14K is LONG!

My long run today was 14K and my goodness, that's a long distance! I was ready to be done by the time I got home.

It didn't help that it was insanely windy and it seemed like we were always running right into the wind. But it was a good temperature (around 2 degrees) so at least I enjoyed that part of it.

Next Sunday is 16K... I'm a bit scared. (Of course, I should also keep in mind that I have a 21.1K in less than 2 months.)

I love this weather!

I never thought I'd be happy to see the cooler weather but I am so loving this weather. It was 4 degrees yesterday when I ran and 5 degrees today and it was WONDERFUL!

I didn't manage to do my long run on the weekend due to a very late night the night before but I got out and did it yesterday - 10K. Woohoo!! Another 6K (almost today).

Today was hard - it was my first day of hill training and it wasn't so fun. I managed to complete it but it wasn't fun like yesterday.

My clinic starts tomorrow night - yay!! I'm supposed to do 5K tomorrow but I have a concert tomorrow night so I'm only going to go for the talk part of the clinic. I'm hoping to get out of work early enough to get out for a run first though.

Angus Glen 10K

What an amazing race! Everyone who raved to me about this race was totally right! It was probably the most well-organized race I've ever done, the route was gorgeous and the lunch afterward was fantastic!

My goal was to beat my previous best 10K time, which was 1:06:39. I did it by more than 2 minutes!

It was a little chilly... about 2 degrees when we started and there was quite a breeze blowing which made it feel a few degrees colder. I was wearing capris, tank top and long sleeved shirt. The long sleeves came off at about the 5K mark and I was fine from there. The only thing I wished I'd brought with me was gloves/mittens. My hands were freezing for the first half of the race.

I'll definitely be doing this one again next year!

Angus Glen 10K Results

Place: 406/568
Bib#: 1137
Time: 1:04:23.5
Chip: 1:04:05.0
Pace: 6:27
Category: Women 35-39
CategoryPlace: 55/79
GenderPlace: 228/358

Miami

Oh yeah! I forgot! I have, after much agonizing, selected my outfit for the Miami Half Marathon (subject to what the weather might do). I'm keeping it under wraps for now though so you'll all just have to wait with breathless anticipation!

Ok, my butt has been kicked!

I ran 4K yesterday and 6K today (kind of by mistake) and I feel so great! As much as I drag my behind every day and try to make up excuses, I really do feel great when I finally get out for a run. I picked a rather hilly route today so it was a slow one but it felt fantastic!

Thanks to Mel for telling me to just suck it up and get out there!

It was a bit warm today - back to the high teens - and I didn't bother taking my Fuel Belt so I was dying of thirst by the time I got home.

Tomorrow is an off day and then I have the Angus Glen 10K on Sunday. Kind of cool since we got married there!

That's it for tonight... will post results Sunday!

Photo from Toronto Marathon

Me finishing the 5K!

The best run I've had in months!

I did almost 10 km on Saturday when we were in Windsor and it was the most fantastic run I've had in ages! The temperature was great and I felt like I could have just kept running all day!

Maybe it was because of the revolting Espresso flavored Gu I ate shortly into the run. It was the most horrible stuff I've ever tasted but maybe I'll give it another shot and see if I have the same kind of run next weekend.

I only have 3 more races before Miami... how scary is that??

Me at the Zoo Run

That's me! Not the cow - the one beside the cow...

Toronto International Marathon 5K

Yay for finishing my second race in 2 days!

Finishing it was about all I did though. It was just one of those runs that started off badly and finished the same way. I got a stitch in my side shortly after I started that lasted for 2 kilometres; my foot was sore because I have a nasty blister and I was tired (up at 6:15am). I had to walk more than usual, which is odd for a 5K. My time ended up being fine (the exact same pace as yesterday!!) but it was just a miserable run.

I got home around 9:00, which was shortly after the marathon started, so we walked out to Yonge Street to cheer on the participants. That was more fun than my own race! It's funny how some people looked like they were having the time of their lives and others looked like they were about to die. I wonder which of the 2 categories I'll fit into in Miami (I have a guess...).

One man stopped as he was going past us and offered to sell us his running bib... I guess he'd had enough after 6.5K!

The other good thing is that I got another medal!

Toronto International Marathon 5K Results

Place: 706/2056
Time: 34:49.0
Chip: 34:29.6
Pace: 6:58
Category: Women 35-39
CategoryPlace: 41/152
GenderPlace: 350/1291

Zoo Run Finish Line

Zoo Run

Today was the Toronto Zoo Run. I was THRILLED with my time. I was really just aiming for under 1:15:00 and I blew it away, despite the hills! It seems that I don't have a very good memory from 2 years ago - I forgot how darn many hills there are in that race (not to mention how steep they are!).

It was nice weather - sunny and about 4 degrees when we started. It was a little chilly waiting around to start but I warmed up quickly once I got going. By the 5K mark, I was ready to start stripping off my clothes (everyone will be happy to know I resisted temptation).

I saw lots of animals - tigers, giraffes, elephants, gorillas, llamas. Adam somehow managed to miss all of them - I guess he was concentrating on his run!

I have another one tomorrow - a 5K this time (as part of the Toronto Marathon). I suspect my legs aren't going to be too happy that I'm going to force them to do another one so soon but they'll forgive me!

Oasis Zoo Run 10K Results

Place: 1565
Time: 1:09:30.4
Chip: 1:08:49.5
Pace: 6:58
Category: Women 35-39
CategoryPlace: 154/224
GenderPlace: 874/1267

Aha!

I've discovered the source of my heel issues... it's my golf shoes. It was feeling almost completely better this morning and then we went golfing this afternoon and by the 9th hole, I was in pain! That sucks because they're almost new shoes, but at least I've identified the problem now. And golfing is probably over anyway, at least for this year.

I didn't run my scheduled 7K yesterday. I was cooking Thanksgiving dinner from the time I got up in the morning so I just didn't have time. And today we went golfing so I didn't run either. Excuses excuses!!! I'm getting my butt back out there tomorrow if it kills me!! (I also feel like I've gained 10 pounds over the weekend so even more reason to force myself to run)

I have 2 races next weekend - the Toronto Zoo Run (10K) on Saturday and the Toronto Marathon 5K on Sunday. I'm not going to really try for any particular time in the 10K - it's a hilly route so I'm just going to treat it as a training run. The 5K though, I'm going to push for under 30 minutes. That'll be shaving 3 minutes off my best official time but I think I can do it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

No running today

I'm taking the day off. My heel is still really sore so I figure I'll give it a day of rest in the hopes that it will feel better tomorrow.

I have an ouchy

My heel is really sore tonight! I checked the "injury" chapter in my Running Room book and the closest thing seems to be plantar facsitis, which I've had in the past, but I've always had problems with the balls of my feet, not the heel.

I'm icing it tonight but it's still hurting. Hopefully it will be better tomorrow.

Ok, I'm back at it

I ran 4.4K yesterday and it felt good. I could tell I hadn't been running for a number of days, as it was a bit hard but I'm glad I did it.

I have a sore heel - hopefully it's just something temporary. I'm going to try wearing different shoes today and see if that helps.

I've signed up for a Half Marathon clinic at the Running Room now. It starts November 13. Unfortunately, it goes until February 26, so it's not quite on my schedule for Miami but I've printed out my own schedule that I'm going to follow. I just can't decide which program to do - the "To complete" or the "2:30 Pace". I really don't think finishing in 2:30 is a particularly unrealistic goal, since I seem to finish around the 70 minunte mark in 10K's, but since it's my first one, I kind of think maybe my goal ought to just be to finish it.

Decisions, decisions!

Off to go do my 3K run!

What is WRONG with me???

I haven't been running since Monday and I'm feeling fat and unmotivated. I need a kick in my running butt!

Sports Bras

I have finally found one that I love. It's made by Moving Comfort and it is SOOOO comfortable. Being a "slightly" large-chested woman makes it difficult (to say the least) to be comfortable when running. Not only is it hard to find a sports bra that's large enough, finding enough support seems to be close to impossible. I don't know how many races I've finished with sore boobs because of all the bouncing.

Recently, I did find a couple of them that held me in, but they were so tight around the bottom that I felt bruised when I was finished. It seemed that I was either going to have to suffer with bouncy-bouncy or feel like someone was trying to cut off my air supply. Neither option was especially appealing.

Finally, at the expo yesterday, I tried on this Moving Comfort bra (the style is called Fiona). It's made especially for large-breasted women and it felt fairly comfortable. Well I wore it in my race this morning (disregarding the advise to never try anything new the day of a run) and oh my god!! I'm not in pain anywhere!!

To top it off, it actually looks nice (it's blue and doesn't look as much like a bra as most of them that are made for chesty woman do). I love it. And the best part?? It's only $45. You teeny ladies out there may not be used to paying upwards of $70 for a sports bra, but I am.

They apparently sell these womderful creations at the Running Room, but I've never seen them. Sporting Life also allegedly carries them, but I think to get the full range of sizes and colours, the internet is the way to go. I found a couple of sites that carry them and ship to Canada so I think I'm going to be stocking up.

Yay!!