This Is The Life!

I Like To Ride My Bicycle

2012-11-21T09:45:00.002-08:00

I haven't been as sore riding my bike these days due to the consistancy of getting on it and riding. I'm not going very far (I ride 99.99% of the time on the trainer), but I have moved our cable box downstairs and being able to watch the TODAY show from the trainer makes for a much more pleasurable ride. YEAH! My legs are enjoying the "Running Vacation" even though I have been running about 1 time per week.

Since I've been getting in more early morning workouts these days, it's leaving free lunches for walks on the Seawall with the girls. LOVE!

The Dude and I have been hitting the pool and last weekend he swam 10 lengths. He wanted to have a bunch of "races" with me, so we did and ofcourse the Dude won:)

We've been baking around our place too. I wait until I get the cues from him, that he is interested in making something and then we go with it. The other weekend it was "Car" muffins for snack time. This past weekend it was jello - he had never tasted jello before and who doesn't LOVE jello!

I tried to do a "VLOG" on Monday, but failed miserabley. I've seen a few and thought I would make an attempt at it, but it didn't really work - lol!
Happy Turkey Weekend Americans!
Cheers!

Great People Doing Great Things

2012-11-07T11:04:00.003-08:00

Source

If you Click on the link below you will find out more about what they are doing. A photo is something we often take forgranted in our digital world these days. Pat and Tim (my sister-in-law and her husband, one of their daughters and the staff at their company BRANDFX are on their way to Mexico this weekend to give the gift of photos and oh SO MUCH MORE!

Great People Doing Great Things!

http://www.nsnews.com/news/Photo+ready/7495929/story.html

Cheers!

Doing Stuff Like This

2012-11-06T15:12:00.003-08:00

The Dude hit the pavement for about 12 houses on Halloween. He's little, I guess they don't last long at that age, but he still ended up scoring quite a bit of candy:) The BIG man and I laughed everytime someone would open the door, because the Dude would jump. Soooo cute!

We've been hitting the wave pool pretty consistantly every weekend and this past weekend the BIG man joined in on the fun too. I still can't believe that the little dude is not totally bagged after the swim because he just goes and goes and goes. For me, it's a time when there are a lot of "yes's" for the little Dude. So often he has to listen, go put something away, get ready for something that when it's pool time, the answer is mostly "yes".

I been doing only a little bit of running and a lot more cycling (with coffee - YEAH coffee). I've also been keeping consistant with the weights and core work too.

I adore my Sundays - YEAH Sundays and even more so when dinner is in the crockpot and just shows up at the table:)

Cheers!

Lately

2012-10-30T10:32:00.004-07:00

Mostly in pics:

running in new shoes - love them and recovering in warm cozy UGGs = Heaven.

Swimming with Gillian - thankful to be getting in some swims and in all honesty, if I wasn't meeting someone there, I wouldn't be going. So thank you Ms. Gillian!

And that Stair rotator/crazy machine thingy requires SO MUCH concentration - I only tripped about 20 times in 70 minutes. My girlfriend came over to chat with me and in about 9 min I must have tripped at least 5 times. Good times:)

I was going to run a 1/2 marathon in a week and a 1/2, but my body/mind needs a bit of a break (I haven't been recovering well from speed work), so I am taking some time to do what I feel like. The original plan was to take 1 month off of running, but that plan just adds pressure to do something in the morning and doesn't let the mind rest. So, if I wake up and want to get on my bike on the trainer - I do, or go to the gym like I did this morning - I will, or if I don't feel like doing anything in the morning, I will run at lunch. My base that keeps me from losing my S&^T is 5 cardio sessions a week. However that happens from now until November 29, 2012 will be a surprise:)

The MAIN HEFTY goal for 2013 is to run a sub 1:30 1/2 marathon. Which means down to business in the new year!

And here's a pick of my boys with the "Project". It's actually starting to look more like a car and I see a light at the end of the tunel (knock on wood).

Hope everyone is safe and sound. Thinking of those affected by "SANDY".

I Close My Eyes and Have a Little Lulu Fantasy Everytime...

2012-10-18T15:47:00.000-07:00

...I run across the Burrard Street Bridge and pass the Lululemon Head Office. What is that fantasy? Well, it's kind of one of those sllloooooowwwww mooooo dreams where all the happy people in their Lulu offices open their windows and start throwing AMAZING luon out the windows while dancing around smiling! It's a dream, it's a fantasy! It's lame - but could you imagine?

Source: http://blogs.ubc.ca/aliceguo/2011/03/29/lululemons-miracle/

Fall has arrived here and it's rainy and the leaves are changing colour and it's not yet too cold. This summer we were outside ALOT and everyday it was sunny I made sure I appreciated every second of it. Savour every minute of the warmth and the sun, because when you live in Vancouver the rain is sure to arrive and stay for longer than you most often want. Today at lunch I went for a beautiful run and appreciated the silence of the bare beaches and changing colours of the trees.

I was inspired by IMWorld Champs this past weekend - what amazing athletes. Congrats to all that raced!

My girlfriend Brandi, just ran her 2nd ever marathon this past weekend and came in at 3:29:00 - Friggin AMAZING! The girl is a teacher, a mom of 2 beautiful girls and such a sweetheart!

I'm excited about IM Canada going to Whistler, BC. I used to work in Whistler and it's a FUN place:) I wish they picked a different weekend to host it though. Challenge Penticton is that weekend too. It will be interesting seeing where people tend to go this year. Whistler is a lot closer for those living in the Vancouver/Lower Mainland and can make it there a lot easier for weekend training and a lot of people either have places there or know people who do. I'm curious to see what happens. Since they have signed a 5 year contract with IM, my goal is to do it within the 5 years that it's there. Life is too busy right now to even think about it right now, but within 5 years, I hope we can make it happen.

What are your thoughts on the new location for IM Canada?

Cheers!

Turkey on the Farm

2012-10-09T12:01:00.001-07:00

Ahhhh I am Thankful for a Wonderful weekend.

It feels like I live for weekends these days. Time with the family, time to re-group and re-connect with those I love.

This weekend started off with homemade pizza's and a movie:

A little Urban running that had a water stop at Mc D's because it was SO FRIGGIN HOT - no complaints though - notta one!

A little time at the race track.

Turkey dinner on the farm: AMAZING dinner with family on the Big Dudes cousins farm. The kids ran and ran and ran, road bikes and played for hours:) The food was fantastic!

And a swim at the wave pool, where there was some tube slide domination.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend.

Super Congrats to RFR who nailed her sub 3hr marry this weekend and Gillian who dominated Victoria marry with a sweet 2nd OA. SOOOOO motivating ladies!

Cheers!

I Want My Sundays Back!

2012-10-01T10:00:00.004-07:00

I miss those Sunday's when NOTHING was open, only a drug store and a couple of restaurants and the community centre. I have been trying and will continue to try to not schedule things on Sundays. I really LOVE having that day as the day that we wake up and do whatever our hearts desire. Most times, that is the park, swimming, hiking, a movie or playing outside. I crave it and I think I really need it and so does the Dude. We work so hard during the week to have the "chores" done, that when those Sunday's don't happen for me I really feel like I haven't had a break over the weekend.

This Sunday the Dude and I went to the pool. We had races, pretended we were penguins, made funny faces at each other in the water, he did crazy jumps into the pool. By the end of our swim session you could tell we both felt great. I've had him at the pool since he was 6 months old and it's kind of "our thing".

The BIG man and I had our anniversary date on Satruday night. The Dude's sister came over and they hung out and we went downtown for dinner. It was great. The table next to us was rather entertaining as they were on a 2nd date and she was giving him all of her "baggage". OMG - ladies, please, I don't think the "baggage" talk is a deal sealer on a 1st, 2nd 3rd date! But it was entertaining for us - so thanks baggage lady. I definitly feel REALLY fortunate to have my man in my life.

P.S. The Man promises me and the FB world that he is much happier than he appears in this pic:)

Cheers!

The "Off Season"

2012-09-27T10:11:00.001-07:00

I am trying really hard right now to listen to my body. It's kind of funny the weeks leading up to a big race, I start to look forward to doing whatever my heart desires and then after the race it's like BAM, I all of sudden feel guilty if I don't feel like going for a run or working out. It's weird how my head plays that game with me. So what I have done thus far is:
Week 1 - I went for walks at lunch time part way around the seawall from my work. Just getting outside and having my legs moving felt great.
Week 2 - I rode my bike 3 times (that hurt a bit - you know what I mean ladies), went for 1 8 mile run with a surprise avg pace of 7:45s and Gillian met me at the pool for a swim:)
Week 3 - started off with a couple of 8 mile runs and then Wednesday I was planning on running at the gym again and did 4 miles and just wasn't into it, so I popped on over to the stairmaster and did another 30 min on that. I will ride tomorrow and swim again with Gillian and Sat go for a run, but I am REALLY trying to pay attention to what I feel like doing.

Sooooo, my girlfriend posted on FB that she loves doing the Body Rocks videos when she can't get to the gym and I replied to her "have you ever tried the Tone It UP Girls". That got me thinking - engage the core! So I did - 3 times thus far this week. Since I feel like I need a bit of goal right now, it will be to "Engage my Core 3 times per week". I also picked myself up a little end of season treat from the Lulu store;)

Other than that, we've been hanging with the family lots, going to the race track (the Dude's HEAVEN), soccer practices, swimming for fun, hiking, dinners and breakfast's and this weekend the man and I are celebrating 5 yrs of marriage:)))

LOVE!

Cheers!

Celebrate Good Times - Come On!!!

2012-09-24T10:55:00.002-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GwjfUFyY6M

Woohoo - we are in! Both my Mom and I got our confirmations yesterday that we are IN! Boston 2013 here we come.

Have you ever encountered one of "those" life experiences that you would've never have even thought about before? That is what this is like for me.

I think all of the stars and anything else that could've aligned for us DID this year.

The hotel has already been booked. I've put myself in charge of "RACE ATTIRE", we are SO going matchy, matchy!

I am SO Friggin Proud of my Mom. Looking forward to a trip to "celebrate" getting there. Looking forward to seeing my friend Brandi (little running superstar) who qualified in her first ever marathon.

Yeah!!!!!!

Skagit Flats Marathon and Now I Sit and Wait

2012-09-11T06:27:00.001-07:00

I went into this race feeling pretty confident that I was more prepared than ever before for a marathon. I know though, that anything can happen on race day and you can only control what you can. I ate glueten free for 2 weeks, no artifical sugars for 2 weeks and no fruit and veg 2 days before. I took imodium the night before and the morning of and felt great. My boys were with me.

At the start of the race Hileray found me (I ran with her to get my first Boston qualifier in 2009 in Bellingham) and we said "hello" and then the race started. My plan was to hold 7:40s - 7:50s for the first 20 miles and then either giver or just hang on at the end. My plan was going great BANG-ON for about the first 15 miles, but at mile 14, it felt like my stomach dropped. Urrghhhh! I just kept running, but my pace was getting slower. Those of you who have these issues may understand how that works. I made the decission to stop and go to the washroom. My pace really slowed down. I saw the boys at mile 20 and that just made me SMILE - seriously the best. Again at mile 22 (and another washroom stop), and one last one before mile 24. I spent at least 6 minutes in the washroom and was SO frustrated. I did everything I knew to do and this was STILL happening. By mile 24, I wanted to cry and self talked myself out of that. What I said: "really, really, you know no one is going to come and get you now, you are only 2 miles away and what got me through the most, was that Teresa would give anything to be in your shoes right now - GOOOOO! It really kept me moving forward. By this point in the race, I also new if I made it within in the qualification time, it would be just barely, but I had to do the best I could. Just after mile 25 I saw a lady down and getting put in an ambulance and I felt terrible for her. She had looked so strong when she had passed me and to be that close to the finish and down it was heart breaking.

SOURCE: http://brunkphoto.photoreflect.com/store/store.aspx

As I came into the track area aka the finish, I saw my boys again. The Dude ran out onto the track and we ran across the finish line together. THAT is my fav part about these smaller races. These little kids watch their parents train for these events and for them to be able to share in it, is such a fantastic thing.
After the finish it got a bit ugly for me. As the lady was taking off my chip I laid down on the track and didn't want to move. A volunteer and Lorenzo moved me over to the med tent and gave me an electrolyte pill and water. Then we tried to walk me down to the washrooms and on the way I thought it would be a great idea to lay on the track again. Honestly - it felt worse than giving birth. We finally made it over to the washrooms and a few trips in there and more laying on the grass I started throwing up. Antonio proceeded to tell me that earlier a guy tossed his cookies on the infield and I tossed mine on the outfield. Awesome Dude! While I was down on the ground the hubs than expressed his love to me by telling me that he didn't realize how many greys I had. Thanks Babe - kick me while I'm down. Obviously someone is VERY secure in how much I love him! I told him last night, THAT is one of those moments I will remember forever.
Funny, about 5 min after being sick, I felt about 60% better and by the time I had showered at the hotel, I was at about 90%. We drove back home stopping at Olive Garden for a late lunch early dinner and now I sit and wait and wait and wait, and hope that my age group doesn't fill up.
The overall stats of the race, I was the 5th woman, and first in my age group and ran a 3:39:10. LOVE those small little races - lol!

Many thanks to the AMAZING volunteers - there were SO MANY highschool students working the aid stations and their energy was fantastic, O.N.E. Coconut Water - for their great product that I LOVE, and most importantly, for their ongoing support and love - my family and friends - love you guys!
Cheers!

Ohhhh Taper

2012-09-05T08:20:00.001-07:00

Finding what to do with pent up energy - thank goodness it's the first week of school and gradual entry to Kindy.
I finished the run week on Friday last week with a 9 miler and then the final taper began. Saturday, I took the Midget to Deep Cove to do some exploring. Good plan for taper because we are outside doing something, but not exerting too much energy. The dude made "homes" for the crabs that we found by turning over rocks and we hiked through the paths a bit too. It's so pretty there. This age is great and he is really into this. Sunday was a family day and we went out to the race track and over to our cousins for dinner. The kids had a great time, playing on the atvs and riding bikes. It was one of those PERFECT summer afternoon/evenings where we were outside until late.

And now this week is filled with 30 min sessions at the school, regular work, really short runs, a mid week afternoon date with the hubs to see Jersey Boys and that should bring me close to race day.
Race day plans are too:
not go faster than 7:40's or slower than 7:50's for 20 miles and then give whatever is left for the last 10k. I got a prescription last week from my Dr. for something stronger than imodium, but it didn't make me feel very well (very sleepy), which I would assume is not good when you want to run a marathon - lol! So I will try imodium the night before and the morning of. I am taking in lots of fruit and veg early in the week and I won't have any more as of Friday morning. Just rice and chicken. I've cut the gluten out since last week and have not had any artifical sweetners - I hope this works this time. We will see.

Update on my mom's race
My mom had to pull out of her marathon on Sunday. Good move for her as she was coming down with something and throwing up. I really don't think that she needs to worry about not getting into Boston. She was going for a better qualifying time than what she had already done, but I think she is fine. I am SO PROUD of her. She is INSPIRING! I may only hope that I am doing 1/2 of what she is doing when I'm her beautiful age.

Cheers!

Ironman Canada 2012 Weekend

2012-08-30T11:33:00.003-07:00

ROAD TRIP:

WOW - was this past weekend ever inspiring. Seriously - so amazed with what I saw this weekend. There were so many athletes that raced this weekend and did so with "heart". It was great meeting people "in real life" and seeing friends from last year and new friends. I love that part of BC. It reminds me a bit of cottage country in Ontario, but much prettier with all of the vineyards and orchards.

Here are words that describe the day/weekend at bit:
Inspiring (I may use that one a lot), Beautiful, Awesome, Scenic, Friendship, AMAZING!
Here are tons of pics:

Smiley Michelle - who actually got up off her chair that she was sitting in to come over to the fence to say "hi" to me. I LOVE the pic of her coming down the finish shoot with that BIG smile on her face. Here's her Report: http://www.mamasimmons.com/

Hanging with TNM - so awesome, and what a fantastic group of athletes that come out to support each other. Seriously - they are like a little (or should I say big family). Here's her blog and her latest report on her Danskin WIN! http://teresanelson.blogspot.ca/

Steph - who I only know through FB and blogging and I run by her office all of the time was STELLAR out there and snagged a KONA slot. There's a bit of Awesome:)

Gillian - what a ROCKSTAR! IM Canada Winner! Woohoo! Here's the start of her race report: http://rundriven.blogspot.ca/ I chatted with her the week before at work and I couldn't believe ALL of the swimming she was doing just the week before. She was READY! Her WIN was amazing and strong.Sister Madonna - the oldest woman to complete an IM - AWESOME!
What a great weekend.
Over the weekend we did touristy things too, like getting our photo in front of the Peach!

Dinner at Miradoro at TinHorn with some people from work.

Waking up and doing my last longish run watching the sun come up over the mountains and Vineyards and orchards and finishing it with a coffee from Timmy's and a walk on the beach - nice! When we vacation in Osoyoos myself and the Midget would get up early and grab coffee (chocolate milk for him) and go for a 2 hr walk, and chat and explore, so this area and those routes have such great memories for me.

On our way home we picked up fruit and then finished the drive home and I was home in time for dinner on Monday nite and wrapped my arms around my boys - XoXoX

In other IM news - BREE WEE Won IM Louisville

What a deserving person. SUPER CONGRATS BREE!

Here's her race report:

http://breeweehawaii.blogspot.ca/2012/08/ironman-louisville-race-reflection.html

Congrats to all the amazing athletes out there this weekend.

Up next my Momma is going for ANOTHER marathon this weekend. She's already qualified for Boston but is going for an even better time - Go Get It Momma!

Cheers!

My Inner BOLT

2012-08-15T11:05:00.001-07:00

Wow - that guy is friggin FAST! He's my motivation for my speed work that I started doing this week. I haven't done any in a few months. I wanted to try a bit of a different approach to the next marathon and focus more on running more and more at my marathon pace, but now I am getting a bit closer and thought that adding a bit of speed work might help out the process. The marathon is such a crazy distance and I'm not sure about where my thoughts are at on training for it. I feel a bit like I should be comfortable running my marathon pace for that long and not so much that it is a race pace. Does that make sense? It makes sense in my mind, so I am going with it…for now. I think everybody is different and our bodies change and what we require and need at the current place in time, may not be the same as what we will need latter or has been good for us in the past. This time through, it felt right to increase my weekly mileage. Since the end of June I did 4 or 5 weeks of mileage at 60+ miles - I even did a couple of double run days in there too. This was new to me, and I felt okay to do it. I have tried to really listen to my body and go with what it felt like doing on my running days. If I planned for 12 miles and felt I could do them at a 7:40 pace comfortably than I did, but if I didn't feel great, then I went with the pace that felt good. Now that I am less that 4 weeks out, I am back to 3 focused sessions a week (1 speed, 1 tempo and the long run). My other 2 runs are pure recovery runs. I have lowered my weekly mileage (mon-thurs) and will do one more 20-22 miler this weekend and then taper with a 15 miler the following weekend, 10 the next and then race week. I've also been ice bathing lots, and tons of recovery smoothies filled with goodness.

Pretty views from one of my runs

I'm excited about what I can output on race day, but nervous about my stomach. I will do the same game plan with regards to eating super clean and gluetin free for 2 weeks out and the only addition to that is that I will also cut out any artificial sweetners. NO DIET POP! I forgot that last time and that might have been the culprit for the stomach issues. I have also started using CARBO PRO on my long runs. I really LOVE this stuff. I mix it with water and even at the end of my run when it's warm, it tastes like warm water. This weekend I will try out my nutrition plan starting Thursday and the amount of calories I plan to take in on the run. We will see! Its' on from here.

Looking forward to going back to Penticton again this year to be inspired all over again by those amazing athletes. Maybe one day I will make my attempt at IM.

Cheers!

78 Miles - Did THAT just Happen?

2012-08-05T16:08:00.002-07:00

WOW - it took 6 days of running (I normally only run 5 days a week), but this week I ran 78 miles. That is my BIGGEST week yet. Holy smokes! That wasn't the plan at the start of the week, but it is how it played out. It only happened because, child minding at our gym is closed tomorrow and the MAN was working in the house this morning, so I though - why not get next weeks longish run done today. The last 2 miles of my 16 miler today felt a bit like I had cylinder blocks in my quads, but I still ran it. The week went like this: Monday 11 miles, Tuesday 9 miles, Wednesday 11 miles, Thursday 11 miles, Friday OFF, Saturday 20 miles (16 at 7:50 pace), and Sunday 16 miles TOTAL = 78 (I think my math is right).
Next week I will only run 4 days (that is why the 6 days happened this week) so my mileage will be a lot smaller and I will start to focus more on speed. The tempo runs have been happening are pretty consistant these days, but I haven't done any speed work since just before the end of June. I've got one more 20-22 miler and then it's TAPER TIME!
So this afternoon was about recovery and what better way to recover than heading to the pool with the Midget and then to the park.
LOVE this little Dude SO FRIGGIN MUCH:))))))

In other stuff - have you been watching the Olympics? OMG - AMAZING, Canada's women's gymnastics made history by coming in 5th as a team in the all around. We had 1 gymnast Dominique Pegg qualify for the Individual All Around and hit all her events and place 17th - AWESOME, and 2 women qualify for vault finals with our highest placing ever of 7th. The swimming is AMAZING and pretty much so is everything else. So thankful we have a PVR.

Congrats to all that raced IM Philipines and IM Boulder this weekend Bree Wee ROCKED it to 2nd PRO, Michelle kicked some serious butt and placed 2nd in her AG and Kerrie (I think she has had some secret swimming coaching and came 4th in her AG). AWESOME job ladies!

Cheers!

Pizza Money and a "W" at St. Clair River Run Race Report

2012-07-30T11:54:00.002-07:00

I was in Sarnia on vacation last week with the family and my Mom registered us for a 10k race (The St. Clair River Run). I have never raced a 10k race outside an Olympic Triathlon so this was my first. It was fun. I didn't have any high expectations for myself because although I feel as though I am "in shape", I wouldn't consider myself to be in "speed shape". That was proven correct as I did the exact same time as I ran in the Bluewater triathlon. Apparently it doesn't matter if I swim and bike before a 10k as I still end up with a 42:55.

Source http://www.flickr.com/photos/stclairriverrun/

The course was BEAUTIFUL! Along St. Clair River. The volunteers were AMAZING and everything so WELL organinzed.

Source http://www.flickr.com/photos/stclairriverrun/

My mom ran her way to a nearly 3 min PR coming in at 56:??. I am SO proud of her. I love the above pic with her smiling. She ALWAYS inspires me.

Source http://www.flickr.com/photos/stclairriverrun/

I ended up being the first woman to cross the finish line and got my first "W" and $45 that was PIZZA money one night for a family dinner.
All in all a fantastic race.
Cheers!

One of Those Weekends

2012-07-15T20:23:00.004-07:00

…you know the ones, when at the end of the weekend you realize what a great weekend you had. Ours started on Friday with a nice family dinner, trip over to the g-parents for a visit and the kids to DQ. I also picked up my order of CarboPro (more on that later).
Saturday morning I was out the door by 6:30 am and finished 22 hilly miles in 3:04. I finished a 64 mile week this week and am now looking forward to a couple of weeks of recovery - YES 2 weeks. I was surprised with what my legs put out at the end of the week though, because I thought they would've felt a bit more junky:)
We did some recycling. The midget helped out quite a bit and earned the money from the cans and bottles and it's going towards a toy he REALLY wants.
I took the Dude to the track after to ride his bike (we like taking him there because you don't have to worry about a car backing out of a driveway and hitting him or other traffic). We always end up having "races" there, but Saturday after my run in the morning, I didn't really feel like racing, so the Dude demonstrated how I could "speed walk" instead of run.

The later afternoon was ALL about the Midget. Friends of ours have access to a parking lot and invited us to bring the Midget and his go-kart out. It was only the Dude's second time in the go-kart and boy do I feel like WE are IN TROUBLE!

He is SO passionate about it and loves it SO much.
That evening we had a beautiful bbq dinner at our friends house, ate outside.
Today, the Midget and I went to the pool and then met my friend down at Rocky Point for a an outdoor concert. You could hear the music all over the park so the Dude and I ended up going for a walk and exploring instead of sitting in front of the stage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lagg6ndckAM&feature=BFa&list=ULppbbU-HSEIE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lagg6ndckAM&feature=BFa&list=ULppbbU-HSEIE

The big man spent the day making progress on his project, the one I like to call "the never-ending-project". BUT, every moment he's doing that, is one step closer to it being done. And although todays work was rather "teadious" (his words), he was making progress and that makes me one happy lady:)

Cheers!

Early Mornings and Mileage

2012-07-12T10:46:00.002-07:00

Well - I'm getting it done. The AM runs are happening, albeit coffee induced, none the less I am getting my bootay out the door.

I am finding the AM runs are slower, but I am going with it. I've been doing anywhere from 4-6 miles in the AM 2 days a week and on the same day at lunch I'm getting in another 7 or 8 miles at a faster pace. I think the mileage is adding up right now too. My legs are feeling the affects of the mileage in a good way not an injury (knock on wood). I should top out this week around 62-64 miles (22 miler on Saturday) and then that will make 3 weeks of 60+ miles in a row. I am considering this my "base" phase. For what you ask? Well, there may just be another marathon on the horizon. I am hesitant to really talk about it because of the marathon FAIL in June. But let's just say that there is one in my future.

I am looking forward to 10 days of "recovery" while we are visiting family and friends. Can't wait to see them and have the cousins together again. There may even be a little 10 km race in there. That should be interesting giving the heavy (for me mileage) and the lack of speed work. It will be FUN though and the Midget may get his chance to race as well.

Summer is HERE!

Cheers!

Do You See THAT BLUE Sky?

2012-07-06T08:44:00.000-07:00

I am in HEAVEN right now. I can't stop taking pictures on my runs - it's SO sunny! I LOVE it. I should get a new "picture pose" though, and why is my shirt tucked into my shorts? Fashion disaster - lol! Ah the last week has been B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L. around here. I'm about to finish off this week with another 60+ miles after my run at lunch today. I have to say this morning's run I was sleeping as I was running, but I am committed to getting my body used to AM fitness again - so I went through the motions and threw any pace goals out the window and ran 6 miles in 50 minutes. After my lunch time run today I am taking Sat/Sun off as we are getting ready to host Shelby's Grad BBQ at our place, so we are busy, busy, busy! It will be great to have everyone over AND it's supposed to be SUNNY:) Have a great weekend and get outside. Cheers!

60 Miles and SO Hungry

2012-06-30T15:17:00.002-07:00

OMG - this was my biggest training week run wise yet. Loved EVERY minute of it - but if I could eat arm… This week was great. Keeping with the theme of just doing what I felt like, well, I felt like running - A LOT for me. Surprisingly nothing was over 10 miles, but the week went down like this: Monday - 9 mile run at 7:16 min/mile pace 2 hrs later another 9 mile run with Meg at an 8:30 min/mile pace Tuesday - 9 mile run 7:47 min/mile Wednesday - am 4 mile run at 7:45 min/mile pm 9 mile run at 7:53 min/mile Thursday - 10 mile run at 7:31 min/mile Friday - 10 mile run at 7:42 min/mile 60 miles and new milestone for me:)

I was pleasantly surprised with what my legs were putting out and after 2 weeks of running a bit faster than normal, the faster pace is starting to feel a bit more normal. As for this coming week, I plan to be a bit more structured in my training focusing on 3 key runs a week and hoping to double up again for a couple of days. I haven't been doing am workouts other than weights and core consistantly over the past year so I am "re-training" my body to be "active" in the mornings. I've been doing a lot of reading about marathoners and the mileage. I'm not sure what I think yet. Most world class marathon runners are putting in the mileage and that must say something? I do think you can "get the job done" on less mileage, but how do you get better/faster? I've heard this saying "we are all experiments of one" several times, and it is SO true. So right now, I am experimenting. And now - 2 full days of recovery and hanging with the family - bbq and Canada Day celebrations! Happy Canada Day Weekend! Cheers!

2012 London Bound

2012-06-29T10:51:00.001-07:00

(took from FB) AWESOME - Congratulations to my gymnastic coaches (a while ago, let's just say at least a couple decades). Dreams DO come true. Dave and Liz are off to the 2012 Olympics with their athlete Dominque. It's been many years deserving for them and the time has come. Countless hours of training and coaching has paid off. In a sport like gymnastics timing needs to be RIGHT ON! It's not known as a sport of longevity for the athlete's as you prime at such a young age. Dave and Liz coached me from Grade 2 - summer of Grade 8 and for those years they were really a part of my family. There was a group of 5 of us that were in the same grade and we literally spent 12 hrs a day together. A couple of summer's a go I went back home and had the opportunity to catch up with them over lunch. It was great to hear of how much success they have had internationally and as a family. The sport has developed quite a bit from the time I was a young gymnast. It's crazy to think that "we" (pic below) were their first kids out of College.

It has been their dream for many years and it's great to see that their time has finally come! Here's the link for the http://www.theobserver.ca/2012/06/28/pegg-named-to-olympic-team Sooooo happy for them. SUPER CONGRATULATIONS! Well deserved! Go CANADA, Go Bluewater! Cheers!

Nice and Sunny and Whatever My Heart Desires

2012-06-25T09:49:00.000-07:00

Two days in a row it was beautiful and sunny here. 16 oneday and 19 the next - ahhhhhh! It makes you forget about the 10 days of rain prior and the next 5 or so more of rain to come. Since I'm doing what I want training wise until the end of June I decided last week I was going to make all my runs faster than marathon pace. So I ended the week at 47 miles (3X10 milers, 1X9 miler and 1X8 miler) at a 7:40 min/mile average pace. It all felt good. Not sure why that happened but that is what I felt like doing:) Not sure yet what this week will hold either - but I am just going with it. I am meeting a girlfriend for a social run after work. My pace is a bit faster than hers so I have a feeling I will get the most "therapy" out of the run;) It was SO inspiring watching ALL of the racing going on. CONGRATS to ALL that were racing - simply AMAZING! It almost made me want to ride my bike and go swimming (almost). Running just seems to be the thing for me right now. I'm looking forward to going out for some longer runs soon too. Cheers!

A Little of This and A Little of That

2012-06-19T20:31:00.001-07:00

Here are some pics from when my mom was in town. The extended weekend was GREAT! I felt so fortunate for her visit and I'm pretty sure the Midget was in a WEEEEE BIT OF HEAVEN!

Training wise - that is still going on. I was planning on cutting back on the running and doing a bit more (or should I say some cycling), but I just keep running right now. Nothing really structured right now and I stopped "speed" work to give my body a bit of a break and I am still logging everything. I still have the marathon bug and there may be one in my future;) Cheers!

Run For Water RR

2012-05-31T09:41:00.003-07:00

I have had some time to reflect over the past few days on my decision to pull the plug on the marathon on the weekend. I have come to the conclusion that I don’t like being the person that doesn’t finish what I started. I broke down yesterday when my co-worker asked me about the race. In preparation for this race, I feel like I could not have been more prepared. Fitness wise, I feel my goal of a 3:25:00 was more than attainable. I can honestly say that I had not felt in better shape going into a marathon than I did for this one. Over the past few months I was eating high nutrient foods and over the last 2 weeks I went completely gluten free. I did this because I wanted to eliminate the chances of having any GI issues on race day. The day before the race I ate only carbs and protein (no fruit and veggies), again to eliminate any possible GI issues and the morning of race day, I took 2 imodiums at 5:00 am and another at 6:30 am. I truly felt like I had done all I knew that I could do. We drove out to the race and I did a 10 minute warm-up and felt pretty good. We took a few pictures and lots of hugs then I headed to the start line. I had loaded up my Ipod with some new songs (thank you Crissy), and I was feeling good. I reminded myself to not go out too hard in the first miles and I held back conserving energy. I was taking in my flat coke and water (which I had practiced numerous times in training and liked) every mile, but my tummy was not happy. Around mile 11 things really started moving around and I felt like I needed more nutrition. I had taken 1 Vanilla gel at mile 6 and I had another one that I pulled out to take (strawberry banana) and vomit came up in my mouth. Not a good sign so early in the race. I started to slow down a bit to see if that would settle my stomach a bit and the next 2 miles were around 8:30’s. My stomach wasn’t settling. Who takes 3 immodiums and STILL has GI issues? ME! At mile 16 I was at 2:07:00 and still not able to take in anymore nutrition and my stomach situation was getting worse. I wasn’t able to run anymore (without something happening), and at the time I just thought that if I walked in I wasn’t going to make Boston, my mom is here and the couple hours that it would take me to walk in is time that I could spend with her. I fought with the idea of Antonio watching his mom not finish something she started and spending time with them in the moment outweighed any idea of continuing the race. I phoned Lorenzo just after mile 16 and was picked up at 19.7 miles. During the next 3.7 miles I cheered other runners on and smiled tons. I always try to thank and smile at the volunteers, these events can't take place without the huge support that these individuals offer. THANK YOU Volunteers! We went for brunch and carried on with our day and the rest of our long weekend. We went for treats, went to the park, went swimming, shopping and enjoyed our time together. It was yesterday, my first day back at work that I realized I don’t like the ME that doesn’t finish what I started. I am having a hard time with that. It doesn’t matter at this point in time that I didn’t make the qualifying time, I have LEARNED that I need to finish the races that I start for ME. I can’t mention enough how PROUD I am of my mom for getting her qualifier DONE! She amazes me. There will be another marathon in my future (in hopes of getting my qualifier done), and I will finish it regardless of what the day holds for me even if I crawl across the finish line. I also feel like I need to prove to myself that my fitness IS where I think it is.

I am SO thankful for the support from my friends and family = Love you all! So – here I am ONTO THE NEXT ONE! Cheers!

The Goals for the Marathon

2012-05-23T16:23:00.001-07:00

Okay - so I have been pretty hesitant to put it out there but I figure I might as well. The Goals for the Run for Water Marathon in Abbotsford 1) Finish - always want to do that! 2) Time - 3:25 (given a great day, I feel like I am prepared to achieve this) 3) Qualify for Boston 4) Have less of a gap between my first 1/2 and 2nd 1/2 (the last one I was almost a minute per mile slower on the 2nd 1/2) 5) Smile lots and have fun and be THANKFUL that I have the opportunity to run this thing! The course is supposed to be pretty flat with the start at a downhill and the finish at an uphill, so the plan is to hold a relatively faster pace for the first 16 miles and then just hang on. Knowing, what I know about myself, the last 2 miles I am predicting to be around 9 min miles - but who knows! I am totally in that "taper mode" right now, where I feel like "ohhhh have I done enough, ohhhh maybe I've done too much this week". My biggest concern is GI issue - but I have been doing all that I know and hopefully that will be enough:) What happens on race will happen. I'm going to give it everything I've got and then we are celebrating! Cheers!

She Did It!

2012-05-22T08:43:00.001-07:00

My Mom did it - she qualified for Boston this weekend. We are SOOOOOOOOO Proud of HER! Awesome, Awesome, AWESOME! The day was a HOT day in Midland Michigan 31 degrees, but she did it! I am SO over the moon for her. She has worked so very hard for this and she got it. What an inspiration, my 64 years young momma is GOING TO BOSTON! Wooohooo! Cheers!