Injury

It’s week 1 day 3 of my 20 week ½ marathon training plan and I need to skip tonight’s run.

Sigh.

I had a great TKD class yesterday full of kicks and cardio. I was sore afterwards, but it was a good sore, one that let me know that I am in touch with all my muscles. I went home, relaxed in a hot shower, worked out the last few kinks, and then headed out to pick Liam up from Cadets.

It had started to snow, a light dusting that was just covering the ground. As Liam and I headed to the parked car, I stopped him to point out a patch of ice in front of him, since he didn’t seem to be paying any attention. Then I stepped forward and the world spun sideways as I slipped on a hidden patch of ice and started falling. I didn’t go all the way down; I was able to grab the front of Liam’s jacket with one hand and a piece of scaffolding with the other.

While I didn’t fall, I did twist my left knee.  It didn't swell, but it hurt enough in the car ride home to bring tears to my eyes.  And not quite 24 hours later it is still tender when I bend it.  Once I'm up and walking it seems fine.

So even though I want to get out and run, I don't want to risk further injury.  So today I rest and hopefully tomorrow all will be right again.

20 weeks

20 weeks from today it will be Sunday May 17th.  Not usually a notable date in my life, but this year it will be.

After a lot of thought, soul searching and discussions with Hilary, I have decided to train for the Recharge With Milk Half Marathon that is part of the Blue Nose* weekend!

* For my non-Nova Scotia friends, "Blue Nose" is a nickname for Nova Scotians, dating back to the 18th century.

I have set up a 20 week training program that has me running 4 times a week, with long runs on Sundays.  Most of my weeknight runs will be under an hour, which is good, since I don't get home from work till after 5:00.

I've never run more than 10 kms before and have just gotten back into running, so training to run 21.1 kms is a bit daunting.  My first long run that surpasses 10 kms is only 5 weeks away!  There are a few obstacles to the training plan that I will have to work around - the biggest one being that we will be in the Domincan Republic for March break (otherwise known as week 11), and I may have some travel coming up for work. It's not to say that I can't run while I'm away, it will just present some unique challenges.

Halifax is also a very hilly city and so far I have manage to run on nice flat routes.  I'm going to have to start adding some hill work to my runs, especially since kms 15-21 for the 1/2 are a slow but steady climb.

So there we have it. Year one of running I did my first 5k.  Year two of running I did my first 10k.  So it only holds to reason that in my third year I aim for my first 1/2 marathon! I'm just going to giv'er!

2015 Goals

I have a few goals for 2015. The biggest one is to continue to live a healthy lifestyle so that I can be my healthiest. This includes better eating, more sleep, being happy with my life and exercising.

There are two things that I do for exercise that I plan to keep working on in 2015 – TaeKwon-Do and running.

My TaeKwon-Do goals are simple: Test for my Blue stripe in January and test for my Blue belt in the fall. I need to commit to attending classes more regularly for this to happen. I had a few months in 2014 where I only made it to a single class. I’m never going to learn my patterns and improve my techniques at that rate.

My plan for running is to get out at least 3 times a week and slowly increase my distance.  I'm less concerned about my speed, though of course I would love to be faster.

The one thing that keeps me motivated to run is having a planned race to train for. Right now I have at least 7 races that I want to participate in for 2015.

2015 Race List

1. NS Lung Run May 2 – I really liked this race last year – It’s run along the boardwalk and through the container terminal. And it’s nice and flat.
2. Recharge with Milk ½ Marathon May 17 – MAYBE.... I haven’t decided yet if I can train enough to run my first ½ marathon by May. The idea that I’m even considering this freaks me out.
3. Ocean Breeze June 20 – I’m planning to do the 10k again this year. Hopefully it won’t be in a torrential downpour!
4. MacPass Mile Aug 02 – New to me for 2015. This involve running across the Macdonald Bridge from Halifax to Dartmouth. It’s got a pretty wicked up slope, followed by the same down slope once you pass the middle of the bridge
5. Natal Day Road Race August 03 – This is a great 2 mile race through Dartmouth. 2015 will be the 110th year this race has run.
6. CIBC Run for the Cure Oct 4 – 2015 will my third year running this 5k race through downtown Halifax. This is also the only run that I actively fundraise for.
7. Runway Run (was in October last year) – I hope they have this race again for 2015. Running on the airport runway was a lot of fun.
8. All the Shrinking Jeans Virtual runs (usually about 3 a year) – I like the virtual races because they help to keep me training for something between other races.

I will hopefully pick up a few more races along the way as well.

Most notably for 2015, I don't have a weight goal.  Do I want to lose weight?  Of course!  But I am not setting a specific goal of how many pounds I want to lose, or what my goal weight for the end of the year would be.  Instead, I'm going to focus on being healthy and exercising.  If I do those 2 things, the weight loss will follow.

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!