over the hump

On Sunday morning, my alarm went off at 7:30 a.m. This was supposed to give me plenty of time to get up, get dressed, have something to fuel me, and then get myself to Westboro for my first ever 7k run.

Instead, I looked at the alarm, and in my groggy state, tried to quickly calculate how far I could push that snooze button. I did NOT want to get out of bed. Not while the rest of the family still slept peacefully and especially since I had been the first to be awake the day before too. I wanted to be able to be in bed, warm and cozy and lazy. It didn't help that when I checked to forecast before going to bed the night before the weather "experts" were calling for ice over night and rain through the day.

So, I hit snooze for another 10 minutes and rolled over.

But, after 10 more minutes of blissful relaxation, I dragged myself out of bed and pulled on the running gear I had placed out in preparation the night before. I got myself downstairs, grabbed a cereal bar and an apple and filled my water bottle. I was NOT going to bail.

I arrived at the running room and was welcomed by my LIO running friend Robin who, after being out until 1 a.m. that morning, did not bail on meeting me (check #2 on thank goodness I still went!!!!).

We staid at the back of the pack, but ran well. Robin, who is a significantly faster runner than I, was nice enough to stick with my pace - something that kept me motivated to not skimp out of those 10:1 intervals. Just after the 3.5km turnaround, we had to run up our first hill. I LOATHE hills, but now have a trick which Robin taught me. DON'T LOOK PAST A COUPLE FEET IN FRONT OF YOURSELF WHEN GOING UP A HILL. I think that my history of riding horses has always had be looking further ahead to (what would be) the next "jump" (or block, as it would be during a run); which, in the case of hills, is usually at the top of the hill. When I tried it her way, I found the hill much more manageable. It kinda tricks your brain into not knowing how long or steep the hill is and so it makes it feel less *hard*. This is something I will be utilizing a LOT in the coming weeks... especially with our program starts to integrate hills on Wednesdays next week!

Coming up to what I assume would be around the 5k mark, I allowed myself to look at my phone to see how I was doing with time. At this point, Robin, god bless her, had made some sort of comment about me being fast and doing great (ppptttthhh - thanks, but... ummm, no ;-) ). At around the 5k mark (I think), we were at just over 36 minutes. YAY!!!!!

At about 6k, I was really tired. My legs were feeling really sore but I was determined to finish. I had officially gone further than ever and I had nowhere to go but back to my truck anyways ;-) Just as we arrived at Churchill, we were due for another walk break but we decided to run through it because the end was in reach.

We ended strong and with smiles on our faces. I can honestly say, Robin's support and patience made all the difference!

We ended the 7k run in just over 54 minutes! Robin also filled me in on the stats of each km after the run (man - I still so would like a Garmin!): our average pace was 7:46/km including walk breaks, and our fastest kms (1 and 4) were 7:13/km! Also, our LAST km was faster than both 5 and 6... so we finished strong.

I also noticed that we finished our 7k just before the "faster" runners finished their 8k (which, for some reason, made me proud?!?)

So, I being this new week looking back at the things I accomplished in my running last week:

1) I ran a total distance of 21 km last week (over 4 runs) - that's a half marathon's distance!!!!!
2) I ran my longest distance
3) I ran my longest time
4) I am officially further along in this 10k program then I was last fall when I had to stop due to injury.

This week's challenge - 8k! :)

Humbled

Yesterday, I decided to write a short post on the LIO facebook page that was an open letter to the store Lululemon about my conflicted feelings towards their store and their product. In particular, the letter was directed at the fact that their clothing line goes from size 0-12 and even only to size 10 in some styles. This post was not meant to be anything other than a way for me to vent my feelings and maybe even get a few supportive "here, here!"s from some of the other ladies in similar situations as me.

This is not, of course, the end of the story.

I did, get replies of support by many (MANY) people in the LIO group, and along with their notes of understanding and agreement came a strong suggestion to forward my note to Lululemon.

After my internal timid by nature self tried to pull a "what, ME???? I can't POSSIBLY do that!!!", I took the leap and sent it to the company email address, provided it to them via their web site comments section AND posted it on their facebook page. Heh, what can I say? My inner warrior was telling me to go big or go home ;-)

This all happened sometime around noon yesterday.

What happened next has made me proud, part of a group, thankful... lots of things... but most of all humbled. Thus far, MY open letter post on the Lululemon Athletica facebook group page has gotten 75 "likes" and 18 comments AND COUNTING!!! Included in those comments was an official one from Lululemon asking for further information.

Later yesterday afternoon, I received a reply for EACH of my two submissions from Lululemon via email. All of their replies have shown them to be grateful for my feedback and willing to bring my suggestions to their design team. Not to mention they have provided some suggestions as to what styles MAY work for someone on my "shape". In addition, 2 of the three replies offered to provide further suggestions on what may work for me if I provided them with my current measurements and the sizes I wear in other clothing.

All because of a little venting post. All goes to show that speaking up is usually the best thing.

Humbled people. HUMBLED.

PS. I kicked a$$ with my 4K run Wednesday. :)

(below, for those who do not have access to facebook, I have attached a copy of my letter).

Dearest Lulu...


We have an ongoing love / hate relationship.. and I am not sure why I keep hurting myself by always going back to you.

I LOVE your clothes... they are so cute and pretty and make me smile... but every time I go in to see you, you disappoint me with the lack of sizing for those of us currently TRYING to get fit and healthy but do not fit into your mold of the "ideal"...

I HATE that your clothes are sized 0-12... hate even more that those super cute running skirts only go to a size 10 (really??????) and that your shorts are all cut really slim making it impossible for those of us with larger legs to wear them... not to mention the super short length!

I HATE that every time I go in there, I keep hoping that SOMEDAY my chest will be a size that will fit into your sports bras, to no avail. And that every time I go there, I leave feeling a little less happy with the mold I am currently fitting.

AND, I especially hate that a running friend gave me a gift certificate to spend at your store, in celebration of my first year of running, and I can't use it. Maybe I will give it back to her so she can enjoy it... SIGH.

Week 2 RR 10k training

This week was a bit jumbled becasue of the Easter long weekend.

I wasn't able to run with the RR gang at all - between Mark working the late shift this past week (and therefore not getting home until just before 8pm each evening), Friday being a holiday and me not being able to make their run at 10am (had party planning to do for a certain 6 year old's party the next day) and Sunday morning being... well... Easter.

That's the bad new. The GOOD news, I still managed to run those runs along with an additional on on Tuesday with the help of my friends Caroline, Ange and April.

Tuesday was Caroline's runniversary. She decided to celebrate with a run and invite all her friends to run with her. She was going to run the Parliament loop and I joined her for the 3k I was scheduled to run that day. One of our other friends, Jay, linked arms with me for my last 200 meters and put on the speed... uphill... I may have cursed... but then it made me smile and I did thank her for the extra "push" (errr... maybe pull is a better word!) afterwards.

Wednesday, I met up with Ange and April for an evening 4k run. Again, I got the same encouragement at the end of the run - to finish strong and be smiling at the end of the run. Thanks for that Ange! ;-)

I ALMOST bailed on my friday run. It was supposed to be a 5k, and I really, REALLY wasn't feeling it. I was making excuses left, right and center why I SHOULDN'T run - I had too much to do, I could use that time to get x y and z completed... but I was NOT going to LET myself weizle out of it. Instead, I sent an email to Ange and April to see if either one of them had the time to run. Lucky for me, Ange was able to fit in a run with me and we managed another 4k. ANGE TO THE RESCUE! I am really not sure whether I would have done it otherwise.

Sunday, I had a 6k scheduled. It was supposed to be at 3pm, but we needed to bump it to the evening. I got all my stuff on and put Madie in bed, then looked outside at the wind and the rain that was begiining and decided I dodn't want to end my Easter Sunday feeling like a drowned rat. I postponned to Monday morning and set my clock for 7am to get er done before my day started.

I may not have reached my goal of 6k (I didn't map it out before hand and the route I did twice was around 2.8k instead of the 3k I had thought), but I still got it in and even managed my best pace yet! I guess the brisk morning air did me well... I managed around 5.7k in 41 minutes. NOt bad at all! :)

This week, I have 2 4ks scheduled for Wednesday and Friday and then a 7k on Sunday. This will be my longest distance yet and I am not going to lie, it intimidates me A LOT. But, I know if I just find my pace and stick with it, I will be able to complete it with one foot ahead of the other.

Solo 5k

I did it.

I ran my first 5k post-injury.

And I did it all.by.myself.

I had a run set up with a couple of friends yesterday afternoon. But after I asked to push it up by an hour so I could accommodate my kids want to swim, one of my friends had to bow out. 5 minutes before we were supposed to meet up, I got a text from my other friend and she had to bail due to a friend's surprise visit at her house.

I am glad she didn't give me any time to change my mind (or my clothes) because I had dedicated to go out and was still going even if it were to be a solo run. I had mapped it out, had let the husband know where I planned on running, and had plans to head to the swimming pool afterwards with the family - no way was I backing out now!

I headed out, and as usual, the first 10 minutes were the hardest. I find it usually takes that long for me to find my pace and keep it relatively even. I likely go a bit too fast out of the gates and once I get to that first minute walk, I am able to back off a bit, remind myself this is supposed to be a SLOW LONG RUN, and keep trucking along.

The wind was stronger than I had thought but the route I mapped out for myself was one that took the tour around our old neighbourhood, and it was fun to see how nothing had changed in the last 4 years. Next time, I will have to make sure I run by the old park to see if it has been upgraded yet.

Those last 400 meters (or so), I felt I really needed to push through - I really waned to stop prematurely and that is something I find difficult in races too. I see that (pretend) finish line and just want to stop once it is in sight instead of pounding the pavement until it is behind me.

Things to work on.

All in all, I tracked just a little less than 18 kms this past week - a new record!

Let's see if I can surpass it again this week.

The run

Friday was my first day at the Running Room for the 10k training group. I was, in a word, anxious.

I had all these nerves flowing through my body. Worries that I would not be fast enough, or good enough or strong enough. That I wouldn't be able to keep up with the pace of the group and that I would be left in the back.

This is what happened last fall, and I had been running a lot longer at that point than I have since being sidelined.

BUT, I decided to go to the class anyways, nerves balled up and stomach in knots, to challenge myself, to push myself and to TRY. If I didn't succeed, then I could always defer again and try again after.

There are 30 of us in the Friday night group - most with the look of long-term runners. The strong, lean bodies making me even more worried about my result.

After half an hour of listening to what we should expect from the program, we went out for our first run. I had expected a 3k... then was told it would be 4. I began the run in the middle of the pack, and fell to the back after the first 5 minutes. I felt sick to my stomach with running nerves - similar to those I have felt in the past when I get ready to start a race - and I knew it would take at least the first 10 minutes to work that out. So, expecting to be at the back of the pack, I plugged in to my headphones and tried to go at my own speed without feeling the pressure of NEEDING to catch up. I was reminded by the RR leader that I should be able to talk comfortably while running, and that if I found myself huffing and puffing I should slow down.

And then something happened. I told the leader (Lian) that I was just thrilled to be able to run 10 non-stop minutes... that this was something that I had told myself since my childhood I could NEVER do. I was always the one who was good at speed but never at endurance. But the very fact I had proven myself wrong... all these years later... made me proud and not interested in what the clock said, but at what my body said. And at that moment, I was able to let go of being at the back of the pack and simply enjoy the ride.

About halfway through the run, the girl who had been running at a similar pace to me but was about 10 steps ahead of me slowed down a bit, and we began running side by side. I found myself slowing to her pace because I didn't want her to feel like I had last fall... like I had failed because I was just so slow compared to the others. We ran together, not always speaking, but keeping each other's spirits up until we arrived back at the store. In total, we ran 4 k and we ran it in mess than 32 minutes (I know this because my 3rd 10 minute rep never ended).

And I left the run smiling. Feeling like maybe, JUST MAYBE, I CAN do this ;-)

gym dork

I can't believe I am actually posting this... My confidence level MUST be increasing with my exercise regime because there is NO WAY I would have shared this a year ago... especially not on an openly searchable goggle blog!

But... here is my laugh for you all today.

So, I decide today I will go to the gym to run since it is a bit slick outside and I don't want to tempt fate.

FIRST, I get to the gym only to be told my month has expired (oops! It was supposed to be spring today after all and I had really REALLY hoped to be enjoying the outside for my exercising enjoyment by now!)... they let me in for today;

I get inside, only to (SECOND) notice I forgot my sports bra at the office (doh!). Instead of going back across the street to get my bra, I decide I'll use my regular bra, and the elliptical because no one should have to see "the girls" jumping around while I try to run in a regular bra (plus... ouch!) and then go to the office and wear my sports bra for the afternoon. I have a great work out am all pumped with endorphins, head to the showers only to find out;

(THIRD) my sports bra was not the only thing I forgot at the office... my fresh undies are there too! Thank goodness for long coats! I headed - totally commando - back to the office to discreetly slip into the bathroom to put on my undergarments...

*forehead plant!*

Let's hope everything in threes is truly the case here!

Today's workout was 25 minutes on the elliptical. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed that piece of equipment... so nice an easy on your joints... like you are running on clouds. :-)

My friend Katie had suggested an interesting workout a while back that I decided would be fun (wait... whaaaa???????) for today.

Start on the elliptical and get to a good speed, using your legs to push you forwards.

Every 5 minutes, grab the moving arm handles, use your arms to propel yourself forward instead of your legs... all while "sitting" in a deep squat. I managed to do so for 30 seconds each 5 minutes (at minute 5, 10 and 15).

For the record... that s@!#$%s hard core!

Then, after 20 minute moving "forwards",  my last 5 minutes was moving "backwards" on the machine.

The machine put me at 3.64 km in total. I put me at a sweaty, hot mess.

This post was brought to you by gymdorksunite.com ;-)

The Loop

The countdown to my restart of the 10k Running Room program is on... and scaring the CRAP out of me! The program, which I had initially began back last fall, post-injuries, it touted as the "hardest of all the running room programs". Harder than the half marathon people. I think I may have lost my mind. After restarting running  from scratch a little over 2 months ago, I am super intimidated to run with the likes of those I was attempting to run with last fall... when I had been running steady for 6 months and had 3 races under my belt. You see, the group I ran with for a couple of weeks (until I hurt myself and couldn't) seemed fast. The SLOWEST person, was ALWAYS ahead of me and I had a regular one-on-one run with the manager of the store because they didn't want to leave anyone behind. Sounds great right? Well... yes... but also a MAJOR blow to any confidence you have about your abilities as a "runner". I'm the one who keeps people back. I'm the one who "brings up the rear". I'm the one who has to take the short cuts back to the store so we can still get back at a decent time. Sigh.

I know these comments are all in my head. I know the instructors are there because they WANT to be. They want to help out people like me to achieve what they might deem to be the unachievable. For most, these instructors are people who have run many races at many distances for many years and really; what seems like an excruciatingly difficult challenging run for us, is just a fun run for them.

BUT, without knowing which type of running group I will meet on Friday, it feels scary. And I feel anxious.

The first run out with them is going to be a 3k - and shouldn't be too tough regardless. But the Sunday run is pegged to be a 5k - a distance I have yet to accomplish since injury.

So today, on the day before our (fingers and toes crossed!!!!!) last winter storm hits, I decided to run the parliament loop to see how well I could do. The loop is 4.67km in total so I made sure my walk to Wellington was my warm up so that I could start my run once I got in front of the Supreme Court Building.

I am not going to lie, the run it self was less than stellar. I felt slow... like I was running in molasses, and the wind seemed to change so that it was pushing back against me no matter which turn I took, but although I had many7 opportunities to quit early, I didn't. I completed the run in less than 37 minutes of intervals - and that is including the 4 minute walk up a hill post Alexandra Bridge on the way towards the N.A.G.

I thought of turning back at the end of Portage Bridge, I thought of going down to Rideau Centre and hopping a bus back to my end of town and then I thought of going down Elgin to catch the bus there and be able to finish the run on a downward slope. I did none of those. And once I had my daily bus stop at Bank and Wellington in my view, I just bore down and finished the run. I was determined to finish the whole loop. NO.CHEATING.

I have also made a running date for Wednesday to do the loop again. On Friday, I will suck it up and head to Westboro for day 1 of the RR program and be proud of all I have accomplished in the last 2 months. Sunday, I had a date with a friend (hopefully 2) in Aylmer to run another 5 k as per the RR program.

As it stands, I am less than 6 weeks from my first run of 2013. Lets see how much I can push it until then!

:)