Back to the Grind

Well, August is quickly approaching which only means one thing: 7 weeks until Frosty's 50k trail race! Eeeek! I figure one of the better ways to attack the training for this run is to do the Grouse Grind. As it's a fair distance from where I live, I'll be thrilled if I can make it up once a week. I'm also still fundraising for the Grind for Kids program (for Children's Hospital), so it's a huge motivator to get my butt in gear and head up there! I did hit the Grind on Tuesday and what a slug I was. It was my third time, but made my worst "time". Mostly because I didn't hydrate well enough prior to going. I did remember to bring Off! for the bugs which definitely made the hike up a lot more enjoyable.

You do need to be in relatively decent shape if you don't want to die hiking up the Grind, but there's a lot of areas to rest and take photos. It's absolutely beautiful there (when I can see it and not focusing on wiping sweat out of my eyes). I keep making the same mistake and wearing too many clothes, though. You'd think, "Oh, this is a mountain, it's going to get cold," but it's not. You're working out pretty hard from start to finish and you can work up quite a sweat (or is that just me?). I always take an extra set of clothes with me to change into when I reach the top and not just for "sweat purposes" either. For some reason I'm always filthy when I finish. Probably because I have the worst balance in the world, and I happen to fall on all four's a lot. I see people flying through these steep, rocky areas and I'm like... "Wow, you are amazing". The Grind is called "Mother Nature's Stairmaster" for a reason. You are almost always on an incline. It's only 2.9 km's but an elevation of 2800 feet is nothing to sneeze at. ...unless you have allergies. In that case, take some Benadryl because no one wants your snot. Some older kid (who should have known better!), that kept running up and down past me (waiting for his Dad to catch up) stopped long enough to unleash the fury all over my arm. "Sweetie, please sneeze into your arm," is about as much as I can say without over stepping my boundaries and offending anyone. ...BUT, what I really wanted to say was, "... well, you all know what I REALLY wanted to say. lol.

I love taking the Gondola down and seeing how far I actually hiked up. It's pretty awesome if I do say so myself! It's also pretty amazing on how people can practically run up it and/or do "multi" Grinds in one day. My goal for the end of the season is to get my time in under an hour and complete 3 in one day. Let's see if that happens. Think I'm going to have to do more strength training. :-)

Yesterday, I decided to hit the gym where I did a total of an hour cardio (30 min elliptical, 15 stair climber, 15 bike) and 3 sets of weights on the machines. Nothing exciting; pretty basic stuff. It needs to be done though. I've found that running for me, doesn't really build much muscle or strength - especially in the upper body, so boring weights it has to be. It takes me about an hour and 45 to get through it all. Afterwards, instead of stretching, I headed over to do another (dreaded?) session of Hot Yoga. This time was probably worst than the last. I had to sit out on maybe 3 of the poses because I thought I was going to pass out. I started thinking, "Hmmm. Working out prior may have not been the greatest of ideas". I did make sure I hydrated really well before hand and didn't eat for over 2 hours prior. I then started to see a few more people having to sit out and/or just lie down. The room may have been slightly hotter than the last time. (Didn't think it could get hotter, but I guess it can!) Regardless, it was tough and I was wringing out my clothes by the end of it. I do love the feeling of when I'm done. The great thing was that I didn't feel like I needed to take a nap this time and instead, I felt a little more energetic and refreshed. Yay! So yes, I'll be going back again.

So what's on the agenda today? I do know I have to have a physical to get done at the doctors. Yuck. It's something that's non-negotiable, though. Having a check up to make sure nothing is dysfunctional or falling off is always a good idea. Would hate for that to happen. I'm sure everyone else appreciates it too. :) Now that I want to enter the uncharted waters of ultra-marathoning, it gets even more important and needed. Speaking of such, there is a new ultra & relay called the Whistler 50 happening in November. It is taking the place of the old Haney to Harrison Ultra and Relay which I participated in last year (the relay not the ultra. Just wanted to make that clear. lol). I did leg 7 (13.47k total), which was pretty challenging. The one hill I had to climb was about 4k in length. I felt like such a knob when these Ultra Marathoners were passing me. I'm like thinking, "Holy cow! You just ran 80k and you are leaving me in your dust?! WOW!" Pretty amazing! The inaugural Whistler 50 is an 80k (50 mile) race that can either be completed as an 8 person relay or a solo ultra marathon. I'm almost considering the ultra. I know... this is beyond crazy. This in fact, would be Ultra Crazy! (Pun intended). So we'll see. At this very moment, I'm not ready for it... but in 3 months, I could be. Stay tuned! :-) Thanks for reading!

Turtle Power!

Well, Hello Monday! During the last 3 days, I've spent time entertaining guests at home (aka being a slob and eating junk). So, I'm happy to be back at it with my usual routine.

As it's been a few days, I decided on doing just an easy 5k run on the trail. It was starting to cloud over and there was a fresh breeze. Still a little muggy but it's nicer than all this "liquid sunshine" we've been having all month. Lots of weird insects out. Instead of being attacked by mini flies this time, I kept getting those little green worms that hang from trees falling on me. Only these worms looked like they were on steroids! Big, green and creepy. Ewwww. *shiver*

After I did my jog, I went over to the track to do some Yasso 800's. I really do hate the track and I especially despise speed work. Yasso 800's are a great way to figure out where you're at though. You're supposed to start with 4 and then go up to 10 adding 1 set each week. Instead, I started with 2 and I will add 2 next week as I'm not interested in hurting myself. I ran my first set in 4 min 28 seconds. The second was at 4:30. Which means, if I kept going, chances are my 10th would be at around 4:50. So if I do a 4:50 800 meter, then theoretically, I can do a 4 hour and 50 minute marathon time (which is what I did at the BMO Marathon in May). So, I'm still a turtle. lol. However, I didn't push myself too hard either. I'm always a little skeptical about going faster as I don't want to hurt myself. Slow and steady wins the race, right? Well, probably not but it does get you to the finish line without crapping your pants or fracturing a leg. I've seen so many runners go off with an injury and I feel their frustration. I know I've hurt myself a few times, but it's always been minor stuff. On the whole, I do listen to my body. ...and if it's screaming at me to stop, I don't swear at it and keep going. lol.

Anyway, my goal is to make 4:25 800s by the end of September. I'm considering running in the Victoria Marathon in October (time/energy permitting) so I'm hoping that will be enough time to train for a sub 4:30 marathon. Boston is definitely not in my near future, but I'll eventually get there. ...just like the turtle. ;)

A Kick in the Pants

Maybe it's the ongoing dreary, wet weather... or the fact that my head still feels like it's been stuffed with cotton, but I've been finding it a challenge to get motivated, lately. So, I decided to "make" myself inspired. I've been spending some time researching training techniques for both ultra and triathlon. Both of which I would like to try some time within the next year. Unfortunately, because I swim like a brick, I'm thinking the triathlon will have to wait a little longer. Especially if I do one in open water (opposed to pool). I've signed up for a few private swim lessons to assess my swimming skills. Generally, sprint distance triathlons have a 750 meter swim portion, so I will need to be able to do at least that without drowning. I definitely don't want to drown. :)

I was also recommended to read a book on triathlon called, "The Triathlete's Training Bible" by Joel Friel. The information seems applicable to both beginner and advanced triathletes. It's a really big book with a lot of "dry" info, so when I finally get through it and absorb it all (will take me a while), I'll be able to give a more thorough review.

Another type of "motivator" I find people use are nutritional supplements. So I went for a visit to a "supplement store". Then I got overwhelmed and walked out. Years ago, I worked briefly in one of these places. I learned a lot, including: if you eat a healthy, balanced diet and take your vitamins, you probably don't need them. Unless you're an elite athlete, I don't see it as being imperative. It may be all my years of having to take loads of medications and feeling like a "guinea pig" in the way that I never know how my body is going to react to anything. The only extra "supplements" I may take are when I'm doing my long runs (12k+) as it's pretty much guaranteed that I will start running out of "steam" if I don't. GU Energy Gels seem to work well for me. They are quick, cheap and store nicely in my hydration belt. I like Vanilla. They are pretty strong tasting, so I always take it with a few sips of water. I have to be very careful with taking any product that includes caffeine as it upsets my stomach. This particular one contains cola nut (contains caffeine), but it's a small amount. I will also drink Powerade. I like white cherry because it's it's clear in colour. So if it spills (and it always does with me), it doesn't show up all over my shirt and I don't look like a slobby mess by the end of my run/race. Other than that, I don't really take anything else but water. The biggest rule is NEVER to try anything new before a race. The second half marathon I did, I decided to do just that... and you could barely pry me out of the port-o-potty. Gross. I also wore cotton socks and the most chafing bra in my drawer. The shower I had after felt like I was being stabbed in the chest and feet. Luckily, I've since discovered body glide and proper running socks. But I digress...

After checking out the supplements, I headed over to take a peak at an organics store (where they sell groceries, too). While I'm not into protein powders, caffeine loaded "slimming" products or metabolism enhancers, I do believe in some products that can help with "getting healthier". One is a daily multi vitamin. Seriously, you can't really go wrong here unless your health care professional says otherwise. Probiotics like acidophilus help with digestion and can boost the immune system. If you're working out regularly, glucosamine can be used in the formation and repair of cartilage and other body tissues. It may also be very beneficial if you suffer from osteoarthritis.

I did pick up a product called 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP). I chose the "lower" dose of 50mg just in case I did get any side effects. As 5-HTP has not been thoroughly studied in a clinical setting, possible side effects and interactions with other drugs are not well known. However, this particular supplement states to help with a LOT of things that personally effect me including: Depression, Carbohydrate craving, Insomnia, Tension headaches, Premenstrual syndrome and Fibromyalgia. So I'm willing to try it out. However, I've taken meds and supplements in the past that gave me the very side effects of symptoms I was trying to get rid of. Ironic? Yes. Irritating? Also, yes. So it would sort of suck if the side effects were sadness, weight gain, night terrors, headaches and paraesthesia. ...but I'll stay positive. :)

Today, is my "active rest day" which includes some hard core scrubbing, laundry folding and re-arranging of furniture. Hey, all of this burns calories, too. ;) It's amazing what types of daily chores can contribute to a "healthier lifestyle" not to mention, a clean house!

Washing Dishes (30 min) - 79 calories
Vacuuming (30 min) - 470 calories
Grocery Shopping (30 min) - 94 calories
Mopping Floor (30 min) - 139 calories
Dusting (30 min) - 50 calories
Scrubbing the Bathroom (30 min) - 200 calories

Even better, you can put on a comedy album and laugh while doing these chores! A good hearty laugh from the diaphragm will contract and work out those abs. Apparently, laughing 100 times is the equivalent to 10 minutes on the rowing machine or 15 minutes on an exercise bike! If you're feeling even extra energetic, you can have your partner come home for a "nooner" to break up your day of cleaning and laughing. The average lovemaking session burns between 50 and 100 calories. Having sex 3 times a week burns 7500 calories per year - that's over 2 pounds of body fat! Woohoo! I'm also pretty sure laughing while making love will burn even more. ;)

For my final note of the day, I have registered for my first Ultra Marathon! It is the Frosty Mountain Ultra Trail Race - 50 km's @ Manning Park in September. I would be lying if I didn't say I was a little freaked out but it's the total "kick in the pants" that I need to get more serious about my running regimen. Trail is a lot more difficult than road, so I know my time will be significantly slower. I will keep you updated on how my training unfolds over the next 8 weeks leading up to the race.

Thanks for reading today's novel. I suppose I've been procrastinating about that bathroom scrubbing. :)

Hot Hot Hot

Today I tried HOT yoga for the first time! I've only attempted Yoga on a few occasion so this was really going out of my comfort zone. I've been wanting to give this a go for a while now. I've been feeling pretty stiff lately - especially in my lower back and hips. Normally, trying to get me to stretch is right up there with asking me to eat a plate of liver and sauerkraut for dinner.


Bikram yoga is a 90 minute class that goes through a series of 26 poses while the room is heated to 40.6°C with a humidity of 40%. I'm someone who feels sick in hot tub within 10 minutes. So I had to get prepared and I truly thought I was! I drank a lot of water, didn't eat for nearly 3 hours prior ...and I wore yoga clothes straight from Lululemon! Unfortunately, this isn't a "typical" yoga class and you want to wear as least amount of clothes as possible. I was the ONLY person wearing long, thick yoga pants. It was hideous. By the end of the class, I may as well have jumped into a swimming pool. I kept on having to wipe the sweat out of my eyes in fear of going blind by the end of it.


When I've done yoga before, it's slow moving, has low lighting, with the instructor talking softly. With Bikram, it's a quicker pace, lights are much brighter and your instructor belts out demands like it was boot camp. I was glad I was at the back of the class. Some of these poses of shoving your heels behind your ears n' stuff was way, way out of my league. I was surprised how well my balance held up for some of it... and other times, I thought I was just going to keel over in the fetal position and start crying. Around mid-way through, I was thinking, "Hey, this ain't so bad. I'm going to survive this just fine." Then all of a sudden it hit me and I was like, "Damn you for thinking so darn positive!" This overwhelming wave of nausea and dizziness just hit me out of nowhere. So there was a few minutes where I just laid on my mat while everyone else was turning themselves into pretzels. I didn't want to start gulping water either in fear of my stomach completely turning. All I was thinking was "Why, why, OH WHY did I have to eat those Triscuits with cream cheese and jalapenos last night?" I not only had eaten my weekly quota of fiber in one sitting but jalapenos don't always sit well with me on the best of days. I'm pretty sure between the sweating and the fiber, I've been "detoxified" as well as anyone can possibly be in just one day.


After class, I just wanted to get changed and get home to take a shower. I decided to grab a quick bus ride home instead of walking (like I would normally do). Luckily, I remembered to bring a change of clothes. I'm pretty sure if I went the way I was, it would turn into one of those deodorant commercials where everyone is holding their nose and cramped up at the back of the bus while the stinky dude (a.k.a. "me") is oblivious to it all and continues reading the paper.


Anyways, they unfortunately didn't have any private rooms/stalls there. Instead, I changed in the bathroom stall (ew). If you're a little more shy (like myself) you really have no privacy. I wanted a shower so bad, but there wasn't anywhere to even hang a towel to wrap myself with when I got out. BUT, I gotta tell ya... if I wasn't straight, it would be pretty awesome! Many of the girls were these gorgeous models with perfect bodies. It brought a whole new meaning to the term "hot yoga". I seriously didn't know where to put my eyes so I just got out of there as quickly as possible. lol.


I've felt pretty sleepy since. Apparently, that's normal and my body has started cleansing itself. The tired feeling will eventually go away and I will start to feel "energized". I guess it's kind of the same rule when you start working out at the gym. The first 2 weeks are always brutal. Who knew it was so exhausting to sweat waterfalls? I plan to go back and hopefully (eventually), I'll start reaping some of those ultra-limber benefits that come with practicing yoga. ;-)

Namaste

Getting "Bugged"

As I've been a slug these last 5 days from this cold/flu, I decided to do a bike ride (20k) before attempting a run. Around the 8k mark, it started to get a little "buggy" on the trail. So, it took me swallowing one before I learned to keep my mouth shut. Due to the fact I'm still recovering from a "bug", it's a bit difficult for me to breathe through my nose. As I'm going through these little swarms of what seems to be mini flies, I held my breath and felt them smack against my sunglasses and face. It started to get to the point where I couldn't hold my breath much longer so I made the mistake of looking at the ground and just plowed through. What I didn't realize is that when I put my head down, that little opening between my sunglasses and face is just enough space for one of those bugs to get into and fly right in my eye! There I stood gouging my finger in my eyeball while I still felt it fluttering. Yuck! Finally, I dug it out... and inhaled another bug while I flicked it off my finger. After that, I chose to do my best to breathe through my nose so I can keep my head up and my mouth shut. Unfortunately, I didn't have any Kleenex with me... so I had to resort to the "unlady-like" method. If you don't know what this is, you may want to read my previous post. During one of my lesser-lady like moments, I wasn't paying attention and rode through a monster puddle. I don't have fenders. I ended up with mud-butt! Good thing I was on my way home. Oh well. Mid-way through my ride, I saw a huge herd of geese in this marshy area. So weird. I've been running/riding in this area a bunch of times and never saw them there before.

I was pretty stiff from the bike ride. So when I got back home, I stretched a bit, took an hour break and went back out for an easy 5k run/walk. There were a lot more people on the trail now and everyone seemed so happy. I've never smiled so much on a run before! Was pretty cool. The weather was nice and cool, too. My iPod music on the other hand, is not so cool. Not sure what I did but I hit something to make it alphabetical and it won't shuffle now. Listening to: The Monkees, then Mudvayne, Mushroomhead, Neil Diamond and then New Order is a little weird. lol. Anyway, for a first day back from a 5 day break, I felt pretty good on the run... just wish my nose would stop running!

The Cold, the Sick and the Ugly

This past week or so I've been sick, which is pretty much the "norm" when you have a child. You give them life and they give you every virus and flu bug that hits the general population. Tis the circle of life, right? (Sense the bitterness? :) So needless to say, I haven't been sweating much lately - at least, not the way I would like to be. Another wards, any raise of temperature has been treated with an Advil. Despite this bug, I try to get outside. Luckily, with an abundance of trails around I don't have to go very far to get close to nature. My daughter and I decided to go for a nature walk (after I bribed her with ice cream), yesterday. Unfortunately, when her ice cream was done and she didn't want to walk anymore she started to complain and cry. "Mommy, I want to go home now. This isn't the right way! Let's go this way! Can we take a bus?!" Complain. Whine. Complain. Finally I said, "Did you know bears live here? If you keep crying, they're going to hear and come eat you." ...Didn't hear a peep out of her for the rest of the walk. ...Just call me Mother of the year. :)


Normally, a cold bug doesn't stop me when running or doing any other physical exercise. However, if I'm running a temperature or if it's in my chest, I figure it's a good time to stay home, relax and catch up on sleep... and the laundry. It drives me crazy (no pun intended) when I see grossly sick people at the gym; coughing, blowing their nose and generally looking like death warmed over. If I'm sneezing everywhere, I'm thinking people would prefer me not panting in their general direction. So I try and avoid high populated areas. If I'm really stubborn, I'll go for a walk or run outside where's there's less of a chance of spreading. While doing so, I still retain proper "runner's etiquette" and give plenty of room for others to pass me and I restrain any impulse to blow out snot rockets. Carrying a tissue is much more lady-like, anyways. ;) As for today, the only thing I have on my list is to stay home and finally kick this cold (oh and the laundry, of course)! Cheers.

What Now?

About ten weeks ago, I completed the BMO Vancouver Marathon. This was probably the most awesome running experience I've had to date. I've done a number of 10k's to halfs up until this point and wanted to finally 'go the distance' with a full. This is something I highly recommend everyone do at some point in their lives - with the proper training of course. I definitely could have trained a lot longer and harder, but regardless, I was ready and very excited. When I approached the finish line and heard my name being called, I totally forgot about my blistering/now missing toe nails and instead focused on all the 'cheerleaders'. The volunteers were wonderful, the weather was beautiful and overall, it was just one of the most satisfying experiences I've ever had. My time by no means was not great, but I was training to complete - not to qualify for Boston. It was 4:50:44 with 2:12:11 being the 1/2 way mark. Which means I slowed right down in the second half. I blame the Burrard Bridge. :-)

Then I got hit with the 'wicked-est' case of bronchitis... Normally, I would let nature run it's course, relax and take some time off but I had a half-marathon to do 4 weeks later. The Run for Water out in Abbotsford. Let's just say, that even though it was not the worst time I've ever done, it was a miserable run. I was coughing, hacking, wheezing. I should have just stayed home, but unless you've met me, you don't know I'm extremely stubborn and pretty ridiculous to reason with sometimes. "Oh, I'll be fine!" is what I'll say until I'm scraped off the side of the road and thrown into a stretcher. I just remember surviving that race and not enjoying it like I should have. It was a beautiful day and the course was very flat. This year, they introduced the marathon distance and it's a BQ, too.

Two weeks ago I did the Vancouver Scotia Half and while my time wasn't significantly better than the Abbotsford (1 minute), I felt so much better. I was a little more prepared and the best part was that I was NOT sick. The problem was, that I decided to do the Grouse Grind (for the first time ever) the day before. Something I don't really recommend on the afternoon before a half marathon. Oops. Then I slept in and didn't have time to eat breakfast - so I just grabbed a banana and had a GU. Plus, I don't care for Gatorade, so I was just drinking water. Needless to say, when I hit the Burrard bridge I ran out of "steam". As a result, I got stuck with a final time of 2:18:53. On the bright side, I did raise over $200 for an organization called Arts Umbrella. All together, $5816 was raised in pledges which will apparently, go towards instruction costs for a 30-week arts program for 30 preschoolers in low income areas who wouldn’t otherwise have the chance to receive these life-changing arts experiences. Very Cool! Last year, I raised $300 and was very happy to help out again this year.

Over the past weekend, I decided to do a short, quick race. My foot had been bothering me so I didn't dare do anything longer. There was a 5 & 10k Inlet run being held in Port Moody for Golden Spike Days. I decided to do the 5k as I've never done a race that short before - and still get a medal for it! lol. My time was 28:36, which was okay for me. I felt good, but probably wore too many clothes. I overheat pretty quickly. Blah. Other than that, it was a pretty good, short, small attended race. They also had some great snacks and plenty of water, which was always a bonus. You'd be surprised about the number of races that run out of these necessities!

Now, I'm contemplating on what to do next. There's a lot of races that are either out of town or not happening until September. Over the summer months, the race calendar slows down a bit due to the heat and holidays, I guess. Will keep you posted on what I come up with. Cheers!