats:
Bikeride
Total Distance: 13.01 miles
Total Time: 56:51 minutes
Average Pace: 4:22/mile
Run
Total Distance: 3.10 miles
Total Time: 28:05
Average Pace: 9:05/mile
Mile 0-1: 8:55
Mile 1-2: 8:57
Mile 2-3: 9:09
Mile 3-3.1: 1:03 (11:02 pace)


Saturdays Long Run:
Total Distance: 10.00 miles
Total Time: 1:43:44
Average Pace: 10:23/mile
Mile 0-1: 10:51
Mile 1-2:10:07
Mile 2-3: 9:49
Mile 3-4: 9:54
Mile 4-5: 9:10
Mile 5-6: 11:38 <--Entire mile was uphill, I was actually happy with this pace.
Mile 6-7: 9:21
Mile 7-8: 10:28
Mile 8-9: 12:07 <--Think I walked for about 3 minutes, I was completely destroyed mentally and physically
Mile 9-10: 10:15

Overall I was happy with this long run, it was fairly pain free (in my feet at least) but my legs and whole body were pretty tired the whole time. I was able to manage to run pretty much the whole time (except for a few unplanned breaks during mile 8. I was hoping that I would be faster at this point and Im really not seeing that yet, BUT I know it will come. This winter will see some serious speed workouts.


Today's Brick Workout:
The plan WAS to do a full sprint triathlon this morning, including the full swim, bike and run BUT the Halifax weather had different plans for me. I was supposed to meet my mom at the lake at 645, but around 630 we heard some thunder, so no open water swim for me. Changed the plans to just a 20km bikeride and 5km run.
Bikeride
Total distance: 13.27 miles
Total Time: 1:08:28
Average Pace: 5:10/mile
Run
Total Distance: 3.10 miles
Total Time: 28:46
Average Pace: 9:17/mile
Mile 0-1: 9:27
Mile 1-2: 9:19
Mile 2-3: 8:53
Mile 3-3.1: 1:05 (11:13 pace)

Today was a bit slower than last weeks for both the bike and the swim. I tried out a new route on the bike, and it was much much harder, instead of nice easy rolling hills like on Waverly road, there were some serious hills and had speeding cars going by the whole time, so yes, the pace was reduced, but the challenge was appreciated. My run was a little slow at first but once my legs warmed up I started feeling really good and was able to pick up the pace.

Overall, Im starting to feel really good for both the triathlon and my other upcoming races. Although I dont think my pace for the half on August 29th will be too much faster then my last 2, but Im hoping for a sub 2:10. And for the 10km on the 22nd, my goal is a sub 56 minute, I want to see 55 or lower on that Garmin!

Natal Day Road Race 2010

So, gotta say, I love racing a distance for the first time..getting a PR no matter is a pretty awesome feeling. And completing this 6 mile race (without dying, which is what I thought would happen when you ran the 6 miler on Natal Day when I was a kid) did feel amazing! Didn't get my goal of 55 minutes, but got the sub hour done no problem. Here are my Garmin stats:

Total Distance: 6.10 miles
Total Time: 57:09 (chip time was 57:08)
Average Pace: 9:23 minute/mile
Mile 0-1: 9:03
Mile 1-2: 8:56
Mile 2-3: 9:17
Mile 3-4: 9:30
Mile 4-5: 10:21
Mile 5-6: 9:14
Mile 6-6.1: 0:43 (7:33 pace)

Very happy with my time and pace. The absolute biggest struggle of the Natal Day 6 mile road race is that it is 3 laps of one hilly loop. Now, Ive been doing the 2 mile race for as long as I can remember and wrapping my head around doing that two more times than usual was difficult. First lap flew by (2 mile split time was 17:59, which was a personal best over last year by about 40 seconds) and the second was killer, both mentally and physically. I struggled through the last lap but managed to keep up a decent pace. All in all, it was a great experience and a great run, and I have no idea what distance Im gonna do next year!

So Ive got a nice little renewed dose of race fever. Races coming up that I want/am most likely going to do:

Navy 10km Run August 22nd


Cobequid Trail Half Marathon August 29th

Shubie Dooby Triathlon September 12th (Doing this one, and PEI for sure)

PEI Half Marathon October 17th

As long as I budget wisely and keep my eating/drinking under control, I know Ill be in excellent shape for all these events. So excited for the rest of this summer! For these reasons and many many more!

Another big brick workout in the morning, 20km bike and a 5km run (first time biking this long of a distance all at once), so bed will be coming very soon.

Blog Slacking

, but not exercise slacking :)


Although you wouldn't know it from the blog, I had a great week in exercise, although this week had no long run, due to a lovely little head cold.

The week started out with my usual SPCA bike ride (5 miles out, 2 hours of volunteering and 5 miles back). Tuesday I had a great 5 mile run, although it was a little slower than I would have liked to do for 5 miles on fresh legs. Here are the stats:

Total Distance: 5.00 miles
Total Time:  51:31
Average Pace: 10:18 min/mile
Mile 0-1: 10:23
Mile 1-2: 9:51
Mile 2-3: 10:17
Mile 3-4: 11:06
Mile 4-5: 9:52

Yeah, I'd like to keep my "short" runs (everything but my long runs pretty much, I dont exactly consider 5 miles short) under 10 minute miles on average, but in the heat, thats all I can really hope for, and no breaks so thats awesome!

Tuesday also included my first (and definitely not last) Hot Yoga! I went for an hour Moksha class at Moksha Yoga in Dartmouth. They only opened on Saturday the 24th, so they were offering free yoga classes all week. I was very impressed with the class. Ive never sweat so much in my life, and I felt strong the entire class. It was definitely invigorating and felt very detoxifying.

Wednesday was Brick workout #2. This consisted of a 10 mile bike ride and what was supposed to be a 4 mile run, and ended up being a 3.5 mile run. The workout was amazing. Legs felt strong and great on the run. My Garmin died around mile 1.5 but I kept going around the same pace, and Im pretty sure I was able to keep up about a 10 minute mile pace. My Bike Stats:

Total Distance: 10.00 miles
Total Time: 47:41
Average Pace: 4:46 minute/mile

And my Run Stats before the garmin died:
Total Distance: 1.66miles
Total Time: 16:16
Average Pace: 9:47 minute/mile

I also went to yoga on Wednesday, so it was an exhausting day. I went to bed super early that night, and had a lovely sleep. I knew I had to have a decent sleep because I was meeting my mother at the lake at 7am the next morning, on Thursday, for my first open water swim :) Not much to say about this swim, other than I think the distance was around 700m total and mom said it was about 26 min, but I was pretty much just trying to get used to the water, I had lots and lots of breaks. One thing I learned: I need new goggles and need a swimming cap for sure. I also need to make some decisions as to what Im going to swim/bike/run in so I can start training in similar gear.

I has yoga and strength scheduled for that day, but I was just plain tired after that swim, so I decided to relax for the rest of the afternoon, and baked some bread and watched Jersey Shore :). I ended up going to my sisters to stay for the night because I was working at 530 on Friday morning. She is currently training for the PEI Half Marathon (her first, and I will also being doing it, so its my next half marathon) and she had a 4 mile run scheduled for that night, so I decided to join. I was tired and full from all the bread and pizza I ate that day. My sister was also tired from working for 12 hours that day, so thank god we were going together otherwise I dont think either of us would have gone out. So, we were expecting a pretty bad run, and although it was a bit slow, it was an awesome run! It went by in the blink of an eye. Here are the stats:

Total Distance: 4.23 miles
Total Time: 44:48
Average Pace: 10:35
Mile 0-1: 11:11
Mile 1-2: 11:10
Mile 2-3: 10:26
Mile 3-4: 9:56
Mile 4-4.23: 2:03 (8:48 pace)

I think it helped a lot that we went out super slow because we were able to pick it up a lot the second half.

Thursday's run was my last workout (today is Sunday). I woke up on Friday with a cold, worked from 530-130, made it home and had a nap. Went out to super (yes, I broke my no restaurant/no drinking for one week rule) but I had a delicious meal at the Wooden Monkey. I had the Seitan sandwhich with the sweet apple salad, and I had one beer with my meal, a Garrison IPA, which I enjoyed but it was a little hoppy for what I was feeling. I came home, slept about 11 hours. Had a 1 hour nap Saturday afternoon, and slept another 10 hours last night. I feel a lot better today! Still have a bit of a runny nose and some sneezing but my head has cleared up a lot.

One last thing of this monstrous post: Tomorrow is Natal Day, the "birthday" of Halifax/Dartmouth. My family and I always do the Natal Day Road race, which we've done every year that I can remember. There is a 2 mile race and a 6 mile race (3 laps of the 2 mile loop). It is actually a very difficult race because of the heat (usually) and the hills, one killer one at the end. I know Im in shape to run a great 2 miler, and I know I could do the 6 miler no problem, although it would be much more difficult, obviously. I think Im swaying towards running the 6 miler because I know Im in great shape for it and because Ive taken the last few days off completely from exercise, I think my legs will be super fresh. Goal for my first ever 6 mile road race= Sub 1 hour, 55 minutes even? Im actually so excited.

Thats it for now :)

Better late than never.

Friday, July 23rd, 2010. I might have to get this date tattooed on my forehead or something. Why you ask? To remind myself of an amazing amazing, almost pain free, 10 mile run.

Well, maybe a tattoo isnt the smartest idea, but its definitely a feeling I want to (and am going to remember) for a long time. Not that my last few runs have been exceptionally painful (no more than usual) but this run was focused all on "form, not speed". I kept repeating this mantra in times of pain, or times when I was mentally struggling. Its amazing how powerful such a simple statement can be mile 8 into a long run. And it turns out that my improved running form helps me run faster. Here's my stats:

Total distance: 10.00miles
Total time: 1:44:45
Average Pace: 10:29/mile

Mile 0-1: 9:57
Mile 1-2: 10:15
Mile 2-3: 10:56
Mile 3-4: 10:35
Mile 4-5: 10:46
Mile 5-6: 10:08
Mile 6-7: 10:22
Mile 7-8: 10:12
Mile 8-9: 10:06
Mile 9-10: 11:24

Clearly much faster than last week, I think its 8 minutes faster in total? And it felt very consistent. I was only really struggling on the last mile (took a 1 minute walking break) and that was mostly because I was feeling a little hungry and had to use the washroom (ironic? haha). But yes, the big story of this run for me, was that I had very little foot pain. Generally after 6-8 miles I get a stabbing pain in both feet and its slows me down and kills me. But this run I focused on "heel-toe, heel-toe" and I think it worked! No it wasn't completely pain free, but definitely a huge difference.


So a great long run, then had a big celebration afterwards with lots of beer, and food, and Scottish boys haha. And I ended up going out again last night, and worked both these mornings. This much drinking+not sleeping has wrecked my body. Im seriously more sore after drinking, then after running 10 miles. This has motivated me to give up the booze and the restaurant food for one full week. Until Natal day (Monday August 2nd) I will NOT be eating out or drinking. This includes when I work at Starbucks so Ill have to be packing some snacks and healthy lunches. This will not only help me stay on track with my workouts, but also help me save some money.

I love challenging myself, and this is definitely going to be a challenge!

Brick Workout of Death

Holy shit, this whole training in the heat of summer is HARD, even though Im trying to be as smart about it as possible. Yesterday I got a good strength workout in, and even a quick bike ride to and from the grocery store. It is warm as hell here in Dartmouth, at least 30 degrees both today and yesterday. Last night I had a few beers and didnt get to sleep until late late late, so this morning I was not up until late late late. So unfortunately I was not able to get my workout in early in the morning, before the heat started.

I wasnt able to get my workout in before the heat but that wasnt enough of an excuse for me to not workout at all. I know that working out in the dead heat of the day (I went out at 1pm) is not exactly safe. Im very aware of that so I tried to guzzle as much water in before my bike ride, and take a giant (1L) bottle with me for it, along with making sure I was adequately fueled (big breakfast + entire fruit bar before I left).

This being said, these precautions did not make biking and running in 30 degree weather any easier. I was planning on an 8 mile bike and 4 mile run...my first official brick workout. Now, I ended up doing an 8.5 mile bike and a 3.1 mile (5km) run. And although the bike ride was nice, the run was hell. Here are the stats:

An 8.47 mile bike ride. Total time: 41:38 with an average pace of 4:55/mile and an average speed of 12.2mph.
I ended my bike ride at the bottom of the hill I live on, walked up that (nice and slowly), exchanged my bike and helmet for a hat and ipod and set out on my attempted 4 mile run (not before guzzling the end of my 1L water bottle). It felt weird starting out, like my legs were lead and I was going 2 miles an hour, but they eventually loosened up and I was going a decent pace. I knew after about a mile I wasnt going to be able to do 4 full miles, but I wanted to make sure I got at least 5km in, the distance Ill be doing in the real triathalon, and thats about all my body could handle. Here are some stats:
Mile 0-1: 10:06, my only decent mile
Mile 1-2: 11:02
Mile 2-3: 11:40
Mile 3-3.1: 1:21

These are including the minimum of 1 minute walking I did every mile, so I wasnt running that slow, just taking lots of breaks. Walking up my hills after the run was over was painful, I felt weak and pretty terrible, but once I got home, chugged some water and jumped in the pool (also some attempting stretching) I felt a bit better.

I didnt exactly eat the best after my workout so I wasnt feeling so great for the rest of the afternoon, but Im good now and proud of myself for getting a decent workout in.

Sleep is coming very soon, I cant wait!

Tri Training: Day 1

Well, I guess I can call every workout after today a "tri training" workout, but there was nothing too special about today's run, except that it was in insane heat, something Im not going to use as an excuse to skip a run (especially when I only have 3 miles planned). Something a little bit special about today's workout though...was that it was "planned". Ive never really followed a "training" schedule before, besides planning each weekends long runs for half marathon training, but now Ive got a legitimate workout schedule for the next two weeks, planned around my work schedule, that Im hoping to stick to. Here's what it looks like, up until August 2nd:

July 19th- Bike to and from SPCA (volunteering) 5 miles each way, run 3 miles
July 20th- Strength
July 21st- Brick workout Bike 8 miles then right after run 4 miles
July 22nd-Strength
July 23rd-Run 10 miles
July 24th- Run 3 miles
July 25th-Strength
July 26th- Bike to and from SPCA, 5 miles both ways
July 27th-Run 5 miles
July 28th-Swim 30 minutes, strength
July 29th-Brick, Bike 10 miles, run 4 miles
July 30th-Strength
July 31st- Run 10 miles
Aug 1st-OFF
Aug 2nd- 2 Mile Natal Day road race

So it is definitely going to be a tough few weeks, but Im looking forward to incorporating more strength into my routine, and Im also really excited to start the brick workouts. These are definitely going to be necessary to learn the transition between swimming/biking and biking/running, and give my legs a feel for how tough thats going to be. Im going to try and include at least one brick workout a week.

Todays workout went as planned. My bike ride to the SPCA was 5.04 miles total and took me 33:47. The ride home was 4.78 miles (forgot to start my GPS after some lights) and took me 28:24. Im not going to bother including splits for any of my bike workouts (because right now I dont really care about my biking speed) but I do plan on blogging each and every workout from now on, because it keeps me focused and motivated.

My run today was done at noon time. Now I KNOW this isn't smart. Running in 30 degree weather at the peak sun time and what not, but I felt like I was keeping the pace pretty slow (although it turned out to be a fairly fast first 2 miles...last one, not so much) and I knew I was adequately hydrated. Anyways, here's my splits, I only ran 2.9 miles total:
Mile 0-1: 9:13
Mile 1-2: 9:15
Mile 2-2.9: 10:44 <--Body pretty much gave up, I definitely could not have gone any further than 3 miles today
Total: 29:12

That's it for today. Im going to see inception with my sister tonight, looking forward to some Leo action :)

A month later...

Whoops, haven't posted for a whole month! Well I think thats due in part to my obtaining a job. Nothing too special, just a Starbucks barista :) But its helping make me some money for the time being and get some free coffee. I actually love working there! Its a very relaxed and comfortable environment and the company actually cares about their product, and they care that their employees are knowledgeable about their product. Anyways, its a pretty great job so far.

But the one downside? It definitely has affected my running. I have not been able to get the quantity of runs in per week that I would like to. Now I think I'm slowly starting to get adjusted and will begin to increase my mileage again. And its hard because if I work early in the morning, and am off at a reasonable time, its too hot and my feet hurt too much to run after a shift. What I think I'm going to start doing is make a running/workout schedule based on  my work schedule, take some of the daily planning out of it.

This past week, for example, from Sunday-Saturday, 2 RUNS ONLY. Haha I haven't run only twice in a week since after my 2nd half marathon I think, when I took a week or two off. But even though it was only 2 runs, still almost 15 miles for the week, so Im still happy. I did a 10 miler yesterday and although it was very slow (about 1:53) I took NO walking breaks, and the humidity was through the freaking roof, so I finally understand that speed is not really possible in that kind of heat. And, although I dont want to jinx anything, yesterday was less painful than usual. Now, I took the inserts out of one of my shoes that Ive been wearing (took it out of my left shoe, kept it in my right one) and it seems like my left foot was not in as much pain as usual. I think it is because I really focused on my technique during my run yesterday, making sure my heel strikes the ground first then the balls of my feet, then toes. This seemed to help immensely so Im really going to focus on this for my next few runs.

Okay, so I was reading some triathlon race recaps this weekend, and now I really want to do one! A marathon really wasn't possible for me to consider this summer due to my foot pain, but a triathlon seems like a huge challenge, but also very possible. There is one September 12th, a "Sprint Triathlon" which is 750m swim, 20km bike and a 5km run, and its in Shubie, aka pretty much next door to my house, so no traveling would be involved.

The most difficult part of this would completely be the swim, although Ive always been a comfortable swimmer, Ive never been a fast one, nor would I have any idea on how to train for a 750km open water swim. Can I swim in Banook/Mic Mac or Lake Charles? Is it dangerous to train there without some sort of helper, because of all the paddlers and rowers? Thats something that I might email the race director about, and see if they have any organized, supervised open water swims, which would be amazing.

Ive just been having a great time riding my bike recently, and running has been going well (just a little infrequently) and if I can get some longer distance swims in I think I can do it :)

Off to watch the last km of this crazy Tour de France stage, go Schleck!

Johnny Miles half marathon

I did it. I got through half marathon #4 and it aws as much of a success as I could have hoped for. Although I was in a pretty significant amount of pain for about 40% of it (Bluenose was about 70% pain) and I worked for each and every step. Here are my splits from my new Garmin: (and my garmin only measured 12.97miles but its a Boston Qualifier race course so I know it was at least 13.1)

Mile 1- 10:12

Mile 2- 10:24

Mile 3- 10:12

Mile 4- 10:13

Mile 5- 10:23

Mile 6-  09:58

Mile 7 - 09:57

Mile 8- 09:53

Mile 9- 10:04

Mile 10- 10:05

                     Mile 11- 10:50 <- I was really struggling here

Mile 12- 9:11

My complete time was 2:11:31 and my overall pace was 10:08 (with the several walking breaks that I took in the last half hour.

Here are some pictures from the race:

This is my family pre-race. We covered 3 of the 4 distances: 5km, 10km and Half marathon.

Dad and his two running daughters on a great fathers day.

Thats me in the yellow shirt giving 'er to the finish line.

Hows this for an action shot. My legs are blurry? or just shaking? Haha I was happy to be passing that other chick,

Clock time was 2 minutes faster than my Garmin. Im guessing Garmin will be closest to my chip time.

Post race photo with the sister. I was TIRED! I think my eyes are slightly open in this picture. But only slightly. Heather is not looking to hot haha.

Such a great weekend. The race was such a success not only because of the run but because of the great organization. My family and I drove into New Glasgow for Saturday for the pasta supper and race kit pick up. The kit has some great stuff like a tech tee and a nice hat and a magazine.

The pasta supper was pretty good, but not amazing. Although they did have spaghetti with the option of meat sauce or plain (I chose plain, obviously) but the Ceasar salad had bacon on it which I was a little unimpressed with because its not exactly something you can pick out. There were also bananas, chips, cookies, and donuts to go with the supper. Plus Gatorade, Tims coffee and tea, and water of course.

The expo was small but had some cool races and a great apparel booth from Runalicious with some awesome women's running clothes, that I was unfortunately too poor to buy anything from. But its a new company started by some Halifax women that you should check out :)

We drove home that night, and back up the next morning. New Glasgow is 1.5 hours from Dartmouth, so we covered a lot of distance in less than 24 hours, but Im glad I got to sleep in my own bed rather than a motel. Anyways start time was 8:30, and we were there and parked by 8:10. Parking was a breeze, and it was awesome cause there were some porta pottys in the parking lot. Clearly Im impressed by small details. The start line was like 4 minutes from the parking lot, and we walked by the pre-race food setup, which would be nice if you needed a quick snack.

The race course itself was nice. 1 loop for the 10km'ers, 2 loops for the half and 4 dreaded loops for those crazy marathoners. About 40% of the run was on a trail by the river which was super nice. There were some areas with a very nice breeze, and since it was a warm day that was very appreciated. Water stops were about every 4km with water and Gatorade. The finish line was my favourite part (which seems obvious but the finish line of Bluenose is uphill and pretty brutal). You turned off the road onto the bridge, had about 100m on the bridge and turned a corner and could see the finish line, about another 100m down the way. Another plus: it was slightly downhill! I was able to sprint with 2 girls, one beat me, and one who I beat!

Post race meal: sandwhiches from Tim Horton's, yogurt, fruit, granola bars, coffee, tea, bagels, donuts, etc. And the had veggie sandwhiches! It was awesome.

Overall, great weekend, great race, and great result :) I am a happy girl, ready for a solid sleep.

Physiotherapy

So here's the situation:

I have a half marathon on this upcoming Sunday. And I have an injury. Well, two really. My 4-6 month long pain in the balls of both my feet that I get after about 10km. And recently (last week and a half) I've got a pain (when I both run and walk) just above the heel of my left foot.

I don't want to hurt myself more so I've only run three times in the two weeks (12 miler last Sunday, then a 4 miler and a 4.5 mile on this past Sunday). This is a really hard thing to do, considering that I just got a new Garmin Forerunner 405. I can't try it out until Sunday but Im so excited to! Anyways, not running=hard. Hurting myself permanently=worse.

So I went to physio today to see what the situation really is. She seems to have an idea of whats going on but I have to go back on Thursday for a treadmill run. And on Thursday she is going to tell me whether it's okay for me to run on Sunday or not.

This is where it gets complicated. I've run 12 miles on both injuries recently (week and a half ago) and it was really hard but I got through it and I dont think I hurt my feet anymore. So I dont think running the half would be detrimental to my health. But if she says I cant run it, I know I shouldn't. I know that, but I really want to. I'm a little scared or training (and paying for) a half marathon and then not even trying it. That seems like such a waste for me. I don't know. I hope that when Thursday comes, Ill be okay with the possibility of not running on Sunday but right now, Im not okay with that.

I know this is kinda selfish and I know that there are more races ahead in my future, but Bluenose was so hard for me and I think if I run this one smarter (read: go out slower) it would be so much better. Plus I love the fact that its a course Im unfamiliar with and Ill be able to look around/be distracted and what not. Plus, my whole family is doing either the half or the 10km and I really want to be able to run with them instead of just watch them.

Anyways, Poor little me! Haha life has been very interesting lately. But still no job. Boo

Tired Runner

I ran 12 miles this morning. I feel like is stole my spirit. Haha not really but I am just exhausted. I've spent the whole day watching shitty tv and laying in bed and eating tostitos with some sick salsa leftover from last nights grad party.

I ran it in 2:06:31. Which is a 10:31 min/mile pace. Im happy with that. It is slower than what Id like to do for the half (which is two weeks from today) but thats what training runs are for right? They are meant to be slower than goal pace. This is something that I try to tell myself during my long runs, but I always feel like Im wasting them by going slower than I intend to during the race. Is this a normal feeling? I feel like I pushed myself a little too hard today, but Im happy with my effort and that I didn't give up.

And I chafed. Like a you know what. Man, I forgot how brutal it is for skin to rub against skin for two straight hours. And yes that sounds dirty, but it is the opposite! Painful. Ugh, so I'm going to be body-gliding the shit out of any chafe-prone area for every future run. Oh the glamour.

I had a family bbq last night. It was my graduation party :) It was a fun afternoon and I was able to eat relatively healthy (although the 6 beer I drank weren't so healthy...but they were drank, not ate) and eating vegetarian was no problem. Although that may have something to do with the fact that I helped plan the menu.

Man, not really feeling this blogging thing lately. Sorry Brad. Haha :)

Marathon Fever

So I ran my third half marathon this past Sunday. I finished in a time of 2:13:03. I was pretty happy with the time although I know that if I had run smarter, I would have done better and finished stronger. I went out too fast (I was trying to run with my mom's friends daughter who's run a sub-2 hour half for the first 8km) and ran a positive split: aka slower on the 2nd half than the first. My 10km time was about 58 minutes , and the last 11 was...well you can do the math.

So it was a great time, and a great event. It was very warm but the course is pretty great and the crowds are fun! I was in pain from about 6km on. I've got some sort of weird pressure pain on the balls of my feet (both of them, but the left is worst) and it hurts on my long runs (not my short). For some reason, during the half, it started earlier than usual. After about an hour I started doing 10 and 1's, and I think that helped a bit.

All in all, it was a good race, good time, and I was so proud of my sister for doing her first 10km, I think she's caught the running bug! :)

To make up for my not-so-smart running I'm going to do the Johnny Miles half marathon on June 20th with the fam. My dad is hoping to do the half marathon too and my sister and mom will probably do the 10km. Im very excited!

And yes, I have the marathon fever. I think Im going to start training for a fall marathon (Im thinking PEI or Valley Harvest). Im very scared of 26.2 miles, and I know its going to be the hardest thing Ive ever done, physically and probably mentally. But at the same time, I know I can do it. My body is so strong and can run for that long, as long as my head can keep itself straight. My dad always says that after about 20 miles, it has nothing to do with your body anymore, its all mental. And thats what Im going to try and focus on preparing.

Still on the job hunt...anyone know of any sweet jobs in Halifax for BSc grads? If you do, let a girl know :)

Life is good

I'm gonna try this whole watching TV AND blogging at the same time, so I might be a little distracted. But there is a super bitchy lady on Say Yes to the Dress, so I want to see how it turns out.

Anyways, things have been going very well on the home front, although I am still unemployed and have heard nothing from any potential employer. Oh well, I'm just going to continue what I'm doing and try to work on the ol' resume. I'm taking a first aid/cpr course tomorrow so that might help :)

I just finished reading Eating Animals. It's a fantastic book about factory farming, the idea of "ethically raised" animals and vegetarianism. It has definitely confirmed my decision to go vegetarian. Up until now, I have been eating fish still because I thought fish were a bit more immune to the horrors of factory farming. Although it is different, the treatment and effect of fish farming and wild fishing is still pretty horrible. I might try to faze out my intake of fish. Dolphins are above all, my favourite creature, and to think of how many are killed during this kind of food production, is enough for me to give it up.

My mom did not react to this news well. I haven't told her for sure yet but she heard me tell my sister what I was thinking. She got mad because she thinks I'm restricting myself by not eating foods that I love. And honestly I do love lobster and shrimp and salmon etc etc. It's true. But the thing is, I love animals more. I love the environment. And I love food. Guess what? You can eat delicious, non restricting, healthy meals that do not include meat, poultry, foul or fish.

I've made some incredible meals the past few days: This soup last night, and this peanut noodle dish tonight. They are healthy, delicious and meat-free.

I've got half marathon #3 on Sunday and I'm so excited. Im on taper week so I had a 5 miler on Sunday but only have 1 or 2 runs for the remainder of the time (I'm still doing 30 day shred so I'm trying to take it easy on the running front). I've been trying to eat very healthy and clean until the marathon.

Oh wait, did I mention I have a pubcrawl on Friday?

So I'm trying to eat healthy and clean, not including the dozen beers I will most likely consume on Friday night. I know I should probably be skipping the beers/late night of drinking but you know what? I have plenty of runs/races/half marathons left in my life (and left in the summer) so I'm not going to skip a night spent with some really great friends and people (aka my sister and her nursing friends who I love).

All in all, life is good. Running is amazing. My eating has been exciting, delicious and healthy. I may or may not have a crush on a gorgeous boy. I just need a job (so I can start training for a marathon).

Jillian Michaels: Friend or Foe?

So I started 30 day shred yesterday. 

Man, I thought I was in good shape. Well, after day 2 I'm reconsidering that thought. Actually, that's a lie. I know I'm in good cardio shape. How do I know that? I ran 12.5 miles on Saturday and could have gone for much more (marathon training anyone?). But, those strength moves in the DVD: killer. And they are not something I'm used to.

So I'm definitely happy I bought it/started it. I'm a little worried about doing it while starting the taper for my half marathon, but I guess all I really mean when I say taper is "no long run this weekend" so a 20 minute workout everyday isn't going to hurt. I also probably won't do it on Saturday (5km race) and the day before, of and after the half. So max I'm looking at is getting 26 of the next 30 days done.

But I'm still looking forward to seeing  some results. My eating has been pretty good and my running is going amazing so I'm hoping to lose a bit of fat/toning up a bit for the beginning of swimsuit season! And once these 30 days are up, I think I'm going to keep using some of the workouts on the DVD for my cross training days.

Anyways, still on the job hunt. Hoping to get back to volunteering very soon. I miss working with animals, so so much, so I emailed the SPCA and told them my situation. Seriously, if you don't already volunteer, please please consider doing so. It's one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had and it's opened me up to so many opportunities.

I'm really looking forward to this weekend. I've got my 5km race on Saturday and then sleepover with my sister and 15 year old cousin that night. And no long run, I think I might actually miss it though! I am seriously a crazy person.

Employment

...or lack thereof.

I have been unemployed now for about a week and a half. Well, actually Ive been unemployed for almost five months, but most of those months were spent in my last semester of university (working towards straight A's, my first and only 4.0 of my undergraduate career). Now, I have no school. No MCAT studying (which is what I did all last summer). My focus for these next few weeks (or, god forbid, months) is job hunting. Job hunting AND running.

Thank god for running right now (and I know, this is my second time mentioning god in the span of about 2 sentences, I do recognize that). If it wasn't for running right now, my day's wouldn't have the purpose they do. Yes, Im constantly looking for and applying to jobs (I'm trying to get something in the healthcare and/or research field) but for the most part, that is out of my control. I don't control when and what job postings go up and I can't control if they are applicable to me or not.

What I can control is my running. And this is not some obsessive compulsive lose-weight thing. This is a "when I wake up in the morning, I have something substantial to accomplish other than applying to one job and this makes me feel good" thing. When my parents ask about what I did today, yes I start with the employment thing but I can also say "I ran  three and a half miles today in the rain" (which I did, this morning, 730 this morning actually).

Running gives me something to work towards, and although I dread it sometimes, it gives me something to look forward to. Like I said, I can't really control what employment positions go up or what interviews I do or don't get. But you can be damn sure that I have control over my workouts. And tomorrow, I'm taking it to the track.

It's been a few months since I've done a track speed workout. I have done a few treadmill speed workouts and some tempo run's outside that I consider speed workouts. But my 400 and 800 repeats? Not since January I think. I think I've mentioned here a few times that I have been getting faster. Im running a sub 10 minute mile pace for my half marathon training long runs, and that should help me reach my goal of a 2:15 or less half marathon (on may 23rd). But I've also got a 5km race (actually it's called the "spring sprint". Whoever named that is NOT a runner. 5km is not a spring, 400m is a sprint) on the horizon, may 15th.

Although I do enjoy my long distance running, Im hoping to work on my speed over the next few weeks, and over the whole summer, on shorter distances like this 5km. My goal for the end of the summer is a sub 25 5km, but for the one coming up, maybe sub 27? sub 26 if Im feeling good. Either way, Im pumped for the track.

Like I said, running gives me something to look forward to. I know that tomorrow Ill have to look for some more jobs, and Ive got errands to do. But beyond that, I know Im going to go to the closest track, and run my little heart out. And if thats not something to look forward to, I don't know what is!

Eating at home

I know I talk about running a lot. I think that's probably because it's going really really well. I'm seeing improvements after a year of sitting at a plateau (a speed plateau, my distance has steadily been improving). So, when I come on to blog, running kind of takes over. But, food is a big part of my life too. It's also a big part of my running. Do I think that my speed is improving because I turned vegetarian? Not necessarily. But I definitely think its related to my increased intake of healthy, clean foods and decreased processed, saturated fat laden food consumption.

When I was coming home from university, to a home where both my parents eat meat, I was a little worried to say the least. I've never been passive in the meal preparation process but I knew that if I was going to be eating vegetarian at home, I would really have to step up.

I've been making (and help make) foods that my dad could either add meat to, or are filling enough to eat without meat (although for the most part my dad does eat meat with the meals I prepare). So far it has been going very well, although it has only been a week. My mom doesn't eat with us but she recently watched Food, Inc and is considering switching to locally raised meat. Although her motivation may be a little misguided (I have a hard time believing that someone can make such a decision based on a movie) I'm really proud that she's making an effort to become more ethical about her eating.

Since I've been home, where we have a bit of an increased food budget and increased storage space, my diet has improved significantly. Well, maybe not significantly, but I feel a hell of a lot better. I started trying out spinach smoothies with my breakfast and post workout. A few handfuls of spinach, frozen bananas and strawberries, milk and a half a scoop of protein powder. It's a really great way to start out my morning. That goes along with my egg and toast. What can I say...I love a good breakfast.

I also discovered edamame. Or I guess, shelled edamame because what I have isn't in those little pod things. Its got a buttload of protein and is super easy to prepare and oh yeah, it's super tasty. So I made some pad thai yesterday and my dad added a piece of chicken, I just mixed in a half a cup of edamame. It was delicious. It's definitely going to be making a regular appearance in my meals.

Okay, that's enough about food. Writing this is making me hungry. Snack time I'd say.

Home Sweet Home

Its not that I don't want to blog... I just don't have time. Well, that's a lie. I have time. But when I'm home I really don't go on the computer. This is a nice feeling because in NL, I was pretty much attached to my laptop and I know I spent way too much time on it.

I got home from NL (for good) on Saturday morning, and it truly has been a great four days here in NS. Althought sat I was pretty hungover from my dozen beer on Friday night (13 maybe?) and my hour spent crying, and my 5am wakeup call. Although seeing my parents and sister pretty much cured that tummyache.

I did my next to last long run on the half training on sunday. I did 11.0 miles in 1:47 :) I think it was a 9:47 pace, although I had a few 1-2 minutes breaks which aren't in that time.

I'm not going to lie. That run was freaking hard. I had my mom's garmin with me, so I was aware of my pace everytime I looked down at that watch. I think I'm going to ask for a garmin for my big grad present. Although it was kind of scary knowing my pace all the time, but I think it will do wonders for my running.

Anyways, back to the long run. It was a fast pace and after aout 8 miles I was hurting. My feet, specifically my left foot, get's a serious pain around the ball of the foot. It was throbbing pretty bad, and breaks didn't help. I iced it afterwards and hopefully next week will be better. I'm running with my mom and her friends for 12 miles on saturday (my last long run before Bluenose) and I think it will be a slightly slower place. Im not looking to kill myself here.

So, fitness nerd update. Actually, it's not an update since I haven't mentioned this before but I've been doing this whole "100 pushup challenge" thing, and its awesome. I did the week 2 exhaustion test and I did 16 pushups!!!! 16, good form, on my toes, real pushups. I haven't done that many in...ever? It's crazy.

Well, I guess I'm gonna go watch Biggest Loser with my dad. I didn't run, or workout today. I went out with my sister and her nursing friends last night and it was pretty messy. Super fun though, her friends are awesome and I can see myself hanging out with them a lot this summer. 5 dollar 2oz martini's=good times.

Since I don't take pictures of my awesome meals (yet), here's a goodnight webcam picture of me thoroughly enjoying the end of the new gossip girl.