I hope this is my chinook headache...

So...today apparently is our last day of the frightfully cold spell we've been having. Wahoo! The weather is supposed to be quite warm and up to 10 degrees C on sunday for my long run...shorts perhaps? We'll see about that! I can tell that a chinook is coming though because the day before it happens, I get a wicked chinook headache...i'm kind of praying that's what this is because absolutely everyone around me has this crazy flu that leaves them bedridden and lasts forever...so I'm downing the cold FX just incase as well as gulping back the echinachea tea (I swear that stuff works) as I continue to pray i'm not getting the dreaded Calgary flu...

Let's see...currently it's -21 with a WC of -32...fun times. Lucky for me I'm taking the day off from exercising...or not so lucky because of the reason why...I've thrown my neck out of wack again...it seems to happen about once a year...I don't know how it happens, you turn your head too quickly one way and then ouch...and then the next few days are kind of hell...hellish to the point where yesterday I could barely get out of bed and spent the day home with my heating pad. Ohhhh my.

However in happier news...my plantar fasciitis is getting much better...i've run 60kms so far this week and after my most recent 15km run my foot felt pretty great with almost zero pain later. Somebody told me that a big thing to do other than icing my foot is to put heat on your calves because if they're really tight then it's a major contributor! I think it's really helping, i'm so excited. PLUS...I just got a pair of zoot compression socks that I could probably live in after a long run...they're fabulous and I think they're really helping me out! Wahoo.

So i'm going to enjoy my day off from exercise...take Logan out for a nice walk (crazy huskies, love this snow and temps!) and then retire for the evening to enjoy some Grey's Anatomy (my dirty little secret...although I guess I just spilled the beans :)

This weekend is going to be a blast...it's my friday off this week so i'll be running some hills and going for a climb at the Stronghold (if my neck is ok with this!)...saturday i'm going for a big snowshoe with the pup, and sunday is my long run in 10 degree weather!! Can't wait.

Cheers!

Where did my wimpiness come from today?!

So i'm pretty much against the treadmill...like no way, no how, never...I run outside and that's how it is. As soon as I step on that thing I immediately feel like i'm going to lose my mind...even if there's a tv infront of me. All things changed this morning...I woke up feeling cranky, wimpy, whiney...what happened overnight? I woke up to snow and a crappy weather forecast...that's what set my mood for the day...What was the weather like today in Calgary? It's pretty clear out there now but all morning we were in the middle of a heavy snowfall warning situation along with -14 and a WC of -22.

What happened to the girl that regularly runs in snow, in rain, in -20, in whatever? Apparently she decided to take the day off and I was left thinking maybe the treadmill won't be so bad at lunch for a quick tempo run...argh. All I could manage was 4 miles and then I had to get off!! It was a super hard and quick 4 miles...but it was on the treadmill nevertheless. I stretch a bit, head back into the changeroom and there's this lady changing and getting ready for a run outside....I hang my head in shame...I should have sucked it up and went out there. Ah well, there's always tomorrow I guess to redeem myself...supposed to be another lovely one...-17. Get me to the weekend!!! The forecast looks great for some snowshoeing, my long run...and potentially skiing at Lake Louise?...warmer and sunny :)

Fabulous Sunday running :)

I think today was the longest i've ever run in my life...not in terms of distance but in terms of time on my feet...my body felt good and I was impressed with myself! What was planned as a slow 35km run turned into a 38km run at a slightly quicker pace...and I know you're probably thinking big deal...3 extra km! But when you plan to be back at your house at a certain distance but still have another 3 to go...it kind of sucks lol. Annnyways, the run was good...i've been lying on the couch pretty much ever since enjoying a heating pad on my calves and some ice on my heel. I don't feel quite as mentally exhausted as I often do after a long run...but we'll see how I feel tomorrow...usually the monday after i'm pretty much a zombie at work all day :)

Luckily I passed the Talisman Centre twice as I was in desperate need to pee towards the beginning and end of my run. Funny how I've never ever had to pee during a race but always need to go at just 5km into my long run. I'm assuming though as I get past the marathon distance and into the bigger races that I'll have to get used to having to stop on the trail...and in an ironman? What do people do then? I've heard some pee on their bikes while riding? I don't know if i'm into that...once I finally spend a small fortune and get a sweet sweet ass bike...i really don't think i'm going to want to pee on it...but who knows? I'm sure one of you will have a comment about that lol.

Yesterday was pretty fun...i've met a new friend who is a triathlete/ironman and I wanted to go to Tri-It and look at the compression socks and some other things there and he wanted to go around to some tri and bike stores as he's getting a ton of new gear...including a new tri bike! Anyways, it was pretty exciting for me to go to these stores and I was learning more about everthing...it totally got me more excited for doing triathlon...funny how I can be so excited over something like that when I won't even get to do one this summer because of all the road and trail races i'm doing. My current plan though is to go to Penticton right after Transrockies ends, watch Ironman Canada and then sign up for IMC 2010 the next day...

ok, time to get supper in the works and then retire back to my couch for the evening :) Another short work week ahead as i've got friday off this week...wahoo!

NYC Marathon

Well this morning I decided to enter the lottery for the NYC Marathon! Look at this picture...can you imagine being here at the start of the race? Freaking awesome! I'm quite excited even though I don't expect to get in. You know what kinda sucks though...is that you can get guaranteed entry based on your best marathon or half marathon time. So for the half marathon I would need a 1:37:00...and my best is a 1:37:05 gun time (1:36:57 chip time)...i'm pretty sure they're not as lenient as the Boston marathon where apparently they'll accept you if you're 1 or 2 mins over the cut off time I believe. Anyhow, no worries because NYC is only 2 months after the Transrockies nightmare I've got going on at the end of August (I say nightmare but i'm SUPER excited...just terrified is all lol). So if I get into the race then sweet! And if I don't then maybe once i'm finished Transrockies I'll be relieved that I don't have to continue to train for an upcoming marathon!

So welcome to Friday...i'm pretty excited for it and the weekend! I've got a 12 km run at lunch...10kms of which are at marathon race pace. Ohhhh I forgot to mention my swim last night...I made it to 3000m...yay for me. Realistically I should have made up an actual practice in advance but I figured I'd just wing it and make it up as I went along. Not too shabby for my first night back in the pool!

My weakness...

my god, if I didn't run I'd be huge...no seriously...i have a serious sweet addiction...it definitely gets more out of control when i'm training all the time but I don't know why I can't just chill out when i'm around sweets...I was just in a 2 hour meeting...and crave cupcakes were involved...the mini ones...which are great when you have 1 or 2 and you think you're being pretty good...well I had 3 in the meeting, 2 more when the meeting ended, and 2 from the leftovers out in the kitchen...argh!! Thank goodness for a hard weights workout at lunch and for the swim i'm about to do later...

Being injured sucks....

If anyone has experienced or have had to train with plantar fasciitis I'd really appreciate your comments! I've read lots about it and tried what seems like everything...except take a break from running which I really don't want to do! I have to run the Boston marathon in exactly 2 months from tomorrow...every day I experience emotions based on how my foot is feeling when I first get out of bed in the morning and stand up...this morning I was like sweet, pretty much pain free...yet monday morning I could barely walk after my 32km on sunday...my heel was pissed which made me pissed...and sad. Being injured really sucks and this is the first time in so long that I've had an injury and boy do I hate it.

I seem to do much better when I run every second day so I guess i'm going to stop trying to do back to back to back days of running and focus more on swimming and strength/core as well...yes i'm starting to get back into the pool...tonight is my first night back! I'm quite excited...funny how something that was such a huge part of my life growing up just ended and I haven't really been back since. I'm also hoping that if I continue to go that it'll get me even more excited about triathlons...and i figure it's definitely great crosstraining for running and with no rough impact to the body...should be nice. I'll let you know how it goes...I think i'll be happy if I manage 1500m tonight...in the past when I've gotten ideas to get back into swimming, I make it about 1200m and get completely bored out of my mind! Then I start doing lots of kick because I LOVE kick...could kick forever I think! :)

Anyhow...I hope everyone is having a better week of running and training than I am!
Cheers!

I wanna be an Ironwoman too...

So...I have some friends that do triathlon...and a few more that do ironman...and it's always always always been something that has interested me...I wanna do ironman too! I get so darn excited when it's on tv...man is it ever inspiring. I've heard it's quite addicting once you start racing tri's as well...is that my problem, why i'm so hesitant to try one? I don't know...I mean i've got 2 out of the 3 sports down pat...I grew up as a competitive swimmer so there's no problem there...and i'm already a runner...sweet...i think what my problem is...is with the bike! I do have a decent road bike which I enjoy so why don't I just put all 3 sports together and race a tri and hopefully eventually an ironman?!

I think i've been watching too much Tour de France in the past...I know I won't be going anywhere near that fast but boy do I get freaked out when I see them wipe out on their bike. I have this fear of falling off my road bike that I can't explain! I remember reaching 60km/hr going down some crazy hills in Gatineau Park when I lived in Ottawa and I think I had my brakes on the entire way!! It's not quite the same when I mountain bike as I assume, or hope that i'll land somewhere relatively soft :)

I've been thinking so much about it lately and it doesn't help that i've been asking my ironman friends more and more about it. Unfortunately with all of the trail races i've entered this summer I don't really have any time to fit in training for or completing a tri along the way. Yet I still want to go to Penticton this summer, watch ironman and register for IMC 2010...what to do what to do...at least I have a lot of time to think about it! Who knows, maybe you'll see me in line signing up on Aug.31st!!

Anyways, it's most definitely on my list of things to do...I just have to stop being a wimp and do it already! If that 80+ year old Nun can do it, then why can't I?? As for today, I've got almost an hour left of work and then it's off to do a big hill workout...I'm thinking i'll take my frustrations out on the Calgary Curling Club hill as well as those lovely stairs and that will kick my butt nicely!

Welcome to my blog!

I'm new to this so you'll have to bare with me as I try to figure out how to download pics etc! So what is the purpose of this blog? I'm just a girl who is very passionate about life and getting outside and enjoying herself...I guess it's a way for me to express myself, my ideas, thoughts etc. and share with everyone my adventures! First and foremost...those that know me, know i'm a runner...that's my thing...that's what I love the most and keeps me happy. I seem to think about running pretty much 24/7 and am constantly making goals for myself and planning races etc.

How did I go from hating running with a passion to it being one of the things i'm most passionate about? Good question...I blame my dad somewhere along the way :) In highschool I was a rower...if the lake was "red flag"...meaning too windy to row on (which is quite common in Newfoundland!)...then we either rowed on the erg...or went for a run...often up Signal Hill (that's in St.John's, NOT Calgary). Those who know St.John's, know that running up Signal Hill is a pretty hard and painful run. But the more we were forced to run, the more I liked it...funny how that happens.

I grew up with a dad who was/is a runner...running 6 days a week...a super FAST marathoner when he was racing...and I mean FAST! I guess part of that rubbed off on me and once I got into it, I knew I wanted to run marathons too! Now, low and behold, i've qualified for the Boston Marathon and i'm off to run that in oh...10 weeks from yesterday :) Training is going well so far...but I have had to deal with plantar fasciitis in my left foot for about 3 months now...but let's not get into that right now! Ok well that's about it for tonight...I hope everyone is having a great week as the cooler weather is coming back to Calgary. Oh how I do love those Chinooks though.....