Synchronicity abounds!

We're 8 weeks into our training and we've decided to kick our training up a notch.  We've been sticking to our program  and having the support of our fellow princesses has been invaluable to our success so far, but we registered for one of the Running Rooms clinics that ends just 2 weeks before our Princess run.  Haha, we thought, this clinic is to prepare for the Hypothermic Half, but Orlando is gonna be SO much better!  Plus, now we'll have more motivation for those darn long runs.The nerves started as soon as we registered...I'm gonna suck, everyone's going to be RUNNERS there and I won't be able to keep  up...but right in the registration package it said not to worry about those butterflies in our stomach, it was going to be fun!  So, we show up at 630 tonight at the location nearest to all our houses and meet the other 12 or so people who will be running with us for the next 17 weeks.  There, we learn we have a fellow princess training for the same run, and she even works at the same place as us! And hey, so does the instructor!  And...we found out as we were leaving that one of the two gentleman in our clinic works there too!  I mean, what are the odds that HALF THE PEOPLE IN THIS CLINIC work at the same place which is possibly the furthest point from work while still being in the same city? Seriously, I just checked it on Mapquest and the airport is 30km away from our clinic, Vegas probably wouldn't even take those odds.

Anyway, we get our welcome packs and a brief overview of how the weekly schedule is going to go, and then head out for our first group run!  We run just under 4k as a group and it felt just fine!  It was a new route, it was COLD out and I think the group stayed reasonably close together during the run, so I think our running levels are pretty comparable.  Oh, and I found out during the run that one of the other girls is not only in the same soccer division as me, but that our teams play each other THIS SUNDAY?!?!?!  Seriously, it was a weird night for me, I should pick up a lottery ticket on my way to work tomorrow.

If we had really been thinking, we would have taken a picture to commemorate the occasion, but no luck. Just imagine the "Hurray for Disney" photo to the right has no sun, long pants, wind breakers over jackets, mittens and headbands, and red noses with sweaty foreheads. Oh, and matching shirts, as soon as they come in, they didn't have any left since we registered mere hours before the clinic started.  I think we're going to have fun at this and learn a few new things along the way. Plus, a lot of the people seemed like fun, so we might even find some new running buddies.  Now all we need is to psyche ourselves up to make it for the 830am Sunday runs.  Our instructor did suggest we all go for breakfast after these long runs at such an ungodly hour, so she knows how to motivate me for sure!

Keeping the streak alive!

For this week's long run, I joined the First Annual Brent's Run.  A friend of a friend's fiance died of a heart attack last year a month before their wedding so in his memory, she had organized a family fun run where you made a small donation to the Heart and Stroke foundation.  The run was supposed to be from Eau Claire, but had a last minute move to North Glenmore Park (that's right, my long run streak at the reservoir is unbroken!)  For this run, you could do the 5K loop once or twice if you wanted to do the 10K.  I met up with several friends just before 10 on a glorious sunny (but pretty chilly) Saturday to join what was probably about 50 people with kids on bikes, strollers, dogs and Starbucks and we were off!  I felt pretty good, the chill wore off pretty quickly and once again, I got to enjoy the lovely views of the reservoir on a cloudless day.

This wasn't a very competitive run, most people were out to support this woman, celebrate the memory of her fiance and get a little exercise doing it. I had never met either of these people before, but I've lost a few family members to sudden heart attacks in the past few years myself. I can't relate to losing a spouse like that, but I can sure relate to how horrible it is to get that phone call. Plus, it was a great cause, and the date happened to fit into my training schedule perfectly. I do like when there's synchronicity in my life! I found myself thinking of my mum a lot during the run, pleasant memories that propelled me down the path. She wasn't the running type, but I bet she would have totally appreciated how nicely my snappy running shirt matched my shoes and how my running belt could hold so much stuff!



At the end of the first loop, I headed back out for the second loop and noticed all the people who had been in front of me for the first half were now stretching at the finish line with bottles of water.  Um...what?? One of the organizers high fived me as I passed and said I was the first person starting the 10K.  Wait, all those fit people who left me in their dust at the starting line weren't doing the second loop?  Off I went, actually hoping to be passed by someone on the second loop.  As I headed out, the people finishing their 5Ks were coming back in,  a number of them waved at me as I went by.  I started to worry that maybe I was the only person doing the 10K and everyone would have gone home by the time I got back to the finish line and picked up the pace as much as someone on the back half of a 10K could.

I also realized early in the second loop the route markers had been set up incorrectly and it wasn't actually going to be a 10K.  I had my Nike + plugged into the iPod and the cheery woman announced 8K just when I noticed I could see the finish line again.  I did the math and realized the finish line was actually going to be at 9K and decided to go past the finish line for half a kilometer and then coming back to get the even 10K in.  As I got to the finish line, I realized everyone was sitting around eating sandwiches and cookies and were waiting..ummm...for me?!?!?  I actually WAS the only person who did the 10K, so I WON!  Everyone cheered as I came in, and it was sort of awesome. Plus, no way I could keep running after that reception, I'd look like a jerk!  So, I didn't actually run 10K, which is fine. The Nike + told me my pace really WAS fast, nearly 30 seconds faster per km than last week's run, and I felt really good! I wasn't tired, my legs weren't sore and I could have kept on going no problem. Maybe all this training really IS paying off!! Plus, the 8 cookies and 3 beers I had after the race tasted like food of the gods.  No wonder I like this running thing so much.  Acessories and endless appetite with guilt free snacking = the sport for me!

Madonna who?

I don't wear as many diamonds when I run, but you get the idea

OK, I'm a girl who likes her stuff.  I have to say, part of what I like about running is all the snappy accessories that go with it. In fact, the only reason I bought myself an Ipod  was to try to get myself out and moving more often. I can't believe I fell for it, or then later, that it actually worked!   I've probably logged HUNDREDS of hours on the ipod chugging away. Next, it was my first pair of $175 running shoes. When the Running Room guy saw that I had been running in Target brand sneakers that cost $14.95 and were crusted with blood on the back from repeated blisters, he asked if he could throw them out and wear the new ones right out of the store(I said yes).  I found that my shin splints and chronic foot pain vanished instantly.  Then I decided I could run better in snappy moisture wicking capris than in dirty sweatpants. I don't know if I got faster, but I felt more comfortable and less disgusting after the long runs.  Then I started buying cute Lululemon jackets and funny headbands, and laughing at "Running Shirt Jokes".  Those don't make me faster, but sometimes I just need a good laugh when I'm 30 seconds into an 8 run.  

Accessories are important too.  Today, I received my first ever Avon order.  I feel like such a grown up!  Instead of lipstick though, I bought a water bottle holder and some socks.  Happily and sadly, my old water bottle holder had grown too big and would fall off when I ran unless I tied the velcro strips around my waist instead of strapping them together.  Not cute at all, and actually pretty chafy, so my last few long runs have been thirsty affairs.  It doesn't look quite as comfy as my old one, but the price was right and it comes with a pocket for my Ipod AND my keys. My old belt had such a small pocket, I could barely fit a house key in there, and my car keys didn't fit at all, so I had to run while holding the key, argh.  This pocket looks like it would hold keys, credit card and a snack!  So long, dry mouth and leg cramps, hello hydration! I'm looking forward to giving the new one a whirl tomorrow morning!

How Jurassic Park failed me

Yesterday it hit 24C in mid October in Calgary. This morning when I woke up to go for my long run, it was gusting wind and flurries, temperature 4C. I know I harp about Calgary weather a LOT on this blog, but seriously, this is crazy. Maybe if I had my fellow princesses, then MAYBE I would have gone for a run outside.  But I draw the line at running in the dark, cold, wind snow by myself. I did think about scrapping the run altogether, saying go back to bed and I can always do it Monday.  Then I realized if I didn't do it now, it wasn't going to happen at all. I'm great at lying to myself. So, inside on the treadmill it was. 

I used to love the treadmill.  Running in place while watching TV or movies was great, so I thought.  Now I've really come to hate it, and hate it I did this morning for 6 whole miles.  I put in Jurassic Park to cheer myself up, but it didn't come close to a good long run out by the reservoir or the airport or anywhere that wasn't just staring at the same 4 walls. In fact, the movie was...starting to look like it was 20 years old.  What was with all the high waisted pants? Marky Mark was 20 years ago, but he's still awesome! And for probably the first time ever, I started thinking the whole premise of the movie was stupid and implausible. I bet a T-Rex would eat more than a single goat for lunch.  And I bet scientists would know when they were splicing frog DNA that the species can switch genders, that seems like a pretty stupid mistake. 

Sorry JP, I think this is the runner's low talking

I was so busy being angry about running on a treadmill I couldn't enjoy the movie at all, but nor did it distract me from my task at hand.  I get sweaty anytime I run, but running inside on a treadmill is the very worst, I was DRENCHED when I was done.  My headband was actually heavy when I pulled it off, and my shoes were soaked.  Also, I realize now that 6 miles is actually 9.6K, which means I ended up running an extra half kilometer because I can't do simple math!? GRR!!

I'm not saying treadmills are useless, I like them for speed intervals and hills and for sometimes just mindlessly watching the Food Network (yes, I love to watch bacon fry while I run, don't judge me) .  And yeah, they will sometimes beat the heck out of running in the snow or paying a $15 drop in fee to run laps at your local rec center, but I just didn't enjoy my run at all today.  I won't dwell on it, because it's done and next week's run will be outside for sure.  On the bright side, now I won't have to run on Monday with a hangover.

It's all about support

Ok, I know I've said before that I believe support is such a quintessential part when deciding to start a training program for a half marathon.. it’s would be just so easy to throw in the towel and stay under the covers if you didn’t have Felicity and Crystal’s voices in your ear urging you out of bed at 4:45am to make sure you aren’t late for your 5:45am run! Thank you for that ladies.. I mean it!

This all being said where ever you are and whatever you are doing.. the effort must be made to keep the training schedule up, and I’ve been kinda bad at this. So having the long run on a weekend where the goal is to see how much turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie you can fill yourself with, support is even more important. I was home in Sherwood Park this past weekend for Thanksgiving and upon arrival had said to my sister that I HAD to go on my long run while I was here (nothing like handing over that responsibility to someone else so there is someone else to blame if it doesn’t happen .. I know, I know.. this is wrong). With this knowledge, she still offered to join me and even asked her sister-in-law Mary-Jane to join as well. With seven children between them, having to organize childcare, decide on a time and make it all happen seemed like an impossibility but it all came together on Sunday morning.

Now it must be said that my sister has not run in months and Mary-Jane just spent a week in Disneyland with no exercise but walking the parks till they dropped (not easy, but not running either). We weren't exactly the perfect threesome given my current cold in the chest situation.. but we weren’t going to let that stop us. With the route scouted, running clothes on, we headed out for our run surrounded by a scenic route with the amazing fall colours, a perfect running temperature and great company.

We fell into a good pace for all and just ran and talked around the loop with the occasional kilometer update to keep us going. We finished at 6km exactly outside my parents place and were pretty proud of our accomplishment. My sis never thought she’d be able to do it without stopping but we ran the whole way and now she is even considering doing this more often (Leigh-Ann, it’s in print and on the web.. now you HAVE to do it ;). Mary-Jane I have to thank you for the running tips, for coming out to run and for convincing us to go to Timmy’s afterwards! Yay, a sense of accomplishment AND a steeped tea to boot!