Week In Review: January 21-27

This week I felt like I was on a roll.  Only one rest day, and 4 days of running - a first since I started my new job.  I was motivated, felt pretty good on every run, and looked forward to the next one.  The warmer than normal temperatures didn't hurt (it was just below 0C all week), and I think I've answered my race plan question.

Monday:  Run 4.6K
I can't believe how slow I am in the mornings.  Cookie joined me for this run around the neighbourhood.  For the first time in a long time the sun was starting to come up towards the end of the run.  I ran for the full 30 minutes, but my Garmin said we only went 4.6K.  :P

Tuesday:  Group Run 6K
There were a few more runners for tonight's group run than there were the week before.  Nobody really matched my pace so I stayed on my own and just tried to keep the fastest runners in sight.  It was a lot warmer than I thought and I was definitely overdressed for this run.

Wednesday:  20 minute yoga
My favourite way to start the day is with a run, but yoga is becoming a close second.  When I worked from home, I usually did yoga as a mid-afternoon break, rather than first thing.  I slept a little later than planned, but still managed to squeeze in 20 minutes from Yoga Download - better than nothing!

Thursday:  Rest
I knew Thursday was going to be a long day with a volunteering commitment in the evening that was going to involve meeting a lot of new people - something that takes a lot of energy for this introvert.

Friday:  Run 4.8K
Another slow, 30 minute run before work.  I went down a road along the lake and noticed ice fishermen out fishing.  Who is crazier?  The 6:30 am runner, or the 6:30 am fisherman?  I say the fisherman - that lake is polluted!

Saturday:  Ski Run 5K
Saturday was our local ski race.  I had thought about signing up just for fun, but missed the early bird sign up.  Then I didn't want to go for a casual ski on the trails while others were racing, and by afternoon, I was worried that I wouldn't have enough time to get out there, ski, and get back before I needed to get ready for a work event that night.  I did have time to run - and I'm glad I did.  After these slow morning runs, it was nice to see that my legs can move a bit faster, a bit later in the day. (5K in 28:28).

Sunday:  Snowshoe 2 hours
I really should try wearing my Garmin while snowshoeing to see how far we go.  Today, we spent about 1 hour and 20 minutes plodding uphill and then 40 minutes back.  Going downhill and through our own tracks is a lot faster!  There was a TON of snow and it was falling pretty heavily at the start.  Cookie and her sister were having a great time!

Running this week:  20.4K
Time spent yoga-ing:  20 minutes
Time spent cross training:  2 hours
Phone a friend:  The Lizzaroo
Highlights of the week:  4 vegetarian dinners (!), snowshoeing with the BF, sale at the local running store, time out to read my book
Race on the Horizon:  Prince George 1/2 marathon (June 2) and I'm officially looking for a team for a local relay in May and, if the timing works will run a 10K in March...but more on that later!

 

Choices, choices, choices

I don't know what you talk about with your hairdresser, but with mine, I talk about running.  My hairdresser started running a couple of years ago, and while getting my hair cut on Saturday, I was trying to convince her that it's time to run a race.  And then she turned the tables on me.  I didn't race at all in 2012, and I know that a race on the horizon would help give me an extra push out of bed when the alarm goes of in the morning.

One of the other hairdressers is also a runner and is planning to run the BMO Vancouver 1/2 Marathon.  We were both trying to convince my hairdresser to run it too, and then they tried to convince me to run it.

Hmm.

At 14 weeks away, training for the race is doable.

Double hmm.

Here's the thing:  I know I won't PR.  I know that's not the be all and end all, but with each half that I've run in the past, I've improved my time.  And I really, really, really want a sub-2 hour half marathon time.  I've been sooooooo close.  My best two times are both under 2:01:00.  I'm just not running as fast or as much now as when I started training for those races.  I could run this race as a warm up race to a PR later in the summer, but it's $109 to register (I've missed the early bird), which is kinda pricey!  It's also the weekend after what is going to be a very busy week at work.  Add to that the fact that I've had two, not so great experiences at previous BMO Vancouver events.  Aaaand, I live an 8 hour drive away from Vancouver (but I do have friends I can stay with).  I am starting to feel like I'd like to train for a longer distance race, but I'm just not sure.

So I started looking into other options.  The same weekend as the BMO race in Vancouver, there is a 5K and 8K race in Vanderhoof, which is 3 hours away.  The next most obvious choice for a half is in Prince George a month later.  I am pretty sure that I will run in that race (either 10K or the half).  I've done the half before, and while it's not the most scenic course, it's in a familiar area and it's a nice small race which I like.

There's also the Scotiabank half marathon in Vancouver later in June, and Lululemon's Sea Wheeze half marathon in August which looked like a lot of fun last year, and lots of other smaller races in between. I have lots of choices to make, but I just can't decide!!!

Have you run any great half marathons in BC?  Which is your favourite half marathon?  Any great Okanagan races for any distance?

Week In Review: January 14-20

This was a good week.  With my job now secure for a full year, I started the week feeling more confident at work.  I'm not going to say it's getting easier to get up before work to work out, but I do feel like I'm settling into my new routine.  It didn't hurt that the temperature came up from below -20C the week before to a high of 6C on Thursday (and just below 0 for the rest of the week).  It actually felt balmy in comparison!

Monday - Yoga
I had planned to run this morning but it was snowing when I went to bed and snowing when I got up.  I opted to stay in, doubting the roads would be in good shape.  It turned out that it must have stopped snowing overnight and restarted in the morning because when I left for work there was just about an inch of snow on my car.  Regardless, 25 minutes of yoga was still a great way to start the week!

Tuesday - Run 5K
This was my first group run for the season.  I signed up for a 10 week, winter running group through a local running store.  There were only 5 of us for the first run, but there's room to grow!  There was a girl there that I had ran with in another group a couple of years ago.  It turned out she had spent some time away from running in the past year too, so we settled into the same pace together and chatted along the way.  Unfortunately, it seemed that 2 of the others were much faster and 1 other much slower so it didn't feel like much of a group run.  Still, at least I had a partner!

Wednesday - morning yoga (40 min), night ski ~7K
After a run the night before, yoga in the morning felt great.  I used doyogawithme.com and picked Back Bending From the Base.  I haven't been doing many back bends in my yoga practice, and I felt it.  There was a time that I could do wheel pose with ease, but not this morning!

I wasn't planning to go to the night ski this week, but when the BF called at lunch to say he wasn't going to make it home for dinner, I changed my plans.  After work I had a quick bagel and peanut butter and drove out to the trails.  This week we had a much smaller group - 3 guides, and 4 skiers.  We did the 5K loop with a little add on and then skied part of the lit track afterwards.  It was a warm night, just below 0C, and perfect for skiing.  I was glad I went!

Thursday - Rest

Friday - Run  Rest.
No excuse, I just stayed in bed when I should have got up.

Saturday - 5.7K run with the Cookie Monster.
This was one of those weird runs where I felt like I was trudging along at a snail's pace, but every time I checked my Garmin, I was going faster than I thought.  (Not fast, but fastER).  It was nice enough to be out in just a t-shirt under my jacket.  I started really thinking about building these Saturday runs into longer runs and forming a REAL training plan and potential race options on this run.  More on that later.

Sunday - 7.5K 11.5K cross country ski
Normally, Sunday is snowshoe with the BF and dogs day, but this week the BF had to go to Vancouver for work.  The dogs will get a walk this evening, but I went skiing this afternoon.  On Wednesday's night ski we had been given the option of doing the 7.5K loop or cutting it off early for 6K.  Everyone opted for 6K.  The 7.5K loop is considered black diamond and has a section referred to as "Ronski's Revenge."  It's a little intimidating to take on in the dark.  I decided to tackle it today in daylight.  I don't know what Ronski was revenging, but he meant business!  Holy hills!  This was a bit of a workout.  I must have been a bit delirious from the climbing, or the big dips because I missed a key turnoff and ended up on another loop.  I figure I skied close to 12K, and rounded off to 11.5. At least I didn't make a wrong turn at this junction:

 There were a lot of cars in the lot, but I didn't see any other skiers on my loop, just some (very fresh) moose tracks.

Running this week:  10.7K
Yoga-ing this week:  1 hour
Other cross training this week:  2 hours 20 minutes
Phone a friend:  Skype with Ali!
Highlights of the week:  Dinner with friends on Saturday night, a fresh haircut, yummy homemade pizza, getting through my first presentation in my new job, starting to think about races...

Week In Review January 7-13th

...and the sickness has officially hit.  I thought I avoided it, but I have a very sore throat today.  It has been too cold to run outside lately, so I'm hoping I'm cured as it starts to warm up this week.  This will be a quick post before I head to bed.

Monday - Run 5K
I got off to a good start to the week with a great run around the neighbourhood.  It was VERY snowy an I had to keep my head turned sideways at certain points when it was blowing in my face, but not too cold.  I love starting the week with a before-work run!

Tuesday - Run Rest
There was no reason not to get up this morning, but I just didn't.  By Friday, I wished I had!  It got too cold to run later in the week.  Lesson learned.

Wednesday - 6.5K X-Country Ski
This was my first time night skiing!  I had a great time and will definitely be going again.

Thursday - 30 minutes yoga
Stretching out the hips and legs felt great after the night ski.

Friday - Run Rest
It was -23C (-9.4F) when I work up for my run.  I could have done some sort of indoor workout, but even the house was cold.  I also had a pretty sore throat by Friday morning and a big day at work and opted to rest.

Saturday - Workout for the Soul - Volunteering!
I finally found a long term volunteer position.  I've joined up to be a Team Mentor for our local Relay for Life  event this May.  Saturday was an all day training/discussion day.  It was -23C again in the morning, so again, no run.  Maybe it's time to start thinking about rejoining the gym?!

Sunday - Sick :(

I'm setting my alarm tomorrow to try to get out for a run, but we'll see how my throat is.  I don't want to miss my first group run on Tuesday night, so I'd rather rest and get better than push it and feel worse.

Running kms this week:  5K
Cross Training time :  1 hour
Phone a Friend:  Lizzy
Highlights of the week:  Night Skiing!  Job extended for a year!

Night Skiing

Ever tried cross country skiing?

Ever tried cross country skiing at night?

Our local ski club hosts a weekly guided night ski.  They start at about 5K early in the season and work their way up touring the loops to go longer distances each week.  For the past two seasons, I've been meaning to try it, but never got around to it.  This week, I made the commitment to do it.  Even better, I followed through.

I am so, so glad I did.  Tonight's loop was only 5.5K, and then a few of us did another 1K (I would guess) around the lit track.  There were about 17 in the original group of mixed level skiiers.  It was snowing quite heavily at the start which was really pretty in the head lamp going uphill and along the flat bits, but stung the eyes on the down hills!

It is supposed to get really cold tonight (-20C, -4F), but was the perfect temperature for the ski at -5C (23F).  I had on a double layer on top and bottom, plus my running jacket, toque, buff and ski gloves.  I was definitely chilly while waiting for the group to assemble, but was dressed perfectly once we started moving.  There is nothing worse than being overheated!

All of the headlamps looked so neat coming around each bend in the dark.  I always liked seeing this with our running group when we ran at night in the winter, but it looked even better on the snowy trails.

I skied this same loop on New Year's Day, but it seemed to go much faster in the dark.  I'm not sure if that was because we were actually going faster or if it was just the mystery of not knowing how long each up hill was!

I am so lucky to have such a great trail network only 15 minutes away.  I will definitely be going back for more!

Week In Review Dec 31 - Jan 6

We are only (almost) one week in to 2013, but I'm hopeful that this is going to become a weekly, Sunday evening installment from me.

A week into the new year, I've only got 5K under my belt, but it's been a good week.

Monday - Rest

I did not see 2012 out with a run unless you count running around doing errands to get ready for the evenings festivities.  I did make healthy choices by being sure to put out veggies along with the other snacks for the night, and positioning myself next to that plate.  Despite the party going on at our place well past midnight, my last drink was champagne at the stroke of 12.  I had big plans for the next day and I didn't want to be dragging myself through the first workout of the year.

Tuesday - X-Country Ski (6.5K)

It was my first ski in two years.  I went out with the BF's sister in law and nephew and our dogs.  I let Cookie pull me for the last 400m or so.  I wish I had a picture!  A good day for a ski and a great way to start the new year!

Wednesday - Run 35 min Yoga

I planned to get up to run before work, but when I got up and saw that it was -14C (7F), I just couldn't force myself outside.  If I was training for a race, maybe, but not just for kicks.  I did yoga instead in the warmth of the house.

Thursday - Run  Rest

The BF had a cold all week and I woke up feeling like I might be coming down with it.  I took the extra sleep time.

Friday - Run Rest

See Thursday.  I have my fingers crossed that I made the right choice here.  Other than being abnormally tired Thursday and Friday, despite the extra sleep, I haven't come down with the cough and blocked nose that I was dreading.

Saturday - 5K Run

Cookie and I ran around the river walk in just over 30 minutes.  Given that it was the first run in over a week, and there was plenty of snow on the ground, I was happy with that!

Sunday - 1 hour 50 minutes snowshoeing.

The BF still has his cold and a sore knee to boot.  I was happy that we made it out at all.  It was a slow and steady climb in deep snow, but most of the way had been packed down a couple of snowfalls ago with a snowmobile.  We were in a snowmobile free zone, so it was kinda annoying that they had been there, but kinda good because we were only sinking a couple of inches rather than to our knees like a couple of weeks before.

Near the start

Taking a break!

Running kms this week:  5
Cross Training time:  ~3 hours (I don't know how long we skied for)
Phone-A-Friend:  Denise
Goal for next week:  Less coffee, more water!

Happy 2013!

Happy New Year!

Cookie and I went out for our first run of 2012 this morning.  It was a grey day with a few flakes of snow in the air, but not too cold at -4C (25F).  This past week I've been fighting off a cold and taking the extra sleep in the morning rather than running before work.  Cookie felt the effects of not running all week and was in this position for most of the afternoon:

It is at this time of year that most people look back at their goals from the year before and set new ones for the year ahead.  I'm having trouble doing that.  For one thing, I know I didn't come close to hitting my mileage goal in 2012.  I signed up for a half marathon but didn't run it.  In fact, I didn't run a single race all year.  I didn't run much at all last winter, and after a few stops and starts in the spring, built slowly all summer.  I think my longest run of the year was 10K last January!  I'm not really sure though because I rarely blogged, only sometimes logged my miles, and wore my Garmin only when I felt like it.

That's about all I want to dwell on 2012.  Moving on!

But moving on to what?

Good question.  These days I'm pretty comfortable with running 5K, but am a lot slower than I was.  We've been out snow shoeing every weekend, and I put my ski pass to use for the first time on New Year's Day.  (Ever tried skijoring?)  I've been doing yoga at least once a week for the past couple of months, and until the temperature dropped at Christmas, I was doing well at getting up and heading out for a pre-work run in the dark 3 days a week.  I've also signed up for a once-a-week, 5-7K, after work running group starting this month.  After starting a new job last month, I feel like I'm getting into a bit of a routine, and it's good.

But what's next?  Here's the next segment of my non-plan plan:

Step 1:  Start building my long run towards 10K.

Step 2:  Evaluate the following options in mid-February:
            a)  Stay at 10K for long run distance and work on speed
            b)  Build mileage for a half marathon in May.

I am just going to take this year month by month.  No long term plans...yet.  I do want to get back into the habit of blogging and tracking my miles.  I don't like that I don't know how far I went last year. And I do want to run at least one race this year, but I'm not ready to commit to a distance.

I also want to get my money's worth out of my ski pass.  I'm hoping I like the guided night ski this week and will continue to go at least twice a month until the end of the snow.

Last but not least, I want to keep snow shoeing in the winter and hiking in the summer with the BF and the dogs every Sunday.  I think we made it out 48 of 52 weeks last year.

I feel like I should have some long term eating/living goals for the year, but I think I'm going to take those month by month too.  With starting a new job in December, and it being my first job in an office away from home in over five years, I've realized how easy I had it for meal planning for so long.  And by that I mean, that I didn't really meal plan, because I could take a 20 minute break mid-afternoon each day to run to the store and get that night's supper.  Then when I was off work, I indulged in making more complex meals, baking my own bread, making pasta from scratch, and lots (and lots) of desserts.  It was nice having all day to get dinner ready, but those days are over.  In January, I want to develop a habit of making a weekly menu, and doing a weekly shopping trip.  I know it sounds basic, but old habits are hard to break!

The only other thing I really want to focus on this year is my friends.  Most of my friends, the ones that know me the best, live in a different time zone.  You wouldn't think 3 hours would be a big deal, but it is.  Over the past couple of years, I've found that I speak with my friends in Ontario less and less, and I miss them.  This year I want to speak to one friend a week.  I'm going to tell you who I talked to in my weekly update.

Yes, I want to read more, maintain work/life balance as I settle in to my new job, eat healthier snacks, be kinder to others and myself, save more money, blah, blah, blah.  But I'm taking it one month at a time.  We'll see how this goes.