My Own Worst Enemy

I ran 6.73 km on 25/11/2010 at 1:24 PM with a pace of 7'14 (dead on my overall average pace)
http://go.nike.com/3o5ed3g

Playlist:
Sex And Candy - Marcy Playground 
Insensitive -Jann Arden 
Tubthumping -Chumbawamba 
Where Are We Runnin'? -Lenny Kravitz 
Cold Hard Bitch -JET 
Rapper's Delight -Erick Sermon/ Redman/ Keith Murray 
SOS 
All For You -Sister Hazel 
To Be Young -Ryan Adams 
Fade Together -Franz Ferdinand 
Take Me Out -Franz Ferdinand 
Get Your Hands Off My Woman -The Darkness 
River Below -Billy Talent

Route:

I love running uphills. They're my favourite. They feel so good. When I started running in Kelowna it was in the mountains. I loved working hard uphill on the first half of my run and then speeding downhill at the end. It was really rewarding. Here in Hamilton it's not so mountainous but there are some hills that I run on. I always catch myself smiling when I'm on uphills. Once you get to the top there's that immediate reward for all the effort that you just made.

Today after I woke up at NOON and realized I had 3 hours to get to work and had to fit in a 6.43 run, I decided that a treadmill at the gym at the place of my employment was the best bet, especially because it was 0 degrees and raining. As I made my way down to the gym little did I know the special kind of torture I was going to expose myself to.

As you may recall, I despise treadmills. Why then did I decide on this method today? Partly the weather and partly because I had to "run hard on uphills and take it easy on downhills" according to Orlando (I forgot to mention that this was the name of my iPod). Sooooooooo I figured I'd use the treadmills interval setting to accomplish this, as I am not a particular fan of running downhill. I find it somewhat hard on the knees.

I arrived to find the treadmills particularly busy. I hopped on one, set up my run and set to. After 3 minutes I was bored out of my skull and found it a REALLY difficult workout. Plus, something was poking me in my toe. So I paused the machine and took of my shoe and sock and removed the annoyance. Then the machine shut down and I had to re-start it. I was off again and 3 minutes later I wanted to kill myself. I was sweating like crazy. So I re-set the machine. Then this lady who I'm pretty sure is an ACTUAL runner gets on the machine next to me, she starts bounding like a gazelle next to me. I'm plodding along like a freakin' donkey next to her. Then, and I don't know why she moves further away from me onto another treadmill. Actually, I do know why- she was on the old crappy treadmill and a newer better one opened, it still didn't help the ego cuz I imagine that I was such a bad runner I was throwing off her stride with my plodding footfalls. After the 3rd time of pausing the machine to re-configure the settings I snapped. I was not having fun. This was the healthful activity that I knew and loved! THAT WAS IT. I was going outside. I work at the base of the escarpment I would simply run up the mountain. I got outside and felt freakin' fabulous! I was even running faster than normal, I wasn't overheating and there was no 1/2 gazelle woman creature next to me, just homeless people that I was positively zooming by, I felt so liberated! Did some uphills, still feeling good. Then I get to John street at the base of the Jolly Cut where there is an incredibly steep incline. My lungs were burning, my legs were burning, I was dying. I love uphills, when they stop. Running up the escarpment meant that this uphill was NEVER GOING TO END. Then, my legs stopped. They wouldn't do anymore. I took a breather then realized I had 700 m to go before I could turn around. I DID make it, but it was really tough. But oh, the glory of the downhill afterward. I stopped wanting to cry and enjoyed the way back.

I still love uphills. I think I'll give this route another go at some point. I hate treadmills. A lot. More than I remembered. In the upcoming months it may be a necessary evil though.

The Love of my Running Life

This one's a little delayed as I've been busy the past couple of days.

I ran 6.48 km on 23/11/2010 at 11:49 AM at a pace of 7'31

Playlist:
Save the Last Dance for Me - Michael Bublé It's Time
Paper Planes -M.I.A.
Cold Hard Bitch -JET Big Shiny Tunes
I Hate Everyone -Get Set Go
You Could Have It So Much Better -Franz Ferdinand
Well That Was Easy -Franz Ferdinand
Take Me Out -Franz Ferdinand
River Below - Billy Talent
Donna and Blitzen -Badly Drawn Boy
Hey Ya-Outkast
The Fix Is In -OK Go
Feelin Way Too Damn Good-Nickleback
Figured You Out -Nickelback
Animals -Nickelback
I Me You -Jim Noir
Over My Head (Cable Car) -The Fray

Route:

You may have noticed reference to my Nike+. I absolutely adore it. I am not a serious hardcore runner. It does the trick for motivating me. It tells me how far, how many calories and how fast. I create my playlist and go. Right now I am following a training program with it. I just want to see how effective the plan is. As a result I am only doing distance runs with it. I used to use the timed run feature though and actually prefer it. There's lots to do with it, challenges, goals, training programs, there's also a pedometer. I use this feature after I've been sick for a while and need to work my way up to running again. It takes my run information and uploads it to the site for me. I find this piece of equipment to be quite motivational as I like being able to see my progress and have it stored for me. IE I don't have to write it down anywhere. I am a lazy lazy kid. I also have it set up to post my runs on Facebook, which is an optional feature but hey, I enjoy the praise is garners me. Plus, I think it's important for people to know that if I can run, so can they.

The chip fits into Nike and Adidas shoes, along with one other brand I think. I bought a pair of Nikes to accommodate it but with my Sauconys (which are my preferred runners) I just tuck it into the side of the tongue and head out. It has slid out a couple of times until I found the best way to position it. The chip is really tiny to look for in the mountains of Kelowna when it does fall out though. So be mindful.

I love this thing so much I didn't run for a month before my first race because I thought I lost and and running  wasn't worth it without my beloved Nike+. I know, ridiculous. I went and bought a new one and went to put it in my shoe and ope! There it was, in my shoe, it had just slid out of the little pocket and worked its way into the toe of my shoe. So, had I run just once I would have found it. Moral of the story- Don't be an idiot and not run.

As for this run. It stunk. I had a pretty bad pace time. It was really windy and I kind of hated my life for the entire time and frequently considered just stopping and no one would know, except me...I cursed this blog for making me somewhat accountable and for my beloved Nike+ for monitoring what I was doing. I also cursed the weather as it got increasingly colder as I ran and dropped 2 degrees between the time I started and finished. I should have believed the weather channel when it told me it would get colder. I hadn't slept well the night before as the planned sleep in was interrupted by a tele-marketer. Also, about 1/3 of the way through I realized I hadn't eaten breakfast. BUT I did it, & that's what matters. I'll take the 403 calories that I burned and move on with life.

Point-Running

ran 5.03 km on 21/11/2010 at 5:30 PM 4 degrees felt like -1 pace 6'58
http://go.nike.com/07m0l8vf

Playlist:

I Believe In a Thing Called Love -The Darkness 

Pour Some Sugar on Me -Def Leopard 

When You Come Around -Deric Ruttan 

What Was I Thinkin' -Dierks Bentley 

Just Like Me -DMC/Sarah McLachlan 

Our Lawyers Made Us Change The Title Of This Song So We Wouldn't Be Sued -Fall Out Boy 

Dance, Dance -Fall Out Boy 

Sugar, We Are Going Down - Fallout boy  

Paralyzer -Finger Eleven 

The Fallen -Franz Ferdinand 

Walk Away -Franz Ferdinand 

You're the Reason I'm Leaving -Franz Ferdinand 

I fully intended on writing a blog about running when you don't want to and that it doesn't always feel good when you finish and regardless how much you love running sometimes you just have a bad day.

I absolutely did NOT want to go running tonight I went to friends' this weekend to have "Thanksgiving" dinner in Ottawa and although I did not drive (and much love to the driver) I was exhausted by the time I got home. We didn't manage to fit in the run I was hoping to in Ottawa. I REALLY did not want to go so I figured I would get it over with, got home, unpacked and changed into my running gear and headed out. I was miserable, my hands were cold, I felt sluggish, I was bitter toward myself for starting this stupid blog to be more accountable and for having a training schedule. I DID have on my favourite shoes, and I was on my favourite and not coincidentally my fastest route but this did not even cheer me.

I mentally resisted this run and was so opposed to it that after about 300 m I felt like I was doing a pace of 10 I was feeling so badly and to my surprise (probably because of the cold) my pace was under 7 I then decided to pay attention to my pace time on this run and wanted to keep it under my average of 7'14. I managed to do that. In my last 1/2 K I felt amazing and killed it. My pace time for the entire run remained under 7 minutes. At this point I'd like to say, 2 weeks ago at my race my pace time was 8 minutes. I was pretty impressed with myself. When I got home I told the dogs how great a run that had been. Damn you running! You win again.

As an aside the friends that hosted "Thanksgiving" are the reason that I have this blog. One blogs about her experiences as a mom and I figured if she could find the time to fit it into her schedule to do it so could I. The other half of this dynamic duo is the reason I purchased a Nike+ (my greatest motivation for running.). I had a fantastic weekend with friends even if we couldn't squeeze in a quick jaunt. Thanks for hosting!

Running in the Rain, Just Running in the Rain

ran 6.73 km on 18/11/2010 at 11:59 AM with a pace of 7'23/Km
http://go.nike.com/01qfgse6

Playlist:
Aint No Other Man - Aguilera, Christina  
Doesn't Remind Me - Audioslave 
Show Me How to Live -Audioslave  
A Peak You Reach -Badly Drawn Boy 
Crazy In Love -Beyoncé Knowles feat. Jay-Z 
Red Flag -Billy Talent 
Let's Get It Started -Black Eyed Peas 
Crazy Bitch - Buckcherry 
Jerk It Out -The Caesars  
Before He Cheats -Carrie Underwood 
We're Young and Beautiful -Carrie Underwood 
Fighter -Christina Aguilera 
Dirrty -Christina Aguilera  
My route:

I do love running, I do miss it on my rest days. There is one thing that makes me not want to run- rain. I heartily dislike it. I also hate (yes, hate) running on the treadmill, unfortunately this is the alternative to running in the rain. When I saw the rain this morning, yes, I was discouraged. I know though, that one of the blessings of living in Canada is that it doesn't rain all day so chances are that if I just go there will be a rainless period. So I just go on out and wait for it to stop. Which it did, and the sun came out for the last 1/4 of my run. In the middle a cyclist rode by and gave me a wave and shouted good job to me. It's nice when strangers encourage you. You don't get THAT from a treadmill.

 I also stepped out the door and saw something that was encouraging- snow on the pool cover which made me think that soon (hopefully) I will be scootin' along with the crunch of snow under my feet and along with that the peace that comes with a snowfall. I love watching the snow fall in front of  streetlights as I make my way along my route with puffs of new fallen snow fluffing up with each footfall. I love the winter and I love winter running. Something I've been deprived of the past two winters living in Kelowna where people know nothing about snow removal.

Looking at my run on my nike+ my pace was oddly erratic. Typically I am far more consistent throughout my run.

Dank O'Jones

I ran 4.89 km on 16/11/2010 at 11:27 AM at a pace of 7'19/Km
http://go.nike.com/9u099u7

My playlist:
Snow ((Hey Oh))- Red Hot Chili Peppers 
The Pilgrim- Sam Roberts 
All These Things That I've Done -The Killers 
Cry Me A River - Justin Timberlake 
No One Knows -Queens of the Stone Age 
Dani California -Red Hot Chili Peppers  
Show Me How to Live -Audioslave  
Maneater -Nelly Furtado 
Uprising Down Under -Sam Roberts 
Turn off the Light -Nelly Furtado 

My route:



 I was hoping to have to write about the following topic much later or never at all. I have Idiopathic Acute Recurring Pancreatitus which is a fancy way of saying -They don't know what causes severe pain in bouts of an inflamed pancreas. His Name is Dank O'Jones because of the singer but also Dank rhymes with panc and the O'Jones is because a friend of mine always envisioned my pancreas getting angry and inflaming itself, so that developed in my mind to a little Irish pancreas (also alcohol irritates it).

With that background, yesterday I had an attack (which I refer to as Danking). It was moderately bad. When I get a bout I can't eat or drink in order to rest the pancreas so that it doesn't have to digest food. As you can imagine this seriously impacts my running. I am really trying to stick to my training schedule this time around but my health really determines what I am capable of doing and makes things somewhat difficult and inconsistent for me. It has also given me a great appreciation for my ability to run. From January of 2009 until April of this year my pancreatitus was chronic, meaning I had it all the time. I was very sick and lost 70 pounds; which I could stand to lose and have since regained much of. I could not eat and a doctor in September of last year told me that I was in fact, malnourished. I had to get a feeding tube and at the end of October I had a pretty big surgery and they re-routed my digestive tract so that food would no longer pass through my pancreas and now goes from my stomach into a different part of my tract. After being sliced open across the abdomen I was told that I could not run for 6 weeks. Whenever I am having a particularly difficult patch while running I just remind myself of that time, and that at least I can run today. This guarantees a smile on my face. It's especially pertinent at this time because I was recovering a year ago from now.

It is at this point that I am going to say, yes sometimes I make bad choices and yes I did go for a run today. I am very aware of my body though and knew if it couldn't handle it I would be informed in the first 3 minutes of my run. It told me all systems go, and I did. I varied my run surfaces and did sidewalk to grass to road and gravel. Since cutting across that field the other night I decided I'd try some more grass running. After I finished that portion on my way back I was feeling pretty tired. I am trying not to worry about pace time yet and just go, especially today since I wasn't 100% and on some serious pain meds. I checked how much farther I had to go because I felt like I was running out of energy and my pace was 6'56, that really helped to push me through the rest of my run.

I also saw a dead bunny on my run. It was sad.

Looks like I'll be going for a run in Ottawa this weekend with friends and I'm looking forward to it.

Blog the First.

I ran 4.68 km on 14/11/2010 at 8:41 PM with a pace of 7'24/Km at 4 degrees Celsius but felt like -1
http://go.nike.com/589b158

As the URL indicates this blog is about Morgan loving running. I am Morgan. This blog came about after I adoringly espoused the virtues of running on my facebook page via a note. To save people who don't care being notified that I have posted something about how much I enjoy the sport I have created this venue for myself.

So, I shall start with discussing my jog run this evening (I'm a runner....I'm a runner...). As I set out I knew that I wanted to blog, so I was wondering what on Earth my first topic would be. I'm just getting back into running after being off for about a month and a half except for a 5K race that I participated in last week. It is also "New things November" for me and I am trying to shake things up.

I started out on my normal route with my new blog in mind, which is literally a straight line unless I hit a traffic light and can't cross. No flashing red hands to stop me this time though. Until almost my 1/2 point (Oh yes- my intended run distance was 3.21 Km). Then I turned down Fennell and hit my distance where I would NORMALLY just turn around and run exactly the same way home. But HEY it's new things November. Plus I figured I'd try to get in some running on the road because sidewalk running is the worst that you can do for your body, or so I've read, I strictly ran on sidewalk for months before...So I turned down a side street and continued on asphalt. I generally have a pretty good sense of direction. My mistake this time was not paying attention to how far west I'd gotten, in the dark, where I dont' normally jog. Yes, because I was thinking about my blog, I got lost. This is a first for me. I normally stick to the same routes. This is a fitting way to begin my new blog. My adventures so often turn into misadventures.

I realized that I was slightly off course when my Nike+ told me that I had 400m to go for my goal distance and I may not have known where I was but I DID know I was not 400m from home. In addition, I was nearing the end of my playlist. This is when I decided to run across a darkened field; also a first for me, I'd never run on grass as part of my runs. It was hard work, probably why I'd never done it before. I knew that I couldn't stop running cuz I would get cold so I just kept going. Shortly after this I kind of figured out where I was and made my way home.

The first run back after a length of time off is always difficult for me; finding the motivation, the disappointing pace time, the fact that it's more difficult than normal...just to name a few things. This run was not an exception to the rule. Until the end. I am so HAPPY that I had gotten lost and had to go further than planned because I got my 2nd wind and the last 1/2 Km was a really good run for me. It made me look forward to my next run.

Oh here's my playlist (Clearly my songs are ordered by reverse alphabetical order by title) :
3's & 7's -Queens Of The Stone Age
You Could Have It So Much Better -Franz Ferdinand
You're the Reason I'm Leaving -Franz Ferdinand
You're So Damn Hot -OK Go
Yeah -Usher Feat. Lil' Jon and Ludac
Woo Hoo -The 5 6 7 8s
With A Bullet -Sam Roberts
Where No One Knows -Jann Arden
What You Meant -Franz Ferdinand