Ghostly Gallop

I ran my first virtual 5K race today.  No, I didn't jog on the spot with a Wii remote in my pocket while my Mii went for a run around Wuhu Island.   A virtual race is an organized race that doesn't have a specific location.  People all around the world can participate by simply running the required distance on their own and then reporting back their results to the race organizers

A lot of virtual runs are done as fundraisers for various causes, or some are held to get online groups of people together, like the one I did today.  Organized by the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans, it allowed all of us who are members of their forum to participate in the run "together".  We even get a t-shirt and a finishers medal (I'm guessing mine is held up in customs and will  hopefully arrive this week).

So I laced up and ran 5K today. I never really believed people when they said that running was more mental than it was physical. I understood it today when after only 4 minutes of running I had to convince myself that I didn't actually need to walk and that I could push through it.  Running Andy overcame Lazy Andy and I managed to run the full 5K without walking at all.  I've only just started being able to do that, and it really is a great feeling of accomplishment.

Out of breath!

One of my better times, though I would really like to get below 40 just once!

Create Maps or search from 80 million at MapMyRun

I've mapped out a 5K route in my neighbourhood that is easy to remember and doesn't really have any hills.  I'm not ready for hills yet.

I have one more virtual run planned for November and then I think I'll be waiting (and training) for the spring race season to start.

Fast Day Dinner

On fasting days I aim to eat a 300 calorie meal for dinner.  Hilary has done an amazing job at finding a variety of meals that are not only low-low cal, but tasty and filling.  Follow me on Tuesdays and Thursdays as I share our meal plans.

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Menu:

• Spicy Shrimp
• Broccoli Slaw with honey, olive oil and apple cider vinegar
• Thin Tortilla

I had 2 wraps for a total of 298 calories.

Food Run

I ran my third official 5K race today!  It was a very hilly course, but beautiful, along a wooded trail with all the leaves turning red and orange.  

Before

After

Around the 2K marker I started running with another woman and we stuck together till the end.  We were well paced with each other, and cursed the hills together while we walked up them.  

I love having a race planned and on my schedule as it really helps me to focus and keep training.  My next run is a virtual race next weekend!

Run for the Cure

I ran in my second organized 5K run today.

The Run for the Cure had over 5000 people in Halifax, so it was a very different feel from my first race.  It's also the first race I've done on city streets.   I didn't realize how hard it would be to just get through the starting line.

There were a few more hills than I'm used to, and I did have to walk a couple of times.  So I was very excited when I got home to see my uploaded MapMyRun data to find out that I had my best pace of 7:14 minutes/KM.  My best time before this was 8:35.   A friend who is a runner says that he always has better time on races then just training.  The excitement of people cheering you on, running in a pack and today there were even marching bands at strategic locations, gives you the boost to push yourself harder. It's so true.  At one point I was tiring out and thinking about walking when I passed a group of volunteers who started whooping and hollering and telling me what a great job I was doing.  Of course I couldn't start walking then!

I'm so glad that I signed up for this.  Not only is it a great cause, it was a great run too!

October's Goals

I made it through all of my September goals!  Now it's time to plan for October. Of course October has a holiday in it that centers around food (always the best holidays in my opinion) and my Mom is coming to visit for 2 weeks.  I don't want either of things to derail me completely, but I do want to enjoy myself.

1. Wear my pedometer every day - aim for 10,000 steps per day
2. Log all my food at My Fitness Pal
3. Fast on Tuesdays and Thursdays
4. Attend 10 TKD classes

I've signed up for three 5 km races this month!  

1. Oct 6 - Run for the Cure
2. Oct 20 - Food Run for Feed Nova Scotia
3. Oct 27 - Ghostly Gallop Virtual Run

Based on that I am setting myself a goal of running 40 km this month.

I am deliberately not setting any weight loss goals.  If I continue to focus on healthy eating and exercise, the number on the scale become irrelevant (or so I try to tell myself).

What are your goals for the month?

Run or Dye

Today was my second organized 5K "race".  I didn't do a whole lot of running as the terrain was very steep hills, some mud and a lot of slippery grass.  Instead we walked most of the course and had fun getting tye-dyed.

I started out the day all squeaky clean.

With my friend Kelly.

Before we even made it to the starting line, I was covered in purple.

By the end I was a rainbow of colours.

We had a blast and I'm so glad I did it.  

Running Club

When I first started running this year, I joined a learn to run program offered through Liam's school.  We met every Friday night for an hour.  It was great to have people to run with who offer encouragement.  Since that ended in June I've been running by myself.

I do enjoy running by myself.  It's nice to have time to reflect, lose myself to my tunes or listen to an audio book.  But I miss the encouragement.  Someone telling me that I can make it 5 more steps or matching their pace with mine so that we end a run together.

So I've decided to form a running group!  So far it seems to be just some of the people that were part of the original learn to run program, but I'm hoping that it will grow.  We'll meet at the school on  Friday nights for an hour, and collect a $2.00 donation - with all funds going to the school.  There are lots of quiet side streets and even a neighbourhood full of paved walkways far from any roads.  I'll research up coming runs in the city that we can join, maybe find some interesting articles to share and generally have fun.

Have you ever run a running group, or been part of one?  What did you like or hate about it?  All suggestions are welcomed.