First Snowy Run of the Season

We've had a few light flurries this fall, but when I woke up this morning it was the first time I had seen snow on the ground this season. It's too early for a really heavy snowfall, but even if there was I wasn't too concerned because I had only scheduled 6 kilometers for today.

Usually I'm an early riser, but this weekend I haven't been able to pull myself out of bed until 10 or 11. As I was figuring out what I was going to eat, my boyfriend got up and made me pancakes. I don't think it's a typical pre-run breakfast but it might be my favourite.



My run went really well. I'm taking it easy because I'm forever working through IT band issues, but the conditions were great. Once it gets snowier and icier I won't be able to run through my favourite paved trails anymore (the city doesn't maintain and if I slip the creek is too close for me to feel comfortable), so I'm taking advantage of them while I can. The pavement is too warm for the snow to stick, but the trees looked beautiful.

Side note: I'm really hoping I get a hat with a ponytail hole for Christmas because I hate braiding my hair for running.

I drank a small banana and peanut butter smoothie while I started to prepare some meals for the week, followed by hot water with lemon, honey, ginger, and echinacea, and a bowl of alphabet soup. I usually try to make my own soup instead of eating stuff from the can, but I`ve discovered Amy`s at my grocery store and I`m falling in love!

Question: How do you like to fuel pre and post run?

Struggles and Triumphs

This week was weird. I started a new job on Monday so my schedule was a little out of whack. I was nervous for my first day so I didn't sleep very well the night before and was exhausted by the end of the day. 

Tuesday was the same but on Wednesday I was off so I planned a long-run. It did not go well.

I was able to make it about 16K before I was just too tired. I stopped to rest and admired the view.

My boyfriend picked me up and instead we grabbed bagels for lunch and ran a few errands.

After feeling disheartened about my long-run I had little faith in how my stair-climbing would go on Thursday. Thankfully I was pleasantly surprised. I think I've finally made it over the hump because it went so well! Usually I feel exhausted after just the first two times up the seven-flight parking garage, but I felt pretty good even after ten! I wanted to push myself further but didn't want to overdo it.

Friday I was desperate to go to the Farmers Market. I haven't been in a few weeks and it's my absolute favourite place. Not having access to a car or wanting to spend money on the bus, I walked seven kilometres to the Market, including a stop at the bank to grab cash my boyfriend ended up picking me up on his way home from school so we could hangout that afternoon.

I'm really struggling with my long runs lately and don't know what to do. Do you have any tips for when you're in a rut?

Speed Training Optimism

For different reasons I've been skipping some of my training sessions. From heat and humidity to my latest shoulder/neck injury, I just haven't been following my plans. Even my diet has been off. I spent the better half of last week devouring junk food even though it was making me feel awful. Needless to say, tonight's training session was mandatory.

I ran six kilometers and, overall, managed to keep my pace under my minimalist goal. I'm feeling pretty hopeful about my 10K next Saturday because I have an ideal time in mind that I didn't think was achievable despite not being anything extreme. If I can keep that pace for four more kilometers I'll finish a very happy runner.

I also took advantage of this speed training session to break in some new gear I bought for the race. I tried on these capris in the spring but didn't feel like shelling out the money for them. Now that they're bringing in fall collections I bought them for about half the original price!

Recovery included a huge bottle of watered down Gatorade before I even left the track, and then a huge salad while lying in bed.

How do you get yourself back on track?

Stairs vs. The Stair Climber

I remember last year when I was getting ready to prepare for the CN Tower Stairclimb. I was so excited to jump on the stair-climber at the gym and was amazed with myself when I had climbed for 40 minutes and felt great. I thought the event would be a breeze and my running had my legs in better shape than I thought.

These ideas were dashed the following week when I decided to join my mom in a parking garage. After only 20 minutes I thought I was going to die. Let me tell you with confidence, the machine at the gym does not come close to actually climbing stairs.

After walking the dogs and practicing yoga in the morning, my mom and I heard to the garage in the evening. With humidity reaching anywhere between 85-100% this week coupled with my high activity levels, I decided to stick with 20 minutes. 

By the time I finished I was dripping with sweat and my legs were shaky, but I felt great. I might run for 3+ hours each week but this is a great activity to shake up my exercise. 

Today my calves are a little tender but nothing extreme. I stretched out with some yoga this morning and will likely foam-roll later. 

I'm hoping to ramp up my stair training within the next few weeks -- in determined to beat my time of 23 minutes and 15 seconds from last year. 

Have you ever aced a workout in the gym only to be shocked when it didn't translate into real-life activity?

Speed Training

I'll be honest... I don't really add speed training into my routine. I have long runs and cross training, and even short runs, but speed training is something I've mostly avoided. I've decided to actually follow through with my self-made training plan and for two weeks in a row I've been working on my speed.

My plan has been 800x200 sets but today was so ridiculously hot that, by the time I had walked from my car to the track I knew it was better for me to do 600x400s.

With a one kilometre warm up, five kilometres of speed training, and a one kilometre cool down I was exhausted. My car was reading only 23 degrees but the humidity was killer.

Drenched with sweat, I finished three quarters of my litre water bottle before I stopped off at the store and mixed the last of my water with roughly a cup of Gatorade. I'm finding it hard to find a recovery electrolyte drink that agrees with  me and watered down Gatorade seems to be the only thing. 

My late afternoon recovery lunch was amazing and simple. Avocado, cucumber, tomato, and mushroom in a quick lemon/dill/Dijon mustard dressing, and a vanilla almond milk. So simple but exactly what I needed.

So far I've tried two locations for speed training: a trail through the marsh and a track behind a nearby high school. I think I like the track because I don't have to check the distance on my Garmin. 

Where do you do most of your speed training? Do you choose to skip it?

Training Log -- August 25, 2014

Alright, I admit it; I jumped the gun this morning.

After struggling with 5K on Saturday due to my sinus infection, I decided today was the perfect day for a long run.

Nope.

It was an awful idea.

Still recovering from my sinus infection I got up this morning, drank a protein smoothie, and organized my gear. 

I headed out around 9 and was excited to knock out at least 21K. Instead I made it about 11.5K before I ran out of water, couldn't find a fountain, and kept struggling with breathing and fighting through mucus (gross, I know).

Luckily my boyfriend, equipped with water, saved me and drove me home.

I'm clearly frusterated. More than anything I want to be active and run for 3+ hours, and for the first time in my life I'm having trouble grasping the idea of taking it easy. Is it because I'm trying to hold myself to a "no excuses" mentality? Who knows.

I have some walking, cycling, yoga, and speed training mapped out for the rest of my week. The rest of this is lower key so hopefully I can push through without making things worse.

Training Log -- July 31

Weeks left until Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon: 11
Kilometers scheduled: 24
Kilometers clocked: 15

Despite coming in nine kilometres undert goal, I feel that this is the run that I grew as a runner. 

The entire run I just didn't feel right. I had downed a litre and a half of water much earlier than I ever have while running, and I was getting waves of the chills (it was 27 degrees outside, a very warm July day). I knew early on that I should cut it short, go home and rest.

So that I did.

Surprisingly, I don't regret cutting it short. My body clearly isn't feeling it this week and why should I force myself to finish and risk ruining running in future weeks? 

I'm headed up north on Saturday for a couple of days and I'm packing my running gear, hoping that the weather cooperates. 

When did you feel like you grew as a runner/athlete?

Stair-Climbing Begins!

Today I'm hobbling around on two sore calves. This is something I almost never experience because, when I'm running, it's usually my thighs that feel it. However, training for my second CN Tower stair-climb shocked my legs, especially since I skipped the (in my opinion, lame) StairMaster and went for a parking garage stairwell.

Anyways, today I'm skipping the gym and have been foam rolling my calves. Likely I'll do some yoga later. As usual, my goal is to never negatively affect my (half) marathon training so taking a rest day for this is something I can live with.

PS: I'm obsessed with homemade hummus. Easiest thing to make, hardest thing to refrain from eating.

Training Log -- July 25, 2014

Weeks left until Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon: 12
Kilometers scheduled: 23
Kilometers clocked: 22.8

Originally I had meant to run on Thursday, but when I woke up sore the morning after an intense flow class I thought was a great idea to take after four weeks away from yoga, I decided to switch my run to Friday. It didn't help much. 

The first few kilometers I fought through pain in my left IT band and in my right foot (I think the foot is because of all the hop-backs onto my toes in yoga). I ran slow, running about 2.85 kilometers before walking 0.15 kilometers, and repeating the cycle. The pain mostly subsided as I ran. 



As I got to 22 kilometers I came to the awful realization I was still at least two kilometers away from home and I was seriously tired. Running after a full day of work is really draining and I've decided that running on my day off is a blessing. Luckily my boyfriend had been kind enough to surprise me with water (again!) so I hopped in and decided to call it a day, just under my goal of 23K.

After a quick-ish shower I drew a cold bath. After slowing sinking in I couldn't decide if this was the best or worst thing I had ever decided to do. Maybe it's all in my head but I really felt like it helped (coupled with obligatory foam rolling, of course). 

My IT band is still a little sore today and my foot is also tight. I'm going to keep stretching and icing to see if it helps. 

Overall I'm happy with my progress. Each run is a lesson for me and I'm learning, adapting, and growing with every stride I make. 

Re-evaluating My Workouts

I've made the decision to put down the weights. As much as I like lifting I just find that on my self-designated gym days I'm trying to fit in way too many things and I have to sort my priorities. For example, I've neglected my yoga practice the last three weeks and this actually upsets me. It's good for me physically, but more importantly it's great for me mentally. I need to fit yoga back in to my life.

As I summarize my long-runs every week, we know that my running and the training that goes along with that is also high on my priority list, if not the top priority for me. So my long-run day, my speed training day, and my cross-training also remain. 

Also, in October I'll be participating in the CN Tower Climb for United Way and I'm going to be adding some stair-climbing into my schedule so I can beat my time from last year (23:15). 

Really, lifting is all that's left. The problem I'm finding lately is that I'm not recovering as fast as I should be. I don't know if it's the heat, the running, a deficiency, etc., but it's making it difficult for me to exercise as much as I would like to. 

So, for now, I'm forgoing the lifting. I was drafting a tentative schedule this morning on how my week's could look once I get rid of the weights and I'm already looking forward to the change.

Monday: 20-40 minutes of stairs. Cycling. 

Tuesday: Speed training. 

Wednesday: Cycling. Yoga.

Thursday: Long run. 

Friday: Rest. Walk at least 30 minutes.
Saturday: Easy run/trail run. 

Sunday: Yoga. Walk at least 30 minutes. 

Maybe once the fall comes or I finish my next big race I'll re-introduce the weights. As much as I'm going to miss them, I think I'm going to feel more fulfilled. 

Training run -- July 17, 2014

Weeks left until Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon: 13
Kilometers scheduled: 22
Kilometers clocked: 22.2

Does anyone else find that the more detailed your plan the more you end of deviating from it? This always happens with my running schedule.

After a long-run I make my plans for the following week based on how my run went and how my calendar looks (work, social, etc.). Last week I scheduled a three-hour training run for 6:30 am so I could run, shower, and have time for my other plans for the day. Two days before (Tuesday) my plans change for the first time. I was going berry picking with my grandparents and they decided they would pick me up at 9:30 am. Unless I wanted to get up earlier it looks like there was no morning run for me. I had rescheduled my run for noon but I didn’t get back to my house until 11:30… and I had only had a juice so far that day. No way was I running on an empty stomach so 2 pm was my next goal. Now, I could have said “no” but my mom offered up Starbucks at 1:30 pm. Okay, let’s try again.

Finally at 3 pm I left my house. Despite having slight muscle soreness in my thighs from adding leg work into my gym routine on Monday, it went well. I foam rolled twice and I feel pretty good today. No glute or leg soreness, except for a weird, tight muscle near my left knee. I guess I must be feeling off because I haven’t been hungry. Before I left for my run yesterday I only had consumed a juice, a smoothie, some fresh berries, and a cookie. Usually after my run I’m ready for a huge burrito bowl but I didn’t want that either. I ended up with a handful of frozen grapes immediately after, and then a bowl of cherries and some guacamole on pita for dinner, but I definitely did not eat back the energy I burned. Even this morning, the day after, I only had some oatmeal and a latte. Usually I wake up the day after feeling famished. Maybe I just need a good, long rest.

Hmmm.

Training log - July 8, 2014

Sometimes I feel bad that I don’t have a proper training schedule. I’ve mentioned before that I usually schedule my long-run on Thursdays because that's my day off from work. Well, this is one of those weeks where my long-run is being moved. Finding out that there is a meeting I need to be in on Thursday morning means my run gets rescheduled and my dentist appointment gets cancelled. Despite the rescheduling, I have to remember that a run is a run, no matter which day I choose to do it on… and it’s much better than forgoing my run altogether.

Anyways, here this week’s long-run recap:

To be quite honest, my training right now is not for a half-marathon, although it’s my next race. Being 17 weeks away and previously running two halfs (including one in May and no, I did not mean halves) has not left me worried. My only goal for this race is get over my 2:41:xx time.

I was also excited to change my running day because the weather had forecasted rain. Rain might be my favourite weather to run in. Unfortunately the first half of my run was dry and humid, and I only experienced rain near the end.

Either way, this week’s goal was 21 kilometers, and I completed 21.1 kilometers – a half marathon. I aimed to run at 7:30 so I woke up early and ate a bagel with cream cheese. Well, then I felt sleepy and went back to bed, and didn’t leave for my run until 10:30. I drank a cup of tea and half a liter of water to pre-hydrate but the humidity left me incredibly thirsty. For all of my long-runs I take my Fuel Belt. I drank my two 8 oz. bottles and refilled them once I got to a fountain around 11K. I also drank a good half liter straight from the fountain while I stopped. By approximately 16K I had drank the two bottles I refilled so I stopped at a chip truck and bought another bottle (there were no other fountains around). I drank this by the time I finished my run. I have never experienced such extreme thirst during a run before.

I was so wet and tired that I was struggling to peel my running clothes off. I ended up sitting on the floor of my shower, under a stream of water, with a bag of frozen grapes because I couldn’t decide if I needed fuel or a shower more.

Next week I’m aiming for 22 kilometers but as my run yesterday was such a struggle I don’t know if I’m going to be able to hit my goal. Here’s to hoping.

Training Log - July 3, 2014

The goal of this week's long-run was 20 kilometers and I finished it with 20.77 kilometers.

Typically I choose to run on Thursdays because its my full-day off from work, but with the holiday this week I ended up working a half-day.

I woke up that morning, drank a green juice and a tea, and picked up a latte on my way to work. There I ate my usual berries and  yogurt snack, a small, unsweetened apple sauce, and a handful of dried strawberries. At noon I came home and drank a small iced peach green tea, and had some oatmeal that I added chia seeds, hemp hearts, and flax seeds to. About an hour later I ran.

The first half of my run was in light rain but it went awesome. It's been so humid that it was nice to have the water to cool me off. This half went really well and my pace was about :45 to 1:00 faster than usual. I was able to run without needed a walking break until 15 or 16 kilometers in. After that I walked a kilometer to 17, ran two more to 19, and then walked/ran the last bit (0.1 kilometer walk, 0.25 kilometer run, repeat).

Overall, it was a great run. After the rain stopped it got really humid and I just felt drained. However, I'm really excited that my first half saw a huge improvement in time. I don't know if it's all the cross-training and core-work I'm doing when I'm not running, but whatever I'm doing, I'm doing it right.

I'm also lucky that my boyfriend knows me so well. We were supposed to hangout after my run so he checked my location, knew approximately how many kilometers I had left, and came by to refill my Fuel Belt. Forget flowers or chocolate, that is the best surprise I could get.

After my shower I refueled with some fresh watermelon/lime/lemon/mint juice and devoured a huge burrito bowl. The more I train the more I'm learning what my body wants,  needs, and deserves after a run.

Training Log - June 26, 2014

19 kilometers.

With about 16 weeks to go until my next half marathon, I’m not too worried about being ready to run. As always, it would be great if I could improve my time (a 2:41:00 during my last two attempts) but I’m already looking to 2015 as a year of running further distances. For example, I’m looking towards Around the Bay (30 kilometers) and a full marathon at some point next year.

However, back to yesterday’s long run.

I really impressed myself. I did take many walking/water breaks during that distance over two and a half hours, but considering it was over 23 degrees with a humidity index of over 50%, I was more concerned with my own safety and well-being that having a perfect run. And, to me, keeping hydrated and strong made my run more enjoyable for myself – and finding enjoyment in my runs is something that I have found myself struggling with lately.

Whether it’s a time or distance PB, I’m excited to see what the next few months of training holds.