Good-Bye...

...to cable! Will I miss you? Nope! What a waste of money for me...i've been hardly watching tv at all...and while I've been thinking about getting rid of it for a long long time, I finally took the plunge today! I love the idea of not having it or being tempted by it and can think of so many other things I'd rather be doing with my evenings. Hopefully that means i'll be a guitar playing superstar in no time! Well...maybe not...but I plan on spending a lot of my free time learning! I started last week :D

My first week of no running and recovery has gone pretty well...I did a bunch of crosstraining and am getting back into a regular weights program again. I'm loving doing legs again and I plan on doing lots of good leg workouts so when I get back into trail running i'll be able to climb some serious mountains!! My knee is feeling much better...now I just have to get that foot under control before I start easing back into the running again!

On Saturday I acquired some new skis from kijiji...well, they are "used" but only twice!! They're freakin sweet and I can't wait to get out and use them...along with the skis I think i've also acquired a new obsession...wanting to head to the hill for a ski every weekend :)

Andrew and I went snowshoeing yesterday at Ribbon Creek in Kananaskis...did around 20km. It was a great day and super warm out there...above zero! Logan had a blast as usual and no doubt did double what we did with all his racing around. He came home and crashed pretty quick, as did we...after we made some delicious home made pizza...mmmm.

Have a great week! I know i'll be enjoying the spring like weather in Calgary...10 degrees today!!

Change of Plans...

So...remember all those times when I said my foot is getting better yada yada yada? Well, it's not. It is better than what it was...but it still hurts...and still hurts like a mofo at times. Guess what else hurts? My knee...on the same leg as the bad foot. I have hardly been running...maybe 3 times a week and very rarely anything longer than an hour...and haven't had knee issues in like 10 years...so i'm pretty sure my knee hurts because i'm compensating and running and walking differently due to my foot (especially in the morning when my foot hurts most and I end up walking on the side of my foot). Awesome.

So instead of writing you guys and saying, i'm definitely taking a month off and then changing my mind a day later like last time...well, I really am taking time off...and to be honest, I don't even mind. I've been having fun doing lots of other things when I haven't been running...I've been doing more downhill skiing and plan on doing lots more...I'm going to be taking Logan out on some awesome showshoeing adventures...and a bunch of my friends all have xc skis and I haven't taken advantage of using mine as much as I should. I feel like the last week i've had this revelation that it's not a big deal if I can't run...my body clearly needs a serious break from it. If I don't get to race the races I wanted to this summer then i've realized i'm really ok with that as i've already got lots of other adventures wheeling around in my head that I'd like to do. It's not a tragedy if I can't race this season...and I think i've finally realized that.

It's funny that my last post I talked about still wanting to do the Death Race and then when registration opened on New Years Day and I thought more about it and sat down to potentially register...I started thinking that maybe I really didn't want to train for a 125km race this summer. I don't think I want my whole summer to be about training for races. Even if my knee/foot gets better and I can run tons, I think I just want to go out on running adventures like I did before...but not because I have to because there is a race coming up. Last year was an anomaly for me as I've never raced so much in a season. I basically just used all of those races to help train for Transrockies.

So i'm not signing up for any more races anytime soon until I feel like i'm an uninjured and pain free runner...and that I know I really really want to do a certain race. I've only signed up for one so far in July...the Powderface 42. Since i've qualified for the New York marathon which is next november, i'm pretty sure i'm going to do that one as well. New York would be a pretty sweet trip and I do love a fall marathon. So that's it for me at the moment. I'm surprisingly not bummed or unhappy that i'm injured and have to take time off...i've been doing lots of other things and having a blast. Currently i'm trying to work on my downhill skiing skillz which I severely lack...so hopefully i'll be able to join my boyfriend on some sweet backcountry skiing adventures in the future...

Here's what i'm definitely going to do this summer...my brother signed up for the Death Race on August 1st weekend so i'm going to be heading out to Grande Cache, Alberta and help crew him. I'm super pumped for him as he'll do awesome for sure. Kira, my mountainbiking superstar sister-in-law is doing the Transrockies Bike this summer which is freakin WICKED! That is a 7 day/stage race going from Fernie, BC to Canmore, AB...pretty much in my backyard! So i'll definitely be heading out to cheer her on somewhere along the way!

I don't intend to ignore my blog so no worries about that...I just might be blogging a lot about my non-running adventures!

Happy New Year!!

Thanks for a great year 2009!

Well well well...here we are on the last day of 2009...is it just me or did this year go ridiculously fast? It would appear I fell off the blogging bandwagon for the month of December...I had many posts planned and lots to talk about...and all kinds of good intentions to blog...but I was quite busy as most are this time of year. December flew by and the holidays were awesome! The past couple of days i've found myself planning out my racing season for 2010...I plan on sharing it with you guys very early in the new year...tomorrow is the opening of registration for the Death Race and whether or not I do it determines a ton of other races I'm looking into. I'll let you know tomorrow whether I signed up! :)

Anyway...I've had a really amazing year and lots to be thankful for and happy about. Work is going well...I had a fabulous year of racing...I met a really awesome guy...I got to see my family a lot more...I met a whole new group of running friends...not to forget the amazing friends I already have....what more can I ask for? More of the same...more happiness, more laughter, more adventures...I'm really excited for 2010 and I have lots to celebrate tonight! :)

Unfortunately I don't get to ring in the New Year with Andrew as he's on a ski trip in Utah...but I do get to ring it in with some really great friends of mine...looks like it's going to be a Newfie party tonight :) I'm getting ready to head out on my last run of 2009...so i'll leave you with a few pics of what i've been up to over the last few weeks...

My dad and I...after a bitterly cold run in -27 (-36 windchill)...during a week long cold snap in Calgary

Andrew and I having lunch while skiing at Lake Louise

My fabulous Christmas present from Andrew!!!

Kira and Julia on Christmas morning

Dad, opening his stocking

Steve, stuffing the turkey!

Me and Dad skiing at Silverstar in Vernon on Boxing Day

Hope you all have a very Happy New Year...stay tuned as I get back to a regular blogging routine in 2010 :)

Welcome to Winter!

Well, if you looked outside right now (or woke up to -26 C this morning) you'd think we were in the middle of February...but nope, it is classic December in Calgary...we got a massive massive dump of snow last weekend (I had a pretty intense shovelling workout on saturday!) and we're in the middle of a lovely cold snap. Ugh.

Generally i'm anti-treadmill and run all winter long regardless of the temperature...but i've still been enduring some brutal treadmill runs these past few weeks as I try to get my foot all healed up. Progress is slow but it's definitely getting better! I've been running 3 or 4 times a week with usually at least 2 of them outside so I haven't been going completely crazy with all my time in the gym.

I've also started doing leg weights again which will hopefully make me a better climber once I start running and racing trails again in the spring. I just realized last night when dreaming of all the races I want to do next spring/summer that my first one is a 50 miler on May 30th...which is less than 6 months away! That might seem like a long time but I feel like i've got lots and lots of work to do before then to be able to run that distance...and i'm pretty excited :)

So things are definitely looking up as my foot continues to get better. Saturday I ran my coldest run so far this winter and it was only -10 with a -19 windchill...ugh. And that's nothing compared to what it will be like this winter! I think wind is the one thing I hate the most and I would be fine doing any activity in super cold temps as long as wind wasn't involved! But I find that once i've made myself get out there it's not so bad! And i'm always super satisfied after the run.

As most of you know, my dad is a runner (and that's where Steve and I were lucky to get our running genes from :)...and my parents are coming up from Newfoundland for a visit on thursday. I was hoping to get in some runs with my dad while he's here so hopefully the cold temps forecasted while they're here doesn't deter him (or me) from getting out there....even for just a short one.

I hope you're ready to welcome winter cuz it's definitely here to stay for a while!

Waterton + Winter + Camping = Awesome!

Almost 2 weeks ago now I went to Waterton for some hiking and camping with Andrew and his friend Jim, as well as Logan and Andrew's dog Duke. I love winter camping and I had also never been to Waterton before but have heard a lot of awesome things about it!

We didn't end up hiking as much as we had intended but it still turned out to be a great trip! We backpacked in our stuff a short 1.5km to Crandell Lake where we set up camp. Here are some pics that I took as well as Jim (who is quite the photographer so I won't take credit for those nice scenic shots!!)

At the Trailhead

Crandell Lake
(Jim's pic)

Getting caught giving Andrew a smack!

(Jim's pic)

I'd love to know what was so funny...
(Jim's pic)

Testing out the foot...pain free yet?

oh I miss trail running...

(Jim's pic)

Crandell Lake

(Jim's Pic)

Duke checking things out near the water...

it's cold and he's loving Andrew's scarf!! (Jim's pic)

Cooking area near Crandell Lake (Jim's pic)

Andrew and Jim enjoying some "Hot Toddy's"...we had no lemon

but we put in some oranges instead...not bad at all!

Hanging up the food bag!

(and yup, the Warden told us there were still bears out in the area at this time!)

Getting cozy with the dogs in the tent :)

Good morning! It snowed while we were sleeping!

Breakfast time! Andrew cooking up Backpackers omelettes
from the bag...actually SUPER tasty! (Jim's pic)

Logan keeping an eye on breakfast!

Andrew and the dogs hiking back out to the truck.

Andrew and Duke overlooking Upper Waterton Lake (Jim's pic)

Bizarre...

Monday I ran a fairly relaxed 8km at lunch...for the first 4 km the pain was annoying but not too bad...for the second half it was really quite painful and I was cringing with each step. I came back to work after lunch pretty bummed and I could barely walk for the rest of the day/evening.

After all of the advice I received from my previous post and from others, I decided it really was ok if I took a full month off from running (and a really good idea) to see if that would be enough to heal it. When I thought about it longer I realized a month off is really not that bad. When I went to Thailand 2 years ago I was off from running for a full month and came back and started back up training for a marathon the next week...albeit I started slow with shorter runs...but it wasn't really a big deal. So that made me happy and I was then fine with the decision to take my month off.

Then tuesday I decided it would be my first day at the gym doing other cardio...I did a half hour of elliptical and my foot felt great. Then I thought I wonder if I just go on the treadmill for a little bit how will my foot feel? I ran for a half hour...absolutely pain free! I was going at a pretty slow pace but had no pain! WTF? I know, just retarded right? The pain often comes after I stop running and is quite bad in the evening and the next morning but it didn't even come back that night or next morning. I'm excited and maybe the treadmill will be the way to go for a while as I try to heal this. I'm sure the nice soft surface is definitely a big help!

Monday night I had slept in my compression socks and spent a good hour with high heat from my heating pad on my calf so that must have been a big help as well for sure. I know a big cause of PF is due to tight calves and I guess that's definitely a big issue for me although I never feel like they're particularly tight! That was definitely the problem last winter though when I had PF for 6 months before Boston...but I did manage to get rid of it with lots of stretching and heating of the calves and wearing compression socks.

Anyhow, I took yesterday off and i'm going to try some elliptical after work to warm up and then try some more running on the treadmill tonite to see how I do. If I experience any pain then I'll immediately stop...I promise :) I was pretty pumped though after tuesday's little run! Wish me luck!

Tomorrow I'm heading off to Waterton with Andrew, his friend and the 2 dogs for a weekend of hiking and camping...i'm pretty pumped! Hopefully i'll come back with some sweet pics to show you next week! Have a great weekend!!

deb

Holy F(rustration)!!

Hmm...i thought after my last post I'd get better with my blog again not worse...geez. Guess I don't have a lot of stuff going on...well, I do...just not running related I suppose. Aside from running, life is pretty great these days.

I'm kind of depressed about running right now...my foot is not cooperating at all...the thing is, it hurts less while i'm running than after the run and on my days off. I took today and yesterday off from running and my heel just continues to throb while walking around....and by the end of the day it aches so bad I can barely stand on it. It's super frustrating. I've read some other blogs lately of a couple of people also having to deal with plantar fasciitis...and they're managing 100 mile weeks...while I would be happy with a 50km week! Anyways, they've been talking about taping it which seems to help and i've read about the proper taping techinque for plantar fasciistis so I may try that this weekend for my long run.

So far this week I've only done 2 runs...a 20km on sunday where I felt pretty minimal pain for the first 10km and then the last 10 kind of sucked with foot pain. I impulse registered for a 10km race in December...not sure what I was thinking since i'm injured but who knows...maybe it'll be better by then? Anyways, after registering I then decided at lunch to go out and run a fast 10km...managed to do it in 45 mins which boosted my confidence. I also didn't experience much pain at all...not sure if it's because the quicker I run the less time my foot is on the ground? Makes sense. My PB is 42 so I'd love to get closer to 40...although my brother seems to think I could easily break 40 mins...but I don't agree...especially if i'm having troubles training because of my foot. Guess we'll see.

Ok, now I promise to try and blog more...