Back on The Blog

Wow - it's been quite some time since I last posted on here.  This spot in the past has given me the platform to write down my goals and the process to which I set out to achieve them.  I'm about to turn 40 in the next few months and have a couple of goals that I feel realistically I have about 2 years to achieve them.  If I stay rather injury free - I'm hoping that those happen.  So what are those goals???

Run a sub 90 min 1//2 marathon!

Run a sub 40 min 10k!

Those 2 above goals I believe go hand in hand with each other in that if one happens - ideally the other will happen as well.  In 2013 and 2014 my training was on pace to accomplish the 1/2 marathon goal but the race days just didn't pan out the way I wanted too.

The last 3 years have been spent with some injury and running just because it makes me feel good:)  Now I feel like I'm ready to tackle some goals and run at a faster pace than I have been for a while.

My current fitness state is not optimal to even really start "training" for either of those goals.  Infact I'm planning (hoping) to run a "dust-buster" 1/2 marathon in the early New Year to shake the cobwebs off.

I have so much appreciation right now for where my fitness has been in those 2 years where I was going after the sub 90.  Today I ran 8 miles on the treadmill with 6 of those at the "dust buster" pace and WOW was I breathing heavy and red faced when I was finished.  But I got it done!  It's feels weird having to "get in shape" to start a training program and having a "training program" to start the one that I really want to be on, BUT I need to start somewhere.

Adding a couple of pics because the running one reminds me of strength and that I can run fast and the other is my absolute favourite place to run.  I feel very fortunate to live where I do and be surrounded by the mountains and water.  It really never gets old to me.

Cheers!

2015 Is About BADASSISBEAUTIUL

I am honoured to have been selected to be a part of Team Betty for 2015.  Reading about my fellow team-mates over the past week has been incredible.  These women are all ages and come from all over the world and are SO MUCH MORE than athletes.  These women have inspiring careers, families, community endeavours and I am proud to be surrounded by them.  There are 135 of us:)  Kristin Mayer is the President of Betty Designs and her work is SICK!  Check her stuff out here:  http://www.bettydesigns.com/  and while you are at it, if you see anything you like until Sunday November 30th midnight use the code:  welcometeambetty15 and receive 20% off.

Cheers!

September Race Report - 2 of Them

Skagit Flats 1/2 Marathon
This race started off as planned for the first 1/2 of the race and I was running mostly 6:48's and then as soon as the 1/2 way mark came along it was pretty much game over for me.  I ran a 1:33:13 in the end and it was not my best performance.  I LOVE this course though.  It is my favourite 1/2 marathon course because it's out and back and the volunteers are AMAZING (highschool kids mostly), the course is small and local and your kids are allowed to run across the finish line.  The little dude likes to race me down the finish line.

Vancouver East Side 10k
I was saying everything to get the big man to convince me not to race this race, and in the end my conscious took over.  I was given a complimentary entry into the race and not showing up really wasn't an option.  This race falls the week after the 1/2 mary and like last year by quads felt like they had bricks in them and I realized that my Achilles are more than just a bit sore.  None the less I went after it and pushed through for a 13 sec 10k PR  41:27.  Happy that I did the race, but it might have just put my little injury over the edge.












source:  http://www.canadarunningseries.com/photos/2014/ve10k/index.html

It's been over a month since these races and my achilles is still pretty sore.  I'm running about 3 days a week right now - VERY slow and cycling a couple days a week.  It's painful, but running is an outlet for me.

I'm disappointed that my 1/2 mary didn't go as planned and I still have the goal of subbing 1:30:00 for 2015.  It's the off season right now and plans are coming into place to accomplish that goal in a late spring race.  Now it's time for more hiking, snow shoeing and swimming:)
Cheers!

Workouts With A Purpose

It's getting closer to my goal race for the year and the workouts are becoming more and more focused because - well, I want to achieve my goal. The goal is a sub 1:30 1/2 mary on Sept 7. Said it, now it's for real right? I am finishing my last week of "higher" mileage and then will turn my focus completely to speed and tempo. Last year I found it very helpful doing 3 weeks of higher mileage starting 6 weeks out from race day and so this year I have copied the same sort of format. During that time last year I had one focused workout a week and have done the same with that this year. Today was one of those good runs where I had 5 * 1 mile repeats on tap with a 1/2 mile recovery in between at my 10k pace and I nailed it. The first 3 were on 6:39 min/miles, 4th was 6:35 and the 5th was 6:31 min/mile. They felt great. This week will cap out at 50 miles and then the next 2 weeks will be 40 milers and then race week will be a total of 37 miles. Happy happy after the tready run:)

The eating has been pretty clean the last week as well and I have sort-of put myself on kitchen "lock-down" with respect to eating as clean as possible. Volume is still there as I don't think that ever disappears for me, but most of the food going in this week and until race day will be pretty clean. The girls and myself at work have a Menchies date on the Monday after my race:) Weekends lately have been spending time with the family and exploring locally. Cheers!

MEC Race 5 - Race Report

MEC Race 5 10km The race didn't quite go as planned. I had a good warm-up and felt pretty good. I started out and looked down at my garmin and saw my pace at (6:55 min/mile). I thought - wow, this is going to be a long race if I don't have any legs, but maybe they will come around. I reached the 1st km mark and looked down again at my garmin and saw my running time at 3:38. I thought, that can't be right - the course must be measuring short, but it wasn't. My garmin went off at the first mile and I ran a 6:02 min/mile. oooppps! I just went out REALLY hard for a first mile of a 10k. Not smart and apparently I had more legs than I thought and apparently I can't read. I held under 6:35's for the next 2 miles and then the 2 miles after that were both well into the 7's and I managed a decent mile to finish with a 42:29. Not the race I was hoping for, but a BIG ol hug from the man at the finish line and a solid training run for the 1/2 in early Sept. Live and learn. MEC puts on great races and I was happy to participate in my 2nd one this year. Hopefully a couple more to come. Training for the 1/2 has been coming along. I've been doing some higher mileage weeks this past few weeks. After this week I will turn my focus to speed and get ready to crush some goals!

Getting Ready for Mec Race 5 - 10k

Channeling my speed – or well hoping it shows up on Sunday. I’m running my first 10k race of the season this Sunday and hoping for to crush some goals. I woke up yesterday morning with a bit of a head cold and I’m trying desperately to fight it off with rest and just pretending I don’t have it. I was excited after my run on Sunday with some mile repeats that gave me the confidence that my goal is attainable and now we will just wait and see how the head cold plays out. This will be my 2nd MEC race for the year. I’m liking these events because they are local and cheap;) Cheers!

Time Warp

Well, I've had the blog closed for a bit and since then there has been this AMAZING Race called BOSTON that I ran with my mom and a local 1/2 mary which I ran over the weekend to see where I was at before I set out for my goal race in Sept. BOSTON What an amazing experience. I was so happy to go back with my mom this year. To finish what we were not able to finish last year. It was a very emotional trip. I am so amazed by her work ethic and her constant drive to be better at everything she does in life. She is my inspiration. I have a hard time putting into words the experience was for me so here are some pics!

MEC Race 4 - 1/2 Mary I went into this race to find out where my fitness level was at right now. I wasn't expecting anything spectacular, but I was hoping for a decent result. The race is super small, but run really well with great volunteers. I ran the first 10 miles in 1:09:40 and then I was pretty much DONE! My last 3.1 miles were terrible. 11 and 12 I ran 7:30s and 13 was just under an 8:00 min/mile. My official time was 1:34:19 (avg 7:12 min/mile). I know where I need to do my work and that is some longer tempo runs and the "money" runs;) I was able to snag 2nd overall female (like I said the race was small) and the first place female ran a 1:28:?? My firend Michelle ran the 5km and ran a solid run for her. Hopefully I will keep this thing up and running. Cheers!