Well, well, well....

And so it ends....

My marathon plans are off.  Not really in the mood to discuss.

On a good note, I did run in the Times Colonist 10k Race on April 27th, and totally amazed myself.  In December, when I registered and was on a steady training regimen, I put myself into the 60-69 minute class.  With the events of the past few months, I allowed myself some leeway in that time and went into race day with a goal of finishing in under 90 minutes....because I know that I can walk 10k in that time if I really try.  I wasn't sure how my ankle would feel, as I had been holding off on too much training because it really seems to aggravate it.  I was pumped and felt the adrenaline start pumping as we all mingled like cattle in the stocks....

And the race started....and lo and behold, I was passing people!  I felt great.  I've never felt that good running.  I had planned on taking as many walking breaks as I needed, or rather, planned on running when I could....but it was necessary at all...I took a few breaks but only managed to walk about 100m through the whole race, because whenever I would stop running, my legs would just walk really fast, which would lead me to run again.  It was almost an involuntary response.  It felt amazing.  The farther I ran, the prouder I was of myself.  I listened to some of my favorite local bands/musicians while I ran...Started out with The Lion, The Bear, The Fox...was brought to tears during Home (Thanks guys!), luckily I was sweating enough that I don't think anyone noticed.  There was some Vince Vaccaro in the middle, and at the end my good friend Jason Lowe helped me cross the finish line...Snow on the Cimmarrons was playing.

Of course upon crossing the finish line, you don't actually know your time...you only see the time from when the whole race started...which was 22 minutes before I crossed the start line.  They do a wave start, so everyone is staggered to ease congestion and help separate faster runners from slower ones.  It wasn't until I got on my phone to check facebook that I found out my time.  I finished the race in 1:08:54.....totally killed my goal and finished strong.  I treated myself to a 15 minute post-race massage and then biked to my sister's house to hang out for the rest of the day.  I managed to eat lunch, and then promptly passed out on the couch for a couple of hours.

The next day wasn't as bad as I expected either.  My quads were tight so climbing the ladder all day at worked really sucked, but otherwise I was fine.  I could still ride my bike and survived quite well.

And so, my running glory is on hold.  But if I never run another race in my life, I know I can always be proud for what I've already accomplsihed.

I've got a lot of people to thank for their support....and you know who you are.  THANK YOU.

Apologies are due....

Ok, so I know I've been shitty with the whole blogging thing lately....I'M SORRY!!!

My running has been going well...not training as much as my schedule calls for, but I'm still on track as far as times and distances go.  I'm finding that my 8km/1 hour runs are quite comfortable now, which amazes me.  Tomorrow night shall be a run night.  Last night was spent at my sister's place, to watch the premiere of Survivor (season 5000)....I haven't missed a single season and I'm not about to start now!  I've even gone so far as to book myself in for only day shifts on Wednesdays.  I stayed overnight at Jen's, since I had to open this morning, and I was too lazy to even consider biking home at 10:30pm.

Tonight, I got to spend the evening enjoying some great music made by some really funny guys.  Ryan McMahon, Christopher Arruda and Cory Woodward, more commonly known as (not in the proper order) The Lion, The Bear, The Fox played at Andy's house tonight.  Fantastic show.  I had the immense pleasure of hosting Ryan for a small show at my place on Saturday.  It was a great evening, with my pal, Jason Verners performing some crazy magic before Ryan took center stage.  A small group of friends and family made the night super enjoyable and cozy.  Big thanks to Keith Encinas of South Island House Concerts, for helping out with seating and planning/advertising.  The weather halted some guests in their tracks (Sorry Scotty!) which meant less people, but overall a good night was had.  Ryan will be playing here again on October 24th, which I couldn't be any more excited about!!

I'm hoping that as my marathon date draws closer (101 days to go), that all you lovely people will send a few bucks into the SRABC to help make their services more prominent and accessible to folks like Kori, who I might add is doing wonderfully!

I had a nice visit with Kori the other night out at VGH.  Spent a few hours just chatting, sharing a few tears, talking about rehab strategies.  It is amazing to see the determination that he has to get back to his life.  He leaves the hospital for a visit home tomorrow, then is back Sunday, and officially leaves VGH on March 5th.  I'm sad to see him go, but his therapists here have run their course and it's time for a change.  I know Kori is excited to get home and keep pushing himself in his therapies and rehab.

Well, that's about all I can spout off about for now....I'll be back, sooner than later!

So I've Been Slacking....

Yep, I'll admit it.  I haven't really felt like running this past week...it's quite sad.  I have also not been feeling much like sharing my world.

Today, that changed.  I visited Kori in the hospital tonight, and it was amazing to see how well he is doing.  His outlook is so positive and he pushes himself everyday.  He has really high goals, and I know he will reach them.  With Mary's support, and the support of friends and family around him, he will do it.  He is looking forward to a couple of weekends at home to see how things go...sounds like he won't be here in Victoria too much longer!!  YAY!!!

As far as my running goes.....I've only been for 3 runs this month.  Yikes!  I keep reminding myself that I am way ahead of my training schedule, but at the same time, that can't be an excuse to not get out and run.  That being said, I completed my longest run ever on February 4th.  I set out for my goal of 35 minutes...easy peasy....but got lost and ended up running 7.3 miles in 1 hour and 32 minutes.  So forgive me for taking some time off...I may have died a little bit on that run.

I'm planning on running after work tomorrow, which should be fun.  I'm going to send an email out to Tim @ SRABC tonight, and see if he has any fundraising info for me yet...

If you haven't checked out the links on the right hand side of this page...you really should!!!!!  Fun stuff over there!!

Short and sweet....time to deal with real life things, like laundry and dishes.

Runner's High??

We've all heard about it....the mythical Runner's High.  Is it real??  I'd like to think so.  Today, I'm not feeling that high.  Despite running longer and farther than I have in a long time, my body did not enjoy this run.  4.52 miles almost killed me tonight.  Since I started using my Nike+ app I've accumulated over 30 miles of running...I forgot to turn the app on one day, so my official total is at 26.93 miles.  I'm not gonna lie, I've enjoyed every mile of it, until today.

Being sick yesterday really took the wind out of my sails.  Slowed me down a lot, and my breathing is super wheezy tonight.  Chest feels ultra heavy, which probably isn't a good sign.  Might be time to take a day or two off and let my body catch up on rest.  Yeah, I know, that was a funny thought.  Take time off from training, as if.

I want to feel that Runner's High again, as I so often do...even when I come home totally exhausted from a run, I feel good and know that I deserve that nice hot bubble bath that follows most runs.  Every once in awhile I force myself into an ice water bath, as it really does help keep any troublesome inflammation down.

Why do I run??  Running gives me a sense on control, in a world where we have so little control over anything.  The thoughts running through my head while I run vary everyday, but at least half of them are "If I turn left here I could cut a few blocks off my run and be home sooner"...to which I reply "Not a chance dummy, you came out to run, so run."  Yes, I do realize that I talk to myself while I run.  I also decide what to have for dinner, and what to wear to work the next day.  It's a fairly productive time, while not doing anything but running.  Running puts me into a different head space, where nothing seems as bad as it did while I was sitting on the couch, it gives me the freedom to just escape if I need to.  I can't tell you how many miles I've run without realizing they were going by...because my mind just wanders.

I look forward to my run everyday, and while it isn't my only activity of the day (I bike 4km to and from work everyday) it is by far my favorite.  Knowing that my own strength and willpower is enough to keep me going is a great feeling.

And now it's time for food!!

Sunday, Fun Day, right??

American Hustle,  not a bad movie, especially when you learn that the real name for a microwave is science oven.  And that it cooks things with science.  That is how I spent the end of my afternoon....at the movie with my sister, Jen.  Always a good time, especially when there are really noisy people sitting behind Jen.

So my Nike+ app has recorded my runs, but not synced them to my account...which is aggravating.  Sounds like they are working on a fix for it which is good.  It's mostly annoying to not have it working, because I have no idea if I am ahead of my competitors or not...my competitors being my dad, who is 67, and my other sister, Lisa, who is 47.  

I believe I'm somewhere around 19 miles for the week.  I've run seven days straight now, and may actually take a day off tomorrow, but probably not, because when I get home from work I see my runners and they scream at me "TAKE US RUNNING!!!!!!"....I am ok with admitting that my running addiction may have cost me a bit of my sanity at this point.  Why else would I commit to running 42km in a stretch of a few hours??  

Maria finally registered for the Edge to Edge Marathon, which was a relief!  I was so scared she would bail on it, which would present a whole other round of obstacles involving transportation, and how the hell I could run all that way on my own.  

I saw Blue Rodeo last night with Jen...it was amazing, especially seeing Jim Cuddy and his son Devin perform together.  I didn't get home until right around midnight, but as usual, walked in the house and saw my runners, and knew I just had to go running.  I got a new pair of running tights yesterday.  Full length and thicker than the ones I've been wearing, so it was a good night to test them out.  I LOVE UNDER ARMOUR running gear!!  So I guess with my midnight run, and then my run mid-afternoon today, that means I had two runs today...not too shabby.

My shins are feeling it this week...which means I'll torture myself with some stair running this week...not as cruel as it sounds, since I get to do it right beside the ocean.  It's pretty awesome at night when I can go for a run along the beach, and see the stars, while still in the city.  

Well, not too  much else to share tonight...just laying here eating ice cream and brownies, like any good training runner would do, right???? 

Until next time...

7 am & Rain

Ah what to say about today...it was long, and tedious.  With Christmas being done and over with, and everyone broke as shit, it was the day to do markdowns at work.  Ashlee and I were at work at 7am to get a good head start on the day before customers could interrupt us.  That being said, I'm tired.

When I'm not injured from crashing my bike, I ride my bike to and from work everyday, so today was no different.  Rainy day that it was, I put on my gear and made it to work without too much fanfare.  The ride home was a little different.  My bike is equipped with front and rear fenders, so that I don't end up covered in street muck everyday, but when a huge truck passes by you in the rain, its inevitable...I arrived home with a nice spray of wet dirt over the legs and face.  THANK YOU BIG TRUCK!!

Rather than wait until I was warm and cozy, I decided to head out for my run right away, wet running tights and all.  I use two different apps to track my running...Nike+ so that my dad can pick on me, because he is a stronger runner than I am, and MapMyFitness because I've been using it forever and don't want to lose the progress that I've made while using it!  Tonight's run was 3.92 miles and it was a tough one.  I have my good days and my bad days, as we all do.  I detest stretching, which I know limits my performance and leads to my being stiff and sore everyday, but I tie up those runners and hit the pavement anyway.

I've been on 3 runs since I started using the Nike+ app, accumulating 10.5 miles...seems easy when I think I only have to do that four more times....then I remember I have to do it all in a matter of a few hours, not a few weeks.  I'll get there, I swear, mainly because I'm a stubborn a-hole, but also because I know I deserve to be fit and strong enough to do it.

And now, it's time for sleep.

Day One of Forever

In the words of Hedley (no, I don't care if you don't like them)....I can do ANYTHING!!  

The past year of my life has been full of curve balls and struggles and freedom and learning.  And I wouldn't change a thing about it.  I've been given the opportunity to get to know myself...all on my own.  I've discovered who I am.  

The greatest thing I have discovered in the past year is my passion for running.  And a desire to make a difference.  I've run before, and I can tell you it was not something I ever thought I would be passionate about.  It was uncomfortable and painful, mostly because I was overweight and out of shape.  I also never had a goal to reach.

I've set a goal.  The Edge to Edge Marathon between Tofino and Ucluelet.  That's right, I'm going to run 42km, and try not to die doing it.  I had originally planned on running a few small races in Victoria this year, including the Times Colonist 10km in April, and then tackle the E2E in June of 2015...lots of time to train and really get ready, and of course, slack off if I felt like it.  I asked my friend Maria to join me in my goal.  She agreed, but with one crazy change...we had to do it this summer, not next.  I am pretty sure I cried when she told me.  

It took me a few days to agree to the new super fast-forwarded plan, but I did.  That being said, I fully believed that I had six and a half months to train for the challenge.  Not so.  Early December brought freezing rain to Victoria, which inevitably meant I would wipe out on my bike and smash up my knee pretty badly.  I'm still recovering from that crash.  And of course, another bike crash that landed me a mild concussion and dislocated shoulder just before Christmas put another hault on the training.  

So, today marks day 1 of my official training for the marathon.  I've got 159 days until I conquer my goal.  I've never been so intimidated by such a small number before.  

Back in late November, a friend of my sister's (therefore automatically a friend of mine) suffered a massive stroke...at the age of 37, Kori's life came to a standstill.  It didn't take me long to come up with a plan.  Since I'm going to be working my ass off training for my race, I may as well raise some money and awareness for a good cause.  I found the Stroke Recovery Association of BC and discovered that they have a branch located in Nanaimo, where Kori and his wife, Mary live.  I'm in contact with the Executive Director of the SRABC, and we are working on a fundraising plan, which should be in place by February.

I got off my ass tonight, determined to get a run in on the first day of 2014, and had my most consistent run ever.  Helps to start off strong.  

And with that, I am off to bed.  Work starts early tomorrow, and my brain is too mushy to write anything else tonight!