Tag Archives: run

Run! :)

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I really, really, REALLY, did not want to go for a run tonight but when I got home from work tonight there was my husband, dripping in sweat from his 10K run! Well, I had to go then now didn’t I? Plus, I have been eating way too much Blackberry Apple Crisp this week and I could feel the sugar reacting negatively inside my skin. I know, sounds weird but I haven’t been eating processed sugar lately and I could feel my body reacting to it. I can’t seem to describe it but I’m sure some of you out there can relate to the feeling. :/

Anyway, back to the run…the 1st K was probably the worst feeling kilometre I have ever run! I felt like I had concrete in my legs! I’m sure this was from the 75 minute yoga session I did two nights ago!

75 minutes of bliss = cement legs while running!

Have you ever felt so tight in your hammies and calfs that it felt like you were dragging a truck behind you? Uphill, into a head wind? That’s what I felt like and I am serious when I say, this was the first time I actually stopped and came very, very close to turning around and going home. I wasn’t dragging a truck but I was going uphill and into a headwind! I think it took me 7 minutes to complete that kilometre! The only reason that I decided to keep going was that I knew damn well that as soon as I got home I would berate myself all night so I persevered! Overall it ended up being a good run but it took about 3K to get into the groove. I ended up finishing 6K though and felt GREAT once I was done! Good old endorphins kicking in. ;)

a respectable time for such a terrible start!

Last week I wrote about the Bug Run, which you can read about here: Bug. I did finish the 1/2 marathon in three runs as I committed to do, with a run to the beach and Bug had a ‘swim’ in the Pacific Ocean. This Memory Run will be an annual event so maybe next year I will be able to finish the 1/2 in two runs :)

Virtual Memory Run for ‘Bug’

And finally, I am gearing up to train for the Perseverence Trail Run on Oct 28th! This will be a real challenge for me, more so than the Gutbuster runs I did this summer. The last two years I ran the 3K version but this year I decided to throw sanity to the wind and signed up for the 10K!

Perseverance 3K in 2010…lots of water, mud and FUN!

This 10K will be a real challenge for me as it is a very technical run uphill in the trails with lots of steep declines and mud and water traps which are set up by the organizers.

All I need now is for a Tough Mudder or Warrior Dash to come to town and I will be all set!One day I will participate in one of those! ;)

what was your ‘worst run’ experience? 

have you ever stopped a run then regretted it? 

in running and health 

Denise ♥

Running is a personal thing I guess :)

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I have always wanted to run with my husband…you know like in those movies and advertisements of couples talking and laughing as they effortless run along a river?

My husband has always been a runner. He was a runner before I met him 22 years ago…he even ran a few hours before our wedding…we got married in December…there was lots of snow! haha

He would often ask me to join him or ride my bike alongside him but that just wasn’t the romantic picture I had painted of us. No, I never did join him and he did his solo 10K almost daily while I did my thing…usually a walk with the kids or a fitness class.

Through the years I dabbled with the running thing but was always telling myself “I’m not a runner, I don’t have a runner’s body” etc….what a crock of bullshit to tell yourself!, I guess then, you could say I took up running about two years ago. This was to relieve the stress I was going through at the time and I found it to be remarkable therapy! Plug in and forget the world!

That’s me, running and pics are fun :)

So now I run a few times a week and can’t imagine not running! I enter a few races a year for my own personal challenges and love the energy that flows around before, during and after a race. There is rarely a frown to be found at these events! I like these events, my husband would not enter a race if his life depended on it. I like the trail runs for the social aspect, not him…nope, can’t run in a group! I like to use a GPS, he couldn’t care less how far he runs, he just runs. I just decide to go for a run at random times throughout the day and go, he needs to listen to music, have a coffee etc then go. See? Very difficult to go running together! lol

So back to the romantic runs? lol Well, my husband took a few years off of running and has just recently started up again. I thought “AHA! This is it, we can run together now because I am in better shape and he hasn’t been running!” I thought we would be an equal match…I kinda forgot that his legs are longer than mine …we tried, we really did, but you know, we both discovered that running is a very personal thing for each of us. When I am ready to go he needs another cup of coffee, when he’s ready to go, I have lost my desire to run, or I already went. lol

So we still run solo, but we have come up with the occasional times that DO work out for a run together…when neither of us feel like running or we’ve had a few days of hard runs/work outs, then we will go for a leisurely 3K in the woods with the dog, walk a little, run a little, go down by the ocean, chat with other people along the way and generally have a great time. Hey!!! That’s it, that’s the image I was talking about! The ‘romantic runs’ WEEOOO, success! :D

do you run better solo or with your partner?

in running and health

Denise ♥

Don’t forget to enter my GIVEAWAY here: Giveaway :)

Reach Out for Motivation :)

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I really did not want to run today so what else could I do but ask for some motivation from the people on my facebook page! :) Of course once you put that out there, that you don’t want to run, you get all kinds of motivation. The following are some of the comments I received :)

“Um…trying to get up the motivation to do the same. If you go, I’ll go?”
“You will feel so good after your run. Go get that natural high”
“Go! You’ll kill it!”
“I say GO! I’m not in the mood either, but I will just because you posted this, so lets GO!”
“You totally inspire me! I am trying to start jogging, and seeing all your running posts make me want to run run run”
“Ditto, I just pulled into the gym parking lot. I will go do cardio and weights and check-in after to see how your run was!”

Well I am all for people getting their fitness and how could I ignore all that support! I got my gear ready and drove to the beach to run 5K.

Got my gear together and went for a run!

It was HOT down there lol. Good thing I brought water and of course the ocean was right there if I got too hot. I managed to run the 5K without issues, well except for the damn hills I am always complaining about! Once I finished the run I sat and enjoyed the scenery for a while.

I was tempted to go in the water but I didn’t have a suit…well who needs a suit anyway. No I didn’t go skinny dipping!
I just walked in the water with my running clothes, shoes and all. Why shoes? Lots of barnacles on the rocks…ouch on the feet ;) I took quite the chance bringing my phone in with me to take a pic but come on, if there’s no picture then it didn’t happen right?

hahaha…nice ;)

You know, like if you work out and don’t post it on FB then it didn’t happen. Lol Of course I was very happy to get my run in today and I have my page peeps to thank! :)

That was so refreshing!

I am so lucky to live by the Pacific Ocean. To be able to run along the shore and jump in the water or sit and listen to the waves. This is definitely a little piece of paradise right here. :)

how do get your motivation to exercise?

would you swim in your workout gear too?

in fitness and health

Denise ♥

My Gut Will Be Busted on Saturday…

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There are all sorts of wildlife in my stomach today and I don’t think they are leaving until Saturday afternoon. There’s a butterfly, a frog, a cheetah and a sloth. Those of you that sign up for races, Tough Mudders, etc will understand what I mean.

The GutBuster Ascent race is on Saturday and I am feeling slightly very queezy! The butterfly is fluttering non-stop, the frog is banging all over my insides, the sloth is making me feel very draggy and the cheetah? Well there’s no cheetah, I just added that in to see if I felt fast…nope, not feeling fast. :/

This is the final GutBuster for the season here on Vancouver Island. Here’s the description from the website:
“The GutBuster Ascent is the only uphill trail race on the Island. The race is a 6km run up to the top of Mt. Washington (1588m!) with 505m of elevation gain. The race starts at the base of the Green Chair Lift and steadily climbs throughout as you cross the mountain back and forth. Once above the treeline you’ll be treated to some unbelievable views of the Comox Valley & Strathcona Park. The best part of it all is you get to ride the chair lift back down to the Alpine lodge. Definitely the most scenic and rewarding race in the series”.

here’s a link to the course map too: mtwashmap

a photo from last years race…

I will be so ready for that chair ride down!!!

my chariot awaits me ♥

I’m still trying to figure out why I signed up for this one???  And I paid money to do this? Ahahaha…. Crazy? I guess so but you know what? I will feel really awesome once I finish it and that’s what quiets the butterfly in my stomach. The feeling of accomplishing something not a lot of people do and something I never thought I’d be able to do. :) Well, I haven’t done it yet but I am confident I will make it!

I will be wearing my Injinji toe socks, My Fairhaven Montrails and my Nathan Performance fuel belt. I want to be prepared and will bring my oatmeal up to eat just prior to the start…I know, weird that I can eat and then run right away! I will of course write a review about my experience too. :)

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway here:http://fitpsychology.com/?m=20120719

Are you racing this weekend?

in running and health

Denise ♥

Yay! I did the 10K :)

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have all my stuff ready...Lily wants to come..sorry Lily♥

The day started out nice and cool and the 45 min drive to Parksville was a pleasant one. I ate a good breakfast and also made some oatmeal to take with me so I had a meal to eat 1 hour before race time. I refuse to run hungry. I arrived, got my bib and then waited for the race to begin. At 10:55 I took my place with 123 other runners and the count down began. At 30 seconds to start I had a startling thought…what was I doing??? I can’t run 10K! Too late, the race started and off we went. The group quickly broke up into a few packs with me in the middle pack for the next few kilometres. As the run progressed I found myself running mostly alone with a few ahead and a few behind.

red cheeked and happy!

Now, something you should know here is even when I run 5K around home I will stop, fiddle with my ipod, catch my breath and start again. In a race you tend to feel ‘peer pressure’ to keep going. It’s actually pride but whatever! ;) The first 2K were pretty much a steady incline then it turned into a nice steady decline through a camp ground, which was nice as the campers were cheering us on :) . The route then flattened out and we ran along the ocean for a ways…so beautiful and sunny! Oh yah, the stopping bit…as the run went on and I reached the 5K mark without stopping I remarked to myself that hey maybe I can make it my goal to actually run the whole race. Like not stop once! At 6K I was still strong, at 7K I was still running, at 8K I was like well I am almost there, then 9K and of course I couldn’t stop and I actually picked up my speed a tiny bit because in that last kilometre I was bursting with pride! I was going to run the entire 10K without stopping! As I rounded the turn and saw the finish banner I was overwhelmed with what I had just accomplished. I had run 10K without stopping…I was stunned. I also realized right there that the only limits we have are those we place on ourselves. As cliche as it sounds it is so true.

I was so happy to see this banner at the end!

After the run I enjoyed some post race food and chocolate milk and headed home, elated that I accomplished something new. Oh wait, my time! I had set a goal to finish in 1:15 but I was again super stoked to see the time of 1:05!!! Yay me ♥ and there’s still plenty of running left to do for 2012!

:) Healthy eats post race :)

Next up on the list? Well, I think I will try the Ladysmith Gutbuster- short course. It’s a 9K trail race, pretty gruelling trail run from what I can tell and what people have told me. It starts with a 2K steep incline then settles into 7 more K of tough trail. I think I’m up for it! :)

in running and health

Denise ♥

I am a runner…

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I have been doing a lot of HIIT workouts in the recent months and have let my running slide to once a week or less. I figured I had better up my frequency as the thursday night trail running group starts in 3 weeks and I love this group run. I was not surprised that my run did not start out all that great. While the HIIT W/O’s are great for strength and fat burning etc., they are not so great at maintaining cardio endurance if you reduce or eliminate your running routine.

Where I run you cannot avoid hills, period! So, as I set out on my run which starts on an incline I quickly realized the negative effects my reduced mileage was having on me. I reduced my pace and even slowed to a walk in order to re-think this run. Once warmed up a little better I set out on a 7K out and back to the beach. I quickly found my groove and got set in a comfortable pace and tuned in to my music. Once I reached the 3.5K at the beach I stopped to take a picture and then set back out on the return 3.5k. Oh boy, this was not a stellar performance. My legs felt very heavy from yesterdays W/O and the incline seemed to go on forever, well it did as it’s pretty much a steady incline back home with little bits of flat! Then my sciatica started to act up around 5.5K and I had to walk a bit. I ran/walked for about 1K then ran the rest of the way home. Overall, a good run considering I hadn’t run in about 2 weeks and I felt happy and positive for the rest of the day.

Turn around point on my 7K...so pretty

 During my run I recalled a conversation I had earlier in the week about what defines a runner. I say if you’re not walking you’re running, this other person says if you are slow, you are a jogger, and a runner is someone with speed and endurance. (now you see why I italisized the words with RUN).

So as I am running today I thought well, am I a jogger then? I am slow so maybe I am a jogger. I’m having to do walk/run intervals for a bit, so what does that mean?  Why was I offended at the term jogger, and so adamant that I am a runner? One person on a Runner’s World forum said it best in one word – Pride. Yup, we want to be called runner’s because it conjours up positive images of fit, lean people. Jogging sounds, I don’t know, frumpy or something. Then I thought, you never hear of a group called ‘learn to jog’ do you? No, it’s always ‘learn to run’. No ‘jogging’ clinics, just ‘running’ clinics. You don’t hear “I just jogged a 10K”, you hear “I just ran a 10K”. Yup, pride I guess.

Just for fun I scrolled throught the Forums to see what people there had to say on the subject and whoa baby, this is a hot topic! A lot of angry, sometimes judgemental people over there that want to keep the verb running to themselves. There is the odd person who writes the neutral response of: call it what you want.

One one response was – “Under 6 min/mile = running Over 6 min/mile = jogging”

Another - ”I am comfortable running at about 9:30 min/mile.  I run in the 8:00s when I’m working on speed, I suppose.  Yesterday I ran in the hard, crunchy, ice snow averaging 10:30 mm.  I was running every single one of those paces…and everything in between.  Nobody will ever tell me any different.  I AM a runner”

I kinda agree with the second post. There really doesn’t seem to be a true answer anyway so I say call yourself what you want according to your definition, and I will call myself what I want to be known as, a runner. It’s a state of mind, and if that makes me get out there and run then that’s what I’ll call it :)

 Websters Dictionary defines running as : to go faster than a walk; specifically: to go steadily by springing steps so that both feet leave the ground for an instant in each step and it defines jogging as: a movement, pace, or instance of jogging (as for exercise)… guess we are both right ;)

in running and health

Denise