And the Race is On...

Snow, Snow, Snow. I am getting tired of all the snow and like most Canadians we start dreaming of warmer weather. In five weeks we will be heading to Texas where it is currently in the low 20's (80's if y'all are Fahrenheit), for a visit with my sister's family and our first race of 2014. 

Rhythm & Blues Race Feb 9, 2014

Part of me thought of waiting and get back at it on New Year's Day but why wait? Why not start today. I would love to have braved the roads with Grant today but it is too slippery (Ice Storm 2013) for me and too much risk. (I hear the warnings of the doctors in my head and for once I will listen); so the treadmill and I have a date later today.

Grant Running 12/28/2013

Since I haven't really been running in the last 3 months I am going to have to kick it into gear. Only 5 weeks to race day. At least I was able to switch my registration from the half to a 5k. I am a little disappointed as it would have been my first half but I will be thrilled to just to cross the finish line at this point and thrilled the organizers allowed me the switch. 

Registration for popular races are starting to open up: The Run or Dye race opened yesterday for the those who preregistered and the Tartan Twosome opens on New Year's Day. 

Tartan Twosome 2013

So I'm thinking, why not run a race every month of 2014? After all, it is starting to shape up that way. What a great way to help keep me motivated, especially through these long winters months.  I don't want it to feel like all work and no play so I plan on doing a couple fun runs, a new race or two and the ones that got me hooked in the first place. Will I do a Half this year?Probably not now. I think I will save that one for 2015.

Well, that's my plan now to get working on it. Here's to a fit and fun new year.

Finding Joy in Unexpected Places.

My running came to a screeching halt a few months ago when I tripped and fell. I didn't grasp the severity of the fall and tried to get up, dust myself off and keep running or at least try to walk but it was a little more serious than that. My left wrist took the full force of the fall. A fall so strong it bounced me back about 3-4 feet onto the main road. Multiple fractures, surgery and now therapy for many months to get my hand and fingers working again.

 

It's not fun but I'm taking it all in stride and am really blessed that it was not worse: Blessed there was no traffic that morning or I would have been hit. Blessed that I am right handed. Blessed that I have a wonderful husband to help me. Blessed to be able to work from home. This forced rest period has given me lots of time to reflect and appreciate. 

Christmas is on our doorstep and I am reminded of all those out there who don't find joy in the holidays but rather it is a time of sadness, loneliness and despair - I've been there, I know how that feels. But what if?  Like this poster reads "what if Blessings come through raindrops?"

 

Joy can manifest itself in so many ways: some obvious / some unexpected. There is joy in every moment, even the hard moments. I know it sometimes is hard to find joy in the middle of difficult circumstances but if you look very closely you may find it. 

My dad passed away over a year ago. We thought it would be easier for my mom to come to our house last Christmas. And it was, but now she is spending this Christmas in her own home. I wanted to make sure it was not filled with sadness so I wanted to do something special, like dad would do. Due to my current situation I couldn't hand deliver her parcels so a mutual friend delivered my box of goodies to her. I'd like to share the exchange of emails from my mama this morning.  

Mama: "I was overwhelmed and as excited as a ten year old  when he brought your beautiful box in.... I think you and Georgia do an exceptional job with Christmas... I think it was so exciting to see all the presents around my tree that I even shook a few.. Ha Ha Ha Ha./Now that almost sounds like I have hit my Second childhood. Right?  Well, I miss your dad and all the fun he would create for me at this time of year. And I do not want to let go of that, So my children are taking over his role and I am enjoying every minute of it.  Thanks.. Cannot wait till y'all get here safely. Love Mum"Me: "This made my day. I am wrapping up an Advent Bible study and this week was about JOY. I told the group you can find joy in some unexpected places and you getting that box was one. I know all the little things dad did for you and I was afraid that wouldn't happen so we made a plan and got it done. Mission accomplished. Enjoy. Love you."Mama: "Oh Ann.. You are so special. I am crying my eyes out with tears of joy. LOVE  Mama"

My Christmas Wish for you is that you may experience Joy in the most unexpected ways. 

 

Over The Hill

Improve Your Running. Now that's a broad topic. What exactly do you want to improve? Endurance? Speed? Distance? Well one way you can improve all of these areas is to head for the hills. 

For a beginner like me, "hill training" sounds like a dirty word but the more you do it the more you will like it. For me this was a hard concept to grasp but then again, the idea of pounding pavement for fun was completely absurd to me only a few years ago. 

So what makes running hills so vital to a runner? Not only will you gain strength but you will run faster. I actually saw the results of all my hill workouts when I ran the PEI Runway Run . A flat 5k course. 

All my training routes are filled with hills anywhere from 50m to 200m long. Somedays I find them difficult, while others I plow through them but have never really liked running hills. As I approached a hill, I looked at it with dread, feeling the blanket of exhaustion drape over me. 

Knowing that some of the races I have signed up for include a few significant inclines I decided to do some research on How To Tackle Hill Training. It's hard work, but all goals are hard work, that's what makes it feel so good when you achieve it. And so, on the PEI runway I learned how important hill training is. On this flat race course I managed to shave 2 ½ min. off my 5k time. 

Now, when I head out for a run I embrace the hill, I  hold my head up, eyes focused on the horizon not the pavement, set my mind to overcome it and when I reach the top I can't help but give a little punch in the air - a physical "YES! I DID IT!"

I May Be Slow, but I'm Faster Than a Couch Potatoe

A Slow Runner - that's what I am.
Although that does not mean I forever and always want to be labeled as such. My goal is to run a 5k race under 30 minutes. My first 5k race was last summer and I was one of the final 3 to cross the line, clocking 38:58 min. I have been working hard, but lately, most days it feels like I am getting no where in my progress. My friends had signed up for a fun run/ charity race and I didn't ...until the last minute. I hesitated for weeks because I was nervous that I would not do well. Days before the race something clicked in my brain and I realized I was approaching my running in all the wrong ways. With all the motivation posts/ blogs/ memes floating around how could I ever doubt my abilities? and yet I did. 

Mr & Mrs. before the race.

The race was crazy fun. Tropical Storm Andrea was hitting the Atlantic provinces on the day of the race. I could have backed out but a true runner goes out rain or shine. So I psyched myself up for it, had my coffee, banana and bagel breakfast and piled in the car with my two comrades and head for the PEI Runway Run. 

Comrades: L to R Grant and David

A damp Day: 10C, 70km/hr winds/ heavy rain. Approx. 300 runners line the runway waiting for the signal. We were soaked before the gun went off. I stayed at the back of the pack while the boys went ahead. Many people were passing me but I kept a good steady pace. I had my tunes playing and miCoach guiding me, I was in the zone. By the first km I started inching on some of those who raced out of the starting line. That felt good. To be able to pass people was something I never imagined, especially in those weather conditions. I reached the 4km mark ahead of my anticipated time and realized if I push it just a bit more I can shave a minute of my 5k record. 


36:17 mins. That's what my finish time was. I was riding a high for the rest of the weekend. A new PB. 2 1/2 min faster than my last race. I couldn't be happier. Chilled and Soaked but over the moon with excitement. I may not do a sub 30min 5k this year but I am well on my way and not giving up on the possibility. 

drying off and all smiles. 

I am getting ready to go away and all I am taking is one carry on bag. I have never traveled for this long with this little luggage and the thought of it is daunting. Which is why I haven't packed yet and I leave in 12 hrs. 

my Lug puddle jumper.
Perfect for a weekend, but a week? 

It really shouldn't be that hard because every time I travel I take too much, tops and bottoms that don't even get worn so why can't I figure out what to pack. Part of the problem is that it is -7°C here and +20° at my destination, Katy, TX.  


Spending the day in the airport and in the sky I want to be comfy but I am tired of wearing yoga pants on my travel day. I really don't know how people stay stylin' on travel day, but I am going to give it my best shot. 

I am going to try and wear my "impossible to pack" pieces on travel. Landing in Houston, of course I've got to wear my boots. Well I don't know what I will pack for the week but I like what I pulled together for travel day. I better go get packing. 

Jacket from the Gap, I snagged last fall in TO during the buying trip for the shop; boots from Cavender's Boot City, Houston, TX; and I love this scarf from Pseudio - it's new and I can't wait to wear it; the turquoise nails go with just about any outfit. 

I am so tired of my wardrobe lately. My closet needs a complete makeover. It has no identity. With a large section dedicated to running clothes and another for the clothes that don't fit anymore that leaves only a couple of dresses, 2 or 3 tops and a few sweaters. Sadly, I can't put much of it together and make it work. 

one of the few outfits I can pull out of my closet.

It's the bleak of winter so I don't feel like investing a whole lot and will make due with what I have got until the grass begins to appear. 














Until then, I have been having fun on Polyvore creating storyboards and pulling ideas together. Now if I can just find these pieces my wardrobe will be fresh for spring and summer. This may prove to be difficult to do locally, I may have to resort to a few favorite online shops. 

Cole Haan shoes are on order with Urban Shoe Myth. Can't wait.

I love lace.

This could very well be one of my favorite combos. 

Today was one of those days where I just didn't feel like working. I had been curled up on the sofa most of the lazy day, I needed to get up and go burn some calories. I managed to go 4 miles but it felt like torture while I was running it. I couldn't wait for it to be over. I have been trying to figure out why my last few runs have felt like such a chore. Maybe it is the weather. Our cold Canadian winters can play an awful mind game, making the most optimistic feel exhausted and sluggish.  Or it could be the week I spent lazing on the Cuban beaches followed by a week of cold and flu. No matter, I am determined to turn it around and get back at it. And the great thing is, now, all showered and relaxed I feel great and got a little mental buzz, ready to do it again. I am so glad I did it. 

After a cool down and stretch, I made a protein shake. I decided to change things up a bit and wow, what a difference. Finally, a milkshake I can love: the Pina Colada Shake.  I just happened to pick up a fresh pineapple at the market yesterday and the rest of the ingredients were already in the cupboard. 
I got in the habit of making a shake after a hard work out over a year ago. A few food allergies keep my diet pretty restricted so my hubby suggested I start supplementing with protein shakes since I was burning a lot more calories. Made sense to me. 


Since then I have learned of their benefits:They help the body recover from intense exercise and help repair damage to muscle tissue. Not to mention those who supplement with protein shakes reduce their chances of infections, have less heat exhaustion and reduce the amount of muscle soreness. I couldn't tell you if it works as a weight loss tool. It doesn't for me. 

Pyramids, Lunges and Kickbacks

I thought I was feeling better and I guess when resting, I am but once I start working out my lung capacity is shot. It's like the last four months of PB's never happened. Realizing this, I decided to skip the normal workout routine and change it up completely. I gotta say it was a great workout and I need to change it up more often. My butt, quads and hams are gonna feel it in the morning. 

Not matter, I tell myself to just slap the spandex on and do it~ it's only 30 mins. I used 5lb dumbbells for the upper body moves. 

Warm up by doing 10 min on the elliptical. 

100 jumping jacks

10 tricep kickbacks in lunge position

10 bicep curls in lunge position

10 rows in a squat position

30 squats 

2km run at 5.7 mph at incline of 2

Cool down 10 min walk*

*Every minute of the walk I raised the incline by 1 until I reached level 10 and then walked it back down to starting incline of 2.

My clothes are in need of replacing and with spring just around the corner I decided to do a little browsing online and see what my options are. Now I am down to a size where I can shop in regular sized clothing stores and I don’t have to rely so heavily on specialty shops. I may have dropped 4 dress sizes but I still have to deal with my curves. 

So, while doing a little online window shopping, I stumbled across ModCloth and fell in love. 1000’s of dresses in all sorts of colours. I was drawn to the 1960’s style mostly. I have to admit I got a little shopper’s high when I typed in my credit card number. Of course my mind was whirling … I’m going to need new shoes, and a purse, and a hat - I wish I had bought that hat at Banana Republic - it would look perfect. It's still bitterly cold outside so I have a few months to pull this outfit together.  

What's the Plan, Ann?

I have had a few people ask me lately "what are you doing? Can you share your training/ weight loss plan" 

It really is as simple as calories in vs. calories out. And I always thought I was following that rule until I started running. My running life has evolved very slowly. Walk 2 min/ Run 1 min/ Walk 2 min for 2 or 3 miles and eventually I kept adding more running minutes and less walking. That was 2 yrs ago. I still have days where I need to take a 1 min walk break here and there. Eventually, I got the runner's high and that set me off... I wanted to improve my time/ go longer distances/ avoid shin splints etc. so to do that I started doing strength training and cross training on my non-running days. Spent $10 on a Jillian Michaels dvd and joined Tribesports , got myself a set of 2lb, 3lb, 5lb dumbbells and a yoga mat for strength training. Dusted off my bike/ and kayak. Now I have the tools for burning the calories. 

I LOVE food but I knew that had to change too. I cleaned up my eating in just afew very small ways (I knew if they were drastic changes I would fail)  

1. More water. Aim for 2 to 3L a day. One or two of those drinks may end up being green tea
2. 1/2 my dinner plate is veggies 1/4 starch and 1/4 protein... Did I mention I love food? I may not adhere to this everyday but at least 5 of the 7 days a week I do. 
3. gotta have a piece of fruit a day. Or more. It's true "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" 

These simple steps have made me feel so much better. And if I go crazy with a big bowl of pasta and some wine, I am determined to burn the calories the next day. 
And my weight loss is not off the charts but I look and feel healthy than I ever have. It's not a fancy program but it is working. Notably, it is working on the stuff on the inside which is showing on the outside. 
I should mention that I set goals often and I reward myself when I reach them. This is a great motivator because sometimes my wants are greater than my needs (whose aren't?) and when I set a goal, I feel I have earned the reward. My rewards range anywhere from a pedicure to new running pants. 

Most importantly, don't give up. That is the easy way out. Anything worth having is worth the hard work!