Run or Dye

Today is my mom's 48th birthday and instead of sleeping in, she kicked it off with a fun 5K.

After running Color Me Rad twice, as decided to try Run Or Die because it was being held in our city. It was nice not having to travel into Toronto for once. 

I love the idea of colour runs. Nothing makes me happier than seeing other people discover the love and fun of running.

I think I prefer Color Me Rad: Slightly more organized with more volunteers to throw paint, wider paths for running and passing, and the paint seemed to wash off easier (my mom's blonde highlights are streaked with pink and green while my left cheek and hairline is also a bright pink). 

However, it was the first year held in Oshawa so it's likely issues with path width and whatnot will be fixed for next year.

I also had issues with my sinus infection. I thought I was mostly over it but I found myself having trouble breathing and feeling really mucus-y. Although I had to stop and walk a few times, it made me slightly happy to confirm that the decision to hold off on my long-runs has been the right one.

I'm so proud of my mom. Her running only began early this year and she's already training to run a half-marathon with me this fall. I am completely inspired.

Side note: check out this awesome and extremely decadent chocolate, peanut butter cake I made for my mom. Seriously amazing.

Farmers Market Haul

I love the Farmers Market. Most Saturdays, barring any pressing plans, I get up early and drive to the only local, weekend market. This week probably had the best variety I've seen. For the first time my mom came with me and it was awesome because I could leave with more bags than usual!

First we fawned over some baked goods. I get croissants every week from the same stall (if they aren't sold out) and they are must-have. We also picked up a whole wheat/flax seed/pumpkin seed/cheddar baguette, and a lemon tart and a raspberry hazelnut tart.

 

Then I stopped at my favourite produce stall for some amazing looking blueberries and raspberries. The selection of other produce wasn't great so we stopped at a second and picked up the ripest cantaloupe, a huge carton of peas, heirloom carrots, and a green pepper. 

We also grabbed some fresh donuts at a donut stand. Every week I make sure to bring my mom and sister home a donut as a little tread so this week my mom was on the lookout for this booth. I ate a lemon poppyseed donut too quickly for a picture but my mom's cinnamon sugar survived.

I also somehow got roped into buying some king oyster mushrooms from the mushroom booth. I love mushrooms butter experiences with different varieties is limited so it will be interesting to see how I use them.

What are your Farmers Market must-haves? Do you have other Saturday traditions?

Resentfully Resting

I’m potentially taking the week off of exercising. My body is stressed and acting out, sending me signals that I need to take it easy… signals I’ve been ignoring.

With weird, light injuries I’ve never experienced before, a constant feeling of fatigue, and swollen, crusted lips that make me look like a clown, I’ve decided that I need to rest before something else happens.

I thought about running over the weekend because I knew the scenery would be so beautiful but I focused on starting this resting period instead by spending most of my time in a beach chair, devouring a book and a half. Yesterday I (purposely) missed my scheduled cycling and stair-climbing, today and tomorrow I deleted speed training and more cycling from my calendar, and I’m tempted to take a week off from my long run on Thursday. Maybe some walking or yoga will be allowed but I’m trying to remember that the point of resting is to rest.

How does your body tell you it’s time to rest? What does resting look like for you?

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. 

Fighting PMS

PMS usually means I'm met with cravings of sugary, fattening chocolate. I just couldn't do it (again). Chocolate doesn't fuel a running body, as much as I'd like to think it does. What's an alternate? Homemade guac and a big bowl of cherries. Chocolate cravings have completely disappeared and I feel much more satisfied. 

Attacking the Closet

I pulled the trigger and attacked my closet. I was surprised that I only got rid of two garbage bags and that I still have a full closet/clothing rack/shelves full of clothes. However, I feel almost lighter and definitely feel less claustrophobic in my small room.

The best tips I have for a good closet clean out are the following:

1) Prepare yourself with everything you need. Besides picking up a Tupperware container and some large garbage bags, I made sure I was also equipped with a large iced coffee and an awesome playlist. Motivation on all levels.

2) Schedule the time. About a week in advanced I scheduled two hours into my Google Calendar devoted to cleaning out my closet. I hate to deviate from my Calendar so I knew I had to do it. Just make the time.

3) Ask for help. Even if it's as simple as talking out how much you truly want to keep an item or the use you'll get out of it, ask an outsider. My mom and sister helped, but if I got really stuck I was ready to message my best friend or boyfriend for their opinions.

4) Take a breath. You don't need to make any decisions right away. The Tupperware container I purchased was meant for items I might not be wearing now but could potentially see myself wearing in the future, or might have sentimental value. For example, I have four university sweatshirts that I don't wear, but all mean a lot to me. I also found a bunch of concert tees that my dad had bought in the 80s. How could I give those up?

What are your tips for a successful closet clean out? What items do you refuse to toss?

Summer solstice

Happy Summer Solstice!

Today is the longest day of sun of the year! I'm currently soaking up some rays through my coat of SPF and thanking the universe for such beautiful weather after, what felt like, the longest, coldest, iciest winter of my life. 

Today is also the start of something I'm calling, The Summer of Betterment. 

After five years of post-secondary education, five years of essays and editing and not enough time focused on my mental, physical, and emotional well-being, I've decided I need to let myself grow and heal again. To do this I've laid out goals that involve some of my favourite pastimes and I'm going to use them to become better over the course of the next three months. It's almost like my own "Happiness Project."

I'm going to:

• read (six books; one every two weeks)

• cook (try one new recipe each week)

• do more yoga (work on improving three poses - tree, headstand, king pigeon - and track my progress)

• other tasks (undecided; maybe try a new hobby or clean out my closest, for example)

To kick off The Summer of Betterment I have my "before" yoga pictures:

To improve these postures I will attend one yoga class a week and practice twice a week at home. These pictures also show me how I can improve. For example, I can tell that my king pigeon does not only need backbend work, but I also need to get my hips closer to the ground. In my headstand I don't only need to work on getting my legs straighter, but my back needs to straighten so that my legs can natural life. 

I'm going to research some helpful poses and cannot wait to see how I progress over the course of this summer.

How do you better yourself mentally, physically, or emotionally?