7 Weeks to Go!!

Wow, my marathon training has gone by so fast, I can hardly believe its only 7 weeks away. I did my first 32km run on Good Friday. It was a bit humid, it took alot longer than I thought (3:40) and I was probably overdressed, but I made it. I learned a few new things that will help come race day. 1. I need ALOT of water/sports drink during a run this long. Seriously I drank 1.5 liters and I didn't need a pee break at all. 2. Don't try to out run the other runners out on the course. I tried this around the 16k mark when a guy started following me up a street and I could hear his huffing and puffing behind me so I sped up, so did he, I went faster and left him behind but I paid for it a few kms down the road with sore quads. 3. Sunscreen is great but it also has insulating properties causing me to sweat more than I normally do, next time less on the face more on the arms and legs. 4. My ability to fight off crazy dogs is greatly reduced after 30kms. Good thing the owner of this one yanked her way too aggressive dog away as quickly as she did or I might have a nasty scar. 5. Running has allowed me to finely hone my spitting while running technique. Instead of a spray I can now aim my running saliva in a way that would make any 8th-grader proud.
Today I happily escaped from the office at lunch and ran a solid 9km in 50 minutes, a new record for me. I felt great just to be out there, pounding the pavement with a strong, steady pace, wearing only a t-shirt and shorts. Ahhh, summer-like weather :-) I saw so many other people out there, taking advantage of the sun and unseasonably warm temps it was a great sight to see. One thing that did make me smile was seeing the Bluenose Marathon Weekend ads posted on all the bus stops. It sure was a great reminder/motivator as to why I'm out there pounding the pavement! Here's to a beautiful sunny day and more of these to come!

Reactions to my Marathon Training

I haven't exactly been "in the closet" about my marathon training, I just haven't had the time really to post my latest run on facebook or twitter. Frankly between tight work deadlines, my 3 year old battling the flu and my training just sitting in front of the computer during my off-hours feels like work. But last night I posted the fact I made it 30km the other day and I was greeted with a bunch of replies; "30km-are you training for something?" (Uh, no, I just really like to run for 3+ hours-for fun) "Wow, that's pretty far" (Yes, yes it is, my legs can attest to that) "Are you training for a marathon?" (Why yes I am!) "So you're in full swing with this eh?" (Yup, that 30km made me feel pretty committed-or rather that I should be committed-the jury is still out)

Now that the cat is out of the bag I feel a little bit of pressure to do this thing right. I've started paying more attention to my nutrition, I just read the other day that runners should have not only a running training plan but also a nutrition training plan. Another plan? I historically don't follow nutrition plans that well. I look for loopholes to get in an extra treat. But I just finished reading my latest copy of Runners World and it offered some really good advice on injury prevention and nutrition. Maybe if I look at my nutrition plan as an injury prevention plan it might be easier to follow, time will tell I guess.

The best news though is that I seem to have inspired a couple of co-workers to take up running. One told me yesterday she has signed up to do the 5k race during the marathon weekend. It will be her first race ever. Right now she's struggling to get 10 minutes straight of running in at a time, but she knows if she keeps at it she'll get there. I'm so proud of her. I remember 3 years ago when I started and the 5km seemed like a huge distance to conquer. Now 60+ pounds lost, 7 half marathons and probably the same number in 10k and 5k races, here I am training for a marathon. Wow. How far I've managed to come.

This Sunday is the annual Moose Run (25km) starting at the Cow Bay lodge on Cow Bay Rd. I ran this last year and had a great time. The folks that come out are fantastic runners and some of the most friendly and kind people I've met. It's a no-frills race but it offers million-dollar scenery of the coastline. I'm really looking forward to my husband joining me on this year's run. It will be his furthest run to date!

First Marathon Training Week Recap

Week one down, only like 18 weeks to go-give or take. Week one of my marathon training went pretty well. I can say I didn't skip any runs I know I didn't do as much as I thought I would. Monday I woke up with a raging headache. That pretty much wrote off Monday. Tuesday I managed an 8k speed workout, nailing my 5k speed sets right on pace (6:30). Wednesday another 8km, this time an easy run that felt almost as hard as the speed workout-wtf? Thursday I took a cross training day and did a P90X workout-awesome. It was fun and gave my legs a nice break. Friday the weather looked so cold and windy I went back to the track again for another 8k. Saturday I did a very very slow 16k. I can't blame it totally on my tired legs; I did have a nasty headwind for 1/2 of the run. My diet was pretty good, but I need to step it up if I'm going to be in top shape for the full marathon come May.
This week I've decided to take a day of cross training in between runs so my legs have more time to recover. I'm loving the P90X workouts, really, no dvd has been such a good workout and it seems to have even helped my speed too. This week I've got two 8k runs (one with speed intervals of 1600 meters), a 10k easy run and a 19k long run for a grand total of 45km. This week I'm determined to get my long run in on Friday morning-something I've been battling for a month now-what is it with the dark, cold, icy mix that turns me off road running at 4am?! Call me crazy but it's been hard to get my butt out the door, even when I get up at that ungodly hour full of energy, the look of a street covered in black ice, a cold wind and the fact it's pitch dark=me going back to bed. Not this Friday though!! I have to get serious about training or else this first marathon won't be pretty (alright it won't be "pretty" anyway, but at least I can help make it less painful ;-)
I was so happy for Eric Gillis (formerly of Antigonish) who ran his first marathon this past weekend, coming in just under the 2:14 mark. Here's hoping he continues running strong so we can get some serious representation from Nova Scotia on the marathoning circuit and in the 2012 Olympics!!
Well that's it for me, just about to head off for my 8k speedwork session. Happy Trails everyone!

Running out of the Passage

This past Friday my husband and I decided to take the day off work to celebrate our anniversary. To me that meant an opportunity to get a long run in before we spent the rest of the day together. So, after sleeping into 6:30 (hey, I've got a 2 year old) I got up and decided to "just go" and run until I hit 20km. So, off I went, down Cow Bay Road, following the stream of cars on their way to work. The Passage was still in its early morning quiet mode-even with the traffic lined up at the Tim Hortons for coffee. It was so nice just to get into my own head running along the shore. As I went down Pleasant street I cut down to the trail the goes behind the old value Village-now Farmers Market. I was pleasantly surprised to see the graffiti artists have been busy there, creating some rather beautiful works of art. Some look straight out of a graphic novel, other look like they belong on canvas in an art gallery-really something to see! I was staring so hard at them that I nearly ran right off the trail. After that I had a steep hill to climb before passing in front of my workplace before crossing the bridge. As I ran across the bridge I noticed that I was running only slightly slower than the rush hour crawl the cars were doing. Now I was in full rush hour craziness. It definitely woke me up from the sleepy quiet of the Passage. I ran down Barrington Street, figuring that it was probably 4km to the Superstore. Not even close. As I breezed by the buildings and came to Scotia Square I still had 3km left to go, and as I reached the Superstore I still had another 2km left. So, I ran down to the waterfront, still 1km left. Some people might have just packed it in then and hopped on the ferry back home, but no, I came this far and darn it I was going to finish that entire 20km! So, up and down the streets I went working in that last 1km until I finally heard my iPod say, Congratulations you've finished your 20km run! All I could think was "thank god!" as I pressed "end workout" on my iPod.
It was a neat way to see the Passage, Dartmouth and Halifax wake up. I don't think I'd do that route every time I have 20kms to run, but if I have the time I'll try it again.

I'm having a fight with my iPod

This morning I had a tempo run planned of about 10km. I didn't want to really push the distance since my legs were tired from running the track the last two days. So I'm out, chugging along and everything seems to be going well. The friendly little voice tells me I've done 1, 2, 3, 4 kms, then just 5 more to go. Then the iPod voice seemed to disappear. I was a bit distracted by the beautiful colors the sky was making off the coast; the blue clouds with red and pink edges-just gorgeous! But still, no voice. I know I've gone more than another 2km but still my iPod reads at 6.5km with-what?! A 10 minute per km pace?! What the heck? So I stop and the stupid thing isn't even getting a decent reading of my pace. Good grief.

So I finished my run, frustrated that I appear to only have run 8km and have been out running for over an hour. My iPod has been given a "time out" for bad behaviour. I checked my distance on mapmyrun.com once I got to work-yes I wouldn't just be "zen" about it all, I needed to know how far I actually went- and it turns out I ran 12km. Grrr. Looks like I've got a date tonight with my new pal-the foam roller :-)

Fall is here!

During my last couple of morning runs I've noticed how much more chilly the air has been. This summer was far too brief in my opinion. It felt like we had one serious week of summer and then Mother Nature snapped her fingers and boom-we're in fall. I've (sadly) had to start wearing my outer shell out on my runs.
The Passage is so nice to run in during the fall, the sun makes some beautiful colors as it rises in the morning, the leaves on the trees and seeing the fishing boats trail out of the cove reminds me that most people are usually still asleep at this hour.
Recently "Qigley's Corner" has begun a kind of face-lift. My husband and I were sad to see the trees and flower bushes removed from the corner, but pleased when it was replaced with a new sidewalk and an interesting-Ode to the sea- mural that's still evolving. Our daughter loves to announce the fishies -as she calls them-when we drive or walk past.
Also our little community strip (The Sandpiper) -mall has undergone some changes. The old Movie Gallery had it's last day yesterday, madly selling everything for 80% off. The Chris Brothers next door has left as well, opening the space up for-apparently-a Valu Foods. If this is true I would be SO pleased. I know we in the Passage don't have to travel very far for groceries, but paying an arm and a leg for pop or a snack is a pain when you don't want to make the 15 minute drive.
On my morning runs I've noticed more and more people out and about. I try to make a point to say good morning to anyone I see walking or jogging. I think it's nice to know there are other people out there dragging their butts out of bed early to get up to do the same thing, and so I like to say hi to them as I pass. Sometimes I get a good morning or hello back, other times not. Usually the other runners will say hello, while I find most walkers don't. I'm not really sure why walkers don't say hello, but I just figure they're too into their workout to notice me and my cheerful little good morning as I bound past. Maybe they're just not morning people, out exercising in the morning. That would be hard.
This Friday my husband and I are taking the day off to celebrate our 7 year anniversary. I'm planning on a nice long run out to the Moose and probably Rainbow Haven beach and back. The route is really hilly but the scenery is what some people pay big vacation bucks for. Yet another reason I love living in the Passage.

A foul smelling and bug ridden morning run-but I got it done!

Yesterday Nova Scotia got slapped by a rather large hurricane (aka Big Bill). He luckily didn't make landfall, but his effect on the shoreline was dramatic. The shoreline is totally churned up and the waves still huge at low tide. I stayed inside yesterday as the storm raged on but this morning's run tempted me to go to the shore to get a look at what the storm had done. Bad idea. Today's workout called for speed segements following by easy running. So happily I went trotting down the street towards the shore when it hit me-peee-eww! The storm had caused a rather smelly after-effect, the smell from the seaweed and other foul-smelling sea life floated about a half kilometer up the road. Okay I thought, I can run through this, it's just a bit stinky.
Onward I go to the shore, passing a few other people out on the boardwalk likely doing what I am, checking out the damage. Suddenly something hits my face, yuck a black fly, (I think) and keep running, then another, then another. In a couple of minutes it was pretty much raining little black flies (the kind that noramlly live on the sand, but now they have no home so to the boardwalk they went). As I ran they flew into my mouth (so I shut that, flaring my nostrils to breathe through my speed sets), my eyes (so I shut them as much as I could and still see) and eventually my nose (which was a big problem at that point). As I ran like this I got a few curious looks from people in bus shelters, but then again they weren't running down the street either so the flies probably didn't seem that bad. I'm feeling pretty ridiculous at this point (especially since I was considering running with my hand in front of my face to block the onslaught of flies) so I went uphill away from the shore to get away from them. I cut my workout a bit short, but I still got my speed work in. Note to self; after a major storm, the shore is NOT the place to run.