“You can quit and no one will really care….

but you will always know.”- John Colins

8K @ 7'59

Powersong: Dead and Gone- Black Keys

After my disastrous run on Sunday I wasn't so keen to head back out to the streets. Further discouraging me was the perhaps overly ambitious training schedule that I've adopted. I've chosen it because it was designed for speedwork. For my last race I just wanted to complete it. I really want to stop finishing last in my age category, so I will have to try to pick up the pace.

This new schedule has longer runs in it than the previous one. In addition, it's done in miles not kilometres so I really have no idea how far I am running. I had no idea that 5 miles was 8 km so didn't expect to be out there for more than an hour. Today was a just go out and run, run so that I'd get back into the groove. It was pretty windy but warm and sunshiney. I was pretty pleased with my pace time and surprised to see that my third K was the fastest. Typically it's the first.

I am considering running the Burlington Santa 5K with my little buddy, she's 7 and seemed keen to give it a try.

Here's another reason to take up exercise, it makes you smarter!: http://www.heartandstroke.com/site/c.ikIQLcMWJtE/b.8455921/k.2555/Study_shows_exercise_boosts_brainpower.htm

Guest Post: FUN RUN WON (metaphorically).

Please welcome my first guest blogger! Shelagh. She was my fellow Santa on Sunday. Here's her race day story in her own words:

Yes, it is true, I did not WIN the Santa 5k race but I did WIN against myself. In the spring my friend and I started to exercise three times a week at 6am. We were crazy at the time, that was going well so we started doing it five times a week (run M,W,F and bike Tue, Thrs). at 6 am. We were doing the couch to 5k app and I must say we had gotten pretty far until the summer just got in the way. She went away to the cottage and then I ventured off to Vancouver and let's say the motivation was not there individually. Luckily for outside sources of motivation... during the summer Morgan knew about me running and using the couch to 5k app! She asked me if I wanted to go for a 2.5k Run on a Sunday. I was game obviously but also extremely nervous, as some of you may be aware the couch to 5k app usually begins with a 5 min warm up walk, jog/walk alternation and concludes with a 5 min cool down. That is what I was used to... but this 2.5 k Morgan believed in me that I could accomplish it without walking. Well, I am not the best with keeping a Pace, as pro runners do but I did have to walk a few times because of that. Regardless, it was a great motivator to prove that 2.5 k is just a scary distance in my head but not so scary while running it.

So the slacking begins... summer ends, the nice running weather fades and welcome cold mornings and dark evenings. How is this weather any motivation to run!! To the experienced runners and brave souls who like the cold, this weather is no change for your routine, but for those who fell out of their routine, this is not helping anyone. Long story short Morgan asked me to do the Santa 5 k at the end of October. I was very hesitate since well you know the lack of running and all, hell I didn't even finish the couch to 5 k app!! But She has a gift to talk ya into something, especially because she knows I did really want to do it! The best was that she said- It is just a fun race and why not have a fun run as your first run! Well she sure was right!

Which brings Saturday night before the race. In a panic and constant butterflies in my belly, I decide that I will probably die Sunday unless I go for a practice run since I haven't been training. So I turn on my app, head out into the well lit streets and start running. I end up running/walking 3.3 k! Pretty proud of myself I head home... I know that at least I can complete more then half of the race and have settled with the fact that they will just have to carry me on a stretcher for the remainder 1.7 k. With my mind at ease I head to bed. RACE DAY: excited and all dressed up and blended in with 550 santas, I begin my very first race (since elementary school). Thinking hey this isn't that bad, hey this is pretty fun, hey I am still alive, HEY I CAN DO THIS!

I, a newbie runner, have completed my first 5K fun run! (in a Santa suit- so fun!). Thanks to Morgan for inspiring me as well as cheering me on and giving me hope as well as motivation to complete my first race! I felt so accomplished after the race and was just so excited, a few friends came to watch which was such a surprise but they knew it meant a lot to me! I felt great after the race and really want to get back into training...

hold me to it friends.

thanks for the guest spot Morgan!

She

Santa 5K

This past Sunday I participated in Hamilton's inaugural 5K Santa run. It entails that all participants wear a Santa suit, yes- including hat and beard for the duration for the race. I convinced a friend of mine to participate, making this her first race. It was definitely the most unique race that I'd participated in. It was great seeing lots of families and children out there.

Although it was only a 5K I definitely struggled finishing in 47 minutes and change. My diabetes after my last bout of pancreatitus has been significantly more difficult to manage. I haven't seen any of my 'team' yet about this but I am assuming that the last bout that I had may have damaged my pancreas further. I'm adjusting my meds and it's slowly getting better. That, with the crazy busy weekend that I had did not do my body any favours. It absolutely refused to move any faster for me. It was great running conditions, cool and and not too windy. There was a bit of snow, but the conditions weren't too crazy. I really REALLY wanted to stop and start walking but I persevered, using the little engine that could mantra "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can..." and then I changed my internal chant to "I KNOW I can, I KNOW I can, I KNOW I can..."

Courtesy of My Sports Shooter

Aside from my performance I had a really fun morning. I would recommend this race for people with kids. There was one family in particular that I saw a dad with his son and daughter that really impressed me, you can tell that they ran together. The dad was kind of coaching the kids along, being very supportive and not at all pushy. I really like seeing families being active together. The benefits of activity for kids are so huge emotionally, psychologically and physically.



Courtesy of My Sports
Shooter. It's tiny but
it's me.

 I'm also very proud of my friend for finishing her first race in a great time under 40 minutes!

Courtesy of Shelagh Irving

Get kids active, it's a lifelong habit! See this little guy:

It's Been a While...

I ran for the first time since my race. I had a terrible bout of pancreatitus. I hadn't plugged in my data for my Nike+ because both my body and my computer were under the weather. When I got back from my run today I checked out the feedback from the race. The race where I had pancreatitus. The race that I threw up after. The race where a 70+ man beat me and I finished last for my age category. And I achieved a personal best for a 10K. I don't know what that says about my training.

Today's run was strange it started off well and I was enjoying the weather (a balmy 14) and I was running in new shoes which felt good. I was also re-calibrating my Nike+ so I hope that it gives me more accurate feedback. It seems to be a bit better. I did a 4 mile run and the pace time seemed more fitting. So I was enjoying myself then my tummy started flipping and I felt like I was going to throw up. I don't think I'm quite fully recovered yet. Some deep breathing took care of that feeling. I persisted and felt better. Moves like Jagger really put some spring into my step.

On Sunday I'm running a 5K Santa race with a friend. We must wear the Santa suit or else we're dq'd. I am looking forward to it and am hoping that the weather remains lovely.

Road To Hope Version 2.0

Yesterday was a race day! The last run I logged was Oct 10. I wasn't terribly prepared for the run with the awful weather this week I didn't get out and didn't make much of an effort as I had also  been experiencing a bout of pancreatitus since Monday. I finished in just over an hour and thirty two minutes. My goal was 82 minutes. Darn.

I shall set the scene though. I went down to pick up my race kit on Friday 20 minutes after the process started. It was crazy! Really busy and people everywhere. I got me pumped for the race though. I normally do race day pick up but thought I would go a day ahead this time so that I could sleep in later on the day of the race.

I went to bed Friday night knowing that I was feeling under the weather but still able to function. I figured if I limited my food intake Friday, because food results in pain when I am 'danking' (Dank is my pancreas and when he's inflamed I'm danking). I looked forward to getting in a good sleep and hopefully feeling much improved. I fell asleep relatively quickly and woke up in agony at around 3 and stayed awake until 5.

At this point I had pretty much made up my mind that I would not be racing. I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that I paid a registration fee and I really wanted that medal! When I woke up a few hours later I was feeling slightly better so I sat around waffling for a bit then my mom offered me a ride to the race. I decided to go for it. I was feeling well enough to walk it if I had to. I do not condone what I did as, perhaps from a health perspective, it may not have been the best idea that I'd ever had. BUT IT WAS RACE DAY. So, I skipped breakfast and headed down to Confederation Park.

The weather wasn't super sunny but it was pretty clear and somewhat windy. Chilly. Being near the water I immediately regretted not having brought a pair of light gloves to wear. I warm up after the first k usually but my hands normally stay pretty cool.  At the expo I found a really neat pair of mitts though that have the flip back tops to turn into gloves. The tips of the fingers peel back too for easy texting and use of my iPod. It also has an LED light on them. There was no tax on accessories so I picked them up.

The race started 5 minutes late and it was the same route that I ran when I did the 5K, it was just a loop that we did twice. After the first K I realized that my Nike+ was REALLY off. As in it was over reporting how far and how fast I had gone in the past. I knew I was going to be running for what would seem like forever. It was marked every Km so that was nice.  I managed to run the whole 10k. I passed one person on the second half of my race. Which is something that I like to gauge my run by. In the middle of the race my mom was able to chat with me and told me that while she was strolling around to kill time she came across another race and took pictures of the runners because she was surprised that there was another event being held so close by. Then she realized it WAS my race.

According to my Nike+ I ran 11.87 K at a pace of 8'14. Which, in relation to past runs would have had me done my 10 K in 81 minutes and 40 seconds so TECHNICALLY I made my goal. But because the thing had previously short changed me on distance all my information was screwed up. My official results are a pace of 9:17 and total time of 1:31:49. I came in last for my age and gender and a 70 + year old man beat me. I was a little disappointed because of my health I didn't know how I would ACTUALLY have done had I been ship shape. It's always really fantastic to cross the finish line though. As I approached it the photographer and volunteer told me I had 150m to go. I have never been more relieved to finish a race.  The announcer said that he didn't have access to my name but congratulated me. So the volunteers gave me high fives and called me nameless. AND I GOT MY MEDAL!!! That's all I wanted. I went and grabbed a banana cuz I was still feeling ok. Not the best idea. I felt SO SICK and the pain kicked in, I could barely get down some Gatorade.

Normally I am completely fine post race. This time I got into bed shivering and stayed there watching a Who's the Boss marathon for 5 hours. Overall it was a decent day. I don't regret doing what I did. I knew myself well enough to know that I would be able to walk if I had to and that I had the endurance to make it to the finish.