2014 Running Recap

2014 marks my second year as a runner.

I managed to run 184 km this year, which is less then I did in 2013. My biggest running month was May with a whopping 55 miles. No surprise there, I was deep into training for my first 10k. I’m proud to say that I ran my first 10k at the Ocean Breeze Trail run, a major fundraiser for Liam’s school. I ran it under my goal of 1:30, but man it was tough. The weather was awful; we were running through streams of water that were well above my ankles and it rained sideways the whole time. I may have come in last, but it still felt as if I had won.

Overall I ran 8 races this year, including 3 "virtual" 5ks.    My favorite race this year was the Runway Run.  It was a cool experience to run along the airport runway and I hope they hold it again next year.

My running started falling off in the summer, with not a single mile logged in November. In December I decided to get my butt of the couch and back out the door. We’ve had a great month so far weather wise, with unseasonably temperatures as high as 14°C. I’ve run 6 times this month for a total of 20k and plan to build on that in the new year.

Overall 2014 has been a good running year but I hope that 2015 is even better!

I'm not at my best

You'll have to excuse me, I'm not at my best
I've been gone for a month, I've been drunk since I left
These so-called vacations will soon be my death
I'm so sick from the drink I need home for a rest

Read more: Spirit Of The West - Home For A Rest Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

This song came on my Ipod this week and I felt that it was most appropriate.  It's been a month since I've written here, and I have taken a "so-called vacation" from all things healthy.  No, I haven't been drunk for the last month, but I have imbibed in more alcohol then I normally do.  A glass of wine with dinner, a cocktail in the afternoon when Mom was visiting, a night cap here and there.

I've also stopped tracking my food, drinking enough water and exercising.  I haven't run since the two 5ks I did the first weekend in October and I've only managed to make it to 4 TKD classes all month.

Add to that the decadence of Thanksgiving, indulging during Mom's visit and Halloween candy and it quickly becomes a recipe for weight gain and slothfulness.

That all stops now.

I have five goals for November that will hopefully help me get back on track -

1. Track all my food in MyFitnessPal.  If it passes my lips I WILL write it down.
2. Drink at least 8 glasses of water every day
3. No alcohol
4. Aim for 10,000 steps every day
5. Attend 10 TKD classes

I am purposefully leaving running out of my goals.  This doesn't mean that I don't plan to run, but I want goals that I know that I can hit without stressing over it too much.

What are your November goals?  How do you restart after a period of unhealthy behaviour?

Weekend Race Review

I didn't check the calendar when I signed up for the Nova Scotia Lung Association Runway Run.  I just clicked accept because it sound like a cool 5k race to do.  How often do you get to run on a runway, while watching planes take off and land nearby?  If I had checked the calendar I would have known that I had already signed up for the CIBC Run for the Cure 5k this weekend.  Luckily one was Saturday and one was Sunday so I was able to go to both.

Saturday's Runway Run

I haven't been running as often as I should, and it's been a long time since I ran 5k.  I had hopes that this wouldn't be to big of an issue since runways are nice and flat.  What I didn't count on was the cold and wet and the not-quite-gale-force winds that started the day.

After clearing a lot of security, we got to hang out in a hanger till race time.  There were nearly 600 runners and 18 wheel chair athletes competing.  The winner of the wheel chair racers finished in 12 minutes. Alexandre Dupont is a world record holder in wheel chair racing and was an inspiration to watch.

It took me a wee bit more time then 12 minutes to finish!  I came in with a chip time of 43:04.  I was pleased with that, given that I haven't been training like I should.

Sunday's Run for the Cure

Sunday didn't turn out to be quite as wet and cold as Saturday, but it was still pretty chilly while I was standing around waiting for the start.  Luckily I had thought to wear these lovely socks that my friend Amy was going to throw out at work one day.

They are perfect to keep you warm until you get going and then easy to take off and tie to my fanny pack.

As expected, everything was a sea of pink, including the fire truck!  The course for this race was all around downtown Halifax, taking us first around Citadel Hill and then around the Public Gardens.  I didn't have great expectations of making good time today.  The combination of the hills in Halifax and having run 5k yesterday made me believe that I would have a slower time.

I was pleasantly surprised to finish in 41:00 minutes!  That's a full 2 minutes faster then Saturday and matches my fastest time for any 5k.

Overall it was a great running weekend and I'm glad I was able to participate in both runs.  

And a special thank you to everyone who helped me surpass my fundraising goal for the Run for the Cure.  I was able to raise $350 this year.

Best Birthday Present

I was away this summer for my birthday.  Hilary had stayed home and I knew that she was working on a project, but she wouldn't tell me what it was.   When I got home and we celebrated my birthday, I found out what the project was when I opened my present:

She painted the letters in my favorite colour - purple and added hooks to the bottom.  We only just got them hung in our bedroom today.  

There are more hooks to fill in so I better keep running!

Running Rainbow

Reiki

I had my first ever Reiki session this week, given by my friend Sandy, who is studying to be a Reiki practitioner.


What is Reiki and how does it help?

Reiki is a method of relaxation and stress reduction that comes from the Japanese and was introduced to the West in 1937.  The concept is that all living things contain a life force and that with the guided help of a Reiki practitioner, you can heal the disrupted parts of your life force.

The life force is responsive to thoughts and feelings. It becomes disrupted when we accept, either consciously or unconsciously, negative thoughts or feelings about ourselves. These negative thoughts and feelings attach themselves to the energy field and cause a disruption in the flow of life force. This diminishes the vital function of the organs and cells of the physical body.  From Reiki.org

What did I feel/benefit from my Reiki session?

I went into my first Reiki session with no expectations.  I had read up on the practice before hand, just to get a sense of what was involved.  I've mentioned before that I don't have any religious beliefs, so when I read that Rei means "God's Wisdom or the Higher Power", I was slightly skeptical that this was going to be for me.  I wasn't looking to have a spiritual or religious moment.  Further reading however clarified that Reiki is not based on religion, but deals with the energy flowing through us.  Since I was also doing this to help out a friend who is studying to be a Reiki practitioner I decided to just go in with an open mind and see what might happen.

Unlike massage, you remain fully clothed for Reiki.  I laid on my back in a comfortable position, with my eyes closed (though I did peek every now and then), in a slightly darkened room with a lit candle and some quiet music playing.  

For most of the session Sandy stood over me holding her hands 4-6 inches over various parts of my body.  Sometimes she would place her hands on my joints, like my shoulders, elbows and hands.  I honestly wasn't expecting to feel anything other than relaxed - after all I was lying down in the dark with my eyes closed after a long day at work.  What I didn't expect was that I would feel something when her hands were 4-6 inches above me.  What I did feel was concentrated areas of heat.  This is where the peeking came in.  I would feel the heat and wonder if it was just a random feeling or if it lined up with where Sandy was holding her hands at the time.  It really did line up!

The only other physical reaction that I had during the session was 2 periods of extreme chills and feeling cold.  The room we were in was not cold, nor was there any breeze that could account for the change in temperature.  It was not an uncomfortable feeling, just unusual feeling, sort of like the chill that people claim to get when someone "walks over their grave".

I found that being alone in my head for an hour left me with my thoughts flitting from idea to idea, with a few periods of blissful nothingness in between.  A lot of my thoughts were about running and images of me running in races.  After the session when Sandy and I were chatting, she let me know that she had also had many thoughts and images of me running.  A Reiki practitioner often feels similar sensations and reactions to the recipient, so its not the unusual that both of our thoughts were focused on the same subject.

After the session I continued to feel relaxed.  When I went for my run the following day, I had one of my best runs in a long time!  I can't say that it's directly related to the Reiki session, or simply a coincidence, but either way it felt great to have a run where I felt not only good physically, but also mentally - I was able to overcome my thoughts of stopping and walking and was able to push through the normal mental stuff that clouds my mind during a run.

Overall, it was a positive experience and I'm glad I had that chance to try it out.  I'm sure Sandy is going to make a great Reiki Master as she continues her journey.

Some links for further reading
Taking Charge - How an Reiki help me?
Reiki.org - What is Reiki?
IARP.org - Sensations during Reiki

Natal Day Road Race

Apparently this is the 108th year for the Dartmouth Natal Day Road Race, but it's the first year I've ever heard of it!  I'm glad a fellow runner at work told me about it with enough time for me to sign up.  I'll be sure to sign up again next year.

It was only 2 miles (3.22 km).  I woke up to the pouring rain, which makes for a nice cool run in August, but I would like to run at least one race this year where I'm not soaking wet.  It didn't actually rain to much during the race itself, but the humidity was high.

I haven't been running very much this summer, so I didn't have high expectations for finishing with a great time.  I was pleased to finish with 27:18, keeping in line with my never changing pace of 8:30/km.  I was in awe of the runners who finished in a speedy 10 minutes!

Now I need to find my next race to sign up for.  I love having something concrete to work towards.

August Goals

A look back at July:

1. Stop eating bad "C" word foods for the next 6 weeks.
2. Attend 8 TKD classes
3. Run 10 times
4. Run/Walk 155 km, with at least 50% of my days being over 5k

The only goal that I even got close to reaching in July is number one.  I have (mostly) given up the bad "C" words. I  did have cake for Liam's birthday, obviously.  And there has been a stray ice cream sandwich and cotton candy while on vacation.  But over all I feel good about this challenge and find that I am craving sweets less and less.

As for running, TKD and walking?  July sucked. 6 tkd classes, I only ran 3 times and I only logged 135 km, my lowest month yet.

Moving on...............

My goals for August?

I have no goals for August!

Sure I plan to keep walking, going to TKD, running and eating healthy.  I also recognize that I will be on vacation for 2 week's.  Since I will be visiting my Mom, the healthy eating and walking will be no problem, but I'm not going to track my food or my steps, and obviously TKD will be out.  I will take my running stuff with me and will hopefully get in at least one run, but really, I'm just going to enjoy myself.

Do you give up setting goals in the summer?  Or are you more motivated then?

20 days of Nourishment - Review

Mind – Body – Spirit

Today is the last day of the 20 days of nourishment challenge. It has been very interesting to reflect each day on what aspects of my life I seem to be doing well with and what areas I could probably focus more on.

The challenge was to list your daily activities in one of three categories – mind, body and spirit – and to give each activity a score out of 7 depending on how helpful, positive or healthy the activity was. There isn’t a perfect score, or even a number to aim for. The point is to see how your numbers vary from day to day and what activities may be good or bad for you.

Unsurprisingly, my numbers were highest every day in the BODY category. This category dealt with food. Since I focus a lot on food and making healthy choices, I had pretty high numbers for most meals. And food is the easiest one to remember to track every day.

MIND came in second for me. This category was all about entertainment and education. I don’t think I had a single activity that I would label as educational! And my entertainment was pretty much the same day over day – read blogs, play on the computer, watch TV. I did get a new book while we were away for Liam’s birthday, so I did have a few days with reading.

My SPIRIT numbers lagged far behind. I found it was a lot easier to reflect on negative things that happened during the day and to write those down, then it was to come up with more positive things that I did. However, it did help me realize that I need more positives in my day, so it sent me looking for them. It’s an area that I’m going to continue to focus on.

Thanks Hutch for hosting a great challenge and helping me become much more self aware.

Jumpstart

While I haven’t posted my weekly weigh-in here in a while, I still weigh myself every Sunday and record it as my official weight for the week. The problem is that the number seems to be stuck. Since January I have lost and regained the same 5 pounds. I continue to count calories, watch what I eat, exercise when I can, but nothing seems to be working.

Something obviously needs to change. I had great success last year when I was doing the 5:2 Fast diet plan. / So I’m going to give it a try again starting today. I’m starting off with only 1 day of fasting per week instead of 2. Last time I found that on the days that I was fasting I didn’t have the energy to run or do any other exercise. So my week is going to look like this:

• Sunday – Long Run / Rest 
• Monday - TKD 
• Tuesday – Fasting Day 
• Wednesday - TKD 
• Thursday – Short Run 
• Friday - Rest Day 
• Saturday – Long Run / Rest

The basic premise of the fast day is that you only consume approx. 500 calories. I am going to break that into 2 meals – my Shakeology shake for breakfast (eaten around 10:00) for about 200 calories and then a 300 calorie dinner after work. Hilary has been great in researching different meals that fit this criteria and are still delicious and filling. I may “cheat” and go over the magic number of 500 calories by adding in a morning coffee. I don’t think I’m ready to give that up just yet.

I’m really hoping that this will be the jumpstart that I need to get the scale moving in the right direction.

20 days of nourishment

http://runninghutch.com/faith-fitness/20-days-nourishment/

This month I'm taking part in a different type of challenge.  It's overall focus is on how you nourish your body, mind and spirit.  It's not about counting calories or losing weight.  Part of my focus on a healthier lifestyle also needs to include those areas.

Hutch, the blogger who is hosting this, sums it up best:

Just like you have to train your body to run a marathon, you also need to train your mind to stay tough when the race gets rough. Training your mind and spirit is just as important as training your body.

Every day for the next 20 days I will rate the activities in my life as part of three categories – body, mind and spirit.

HOW TO PLAY:  

1) Keep a daily log of what you feed your body (eat and drink), mind (entertainment & education choices), and spirit (truths or lies you dwell on). It’s like a food journal for life. You must write down the good and the bad. It doesn’t have to be super detailed.

2) Give each of your items or group of items a score on a scale between 0 and 7. Use 0 for anything completely unhelpful, or negative, or unhealthy. Use 7 for anything completely helpful, positive, or healthy

I’ve focused almost exclusively on the physical aspect of my life of late – what I eat, how many calories, getting enough exercise. Focusing on the other aspects of my life should be justt as important. Being an atheist, it sounds odd to be focusing on the spirit side, but I see this more as concentrating on the positive influences in my life and having a better attitude. It also reminds me a lot of the tenets of Tae Kwon Do, which I would like to think that I strive to achieve in my day to day life.

• Courtesy Showing courtesy to all, respecting others, having manners as well as maintaining the appropriate etiquette at all times, both within and outside the dojang 
• Integrity Although it may be similar, this form of integrity takes on a more wider role then defined in the common dictionary. In Taekwondo, integrity means not only to determine what is right or wrong but also having the conscience to feel guilt if one has done wrong and to have the integrity stand up for what is right. 
• Perseverance One will persevere time and time again until they have achieved a result which is adequate towards what one was trying to achieve. 
• Self-control This means to not only have control over one's physical acts, but also their mental thoughts and actions. 
• Indomitable spirit To have indomitable spirit means to have the courage to stand up for what you believe in, no matter what odds you are up against, and to always give 100% effort in whatever you do.

I truly believe that all aspects of your life need to be in balance if you want to reach your full potential and happiness. Hopefully by focusing on what I’m doing each day, I can find ways to increase my daily score by adding more positives and removing some of the negatives.

Interested in following along? Check out the link at the top of the post!

July Goals

First a recap of my June goals:

Enter my first National TKD competition (June 7th!! Only 7 days from now)

• Did it!  And got 2 bronze medals.

Run my first 10k (June 14th!! Only 15 days from now)

• Did it!  and under my goal time!

Walk/Run 155 km – this is the same goal that I had for May, but this month I want to have more days that have a min. of 5k. In May, 55% of my days had less then 5k. I would like to drop that to at least 40% for June. Check out my tracker.

• Didn't do it.  I came in at 147.05 km.  And I only hit 37% of my days being over 5k.

Keep my Net Calories goal for more than 50% of the month. In May I only had 40% of my days where I met my calorie goals.

• Didn't do it.  I only hit 37% for my net calories this month

---

So onward for July....

1. Stop eating bad "C" word foods for the next 6 weeks.
2. Attend 8 TKD classes
3. Run 10 times
4. Run/Walk 155 km, with at least 50% of my days being over 5k

What are your goals for July?

Click – Coffee Protein Powder Review

I love coffee! If I could drink coffee all day long, I probably would. Luckily for me, coffee doesn’t keep me up at night (it might if I started drinking it all day long however....) My problem with coffee is that I will only drink my coffee with milk and sugar (never sweetener), so every cup is 113 calories, with very few other nutritionally –redeeming qualities.

I recently received a free sample of Click Double Espresso Protein Shake powder as part of a race kit. I’m always looking for ways to add more protein to my diet, so I was excited to try this. I’ve heard a lot of people rave about this brand, but had not yet had a chance to taste it.

Admittedly, double espresso would not have been my pick of flavours. I usually don’t like any drink with espresso in it. I might love coffee, but often find that espresso is just too much for me. Luckily the flavour of the protein powder proved to be a more subtle coffee flavour and I didn’t notice any ill effects from the extra caffeine.

My favorite part of this powder was how easy it was to make. I added it to a shaker cup, added my liquid (I used almond milk instead of just water. Sure it added an extra 45 calories, but I think it made for a creamier and better tasting drink), shook it up and it was ready to go. The directions do say that you can serve it as a hot beverage, but I’m not sure that I would like that, unless I could do it with steamed milk, but you never know. You can also blend it with ice in a blender and make more of a smoothie.

I really enjoyed the flavour, but I did find the texture a bit odd. There were “bits” of something floating in my drink that reminded me of crushed up banana that I sometimes get in other shakes that I make if I don’t blend them long enough. Since I hadn’t added a banana to this, I’m not really sure what it was. It wasn’t unpleasant, just unexpected.

I love that I got 15gs of protein – nearly 20% of my daily goal – all in one quick drink and for only 110 calories. It’s a great way to enjoy a “fancy” coffee while actually consuming something nutritious for the same amount of calories that my regular coffee would set me back. It didn’t keep me as full as other protein shakes that I have tried do. I don’t think this would qualify as a meal replacement option, but just a great way to add more protein to your day.

This review is solely my own opinions and I was not compensated or endorsed in any way by the makers of Click.

Chasing the Sun 5k

Certainly not my best time, but overall it wasn't a bad run.  Doing 5k after not running at all for 2 weeks is hard enough.  Doing it after spending a day in the sun, climbing the rocks at Peggy's Cove and while it's still sunny and 26° is even harder.  

It's another 5k under my belt and I'm glad I didn't talk myself out of doing it today.

C is for....

Cookies and Cake and Chocolate and Candy and ice Cream and Chips and  CRAP.

These are all things that I have been eating way too much of and as such, I'm back to gaining weight instead of losing it.

That stops today.

Today I am starting another 6-week accountability group.  My goal for this group is to stop eating all of these C-words.  Overall we eat a very healthy, fresh food diet.  Hilary is an amazing cook who is always on the hunt for new, exciting recipes that are tasty and healthy.  I have a healthy breakfast, a well packed lunch and a great dinner.   I need to stop snacking after work and in the evenings before bed.

My other detractor of late has been having a car.  Due to various commitments, we've been keeping our weekend rental car during the week which adds 2 problems to my weight loss/health plan.  1) I'm not walking 20 minutes every morning from the bus to work.  2) It's far to convenient to skip breakfast and pick up something at the drive through.  My food choices for the last 2 weeks have not been great.

While this feels a bit like starting over, it really is just getting back on tract.  I've had 2 weeks of sloth and gluttony, so no it's time to settle back into my healthy routine.

What’s next?

Now that my TKD tournament is over and I’ve run my 10k race, I need to decide what to do next.

With TKD I always have the goal of my next belt to work towards. This gives me a new pattern to learn, new kicks to master and new sparring techniques to conquer.


This is my next pattern – Won Hyo. It has all sorts of new moves that I’ve never done and will be a challenge. Especially the part where I have to balance on one leg and throw a kick.

On the running front, I have two 5k races that I’m currently signed up for. A virtual run at the end of June and the Run for the Cure which isn’t until October. I think I will look for some other local races so that I have something concrete to work towards. The big question is whether or not I want to do another 10k, or stick with 5ks. There is a 5k in September out at the airport that I’m thinking of doing. How often would I have the opportunity to run on a runway? But I have not yet found any 10ks that I want to commit to.

I plan to continue to run 3-4 times a week. The heat of summer worries me, for I don’t do well with running when I’m hot. My schedule is such that I can’t run in the morning before work when it’s cool out, so I usually end up running around 5:30 when I get home from work.

I hope to keep up doing long runs (5k+) on Sundays, with shorter runs the rest of the time.  I would like to work on improving my overall performance and speed.  I might even through in some hills!

Hurricane 10k recap

This race can be summed up with one word:

Wet

Held at the Lawrence Town beach on the Atlantic View Trails, it is a beautiful spot where you get to run on wooden boardwalks beside the beach, crushed gravel trails that wind through salt marshes and forest land.  I didn't really get to enjoy much of the view since I kept my head down trying to keep the driving rain out of my eyes. 

What it should have looked like. 

Photo Credit: http://halifaxindependentschool.ca/oceanbreezerun/races.html

What it actually looked like from inside the car.

My biggest dilemma was what to wear.  I know that I run hot, but it was only 11°C, raining and windy.  I was already pretty much soaked through just from emptying post-race hot dog supplies out of my car and waiting in line for the port-a-potty.  I finally decided on wearing just my running shirt and shorts.  You could have rung out my jacket, so I didn't think it was even worth taking with me. In the long run it was the right decision.   

The first 4k were not so bad.  The rain had let up some, and regardless of being soaked through, I was able to enjoy the run.  There was a turn around point at the end of 4k with volunteers manning a water station.  One of the great things with this race is that since it is put on by Liam's school, I knew everyone and they knew me.  That meant a lot of personalized cheering, with the occasional "Way to go Andy and Andy's friend!" since they didn't know Donzella.

Donzella deserves a huge shout out.  I'm pretty sure I would have quit and not finished the race if it wasn't for her.  She stuck with me, walking when I needed to walk and encouraging me up the hill (and it was an awful hill!) and made sure I didn't quit.  Thank you Donzella!

The worst part of the race was kms 6-9.  These were run mainly on the side of the road.  The shoulder was loose gravel and had full running rivulets of water that were deeper then my shoes.  Running on the edge of the road was too close to the cars for my comfort and it had a bit of an angle to it that threw my balance off.  So I ran through the water.  I really couldn't get more wet at that point.  The rain and the wind really picked up around here too and we were running straight into it. There were points that I simply could not see because the rain was so intense.  I had chosen to run without my glasses because of the rain, so my best point of focus was only a few feet in front of me, but with the rain I couldn't really see that anyway.  I mainly concentrated on Donzella in front of me and tried to put one foot in front of the other.  The very big hill was also during this section, just to add insult to injury.  We did manage to run up it about half way before I called Uncle! and walked the rest.

I did find that the course was not very well marked on the road.  We knew that at some point we would turn and loop back to the start/finish line, but we had no idea where it was.  The road has a lot of bends in it, which meant that not only could you not see cars coming towards you, you could not see where the road went.  We finally found the 9k marker and some soaking wet volunteers who cheered us through the final turn towards the finish line.

Once we made that turn we were no longer running into the rain and wind, and we were off the road and back on the trail.  Despite it being the last kilometer, it felt so much easier.  And finally we could see the finish line!  Even though we were last, the crowd was still waiting for us, cheering us on!  (That had been my biggest fear when I was deciding to do the 10k - I would be last and everyone would have packed up and left). What a feeling it was to run through the crowd knowing that I had did it!  I had run 10k!

Some lessons learned:

• If it's raining bring a towel.  Trying to dry off with paper towel from the bathroom doesn't really work.
• Taking off wet spandex running shorts is hard then getting off a wet bathing suit.
• There is no point in bringing dry socks if you don't bring dry shoes.
• You really can do anything you set your mind too!

Random Pre-Race Thoughts

• OMG I’m going to run 10k tomorrow. In front of people. People that I know.

•  What if it rains? What if it doesn’t rain and it’s too hot? If it rains, should I wear my glasses? But if I don’t wear my sun glasses and the sun comes out, it will be worse. But rain drops on glasses suck.

• What time do I need to leave the house? What if I can’t find it? What if I’m late? (this is my general anxiety for any event/outing)

•  Will we have enough hot dogs? (I’m on the parent support committee for the school and we are selling hot dogs at the event as part of our fundraising)

• What should I eat before I leave the house? Should I take food for in the car? How many coffees should I have?

• Do I run with my water belt or not? If it’s hot, probably.... if not, maybe I’ll just rely on the water station at the half way point.

• What clothes should I wear for before the run? Change into after, for hot dog selling? Do I run in my shorts or my capris?

• Why exactly did I think this was even remotely a good idea?

• What if something happens and my friend D. can’t make it? Can I still do it if I had to run alone?

• I really want to finish in under an hour and thirty minutes. But really... I just want to finish.

One heck of a work out

Last night I went to the adult/advanced Tae Kwon Do class. It’s always more challenging then the family class, since the class isn’t made up of 5-10 year olds. For some reason the instructors expect a lot more from the grownups. This class was by far the most physically challenging class I have ever done. You could wring out my shirt and I was still dripping sweat from my brow after I had walked home. At the end of class when we line up and bow to our instructor, I was pretty sure I was going to throw up.

But I didn’t throw up and better yet I made it through the whole class. My technique needs a lot of work, but I was able to do all of the drills.

We started the night with 2 minute rounds of punching drills. An easy start to the night, except for my tiny, little, girly wrists.

This was followed by a killer drill. It involved doing push ups at one end of the gym and then running to the other end and doing back kicks. You start off with 1 push up and 1 kick, and keep increasing till you get to 10 of each. THEN you go back down from 9-1. Added all together that is 100 push ups and 100 back kicks. And let’s not forget the running in between. I didn’t think I was going to make it towards the end, but I powered through. Granted my version of a push up leaves a lot be desired, but even so I am feeling it in my arms today.


I am no where near as good as this 7 year old kid!  I was lucky if I hit the pad 50% of the time.


Our next drilled was 30 pushed leg lifts. This sounds and looks pretty easy, but by the time I had done 10 I wasn’t thinking that any more.



We finished the night off with some advanced kicking techniques that helped to reinforce that I need to work not only on my flexibility, but my basic understanding of left vs. right.

I’m really glad that today and tomorrow are rest days! I can barely lift my arms over my head today. It was certainly one heck of a work out.

Hip Pain

I've been very lucky that in the year I've been running, and the two years I've been doing Tae Kwon Do, I have not injured myself. So the fact that I am having hip pain 4 days before my first 10k is a little distressing.

The pain is not severe, but enough to be uncomfortable when I walk. I first noticed it on Saturday morning. I think it’s from the combination of the 2 hour drive Friday night, sleeping in a strange bed and then standing/sitting around for 4 hours Saturday morning at the TKD tournament. I was able to run 9k on Sunday with no pain, but by Sunday evening it was bothersome again. I skipped TKD last night and bought myself a foam roller instead. I've read lots of great articles on how foam rolling can help, so I thought I would give it a try.

It’s really quite awesome! While the pain isn't completely gone, it really did help. And as an added bonus the foam roller let’s me give Hilary great shoulder massages too! I’m going to go for a short run tonight to keep myself limber before the Ocean Breeze and fully plan to rolling my hip out when I get home. Hopefully everything will be fine by Saturday.

Do you use a foam roller? Love it or hate it?

June Goals

1. Enter my first National TKD competition (June 7th!! Only 7 days from now) 
2. Run my first 10k (June 14th!! Only 15 days from now) 
3. Walk/Run 155 km – this is the same goal that I had for May, but this month I want to have more days that have a min. of 5k. In May, 55% of my days had less then 5k. I would like to drop that to at least 40% for June. Check out my tracker.
4.  Keep my Net Calories goal for more than 50% of the month. In May I only had 40% of my days where I met my calorie goals.

I am specifically not adding a weight goal for the month of June. If I focus on my fitness and my food, the weight loss should follow along. I’m trying to not be a slave to the scale and focusing more on non-scale victories.

 What are your goals for June?

One of THOSE runs

Ever have one of those runs....

• Where you are the slowest runner at your running club so you end up running by yourself?
• Where a man 10 years your senior WALKS past you while you are running?
• Where, no matter what you do, the cord from your ear phones won't stay in the right place?
• Where the route you take starts out by going up a long steep hill?
• Where the only song you don't really like on your playlist comes on?
• Where your timer stops working?
• Where you get a headache because you didn't drink enough water that day?
• Where, even though you didn't drink enough water, you have to pee 20 minutes in?

Yup, I had one of those runs today.

Mid-May Update

It’s a wee bit past the midway point of May, but never too late for an update.

1. I’m on par to get in all my miles for the May Mileage challenge. I wanted to finish with 155 miles (5 miles a day) and I’m currently estimated to finish at 159. 
2. I hate the scale. The numbers are going up, not down. 
3. I can’t seem to control my snacking lately. This might be the problem with the #2.
4. I had a moment last week when I realized that I AM a runner – with less then 10 minutes to go till the start of TKD class, I was able to run to the house and back to class to get Liam’s sparing helmet. And I still managed to run the warm up with the class. 
5. I’ve only missed one TKD this month. I finally feel ready to test next week.
6. I ran 6k on Sunday with my co-worker who is running the Ocean Breeze with me. We seem to be well matched for pace, even if she can carry on a full conversation the whole time while I wheezed out one answers.

How are you doing this month?

Decided

I have finally decided and committed to running the 10k Hurricane Run on June 14th.  I've been back and forth on trying to decide if I could truly run 10k, having never gone farther then 8k yet.

A friend from work has signed up with me and committed to running the race with me at my pace!  I love that I will have someone to run with and no longer feel the anxiety that I had about coming in last. I have 4 weeks left to get more miles in, work on increasing my pace and just generally getting ready.

I've got this!

I may be crazy

but less than 48 hours after the Taekwon-Do tournament, I have signed up for another one!

First Long Run

Inspired by my friend Jenna who is running her first MARATHON today, I decided to run my first "long run".  I ditched the interval timer, cranked up some tunes, plotted out a route and hit the pavement.  My plan was to run 6km, 1 more than I've ever run before.

The route took me up some hills that I hadn't anticipated, and today is the first hot day of the year with the sun out and the temperature hitting 15C.  I finished the run in 1:07.  I was a bit disappointed that it took me 25 minutes to do an extra kilometer, even with the hills and the heat.  Till I got home and updated the route in MapMyRun and found out that I had gone 7.14 km.  Yay me!!

My pace was slower than what I usually run, but I'm okay with that.  Just knowing that I can run that distance and for that amount of time (still with walking breaks, especially on the hills) makes the slower pace okay.

I finally feel that I"m back in the running game and right now I feel like I can conquer anything!

Create Maps or search from 80 million at MapMyRun

A Pavlovian Response

Last year when I first started running, I downloaded an app, UltraTimer, that let me set in my own running program. I could put in a 5 minute warm up followed by run/walk intervals of any lengths that I chose. It was great as I moved from 2 minute running/1 minute walking up to a combo of 4 and 5 minutes running with 1 minute walking breaks. As I ran more and more, I relied on it less, walking when I needed to and running for as long as I could. I eventually got to the point that I could run a full 5k without any walking breaks.

I’ve been away from running for a few months and I’m easing myself back into it. That means that I’m back to doing run/walk intervals till I build up my stamina again. So I set up my UltraTimer and headed out. When each interval finishes, you have the option to set a sound to play, that comes up over any music you might be listening too. I have mine set with a car horn beep when it’s time to run and a group of people sighing a big long AHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhh when it’s time to walk. I never in a million years expected to have such a Pavlovian response to sound! Even if I was have a great running segment, had found my stride and was enjoying myself, the second I heard the AHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhh I would break stride and start walking. And the same would happen with the beeping car horn. Even if I hadn’t recovered and was still huffing and puffing, I would start to run.

I need to be more confident and learn to listen to my body instead of some pre-programmed designated running time. I bet I can go longer and farther on my own, but I’m limiting myself to what the timer says right now.

Do you use a timer when you run? What apps do you use?

Weigh In - April 27

Last Weigh In - 219.8
Current Weight - 219.8

Weight Lost - 0

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I was pretty hesitant to get on the scale again.  It has been nearly 2 weeks since my last weigh in and during that time I had a lovely visit from my MIL which involved lots of yummy meals at home, eating out, wine and a more than a couple of martinis.  In the middle of her visit we also had Easter which involved a lot of chocolate and Peeps.  There was also very little exercise in the last 2 weeks.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had not gained any weight and had stayed  the same.

So now the journey continues.  My goals are to run 4 days a week, to get back to TKD on a regular basis and to eat well.  Becka from Fat to Happy shared a FB group called Mileage May that I've also joined.  My goal is to walk/run 5 miles a day (approx. 10,000 steps) every day in May, for a total of 155 miles.  So far for April I only have 92.4 miles, so it will be a push to get 5 miles in every day!

Want to join in the Mileage May challenge?  Let me know and I'll send you an invite.

17 seconds

I set a new PR today for a timed 5k by a whopping 17 seconds!


route from Lung Association of Nova Scotia on Vimeo.


This is only the 2nd time I've run a chip timed race.  I had no expectation of even being close to my time from last summer, so I was very pleased when I got home and found out my official chip time of 41:59.  This was also the first race where they "corralled" runners based on their estimated finish time.  30-40 minutes was the slowest option, with the walkers lining up behind us.  I felt better knowing there were walkers, since I figured I would at least be able to stay ahead of them and not finish last.

The day started out cold and pouring with rain.  I figured it was going to be a miserable wet run, but about an hour before the start, the rain cleared up, the sun came out and it was beautiful out.  This was a great course to run, mostly all along the waterfront.  It was very flat which suits me just fine. I love that I live in such a beautiful city with such great places to run.

So I have another race in the books and I feel pretty great about it.  I'm still on the fence if I'm going to run the 5k or the 10k in June, but I'm mostly not sick now and I can start training a bit more, so I'll have to decide soon.

I loved that our race bibs had our names on them.  All the volunteers and other runners would shout out personalized encouragement and as I crossed the line the announcer was calling out my name!

Commitment

The best ways to ensure that I do something is to first publicly declare it so that my friends and family can help keep me accountable. Secondly is to pay money or officially sign up for it.

So I’m now telling all of you that as of last night I am officially registered for the Nova Scotia ITF TaeKwon-Do Open Championship tournament on May 3rd.

That gives me three and half weeks to conquer my 24 step pattern Do-San  and to practice my contact sparring  – hopefully with other adults and not the little kids I usually train with. This is the same tournament that I entered last year, so I at least have a sense of familiarity for how it will be run. That doesn’t help my sense of nervousness and fear however!

Weigh In - April 6

Last Weigh In - 219.8
Current Weight - 215.1

Weight Lost This Month- 4.7

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So it's been a month since my last weigh in.  I got hit with a stomach bug two weeks in a row and life just seems to have been extra busy.  But the good news is that I've lost 4.7 pounds!  I do chalk at least half of that up to being sick.  Not the way I want to lose weight, but I'll take it.

The weather has finally turned to spring, and I'm back to running outside.  We started the 10 week Learn To Run Programme at Liam's school on Friday.  My goal is to be ready to run a 10k by June.  I was really feeling how out of shape I've gotten over the last month, and was glad that I was running with the newbies with a run 1 minute/ walk 1 minute intro.  I hope to build up my endurance and speed by getting out and running at least 4 times a week.

I'm also back to TKD.  I hope to test at the end of the month and there is a tournament the first weekend in May that I would like to enter.  I've been so inconsistent with attending classes for the last 6 months, that I really need to not miss any being now and then.  So far I'm 2 for 2!

I'm still drinking the Shakeology shakes for breakfast, but have stopped with the DVD workouts in lieu of running and TKD.  I think they will make a nice back up if the weather is horrible, or I just don't have time for more then a 30 minute workout.

I'm hoping that April is the turning point and that I can keep to all my goals.  What are your April goals?

How exactly did this happen?

This past January I ran into Gail, the woman who ran the Learn To Run programme through Liam’s school last year. She was an amazing coach and really helped me believe in myself and was instrumental in me sticking with running and making it through my first 5k race. We spent a few minutes catching up with each other before talk turned to this years Learn To Run programme. I inquired if she would be leading it again this year, and I said that I was going to sign up for it. It’s great to have a weekly commitment to run with a group. I find that it forces helps me out the door to run on days that I might otherwise talk myself out of it.

Gail was indeed planning to run the group again, but mentioned that she had 2 weeks where her work schedule interfered and asked me if I could help out on those nights, since I live close and was planning to be there anyway. I don’t know what she thought “helping out” meant, but in my mind it entailed saying to the group “Okay, let’s all run for 40 minutes, see you back here.” And then making sure we didn’t lose anyone along the way.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago when I got an email from the school. “…can you send me a brief bio so that I can introduce you, along with Gail, as the instructors this year?”

Ummm… Sorry?

So helping out a couple of nights has now been elevated to “instructor”.

We are happy to introduce our Learn to Run instructors, Gail and Andy, who are volunteering their time to teach our group how to run. Gail was an instructor for us last year. Gail is a Registered Nurse who worked as a certified aerobics instructor while going to school. She has participated in numerous runs over the years, supporting a number of charities. Andy, a 43 year old mom, started running for the first time last April with the OBTR Learn to Run Programme. She had never run before, and had even managed to avoid it during every single gym class in high school! She kept with it, and by the end of the 10 week programme was ready to take part in her first ever 5k race (The OBTR Gale). Gail and Andy are looking forward to teaming up to coach the Ocean Breeze Learn-to-Run Programme and can't wait to meet our group.

While I’m honoured, I hardly feel qualified. I’m going to rise to the challenge though and hopefully we can all learn to run together.

And if you live in the HRM area, why don't you join us for a 10 week learn to run programme, led by 2 amazing women?  You can sign up here: LTR Registration

Stomach Bug

I got hit with a nasty 24 hour stomach bug on Sunday, that has now taken down Liam.  The only good thing to come out of this is that I lost 4 pounds in less then 48 hours.  It's not a weight loss plan that I would wish on anyone.  Today I was able to eat crackers, bananas and yogurt!  It was like a smorgasbord.

Hopefully by tomorrow I'm fully on the med, since we are due to get 30-40 cm of snow!  That's between a foot and a foot and a half in less then 12 hours.  I'm going to need all of my energy for shoveling.

Shamrock Shuffle 5k

I did it!

After not running for nearly 2 months, I headed out this morning and ran 5k for the Shamrock Shuffle.  The morning had started out beautiful and sunshiny, until I decided it was time to go.  5 minutes before I headed out the door, it got very dark and started to snow.  Just my luck.   But the luck of Irish must have been with me because within minutes of leaving the house, the snow stopped and the sun was out once more.  Within minutes of starting my run I had ditched my hood, my gloves and before long even my jacket! My finish photo looks like it could have been taken in the middle of summer, not the middle of March.

I was worried that I wouldn't be able to finish 5k after such a long break.  I walked when I needed to walk and ran when I could. I'm very pleased with my time of 44:52.  That's only a few minutes slower then I was last summer!  It makes me think that I just might be able to do the 10k Ocean Breeze trail run in June!

Running Update

Actually, there isn't a whole lot to update.

Hi my name is Andy and it's been 46 days since I last went for a run.

I'm not 100% sure how that happened.  Sure, I was sick for 10 days, and I've been trying to do the workout videos that I got from Beachbody.  The weather is absolutely horrendous, so my only running option has been the indoor track.  I'm sure I could come up with many other reasons, but it all comes down to the fact that it's been a month and a half since I've laced up.

There is however, a fair bit of running in my future.  Tomorrow I'm supposed to run the Shamrock Shuffle Virtual 5k.  It's supposed to snow in the morning and be cold in the afternoon.  But even if I have to walk the whole thing, I'm going to get out and do this.  I'll consider it my dive back into running.

I've also signed up for another virtual 5k for next weekend.  And the Learn to Run program through Liam's school starts up again on Friday April 4th, only 3 weeks away.  This will be a 10 week program leading up to the Ocean Breeze Trail Run that the school is putting on as their major fundraiser for the year.  The one that I'm debating running the 10k instead of the 5k.   I'm still torn on that.

I've also signed up for this year's Run for the Cure, but luckily that isn't until October.  And for reasons unknown to me, I've been checking out race dates in Ontario that might coincide with our summer vacation to see my Mom.

I enjoy running and I really do miss it.  I love the quiet, alone time, listening to music or audio books, watching the world around me.  I just hate the cold and the snow and the ice.  While running at the track is a great option, I don't enjoy it nearly as much.  I would equate it to how people complain about using a treadmill.

So it's now the middle of March and Spring officially starts in 6 days.  Weather be damned, I'm going to get back out there and RUN.

Willpower

The next few weeks are going to be a true test of my will power. Every year our TaeKwon-Do club has its members sell chocolate bars to raise funds. We are each asked to sell 2 boxes, so 60 chocolate bars. Or in my case, 4 boxes, since Liam and I both train together. Each box contains a mixture of chocolate covered almonds, almond bars, caramel bars and individually wrapped caramels. They are some of the BEST chocolates I have ever tasted.
 

The good thing is that I work in an office with a lot of people, so it’s usually pretty quick and easy to sell off 4 boxes. Just set it up on the corner of my desk and spread the word. The people will come, Toonies in hand.

The bad thing is that I have a box of chocolates sitting on my desk for the next couple of weeks.

The first box was set up on my desk this morning and I’ve already sold 7 bars. The box won’t last long, and will be replaced by the next one (which is already 3 bars light, since Liam emptied his wallet as soon as we got home with them last night).

I really want to stick with my 21-day plan and get my eating back on track, which does not include eating chocolate of any type, let alone a box of almonds that has 440 calories. So until these chocolates are all sold, I will be working on my willpower

“It's not that some people have willpower and some don't... It's that some people are ready to change and others are not.” ― James Gordon

Weigh in - March 9

Last Week's Weight - 218
Current Weight - 219.5

Weight Gained This Week - 1.5

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Guess what!!  I'm finally over my cold/sinus infection.  I was even able to work out today, with a high intensity 30 minute aerobic video.  Sure, my nose was a bit drippy, but since I'm in the privacy of my bedroom and not at a gym, I didn't really care.

Another gain this week caused purely by inactivity and comfort food.  Now that I'm on the mend, I start again!!  If I was able to lose 5lbs a few weeks ago, I'm sure I can start losing again this week.

Who's with me?

If only...

I am currently suffering from a bad case of the "If only's..."

·         If only it weren’t dark out when I got home... I could go for a walk.
·         If only there wasn’t snow on the ground… I could go for a run.
·         If only it weren’t so cold outside… I could play in the back yard.
·         If only I could lose 20 pounds… it would be easier to exercise.
·         If only I would exercise… I could lose 20  pounds.
·         If only I could get more sleep… I wouldn’t be so tired.
·         If only I wasn’t sick… I could do more.
·         If only the bag of chips wasn’t open... I wouldn’t eat them.
·         If only I didn’t have to work full time… I would have more time to work out.
·         If only I had a car… I could get to the gym.
·         If only we had a basement… I would have room for a treadmill.
·         If only I wasn’t so lazy… I could get up and do something.
·      If only ...

Does anyone have a good cure-all for the "If only's..."?