Thanks for reminding me I GET to do this

I am not one who makes excuses about training/eating/weight etc as I take responsibility for it…so THANK YOU ALL for your positive feedback about my wee whine about being last.

Sometimes I forget that:

• I GET to do this
• I CHOOSE to do this
• I WANT to do this
• most importantly..suck it up buttercup

Kovas had a great idea:  Maybe buy an extra bib for someone, have them start but not finish or finish slowly. That way you can't be DFL! :)

So if you see someone named Holden McGroin at the bottom of the results…you’ll know I went this route.  :)

Yesterday was a very stressful soul sucking day and the idea of doing a 7km interval run wasn’t real appealing.   But I was also a serious grump and I knew that if I didn’t go, I would end up parked in front to the TV feeling no better….of course it ended up being a great run though today I am really sore from it.  Guess that’s what happens when you kick Zone5 in the a#$.

A while back, I bought a great pair of PINK Nike socks.  As is want to happen with socks, one went missing and sadness ensuing.  It was found yesterday stuck in the bottom of a clean fitted bed sheet. (Dear self…don’t wash sheets with ANYTHING else).

The problem is…..it is no longer bright pink:

So…where did the pink go?

Looking back to move forward

The decision to do my long run on Friday because of work on Saturday was a good one…I was at the office for more than 14hrs and didn’t get home until very late.  That didn’t stop me from getting up with the hubs and meeting our usual Sunday morning run group.  The difference was while they were doing their 30km..I did a 10km tempo run. Ummm….dear long runs..while I love you, running for an hr on a Sunday morning was a welcome treat!  And a note to Mama Nature..feel free to give me this kind of weather on race day.

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The marathon is quickly approaching and along with it comes the usual runner freak outs:

• over analyzing every run/pace/distance
• squeezing in massage/physio appts wherever possible
• staying far away from anyone who even sneezes
• wonder if that twinge/ache/muscle spasms is normal or the beginning of something else.

But I have a bigger freakout on the go.  And this is a total selfish juvenile, petty, stupid one….but very real….

A DFL finish…yes Dead F*&^king Last.

The marathon I am doing is not a big race and from the looks of the times a pretty competitive one.  My head knows I have come a long way in my running.  Hell, I cried less than 2 years ago after my first group run and now this year alone I have had a PB in a half, done a 30km race and done a marathon.   I also know that at the end I can finish and will call myself a multiple marathoner…but….

It is still tough to see your name.at.the.end.of.the.results.

So I am vowing to keep working, keep my feet and legs moving, not give up , look back at the successes and to look forward.

Four for Friday

1. I have to work tomorrow (Sat) and have no idea when I will be home.  Rather than risk my long run on Sunday, I did it this morning – 30km starting at an ungodly hour.  I ‘challenged’ myself by having the last part be the rolling hills on Northshore and ending on Valley Inn which is part of the Around the Bay route. The hubs was kind enough to come and pick me up there…with coffee:

It was hot and humid and I sweat like a mofo.  It was also windy so combined with the hills at the end it was a tough finishing 9km.  (there was quite a bit of walking at a few points as well)  But I didn’t quit…when you are solo, this is a big victory.

2.  The wind brought up a ton of debris along the run…right into my eyes/contacts.  Sunglasses would have helped moron!  Apparently there are a lot of chestnut trees along the route and these buggers HURT when they fly at you:

3.  Many in Blog-o-land are cuckoo for pumpkin right now.  I find it kind of blah.  This however makes me do a little happy dance:

Cut it lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and sprinkle with a bit of canola oil and brown sugar.  Bake at 375 until soft.  YUM…

4.  The hubs is home safely from his conference overseas.  It took ~ 2hrs of him arriving home for the house to be a disaster area.  Oh well, he brought me prezzies and encouraged me on today’s run so he can stay.

What are you doing to enjoy this awesome Fall weather we are having this week?

No do-overs

Sat's 29km long run overall was good. Not great, not fast, not easy..just good.  I had mapped out a route that was ~20km that would bring me back home for a pit stop if needed.  I ended up adding in another 3km along the way so by the time I did end up back at home there was (only) 6km left before I was done.

It was a longgggggg 6km. I was tired by this time…very tired and there were the thoughts of stopping but in the end I didn’t and slogged through the remaining 6km.  I would only be letting myself down if I didn’t get the distance in.  After run I did all the right things: recovery drink of Amazing Grass, water, creatine and beta alanine, a quick ice bath, shower and out to meet a friend for much needed coffee.

When I first woke up on Sat….at 4:45am…..there were strong thoughts of: “go back to bed..you can always run on Sunday”. But I got up – I mean, I had prepped for the run, told people where I was going, mapped out a route etc.  So I just got up and did it. 

This is the biggest difference in the me now vs the me of a few years ago.  Old me would have taken what I think of as the ‘do-over’  as I always did:

• Bad eating?  Do-over tomorrow/next week/next month.
• Cruddy workout? Do-over tomorrow/next week/next month.
• Struggling through a run/race?  Give it and do-over in the next one.

So I won’t accept the do-over. After all, at some point the do-overs run out…….

Four for Friday

1.  Yesterday was our last stairs/hills workout.  I was going to an all day training session so I roped in a couple of other friends to do the run early…i.e. 6am early.  4.5 repeats later of 10km of running and a bazillion stairs (much of it still in the dark with headlamps on) we were done. I am glad we started early because as soon as I got back in the car, this started:

2.  This Sunday is a 29km long run.  For some reason I didn’t think we were moving up to this distance so I was a bit freaked out.  Since I am better at tackling things sooner rather than later, I am going to do my long run Sat morning.  The plan is a 13km loop where I can stop back at the house for a water refill and then another 16km loop…hopefully all before 10am.

3.  In anticipation of the Fall weather, I procured a fun addition to my wardrobe:

Leather trimmed gray flannel cape?  Yes please…The hubs calls it  my Superhero cape.  (I may have told him I was Capt Kick your As# but I can’t quite remember).

4.  Speaking of the hubs, he is leaving today for an overseas conference….I will miss him…but anticipate a house that will stay clean-ish for 5 days. :)

Happy weekend…Run/Train/Rest strong.

Tweaking the Food and a good 25km’er

Friday I had a meeting with my coaches to go over my training until the marathon.  The biggest thing that I am struggling with is just not feeling strong at the end of a long run. Since I am doing all the training I should be doing, we are focusing on my nutrition.  The tweaks aren’t big but hopefully mighty:

-ensure 2 nights before a long run, I take in enough carbs..like I would on race day.

-instead of eating 1/2 bagel (+almond butter and 1/2 nana) before a long run, eat a whole bagel.

-take in more during the run.  This has always been my challenge but I think I found a combo that will work – GU chomps and gel.

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Sat’s run was a hurried one.  We had plans late morning and I spent the early morning dilly dallying…and then realized I had to boot it out the door to get my run it.  So I did just that – 8km Zone3 dunzo.

Sunday was a 25km run. I decided to get out on my own and meet everyone back to join them for an out and back.  This meant leaving the house @ 5:30, parking my car at our clinic and headed out at 5:45 for 9km.  I met everyone at 7am and did the rest of the 16km with them. Overall it was a good run.  I took in 1 pkg of chomps and 1.5 gels.  It was manageable and will just keep adding bit by bit as the kms build up.  I was the first one back at the clinic so I waited for everyone else, did some stretching and chilled in my socks:

What do you eat on a long run….How much do you eat?

Four for Friday

1.  Hill/stairs repeats #2 was last night.  I met one of our coaches and another friend to go out early and ..get them over with.  Because last week was so much fun, we were told to do 4 repeats…and they had to be descending. (i.e. each one faster than the last):

1. 23:04 – relaxed pace

2. 21:46 – quicker hill repeat and steady pace on the stairs

3. 21:33 – was hauling butt down the stairs to make this one faster than #2. There were people in my way, I may have knocked them over…

4: 21:07 – we booked it down the hill and kept a good pace back up.  I was hurting on the up part of the stairs and ran as hard as I could on the loop at the top.  Boo-Yah.

Totals: 9+km run + 2812 stairs.  Surprisingly…I feel ok today.

2. Now that we have some Fall-like weather, I was able to whip up a batch of these puppies up last night:

Choc chip whole wheat pumpkin muffins. Yum

3.  Hubs got great news that he qualified for the National Team in his sport.  Props to him ….and he is already preparing for a year of tough training for the Worlds in 2011.

4. People tend to publicize the cruddy customer service they get rather than the good….Not me.  I had one of the best experiences with Apple this week…they were courteous, helpful and went above and beyond what I needed.  It is no wonder I am a slave to their products.

Hope your weekend is filled with pumpkin flavoured goodness and awesome customer service. 

Long Weekend mini victories

Saturday’s run had all the makings of a clusterf*$ - brutal winds and an overall feeling of not wanting to go.  I sucked it up and did my: “I don’t want to strategy”: Go out for 10 min…if the run really bites, head home.  If it is ok/great/fantastic…keep going. 10 min turned into 20 and eventually into a 8.5 53 min run.  Everywhere I turned, the wind was directly at me so I just gave up and ran.   I had some serious pride in getting out and just doing it….which made me the perfect ad for Nike..as everything I had on was Nike.  Brand loyal much?

Sunday was a 23km group run but with 19km of it at race pace. My initial plan was to just get the distance done.  That too turned into me running ~ 15km of it outside of my Zone1 (LSD) pace.  Again, I was very happy – I tend to err on the cautious side as far as the long runs go…Now I know…

I could do it.

How about you?  Any long weekend victories?

Four for Friday

1.  Last night was the return of the hills/stairs workout.  The difference this time around was we did the hill repeat first – 1km out and 1km back and THEN did 289 stairs up THEN did a 250m loop run at the top of the stairs and THEN back down the 289 stairs.  Did all this 3 times.  Not bad for an hour workout…..

~7km run + 1734 stairs = a fun Thursday.

2. This morning was sports massage #2.  I was definitely looser than last week but he spent a lot of time on my neck, lats and soleus.  A continued regime of stretching and icing should work out the rest of kinks so another appt won’t be needed for about 3 weeks.  It still wasn’t a relaxing massage but a necessary one.

3.  Sunday is a step back week for our run group but I am going to try to make up a few kms by running to our clinic (~6km away) and then start the run with the group.  This means starting at 6am.  Pray for me.

4.  Sunday’s insane early start means a early boring Saturday night.  Therefore the hubs is being nice enough to cook up a lovely meal for the two of us including rib eye steak, sweet potatoes and some vino. Yum

Happy Friday and Long weekend!!

The cupcakes continue with an award ..and hills/stairs start tonight

Pam over at Running from the Law? was awesome enough to give me a blog award/love.  Note the cupcakes..fitting since I STILL have one cupcake left from Sunday’s festivities.  I am hoping the cats eat it while I am at work…..

 

1. Answer the question: If you had one chance to go back and change one thing in your life, would you and what would it be?

I am not someone who ever says:  “ I regret this” or “I wish I did this” or “If only I could change this”.  I think you make decisions in your life and either learn from  the wrong or bad ones and revel in the good ones.  Having said that, if I could change something it would be to have been able to meet the training group I am involved in earlier in my life.  They are an amazing group of athletes from all walks of life.  They have become my friends and a huge part of my life.  They:

-support me, listen to my ramblings/complaints/questions, keep me occupied when I am dying in a workout, share my love of coffee and bagels after a Sunday run and always watch out for each other.  In short they rock.

2. Pick 6 people and give them this award. You then have to inform the person that they have been selected for the award.

Cynthia @ http://cynsspace.blogspot.com/

Lacey @ http://objectsevents.wordpress.com/

Claudia @ http://thebeginningrunnersjourney.blogspot.com

Laura @ http://boxruneat.blogspot.com/

Emz @ http://royalpitatoias.blogspot.com/

Aneta @ http://confessions-of-a-runner.blogspot.com/

 

Tonight we are in for a real treat..we are starting our hill repeats/stair workouts.  Stay tuned for a recap tomorrow.  If I can walk I will be happy….