Back to the heat

We arrived home from our lovely weekend away last night, with little energy for more than an evening watching the food network.  It has become a bit of an obsession around our house lately.  I have never been one for fancy food, so it surprises me that I am so into so many shows on this channel!  I just love watching these chefs create little masterpieces on a plate, even though I don't really see myself eating half of it.  I am not a seafood fan, and much of what is created on that channel involves scallops, fresh fish, etc. I guess I just love getting caught up in all of the fanciness of it.  Especially when there is competition involved.  Sign me up for an Iron Chef marathon any day! (watching, that is)...

So, as I lay on the couch with my feet up, I could not picture myself rising early to embark on a 32 kilometer (20 mile) run on a Monday morning.  Unfortunately, promises are promises, and I did commit to my training plan.  I forced the tv off at a reasonable hour, and headed to bed, trying to mentally prepare myself for the run.  All of this mental preparation landed me some interesting dreams!  I dreamt that I was late for a race, and was forced to run in a bathing suit and bare feet.  hmph.

I filled my handheld with rain berry gatorade, and my pockets with Sharkies (out of GU chomps--bummer).  I dug out my cell phone and ipod (yes, I carry too much while I run!!) and laced up my shoes.  I planned to do a 10 mile loop twice.  This way, I would pass by home in the middle for a pit stop and refill of the essentials.  During the first loop, as I was running along, my favourite people in the whole world stopped to cheer me on.  My husband was driving into town with the boys so they stopped when they saw me.  Nothing warms a mother's heart more than seeing her boy's big smiles in the back seat of the car.  "Milo run too?" said my little one, which melted my heart a bit.  I knew they loved all of those runs I have forced them on!  The next hour or so cruised along, no problems.  At about mile 14, my ipod stopped working (?!) so not only was I sad not to have the music, but I was sad to carry the dead weight.  It was heating up out there, and I was drinking through my liquids much faster than anticipated.  My mile 19, (the final stretch!) I was taking teeny sips, hoping to make it last.  I thought my shoes were going to melt to the road.  The last stretch of the loop is quite sunny (relentless sun and no wind, really).  I knew my parents were driving to our house for a visit, and I prayed that they would come along the road by chance to rescue me.  Sure enough, my prayers were answered.  With about a half of a mile to go, my other favourite people came along in their car.  They pulled to the side of the road, and said, "hey, want a ride?!"  I am sure they expected me to say, "no, I will meet you there!" but I was soooo not into proving my toughness at that point.  I feel bad that their lovely leather seats now are sweat-infused (eeeewww).
If mom and dad can't save you from the big, bad sun, who can?!

It really was a hot day, and it caught me a tiny bit off-guard, but at least the run is now behind me.  So I didn't make it the entire 32kms.  I am fine with 31 for this week :)

Happy Friday

Just as I am getting used to the 'family runs' my husband and I have been enjoying with the boys, I am realizing that they will soon come to an end. This morning our run was nothing short of perfect. Sure, the boys fought a little over blankets (even though they each had their own) but the fact that they needed blankets was lovely. The temperature was cooland sunny at 7:30 when we left, and remained that way for the whole 7kms.
During the run, Elliott announced that he would like a cat and a dog (not happening) as pets. He is definitely his father's son when it comes to animals. Poor kid. His little bro's allergies to dogs will prevent him from the pet experience, but it makes me glad to know he will enjoy visiting the pets of our friends and relatives in years to come.
We are headed out of town for the weekend (sniff, sniff...one of the last summer weekends!) and I have packed my running things hoping I can squeeze in some running/sight seeing into the weekend. My long run will have to wait until Monday though, as I am not interested in running for a few hours in an unfamiliar place.
Here's to a great weekend of visiting with family, eating well, and (hopefully) lots of sunshine! Oh, and a hotel with a pool. Elliott keeps reminding me of this crucial detail :)

Tuesday Update Part Two

I felt like tonight's run deserved it's own post.  It was 3k Time Trial night at the track!  I run intervals on Tuesday nights at a local track with the Guelph Victors.  They are a great (and talented!) group of runners, obviously in Guelph, that have a lot of fun and work really hard at the same time.  They organize local races and really are a community staple in my eyes.

Every couple of months (when it's nice out) they hold a 3k time trial.  I find it tricky to make it to all of them, with kids, a husband with a crazy schedule, etc.  The last 3k time trial I made it to was April 13, so I was happy to be able to attend this evening's run.  My husband decided to run the time trial too (yay!) so it became a family event.  I packed the BOB full of snacks, toys and books for the boys, and told them to cheer everyone on as they ran by.  We would see them from the track every 400 meters, so hopefully they wouldn't get lonely?!  They did very well to wave and cheer, and Milo only cried a little near the end.  It did make mommy try to run a bit faster, so it was all good.  Milo was yelling, "Milo's running turn?" over and over by the time I finished.  So cute.  They just love that track (gush!).

The 3k was a good one.  I feel like I ran strong the entire time.  It wasn't my fastest, but I was happy with my 12:30 finish.  My time in April was 11:58, but hey, what can you do?!  I am not super-proud to have gobbled up another 30 seconds in the 7 1/2 times around that track, but my boys cheered me on like I was the number one finisher!

After we finished the time trial, we were to run 2 x 800m.  My husband and I each took one of them, as we couldn't leave the munchkins unattended at the side of the track, and there was no way they were going to accept being shoved back into the BOB.  He took the first 800, and I took the second.   I feel like my break was a little long in between, so I lost some momentum.  It felt hard to get up to pace.  I finished that 800 in 3:06.

It was so nice to have the boys with us at the track.  I love watching them run and cheer.  Perhaps it is because I am secretly hoping it will tire them out so much that they will sleep that much better?!  My other favourite thing is the pasta I am about to eat as a lovely little recovery dinner!

Tuesday update Part One

We finally feel like we are falling back into a routine here at home, after another couple of days away...just in time for dreaded September to creep into our lives again :(

We drove to my parent's house on Saturday night, hoping to wake up to some sunshine and time in their pool Sunday morning.  It was nice waking up at Grandma and Grandpa's house, but there was no sunshine in sight.  Just rain and wind.  That was okay with me, though, as I had a long run in store, so less sun and heat always is a nice change in the summer time!

My brother came over, and we loaded up my husband with a backpack of gatorade, (yep, rain berry flavour) GU chomps, water, and jelly belly sport beans.  He planned on biking along with us down the country roads of our long run.  It was awesome to have him along, not just because he carried all of the supplements we would need, but for bonding time between him, my brother and me.  We chatted about all things running (as my brother and I do often) and everything in between.  My brother is a great person to run with, especially for good conversation.  It also helps that he has a Garmin that keeps track of our distance, etc. so we know whether we are on-track (or not!).

We ran just over 16 miles in 2:02.  We did have to add in a pit-stop when we got into "town" (about half way).  I really felt the wind on the stretch home, but it was a nice cool run, so I have no complaints.  It is too bad we weren't in much of a cooling off mood when we returned to my parent's house, because it isn't every day that I can just jump into a cool and refreshing swimming pool, but sometimes the planets just don't align like we want them to :)

I completely forgot to use my recovery socks after the run (I even remembered to pack them, which is hard for me!) but I wasn't any worse for wear.  I took Monday as a day off anyway.

I only wish we had brought our camera for the long run (especially with an *assistant* on a bike with a backpack!) but we forgot.  No photos of us plugging along in the wind.  I should find some stock photos of my brother and I running together and add them soon.

Week's end wrap-up

It's Friday evening already...the week flew by in a flash.  After Sunday's race (btw, I finished 3rd in my age group!) we packed up to go camping Monday, in Awenda Provincial Park.
The weather was beautiful for camping, and the boys were quite excited to be back on a campsite surrounded by nature.  We were camping in July, and they have been eager to get back out there!  Being able to take them to the beach, and cook giant marshmallows were highlights of the trip.

The roasting of the giant marshmallows--the pic doesn't do the size justice!

Elliott enjoying the marshmallow goo!

I wish I was coordinated enough to carry along a camera while running, as the trails in Awenda are so scenic.  They are perfectly shaded, and only a tiny bit hilly, so running even in the middle of the day is pleasant!  I don't often have the chance to enjoy running on trails, as it can be hard with the double buggy.  Maybe someday I will do this regularly, as Rockwood, where I live, has some beautiful trails in the conservation area.  For now we will just enjoy them for family nature walks!

While we were on our camping adventure, we went to visit some of my husband's family, as they live in the area.  His uncle still, after all these years, can't get over some of the distances I *enjoy* running.  He really thinks I have some marbles missing in my head.
It is hard to explain the joy of the challenge to people sometimes.  It is hard to articulate the fact that I often drive down hilly roads near my house and think, "this would be a great run" to anyone that isn't into 'pain for fun'.  Even I don't understand all of the science behind the 'runner's high' I know that I chase.  I just know that when I am out on a race course and I am really pushing myself, I often think about how proud I am that I can work so hard at something.  And, let's not forget the amazing feeling of crossing the finish line.  Who isn't thinking about doing another race?  The amount of times I have thought, "when is the next race?" while holding a banana, bottle of water, with a bagel tucked under my arm are too many to count.

I was supposed to (sign up and) run the Midsummer Night's Run this weekend in Toronto, but last week I decided against it.  I was planning to do the 15km, but it just isn't going to fit into my training schedule.  I have to do a 30km run on Sunday, and I just cannot do both in one weekend.  I realize there is a 30km option in the Midsummer Night's run, but I would not be racing the distance, so I am opting to save myself the race fee.  Besides, I would have to go to the race alone, run it alone, blah, blah, blah, so I think I will mark it on my calendar for next year, and keep my Around the Bay 30k memories for this year :)

Happy weekend running!

Fergus Highland Games 10k Race Report

Just before getting into bed last night, I checked the weather report one last time.  Thunderstorms.  Ugh.  I dreamt of puddles, soakers and hovering away from danger on the route.  As I woke up this morning, no such thunder in sight.  Yay!  It was overcast, but race day seemed to be shaping into something that I could live with!!

It was humid, yes, but at least there were clouds covering the sun, so it wasn't a humid/sunny double whammy at least.  We packed the boys into the car, and headed to Fergus (about 20 minutes away).  Close to the race start there was a big play set (jackpot!) so the boys were entertained while we waited for the race to start.  There were lots of other children playing, and lots of other dads entertaining them, as we moms seem to be the ones that are running (?).  One dad made a joke about this too, which was funny.

Race start--waiting for the "Ready, set, GO!"

At the race start, I saw some familiar faces, which is always nice.  I like local races for this reason :)  Before I knew it, the gun was going off, and I was settling into a nice comfortable pace.  Kilometers 1-4 were right on target, and the scenery was fantastic.  After a water station at kilometer 4, we headed to the left, and up a steep (ugh) hill.  I usually like the challenge of a hill, but not while I am still trying to gulp back as much water as I can!  I did spill more than I ingested, but that is normal for me.  At kilometer 5, I checked my watch, to see that I had let myself slip a bit behind my target pace (woops).  I had passed a couple of other runners, and I was feeling so good that I just assumed I was doing well :)
I accepted the fact that I was off-pace, and decided to enjoy the view.  On overcast days the green in the trees and grass just looks so rich, and this course covered a lot of green areas in the countryside, so I couldn't help but take it all in.  (No wonder I was off-pace!)
Before long, I was at kilometer 7...woah, where did those last few kilometers go?  I decided it was time to start pushing it to the finish.  I really don't like crossing the finish line with energy left to spare.  I pushed past a couple of runners, and focused on the bagpipes I could hear blaring away in the distance.  I could see it.  The big, red words, "Finish Line" up ahead of me.  Yay!  Even more exciting, the handsome guy behind a double stroller with two of the cutest boys I have ever seen (if I do say so myself).
"Mama, are you finishing your run now," yelled Elliott.  "You bet!" I said.  I came across the line in 46:ish.  Not a personal best, but they can't all be personal bests, can they?

We made our way to the post-race snack area, and I couldn't help but feel accomplished.  Yes, I have run further in races.  Yes, I have run faster.  But I loved this race, and felt so good while I was out there.  How can I not feel good about that?!

There I am (that little speck) running toward the finish

My number one fan!

After returning home from the race, we began packing up for a camping trip we are embarking on beginning Monday.  I have high hopes that the boys will enjoy themselves, and that the provincial park will have some nice running trails!

Family Run!

This morning was a special morning.  It isn't every day that my husband, myself, and the boys are all ready to go out for a run at the same time.  Today it happened!  We packed up some snacks, the boys, and laced up our shoes for a nice morning 7k run around the neighbourhood.  The boys were still sporting their jammies (ok, we are lazy and don't get them dressed too early when we don't have anywhere we have to be) which was just fine in my eyes as we took advantage of the nice cool 20 degree weather.  The boys especially enjoyed today's run, as it is garbage and recycling day, so they saw the trucks.  Boys LOVE this!

I balanced the camera on the recycle bin to snap a photo before we left

I have to admit it was strange to have my husband with me as we ran along.  We just chatted away as we made our way up the hills, down the streets and through the turns that make up the route.  We both happened to wear green shirts, so we kind of looked like a team!

Many years ago, before we had the boys, we lived near a long set of trails that followed a river.  I loved these trails for running, as they were scenic, and provided a great deal of shade in the summer months.  More often than not, the husband would join me when I went for runs, but he would bike along beside me.  It was awesome to have him there with me (especially because he always carried the camelbak full of water, so I literally had a hose of water at my disposal whenever I needed a drink!).  Going out together as a family is a fun way to relive some of those memories.  I am hoping that he will join me on some of my longer runs that are coming up (just him, his bike and the camelbak) as it would be nice to spend that time on the road chatting with him.  I start to forget what it's like to just chat and hang out (even if I am running at the same time) with him!

Here's to a good start to the weekend...I am running in a 10k race on Sunday morning, with a forecast that doesn't look promising :(  Hopefully it is a good race, regardless!

Happy Running

The Quaint (10 mile) Country Run

As soon as school was out in June, I decided I would try my best to add a 10 mile run to the middle(ish) of the week.  I know a few other people that do this, and once it is part of the routine, it seems just normal to go out for more than an hour on a Thursday morning.  I have kept at it, and this morning I enjoyed it quite a bit.  I often do a loop that takes me through my little town, out into the country, then through an even smaller town, (village, really) Eden Mills.  I just love running through Eden Mills.  It is so cute and quiet, and it is full of houses and buildings with character.  Every year, they hold a Writer's Festival there, and it attracts some of Canada's best writers.  You literally walk through the town and stop at locations (mostly people's backyards) to listen to readings.  It is just an amazing experience if you are up for trying something new!
Today I ran into a friend in Eden Mills, so I had a quick break while we chatted at the side of the road.  I also saw a woman with two of the cutest little dachshunds.  I resisted the urge to stop and pet the little doggies, but it was a struggle on my part.  I have a weakness for wiener dogs :)  Until just over a year ago, we had a little wiener dog named Lola.  I still miss her lots...and seeing other little floppy-eared dogs reminds me of this.  Wiener dogs aren't exactly running dogs though.  They are really good at assisting in the post-run flop on the couch that sometimes happens!

Lola--cutest, shortest little dog ever!

I have no idea how long it took me to complete my 10 mile loop this morning.  As I still remain watch-less (this may be a *hint hint* for someone) I am just gaging my runs by how far through my ipod playlist I am by the time I return home.  My guess is somewhere around 1:25ish.

I am off to bake some Peanut Butter cookies for my husband.  He seems to be forming a bit of an addiction to them lately!  He is very lucky I am grossed out by eating cookie dough, so the entire batch will be there for him when he gets home :)

Amy vs. Track

Well, some battles are tougher than others.  I am always up for a challenge, so when I finished a few laps of the track to warm up, I realized this interval session was going to call on all of my energy stores.  The heat has been cranked back up to full in these parts, and my water bottle was already warm and the sweat was already collecting on myself and all of the other runners that braved the track on this Hot Tuesday evening.

I hate to sing, "I fought the track and the track won" but I think it was ringing in my head as I went around and around for each set.  Each poor, inconsistent set.  The numbers are as follows:

1600m--warm up
800m--3:02 = 6:06/mile
1200m--5:10 = 6:55/mile (ouch?)
800m--3:10 = 6:22/mile
1200m--5:12 = 6:58/mile
400m--0:89 = 5:58/mile (hmph)
800m--cool down

After a cool down, I went over the numbers in my head, decided that I had indeed gone out too quickly in the beginning (always a struggle for me) and couldn't get back on-track (mind the pun) for the two 1200s.  It was a good, sweaty time had by all, though.  It isn't every day that one gets to see their peers dumping bottles of water all over their own heads.  It was just that hot.

I rushed my cool down a bit, as I wanted to get to the soccer field in a hurry to watch my 3 year old's game.  He consistently sits on the sideline and picks weeds, or, more commonly, runs laps around (or through) the fields.  I think he will be more of a runner than a soccer star, but that may be wishful thinking.  I always get a bit of a run in at the games due to chasing him around, so it is all good, right?  Tonight (at the last game of the season) he actually played for a few minutes.  I was so proud.  He dribbled the ball (albeit toward the wrong net) and looked like he was having fun!  I knew there was a reason I put him in that uniform every week :)

In post-run snack news, I attempted to drink some Coconut Water after the track.  I heard (from my knowledgeable sister-in-law, Chrissy) that it is a good post-workout drink, as it has all of the good stuff that Gatorade has, but it is much higher in potassium.  I even tried a bit of hers last week and it was yummy and refreshing (not at all heavy or thick like you might expect).  Unfortunately, I must have bought a different flavour, or the heat was just throwing me off, because I couldn't drink more than one sip.  If anyone out there has tried Coconut Water post-run, let me know what you think!  I will make another attempt in the future, but for now I will be sticking to my Rainberry Gatorade :)

Keep cool out there!

Being a Pacer

Mel at Tall Mom on the Run wrote today about the experience of having a pacer.  She speaks very fondly about her friend that is going to help her achieve a running goal by running with her in a race to meet a goal time.  I LOVE this.  Having someone there to keep you on track is quite awesome.  Someone there to help you through specific miles of a race, or even the whole thing is quite special.  I hope to someday have a pacer, but until then, I will write about my one and only experience as a pacer.  Let me tell you, it was sooo great.

About a year ago, my friend Kristine, who was fairly recent to running, was talking about a 10k race that she had completed in some massive heat.  She did well in the race, but felt that she wanted to break the one hour mark.  She mentioned that she was contemplating marking this time goal with a *special* race.  The race she had in mind was the Marine Corps 10k, as part of their Marathon weekend in October.  "Are you going with a group?" I asked.  "So far it's just me," she said.  "Well, count me in!" I said, and I also promised I could keep her on pace for under 60 minutes.

I was so excited.  We signed up for the race, made our travel plans, (Toronto to Washington DC in a weekend requires a teeny bit of planning) and kept on running.  When it came to departure day, I picked Kristine up at her school (she is a teacher too).  Her colleagues were excited for her.  They were so supportive and genuinely interested in her big race.  I could not wait to help her smash that time goal!

"We came all the way from Canada, will you pose for a picture?"

We had a couple of great days seeing the sights in Washington (go and check out that fantastic city if you haven't already!).  Race morning came bright and early.  I had many dreams the night before about living up to my duties as a pacer (really, I took this job seriously).  Before we knew it, we were surrounded by Marines (yum!) at the starting line.  Us, and 7,000 other 10k hopefulls!  The gun went off and I started my watch.  By the first mile marker, we were behind goal pace by about 30 seconds.  I casually mentioned to Kristine that we had to shave a bit of time off in subsequent miles, and the look she gave me was not good.   She really hated me at that moment, but I just shrugged it off, and told her "no worries, you're looking really good!"  She did stride right along beside me and we fell into a great pace.  She even waved and smiled to every Marine standing along the sidelines, and it was soo great.  I realized that my job as a pacer was not to bother her with the time details, but to encourage her and to keep my eye on my watch.  We flowed along smoothly.  At about the 8km mark, she asked me if it was possible to reach her goal.  "Of course it is.  You are amazing!" I replied.  I was secretly looking at my watch noticing a time that was a tad lower than goal pace.  She was doing so well.

As we rounded the corner (and up a hill) to the finish, we gave it everything.  Her time was 56:37.  I had tears in my eyes as we came across the line.  I was so proud of Kristine.  It was such a great experience, to take part in someone's goals.

I will leave you with a couple of photos from race day...they aren't the highest of quality as they were taken with my Blackberry.  The sentiment is there, though.  It was a great weekend, and I came back more pumped than ever to go for my personal goals!

Kristine before sunrise at the race start area

Me and two Marines after the finish.

I am off to the track for Intervals tonight...hopefully things go well!!  Enjoy the sunshine!

I Feel Lucky (plus a recipe)!

Somedays it is a stronger feeling than others.  Today is just one of those strong, lucky feeling days.  It is not even 11am, and I have already been out to do errands with the boys, and gone for a run (complete with nature-pee pit-stop for Elliott).

I just love this time I have in the summer to enjoy these days.  Not to rub it in to all of those non-teachers out there, but days and weeks are much easier to plan when there isn't a job to show up to.  I know my time  of leisure is limited, as September is right around the corner, but I really do intend on soaking up every last minute of this month with my family in this nice weather, going to the beach, taking bike rides, going for runs, running in local races, letting watermelon juice drip down our chins and breathing in that bbq smell that is in the air every single night at dinner time.

On another note, I feel lucky that I discovered (ok, tweaked) a recipe for blueberry muffins that Milo can enjoy.  Milo cannot eat dairy, eggs, or soy, so many baked goods are out for him.  I altered a regular recipe last night and this morning, I felt so good knowing that I could give him that muffin.  He really enjoyed it (the blueberries all over his face were a dead give-away) and I now know that I have a great recipe that he can enjoy!  See, lucky all around?!

In case you are curious, here is the recipe:

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup oats
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. egg-replacer (combined with 2 tsp. water)
3/4 cup oat milk (mmmm)
1/4 cup applesauce
1 tsp. lemon juice
3/4 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 400. Grease muffin tins or place muffin papers in tins (12).  In med. bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, salt.  Make a well in the center.  Set aside.  In another bowl, combine egg replacer, oat milk, applesauce, and lemon juice.  Add this mixture to flour mixture.  Mix until just moistened.  Batter should be lumpy.  Add blueberries.  Pour batter into muffin tins.  Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Let them cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, or until your husband can't wait any longer to try one!

Is it already Friday!?!

Is there some sort of law of being a runner that states that when you don't get out for a run on a day you had full intentions on doing so, that the rest of the world has to go out and run while you are driving in your car?  I feel like this has to be true somedays.

Today just got away from me, and I had lots to do, and zero time left to fit in a run.  This happens to all of us, (some more than others?) but today I really thought I would be able to squeeze it in.  It is now 9pm, and after a very fun-filled (and food-filled) visit with some friends, I just don't have any energy left to tie up my laces and get out there.  On my drive to the grocery store this morning, I saw many runners out enjoying this gorgeous day, and on two other drives (I seem to miss runs when I am trapped driving in my car, I guess) I saw people out letting that cool breeze we haven't seen in a while flow into their lungs.  I wanted to stick my head out the window and say, "hey, I will be running later!" if only to make myself feel better, and a teeny bit nuts at the same time.

I am excited to take the boys out for an early morning run tomorrow.  I love loading them into the BOB, still in their jammies, with snacks and a few toys.  The "BOB" of course, is my double running buggy, that I truly would be lost without.  It is the smoothest ride, (not that I have ever actually taken a ride in it--some days I really wish it was me being pushed along!) and has a lot of features that make the run with 2 boys under 3 roll along, no problem!  Like the individual sun visors, that cover further than most, the swivel front wheel, perfect especially with all of the turns in my neighbourhood, the five-point harnesses (for my squirmy-worms!) and the snack/cup holders.  Sure, I hate having to push all of that up some of the big hills on my route, but that is what makes me stronger, I keep telling myself!

Milo in the single BOB

Milo and Elliott in the double BOB--a common sight after a longer run!

On an unrelated note, I am so happy to have a couple of comments!  It is so nice that a few people have seen my blog (yes, I know, some are family members--but still!!).  I appreciate the comments, and I have intentions on adding a list of other's blogs that I follow soon (as soon as I gain a grasp of all of this technology!).

Speaking of technology, wrist technology may be in my future (yes, I speak of the garmin).  I have put the bug in my husband's ear, that it may be a reeaaally nice reward for finishing the Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon at the end of September.  I have done a couple of marathons in the past, but it was so long ago that I feel like I am training and running this one as my *first*, again.  My first marathon was 10 years ago (I was just a young pup, 21 years old!) and my second was 8 years ago.  I wish I could go back in time and tell myself everything I now know about running--and time.  I had all the time in the world to train back then!  Why did I waste so much of it sleeping in?!?

I hope that when my husband reads this blog (if your husband doesn't read your blog, who does?!) he will see that I am putting this garmin/reward thing in print, so the seriousness is there!  I love him so much and I know that he values all training tools that will help his little runner-wife, right?!

Here's to a great weekend :)

Track time!

Tonight my brother and I went to the local high school track for intervals.  Normally I do intervals on Tuesday nights with a group near my house, but I am visiting my parents (sans kids!) due to a girl's shopping trip that I am taking tomorrow (yeeeehaw!).

The local track happens to be my old high school track, and its nice red bouncy rubber always brings back memories of grade nine phys. ed, and all of the extra laps my teacher made me do because I was a tad mouthy (tisk tisk!).  All of those extra laps made me a better runner, I like to think.

We did 1600, 1200, 800, 400, 400.  We wanted to keep a 6:20/mile pace the whole time.  My brother and his fancy garmin were in charge of making this happen.

After a few laps of warm-up, we started our first set.  We remained on pace, and feeling good.  I love this particular work-out because the hard part is behind you as you progress, which is AWESOME.

The third set was a real downer for me.  I cheaped out of my 800, and made it into a 400.  I watched my brother zoom around the track for the second lap as I caught my breath.  Ah, well.  There will be other perfect runs.  Not tonight.  The next 400m set was 26seconds too fast.  I guess my break was a little more than I needed.  Next week I will try to stay on-track, but for tonight, I am just excited knowing I will be getting my "cardio" by shopping for 2 days straight!!

A bonus of the evening was the discovery of a fantastic new (to me?) Gatorade flavour, Rain Berry.  Mmmmmmmm!  I think it's my new fave.  I will definitely be stocking up on this stuff!  Thanks to my brother, Scott, for bringing it along!

Observations from the Road

Because my long runs are way easier to pull off if I run without the munchkins, I am always at the mercy of my husband's schedule.  He is very wonderful about making my long run a priority, but he is also very wonderful about going to his job, so I usually have to wait until the job/run planets align on Sundays (sometimes Saturdays) to fit it in.  I do have a babysitter that my kids adore that I can call if all else fails!

Today's long run had to occur in the mid-afternoon (not ideal, but at least the heat-wave of recent weeks has passed).  I set out with just one handheld bottle of half-gatorade/half-water and some Jelly Belly Sport Beans (I love these, and sometimes look forward to long runs just because I know I get to have them!).

My run was about 25kms, and quite uneventful, which is just the way I like it.  As I sit with my feet up with my compression socks on, here are some random observations I made along the way.  Some about myself, some about traffic, some about garbage.

- I like to leave a good few feet of gravel between myself and oncoming traffic.  It means I run on the slightly uneven part of the gravel, and it means my shoes get dirty and dusty faster, but who wants to run in "new year's resolution-white" running shoes, anyway?

- Because of the fact that I run so close to the ditch, I notice an insane amount of litter that people throw out of their cars!  I decided to count just Tim Horton's cups today.  57 cups, folks.  Don't get me wrong, I love Tim Horton's (XL green tea, bag in, black, please).  But NEVER have I thrown the cup out on to the road when I finished it.  I think it is safe to say that we all have cup holders in our cars.  They hold empty cups too!  Wait until you get home to throw it away!!  Who do these people think picks up this garbage?  I think Tim Hortons should be "adopting" a LOT of highway for clean up.

- If I didn't have an ipod I think my route would be cut shorter.  I love all kinds of music for running--especially long runs.  If you don't own the Run Lola Run soundtrack, go and get it.  It is excellent running music, the entire thing.  The movie is exhausting to watch because of all of the running, and the music definitely has a perfect running rhythm.

- Sometimes I notice the same car twice during one run (going one way, then obviously going back the other).  I often wonder what the people in the car are thinking.  "Is she still running?"  I try to perk up a bit and show good form if this happens.

- I really prefer to do long runs in groups or at least with one other person, as it is easier to pass the miles while chatting away.  I do, however, enjoy taking in all of the scenery, and the overwhelming feeling I get of how lucky I am to be out there, doing just what I love to do.

- I don't own a Garmin, (am I the only runner left that doesn't have one?) and the other day as I started intervals my nike running watch went spastic and hasn't worked since.  I may need to replace it, and although it would be nice to have all of the bells and whistles, I feel like the Garmin might be something I can't take my eyes off of.  How will I count garbage if I am looking at the distance/speed I have travelled? :)

I don't know what my exact time was today, let alone the half split, as I was watch-less.  I do know that my husband was thinking about loading the kids in the car to, "take a drive just to see where I was" because he thought I should have been home already.  He didn't do the clock-math correctly, I was just under 2 hours, which is what I was aiming for.  It is nice to know someone is thinking about me while out on the lonely gravel of the road though. :)