Treadmill Tuesday!

Sorry for missing a post yesterday but life caught up with me and I went to bed early! I still did an amazing Tabata class but I feel fine today! Yeah!!

Remember when I said I hated treadmills?? Well I conquered that fear today :)

I had a 6K recovery run scheduled for today and I did it on the TREADMILL!! My day was going bad in every aspect when I woke up to rain and I had the busiest morning ever. I even had to do a Starbucks run after drinking my tea (David's Tea: Coffee Pu'erh). I was dreading this run so much that I waited until the last possible second as I was afraid all the treadmills were going to be taken! Sam and I went down to the gym and I complained the whole way. Finally, I was ready for this run and I looked at Sam and to my surprise, we were wearing the same clothes! ha ha ha

This made me laugh so much and it made the run even better :) By the way, this is the shirt from the Scotiabank Waterfront Half-Marathon that we ran in September!! You can also see part of our gym at work! This is a bonus as we don't have to go to an outside gym!!

Here are my stats from my Polar RS200. It was a bit off from the treadmill so I continued to 3.75 miles as per the treadmill.

Distance: 6.71K

Time: 41:43

Avg. pace: 6.13/km

I have to admit that I downloaded a new song this morning before leaving for work as I knew I would need some pep in my run and when it came on, I was on fire :) I even did a fist pump in the mirror cause I was that excited!! ha ha I know you must think I am such a weirdo but I don't need much for encouragement :) In case you are wondering, the song was: Firework by Katy Perry. Once in a while, I will have these songs that ignite the fire under my toes and I run stronger and faster when I hear it :) For the longest time, it was Nickleback - Animal. 

I need more of these songs! Tell me, what songs brings that little extra something during your run?

Stay tuned tomorrow for my first hill training update!! Remember this: 

Week 4 started with double digits!

Good evening :)

As I sit here tonight looking back at the past few days and how hectic they have been, I can't believe I still went and did my 10K run this morning! It was a cold day in Toronto but no snow in sight. I'm sure its just a matter of days before we see some! I did not take any pictures today during the run as it was so cold that just thinking of taking my gloves off made me freeze! I did take one of my stats though:

Distance: 10.32K
Time: 1:07
Avg. pace: 6.31/km

My time was not too bad but I will have to pick it up in the coming weeks. Running in the cold is harder but it should get better :)

The only part I am afraid of is this:

This is one of the snowstorms I was driving in when traveling in the past few days!

While I was traveling back to Toronto, we stopped in Quebec City and stayed in Old Quebec. It was just beautiful!! Here are a few pictures:

 With my best friend (and soon to be my Maid of Honor!!)

 Beautiful skating rink in front of our hotel

This is Chipits! She is the family dog and lives with my parents. She is always so happy to see me when I go home :) Chipits is the smallest thing at only 6lbs!! I usually never get a good picture of her but she didn't seem to mind this time around even putting her little paw up :)

I will leave you with my Week 4 training plan on this Sunday night. Wish me luck as I will now have some hill training moving forward!!

Week 4

Sunday: 10K run (Done!)

Monday: Tabata

Tuesday: 6K run

Wednesday: 3 hills (With some running for warm up and cool down)

Thursday: Spinning

Friday: Short Run

Saturday: Off

Tell me, is there any part of my training that you feel I should change? Any tips or tricks would help :)

3 provinces in 3 days = no workouts!

I am currently on a train that will take me back home to my hubby-to-be! It has been a long 3 days filled with a plane ride, a funeral, seeing a lot of family, 3 car rides (with my best friend and her husband!), 2 snowstorms, a train ride and a missed weekend away with The Engineer. Through this, I traveled within 3 different provinces! Its a good thing I like traveling :)

As you can imagine, there was no time to do any training but I am still planning on my long run tomorrow. Its a nice 10K and I heard there is now snow in Toronto. I actually saw some winter gear for my running shoes yesterday in a sports store and I totally forgot to get it after looking at other stuff. I am still debating and I think I will only see what happens when I first go out on the icy roads. They are called, Get-a-grip. Here's what they looked like:

I did get to buy a pair of Nike Free shoes that I had been eyeing for some time now! Since reading about minimalist shoes I thought I would try these out. They are far from the Vibram Five Fingers but I am just not ready to go there yet. I will use these for some treadmill runs and to do cross-training.

Nike Free                                                                        

 
























Vibram Five Fingers

Since I have been on the road so much I have had time to watch a few movies and one of them was "The Distance of Truth". A 90 minute documentary that features Canadian Ferg Hawke as well as Scott Jurek, Charlie Engle and more as they experience the Badwater 135 ultramarathon race (2005 & 2006). This film is inspirational in a sense that it puts things in perspective whereby regular men and woman tackle a race where you are just trying to stay alive! Some people have died doing it due to the dangerous weather conditions such as 116 degree dry heat! I liked the movie and although I am nowhere near running these distances, it makes you wonder if you ever could. In my mind, anything is possible if you really want it! Click here for the trailer.

I am also going to watch "Saint Ralph" on my way back to Toronto. Saint Ralph is the story of Ralph Walker, a ninth grader who outran everyone's expectations except his own in his bold quest of trying to win the 1954 Boston Marathon. It should be a fun little movie to watch! Click here for the trailer.

I will talk to you tomorrow after my run and until then, enjoy the movie trailers I posted :)

Does running outside in a Canadian winter ever get easier?

 Good evening!

Well, I think I just did something really crazy!! Crazy or not, I signed up for a race on Boxing Day (Dec 26)! Since my training has a 14K long run scheduled for that day I thought I might as well do a race instead of just running alone :) I signed up for the Boxing Day Run in Hamilton, ON. This is a 10 miler (16K) race that will take us around the city of Hamilton and its suppose to be "scenic and challenging" as per their website! The first line after that says that it starts with a hill, GREAT!! ha ha ha

Since this race will begin my 8th week of training, I truly believe that it will be good for me to test my overall winter strength as my big race will be in the winter! If I cannot do a 16K race, I will not be able to do a 30K race! I have complete confidence in my abilities to do this and have a great race :)

The Engineer will be part of the cheering crowd at the race and my family might be in town as well. They have never seen me running let alone do a race so if they are here for Christmas it will be amazing if they come out and cheer for me :) I have some family in Hamilton as well so this could turn out to be quite an event! I am looking forward to doing this race !

Let's talk Winter Wear
Since I live in Ontario, the weather has started to get cooler as I mentioned in a few posts now. I have been getting away with a head band and gloves but soon I will need more coverage for my head. The weather will get all the way -20 degrees without wind chill where I live therefore I will definitely need more layers!! I am looking at something like the Balaclava below.

I have never used this and do not know how it would work. If you have, can you let me know how you felt about it and if its worth it?

Productive Tuesday's are alway good!!

Good evening!!

Another great workout today as part of Week 3 of my training! On today's schedule was a recovery 6K. I should mention that I am hurting from Monday's Tabata class! I was so sure I wasn't going to hurt but surprise surprise :) It feels great to have this great class offered for free on Monday's (and Thursday's, but I choose to do the Spinning class instead)!

I went on this run with Samantha and "the marathoner" and again it was pretty intense! While the marathoner was running circles around us, Sam and I were trying not to go off flying like Mary Poppins!

It was super windy and cold...brrr. We pummeled through it and still did our 6K in a decent time! Here are some stats:

Distance: 6.01K

Time: 37:14

Avg. pace: 6:11/km

I am happy we went out today even though the weather made you want to stay inside :) Sometimes you have to talk to yourself and make you get out of your comfort zone. One thing that helps me is that I HATE the treadmill therefore would rather freeze my butt outside than be bored out of my mind on the treadmill!

I am also very pleased with myself to have been following my schedule!! I will need all the encouragement and self motivation I can get for the next few days as I will be traveling back home for my grandfathers funeral and then a weekend away with The Engineer. This means, a 2.5h flight, an hour time change, snow and driving for 8 hours for our getaway. While on our little getaway I will have to pull out all stops and run a 10K as per my training plan! I will let you know how that goes!!

I am off to foam roll and take another Epsom Salt bath! 

Tabata, please let me walk tomorrow :)

Good evening!!

Well, as you guessed with the title, I did another Tabata class today on my lunch hour. I had asked our gym instructor last week what he was planning and he said upper body so I was in! Remember I have a wedding dress to look amazing in for April, so I need the nice arms and back with my beautiful strapless dress :) Did I mention we are getting married on the beach!?! Here is a sneak peak:

Well, his version of upper body also included some major squat action and some lunges!! Here is what I can remember from the class. As you know, it's about 45 minutes and it's 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off and repeat 8 times. Do this for 6-7 exercises.

1- Squat + bicep curls (2 weights, 8lbs)
2- Tricep dips on step alternate with bicep curls standing (2 weights, 8 lbs)
3- Lunges with 1 arm weight lift (1 weight, 10lbs)
4- Squat with arms raises (2 weights, 8lbs)
5- Wide Squat with a weight swing & throw in the other hand. (Tricky little one but very good! 1 weight, 10lbs)
6- Push ups! (Do you think we were dying by this time!?!)

All I am hoping for is that I can walk tomorrow or at this point, lift my arms :)

On the schedule tomorrow on my 3rd week of training, we have a 6K recovery run and it should be interesting! If it rains, I might stay inside and do it on the treadmill. I really am trying to do all my runs outside no matter the weather but at work it gets a little tricky as soaking wet hair + work in the afternoon = bad combination!

I am off to take care of The Engineer as he has a cold and well, you know how guys are when they are sick!!!

Freezing Sunday meant another long run :)

Good morning!!

Well, I have to say that I did not feel like running this morning! I am proof that you can go to a Gourmet Food & Wine Expo on Saturday night and still go out for an 8K run in the morning :)

There was a lot of eating. (ie. amazing cheese shaped in a flower!!)

 And a lot of drinking great wines from across the world :)

Overall it was an amazing night with great company! I was scared of how I would feel the next morning as I had to do my scheduled long run. 

Well, we slept in and woke up around 10am and felt great!! Even the dog slept in :) We had an amazing breakfast of french toast, fruits and bacon! Yes, I had some bacon and it was delicious :) After a cup of coffee I got dressed for my run. It was a breezy day in TO today and it kind of scared me as I don't like being cold. Since I will just have to get used to it, I mapped myself a run that would take my in the streets instead of the lakeshore using Running Map. I always use this site to map my runs wherever I am.

As you can see from the picture below, the water was very choppy as the winds we very strong! By the way, the little beach you see on the bottom left is part of someone's backyard!! My dog would love this!

Towards the end of my run I realized I was not going to be able to achieve 8K from where I was so I turned into a park trail. While in there, I turned the corner and found myself face to face with 3 deers!!! You just do not see deers in this region. I wasn't going to talk about it on my blog but my grandfather passed away on Friday morning and I believe it was him giving me the encouragement I am going to need for these long runs! It isn't just a coincidence to see deers in the middle of TO :) If you look closely there is one on the path and 2 more to the right.

Here are my stats from today's long run:

Distance: 8.02K

Time: 54.15

Avg. pace: 6.46/km

Avg. heart rate: 164bpm (I was breathing hard when the wind was in my face!)

Now I am off to make some homemade bread! Yum :)

Easy Friday and end of Week 2 of my training plan :)

Well, today marks the end of my training week unless something happens tomorrow and I do some kind of exercise. There will be a lot of walking but while drinking and eating at the Wine and Food Show :)

As I mentioned yesterday, I did go for a 6K run today and it felt hard! The wind picked up and it was cold..brrr. It took me around 40 minutes compared to my last 6K at 36 minutes! I worked from home today and it was a different route but still, it should be easier than this! 

But I did get to see a swan swimming in the lake :)

I didn't want to go back and work! I wanted to stay here forever and stare at the lake. But I finally turned around!

I wonder if I would be as inspired to run as I have been in the past few months if I did not live near the lakeshore. Moving here has had so many benefits in my life, I try to take advantage of it while we live here.

Sunday will start my 3rd week of training! Here is what the schedule will be.

Sunday: 8K run
Monday: Tabata: upper body strength training
Tuesday: 6K recovery run
Wednesday: 6K run
Thursday: I will have to figure something out as I will be travel back home
Friday: Same thing here as I will be traveling again. Hopefully fit in a quick run.
Saturday: Shopping! A lot of it in Montreal therefore a lot of walking :)

Have a wonderful weekend :)

Beautiful Sunrise means great run day!

Good morning!

I will be working from home today and there is a beautiful sunrise this morning. It's going to be a nice day but a but cold.

This is my view during the day!

Yesterday, I had a great spinning class by the Ironman trainer! I was still hurting from Monday's Tabata class so it felt good to move my legs again. Last night I also had an appointment with my massage therapist and she went to town on my legs. It hurt really bad but I knew it would help me. My hip flexors , IT band and the tendons in my butt got the most work and this morning I feel 100 times better :)

Today's I plan to go do the run I missed earlier this week. An easy 6K on the lakeshore during my lunch hour. Tomorrow we have a full day plan visit "The Engineer's" cousin coming in town so I am going to enjoy my day OFF. I don't plan on doing much Saturday night as I have a longer run scheduled for Sunday morning. 

I will get back to work and let you know tonight how my run went :)

Have a great day!

Listening to your body!

Good evening!

Well, today I decided that I could not do the scheduled run (6K) as per my schedule. My legs were still hurting a lot from Monday's Tabata class and on top of that I did not sleep very well due to the pain! Every time I turned or moved, the pain woke me up. I was hoping that after foam rolling, an Epsom Salt bath and some Advil that I would be better but... nothing!

Tonight, I had The Engineer roll my hamstrings, glutes, quads and IT band with "The Stick" and it definitely hit the right spots. It hurt but the good kind that is going to feel better tomorrow. Since I have Runner's Knee it was so weird when he was rolling the stick on my IT band as it was making my knee hurt. You only realize that the knee pain comes from a ligament or muscle when you roll on the foam or use the stick.

I have to say I was a bit skeptical when my sports Doctor said it was muscle related as I was so sure my knee was injured and I was done running. Muscle related injuries are healable when using the right "tools". In my case, a very good physiotherapist, an amazing massage therapist and persistence/patience. The persistence/patience part is the worst one as I am not very patient and like to see results right away. So far it's been working therefore I am sticking to these components!

Tomorrow, I plan on doing the spinning class with the Ironman instructor and go from there. If everything goes well, I may try to get my 6K run in on Friday but again, I will listen to my body and decide then what feels right. I would rather to this right than rush things :)

Let me know if there is anything, and I mean anything, that I have not done to relieve the muscle pain!!

Tabata = Cannot walk the day after!!

Hello!

Well I woke up this morning and the first thing I noticed when the alarm went off and I reached over was OMG my arm hurts! Then I tried to sit in bed and the pain reached my buttocks, my quads, my hamstrings and my abs. I could barely walk! This Tabata class was one crazy full body workout :)

As I sit here tonight, I still went for my schedules 6K run at lunch time but it was a bit painful. Our marathoner friend decided to come with us and well you know what happens when someone fast joins the group... you speed up. I was going for an easy run and it turned into this:

Distance: 6:03K
Time: 36:16
Avg. pace: 6:01/K
Max HR: 181bpm

Yeah, so it wasn't an easy run but hey, I got back to work in time for my meeting at 1pm!! ha ha ha

Tonight, I will definitely use the foam roller and take an Epsom Salt bath to try to alleviate the pain.

For tomorrow, I do have another 6K planned but I will definitely listen to my body before doing it. If I am still in pain like today, I may opt for a yoga class instead.

Tell me, when was the last time you did a workout that left you hurting??

Tabata whooped my butt :)

Good evening!

Well, I had my first taste of Tabata workouts today and it literally kicked my booty! This workout was INTENSE!! This workout consisted of 8 intervals per exercise with 6 or 7 exercises. As I mentioned yesterday, you do each exercise for 20 seconds and rest for 10 seconds. Do you realize how fast 10 seconds go by!?! ha ha ha

This workout lasted 40 minutes and I was sweating buckets by the end. To the best of my very tired brain here are some exercises we did:

- Push-up clock (moving to the right, push-up, moving to the left, push-up)
- Squat and weight lift above head with calf raises(1 weight, I used a 10lbs)
- Lunges with bicep curls (2 weights, I used 8lbs)
- Tricep curl and extension (2 weights, I used 8lbs and 5lbs, by the end it was burning!)
- Lunges with arm raises (2 weights, I used 8lbs)
- Squat and twist at the top (1 weight, I used 10lbs)

I think that is it but OMG it was a great workout! I am feeling it right now and it probably won't get better tomorrow! Epsom Salt bath is calling and an early night in bed as well.

Tomorrow training calls for a 6K run so I will go map this out and talk to you tomorrow :)

Tell me, what was the last workout that had you sweating like crazy??

Week 2 - It started with a bang!

Good morning!

Well, I got my 7K run in this morning as part of my 2nd week of training! I was really motivated and had everything ready last night to make sure I get my run in before the rain starts. Well, the rain started earlier than expected but you know what, I DID NOT CARE! Don't get me wrong, I usually hate running in the rain but since I have to train a lot for this race, I cannot let little things like rain get in the way. To me rain is a million times better than freezing cold and winds!

Here are my stats:

Time: 44:23
Distance: 7.01K
Avg. pace: 6:19/K

As per the Garmin! Did I mention I love my Garmin :) It keeps me on track and accountable for the actual distance I should be running!

The rainy weather while I was running! Even the rain did not ruin my run, I was on fire :)

 There were a lot of Canada Geese on the side of the boardwalk. I had to watch where I ran as to not step in their poop!

I was one sweaty girl after the run but my Lululemon Inspire jacket worked its magic again today!

I also wore my new pair of Asics Gel-Trabuco that I got yesterday at the Running Room Outlet for $29.99!! I already had a pair but I use them for mud races and they are a mess! These are the best shoes for running in the rain and when its more slippery outside. My feet do not slide in these shoes :)

 Oh, I also have to mention I totally love the Sports Bras from Old Navy! I went yesterday and to my delight they were on sale for $7.50 Yippee! Since I workout almost every day, I needed more. See the cute colors :) They are very comfortable and supportive, isn't that what we are all looking for!!

Well, I have to go eat again as I am starving! Stay tuned for tomorrow's recap as I will possibly tackle a Tabata class! The link I posted is done during cross fit workouts but you get the gist of it. You do 20 seconds of pushups for example and take a 10 seconds break. Do this 8 times. Then you do the same for sit-ups, squats, whatever you like. They started teaching this class at the gym at work and its suppose to be really good. I guess you could compare this do the Insanity Workouts!

Now tell me, what are your workout weeks like when you train for a race?

Training Day 6 - Yoga

I am now done my first week of training and all I can say is: I hope this gets better!!

On Friday, I decided to do some Yoga as my legs were still hurting from the massage I got on Thursday. Yoga was a great way to get some stretches in to my training. I plan to do it a bit more often as my legs seem to want to stay tight even after the foam rolling, physio and massage.

Today, I took it easy as it was my day off! My full body was sore! I have been doing the 100 pushup challenge and my shoulders and arms were feeling it! I am doing Day 3 tonight and Monday I will start week 2.

Here is the schedule for my 2nd week of Training:

Sunday: 7K run
Monday: Strength training or Tabatha
Tuesday: 5K recovery and physio in the evening
Wednesday: 5K tempo
Thursday: Spinning and massage therapy in the evening
Friday: Boxing or easy run
Saturday: Rest day/ Yoga

This week should go by quickly again. I have a ton of work to do as well and some wedding things to organize. We spent all day today working on our invitations as well and tomorrow I will probably finish them after my run.

Hard at work in wedding invitations!

A cute picture of Penny!! She never looks at the camera :)

Well, I am off to bed to get some rest for tomorrow's run. Let's cross our fingers for no rain :)

Training Day 5 - Spinning & Massage

Well today was a good training day! I did a 50 minutes spinning class with an Ironman! He is in the shape that most athletes wish they would be in! He trains triathlon athletes in his spare time as well.

He decided today that we would do the same training he gave his triathletes on Tuesday so it was HARD! My legs got an amazing workout :)

Stats


Time: 54:47
Max HR: 170
Avg. HR: 135

Tonight, I also went to my RMT to get some release as my hip flexors, quads, basically all my leg muscles are so tight. This type of massage is the most painful thing ever! She talks me through it as all I do is tense up and want to cry! She is not putting a lot of pressure on these muscles and it hurts. I still have a long way to go to get the release I need. I will be seeing her once a week until the holidays and go from there. I also use the foam roller every day when I don't see her. It helps as well.

If you have any ideas on how to release these muscles, please share!!

Training Days 3 & 4 - Cold weather running is hell :)

On my schedule for Tuesday and Wednesday were 5K runs on both days. In my head I was thinking that this was going to be soo easy as I ran longer distances than this before... was I ever wrong! Running in colder weather is totally different than running in the spring-summer months.

Tuesday's run was hard! For some reason, the wind was bothering me, my knee started to act up and my breathing was hard. I ran with Sam on our lunch hour and we were ready to make this a good run but it just wasn't in the cards! We still did it but it better get easier than this in the future!

My stats are not very detailed as I played with my settings the day before and I didn't reset for this workout. The joys of owning a Garmin and not reading the manual :)

Distance: 4.99K
Time: 30 something...
Avg. pace: 7:??/km

Today, the run was better and I had a new partner that is faster than me. I wanted to push myself a bit and that she did!! At one point, we were 2 blocks away from a traffic light and she turned to me and said "Let's pick it up until the traffic light!" I looked at her like she was crazy but still picked it up to a 4:15 pace! Oh and I should mention that my heart rate went up to 180bpm during this time (its high but not my max, hills bring it in the 190's!) That's just insane :)

Distance: 5.03K
Time: 30:42
Avg. pace: 6:06/km (much better pace!)

Unfortunately, I didn't have any pictures the last few days but I will try to take some tomorrow! I should also mention that I will try to do most of my training outside in the winter time if the weather allows it. I run on my lunch hour at work as we have great gym facilities with showers and everything I need to get back to work! I am not fond of the treadmill but I will probably have to use it a time or two!

Day 5 of my training will bring me to do some Spinning! I can't wait as this class is intense :)

Let me know if there is anything else you would like to know as I train for this big race :)

Training Day 2 - Weights & Abs

Well, today was a pretty good day in my standards! I did 2 workouts :) I told myself that I would do weight training for my arms and back today; on my OFF dat and I also promised "the engineer" that we would go to our condo gym tonight as he wanted to get back into it. So here's what I did:

Lunch Time

- 10 min of Elliptical
- 3 sets of arm circuit created by Miss Samantha (it was a really tuff for me as my arms are super weak)
- 3 sets of arm/chest/back circuit created by the same lady above!
- I did some exercise for my knees (as I mentioned before, it looks like I have Runner's knee)

Night Time

- 10 minutes of the crazy Elliptical (the one with the arms!)
- Abs galore! (2 different exercises, 40 reps each)
- One last exercise for my knees

I am done for the day and I think you might agree that it has been pretty successful!

Now, tell me, we all have good days and bad days, what do you tell yourself when you don't feel like training?

Training Day 1 - Beautiful day!

Well, today was my first training day and it was WONDERFUL! I was ready! I went to bed early and woke up at a decent hour. "The Engineer" made us breakfast and I had some wonderful tea (David's Tea: Coffee Pu'erh) to warm me up for my run. It was the perfect morning for a run :) I was a little anxious as I have been battling pain in my knees and left heel for some time. My physiotherapist says I have runners knee but hopefully with the right exercises, the pain should go away. The heel, I am not sure about that one!

As I mentionned yesterday, I was going to the park where the hills are and see how far it is. Well, it was 8.67K! I finished this run in 1h02 but I did stop to take amazing pictures!

Proof from my Garmin Forerunner 305, I love this watch :)

Below, the view from 2K

This is usually my turnaround point for a 5K

The entrance-hill to the park - 4K

When I saw this, I wanted to go run through it and play but I was on a mission to finish my run :)

This is THE hill I will do most of my training on. It is about 200-300 meters.

At 6K, the ducks with their booties in the air :)

The view from 6K again, isn't it beautiful!

Kids fishing in the lake!

Oh, and in case you are wondering what I wore for this chilly run, here is the breakdown. The think is, I tend to be cold easily so I need to layer. I have a Helly Hansen undershirt, a Running Room long sleeve turtleneck (I love this shirt!), my lovely Lululemon Run: Inspire Jacket, some Lululemon Wunder Under Pants, a headband to cover my ears, my Asics Gel-Kayano (might change to my Asics Gel-Trabuco when the we get snow) and my running gloves. I was warm and toasty but with the wind from the lake, it was perfect!

I took the rest of my day to do some chores, finish some work stuff I didn't get a chance to do on Friday and went to do the groceries with "the engineer" so I would have some good food for my first training week. I am not at all into food as much as some people but I am learning a lot by reading some of your ideas. I might even share a good recipe I got from a friend called Long Run Balls. These are great when you need something before your run :) Stay tuned for this!

Tomorrow is suppose to be an OFF day but we'll see how that goes!

Let me know if you will be training this winter for an upcoming race or just to maintain your running.

The training starts.... tomorrow!!

Well, tomorrow I start my training for Around the Bay! There is no run or training scheduled on this day but since I slacked of this week on my business trip, I thought I would get back into it with a run. I want to try and get to this park where I plan on doing my "hills" training and I need to know how far it is.

I have to say I have never trained in cold weather and after Mad Dog, I am not sure how I will survive! I was in pain all week and my lungs were literally trying to get out of my body! I believe with the right tools aka winter gear, it should get better. In my mind, training in the cold is just like training in the hot summer.

I will leave you with a picture at the Mad Dog race looking not too impressed! I was cold and was still drinking my tea to warm me up before the race :)

Tell me, is there any running gear you cannot live without in the winter?

New Blog journey & Mad Dog Scramble Recap!

Today I start a new journey on my blog as this is something I have wanted to do for some time after reading all the wonderful blogs out there!! 


This is my journey to running and training for my next race, Around the Bay, the oldest race on the continent, first run in 1894, three years before the Boston Marathon. This race is in Hamilton, Ontario and it is 30K. This will be my longest run yet! Stay tuned for my updates on how this is going! 


*****
Here is a recap of my latest race and probably the last for the year, Mad Dog Scramble. This race is the best way to end the season as it is an 8K Trail Race. I would call this one an obstacle race instead of trail as there is no trail! Just pink ribbons leading you through mud, creeks/rivers and hills. Not the skimpy hills but the ones where putting one foot in front of another is hard as you pull yourself with branches and push off the random rock! I have to mention that they divide the runners in waves so the more seasoned runners leave last and have a longer course and the slower runners leave first and have a shorter course. Anyone can win this race :)


I love this race for the challenge but I have to say by kilometer 2 I was dying. My breathing was all over and my heart rate was going crazy. Of course, that's when they introduce the water crossings! I believe there was around 5 of those and mud everywhere in between. I bumped my knee on a tree trunk and now I have a bump the size of an egg. Oh, did I mention we were running in 4 degree weather AND it was snowing by the end?!? I thought I would cough up a lung at the end but I pulled through with a time of 56 minutes for just about 6K. Not a good time by all means for a flat route but for this one, I am happy with my time :)


Here are some pictures: I am in black with the Pink Lululemon headband :) 

At the start of the race! All happy :)

 At the finish line... wanting to die!

So tell me, what is the most exciting race you have done?