I did the 18k Manotick Road Race, and finished in the time frame I’d set out for myself. (under 2 hours)  It was a very hilly, hot, grueling run.  I was literally in tears more than once! For the first 10k I was FLYING, it got kinda ugly after that. I managed to mostly keep my pace, but the hills and heat (I stopped sweating at one point) were a struggle. I finished really proud of myself, though, and confident about the 1/2 coming up. I’m pretty sure I can shave some time off as well.

The weekend following, I went out with my friends and ran almost 19K.  Funny, but, it was an easy run for me. I felt FANTASTIC. We ran by the canal, did a loop of Dow’s Lake, down  by Carleton University. It was sunny and beautiful out, the scenery was gorgeous, and everyone out was happy and friendly. I finished the distance and knew I could have easily kept going to finish a 1/2 distance.  Amazing how different runs a week apart can feel based on the setting, the landscape, and just personal mental space.

All of that said,  I’m training but I’m also switching it up a little. The “out and back” runs are taking their toll on me.  I’ve incorporated some track interval repeats, some trail running, more walking, and more cross training.  I want to improve my running, but I also want to ENJOY it-and switching it up-is making that work for me.

I love the idea of people getting out there and trying running, many for the first time.  In fact, on Run Club nights now,  I like to run with the newer runners and encourage them-the same as was done for me.  It’s a MEGA reason why I continued with running when getting to 5k seemed implausible.

However,  I don’t want people to feel discouraged that they “can’t” run and that what they are doing maybe isn’t “enough.”  I know words like “hardcore” and “bad ass” and “pushing it” get thrown around a lot, but the truth is, doing ANYTHING is hardcore in my eyes, because it’s more than doing NOTHING now, isn’t it?

Walking is a FANTASTIC form of activity-and like running-you can start slow and progress towards walking faster and going longer distances. Plus, you can incorporate walking into your daily life.  I’m a big fan on not driving somewhere if I can walk there. Several times a week you can see me slogging up the road with groceries as I walk to the grocery store and back.  It’s about 20 minutes round trip,  but with my pack of groceries on my back, seems much further! Try it! If you can walk there, DO SO. Leave the car at home, save some gas, use those legs of yours! You are killing two birds with one stone, and hey, why not?

If you want to take it up a notch, there are also lots of walking races you can do! My friend Louise in Halifax walks as many miles in races as many of those “hardcore” runners do! She has long walk days on the weekend with friends, same as my “Long Runs” days-often ending in Brunch from what I’ve seen on her FB status updates!  She’s also travelled to do these races, like Disney World! She’s a little older than I am (no revealing a woman’s age! But cool fact-we share the same birthday!) and is an inspiration to me! I can definitely see me doing some of that marathon walking in future!

The goal is to get out there and do SOMETHING. Really, isn’t that HARDCORE on it’s own? Walking is great for your health, it burns calories, it strengthens your body and heart, and it’s in the great outdoors. That sounds like a win to me.  I’m waging a war against the “it’s just walking” sentiment! Actually, our Run Club even has an offshoot Walk Club!

As the weather warms up and the sun shines, get out there and do whatever it is that makes YOU happy and bad ass-whatever that may be!

I went into this race wanting to beat my 9 min/km pace, however came in at 9.07min/km pace. I know I should be focused on my accomplishment of finishing in my first warm weather race, but this is the first time that I have set a fitness goal and not reached it. Its funny because I ran a few days before the run. I went to practice club and ran one of my fastest times of 8.50min/km (that’s speedy for me) so that had built me up with a lot of confidence for the weekend. After my speedy run I wasn’t sore, didn’t feel sick/icky in any way. I felt awesome and so proud of myself that I was able to push past my comfort zone and nail a personal best for pace. Then today happened and while I am glad that I finished, I am disappointed that I wasn’t able to dig that much deeper and sail in faster.

I want to move on to a 10k race as a goal and after yesterday I feel like I need to start back at ground zero, or that I shouldn’t move on to a 10k until I improve my 5k time. I feel all jumbled and weird even while writing this. Maybe I am making too big of a deal about this, maybe I should cut myself a little more slack as it was the hottest day (for me) that I have ever run outside. Maybe I need to look at my training schedule, making sure its well rounded. I feel like that there is a lot I need to review and maybe switch some stuff up.

I know the answers are never black and white when it comes to your personal health journey. I look back at how far I have come to where I am now, and most days I am very proud, but after a run that kicked my ass, I think of how far I still have to go. Despite how crusty I feel about yesterdays run, what I will not do is stop. Tomorrow, I will lace up my runners and head down the canal to pound the pavement, switch my strength training up, switch some cardio work outs up and figure out how I will REACH my 9min/km or less goal for races.

I had my blood work recheck, 3 months into 300 mg a day of  Ferrous Sulphate (taken with Vitamin C) and going back on the good ‘ol birth control pill.  I got that phone call, once more, from the doctor’s office to let me know that my levels are still “quite low.” The good news was they had gone up from 18 to 25.  The bad news was, that’s nowhere even close to the “low-end of acceptable.”  While the range is apparently 35-300, they’d like me closer to 100+ and at the current rate of progress, that means about a year from now.

Sigh.

I’ve upped my iron rich foods (I’m ecstatic about the mussel consumption I can claim for my health, I kid you not!) and I’m TRYING to remember to take my iron pills daily. I have to take them on an empty stomach, and then wait an hour to eat.

Running apparently also depletes your iron stores. Who knew? I’m trying to compensate by ensuring I eat iron rich foods (as well as regularly) especially on long run days. 

The low iron levels for the last years also explain the dry, brittle hair and skin and the chronic fatigue. I still push myself to get ‘er done, and I’m trying to catch naps when I can, because I can. 

How I’m functioning at all, given how little I DO sleep, is still a medical mystery, apparently. What can I say, I’m a girl wonder.

I’m running an 18k race next weekend, so I’m prepping for that. I’m not trying to prove anything at this race, I’m just using it as a guideline to where I’m at, and where I need to be going.

In the meantime, I’ll just be here savouring this steak.

Bon Appetit!

I have always felt that counting calories would feel restrictive, and I am sure to some of those around me it seems like I have taken it to the extreme. However I have never felt hungry, or deprived. I am tracking the calories manually right now – because i have done my meals and snacks a week a head of time. I figure everything out before hand, make a chart and check off as I go. It has taken a lot of prep, and most of my Sunday afternoons for the last few weeks, but it’s totally worth it!

Coming up at the end of this month, I have my fifth 5k race, the Manotick Road race. I am aiming to run my fastest 5k and shoot for an 8min/km pace. I am looking forward to continue strengthen my running, more tempo runs and hill training. I couldn’t have imagined back in August that I would still be at this, and STILL loving it….even through the gross winter that we had.

Looking forward to the rest of this spring! Woohoo!!!

I see so many individuals setting out with enthusiasm and vigor. They are hungry for knowledge, for guidance, and for a way to do it all “right.”  They want to lose quickly, they want to see progress, but hopefully, for lasting effect, they also want to be healthier for the future haul.

Here’s where I get a little….concerned.

A lot of the “information” out there is biased. Almost every dogma and every plan is derived with its own agenda or angle.  I’m not saying they are villainous by any means, or that their intent is harmful, but when you are searching and clueless, it’s easy to latch on to what seems factual.

My caution is, while I applaud the energy, please, take the time to do your OWN research. If you are advised not to eat carbs, for example, and their evils are extolled, play Devil’s Advocate for a moment, and research further into those claims.

If a plan is proposed that involves two shakes a day and some packaged snacks, do some additional fact checking.

If you watch a movie proposing that every morsel we put into our mouths in modern society is toxic poison, Google some opposing reviews.

Better yet, if someone doesn’t have a background in nutrition, diet or medicine, question where they have gleaned their information.

There are a lot of ways that potentially “work” to help you lose weight and get where you want to be. It doesn’t mean that they are the best to keep the weight off, it doesn’t mean they teach you cues to better understand hunger versus comfort, it doesn’t mean that they have taught you new eating habits to carry on for life, or ways to prepare healthy meals. It also doesn’t mean they’ve forever changed what you did before, so that you have a better understanding of what you need to do now and forward. In fact, many of them could irrevocably harm your metabolism.

I’m all for inquiry and guidance. There are a lot of equally savvy individuals out there to counter balance all of the “so-called” experts.  The trick is in finding the difference between the two, and when you’re armed with little to no personal knowledge and a deep desire to “do this thing!” it’s easy to be swayed by what seems to be a viable solution.

I’m not personally commenting on any of the above being necessarily right or wrong, program plan wise. I AM saying that before you buy what everyone and their dog is trying to sell you, take a leap to the other side of the fence and see what the opposing team thinks of the info.

Better yet, consult your doctor about all of the above. If you have a good one, they should be knowledgeable regarding vitamins, minerals, macronutrients and more.

As to MY advice here to you? Well, weigh that out too.

I would hope for nothing less.

Sometimes my biggest downfall is that I like routine too much. I don’t like changing things up to much and when I have to travel for work I feel like it really throws a wrench into my schedule, with the travel, weird hours while away and unfamiliar restaurants and not many healthy options. Recovering from the trip back took a few days out of me and I felt wiped for almost a week after. I only now feel like I am mostly caught up….and that’s two weeks after coming back home. Ack. Grrr. I am trying not to let it get me down too much but its always a little discouraging. I have been up and down on the scale all month but I am thinking that this is due to the lack of consistency these last four weeks.

With the nicer weather on the horizon I am hoping that the blahs are shaken a little and that I am able to get back on track and focused. I am overjoyed by the longer days and actually running in daylight after work! It will be great to run in the nicer weather after the long crappy winter we had. I find that spring always boosts the motivation and determination to stay the course of a healthier and fit lifestyle.

Hopefully the next post is a little more peppy that this one and I’ve got a little more in me than fumes!

It hasn’t been all blah and wah though. I started my Swordplay lessons, 3 private and 3 classes where we can drop in with a punch card. On night one, I LOVED it. On night two, dang it, I got super frustrated.  I am a perfectionist and über critical. While most people can laugh off messing something up, I will be super humiliated and trash talk myself in my head.  I need to just realize that flubbing is natural and I didn’t run 15k the first time I set out, either.  The instructor is great, and patient, and the private lessons give us the time to ask him questions and for us to repeat over and over (and over) again the precise movements that are required.  I focus on one thing (keep the sword pointed a certain way) and then forget to do something else (step when pointing) and then I feel like a big idiot. We have one private lesson left, and it will involve some free play where we’ll get points for making contact correctly. I’m already super nervous about it and it’s days away. I’ve tried to think of ways to get out of going, frankly.  I know, I have anxiety issues.  Breathe. Have fun. Try and try again.

The Manotick Road Race is a month away. GULP. I’m trying not to focus on the distance or my pace, and “just finish” as my friend Jay says.  This is sort of a trial for a half, which is both reassuring and terrifying. If I stink it up, it will make me worry about the half. The good news is, I still have some time to work on all of “that” and as it will be my first, no matter how I do (or don’t) it will be my own “personal best.” So, there’s that. In very exciting news, I’ll be running with my friend Tania from Washington State! She’s traveling all of that way, just to run my first half with me!!! We’ve been friends for 12 years-we met online on a parenting board when our babies were, well, babies. We’ve never met in person, if you can believe that, but we talk daily. Whatever happens, that’s GOT to be a super cool experience. I’ve come to the conclusion that at some point, I definitely need a Garmin. I’ve tried the Nike app and the RunKeeper app while running with friends with Garmin’s. Both times, the apps were off in distance run. In other words, I’m like “yay, I’m done, we hit our distance” and they are all “um, no we didn’t. We have X amount left to go?” That sometimes feels like a quiet death when you’re on km 16, but not really.

I’m still operating on the premise of doing something new or scary monthly, so this month and next is taken care of, and I’m now planning out some activities for summer.  These don’t all have to be physical challenges, they’re just things to keep me pushing forward and out of my comfort zone.

For now, I’m dreaming of warmer weather, clear sidewalks, run club starting back up again twice a week, and searching for my elusive mojo.

Diet wise, I’ve started (just this week) eating every 2-3 hours. I have a protein at every meal/snack, and I’ve increased my calories. I’m running much longer distances now in preparation for my first half marathon (GULP!) and I’ve started doing some strength workouts as well.  I’m thinking part of my plateau could be that I’m not eating ENOUGH, and I also have been slacking a little lately in the healthy choices as well.  Hopefully, this fires up the ‘ol metabolism and gets it burning!

I’ve started incorporating some Pilates into my week and um….Why did no one warn me that Pilates is hella hard? My core needs serious work (pregnancy+c-sections+genetics are not a good mix!) and I think Pilates may be the beast to get me stronger through my center! 

I also tried Pole Dancing on the weekend! I went into the class with a bunch of friends, thinking “ha ha, this will be a laugh!” and laugh we did. However, take out the hair flipping and sexy pose stuff and WOAH! Pole dancing is no joke, friends. You need a lot of core and upper body strength to hold yourself up and to swing yourself around! As I mentioned, not my forte! I absolutely loved it though! (again, minus the “trying to be sexy” stuff) I would definitely do it again. I have this odd thought that I can just get a pole and Google or ehow and teach myself.  I know that’s crazy, but the fitness aspect of it really appeals to me, while learning a routine to a song, not so much. As it was a “beginner” demo class, the hardest thing we did was a Fireman spin. I picked that up easily and had a great time swinging myself around the pole! It was actually very freeing. Of course, doing it with my friends and cracking jokes while making fools of ourselves always works for me as well.

In the spirit of trying new things and continuing to mix it up, I’m trying Shabam this week at Goodlife, with a friend. I’ll let you know how shakin’ it goes!

I’m hoping this blending of new, fun, change and training does the trick to keep me on track and to get things moving once again! I know I’m enjoying every minute of it all, and how many people can say that?

February was also when I got my first running injury. Not during the snow storm, lets be serious, I wasn’t out in that, it was the Monday before the snow flew. It was the last Monday of the month, a warm-ish out on a running clinic night, there were a lot of puddles but nothing that wasn’t manageable. I ran through what I thought was just a puddle only to find uneven ground and trying to save face and not fall on my face I rolled over my left ankle. Goooood times. I should say that I have fractured both ankles (not at the same time) a couple of times each. Young dumb and recklessness to thank for those injuries. So since I have started running outside, I have been very aware of my footing and have tried to be careful even in the slickest, wettest conditions. I recovered some and the tears of pain turned to crazy nervous embarrassed laughter, (I am pretty sure that my chum who was running with me thought that I was a little imbalanced) while my ankle was killing me and the pain was up my foot. I managed a quick pace walk back. I wasn’t able to run back.

I iced it, massaged it, elevated it when I got home. It was tender the next day but I was able to put my weight on it and move around. I still iced it at night because I’m paranoid like that. And I thought that it wouldn’t hurt it since it was still a little tender. On Thursday I hit the gym up for a class and some treadmill time afterwards. My ankle felt fine but the pain and tightness was now up the back of my calf, and it was sharp. I finished off my cardio with a fast pace walk with a 4% incline.
I felt very down after that workout, discouraged and down right pissed off that I did something so silly that might set me back in my training.

Sunday the sun was out and it was looking like it was going to be one of the warmer runs I have at practice run in a while. I was excited to get out but I wasn’t sure how my leg would feel. The plan was a 5k, out and back along the canal, the first half of the run was garbage. I was taking longer walk breaks, jogging very slow and cramping up everywhere, not just in my left leg. I was getting pissed off at myself. A run like this, shouldn’t be THIS hard for me anymore. We had the option to turn around 3/4′s of the way home, and I had it in my mind that once I got to the half way point I was going to duck out early. Chalk this up to a garbage run and move on.

As I was about to reach the half way point I started relaxing a little more, telling myself that I would break there, for as long as I needed, stretch and jog the whole way back. I took a longer break, stretched out my legs, changed up my music to kick ass power songs and started back towards the Running Room. I listened to my music, turned off my interval counter and just moved. I got to the street that I could have cut out early on but continued past it. My left leg was a little sore but I wasn’t focusing on that. I was rejoicing in the fact that I made the choice to move past the cut out point. To keep going, even if it was slower that my normal turtle pace…and just keep jogging.

I jogged all the way back non stop. 2.5k. The longest consistent distance so far. I did this on a day when I have never been more sore, discouraged and just in a weird head space. I cried when I finished because I am a mush ball like that. To me, that run signified that I have courage and more strength than I usually give myself credit for. Mother nature isnt the only chick who can bring March in like a Lion (teehee, couldn’t resist!!)

Can you tell February is my least favourite?

I don’t mind snow, but I hate the cold. I know some people hate hearing complaints about freezing temperatures, but I can bet you dollars to donuts those are people who go from heated cars to heated buildings. When you spend every single day walking to and from places, trust me, the cold starts to overwhelm you when it’s -40C for days and weeks on end.  I won’t even sugarcoat it, I cried a few weeks ago walking my daughter home from school. I was at my breaking point, people!

Luckily, my in-laws spend six months of the year down in Florida! We weren’t planning on going this year, but we decided spur of the moment to get out of dodge and into some warmer temperatures!

Can I just say, AHHHHH! What a difference nicer weather makes to revive a sagging soul!

I was sincerely struggling as the winter months started to drag on. I hate the treadmill, so I was just not running at all. I was only half heartedly doing anything else either because I just wasn’t into it anymore. Stick a fork in me, I was done!

My in-laws are in an awesome environment with a community center with a huge pool, daily aquafit classes, a full gym, tennis courts and pretty much any other recreational activity one could want to enjoy. The week we were there, the sun decided to literally bless us with above 80F temperatures every day.

I spent the week busier and more active than I had been in months! I got up each morning and ran, went to the gym and did aquafit. I spent the afternoons swimming, biking, and playing games like petanque. The evening found more bike rides, and a nightly flashlight lit walk around the park.  I was so busy from sun up to sun down, physically, that I was asleep each night by around 1030pm and didn’t get up again til around 7am. If you do the math, that’s a lot of sleep, especially for someone like me that usually gets around five hours a night.

Now that I’m back and it’s been cold and snowy, it’s been even harder to find my mojo. I’m restless and frustrated and ready for Spring already!

When the days seem dark and dreary, I let my mind wander back to Florida and the days I spent running, face upturned and eyes closed, letting the sunshine seep into my every pore. It sustains me for a moment, but my fingers are double and triple crossed for Mother Nature to lay down the gauntlet and let some of that warmth start to trickle in to these frosted northern bones!