Witchcraft Lake Trail

Wednesday I spent all day hiking for work, because my job rocks :) I went to check out the different access trails to Mt. Benson Regional Park. Mt. Benson being the highest summit in Nanaimo. 

I wore my heart rate monitor but since the GPS was messing up I just set it to measure time, my heart rate and therefore calories. The hike up was super steep, a good quad burner. My rec tech needs a few more rest breaks than I would prefer but we made alright time.  

We didnt quite go all the way to the top but there was still some pretty awesome views along the way! Its a hike I have been wanting to do for a while but do to the length and the difficulty I wasnt quite sure it was safe to go alone. 

Not a bad way to burn some calories and get a good cross-training work out in!

Witchcraft Lake

Long run

Saturday I had a pretty kick ass long run. My training plan called for 1 mile warm-up, 10.5 miles at sub 9:10 and 0.5 mile cool down. I was short on miles for the week so I upped the distances a bit to 2.5miles of warm-up, 11 miles at sub 9:10 and then 2 miles of cool down. 

I ended up averaging exactly 9:00 mins/mile on my long run portion and felt great the entire run! The only bummer was I usually take two gels, a caramel macchiato one and a peanut butter one. But I somehow grabbed the wrong kind when I bought them last and I bought caramel macchiato and salted caramel. I didnt realize till I was out on my run and it was total caramel overload! I couldnt finish the second one and I just had a gross sickly sweet taste in my mouth for the remainder of my run. I usually like to take half a gel around 4, 7, 9.5, and 12. 

I kept the indulgences just to Friday night and stayed well within my calories for Sat. I had one drink put the kids to bed and called it a night. Also I saw this on FB and it made me laugh out loud...I cant wait to use this line on my daughter!

Sunday was a day of attending birthday parties with the kids and my first complete rest day in 20 days! It felt pretty good :)

Registered Massage Therapy

Friday weight check-in:

A bit high for me and I'm actually kinda surprised by this with the amount I have been working out. But its the best I can do right now with so many holidays/events.

I was sitting at work this morning and thinking I did not want to go out for a run at all...which is pretty unheard of for me :-)  So I took a look at my training schedule and realized I hadnt taken a rest day for 17 days! Even doing weights that morning I was feeling pretty lethargic. So instead of an easy run I walked to the gym and did some gentle biking and elliptical. It felt good after the speed drill the day before just to do some easy movements.

I had a registered massage therapist appt. that afternoon which I was looking forward to to address some of the tightness in my left leg. 

I've seen the massage therapist 4 or 5 times over the last 2 years when I've had issues and he rocks. He is an exercise addict himself and total gets it. I told him I needed some help with tightness in my left leg and so he said he would spend some time loosening them both up. 

He worked on my right leg first and said it felt pretty good, just a little tightness in my calf. The he switched to the left and put his hands on my hamstring and practically shouted at me "what have you done to this leg?!!"  So maybe a bit of tightness was an understatement. 

He spent the next 40 minutes working that leg and trying to get me some more mobility. RMT massages are not the relaxing spa type of experience. I could feel how sore it was knee to hip and he is strong and digs in pretty good! Just enough pressure where I can still stand it. 

 But when I got up after it felt amazing!! That leg felt so loose and good! I wanted to dance right there in the room lol. I couldnt wait to go test it out with a run :)

Lunchroom treats!

Thursday I got to work and was hungry...hungry ahead of schedule all day long and had to deal with stupid donuts in the lunchroom!

I dont even like donuts! I usually not even tempted by these but I wanted to inhale the whole box of them!! Thankfully most of them were bacon covered?! Not my thing!

I kept trying to psych myself up for the speed drill I had planned. 35 minutes, easy followed by 15 minutes sub 7 mins/mile...on a hilly route...ugh! 

Another bathroom selfie...starting to lose the tummy...why is that always the last to go!

It was 26 degrees again in Port (ignore the app temperature... it lies!!). 15 minutes is a long time to push yourself. You can see by my heart rate I was going pretty close to all out for those last 15. It felt like insult to injury that I had to end at the top of a hill as well! I tried my hardest and came in at 7:07, I hate not making my goal right on but I'm not going to beat myself up over 7 seconds! 

Also a long time ago my app stopped accurately recording ascent and descent. I find it super frustrating. It usually records no ascent and only the descent on every other mile...I have no idea why or what I did. 

As if the donuts werent enough, someone added a package of Oreos near the end of the day! I couldnt wait to bust out of there at 4 just to get away from it all!!

Tired legs...

Tuesday I took the day off work. A very last minute health and wellness day :) I got some chores done in the morning and intended on doing a long run at Westwood Lake. I was thinking maybe 4 laps which would be 24km. 

But my legs were not feeling it after the speed drill the day before. I'm definitely taking a little while to adjust to this training schedule! 

It was a nice sunny day and the lake looked beautiful but even slowing down my legs did not want to go up those hills and actually felt quite sore. 

So after 2 laps around I called it a day. I sat on top of the bluffs for a bit and chilled in one of my favorite spots to be.  

I ended up running just under 12k at 11:03 mins/mile! Not exactly what I had intended but I listened to my body...something I am not so great at doing most of the time!!

Wednesday I did my weights at coffee break and then went out for a run at lunch. My legs were starting to loosen up a bit but my left hamstring was feeling quite sore and tight. Not injured sore, but I could definitely feel it. I did an easy 10k (9:37min/mile) with the hope they would be recovered enough for speed again on Thursday.

Speed - Yup!

Monday I decided to try again the speed drill that I had to abandon on Friday. But this time outdoors and not on the treadmill. The plan was to do 15 mins warm-up, 8 intervals of 1 mins sub-6 mins/mile (3:45mins/km), followed by 2 mins recovery, 10 mins cool down.

I was feeling rested and fuelled up after a weekend of eating well and felt like I could do it. It’s interesting I’m reading a book right now on confidence in running and how huge of a part it plays. If you believe you can do it there’s a good chance you will and if you don’t you wont. A lot of that confidence of course is backed up by physical confidence from training. But its interesting, they talk about tailoring your training schedule in a way that will give you the most confidence in your abilities.

So I was kinda pumped and ready to get out and get it done. I stepped outside at lunch and it was stifling. It was 26 degrees and so humid. Way hotter than I had expected and I was not dressed appropriately I had a high neck black tank top and pair of less breathable shorts (end of laundry cycle!). I made it 10 mins into my run and was dying. I ended up ditching the tank top on the side of the road despite the old unflattering sports bra! I rolled the shorts down despite a bloated tummy from a weekend of overeating and ran like that. I just didn’t care!

 

I busted my butt on those intervals in the heat and ended up making a 5:56 average! I was so pumped. It was freaking hard! You wouldn’t think 1 minute would feel so long!! I love hitting my speed targets like that, especially on such a hot day. The endorphin rush lasted a good part of the afternoon J

 

 

 

But I did come back to work looking like a hot mess. Red face, so sweaty, still refusing to put my shirt back on, white tummy hanging out cause I was too tired to suck it in at all lol. The only staff member I passed in the locker room very kindly did the “I’m so busy looking in my bags here on the floor I don’t see you at all” move.  

 

 

I went home and made the following skinnytaste recipe for dinner to use up some leftover feta and kale chicken sausage we had. It was way too much chopping for my liking but tasted really good!

 

 

Back on plan with eating ~2000-2100 calories

Kelowna - day 2

The wedding itself was a bit of a bummer. I was excited to go party and dance but it really wasn’t my scene. The bridge and groom had a large group of their friends from university in attendance and it made the party feel a bit like an exclusive party for them.

 

Which is too bad because I love to dance and it might of helped burn off some of those cupcakes! I way over did it on the food…chips, popcorn, the meal, jelly beans, cupcakes, lots of drinks. Came home with a tummy ache. A few hours of dancing would have been beneficial…lol. But I did get up at 6:30 and make my way out for a bit of a penance run. Just 5 miles easy.

(hung over run)

 

Some dog walker called me inspiring which always helps J

 

I had to laugh when I looked around our beautiful bed and breakfast room and saw it littered with all my sweaty running gear and arm band, heart rate monitor, headphones…there’s no escaping it!

 

 

Went for a walk around the lake once the rest of the family got up before heading over to a family friends for Brunch. Cue more overeating, followed by another walk around the neighborhood. So while the calorie consumption was over the top, at least I was getting a lot of exercise in. Finally it was time to head home and thankfully we were flying back.

Waiting in the airport...2 delayed flights...not sure why I am so happy...



Kelowna

Friday was a long day in the car travelling to Kelowna. Connor had to laugh because the first thing I did when we checked in was ask for a map of nearby trails. He says my two main concerns every day are when can I run and what am I going to eat :) 

We were staying in a little bed & breakfast which was serving breakfast at 8:30. So for people like me who get up by 6 that wasnt going to work... So I had a granola bar and some coffee with hot chocolate in it because I was on vacation damn it! 

I got dressed and hit the road eager to seek out the nearby trail around the lake.

Unfortunately due to flooding the lake trail was closed so that was a bit of a bummer. But I still found a nearby bike path that was nice enough. 

My training schedule called for a shorter run of 8 miles this weekend as it was a recovery week. I didnt think I would actually get that done while on vacation, but I managed to get it in that morning at a pace I was happy with.  

I have mentioned this before, but I love when people right happy messages on the sidewalk or trails. It makes me smile and always puts a little pep in my step! 

That afternoon we got ready to go to the wedding we were there for. Probably the one time this year you will catch me with make up on...lol. I just dont have time for the crap...but I have time to run 1-3 hrs per day...hmmm

The wedding venue had an indoor pool with a huge inflatable swan in it. I so wanted to ride that thing. A few more drinks and it may have gone down :)

Speed...nope!

Friday morning I got up with the intention of doing a quick speed-drill before we went away for the weekend. The plan was to do 10 mins warm-up, then 8 intervals of 1 mins fast (sub 6 mins/mile), with 2 mins recovery.  Sounded pretty doable, but I made it 10 seconds into the first interval...

My legs were just not having anything to do with it! I debated just calling it completely and going back upstairs to pack but I decided just because I couldnt do speed, didnt mean I couldnt still get a work out in. I lowered the speed down to a brisk walk and did some hill work. I ended up putting in 30 mins and burned around 250 calories. I was pleased that I didnt just throw in the towel as I can be quite all or nothing. 

Trails Day

Today was a total trails day. I hiked the Father & Son Recreation Trail for work which was nice. I had never been up there before.  It was only about a 15 mins hike in but it was steep and a definitely got my heart rate up!

Two pretty sub-alpine lakes (Father Lake and Son Lake). 

Then when I finished work I hit some of the trails near my office for a run. I intended to run maybe 4.5-5 miles. But I got out and was in such a zoned out mood. I was so relaxed and running felt so easy and effortless.  The miles were just flying by and I was enjoying being in the woods. I almost felt hypnotized. Every time the announcement came up that another mile had passed I was almost shocked because it felt like only 2 mins had passed since the last one. 

The only reason I stopped at 7 was because I had to get home and make dinner. I felt like I could have run all day in this weird forest-stoned state :)

Fast Finish - Run of Doom

Should I be concerned if I go to pull up my pants and rip a big hole in them lol...

Today was a fast finish run. 35 mins easy and then finish with 12 mins straight at sub-7 mins/mile. I always think of these as runs of doom :)The majority of the run is easy but you cant really enjoy it because you're constantly waiting for that announcement telling you you have to bust your butt!

  

I managed to do my 12 mins at 6:57 so I was pleased I was able to get in under my goal. Especially after the lackluster run the day before!

Go legs go...

Today was an easy run day. The schedule called for 45 mins at an easy pace. So I decided to try out my new trail shoes and do a couple laps of the trails by my work. 

I woke up feeling pretty stiff though from my speed drill yesterday and with zero energy. I got out and could barely make my legs move! The whole run was a mental game where I just convinced myself to keep going and plod along. I never really warmed up or got into it at all. So I just put in my time and couldnt wait for it to be done!

My run summary at the end made me laugh. Average heartrate of 126! That's how slow I was moving my heartrate was barely raised above a walk!

I look happy in this photo...happy to be done and going back inside to eat lunch!

Not a bad place to run though!!

Back to work...

Today was the first day back to work. Back to the routine which I like. Morning weights...

was still able to do my two reps of 35 push-ups! 

Lunch was my first intense speed drill of the new training program. 15 mins warm-up, 7 2 mins intervals at sub-6:45 with 2 mins recovery, 5 mins cool down. 

The first interval I got slowed down by a construction flagger but even with that one included I still made my pace over all. It was tough but not unmanageable. It felt great to be done and the new shoes help up well, no blisters. 

Runspiration

Yesterday I was sitting on the couch and feeling not at all motivated to go for an evening run. I am a morning person and getting out for a run later in the day is always a challenge. But I had spent the day with the kids and knew I would probably feel better getting out. Also I had taken Monday as a rest day and I dont like taking two rest days in a week (so lazy right? lol...I know I have issues!). 

Sometimes when I'm feeling like that I google "runspiration" and swipe through the images. There is only so many of these cheesy pictures you can go through before you feel motivated to get up off the couch! 

Plus I needed to try out the new kicks! 

I told Connor I might just walk a bit, but once I was laced up and ready to go I managed to settle into a jog. 

Summer sports bra running because I dont care!!

I did a slow easy 4 miles and felt better for it. The shoes felt good, different, maybe springier? I'm excited about using them for racing. 

Training Again!

Well it was fun while it lasted! The off-season, run whatever pace or distance I want and not care about speed kind of running. But, I'm always excited to get back to training, I really like structure! Its 13 weeks till the GoodLife half-marathon and I'm happy to get back at it. Dont get me wrong I have been running this entire time, just slow as heck at times :)

hungover vacation run to the grocery store when you realize you forgot to pack coffee!!

Tomorrow is my last day off after 10 days off work. It was so nice to de-stress and spend some family time camping. Usually for me vacations mean not too much activity and a ton of food. I often come back up at least 5lbs. But this time was different. I kept moving all day long. Walks with the kids, swimming and running when I could. 

beautiful running trails by our campsite!

I indulged in all the usual goodies: drinks, chips, s'mores. But I tried to eat healthier for breakfast, lunch and snacks and then was a bit more carefree at dinner and around the fire. This totally paid off and I think I will end up finishing my holidays the same weight as when I started...yay! 

I got my excel sheet loaded up with my new training plan (Matt Fitzgerald - 80/20 - Half-Marathon - Advanced) which is always such an optimistic feeling :) I have so many tabs now its ridiculous!

Then I went out and bought two new pairs of shoes. A new trail pair and racing shoes. I have worn my current pairs into the ground and I'm so excited to have some new ones. Time to get them dirty :)

Todays run was 1.5M warm-up, 8.5M at 8:59mins/mile and then 1.5M cool down. The paces I'm trying to use are for a 1:30 half marathon...yikes! I dont really think I can shave another 5mins off my time, but I will do my best to beat 1:35!

Training Paces (mins/mile):

Long Run: 8:07-9:10

Easy Run: 8:07

Tempo Run: 6:45

Speed: 5:37

The one that is throwing me off the most is the easy run at 8:07...the rest I find all reasonable/doable. But 8:07 is not what I would describe as easy. Maybe because I do a lot of my easy runs on trails. I might need to re-evaluate that one...