HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Now, I'm not much for resolutions, because I find I've broken them utterly by January 10 and then feel like a failure for the rest of the year.  However, if I had resolved today to sleep in, eat greasy breakfast, nap until giant calzone lunch, then graze on pizza and anything I can find in the fridge between naps for the rest of the day, then I'd be right on track! I have to run 16K tomorrow, and I already know I'm going to regret pretty much everything I ate today by 9am tomorrow, but at least I've been drinking water and Gaterade nonstop all day so I should be nice and hydrated instead of the hungover mess I was this morning...

Another thing is that maybe I don't actually have to make any resolutions this year, because I'm halfway through one I made last year.  Yeah, I've eaten junk since mid November and I've only run 3 times in the past 10 days, but I've also been sticking to a long term running program, and I feel really good about our half marathon that's only 57 days away...we've done lots of base runs, hill training, long runs and cross training.  We've booked our days off, our car and found a place to stay. I think I have a cute outfit to wear. 

Yeah, we've had a few stumbling blocks--vacations, being sick and oh, yeah, Christmas!---but overall, I'm incredibly proud of us!  We've done distances we've never done before, run in the cold, in the snow and in the dark. I can't believe all the new things I've tried and even liked!  Christmas was really tough on our schedule, but I know we'll be back on track soon because the three of us are set up for success.  No matter how tired or crappy one of us feels, the other two are there to keep us motivated and on track and the support has been just fantastic!  And joining the Running Room was a great idea too, we're still dragging ourselves out in the cold and in the dark to do the toughest stuff.  Thanks to my fellow Princesses, 2011 is already a success!  I can't wait for our run!



If only this could be true...



Treadmill.. shredmill.. #$%@&^$

So overall Calgary’s winter weather isn’t so bad comparably speaking. I mean, we like to complain on really cold days (and don’t get me wrong there have been some this season) but now with the runs getting longer and the weather getting colder, it was bound to happen… hitting the euphoria wall and having a bad running day!!

We've found that each run completed together usually ends with positive energy including congratulations to and for each other on continually showing up and putting in our best efforts. These actions can be explained the sense of accomplishment AND the euphoria you feel after a run caused by endorphins.


We have come to get used to this and wait for it, so even though at times during hills, long runs, tough runs, etc.. you can count on the fact that when you are done, you will feel better than when you started...That was before today. With the weather hovering at around -18C, the only logical option for me was to run the 7km (yeah, I know ONLY 7km) on our gym’s state of the art treadmill… still not feeling sorry for me, I get it.

I gave myself 45minutes to complete this task, set my pace accordingly and raised the incline to 2% (as per what we were told would simulate outdoor running). The run started off OK, the first couple km’s were completed with help of Julia Roberts running from her husband in “Sleeping with the Enemy”.. keeps your mind off of things for sure. The next couple kms got progressively harder with nothing on TV to keep my mind occupied enough to forget that I was running. I did make an effort to keep my mind busy trying to answer questions on “The Cash Cab”.. didn’t help as the commercials kept interrupting my make believe bliss.

By 3.5km or half way, usually I get kind of excited because I’m on the downhill now, halfway finished .. not so much today. All I could muster (in my own mind of course) was.. “Are you kidding me.. I’m only half way now!?!?” So switching between “Showbiz Tonight” and the “Cash Cab” during commercials got me to around 5km (my maximum treadmill run ever).. but still 2km to go… urghh.!!!

I should know better than to even have the km reading up on the treadmill because the last hard fought kms were the longest time spent ever on a treadmill I'm sure! I am sweating by this point (having gotten used to running outside), can’t concentrate on the TV (partly because I can’t answer the $100 questions) and have started texting Felic for encouragement (which she thankfully obliged to with return texts of support). Thank God it finally ended, I thought I was out of my misery, just waiting for those endorphins to check in and make me feel like I’d accomplished something, that I’d feel better because I finished.. NOT! Didn't happen.

So I guess another lesson learned.. treadmills for longer than 5km runs and for the most part aren't something I am inclined to do often AND make sure that when I am done that I tell my princess partners about the experience and who make sure to bring you that feeling of endorphins to you in words and praise afterwards.

Mirror Mirror, on the wall....

So, it's been a rough week for training. Rough in that tonight was my first run in exactly seven days, and it sort of felt like crap. I was so tired and have eaten nothing but junk for the past week and I felt like the week off training (toboganning aside) really showed in my performance...I was tired and whiny and wanted to quit.  But, Christmas is a busy time, so I'm not going to dwell on that and just focus on getting back on track...even though I complained all the way through our 8ks of hills tonight, it sure felt good when it was over and I was proud of myself for even getting off the couch. Even when a run sucks, it's still kind of awesome.  Thanks to my Running Room peeps for the encouragement tonight!

But enough about running, how's the outfit hunt going???

Well, today I bid on and then won a Belle costume from Ebay! 

It was the low, low price of $10, plus $10 for express shipping (from Hong Kong) so for $20, I just might have my awesome running outfit. Now, it is a child's costume, and a size 7 at that, but I did some sizing up this weekend on my 8 year old niece's pretty Christmas dress (abandoned before Christmas dinner in favor of stretchy pants, that's my girl!) which was a size 4. I'm not saying it fit by any means, but I could probably shoehorn myself into it if need be without blowing out all the seams (I would look like a sausage walking upright, but that's not the point here, people. Besides, after 4 days of beer and cookies for breakfast, and averaging 5000 calories a day for most of December I wasn't exactly my leanest).

My thought is that I'll cut the back open and put some yellow elastic in it for increased running comfort and um, to just fit into it. See how pretty??

I hope the fabric absorbs sweat

I figure it will be about knee length on me since I'm not 4 feet tall, which is perfect since I plan to wear shorts under it. I might chop off the underskirt thingie so it looks more like a tutu as well, but we'll see. Plus, since I remembered I don't know how to sew , that modifying an existing dress might be a better option than trying to make one without a pattern or sewing machine.  With any luck, it will be delivered really soon and I can see what I have to work with, and also if I can actually run any distance in it without chafing to death or drowning in my own sweat.  I figure worst case is that I'm only out $20 and my niece will be set for Halloween next year!

Merry Christmas!

OK, Merry Day after Christmas, but I was too busy eating turkey and mashed potatoes yesterday.  So, it's Sunday night and I should be writing about my 16K run today...or anytime in the past 3 days. But, I'll be honest, I didn't do it...yet.  I haven't given up, I'm hoping I can squeeze it in the next 2 or 3 days, but there just wasn't a chance to do it over Christmas weekend.  I was out in the mountains in BC, and I did bring out my cold running gear, but I didn't see anywhere I could do it. The last few times I've been out there, I was dropped off in Golden and started running back on the highway, which worked just fine in the fall, but the plows hadn't left much of a shoulder and the roads were pretty icy, so I just didn't think it was safe.

Now, please don't think I was being totally lazy. Yes, I spent most of the last 3 days sitting around in pajamas eating cookies and drinking beer (and that was just breakfast), but I did get a LOT of winter sports in too.  My dad had set up a ramp in the driveway that made for some killer tobogganing.  I spent at least 2 hours a day zipping headfirst down the driveway on my belly and I ran back up as many times as I could. Sometimes I was hauling 40lbs back up the hill, and sometimes 80lbs depending on how tired my niece and nephew were getting.  My legs are KILLING me today.  Who knew cross training could be so fun?  I also went snowshoeing and cross country skiing while I was there, the cabin was a great place for both cross training AND carb loading!  Thanks Genny and Kappy!