How could you say no to that face?
For a while those ears were growing faster than her body!
Monday, March 25, 2013
Happy Birthday, Cookie!
Cookie's birthday was actually a month ago. I had this post ready and forgot to publish it. We are coming up to one year that she has been with us in early April, so perhaps I should retitle this, Happy Doggiversary!
How could you say no to that face?
How could you say no to that face?
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Week in Review: March 18-24
This wasn't a great week. Without going into details, I will say that I ran twice, but I spent the week where I needed to be. Sometimes running can't and shouldn't be the priority.
Monday-Wednesday - no activity
Thursday - Group run - 12.3km
This was both my worst and best run in recent memory. The bad part was that my feet completely fell asleep on me. The good part is that I just wanted to get it over with and ran fast, especially after the turn around. The other good part is that after the run, I did a little more research on what could be causing my feet to fall asleep. This has happened before, and I have already done the easy fixes, like switching to bigger shoes and a wider toe box. There are two other possible reasons, and one was tight calf muscles. Bingo. I've never made this connection before, but it was definitely the case during this run. I have become a bit lazy with my stretching regimen and have not fit yoga into my schedule for the past two weeks. Sure enough, when I stretched my calves out before my run on Saturday, I did not have the same problem.
Saturday - Long run - 14 km
I decided to try another new route this week. I parked at the boat launch and ran out towards the cross country ski trails. In my head this route had some hills, but was mostly flat. In reality, it was mostly hill and a little flat. Oh well, I like a challenge! It was a beautiful sunny day, and though my car said it was -1C, with the sun it felt a lot warmer and I ran in just a long sleeve and tights, no jacket or vest. When I got to the ski trails, I went one km further before I turned around. I had 13K on the schedule, but because it had been a light week mileage-wise, I did just a little bit extra.
Sunday - Snowshoe - 1 hour 45 minutes
Another beautiful, sunny day. The snow is definitely melting away in town (though we still have about a foot in our backyard), but about 45 minutes east, and up in elevation, the snow is still several feet deep. With the sun, the top layer of snow was more like packing snow than powder, so we weren't sinking down as much, which was nice for us, and the dogs who didn't have to become their own personal snow plows! A good way to end the week.
Running kms: 26.3km
Yoga-ing: None, but about 30 minutes of calf stretching
Phone a friend: None :(
Highlights of the week: Good workmates, Saturday's run, a haircut, snowshoeing on Sunday
Monday-Wednesday - no activity
Thursday - Group run - 12.3km
This was both my worst and best run in recent memory. The bad part was that my feet completely fell asleep on me. The good part is that I just wanted to get it over with and ran fast, especially after the turn around. The other good part is that after the run, I did a little more research on what could be causing my feet to fall asleep. This has happened before, and I have already done the easy fixes, like switching to bigger shoes and a wider toe box. There are two other possible reasons, and one was tight calf muscles. Bingo. I've never made this connection before, but it was definitely the case during this run. I have become a bit lazy with my stretching regimen and have not fit yoga into my schedule for the past two weeks. Sure enough, when I stretched my calves out before my run on Saturday, I did not have the same problem.
Saturday - Long run - 14 km
I decided to try another new route this week. I parked at the boat launch and ran out towards the cross country ski trails. In my head this route had some hills, but was mostly flat. In reality, it was mostly hill and a little flat. Oh well, I like a challenge! It was a beautiful sunny day, and though my car said it was -1C, with the sun it felt a lot warmer and I ran in just a long sleeve and tights, no jacket or vest. When I got to the ski trails, I went one km further before I turned around. I had 13K on the schedule, but because it had been a light week mileage-wise, I did just a little bit extra.
Sunday - Snowshoe - 1 hour 45 minutes
Another beautiful, sunny day. The snow is definitely melting away in town (though we still have about a foot in our backyard), but about 45 minutes east, and up in elevation, the snow is still several feet deep. With the sun, the top layer of snow was more like packing snow than powder, so we weren't sinking down as much, which was nice for us, and the dogs who didn't have to become their own personal snow plows! A good way to end the week.
Running kms: 26.3km
Yoga-ing: None, but about 30 minutes of calf stretching
Phone a friend: None :(
Highlights of the week: Good workmates, Saturday's run, a haircut, snowshoeing on Sunday
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Signs of Spring
Spring officially began yesterday. There's still snow on the ground, it hasn't been warm enough for shorts yet, but I am sure spring is really around the corner. There are signs!
There's uncertainty about what to wear for the weather...
Cookie requires a dreaded post-run bath after every run...
It's still cool enough for a post-run hot chocolate for me, but it comes in a rrroll-up-the-rim cup!
Is it spring-i-er where you are? What signs of spring do you see on your runs?
There's uncertainty about what to wear for the weather...
My shoes are covered in muck...
My legs get covered in splatter...
The back of my car has seen better cleaner days...
Cookie requires a dreaded post-run bath after every run...
It's still cool enough for a post-run hot chocolate for me, but it comes in a rrroll-up-the-rim cup!
Is it spring-i-er where you are? What signs of spring do you see on your runs?
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Week in Review March 11-17
Ugh. This week dragged on forever. I definitely felt the effects of the time change longer than I ever have before. I managed to get all of my runs in, but nothing else.
Monday - 5K
Check! It was tough to get out of bed this morning, but I pried myself out from under the covers and bundled up for a chilly run. I waited until the last minute to leave the house so that I would be running in daylight and not need my headlamp. Another week or two and this will be less of an issue for 5K runs.
Tuesday: Group run
Tuesday's group run was a good one. The BF had to work late so I rushed home to let the dogs out rather than staying in town, then brought Cookie back into town with me to join the group for the run. She nearly lost her mind with excitement when she saw there were 2 other dogs there, but once she had her place ahead of the other pups she settled in and was very good with the other runners. The plan was to run to the track at the high school, then do laps of the track until everyone had made it there. This way the faster runners would get more laps, but everyone would do at least one before we left as a group to head back downtown. Unfortunately, the track was still covered in snow so we did laps around the parking lot instead. Not quite the same, but I still tried to use it as a speed workout and Cookie actually got to run as opposed to the little trot she does next to me at my normal pace.
Wednesday:yoga rest
I could NOT get out of bed this morning. I figured I could do yoga in the evening instead, but got side tracked baking cupcakes. Oh well.
Thursday: 8K Group Run 12K with the group - 1:15
Because I was having such a hard time getting out of bed this week, I decided to join the group for a run on Thursday as well. I had an 8K run on my schedule and the Thursday group does 8-10K (Tuesday is 5-7K), so it was perfect. I brought Cookie again since she had so much fun the first time and I've been slacking in the walking department this week. As the route was described I was thinking it sounded a little longer than 8K, but I had never run part of the route before so maybe not. My Garmin died at about 4K so I didn't know how far we were going, but we were still headed "out" at this point. The pace was nice and easy, and it was just above 0C with a light drizzle of rain. There were only 6 of us running, but we all stuck together and when we got back to the store where we started we had done 12K. Definitely longer than we planned, and longer than I would have done in the rain at that temperature without a group. Sometimes a group is a great motivator!
Friday: rest
I didn't even try to get up to do yoga on Friday morning. I just took the extra sleep.
Saturday: Long run 9.55K
Since my run with the group on Thursday was the same distance as what I had planned for my long run this week, I decided to run about 8K which is what I had planned for Thursday. I was not feeling very motivated on Saturday morning and decided a change of scenery would help, so I drove to a school to park and ran a loop that I had not done in awhile but I figured was somewhere between 8-10K. I like this loop because it starts flat, then has a big downhill, followed by rolling hills before a big climb, then rolling hills back to the start. It makes me smile running this and enjoying it because there was a time that I avoided hills at all costs and now I go looking for them on days when I don't feel motivated! It was snowing lightly throughout this run, but the roads were quiet and I did not see many vehicles. I did see a crow and a bald eagle fighting over some A&W fries that had been tossed out a car window, but it was otherwise a nice run, and of course, I was glad I got my butt in gear and went.
Sunday:Snowshoe
We had something come up and did not get to snowshoe this week. Though spring is officially beginning this week, I think we'll still have several weeks of snow just a short drive from town.
Running this week: 33.05km
Yoga-ing this week: 0
Phone a friend: Auntie Holly and Grandma
Highlights of the week: 4 solid runs, and a shamrock shake!
Monday - 5K
Check! It was tough to get out of bed this morning, but I pried myself out from under the covers and bundled up for a chilly run. I waited until the last minute to leave the house so that I would be running in daylight and not need my headlamp. Another week or two and this will be less of an issue for 5K runs.
Tuesday: Group run
Tuesday's group run was a good one. The BF had to work late so I rushed home to let the dogs out rather than staying in town, then brought Cookie back into town with me to join the group for the run. She nearly lost her mind with excitement when she saw there were 2 other dogs there, but once she had her place ahead of the other pups she settled in and was very good with the other runners. The plan was to run to the track at the high school, then do laps of the track until everyone had made it there. This way the faster runners would get more laps, but everyone would do at least one before we left as a group to head back downtown. Unfortunately, the track was still covered in snow so we did laps around the parking lot instead. Not quite the same, but I still tried to use it as a speed workout and Cookie actually got to run as opposed to the little trot she does next to me at my normal pace.
Wednesday:
I could NOT get out of bed this morning. I figured I could do yoga in the evening instead, but got side tracked baking cupcakes. Oh well.
Thursday:
Because I was having such a hard time getting out of bed this week, I decided to join the group for a run on Thursday as well. I had an 8K run on my schedule and the Thursday group does 8-10K (Tuesday is 5-7K), so it was perfect. I brought Cookie again since she had so much fun the first time and I've been slacking in the walking department this week. As the route was described I was thinking it sounded a little longer than 8K, but I had never run part of the route before so maybe not. My Garmin died at about 4K so I didn't know how far we were going, but we were still headed "out" at this point. The pace was nice and easy, and it was just above 0C with a light drizzle of rain. There were only 6 of us running, but we all stuck together and when we got back to the store where we started we had done 12K. Definitely longer than we planned, and longer than I would have done in the rain at that temperature without a group. Sometimes a group is a great motivator!
Friday: rest
I didn't even try to get up to do yoga on Friday morning. I just took the extra sleep.
Saturday: Long run 9.55K
Since my run with the group on Thursday was the same distance as what I had planned for my long run this week, I decided to run about 8K which is what I had planned for Thursday. I was not feeling very motivated on Saturday morning and decided a change of scenery would help, so I drove to a school to park and ran a loop that I had not done in awhile but I figured was somewhere between 8-10K. I like this loop because it starts flat, then has a big downhill, followed by rolling hills before a big climb, then rolling hills back to the start. It makes me smile running this and enjoying it because there was a time that I avoided hills at all costs and now I go looking for them on days when I don't feel motivated! It was snowing lightly throughout this run, but the roads were quiet and I did not see many vehicles. I did see a crow and a bald eagle fighting over some A&W fries that had been tossed out a car window, but it was otherwise a nice run, and of course, I was glad I got my butt in gear and went.
Sunday:
We had something come up and did not get to snowshoe this week. Though spring is officially beginning this week, I think we'll still have several weeks of snow just a short drive from town.
Running this week: 33.05km
Yoga-ing this week: 0
Phone a friend: Auntie Holly and Grandma
Highlights of the week: 4 solid runs, and a shamrock shake!
Friday, March 15, 2013
Four For Friday
It's been awhile since I've done a random post like this. Here we go:
1. The clock change wreaked havoc on my week. I don't remember ever being so badly effected before! Every day this week I was almost late for work, and nipped in just before 9 am. It should get easier next week.
2. We have had the craziest weather this week. +16C on Wednesday, freezing rain Thursday, and snow this morning. I am giving winter one more week before I am officially over it. Based on where I live, I probably have about another month before it is officially over.
3. I have signed up for another round of group runs at our local running store. This time I joined the 8-10K group instead of the 5-7K group. I ran with this group last night to try it out. We went 12K in the rain. Oh well - this might count as my long run for the week!
4. I am going to be in Vancouver the same weekend as the Scotiabank 1/2 at the end of June. Early bird registration ends on Monday. Have you ever ran this race? Thoughts?
Have a great weekend!
1. The clock change wreaked havoc on my week. I don't remember ever being so badly effected before! Every day this week I was almost late for work, and nipped in just before 9 am. It should get easier next week.
2. We have had the craziest weather this week. +16C on Wednesday, freezing rain Thursday, and snow this morning. I am giving winter one more week before I am officially over it. Based on where I live, I probably have about another month before it is officially over.
3. I have signed up for another round of group runs at our local running store. This time I joined the 8-10K group instead of the 5-7K group. I ran with this group last night to try it out. We went 12K in the rain. Oh well - this might count as my long run for the week!
4. I am going to be in Vancouver the same weekend as the Scotiabank 1/2 at the end of June. Early bird registration ends on Monday. Have you ever ran this race? Thoughts?
Have a great weekend!
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Week In Review: March 4-10
This was a great week. I fit in every run I had planned, made some future running/racing plans, and it is really starting to warm up and feel like spring. I haven't broken out my shorts yet, but soon! The only downside to this week is that I'm having camera issues - so no photos.
Monday - rest
After we got home from snowshoeing on Sunday, I felt under the weather for the rest of the day. On Monday morning, I felt craptacular. I almost called in sick for work, but I knew I was going to be the only one in the office that day, so I went in and got a few things done and kept the doors open, before wiping the whole place down with lysol wipes at the end of the day so as not to spread my germies.
Tuesday - group run - 6.2km/42:00
Tuesday morning I still wasn't feeling great, but by the afternoon, I was feeling much better. I decided to go out for the group run and just take it easy. We ran mostly on the road with a little bit on the trail in the middle. The trail was really hard packed snow and very uneven and really slowed me down. I was glad I went, and actually felt better afterwards. I also got a bit more info on an upcoming local relay, and a summer trail race, two things I definitely have in mind for this year, but have not committed to yet pending summer travel plans. We'll see.
Wednesday - morning run - 5km/28:38
I did my old, trusty 5K route around the neighbourhood. It was a nice, quiet morning, and I felt pretty good and went a little faster than intended, but was not uncomfortable at this pace.
Thursday - evening yoga 30 minutes
I was having internet issues, so plans for an hour got shortened to 30 minutes. I can't decide if I prefer evening or morning yoga.
Friday - morning run - 5.27km/30:39
Cookie came with me on this run. Despite going the same pace as Wednesday morning, I did not feel as good on Friday morning. Then I realized that I had barely eaten anything for dinner the night before. The BF was sick, and had soup, and I just made myself a couple of pieces of toast.
Saturday - "Long run" 10K 1:00:35
I had two goals for this run - to run up a big hill and to take longer than an hour to run 10K. Mission accomplished! None of the routes I run in the mornings have any big hills, and our group run was pretty flat this week, so I wanted to give myself a little challenge this weekend. I took Cookie with me into town, and then we ran a route that would take us up a hill that is about 1.5km up with a couple of short sections that flatten out a bit. I have a bad habit of running my normal pace on long runs, and I really want to try to run them slow as I build up this time around. With the big hill, I probably should have been going even slower, but I was really trying not to be constantly looking at my Garmin either, and just stayed at what felt like a very comfortable pace the whole time.
Sunday - Walk in the snow - 3.3km/1:45
It was such a beautiful, sunny day to be outside. The sun was so warm, I was without my jacket and toque for most of this walk. We took lots of breaks while the dogs played in the snow, but moved at a faster pace while walking.
Running this week: 26.47km
Yoga-ing this week: 30min
Phone a friend: Liz on skype and Roxanne (finally!)
Highlights of the week: Sunny days, good chats with friends, no foot pain, back on track with my sleep.
Monday - rest
After we got home from snowshoeing on Sunday, I felt under the weather for the rest of the day. On Monday morning, I felt craptacular. I almost called in sick for work, but I knew I was going to be the only one in the office that day, so I went in and got a few things done and kept the doors open, before wiping the whole place down with lysol wipes at the end of the day so as not to spread my germies.
Tuesday - group run - 6.2km/42:00
Tuesday morning I still wasn't feeling great, but by the afternoon, I was feeling much better. I decided to go out for the group run and just take it easy. We ran mostly on the road with a little bit on the trail in the middle. The trail was really hard packed snow and very uneven and really slowed me down. I was glad I went, and actually felt better afterwards. I also got a bit more info on an upcoming local relay, and a summer trail race, two things I definitely have in mind for this year, but have not committed to yet pending summer travel plans. We'll see.
Wednesday - morning run - 5km/28:38
I did my old, trusty 5K route around the neighbourhood. It was a nice, quiet morning, and I felt pretty good and went a little faster than intended, but was not uncomfortable at this pace.
Thursday - evening yoga 30 minutes
I was having internet issues, so plans for an hour got shortened to 30 minutes. I can't decide if I prefer evening or morning yoga.
Friday - morning run - 5.27km/30:39
Cookie came with me on this run. Despite going the same pace as Wednesday morning, I did not feel as good on Friday morning. Then I realized that I had barely eaten anything for dinner the night before. The BF was sick, and had soup, and I just made myself a couple of pieces of toast.
Saturday - "Long run" 10K 1:00:35
I had two goals for this run - to run up a big hill and to take longer than an hour to run 10K. Mission accomplished! None of the routes I run in the mornings have any big hills, and our group run was pretty flat this week, so I wanted to give myself a little challenge this weekend. I took Cookie with me into town, and then we ran a route that would take us up a hill that is about 1.5km up with a couple of short sections that flatten out a bit. I have a bad habit of running my normal pace on long runs, and I really want to try to run them slow as I build up this time around. With the big hill, I probably should have been going even slower, but I was really trying not to be constantly looking at my Garmin either, and just stayed at what felt like a very comfortable pace the whole time.
Sunday - Walk in the snow - 3.3km/1:45
It was such a beautiful, sunny day to be outside. The sun was so warm, I was without my jacket and toque for most of this walk. We took lots of breaks while the dogs played in the snow, but moved at a faster pace while walking.
Running this week: 26.47km
Yoga-ing this week: 30min
Phone a friend: Liz on skype and Roxanne (finally!)
Highlights of the week: Sunny days, good chats with friends, no foot pain, back on track with my sleep.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Flashback Friday
Back when I wasn't blogging much last year, I had an amazing opportunity. I always meant to blog about it, but kept putting it off. Lately, I've been thinking of a few other past experiences that would make some good posts, so I'm going to start doing the occasional Flashback Friday to share those with you. My apologies in advance for some of the wonky formatting in this post.
If you've been following my blog for any length of time, you know that I used to work for a national youth program. Now that that program has lost it's funding from the government and I no longer work there, I will call it by name. I worked for an amazing youth program called Katimavik. (www.katimavik.org) When the program was cancelled all of our houses across the country had to be closed. I had to do pre-inspections with my staff, and then thorough inspections with landlords to see what damages had been done, ensure furniture and property were returned or donated, etc. It was a big job in all four of the communities in my district and the same thing had to be done across the country.
Someone needed to go to Iqaluit, Nunavut to do the same thing there.
That someone got to be me!
I had been slyly overtly campaigning for the opportunity to travel to Iqaluit if ever there was a need for anyone to go there to do anything. Finally, it was my turn!
Getting to Iqaluit is no easy feat. Though it is the territorial capitol, it is on Baffin Island. There are no roads in or out, and relatively few flights. I flew from home to Vancouver, Vancouver to Ottawa, stayed overnight in Ottawa, and got a 3 hour flight on First Air the next morning, flying over a cloudless sky across Northern Quebec, Hudson Bay, and finally, into Frobisher Bay. (May I just say that First Air is the best airline in our country. Though the ticket costs a small fortune, you get a good hot meal, a warm cookie, and free wine, and you are not charged for a second piece of luggage).
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| The ice was just breaking up on the bay at the end of June |
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| A beautiful, sunny day at the airport |
The project leader picked me up at the airport. We had a lot of work to do to get the house ready for the inspection, but it was too beautiful to be inside. Besides, with 23 hours of daylight, we had plenty of time to clean later. We headed out for a hike around the bay.
There are no trees at this latitude, but I had perfect timing to see the Arctic in bloom:
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| Arctic poppies |
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| Bones from a young cariboo were scattered around |
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| I may have got a sunburn! |
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| Community members could help themselves to the arctic char, seal or muktuk |
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| This guy is saving his for later |
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| This guy can't wait to dig in |
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| The team is ready for their food! |
The next morning, we were up early for our inspection with the landlord. Our cleaning and work had paid off! We were done, and now I had two extra days in Iqaluit. The project leader took me to a territorial park for another hike.
Do you see that warning on the bottom? Let's take a closer look:
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| Look out for polar bears! |
The park was barren, but there was a good view of town, a nice waterfall, some more flowers, and it was just a beautiful and quiet place to walk and reflect. Katimavik means meeting place in Inuktitut, the language in Iqaluit. What a perfect place to think back on all of the amazing people I had met over the past 5 years.
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| A view back towards town |
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| A waterfall that changes with the tide |
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| Glacial action at work |
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| Not a tree in sight |
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| Growing in the lichen |
That afternoon, I went off by myself to be a tourist. I visited the legislative building (more interesting than it sounds), and the museum, and went for a walk around town. I was very lucky to be there at the same time as the Alainait Arts Festival, which offered free workshops. I got to try drum dancing, which is much harder than it looks to coordinate the drum, your head, your body and the stick - and I didn't even try singing while doing it.
This is just a short video of a small group at a previous festival:
Then I got to try Arctic Games. These are amazing athletes. The stamina, balance, strength and skill required to hunt for your family's survival in these conditions is unfathomable. These games were developed to keep in shape in the "off season." They were banned in assimilation efforts by the government, but were re-introduced in the 70s. I was NOT good at these games. Here is another small video sample:
In the evening, I took in the Alianait Arts Festival, which was amazing, but my pictures didn't turn out. 60% of the population is Inuit, Metis, or First Nations, and Inuktitut is an official language of the territory. All welcoming and speeches were done in Inuktitut, as well as English and French. Ever heard throat singing, live? It's pretty amazing, but no video I could find did it justice, and mine will not upload.
I ended the night at the restaurant with a $10 can of beer at a table of other youth workers in the community. Iqaluit is semi-dry. There is no liquor store, but you can purchase alcohol at a premium at a handful of restaurant/pubs. I walked home at midnight, with the sun lighting my way.
The following morning I had to fly back to Ottawa, but with long daylight hours, I got up early and I started the day with another hike to the old Hudson Bay post. I took one of the dogs with me for company, which was good, because it was a little eerie out there in the fog, and again, this is polar bear country.
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| Summer camp set up |
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| The Bay |
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| My companion |
My work with Katimavik took me to every province from Quebec to BC, and to all three territories over five years. This was an amazing way to end my time with the program. A special experience I will not soon forget.
Working at home vs. Working in an office vs. Working Out
At 33 years old, I started my very first "conventional" office job. Until now, I've always had jobs where I have worked from home, or worked evenings, or worked outside, or worked at a school and was finished in the early afternoon. In my previous job which I did from my home office with a fair amount of travel, I always marvelled at runners who worked 9-5 in offices. How did they fit training around that?
Having the luxury to mold my day as I saw fit, I could start work at 8, go for a run at 10, or whenever the sun was out, take a mid afternoon break to do some yoga, or fit in a class at the rec centre. As long as I was fitting in my 35 hours (plus) a week, it didn't matter when I did it. Not once in the past 5 years did I get up before 8 am to run. I thought I was lucky that I didn't have to do it. I could not have imagined that faced with a more traditional 9-5 schedule, I too would be hitting the streets before the sun was up to fit in a run before work.
No one could be more surprised than me to find that I like this new running schedule. I'm not going to lie - it's tough getting out of bed (see my goals for this month), but I love the feeling of getting my run done and out of the way before starting work. I feel more alert when I get to work on those mornings, and am certain I am more productive before noon on the mornings I have been out for a run or got up early for yoga.
Working in an office has other benefits too, which I would not have thought of before. When I worked from home I had some bad eating habits. Not just in what I ate, but when. Often, I would get out of bed and go straight into my office. All of a sudden I would look at the clock, it would be 11am, I'd have worked since 8 in my pjs, and I would not have eaten breakfast yet. Or, having had a good breakfast, I would get engrossed in work and keep working straight through lunch. In either case, I would be likely to grab a less healthy snack rather than a proper meal.
Working in an office, I get up in time to make myself a healthy breakfast (almost) every morning, and always take my lunch when everyone else in the office is taking lunch. Also, having to pre-pack a lunch means that I am pre-thinking about what I want to eat. The cupboards with tempting snacks aren't just a few steps away. If I don't pack cookies, I won't eat them. (But sometimes I do pack them, in moderation, of course). There are temptations at work too - the store downstairs with chocolate bars, Starbucks down the street, Tim Hortons across the parking lot, but they all take a few extra steps to get to, and the extra cost makes a difference. If I've already packed a healthier snack in my lunch, I'm less likely to go out for sweets. (I don't care what anyone says, homemade cookies are healthier than a chocolate bar).
Do you work from home or in an office? What are the pros and cons for you?
Having the luxury to mold my day as I saw fit, I could start work at 8, go for a run at 10, or whenever the sun was out, take a mid afternoon break to do some yoga, or fit in a class at the rec centre. As long as I was fitting in my 35 hours (plus) a week, it didn't matter when I did it. Not once in the past 5 years did I get up before 8 am to run. I thought I was lucky that I didn't have to do it. I could not have imagined that faced with a more traditional 9-5 schedule, I too would be hitting the streets before the sun was up to fit in a run before work.
No one could be more surprised than me to find that I like this new running schedule. I'm not going to lie - it's tough getting out of bed (see my goals for this month), but I love the feeling of getting my run done and out of the way before starting work. I feel more alert when I get to work on those mornings, and am certain I am more productive before noon on the mornings I have been out for a run or got up early for yoga.
Working in an office has other benefits too, which I would not have thought of before. When I worked from home I had some bad eating habits. Not just in what I ate, but when. Often, I would get out of bed and go straight into my office. All of a sudden I would look at the clock, it would be 11am, I'd have worked since 8 in my pjs, and I would not have eaten breakfast yet. Or, having had a good breakfast, I would get engrossed in work and keep working straight through lunch. In either case, I would be likely to grab a less healthy snack rather than a proper meal.
Working in an office, I get up in time to make myself a healthy breakfast (almost) every morning, and always take my lunch when everyone else in the office is taking lunch. Also, having to pre-pack a lunch means that I am pre-thinking about what I want to eat. The cupboards with tempting snacks aren't just a few steps away. If I don't pack cookies, I won't eat them. (But sometimes I do pack them, in moderation, of course). There are temptations at work too - the store downstairs with chocolate bars, Starbucks down the street, Tim Hortons across the parking lot, but they all take a few extra steps to get to, and the extra cost makes a difference. If I've already packed a healthier snack in my lunch, I'm less likely to go out for sweets. (I don't care what anyone says, homemade cookies are healthier than a chocolate bar).
Do you work from home or in an office? What are the pros and cons for you?
Monday, March 4, 2013
Week in Review - February 24-March 2 (1/2 Training Week 1)
This week marked my first week with a race training plan since I abandoned my plan to run a fall marathon in 2011. I've made my favourite kind of plan - a non-plan plan.
It doesn't want to rotate, but you get the idea. Notice that there are no assigned days to any of these runs. There's also flexibility in the length of some runs depending on how long the group run is that week. I know I will hike on Sundays with the BF, and I know the group run will be on Tuesday nights, and my long run will be on Saturday mornings, but anything else I can switch around as I like. I will probably use the longer morning run as a tempo/speed run occasionally, just to mix things up, but I'm trying to not look at this race as a race for a PR, just as motivation to get my mileage back up. Once I'm running longer, I can plan a fall race with a faster goal in mind. I think this is the smart way to do it without getting frustrated or injured.
Here's how the first week went:
Monday: evening yoga 40 minutes
I picked two different yoga videos online and did them after dinner, one for strength and one for relaxation. This was a nice way to change things up, but not a good idea to eat Indian food first.
Tuesday: group run 6K
I enjoyed this run with the group. We started and finished on the road with a bit of trail in the middle. I don't run on trails by myself, but it was so nice and quiet even on an in-town trail along the creek. We ran at a nice, steady, slow pace on the trail, and myself and one of the other ladies pushed ahead when we got back on the road to finish with a little speed!
Wednesday: after work run 5.5K
I was in Vanderhoof for work this week, and our meeting finished at 4pm, which meant that I had time to run in daylight after work. I used to travel here for my old job once a month, so I knew exactly where to go to run. Without planning it, this was a bit of a progression run, with each km faster than the one before it. It is so much easier to push myself to go faster in the afternoon than at 6:30 am.
Thursday: morning run 5K
I was in Vanderhoof overnight, and despite a horrible sleep in the hotel, I forced myself out of bed for the opportunity for another run with a change of scenery. I did another familiar loop from previous visits here. I almost got stuck waiting for the train to pass, but my timing was just right. I wish I had stopped to take a picture, it was a very pretty morning sunrise.
Friday: rest
Saturday:"Long" run 10K rest
I woke up feeling a little under the weather with a sore throat, and decided to give myself a little time to shake the groggies out before going for a run. The good news was that the sore throat subsided, but the bad news was that it poured rain and was only 3*C all afternoon. A rainy, warm run I can do, but I did not feel up to a rainy, cold run, especially because I felt like I was fighting off a bug. Rest instead.
Sunday: Snowshoe 1.5 hours
This Sunday it was my turn to not have any energy.
We headed out on the trails near Barkerville. Each step was into more than a foot of snow.
The BF could bury his walking stick without touching the ground, and it was still coming down. I didn't wear my Garmin this time, but I know we didn't make it very far. As we were coming back into town, I could feel my head getting heavier and heavier. It's official. I'm sick.
Running this week: 16.5 km
Cross training: 1.5 hours
Yogaing: 40 minutes
Phone a friend: had to reschedule with Roxanne, but a good catch up with Grandma!
Highlights of the week: yummy homemade dessert on Saturday night, dinner with friends, coffee house in Vanderhoof, meeting up with Sandy, clear roads for the drive on the highway where I rolled the van, more daylight hours!
It doesn't want to rotate, but you get the idea. Notice that there are no assigned days to any of these runs. There's also flexibility in the length of some runs depending on how long the group run is that week. I know I will hike on Sundays with the BF, and I know the group run will be on Tuesday nights, and my long run will be on Saturday mornings, but anything else I can switch around as I like. I will probably use the longer morning run as a tempo/speed run occasionally, just to mix things up, but I'm trying to not look at this race as a race for a PR, just as motivation to get my mileage back up. Once I'm running longer, I can plan a fall race with a faster goal in mind. I think this is the smart way to do it without getting frustrated or injured.
Here's how the first week went:
Monday: evening yoga 40 minutes
I picked two different yoga videos online and did them after dinner, one for strength and one for relaxation. This was a nice way to change things up, but not a good idea to eat Indian food first.
Tuesday: group run 6K
I enjoyed this run with the group. We started and finished on the road with a bit of trail in the middle. I don't run on trails by myself, but it was so nice and quiet even on an in-town trail along the creek. We ran at a nice, steady, slow pace on the trail, and myself and one of the other ladies pushed ahead when we got back on the road to finish with a little speed!
Wednesday: after work run 5.5K
I was in Vanderhoof for work this week, and our meeting finished at 4pm, which meant that I had time to run in daylight after work. I used to travel here for my old job once a month, so I knew exactly where to go to run. Without planning it, this was a bit of a progression run, with each km faster than the one before it. It is so much easier to push myself to go faster in the afternoon than at 6:30 am.
Thursday: morning run 5K
I was in Vanderhoof overnight, and despite a horrible sleep in the hotel, I forced myself out of bed for the opportunity for another run with a change of scenery. I did another familiar loop from previous visits here. I almost got stuck waiting for the train to pass, but my timing was just right. I wish I had stopped to take a picture, it was a very pretty morning sunrise.
Friday: rest
Saturday:
I woke up feeling a little under the weather with a sore throat, and decided to give myself a little time to shake the groggies out before going for a run. The good news was that the sore throat subsided, but the bad news was that it poured rain and was only 3*C all afternoon. A rainy, warm run I can do, but I did not feel up to a rainy, cold run, especially because I felt like I was fighting off a bug. Rest instead.
Sunday: Snowshoe 1.5 hours
This Sunday it was my turn to not have any energy.
We headed out on the trails near Barkerville. Each step was into more than a foot of snow.
The BF could bury his walking stick without touching the ground, and it was still coming down. I didn't wear my Garmin this time, but I know we didn't make it very far. As we were coming back into town, I could feel my head getting heavier and heavier. It's official. I'm sick.
Running this week: 16.5 km
Cross training: 1.5 hours
Yogaing: 40 minutes
Phone a friend: had to reschedule with Roxanne, but a good catch up with Grandma!
Highlights of the week: yummy homemade dessert on Saturday night, dinner with friends, coffee house in Vanderhoof, meeting up with Sandy, clear roads for the drive on the highway where I rolled the van, more daylight hours!
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