General Randomness

Holy smokes...it was crazy in the city this morning! The majority of the snow last night was melting when it hit the roads. The temperatures dropped overnight though, and it turned the road and sidewalks into skating rinks. Scary drive into work this morning, and I was just thankful that I was driving in before 6 am and the roads weren't that busy. The City of Calgary really dropped the ball by not salting the roads. I nearly wiped out a couple times on the walk into the office too. Given that I bailed on my 30 minute run with strides over lunch. I wasn't sure what the pathways would be like and I didn't want to run the risk of wiping out. I debated doing the run on the treadmill after work, but ultimately I decided to do a little research for an experiment that I have planned for this weekend.

In other general news:

• Still no formal race plan for Sunday... I've got my pace goals down but that is about it. Oh, and I plan to take a gel every 45 minutes - chocolate mint Gu. I have no idea what I'm going to wear since the weather doesn't look too fabulous. I've also been afraid to write down my motivational phrases. I'm not sure what Angie would think when she read that I plan to say "suck it up sissy pants" to myself when the going gets tough.
• I picked up my bib for the race today. Definitely one of my favourite race shirts, plus this will be my first race with a D-tag!
• I tried my wetsuit on the other day. It was disturbingly easy to get on. Maybe that is because I wasn't struggling to put it on inside an itty bitty changing room on a warm day. And there was no major tugging and pulling of neoprene while swearing under my breath. It looks like it fits okay...but still... Ruh roh!
• Still out front in the office hockey pool. Yay me!
• Someone stole my last piece of string cheese from out of the fridge at work yesterday. i was very upset.
  
• Busy weekend in the works - massage, getting my hair done, have to do my taxes, racing on Sunday, plus a super fun scientific experiment is in the works!
• Friday is my two year blogaversary!
  

Have a great weekend all!

Yoga Incentive

We have a little hockey pool going at work. We all predicted who we thought would win each game, guessed what the winning number of goals would be and took a stab at who we thought would win the Stanley Cup. So if you guess the correct game winner and the correct number of winning goals you get bonus points, plus if your winning team gets a shutout you get more bonus points. I was pretty excited to see that I was winning as of this morning (mostly due to my predictions for the Canuck wins this past weekend)! No doubt it will all change by the end of the night this evening, but at least I was on top for one day!

My 5 card drop in pass at Bodhi Tree Yoga is expiring later this week. I had one session left on the card so I'd better use it up! I also picked up a new yoga top from Lululemon on Friday, so double incentive!
I went to the 4 pm Moksha class which felt so good. I could tell that my hips and quads were super tight though!

I'm still trying to come up with a race plan for Sunday.... I have my race and heart rate goals figured out, I'm just struggling with what positive things I'm going to say to myself when the going gets tough. Why is that so hard to figure out?

The Weekend Wrap Up

Since my Saturday morning was pretty well shot I procrastinated on my spin workout until sometime after 5 pm. I had a 72 minute ride on the schedule called "crest the hill." The idea is to spin hard in your low cadence section as you go up the hill, then keep the momentum going as you "crest the hill." It is definitely a good workout, and I'm hoping that these spin workouts are really going to help for when I can get outside to ride again.

After the workout was done I had a 20 minute T2 run on the schedule. It was getting late...it was -13C...so it was dark and icy out. But I got out there and got it done. Well...okay...I went for just under 17 minutes, but who wants to quibble over three minutes? With the warming, then the snowfall, then the freezing the sidewalks change day to day and they were brutal last night. I'd definitely be running somewhere else for my Sunday long run.

After the run I whipped up dinner. I'd found an interesting recipe in a magazine while I was waiting for my massage and I was keen to try it out - stuffed poblano peppers. These sounded like a great alternative to chile rellenos. I lucked out in finding some poblano peppers and queso fresco at a Mexican grocery here in Calgary, and this dish turned out so well. I'd definitely recommend it! Because I'm all about the pairing I figured some Dos Equis Amber would work out pretty well.
After dinner I went through my stretches from my PT and whipped out the foam roller. Holy...flibberdijibbet... That thing just about made me cry...

Sunday was more procrastination. The weather was supposed to warm up so I took care of a few things in the morning, had some lunch, then decided to head out for my run. I had 15K (or 9.3 mi) on the schedule. I've been running around my neighborhood most of the time and I needed a change of scenery. Not to mention that I wasn't keen to be dodging a lot of the ice on the sidewalks here. So I drove down to Shouldice and ran the pathway along the river towards downtown since I knew the pathway would be cleared well.

It was +2C (35F) when I was leaving my house. After the crazy cold weather this past week that meant capri weather in my books. Plus a long sleeve shirt and a midweight top. It was somewhat overcast and luckily it was nice and calm out. Since the pathway is pretty flat I also wanted to try and keep my heart rate in zone 2 the entire time. There were a lot of people really bundled up for their run, but I felt pretty comfortable. It just felt so good to not be bogged down in so many layers. I really can't wait for spring!

While I was running I was tossing and turning my fall race schedule around in my mind. The lottery for the Nike Women's Marathon opens this week so I had a lot going through my mind:

• Do I want to enter the half or the full marathon in San Francisco?
• Is two months enough time between Lake Stevens and a possible full marathon?
• Is San Francisco the place to go for a sub 4:30 marathon?
• If I do go for the full...that means I'd probably wipe the 2010 Disney Marathon off the slate. This is where I'm fence sitting mostly. While I'd love to go and meet up with friends do I really want to kill a full week of vacation at Disney World for the third year in a row?
• If I don't get into the Nike race, what's my backup? The more Suz (my friend in San Antonio) and I talk about meeting up, I think my backup race may be the San Antonio Rock 'n' Roll Race in November. It would be a great chance to hang out and to see friends back in SA. A race in November would really nix the Disney Marathon for sure. But anyhow, we'll see...
  

Anyhow, lots of stuff was running through my mind while I was out there today! I ran an out and back and it was pretty easy to keep my heart rate in zone 2. Slightly tougher on the way back. After I hit 8 miles I gave myself permission to just run without worrying about heart rate.

So the interesting thing is, I was trying to run easy...didn't feel the need for a walk break at any time...and I finished up in 1:33:46. That is a solid 6 minutes faster than the Minnie Marathon 15K last May when I was trying to race. Yay for progress!!

Ready for 2009?

It is hard to believe that 2008 is almost over. It has certainly been a year of ups and downs both personally and on the training side of life. Here it is in a nutshell:

• I completed the Goofy Race and a Half Challenge in January - as my first marathon! While my marathon was way slower than I would have liked I had a great time out on the course and took a ton of pictures.
• After I got home from Orlando in January I came down with bronchitis and I didn't manage to kick it until sometime in April. Boo.
• I bought a bike in April, something that I most definitely had not been considering in the beginning of 2008.
  
• I could not buy a PR in the beginning of the season...with the exception of the Calgary Police 5K and the Minnie Marathon 15K in May. I tried to go sub-60:00 on a few 10Ks but came up short, and also couldn't PR in a half marathon.
  
• I entered my first duathlon in May, on a total whim, just a couple of days before the event. I loved it. I was hooked on multisport events.
• After not being able to find too many duathlons to do around here I figured I'd better see if I could still remember how to swim. And then I entered my first triathlon...and I absolutely loved it. And I finally went sub 30:00 on a 5K for the first time ever.
• I ran my second marathon in Quebec City in August. Despite some wicked heat and potentially over indulging in water during the race I set a new PR.
• I joined an amazing tri team, headed by an amazing coach!
• I managed to set new PRs at the Melissa's 10K Road Race and at the Last Chance Half, so I was able to round out 2008 with a slew of PRs in all distances!

So what's up for next year?

• The Walt Disney World Marathon on January 11th
• CRR St. Patrick's Day Road Race - 10K - on March 15th (this would be my third year running the race)
  
• Calgary Police Half Marathon on April 26th (if I can get in - since registration opens up right when I land in Orlando and it sells out quickly)
• SportCheck Mother's Day 10K on May 11th
  
• Wine Capital of Canada Olympic Triathlon in Oliver, BC on May 24th (my 31st birthday)
• KGH Sprint Duathlon in Sylvan Lake, AB on May 30th
• Gericks Wasa Lake Olympic Triathlon in Cranbrook, BC on June 14th
• HBC Run for Canada 10K on July 1st
  
• Great White North Half Iron in Stony Plain, AB on July 5th
• Tour for Kids - three day charity bike ride July 17 to 19...maybe...hopefully
• Lake Stevens Ironman 70.3 in Lake Stevens, WA on August 16th
• Volunteering at Ironman Canada and signing up for 2010 - August 30th
• Melissa's 10K Road Race in September (this would be my third year running the race)
• Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco, CA on October 18th - if I can get in, since this one is a lottery. If it doesn't work out, then the Royal Victoria Half Marathon may be my backup plan on October 11th.

I'm also going to aim to find a chip timed 5K race somewhere in there. It is time to set a new official PR! And unless I change my mind, I doubt that I'll be looking to do another full after January, at least for a little while... I'm also a little disappointed that the Strathmore Women's Tri is moving back a weekend and it is now on August 16th. I was hoping to go back and try to see if I could move up in my age group a bit... I still have to run all of this by my coach, but this is what I've been thinking of anyway.

I hope you all have a wonderful new year, and I wish everyone the best for 2009. May it be filled with health and happiness for you all. I'm hoping it will be an exciting year!

Nearly There

Wow...I am absolutely knackered. I have logged 49 hours of overtime working on reserves so far, most of it within the last week. Finally I had the "there's a light at the end of the tunnel" moment today at about 2:30. That isn't to say that all of my work is done - not even close - but I can fathom finishing everything in time for my Friday deadline. I am so happy that Finlay is at his grandparents' right now. I definitely made the right decision.

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On the running front I kind of felt like a wuss this weekend as I heard that a bunch of people I knew ran outside. I was freezing on just a 5 minute walk to the mall yesterday so serious kudos to my friends who braved the cold weather here. However, in my defense, I had a 45 minute run with strides to do, and who wants to run strides on a snowy, slippery surface? So I hoofed it to my Y to run inside instead (feeling ever so grateful that I did decide to join a gym this year). The track at my Y is pretty tiny...15 laps equals 1 mile. I got a little dizzy after running 71 laps yesterday. I ran at a warm up pace for 10 minutes, then ran a 30 second stride followed by 4:30 of regular ol' easy running to finish out the 45 minutes. I loved the striding part. I felt so speedy and I definitely got the heart working.

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So...the bad news is this cold snap seems to have no end in sight. Temperatures for the weekend aren't looking like much of an improvement. Coach has told me that it is downright insanity to run 35 km (or 21.75 miles) indoors. Thank goodness, because I would have a hard time trying to mentally suck it up for 155 laps (or 326 laps depending on which track I went to). And I'm not even sure if I could run and count that high. If I can't run outdoors then I'll most likely aim to run on December 24th when I'm in Kelowna. So if anyone in Kelowna can suggest a nice 35 km route for me, I am all ears. I looked at the running route maps on the Running Room website, but it sends me through the park on the same route that I got lost on this summer. So apparently I need something that is extraordinarily simple - i.e. doesn't involve veering off on to trails.

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I'm not one to make an official announcement about anything until I've financially committed to it, but it seems like everyone wants to know what I meant about Lake Stevens being good prep for my future plans. It's true, I want to race Ironman Canada in 2010. The seed was planted in my head way back in June. I met and chatted with Ray Fateaux at the Footstock race expo. He's the author of Ironstruck and we talked about his decision to go from zero fitness to racing an Ironman. At this point in time I was still throwing around the idea of just entering my first triathlon! I specifically started looking for a coach because I wanted to go from 70.3 next year to 140.6 in 2010. I almost signed up for IMC in 2009 when I heard that spots were opening up for online entry...but I knew 2009 was not the year to attempt it. I will be in Penticton in 2009 though, cheering on my friends and teammates and getting ready to commit to 2010. While Penticton is a tough course (with plenty of hills), it is supposed to be one of the most amazing. The entire town really supports the race. It isn't too far from where my folks live so it helps out with logistics, plus they will be able to come cheer me on when I toe the line. So there we go folks, I have a plan all of the way until August 2010. This is definitely one evolution...

Weather Watch, Racing Plans

And so starts the nervous watching of every possible weather forecast available for Orlando. Sigh. I am beginning to resign myself to the fact that this is going to be a warm race. My major concern right now if for the humidity... It is 9:30 in Orlando right now and it is 90% humidity. I am hoping my short running experience in Singapore and Perth will have given me a leg up on dealing with this humidity thing. So with that being said, what is my racing plan? I realized yesterday that I don't really have a plan so maybe I should come up with something... Here are a few key points I need to follow:

Pre-Race:

Healthy eating and Walt Disney World don't seem to be two things that necessarily go together. I need to watch my nutrition before the race and leave the Dole Whips and ice creams for later. I'll try not to wear my legs out too much and I'm planning on a reasonably early dinner and hope to get to bed early enough in time to catch a bus to the race start somewhere around 3:30 am.

Half Marathon:

I have 3.5 hours to finish this one. I don't want to wear myself out for the full the next day so time doesn't matter. I'll probably run for the first 5K at a nice easy pace until the crowd starts to settle out a bit, then I'll follow a run/walk plan maybe of 8:2. I will run through Cinderella's castle with a smile on my face in hopes of a great picture. And I will stop for pictures with as many characters as possible. I'll drink both Powerade and water at every stop, and will munch on Sport Beans on every walk break. Post race I plan to lounge by the pool, maybe watch a movie and relax as much as possible before grabbing another early dinner and as many z's as possible.

Full Marathon:

I have 7 hours to finish this one. I honestly don't have a time goal in mind at all apart from crossing that finish line somewhere ahead of the 7 hour cutoff time. I'll probably follow the same idea of running the first 5K before switching to a run/walk strategy just to bypass the crowds a bit and not get trampled when I start to walk. I will probably opt for a 9:1 interval. I will once again run through Cinderella's castle with a goofy grin on my face. I will attempt to keep said goofy grin whenever there is a race photographer nearby. I need some better action shots at races than the usual grimace I tend to give. And I will once again stop for a picture with as many characters as possible, drink Powerade and water at every stop, and munch the Sport Beans on every walk break. When I cross the finish line I hope to do so with a smile on my face, then I'll hobble over to receive my Mickey and Goofy medals.

I also vow to remember to slather the sunscreen and Body Glide on. Anyone else have any last minute pointers?