Liv to run

Why

2007-05-17T21:32:00.001-04:00

do other people always get in the way of running? And I'm not talking about sharing the sidewalk. Every time I have my day perfectly planned out around a run, someone drops by the apartment, or phones with some long story, or whatever, and because I love these people I sacrifice my run over and over and over again to hear them out. It's making me into one very antsy non-runner.

PR!

2007-05-06T19:33:00.000-04:00

Yep, you read that right! Despite shoddy training, lack of motivation, mountains of studying, and sheer laziness, I pulled it together and got up at the crack of dawn this morning to run a stellar 10k race, copious amounts of whining the night before notwithstanding ("whyyyyyyyyyyy do I do this to myself? WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?" - it's a wonder I still have roommates who love me).

Pre-start time was a bit of a disaster zone - DEFINITELY not enough porta-potties for 8000 people (especially counting those of us who express their jitters by having to pee TWICE before a race - ahem no naming names here, but let's just say that by the time I got through (again!) there were people with megaphones yelling "almost start time! Just hold it if you don't have to go that badly!" Hold it??? For 10k? Not me, babe.) Baggage check also took aeons, so it's a good thing I was super paranoid about arriving on time and ended up being way early - I needed every minute!

But those were only minor annoyances. The weather could not have been better, the course was sublime (love that net downhill!), and I stayed on pace, super focused, pushing steadily but not too hard for the entire distance. My dearly beloved Garmin was having some PMS, however (I suspect it may have calibrated itself from inside the porta-potty, actually...) and from the first mile my "splits" were completely wonky - it had barely charted a mile by the time I hit 2k. So no mile splits, to my sorrow, but a very respectable (for a turtle) pace of 5:45km - that's how they do it here in these Canuck races, okay? ;) - working out to a final chip time of 54:47 - more than a minute off my time in last year's race, and yes, a brand new shiny shimmery 10k PR!

To think - that was without proper training. One of these days, I will really whip myself into shape, and THEN we'll see what I can do :)

Is it hot in here, or is it just me?

2007-04-26T13:49:00.000-04:00

They aren't kidding around when they call it hot yoga, people. Whew.

My muscles have been a real pain, literally, as of late, so yesterday my roomie and I went to try and force some limberness into our bones and some sweat out of our pores with some Bikram-style yoga. Honestly, sometimes I thought it was harder than the half marathon - at least then there was a breeze! I have never sweated so much in my life. I didn't know my body was capable of so much sweating, but there you have it. Liv to run, saltwater spring!

Nevertheless, when it was all over, did I ever feel virtuous and purified! Not to mention utterly exhausted, and in no state to even contemplate running, yesterday or today. I just don't think I can handle it. Which is mildly concerning, since this 10k is in less than two weeks' time. Maybe another yoga session or two is in order, and quickly, so I can get back to mercilessly pounding my body on the pavement like I should be.

Spring has spRUNg

2007-04-20T02:18:00.000-04:00

Well... I'm back. No promises of certain return yet (I've made them before!), but maybe I'm back for real this time. I've been an unfaithful blogger and should be taken out behind the aid station and pelted with PowerGel packets. But this is the first time I've honestly felt like posting in months! And I never intended to make a job out of this. I can be a flake that way :)

I haven't been significantly more committed on the running front either, but perhaps the tide is turning: spring is in the air, I have some wicked new Nike gear I got at an even more wicked discount, and oh yeah, I've signed up for several long races this summer, with the marathon as a grand finale - maybe I'd better be in shape to finish 'em!

Well the 10k's doable, anyway, because today's "5 miler" turned into 7. Somehow I made two conflicting plans: run up to the Beltline trail, along it for a stretch, and back home; and run five miles. People... I live much farther from the Beltline than I thought! But I stuck to the route rather than the distance, and was sweating, proud, and exhausted by the time I got home. Still looking fabulous in my hot new gear.

I will not support that last statement with photos. I can lie to you all if I feel like it :)

Inspiration

2007-02-10T16:38:00.000-05:00

Diligent readers of Runner's World that most of you are, you've probably heard about these guys by now. But have you seen this video ? Guaranteed to tug at your heart-strings, to flood you with hope and joy.

1,2,3

2007-02-02T15:22:00.000-05:00

One week.

Two runs.

Three miles each.

How long did they take? That's classified.

How do I feel? Wonderful!

Just lace 'em up and... shit

2007-01-30T21:11:00.000-05:00

Well, I finally dragged my sorry behind to the gym today, feeling hale and whole for the first time in I can't remember how long. Though I really did feel lazy as hell on the way there, the act of changing into my gear and powering up the zillion steps to the track really fired me up and I was pumped to get running again by the time I....

.... realized that Tuesday night is track team night. Exclusive track team night. As in, you sad sorry slow mere members, please keep your stumpy legs off our turf. This is Varsity territory for the next two hours.

*sigh*. So yours truly had a date with a very rickety, uncomfortable stationary bike instead. But I pumped the shit out of that thing, and if it wasn't running, it at least felt wonderful to get my heart rate up. Followed up with a short yoga session (hidden away in a corner so I wouldn't get run over by maniacally charging varsity hurldlers), and felt that at least my time had been productively spent.

So no miles to log today. But I'm back, after a fashion. And I intend to keep it that way!

Hey!

2007-01-26T23:58:00.000-05:00

How come switching to the new Blogger has wrecked some of my links, and turned half of my comments "anonymous"? What gives and can I fix it? Help!

Oh, misery

2007-01-26T16:13:00.000-05:00

I think I can count on one hand the days that I have felt healthy in 2007. I can certainly count my runs, and I don't even need a thumb. Pa-the-tic, I tell you. Being "under the weather" doesn't begin to describe it; it's like the weather put on a pair of industrial boots with steel plates and squashed my immune system under its heel like a bug in a rug. So while my friend and I have been talking non-stop about how we are so excited to run a marathon this year, I have yet to submit my official registration because the longer my nose runs, the less I do. I feel the months of fitness training trickling away at an alarming rate, annihilating all my hard-earned accomplishments. The concept of driving 42km is daunting to me at my present energy level; the idea of running that far is unfathomable. So I am taking this moment to wallow in self pity. Wallow, wallow, wallow. And to hope desperately that this will all be over soon, before I waste away into nothingness, and my running muscles all atrophy from lack of use.

Yeah so clearly I'm a slacker

2007-01-22T19:19:00.000-05:00

And I'm sorry. Not much to blog about lately on the running front, so I figured I'd save you the boredom of my blogorrhea.

There is a small amount of news however: though it was a big push at the end, through cold and wind and darkness, December 31st saw me clock in at exactly 1000km for 2006. Since then, well - I've made the executive decision to be more or less on break until I gear up for my next race.

1000km.... and I end up right in front of my house. Lol - strategically planned for the photo op, of course.

Addendum

2006-12-19T15:11:00.000-05:00

He he - rethinking the whole egg nog topic. Egg nog = okay. Egg nog + large quantities of rum = even better. ESPECIALLY after 7 mile run. Hits you harder. Yup, yup :) So... everyone guess what *I* did last night...

Oh fer chrissakes...

2006-12-18T15:05:00.000-05:00

I see I am receiving a warm welcome back to Blogland by being oh-so-merrily tagged by Joe. Ah well, 'tis the season - to labour over trite memes until they are mildly entertaining.

Egg nog or hot chocolate? Um... if the word "chocolate" is in the title, is it really a contest?
Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? They better be wrapped! The surprise is most of the fun!
Colored lights on tree/house or white? We've got both in my apartment. We're very non-discriminatory.
Do you hang mistletoe? I just hang around *under* it... hoping... every year... hoping ;)
When do you put your decorations up? Between exams.
What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? YOU WANT ME TO PICK ONE?!?!?!? This is how I eat holiday dinner: fork up a piece of turkey, a dab of stuffing, a touch of mashed potatoes (slathered in gravy), and a hunk of cranberry sauce, and proceed to shove it all in my mouth at the same time. Yes, I do this for every bite. Note to self: do not take boy out for holiday dinner as first date.
Favorite holiday memory as a child? Waking up to find a present on the end of my bed - this was the ONLY thing I was allowed to unwrap until my parents rolled out of bed and my Dad set up the video camera twenty million hours later!
When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Truth? WHAT truth? Are you trying to tell me something here??????????? Lol - eventually, it was the wrapping paper that gave it away - there were waaaay more empty rolls in our recycling bin that my parents could possibly have used (you'd think this makes me clever... until you realize I was about 9 or 10 years old before this dawned on me.) We kept my brother going until he was almost 12, I think - Christmas is more magical with Santa around.
Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? No, but I used to lurk around them like a fiend, poking, prodding, and shaking. Then I would be poked, prodded, and shaken off to bed before I damaged anything :)
How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Heh - I usually try to drive my Dad crazy by flinging tinsel all over the tree, the floor, and my brother. It gets him suitably riled up for the season. We also have a bunch of gawdawful ornaments my brother and I made in kindergarten, that still make their way out into the light every year.
Snow! Love it or dread it? SNOW!!!!!! I WANT SOME NOW!!!! This is Canada, for goodness' sake, WHY is it above zero on the 18th of December?
Can you ice skate? You bet your ass.
Do you remember your favorite gift? Getting a guitar in first year university was pretty amazing. But I think my favourite present of all was the time I opened up a basket from my Mum - you know, all wrapped up as if it was one of those trite holiday numbers filled with chocolate and nuts - and it was filled with GROCERIES! It was the cutest little student-friendly gift ever. I just thought it was brilliant.
What's the most important thing about the holidays for you? No school. Lots of food. 'Nuff said.
What is your favorite holiday dessert? It starts with a choco- and ends with a -late. You guess.
What is your favorite holiday tradition? Spending New Year's with a few good friends, totally smashed in my best friend's hot tub.
What tops your tree? In our apartment, a dinky little star from Dollarama. At home, this really kooky "angel" number my Mum made by spray-painting some macaroni silver. It actually looks aweseome, but never stands up straight.
Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? Now there's a loaded question. I'm going to do the diplomatic answer: I enjoy giving something that the recipient really loves, because I like to see their *genuine* reaction, and see them use it later. But damn, I won't lie - I ADORE getting presents :)
What is your favorite Christmas song? I like the classic ones with a great melody, like O Holy Night and In Excelsis Gloria or however the fuck you spell that. Too bad they're the most religious ones, but I guess people are more motivated when they're writing songs for God or something. I DETEST the insipid carols that are always being played on the radio, when pop artists try their best to butcher the entire melody of a song with their inventive "variations". I think if I worked in a mall and had to listen to that shit all December long, I would probably jump off the Viaduct. Or at least shoot my ears off. But for sheer fun, nothing tops a good rendition of Feliz Navidad. And I can personally attest to the fact that Santa Baby makes a great soundtrack to the exam-ravaged, stir crazy individual who runs around her apartment dancing like a burlesque maniac and then takes it out to the fire escape so the whole neighborhood can witness her insanity. Not mentioning any names, of course ;)
Candy canes? Mmm... yes, please.
Favorite Christmas movie? Ugh... I'm not a huge fan of Christmas movies, to be honest - I usually don't manage to sit through them. But I do remember being a fan of The Santa Clause as a kid. And of course, nothing on Earth tops A Muppet's Christmas Carol.
What do you leave for Santa? One cookie for Santa... one cookie for me. One for Santa... one for me :)

HO HO HO! My Christmas gift to you all is to spare you the pain of more tagging. But please feel free to go ahead anyway if this is up your alley.

School's. Out. For. Ever!

2006-12-16T23:12:00.000-05:00

Okay, not really forever, one more semester to go... but at last I am free, I am bored, I am blogging!

Just a quick recap on the running for now... I've been running like a beast! Well, comparatively speaking :) 5 miles seems like an easy day, I can comfortably keep a 9:40 pace for up to 8 miles and feel it's "easy", and my new record for the mile is 7:47! WOOT! I'm well on track to hit my 1000km goal for the year, and finally, I'm contemplating a stab at the Buffalo marathon this coming spring. So you see.... I have been busy in my absence :)

Hope you are all running well and I'll be sure to drop by your blogs over the holidays.

I haven't died, but...

2006-11-13T15:57:00.000-05:00

... but school and work and life in general have been seriously impeding my blogging as of late. It pains me not to keep up, but with so much else going on right now, keeping myself current seems more like a chore than a pleasure. I hope this will change soon, and I will (virtually) see you all again when the holidays kick in (not long now... thank goodness!) Keep running strong - I know I will! And I'll check back soon, promise ;)

Braving the streets of Toronto

2006-10-31T01:20:00.000-05:00

Took a hiatus from the gym in order to hit the streets on Saturday. It began as an impromptu easy 3-miler, but something took hold of me, and I swear my feet grew wings. Suddenly it was a long tempo run, and it felt utterly sublime. The rain was coming down hard, but *I* was on fire! Hell, I was passing cars on my way down Spadina! I'm fully serious. Okay, so they were stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, but they were trying to move, so in my mind, the feat is legit.

mile 1: 9:19
mile 2: 9:42
mile 3: 8:19
mile 4: 9:17
mile 5: 8:47

I'm not entirely convinced about that 3rd mile... I think maybe Garmin had a brainfart... but I'll take her up on her sweet little lies...

Total time: 45:26 for 5 miles. That definitely shatters my own records - and my fears about coming up short. I am cruising through those last few hundred kilometers, and I am going to show them who. is. boss.

ARG!

2006-10-27T21:11:00.000-04:00

For those who've been following along, you might remember (it seems like aeons ago) my New Year's Resolution to run 1000km this year. 2007 approacheth at lightning speed it seems, and while I'm trying my darndest to log them all in, at the moment all I have to say is one thing:

Crap.

Why do I make myself answerable to such things?

Gym rat

2006-10-26T00:09:00.000-04:00

It's taken a while of easing in, but I think I'm officially there now: I'm a gym rat again. After all, I was there twice today - once for the 3 deadly miles, and once for an (almost as deadly!) yoga class.

Bye bye, great outdoors! You are too cold and blustery for me. Here is why hitting up the indoor track kind of rocks:

1-It's warm.

2-I can crank up the ipod (which works again! This is SUCH a high point in my life right now...) and tune out the world without fear of being run over by a car/bus/truck/rabid pedestrian/equally rabid racoon.

3-Almost everyone is faster than me. No really, this is a good thing: it's motivational. For the most part.
4-A select few are slower that me. And damn - THAT makes me proud.
5-A good portion of the girls there have far hotter bodies than I. That, I'll admit, turns me a particular shade of green on occasion (I should get shorts to match), but, again....it's motivational.
6-And most importantly: I get to have GYM CRUSHES! No, it's healthy, really - nothing like having the hots for someone to make you keep on running :)

Incidentally, my gym crush of the day spurred me on to greater speeds, greater agony, and overall greater satisfaction:

mile repeats:
1- 8:30
2- 8:32
3- 8:25

Too bad that secret somebody was finished working out and gone before I got down to stretching. Ah well. I don't take these things personally.

Oh and P.S., in response to the many questions about my last post: yes, she is in fact a scale AND a body fat monitor. And I take what SHE says VERY personally.

Spawn of Satan

2006-10-19T01:01:00.000-04:00

She is sleek, sexy, and all knowing.

She brings out the obsessiveness in me.

I know she's just the messenger... but really. What a bitch.

Golden miles

2006-10-16T23:06:00.000-04:00

I've logged a lot of miles this year. Or kilometers - whatever. Not as many miles as most of you real runners out there :) but lots of them all the same. But until today, I never ran miles. As in repeats. Hard, brutal, long, incredibly gratifying mile repeats. And I think I'm hooked.

Mile 1: 8:46!
(rest)
Mile 2: 8:41!!
(rest)
Mile 3: 8:30!!!

Pretty cool for someone who usually churns them out between 10 and 11 minutes. There may be a little speed yet in these short legs o'mine. If I can bring myself to give them the proper training and attention. Regularly. Consistantly.

Ha.

Finding my mojo

2006-10-14T02:53:00.000-04:00

Breaking news... this just in...

I have learned how to exercise again.

I finally did it - went to the gym, did some swimming, some running, some core crunching - THREE WHOLE TIMES this week. And I feel GREAT.

Isn't it idiotic the way we get ourselves (okay, I won't speak for everyone, the way I get myself) into these vicious cycles of "I feel crappy. I don't want to exercise. Now I feel crappier for not exercising"? The only real solution is to lace up the shoes, suck it up, and get the hell out there.

And all it took was Thanksgiving dinner, about a zillion pounds of chocolate, and 3 new and decidedly unwanted pounds on my body, to finally convince me something needed to be done. Motivation, motivation, motivation.

An unorthodox workout

2006-10-05T01:47:00.000-04:00

So - today I was going to go to the gym. I really really was.

But first... first I had to go to Future Shop to return/exchange a DVD player. So I walked there... only to discover that I had brought the WRONG RECEIPT with me! I walked home. I got the right one. I walked back. A customer service person then informed me that there was nothing wrong with my DVD player at all - I only needed an adaptor to make it work. No exchange - and no receipt necessary.

I walked home. And I skipped the gym.

I figure, I spent enough time walking today to merit workout points. And I probably burned lots of extra calories by muttering, cursing, and smacking myself repeatedly in the head.

Sometimes, I am really an imbecile.

Twenty one is so much fun!

2006-09-30T00:48:00.000-04:00

Well, here I am in all my glory. Neither my dad nor my camera-happy housemate have seen fit to send all my wonderful post-race pictures, so I am forced to resort to Action Sports International's oh-so-flattering portrayal. And trust me, this was by far the best shot, the others are classified...!

Well, what can I say about 21 kilometres? (Okay, okay, 13.1 miles)

-It's the farthest distance I have ever run in my life.
-It took me longer to finish it than it did for someone to win the marathon (which took place simultaneously).
-The first female marathoner came in after me, though. Ha.
-Oh, yeah, it was a total blast.

I wish I had some photos of my behind to share with you all. It was really, really sexy. Okay, backtrack, I'll explain that one. I realized the night before the race that I had neglected to consider one important conundrum: where was I to stash my carbo gels? After much scratching of head and gnashing of teeth, I settled on stowing them in a little invisible money belt, the kind you stick under your pants when you don't want your passport snarfed. And then I thought, while I'm at it, why don't I just chuck my key and my phone in there too, so I don't have to check baggage? Brilliant. Except I couldn't wear it as a fanny pack, it bounced too much - so, you guessed it, I wore the belt in its rightful position - under my shorts and on my ass. Like I really needed to look bigger down there. Still, I was happy with the functionality of the arrangement, and I marveled at the poor souls I passed who were running with big galumphing fanny packs, and one guy with a full-sized backpack. Seriously! They have water stations for a reason, hun, what the hell were you carrying? This is all a very long-winded plea for advice, if after the fact: what is a good way to store gels on the go (assuming that I didn't want to bring my bulky torso pack)?

Anyway, my hippo heiny and I plodded our way slowly but surely through the miles. I kept the first one slow, around 11min, which I figured I could reasonably keep up. But lo and behold, from there on in, every time my Garmin beeped I was thoroughly surprised and delighted to see the numbers consistently around 10:30. I even managed a 10:05 for mile 12 - that was the mile where my family came to cheer. Yay! After that it was just an onslaught of uplifting emotions as I fought to the finish with a huge grin on my face (accounting for most of the unflattering pictures - it's hard to grin and gasp for air at the same time without looking like a dying platypus). Energy welled up inside me as I sung an endless refrain of "I've done it, I've done it, I've really done it!" Who would have thought - short little Liv, with her short little legs, and she made it - all the way. 2:19:27 - a very pleasing first time, as I was aiming for 2:30 or so - and happy to be on the faster side of "or so"!

There were times, during my training, when I would lie down on the kitchen floor after a 10 mile run, dehydrated and exhausted, thinking "what ever possessed me to do this? It's ridiculous. After this race I'm never doing distance again. And forget ever bothering with a full marathon, schmarathon - what an illusion."

But running the half changed all that. I know I can do long distance, and I know that I love it. I'm dusting off that illusion again, and turning it back into a dream.

Stay tuned

2006-09-24T19:50:00.000-04:00

I can't muster up the patience for a full race report just now, and I don't have any photos yet, but it's in the works. For now, I must simply announce to you all that my first half was a total dream, an incredible experience. My first thought when I crossed the finish line was "I did it!", and the second was "when can I do it again?!"

Seriously

2006-09-22T23:44:00.000-04:00

This seems to be a recurring pattern of mine: sign up for race well in advance. Get absurdly excited about race. Train like a maniac. One month before race, lose all interest. Get absorbed in other things. Launch "taper" of extreme proportions. Suddenly wake up one day and realize: "holy shit. I've got a race this weekend."

But my obliviousness does not erase the fact that two days from now, less in fact, I will be running my first-ever half marathon. Yikes, people. I so don't feel ready. Although, I've put a lot of training into this - when I stop to think about it, I'm probably quite well prepared: I have two 10-milers in the bag, several eights and nines, the last of which was about a week and a half ago. I've sprinkled in a few tempo runs, and some easy jogs just for fun. Okay, so this week I did a grand total of two miles, but I'm legitimately tapering - plus, I've had a lot on my mind in terms of work and school. I should be ready, right? Then why do I feel like I haven't been a runner for 10 years?!

Oh well. Sunday shall come, regardless of my preparedness. Here goes nothing.

Pink ribbon lady

2006-09-12T10:30:00.000-04:00

Just a shameless plug here, but it's for a charitable cause so I'm forgiving myself :)

On Sunday, October 1st I will be participating in the Canadian Breast Cancer Society's infamous Run for the Cure. Okay, realistically, folks, I may be walking for the cure at that point, having just come off my first half marathon the weekend before. But a friend of mine put together a team and I just couldn't resist.

So, if anyone is interested in sponsoring me, the link to my donation page is here. I will still love each and every one of you regardless of monetary contribution... but if you enjoy supporting such causes, then by all means, please make me your messenger :)

Couple therapy

2006-09-12T01:12:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I've never been to couple therapy, actually. But tonight, Michael and I went on a run together, and that was just as good - no, better.

Mostly, I'm a solo runner - although I do enjoy company occasionally, I kind of like my independent pursuit of running, free to go as fast or as slow as I want to, to go where I want to, for as long as I want to - being answerable only to myself. Today though, I invited Michael to jog along beside me, and we had one of those great heart-to-hearts that really cleared some air between us. A lot of issues came up that we had been sort of avoiding, or that we had discussed earlier, with the end result of me winding up emotionally depleted and in tears. Something about running, though, really clears my head, and I was able to discuss all these deep-seated issues in a matter-of-fact, logical, rational manner. It was so refreshing to feel cool and collected amidst all the turmoil we've been going through, to the rhythm of even breathing and steady steps.

Five miles later, neither of us had broken a sweat - obviously, chatting is no race strategy - but both of us were considerably happier. For now, at least, I think we're okay - and for now, at least, that's all that I can ask for. I now think of our relationship the way I now think of my running: yes, there may be some sketchy long term goals - but the important thing is to take things day by day, to commit to making things happen in the present, and trust that by doing so I will gradually sort out the future as it comes. Crossing those bridges, one step at a time.

Life and moving

2006-09-08T23:49:00.000-04:00

That's my excuse, however legitimate it may be. It's been a crazy week of a) scuba diving b) moving into my new place, and c) moving a friend into his new place. I've run a total of 3 miles, once. Bad Liv, bad. But the one run was a nice tour of my new neighbourhood (okay, so I'm living just south of campus, it's not all that alien) - and I've learned a few good lessons about where NOT to run. For you Torontonians, skip the sidewalk on Dundas. It's all pain, little gain, and a lot of oblivious pedestrians. As if you didn't know that already. But I'm a dumbass, okay? :)

Today I got to show off my darling Garmin to a friend (friend "c" above), who was legitimately impressed with the wonders of nerdy running. He even suggested we should go for a run together sometime. Wheeeeee, running buddy! I have duly warned him about my pace: it'll be an easy jog for him, a hard tempo for me. So the deal is, I'm going to huff and puff like the big bad wolf, and he'll be in charge of telling me stories along the way :)

I have internet in my new apartment now - HIGH SPEED internet, oh the glory - so no further excuses: I am catching up on my blogging from here on in. Hello, strangers - I've missed you.

If only the toilets in our new place worked as smoothly as our computer network... priorities, priorities.

A little pain, a little gain, a lot of lying around

2006-08-29T04:50:00.000-04:00

If someone were instructed to give me a beating for every mile I've skipped in my half-marathon training plan, I'd be in for 15 and a half sound lashings. And that's just up until the point where I stopped counting. Good thing that threat of violence isn't my preferred method of motivation.

But what does motivate me? At the moment, not much. September 24th creeps ever closer, and I am a bum and a half. Or, should I say, I will be a bum in the half...

Was it a bad training plan? I'm pretty sure it was decent. Was I a bad girl? Oh, affirmative. I'm not quite sure why - although I've got a plethora of excuses: the humidity in the city. My busy work schedule. The rough terrain at the cottage. The fact that my cottage is on an island, and therefore I have to drive a boat to the mainland for every run, which makes it doubly hard to get le ass off le couch. The appeal of swimming in the lake and rowing on the lake as alternative forms of exercise - ones that don't carry the pressure of mileage and pace times, at least in my books.

Overall, it was not a productive vacation on the running front. But I did slog through a couple of toughies: a 9 miler one week and a 10 miler two weeks later. Finally, I feel as if I'm doing real long runs - I know it's all relative, but there you have it - I've crossed some sort of personal barrier and it feels good.

Not that the running always felt good. For my nine, I headed up an unfamiliar road, only to discover how literal that "up" really was. It was two steps forward, one step back on those slippery gravel slopes. By the end of the ordeal, I was cold and shaky, tight but unwilling to stretch, starving but the only food available at the time was cold french fries. Which are a totally repulsive food, and yet have never tasted as good as they did after that run - or felt so disgusting afterwards in my belly.

The ten was better - I learned to bring two gels with me and a whole lot more water, and to scootch back across the lake immediately afterwards for a good solid meal.(Ever drive a rickety outboard boat after a draining long run? You'd think the vibration is negligeable, but let me tell you, my knees sang me the saddest song in the world on that ride!) Oh, is ten miles ever long. And oh, it took me 1:55:32 to complete. That seems to me like an awfully long time to be running. Or perhaps shuffling would be the appropriate term. And the race is going to be longer, oh dear, a whole lot longer. But mercifully, much flatter. I'm counting on that, big time.

So it was sort of a running vacation. All in all, there were triumphs, yes, but heavily interspersed with guilty negligence. The running gods are not overly pleased with me. But I'm getting there, goddammit, slowly but surely - very slowly and almost surely - I'm getting there.

Honey, I'm home

2006-08-27T13:08:00.000-04:00

.... Although, at present, I am drowning in a sea - nay, a veritable tsunami - of emails, and my brain is in too much of an electronic, over-stimulated fog to compose a decent blog entry. But let it be known to one and all that I am back! And now I'm going to spend the rest of the years of my precious youth catching up on everyone else's blogadventures...

A proper vacation update is coming, replete with pics and everything, but for now I leave you with the one tantalizing titbit that stands foremost in my mind: I did my first ever 10 mile run. That's right people, I've finally graduated to the statute double-digits - wonders will never cease :)

To be continued....

2006-08-08T01:45:00.000-04:00

My dearest bloggers, runners, and devotees :) I am heading off for my real summer vacation, to my delightful cottage in northern Ontario. My cottage is on a boreal island paradise, and so quaint that we make do without many of modern life's necessities, including but not limited to hydro - and therefore, the internet. So I am bidding you all a fond farewell for the time being. I will be thinking of you as I run many miles of dusty country roads and picturesque country trails, take "ice baths" in the lake, catch up on two neglected issues of Runner's World, and sleep for 12 hours a day :) Run strong, blog long, and I will have plenty to catch up on when I return to civilization August 26th.

Until then - happy running!

Wow

2006-08-04T01:06:00.000-04:00

All I have to say is, some people's rain gods are hard core. I'm super thankful for the rain, and the run - oh it was gorgeous! but thunderstorming so hard it knocked out power all over the place for a whole day? Sheesh! Now I know what Angie meant when she said "be careful what you wish for"!

I'm not really complaining - after all, Toronto itself didn't lose power, just some rural areas around us. So I feel a little bad for them, but I feel better that I got in my run. Yes, I'm selfish :) But seriously, people, 5 miles on a cool(ish) afternoon with a light rain misting you gently? How can you beat that? Okay, so I still felt like a steamed dumpling by the time I was done... but it was nothing in comparison to this week's earlier failed attempt. I am one happy runner.

So thank you all for doing your rain dances. Obviously, it was bloggers that did it. I don't put much faith in the Weather Network.

You know, it's funny, today I was so appreciative of being able to exercise, and all week I've been so blue without it. Yet something happened today that really struck me, and made me realize just how incredibly easy it is to be lazy in our society. I was on my way to work, just entering the building which leads to the subway station, and as I reached to open the door, a woman coming through in the opposite direction punched the handicap button which opens it automatically. Funny thing is, the exact same scenario had happened to me the night before, with a different person. And as I impatiently reached out for the door handle to yank it open with my own strength (those automatic mechanisms go at a snail's pace, seriously! who can wait?) it truly amused me that two separate people, perfectly upright and healthy, and not carrying any parcels, had felt the need to have the door opened automatically for them rather than taking a split second to use their own arms. I mean, really. It's so sad. In this world, no one really has to do anything physical at all if they aren't inclined to. They can drive their cars, ride the elevator, and push handicap buttons. They can also eat McDonalds and KFC and have heart attacks at the age of 35. It's kind of tragic, actually.

It makes me so happy to be active. To actually enjoy my exercise, to be passionate about it. We live in a world where physical activity is largely a leisure activity, and where it is increasingly difficult to avoid bad health choices - but we are runners, and using our legs, our lungs, our entire physical beings, I think we really do rise above a lot of society's garbage. Yes we drink our fair share of beer, we eat our cake and our pizza and our ice cream, but ultimately we treat our bodies with respect, and we can feel good about that. We all run for so many different reasons, but we share one thing: those reasons are intrinsic to our being. They motivate us, drive us out to the track and the roads and the trails and yes, even the treadmill, over and over again, day in and day out. Maybe it's an addiction. But it's more than that - it's a lifestyle.

It's a damn good one. So cheers to runners everywhere, to realizing our physical potential, and to never getting stuck on an escalator.*

*The link works now!

Let's do it

2006-08-03T02:43:00.000-04:00

Come on everybody - let's do the rain dance!

The Weather Network promises me that there is a chance of thundershowers tomorrow. This might bring the temps down by 10 degrees! You know, that might make running almost manageable. Almost.

I want to run sooooo badly! I want a north wind. I want an Ice Age. I want to join an air-conditioned gym for a week and abuse their treadmill privileges. And not pay for it. Yeah. That would work just fine.

Cramping my style

2006-08-01T15:07:00.000-04:00

Will it never end? This horrible heat, that is. Every time I step outside, it's like being hit by a tidal wave of ick.

I thought I would beat it today, because, for once this summer, I was in close proximity to Hart House, a university facility that has an indoor track. We do have another, better track at the Athletic Centre, which I suspect is air-conditioned, but students are not allowed there in the summer unless they're taking classes. Poo on them. But I figured, indoors is indoors, I know Hart House has lots of fans, and I'm sure there won't be many people there. How bad can it be?

Answer: BAD. I was right on both counts - the place was practically empty, the fans were all trying their darndest, but nothing could really stir the swampy air. It wasn't quite as bad as outdoors, as I was at least spared the sun beating directly down on me, but I still felt like I was in actual danger of getting heatstroke, and had to reluctantly cut my 4 miles down to a measly 4k. Boo.

I'm definitely going back to my evening run habit. It's just so hard to fit them in around working night shifts, and having a social life! I'm having trouble getting in three runs a week, let alone the four that I have planned for my half marathon training. Grrr.

Ah well - next week, I get to escape to the cottage for two whole weeks, where I can luxuriate in the lower temps and lovelier scenery. I was there this weekend in fact, and fit in a fantastic 7 miles on the winding, unpaved roads. It's about as close as this Toronto runner ever gets to "real" trails! Can you imagine it though - I had to run hills! Hills I tell you - what are these geographical peculiarities that insist on making one run up and down?! Very hard on me, I must say :) But it does feel good to run and breathe in air, instead of thick grey smog. Very good indeed. Four runs a week? Here I come!

Ugh

2006-07-28T01:55:00.000-04:00

So the trail run didn't exactly happen, by virtue of me becoming violently ill for all of Saturday. Have I ever mentioned that I hate viruses? I probably have. And I do. It was soooo awful, but mercifully short.

There has been some redemption this week - a lovely nighttime 5-miler, and a gruelling 3 mile tempo run today in the nasty nasty heat. Blaaaaaaah. I wish humidity would die.

Ah well, we must soldier on. I apologize for not visiting everyone's blogs much these days - I just don't have time, and I miss you all. Booo hooo hoo hoooo! But I will catch up in the future, I haven't forgotten about you!!! Much love, and run on.

Stroke my ego, thaaaaaaat's right....

2006-07-22T01:13:00.000-04:00

Tonight I chatted with my buddy the security guard for the first time in a long while (it's been many a week since I worked a Friday night), and do you know what he asked me? A woman's favourite question. "Hey, did you lose weight?"

Hell, yes, I did - 11 pounds and counting - and thank you thank you thank you my most favouritest security guard ever for noticing! My vanity adores you.

Okay, it's not just about vanity - it's really about health. I feel so much fitter, stronger - dare I say it, maybe even faster, since losing the wintertime pudge. And that six-pack? I'm digging it out, slowly but surely - and no, before you even make the joke, not the beer kind. This is the real thing, baby :)

All my newfound lightness (okay, fitness) will be needed tomorrow if I do the run I am hoping for - 10km on trails, in the wilds of Mississauga. I will make like the deer (of which I have seen several in those parts!), because I will have to keep up with Michael. Well, let's be realistic - he will have to slow down for me :)

Michael doesn't actually know about this plan of mine yet. Ah, ignorance is bliss. But that's okay - I'm going ALL THE WAY to Mississauga to keep him company. He can be persuaded. Guilted. Whatever. We've walked the trails on UTM campus a couple of times now, and they are so lovely, I am just dying to run them. The city is so nasty these days, with the heat and all, it would be wonderful to get off the ~~toads~~ LOL I just realized my typo but I had to leave that it's too funny. I mean roads of course, roads... I don't make a ~~ribbit~~ habit of running on toads ;)

So here's hoping it works out. Happy running!

Special delivery

2006-07-21T00:45:00.000-04:00

Running is running - and it makes me happy even if I'm mindlessly looping a track. Still, it's nice to have somewhere particular in mind when you set out - a run with a goal is definitely the best kind. But be careful what you wish for. Because today, my dear runners, I boldy went where few have gone before: on a run. To the vet. With a vial of poo in my pocket.

Don't look again, you read that right. Perhaps I had better explain!

One of the joys of having a dog is having him get sick, which inevitably happens from time to time. Quincy, the canine in question, visited the vet yesterday with my mum, coming home with $125 worth of medication and an empty sterile vial. What to put in it? You guessed it.

Mum did the really dirty work (sample collection... eeew!), but SOMEONE had to be responsible for turning in the foul specimen. And SOMEONE just happened to want to go for a run today. SOMEONE's evil, lazy brother put two and two together - and thus yours truly became a messenger of stool.

Really, in practice, it wasn't so bad - the sample was hermetically sealed, and I put it in a brand new ziploc for good measure. And in my torso pack it travelled, from point A to B. The heroic delivery was made. The vet's aides probably got a good laugh.

I had a great run - an easy four miles in the rain. It felt great after all the heat we've been getting lately. It felt good to run AND be useful.

All the same, I'm going to wash out that torso pack before I put anything edible in it again. You know. Just for good measure.

Where have all the bloggers gone?

2006-07-20T20:48:00.000-04:00

PSBowe aka Bella and Jenn aka Pinaypower, why have you disappeared? Come back, come back to bloggerland!

I'd rather run there

2006-07-20T00:18:00.000-04:00

Or bike. Or hell, even swim. I'd rather do anything but that which I did today... drive!

Okay, to be fair, I like driving itself. I really don't mind it. Up at my cottage, where the roads are clear and I can cruise the highway for miles? No problemo.

But put me in a big honkin' minivan (my family's one and only car) in the middle of Toronto traffic, and my legs start to turn into jelly. Make me find a parking spot, and parallel park in the midst of crazy downtown, and you might as well just shoot me now, it would be less painful.

Despite the near heart attack, I did manage to do all of the above today without causing bodily harm to myself, anyone else, or any vehicles, but it wasn't pretty. It did involve being coached into a parking spot by a friendly guy standing by. Good thing I was wearing a cute dress. I gotta play up the ditz when I'm driving. It's the only way I get away with being on the road.

But I decided, as I turned safely into my driveway and heaved a huge sigh of relief, that while I know driving in traffic is a necessary skill and I need to learn to deal with it, I would really rather just run to wherever I need to go. If I could do that, my life would be so much more productive: gotta commute? Run!

Too bad there are such things as insurmountable distances and heavy objects to carry. Otherwise, I'd be all over this plan.

Nnnnoooo!

2006-07-18T14:23:00.000-04:00

Garmin is broken! She's dying! She needs help!

I don't understand what on earth could have happened to her - she worked beautifully during the race, dutifully recording my (amazing!) splits, and ended up clocking 3.14 miles for a 5k race - I was totally impressed with her accuracy.

And then... and then... as I blogged later that night, I turned her on to share my wonderful split times with all of you - and the "mode" button would not work! I pressed it - nothing. I pressed harder - still nothing. I turned her off and on again. Nada. Zip. Zilch.

Other than that, however, she seemed to be working fine, so yesterday I took her out for a run. I plotted out a mile-long loop, and ran it five times (a little boring, but it was after dark, so I thought I had better be a responsible little girl and not stray too far from home). Miles 1 & 2? No problemo. Mile 3 - she was starting the counting backwards thing. Arg! I stopped and started the timer, which always worked before, but apparently she was in quite the mood, and told me I ran mile 3 in 15 min. I'm sorry, hun, I'm slow, but I'm not THAT slow.

After that it was all over - I'm really glad I recorded the loop, and knew how far I was going, because as far as Garmin is concerned I ran about 3.08 miles or some such thing. And I know, I know we shouldn't rely on technology, but dammit! I love my Garmin running - I love knowing my splits and my pace and my distance and my intervals and all that wonderful information. I'm a little obsessive about these things when it comes to running. It's nerdy, but it's true.

I have emailed tech support at Garmin, but no one has responded to me yet. *sigh*. I hope they can fix her, I really hope so, or I am going to be one unhappy camper - with a big hole in her wallet that is no longer justified.

Has this ever happened to any of you before? What did you do????

He can't be beaten, except by violence

2006-07-14T23:27:00.000-04:00

Sorry to disappoint, ladies, but the boy remains undefeated - at least by me. However, after we had both (separately!) crossed the finish line, I firmly planted my foot on his posterior, thus effectively, as promised, "kicking Michael's ass".

The day began inauspiciously for me, as I woke up in the middle of the "night" (2pm, for us shiftworkers) to a screaming Charley horse in my right calf. I have NO idea how it could have happened - I have been exercising moderately - and that's a generous statement - and I consumed plenty of water last night, as well as several salty foods. Really, I'm at a loss - but it happened nonetheless, there was no denying it. Ouchie ouch ouch!

Next, there were bus issues: we were being shuttled from Union station to the start of the race, as the area cannot support heavy traffic. The buses, however, got themselves mired in their own downtown Toronto mayhem, and it was 6:40 by the time we finally got to board one - race start time 7pm, and us with our numbers still to pick up! I was pretty antsy, but the race staff on board assured us that the gun would wait, if need be. In the end, the race was pushed back to 7:10, Michael and I dashed around pinning on our numbers, collecting our timing chips, and taking a lightning-fast pee break - then bam! with barely a moment to gather my thoughts, we were off!

It was hot and muggy, the air was putrid, and we had fabulous views of Toronto's waterfront smokestacks. Charming, altogether. But the day got decidedly better from there. I went out strong, managing the first kilometer in 5:10 - phew, smoking! I tried to keep it up, but had to settle into a slightly slower rhythm before long in order to avoid complete meltdown. No ambulance for me - I had checked out the paramedics staffing the race, and sad to say, they were not up to par. Normally, I would be totally okay with being carted off by a hot paramedic. I am all over them. But alas, they were very plain, and I was forced to run my race to the end :)

I did nearly lose it in the fourth km - always the hardest one for me, as you are so close to needing that final kick, but not close enough to believe it. By the time the finish line finally drew into sight, I didn't have much left. My legs could probably have picked it up a notch, but my stomach was twisted in knots. It's always the thing that holds me back! Grrr. But I have my priorities clearly defined: giving up a few seconds on a race time is, in my books, well worth saving the nastiness and embarrassment of hurling my lunch all over the finish line. Still, I cruised in steadily, and after a bit of a cooldown was able to muster up appearances enough to look appropriately post-race glamorous (blogger, why don't you let me post photos? grrr...)

The results? Sorry everyone, I know you're disappointed, but there will be no naked dancing in the rain. Yet there is plenty of joy: taking a whopping 1min 25sec off my previous PR, I squeaked in with a very satisfactory 27:20 chip time (27:39 by the gun - but who cares about that, really?). Michael and I got to exchange a high-five on the out-and-back course as he zoomed past the halfway point and I struggled towards it, but that was all we saw of each other: he whumped me soundly in 22:15 (22:34). His first 5k!!! Ah, c'est la vie. He was very gracious about it, though :) And don't we look super cool, reunited at the end?

Here are the rest of the vitals, because I love my stats:

Overall place: 548/1113
Gender place: 171/581
Category place: 24/64
Pace per km: 5:32 (8:54 per mile - wheee! SO lovin' the sub-9!!! I would give you my exact splits, but Garmin is being funky right now. I don't know why - she was so good for the whole race. Must be PMS. Garmin and Blogger are riding the same wave.)

After the race, we did inventory of the "post-race party" - aka some random band is singing, some brave souls are drinking beer, and most of us are just shuffling around with wide eyes, trying to score as much free food as possible. We got schwag. And we love it!

Then, a true treat: for the first time in my (albeit short) racing career, I actually got to have a post-race massage! Usually there are such crazy lineups for those, but I guess everyone was enjoying the beer out back. WONDERFUL! I did consider asking the massage therapist to marry me. But she might have been weirded out by that. Still, it probably happens to her often :)

Another great day, another great race, and Liv to run is a happy camper. And a tired one. I think it's time to pack it in. Time. For. Some. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.........................

5k, you say?

2006-07-14T00:14:00.000-04:00

Marty left this comment on my previous entry: "Oh yeah, I almost forgot, good luck in your race tomorrow." Thanks, Marty, and here's the funny thing - I almost forgot too. Seriously.

It's sooooo weird - for all my previous races, I have been so psyched up, giddy with anticipation, raring to go. And I was like that for this one too - about two weeks ago. Then, somehow, life began to swirl around me so fast that I lost my running focus. I lost my blogging focus too! Not in a bad way at all - I've just been so crazy busy, that my usual obsession with running took a backseat for a while to other aspects of my life. And they say this is my summer vacation? I swear I have more free time while I'm in school :)

Nevertheless, I DID remember that I have a race tomorrow, and that I will also have to pick up my packet before start time, because I don't even have my number yet. Yeesh - maybe that's why I feel out of the loop - there's no little paper bib up on my bulletin board as there normally would be the night before race day, beckoning to me, counting down the hours with me.

Am I ready? I don't feel like I am. I trained really hard for a solid four weeks, but then let the rest of the plan slide into the dumpster. I told Michael I was "tapering" - but who ever heard of a two-week taper for a 5k?! That's just pushing the boundaries of laziness. But there you have it - I am so well-rested it hurts :)

Here are my goals, because hell, I might as well have some:

doable - PR (less than 28:45)
possible - under 28 min
I would do a victory dance of joy naked in the rain and I can say that because it's unlikely to happen- 27 min

I do confess that, beyond a PR, there is one thing I would really love to do during this race, and that is kick Michael's ass. In a friendly, I-wanna-run-faster-than-you way, of course :) Michael, to fill you in, is he formerly known as "the bf" formerly known as "the ex" currently known as "I-don't-know-what-the-hell-the-status-of-our-relationship-is-but-it's-good-so-I'll-take-it"... so, since that is awfully complicated, he will henceforth be blessed with the privilege of being referred to by name in my interminable ramblings. To wit, Michael is a boy, blessed with boy genes, and even though he has run about once in the past two months and gets 4 hours of sleep a night because he rows at the crack of dawn and will be biking for over an hour just to GET to the race, he will no doubt leave me eating his dust.

But that won't stop me from chasing, as fast as I possibly can.

Girl-O-Meter

2006-07-12T23:44:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I am a girl, I hope that much is obvious. But how girly a girl, exactly? I ask as I ponder the following issues.

#1: I am a girl who ran in a skirt. Eek. That's pretty girly. But I've been so intrigued by all the (mostly female) bloggers raving about running skirts, that I became just too curious and had to try it out. Being too much of a cheapo to buy one of those admittedly expensive running skirts without a - excuse the pun - trial run, I decided to test the waters by wearing the closest thing I own, a cute little mesh skirt which more or less fits the bill, and although is by no means technical wear, looks the part. Shamefully, it comes from the U of T bookstore - oh woe is me for supporting that monstrous institution, but the skirt is just too cute!

The verdict? With lots of Bodyglide (my new best friend) to make up for the shortcomings of both the fabric and the shape of my thighs, I have to say, the experience was a good one. I may buy into this phenomena yet. So ladies... any recommendations on good brands?

While we're on the subject, I have a recommendation of my own: do NOT attempt sprint repeats while wearing a skirt. It is not a pretty sight. Unless you are wearing very pretty panties. Which I, unfortunately, was not, during a very risque set of 100m intervals! ACK! Let's just say, Marilyn did it with more class.

#2: This has nothing to do with running, but everything to do with the definition of "girly". My name is Olivia, and I am an Amazon junkie. There, I said it - *applause*. My latest order came in the mail this week, much to my delight. The contents? "The complete book of sewing" and "Zinn and the art of mountain bike maintenance".

I looked at the two of them lying there in the same package and burst out laughing. Am I a little seamstress? Am I a harcore cycling chick? Am I... could I be... both? Is THAT girly?

So be it. I am learning to sew. To repair my bike. To run - in all sorts of apparel. To be an athletic undomesticated multitalented girly girl - whatever that really means.

Something to talk about

2006-07-07T04:45:00.000-04:00

As I continue to (slowly) catch up on my much-neglected blog reading, I'm noticing an interesting trend among the RBF-ers. Everyone's talking about it, it seems. Poo, that is.

How many horrible running misadventures stem from that bane of human existance, the intestinal tract? Far worse than sore muscles or humid weather, the call of nature can detract from the enjoyment of a run like nothing else can. When you've gotta go, as they say, you've gotta go.

I thought it was just me who's had to waddle through a final mile, cursing my anatomy and doing clenching exercises which were decidedly not on the workout program. Or who's considered (but never conceded to) bagging a run because of - ahem - the runs (okay, I know, we all do this joke!) But that was very egotistical of me. Now I see that we all share in this woeful of woes. Kinda gives you a weird sense of community, doesn't it?

No, in case you're wondering, I don't have a dramatic poo story to share with you today. Nothing beyond ordinary grumblings and rumblings. I hope I haven't cursed myself by saying that... knock on wood and all. I just wanted to be one of the cool kids, and talk about *it* too.

Two triumphs

2006-07-06T01:17:00.000-04:00

Triumph #1: I ran! Fi-nuh-lee, it's the 5th of the month, and I make it out for my first run. Tsk, tsk, and only two miles, too. I didn't have time for more - I had to get to work! But at least I got out there, and it was a good two miles, dammit, and my counter gets to climb by that much more. Liv to run is on the radar again.

Triumph #2: Weight milestone! As of this evening, I am officially 10 pounds lighter than I was at the peak of my winter dumpiness, some four months ago. Seeing that number made me grin from ear to ear. And then, to celebrate, I ate a bowl of pierogies. No sour cream involved - but still, I did not get back on the scale when they were done :)

I'm still alive

2006-07-05T03:22:00.000-04:00

Yes, it's true. I just haven't been a very good blogger. The only running I've done in the past 5 days - or maybe more, I've lost count - is "running" around the city (and its outskirts!) being a social maniac. Which, I have to say, has been fun. But. No run=no good, despite the large quantities of biking I've fit in (commuting) - it just isn't the same. Oh my dear feet, I know you long to pound the pavement again. We will, we will. We will run hard and we will run long. My dear thighs, I know you are dying to try out this Bodyglide business that I finally invested in today. We will do that too. My dear ego, you know a girl's gotta train if she's going to kick ass at the 5k in - oh my! - only 10 days. So much to do, so little time.........

I'm it

2006-06-26T13:41:00.000-04:00

Thus, on the momentous occasion of my 100th post, you will get a completely random series of lists pertaining to inane aspects of my life. Enjoy!

four jobs I have had in my life:
1. skating rink marshal
2. French tutor
3. camp counsellor
4. sleep lab technologist (as far as I know, I still have this job!)

four movies i watch over and over:
1. Lord of the Rings trilogy
2. The Wedding Singer
3. Memento (but only because I'm still trying to understand it!)
4. Family Guy "movie"

four places I have lived:
1. North York (a Toronto suburb), with the parents
2. university residence in downtown Toronto
3. uh.... a different room in the same residence...
4. ...I suppose you could say I "lived" part-time in my ex-boyfriend's room (come on people, I'm only 21, we're not talking major life experience here...! I am currently apartment hunting for September though - trying to get five people to agree on one house - oh the joy.)

four tv shows i love to watch:
1. Grey's Anatomy (best. show. ever.)
2. House
3. Scrubs (anyone beginning to think I'm obsessed with doctors or something? yeesh.)
4. Desperate Housewives (so there. I like, uh, housewifery too.)

four places I have been on vacation:
1. My cottage
2. Lake Superior
3. Mexico
4. Switzerland

four websites I visit daily:
1. hotmail
2. utoronto webmail
3. blogger
4. right now, U of T off-campus housing ads (but fingers crossed I won't have to do this for much longer!)

four of my favorite foods:
1. chocolate
2. chocolate
3. chocolate
4. did I mention... chocolate?

four places i would rather be right now:
1. downtown
2. my cottage
3. travelling the world
4. napping

four favorite bands/singers:
1. The White Stripes
2. The Darkness
3. The Tragically Hip
4. R.E.M.

four bloggers i am tagging (eeeeheee heee heee!):
1. Tryathlete
2. Running Rabbit
3. Carmen
4. Rice

Oh, I know you love me for this :)

Perspective

2006-06-23T23:12:00.000-04:00

This post is brought to you courtesy of Piper and Malkin.

This is what we did today:

Quite frankly, we think this is a very appropriate way to spend a Friday. Or a Monday, or a Tuesday, or any other day, for that matter.

We thought our human understood the pleasures of such activity. After all, she slept until 2:30pm today after coming home from work (we don't quite understand what she does there, but it is one of life's mysteries, we suppose). This was well and good. But upon arising, she engaged in some very peculiar behaviour. To wit, she left us on the bed and went outside into the sunshine, not returning until she had run 9 miles (or 14.4 km, to us Canadian cats).

While our human is in the habit of engaging in this odd activity she calls running, and we have become bemusedly accepting of this fact, never in her whole human life has she ever run this far, and we have become concerned. She seems to enjoy the habit. Exceedingly worrisome.

It took her a very long time. Not that we particularly care about the passage of time, but we wondered what the big hold up was. After all, we can run much faster than 11 minutes per mile. Not that we care to. But we could.

We have to admit, though, she is a lot skinnier than we are.

Oh well. Humans are bizarre. But as long as they feed us, and cuddle us, and leave us to rest peacefully while they go about their madcap lives, we suppose it doesn't make much of a difference, either way. So congratulations on your accomplishment, human. We think.

Why I should not be allowed on the internet at work

2006-06-23T03:09:00.000-04:00

As most of you know, I am currently working part-time night shifts. I have a lot of downtime over the course of the night, and as you can probably guess this is why all my comments on your blogs are labelled "posted at 3 or 4 or 5 or some other ridiculous time that ends in a.m."

I love being "paid to blog". I do. The problem? When I blog, I think about running. When I think about running, I think about running stuff that I would like to have. I think about internet shopping. I think about shopping for non-running items as well. The lapse in judgement occurs. The credit card makes an appearance. And presto! There goes my salary... but something really cool is in the mail!

Okay, so I exaggerate. I'm not spending nearly as much as I'm making. But I'm beginnning to think it's an addiction, just as much as blogging. Perhaps I should focus on the latter, and leave the magical plastic at home. Oh, and I'd have to un-memorize the number, too. That's bad. That's really bad. Lol. No one should internet shop so much they know their credit card number!!!

However, please do admire the pic of the poster I just purchased tonight. At 20% off, people - at least, while a compulsive shopper, I'm a smart one. And hey, this one's going up on my wall, to be a continual source of motivation - I consider it money well spent!

Frivolous purchases aside, though, do not by any means take seriously the title of this post. I would cry all night long if someone took away my internet - my steadfast and true source of entertainment, inspiration, and relentless consumerism :)

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Update: despite its questionable legality (meh, it's all about sharing!) I'm plugging Running Jayhawk's Great RBF Music Exchange. Go see what all the fuss is about!

Hard and fast

2006-06-22T00:33:00.000-04:00

I miss easy runs. I really, really do.

I thought I would get in at least one a week, around my three days of challenging running. But it's just not happening. Between working nights and social outings and the days when I bike for the double pleasure of exercising and commuting, I'm just not working them in. So I'm running three days a week - always hard and fast, or long.

I need that easy run. I need it for my head. I want to run away from the crazy whirlwind that my life has inadvertently become. I need to think about things in general, not just "only one more mile/repeat/30 minutes, then I'm done..."

The odd (good) part is, I still really look forward to my runs, I get super excited about doing them - but it's while I'm actually doing them that they suck. Because they're just. So. Hard.

Gah. I just keep telling myself it's making me stronger. It's getting me PR-ready. To get faster, you have to run faster. Right?

I'm just a little nostalgic for them, that's all - I miss my easy runs.

Speed demon

2006-06-17T00:13:00.000-04:00

It is against my better judgement that I share this incredibly flattering shot of me post-tempo run yesterday. I'm Canadian, guys, I melt in the heat...

However. That little matter aside, no heat nor germs could keep me from my speedwork this week. Cold? What cold? I outran it!

Yesterday was a nice even 4-mile tempo, and I managed to keep a 9:39 average, although I may have been seeing mirages by the end of it. The heat run was inevitable yesterday, as I had to work a night shift, but today I was able to wait until after dark to hit the streets for a sweet session of 4x800m. Ah, I love evening runs for so many reasons: I hate waking up early, and with my shift schedule, it's usually out of the question anyway; it's also dark and therefore relatively cooler, I don't have to put on sunscreen, and (most importantly!) I feel I can get away with wearing only a sports bra and spandex shorts without blinding the world in general. Okay, so I'm a skank, but I like to feel nearly naked when I'm running - it's so pleasant and light and breezy. Less laundry, too.

The abs to match the outfit are in the works. They're in there somewhere. Honest.

Sneezy-wheezies

2006-06-15T00:41:00.000-04:00

Blech. I can't deny it anymore. It's been creeping up on me for days, and now I'm officially sick.

What gives?! How come I can eat healthy, be super active, sleep 10 hours a night (yay, summer!) and still be tackled to the ground by little microscopic vermin? The world is mysterious, I tell you.

These germs and I shall go head to head. With my army of drugs and vitamins - and perhaps a little endogenous assistance - victory shall be mine. The act of running shall be transferred from my nose right back to my feet, where it belongs. The war is on.

She's a rebel

2006-06-12T01:07:00.000-04:00

Garmin, that is. Look, just look what she told me today:

Mile 1: 10:31
Mile 2: 10:34
Mile 3: 16:14
Mile 4: 10:52
Mile 5: 10:53
Mile 6: 10:20
Mile 7: 9:51

So what happened on mile 3, I hear you ask? No, I did not take a walk break. Here's the story: I was running happily along a park path, when I came to the road. So, I decided to turn around and backtrack along the route I had just come. A few moments later, I glanced at Garmin, and thought: that's funny, I could have sworn I already passed that distance. I kept looking, and sure enough, Garmin was counting BACKWARDS!

I ran back to the road and tried to do a little loop-de-loop that would set her right. Not happening. I did a bigger loop. Same deal. Obviously, satellites are tempermental entities. And/or extremely devious. I was running back and forth, getting totally annoyed, when it finally occurred to me to stop and restart the timer. Bingo. Back in action - a "16-minute mile" later. Yeesh.

I'm counting it as 7.5 miles.

Electronic histrionics aside, it was a lovely, lovely run. Gorgeous, sunny, but not too hot; I had Gatorade and a carb gel in my brand new torso pack, which I ordered from a Vector box for $4.99, and it's worth $30, thank you very much! I'm a big fan of the pack, and an even bigger fan of the gel - why haven't I tried this before? It was such a great boost - I came home feeling elated, energized, and not like I had to eat everything in sight or die on the spot! The only blooper of the day was the socks - I had originally only planned a 3-4 mile recovery run, and was wearing cotton sport socks, instead of the high-tech ones I save for longer runs. Oops. My toesies have had happier days.

By far, however, the greatest discovery of the day was an itty-bitty street on the way to the park: it's called "Marathon Court". How cool is that? So I ran it. I ran a marathon. Ha, ha.

But I'll do a real one too, I swear, with you all as my witnesses. Some day.

The Duel: Speed vs. Lungs

2006-06-10T23:17:00.000-04:00

After yesterday's terminal laziness, accompanied by many chocolate snacks which probably completely negated my previous post, today was time to get serious: speedwork.

Blah.

Now, normally, I don't mind speedwork too much. It's really hard to get out there when you know you have to do it, but once it's done, you feel really, really virtuous. Unless you feel like your lungs are working at half capacity. Which, incidentally, is how I felt today.

The jury (read: doctor) is still out on whether or not I have asthma. I did a pulmonary function test a few weeks ago which concluded that my lungs work perfectly well - nice to know, thank you, but it still doesn't explain why I have tightness in my chest and an intermittently nasty cough. I'm going to have to see the GP again, to determine the next step, but in the meantime, I've been more or less dutifully taking a puffer twice a day, and feeling 100%. Except, today was a "less" dutiful day - and then came the speedwork.

Blech, blech, blech. I felt like I couldn't draw a decent breath, and my chest was sounding all funny. Probably a good reason to stop, but I figured unless it got worse I wasn't going to let it impede my workout. Garmin was beeping away at me to run, so I ran (side note: first time I've used the "interval" function on Garmin - I love it! The nearest track to my house is too far away for my liking, so I'm very happy to just barrel around the neighborhood, avoiding intersections during the fast parts. Oh Garmin, how I love thee).

I finished. I finished fast. I felt proud. And I felt a little like death.

I'm better now. I'm happy I did the speedwork. And I'm scheduling in my doctor's appointment A.S.A.P.

135.5

2006-06-07T22:22:00.000-04:00

That's my current weight. In pounds. AND it's the evening. One word: WOO-HOO!

It just goes to show you how evil my rez cafeteria was - I can lose 7.5 lbs without even increasing my amount of exercise. Imagine what I'll be capable of when I start to crank up the mileage...

Finally, I don't feel like an oversized cream puff. Oh saturated cooking fat, pre-packaged dessert and ogre-sized portions... how I do not miss thee.

Google gold

2006-06-07T02:10:00.000-04:00

Latest from the sitemeter: someone found my blog by googling "stupid rant".

Geez. If I wasn't laughing so hard I'd be mortally offended.

Got a plan, stan

2006-06-06T23:40:00.000-04:00

Okay, at long last... running time.

Went for a good 4-miler this afternoon - it was intended as an easy run, but I pushed it just a smidge and ended up with 10:06 pace, which is somewhere between "easy" and "tempo" for me. Felt good to be on my feet and getting into a rhythm again. Mmmm running - life's simple pleasure.

So after struggling to work out a precise training plan around my hectic night shift schedule, I decided that the best way to proceed is to define what workouts need to be accomplished each week, but allow the actual days to be flexible. That way, I don't have to feel bad about missing days and making them up - as long as I get in my quota by the end of the week.

The plan is ambitious in terms of quality workouts, but since in all likelihood they will be my only runs for the week, with perhaps an easy 3-4 miler tossed in when possible, I don't think it will injure me as long as I warm up and stretch properly. Plus, it calls for less than six weeks of training, as July 14th is quickly approaching - there won't be time for burnout!

So here is my homemade plan, drawing heavily on the wisdom of multiple ready-made schedules:

Key workouts: Speedwork/Tempo/Long Run
June 4-10: 6x400m/3 miles/ --- (the week is half over, after all!)
June 11-17: 4x800m/4 miles/7 miles
June 18-24: 2x1200m/4 miles/8 miles
June 25-July 1: 10x200m/5 miles/8 miles
July 2-8: 6x400m/4 miles/9 miles (longest run ever!)
July 9-: Taper week: one 3 mile tempo & 2 easy runs
July 14: RACE DAY!

I'm adding 1 easy run per week whenever my time permits, as well as 1-2 crosstraining sessions (most likely biking), and 2 core workouts.

See what I get for reading a zillion American blogs - I'm counting in miles! Sheesh :) I guess I just like per-mile paces better than per-km. They seem more solid, somehow. But never fear, when the distances go up on my sidebar, they will be in kilometers: after all, that way, there are more of them :)

Pumped on a major artery

2006-06-06T02:18:00.000-04:00

I did it!!! I did it!!! I did it!!!

And now I'll tell you how...

Saturday night I was graciously ferried downtown by my father, to spend the night in residence with my fellow riders, and be that much closer to the start line. Despite our best intentions of getting a good night's sleep, we couldn't help staying up, going out for food (carbo loading!) and chatting until well past midnight, which gave us a grand total of about 4 1/2 hours of sleep. Early mornings are ungodly, I tell you - when the alarm went off at 5:30am, I thought I would be done before I even started!

Adrenaline, however, is a beautiful thing - as is good friendship and good weather, both of which were abundant that Sunday morning. We rode down to the starting line in high spirits and at high speeds, just barely making the cutoff time before they closed the chutes for our course! We got there, though, and onto the highway we rode.

Our group of five ended up splitting by bike type before long - two people on road bikes who finished in 3 1/2 hours, and three of us including myself on mountain bikes who chugged into the finish an hour later - I find it amusing, by the way, that we spent the same amount of time riding the course as we did sleeping the night before! All told, we took only three brief rests - bananas and porta-potties were a must - and had a fantastic time through and through! The highway was quite hilly, so we worked hard on those uphills, but man were we ever repayed when we got to speed downhill at 60km/h without a vehicle in sight! Honestly - cars should be banned from highways. I would ride my bike on the DVP every frickin' day.

After we had loaded up on as much free food as possible, and had our picture taken with the Ride for Heart mascot - you guessed it (or did you?): a giant heart! - we biked back to rez, bringing our total distance to about 90km for the day. Not bad, not bad. Still ravenous, I devoured a huge all-day breakfast ( I never finish those!!) and then collapsed on my friend's bed for not one, but TWO successive naps. Then I was driven home where I proceeded to sleep for another 11 hours.

I'm still a little sleepy :) But, amazingly, I'm not sore! My butt might not fancy sitting on a bike seat for a day or two, but my muscles themselves feel like a million bucks. As do I :)

Mission: accomplished. And now, it's time to train for that 5k! I love biking, I really do - but never fear, everyone, I still am and always will be Liv to run :)

I have been to the ends of the earth. And back.

2006-05-31T23:11:00.000-04:00

Biked to Mississauga yesterday. Phew! That place is seriously out in the boonies. For those who can't quite appreciate the nasty urban sprawl that is the Greater Toronto Area, let's just leave it at this: I biked for 2 hours straight, covering 40km. Ouch.

Double that on Sunday? You betcha.

Today I returned home, copping out somewhat by biking to the subway, riding it uptown, and then biking home. Still a decent 20k, although I did feel like I was cheating a bit. But the air-conditioned bliss lured me, and I succumbed.

I decided to redeem myself by having a quick run, only 2k, but it was just enough to give me the grand total I was hunting this month: 75k. I know, I know, measly stuff. But I've been biking. Today, however, was the first time I had combined the two sports back-to-back. Now, I have always had a great admiration for triathletes, but after today I am positively in awe: how do you get off your bike after a long ride and settle into a decent rhythm for running? I felt so "off" - jerky and slow, even though I was really running at a decent pace. There is a serious art to the transition, I guess - one that I have yet to master. And swimming? Let's not even discuss swimming just yet.

Still, the tri has a certain mystical allure - I love all three sports, why not combine them? One of my friends is already signed up for a "try-a-tri" this summer, and is pestering me to join her.

Maybe, maybe not. But it's definitely on my mind.

Blooper reel

2006-05-29T20:48:00.000-04:00

Just heard about this today: embarrassment and upset at the Ottawa Marathon. Man, what a bunch of stupid kids. If you're going to marshal a big race, you should bloody well be where you're supposed to be, and pay attention. Sheesh. Being shorted by 400 metres on a marathon... boy, that's got to hurt. I would be p-i-s-s-e-d.

Just goes to show there are some benefits to being a slow poke. There are always so many runners ahead of you, it's impossible to get lost!

It's been a day of mayhem in Toronto today - first really hot day of the year, and then bam! Public transit workers on an illegal walkout. Traffic, traffic, everywhere, and steamy and stinky as hell. Or what I imagine hell to be like. Not that I've visited or anything.

Me? I just decided to stay home, and call it a "rest day". I wanted to run, or maybe bike, I really did. But not that badly.

And now here I am at work, and after busting my ass to get here on time, my first patient is incredibly late. I think she might not even be coming, but I can't tell for sure, because when I called her house I talked to someone whose grasp of English is apparently only strong enough to say "I no understand English." Sigh. It's apparently just one of those days. One of those days when you just have to say, fuck it - what can you do.

Dirty girl

2006-05-28T05:46:00.000-04:00

This is what happens when you bike unexpectedly through the mud, without the benefit of fenders.

Yummy, yummy, yummy.

And an incredibly good time too. I swear I got dirt between my teeth from smiling the whole time!

Actually, I came across all this muck while exploring a park near my house which I haven't really been to much, and have decided that it is definitely going to be my next long run destination - it even has a smattering of unpaved trails, something I am always on the lookout for in Toronto -they're hard to come by! I really wanted to run there last night, but since I'm a little leary of the place after dark (it's had it's share of high-profile stabbings and the like), I decided to stick to the roads.

I did nevertheless manage to encounter some fun sights and sounds while circling the neighborhood, including a front lawn bedecked with 50 pink plastic flamingoes in honour of someone's birthday, and some sort of crazy backyard concert/really loud jam session that could be heard for two blocks - I circled around several times because the music was so good! It was like being in a race, when they have bands along the course and the music just pumps you up right when you need it. It was wonderful.

Of course, it wasn't entirely like a race, since my pace was abysmally slow. 11:37 average, for 7 miles, which is pretty darn lazy for me. However, it was my first "long" run in about a month, so I'm not upset over it - I felt great, and it was just nice to get out there and finally run for more than an hour. Plus, I took Ms. Camelbak out for her first real test (as in, the run was long enough that I actually needed water!), and may I just say that I am in love. So in love. Camelbak + Garmin = the running Dream Team. Too bad iPod nano got left behind this time. She might be a little jealous.

I am about to explode

2006-05-27T00:41:00.000-04:00

You know how it takes your brain 20 minutes to register the fact that your stomach is full?

Maybe this is the reason one should refrain from wolfing down a whole night's worth of food in 15 minutes.

Gurgle. I thought I was so hungry. I mean, I was so hungry. Groan.

And the worst part is, I just know I'm going to be ravenous come 4am when there's no way out of this place and no possible way for me to get more food. Sigh. I love the night shift, I really really do. But my midnight appetite knows no boundaries. It's going to have to learn them pretty soon, or this will quickly become the summer of Liv to Be Fat.

Back to back

2006-05-25T00:15:00.000-04:00

Yes, it's finally happened, I ran two whole days in a row. It's been a long hiatus. And yes, they were only 3-milers, but they happened, goddammit, and that's what counts. Still, I've decided not to beat myself up over the running too much. This is my recovery time. After June 4th, I start a training program, and then we really get serious, baby.

Finally, my bike has matching tires (my mechanical prowess is growing!), and I took it out for a spin. Yikes, I only have a week and a half before this 75km disaster-waiting-to-happen - time to bust my ass. Literally.

Tryathlete commented after my previous Ride for Heart-related post that he would be willing to sponsor me if I pull through this thing. Thanks Tryathlete! So spurred on by this unexpected proposal, I am going to shamelessly plug myself here - if anyone else would like to make a donation to the Heart and Stroke Foundation via me, just send me an email at countess12nightAThotmailDOTcom and I will set you up with online pledging.

Happy running, happy biking, happy everything outdoorsy and athletic and joyous and fun!

The drought stops here

2006-05-19T13:41:00.000-04:00

Three days without running. I'm being a real slacker. Even after my race I only let two slip by, and that was because I was still so sore I was walking down the stairs backwards!

I always find it hard to get into the running routine again after a move - my schedule is all out of whack and I need to return it to some semblance of normalcy. So that's it. I'm going. Running. Now.

Now.... where are my running shoes?

Hope everyone has a great long weekend... wait, most of you are from the States, is this even a long weekend for you? Pardon my ignorance. Well, regardless, I wish you all a happy 2-4. I'm off to Kingston to visit a friend - much drunkenness is planned, but I think I can convince her to go running with me at least one day. Maybe, after all this misbehaviour, she will whip me into shape.

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Update: Must. Crow. Victoriously. My marks just went up online: two A's, three A-'s , and two B's. **Doing the happy school-is-over-and-my-GPA-doesn't-suck-dance**!!!!!!

An etiquette dilemma

2006-05-18T00:25:00.000-04:00

So I've been itching to do another race. I know I have Ride for Heart coming up, and a 5k a few weeks later, and that should be enough... but I've caught the racing bug, and I want more, more, more. Looking for options on the Running Room website, I hit upon a great idea: why not take my dad to the father's day 5k?

My dad was kind enough to drive me to my last 5k, and cheer for me and take pictures too (though I have yet to see them!). He was so excited by the whole event, and realizing the wide range of abilities to which it caters, that he told me he wanted to walk it next year. I observed that there was no need to wait that long - there are 5ks all over the place. I think it's really great that he wants to do this and get in shape - so what better incentive than to sign us both up for June 18th? I asked him if he was game, and he agreed, so though I haven't officially entered yet, it's safe to say I'm committed.

However, this raises my dilemma: I was originally looking to squeeze in an extra 5k because I felt the urge to race. But if this is my present to my father, wouldn't it be much nicer if I stuck with him and walked it too? And wouldn't it in fact be rather rude to say: "happy father's day... see you at the finish line!"

Thus, I'm putting off entering because I haven't resolved this question yet; and if I'm going to walk, I'm bloody well going to sign up as a walker: my run time may be slow, but I'd still like to make an official distinction between whether or not I'm racing. I'm kind of annoyed that I put myself in this bind. Would it be enough to go on supportive father-daughter-bonding training walks with him, and do my own thing on race day - or is the right thing really to spend the event together, suck it up, have fun, and focus on July 14th as my next "real" race?

Argh. What would "Ask Miles" think?

Switching Gears

2006-05-16T04:51:00.000-04:00

Now that my 10k is over, I should really get focused on my next big event. Nope, this time I'm not running - it's the Ride for Heart, a huge fundraiser for the Heart and Stroke Foundation, where you get to bike along a couple of Toronto's major highways. Which is soooo much fun. But this year, I've been suckered. My teammates voted, and I grudgingly accepted, that this year we tackle not the 50k, as before, but the 75k route.

Eek! I've NEVER biked that far in my life - not in one day, let alone in one stretch. So even though I'm doing this strictly as a charity event, not as a race per se, I feel as though I ought to be training for it a bit, just to make sure I can actually get to the finish alive.

I'm making provisions - I bought some thinner tires to replace the monstrous ones I currently ride on, in the hopes that the decreased resistance will make me somewhat faster and marginally less tired. No pun intended. But here's the problem: I know nothing about bike mechanics. I'm hopeless. It took me about 45 minutes to change the front tire today, and by the time I had finished, I was so worn out by the whole experience that I packed it up and resolved to finish tomorrow. So my bike is currently sitting woefully in the basement, one tire thin, one tire thick, and my brake alignment completely out of whack (great... one more thing to figure out.)

Needless to say, the plan to start biking today was scrapped in favour of a run. A gorgeous and highly enjoyable run, mind you... but I wonder: will I be ready for this 75k? Seriously, at this rate, who knows when I will put my bike together well enough that I can safely ride it again.

Sigh. This is why I love running. It's so forgiving to the mechanically challenged.

Number slave

2006-05-13T22:03:00.000-04:00

Well, Garmin is very exciting... so much so that I'm beginning to think I am too excited... I took it (him? her?) for a run yesterday, and honest-to-god couldn't keep my eyes off the screen for more than a minute. It's just so fascinating. Overall it works quite well, but of course isn't perfectly accurate and at one point under some trees it told me I was running 18 minute miles. Um, no.

I think I'm in danger of being a serious number slave. I mean, I need to relax, because it gives a pretty average overall pace, I think - I'll have to experiment a bit on my pre-mesured routes and see how they compare. But I was so pissed when it was off. Ack. I really need to learn the beauty of estimation when it comes to running. And remember to sometimes take off all the fancy toys and just run for the sake of it, for the feeling and nothing else.

Oh my beauteous one

2006-05-12T12:14:00.000-04:00

It's here!!!!

So sexy...

Cannot wait to take it out for a run this afternoon! But why oh why is it so cold outside?

Anyway, tomorrow is move-out day. Must. Pack. Everything.

Let the chaos begin.

Running again

2006-05-11T04:27:00.000-04:00

It's only been two days, but I felt like it was forever since I last ran... finally got out for a few decent loops of Queen's Park - felt lovely, except for the damn burger than I are for dinner making its presence known. Note to self: hamburger takes longer to digest than most "normal" foods. Leave at least 3 hours between hamburger and running efforts for future reference.

So yes, sweet run, I'm back on my feet - except for at the moment I'm completely plastered, being that my last exam was today and I'm in full-on celebration mode. Another note to self: stop blogging when drunk. People will think you are an alcoholic. Which is totally not true. But writing helps me focus, which in turn, I believe, makes me more sober before going to bed. At least, that's the theory... and I'm sticking to it.

Ouchie

2006-05-09T01:02:00.000-04:00

OooooooOOOOoooooh. Legs. hurt. bad.

Down. stairs. no. fun.

I have a feeling ~~if I ever~~ when I do a marathon, I will not get out of bed for a week afterwards. I will have to hire a maid for my meals, and a nurse for my bedpan. Maybe I should start figuring out who to blackmail now. Or maybe I should stop being such a wuss.

One more exam over with. One more to go. I said I would not drink after this one, that I would be a good girl and wait until Wednesday. But then I was given a free shot of tequila. And then, none other than my professor himself bought me a beer. How can you say no?

Obviously, I didn't.

Frankly, "learning and behaviour" is one of the most boring psych topics out there, in my humble opinion. A couple drinks can't hurt - they make it just that much more giggly and fun. Yay, learning. Time to learn about learning. Can't think of anything I'd rather be doing. Or at least, I don't have the time to make a list.

Smokin' PR, I love gravity, and runners have sexy legs

2006-05-07T12:07:00.000-04:00

WOO-HOO! Today was race day!!!

The weather could not have been more perfect - I woke up to sunny skies and 10 degree temps or so (that's Celsius, relax, I'm not nuts...) - a touch chilly once I'd checked my jacket, but lovely as soon as the run got under way.

Yonge Street is a whole other world when it's filled with runners instead of blaring cars. I loved running through familiar neighborhoods, counting down the intersections, having a blast. The course is an incredibly sweet downhill - only one uphill of note on the whole thing - and it's touted as "Canada's fastest 10k" in all the race ads. I can see why. Although my quads took a bit of a pummelling, the speed was glorious. And of course, it was very encouraging to have the CN tower in sight the whole way down - you could always see the "finish line"!

The start was an incredible agglomeration of humanity - about 8000 runners showed up and we were packed! The gun went off, we cheered - and then we shuffled to the start line for the next 5 minutes! Of course, as soon as we really got under way, I thought I had to pee. Even though I went 20 minutes before. Figures. But that went away before long and soon I was cruising under the Beltline, where some spectators had hung a hot pink sign on the bridge proclaiming "runners have sexy legs!" Everyone was getting a laugh and suddenly I welled up with excitement - this is a race, time to push, it's on, baby! PR, here I come... and maybe, someday, I too will have legs worthy of admiration.

The organization was superb - the volunteers were right on with the water (which of course I nevertheless managed to splash all over myself), the bands on the course were fun and upbeat and just where you needed them. And we got finisher's medals at the end, wheeee!

Here is the statistical lowdown:

My chip time: 55:53 - I smote my previous PR by almost 7 minutes! 5k split 28:34 - not only does that make it a very respectable negative, but that's also 9 seconds faster than my 5k PR - ha ha ha!

Even my gun time made me happy - I was aiming to break 1 hour by my chip - and I managed to do it officially! 59:42 put me in 3356th place (how glorious...), 1263/3626 women and 99/235 in my age group. Looks like I'm a bona-fide middle-of-the-packer.

No action shots, unfortunately, as this was a solo race for yours truly, but when I came back to rez, my friend made me this sign and snapped the pic for me. And no, there will be no pictures of my legs, until they magically become sexier. (It didn't help that they were stained yellow after stretching in the dandelions...)

So here I sit, a little sore but very satisfied. I've taken an "ice" bath (really, just a cold one... much easier to take), a hot shower, and I've shoveled myself full of food and water. And now I have blogged too... because yes, I am a blogaholic. All in all, not bad considering I'm usually not even awake by this time.

I guess that leaves the rest of the day free for studying.

Joy to the world.

Feeling skinny....er

2006-05-06T02:03:00.000-04:00

Three reasons that I am moderately satisfied with the shape of my body this week:

1. I fit into my "skinny jeans". You know, those ones you keep around because they're too tight but you swear you'll fit into them again someday... (yes, this is stolen from Sex and the City, I acknowledge it isn't my brilliant idea). They're back, baby, they're back - as long as I don't eat while I'm wearing them.
2. My race shirt for the 10k is extra-small. (Okay, so it's men's sizes, which spoils the fun a little, but still...) It's also blue, and that in itself is a happy thing.
3. The scale at work says I weigh 139, and since the scale at work is evil, I must really weigh even less than that.

Funny - at the beginning of this year, that weight would have horrified me - but now that it signifies having lost 3 pounds (maybe more... evil work scale is unforgiving...) it makes me happy. At least I'm on the right track. And more importantly than what I weigh, I feel good, strong, and ready to go on Sunday.

Still want to lose 5 pounds, though. Or maybe 10. But let's not get overly destructive ;)

Two down, two to go

2006-05-04T16:21:00.000-04:00

At last, exam season is drawing to a close. And my 10k is coming up - woohoo! Tapering is kinda boring, but at least my ankle is thanking me for it. I'm wondering if I should race in my new shoes or my old ones - the old are tried and true, but they are dying a little; the new ones have made me happy so far, and they're lighter too, but I have yet to run farther than 3 miles in them at a time. So I'm debating...

On a completely unrelated note, and for anyone's general information, I have been monitoring my recently acquired site meter for amusing google searches - and while most of them have been pretty mundane (people searching for Smartcoach or Garmin or 10k taper advice), I have finally hit upon a gem: you can find me by typing "liv free hot" into the msn search engine.

You gotta wonder what some people are looking for.

Quick post, b/c I REALLY should be studying

2006-05-02T00:34:00.000-04:00

...But studying sucks. However, as my exam will be over in less than 12 hours, I guess I should bit the bullet and get to work. Soon.

One more test run with the new shoes today has convinced me that they are indeed worthy. Though it was dreadful to run on the treadmill when it was so glorious outside (still had to keep 'em clean until I reached the final verdict), I had an absolutely lovely tempo run - 9:27 pace for 2.5 miles/4k, no pain whatsoever, and I felt like I could have done it all over again when I was through, no sweat. Well... okay, to speak truly, there was sweat. And I refrained from a repeat, because after all I am supposed to be tapering diligently this week. Only six days to go, and I get to pick up my goodie bag on Thursday, yippee! I spent a little of my excess energy by actually working on abs and arms for a change - very neglected areas of my body.

And now, alas, I must return to my very neglected lecture notes. Ptooey.

Cake, beer, and phone call from a friend on a mission

2006-04-30T22:43:00.000-04:00

Yep, I'm still very much alive. I even remember most of last night.

Oh, the day after...

2006-04-30T09:50:00.000-04:00

It seems that after falling asleep in a drunken stupor the night before, I inevitably wake up at some godawfully unreasonable hour in the morning. Some cruel trick my body likes to play, I guess. Or, more likely, the call of the bladder, berating me for such injudicious liquid consumption. So here I am, 9:45am on a Sunday... blogging. I'm beginning to think I really have an addiction to this.

But the birthday way a blast, although some moments of it are hazier than others. My best friend called from Australia, and after wishing me all the best and ascertaining my level of tipsiness at the time, demanded to speak to the ex. He was thus given details of his mission: to get me as drunk as possible, and then make sure I got home in one piece. Both of which were accomplished with flying colours, although perhaps with a few more dramatics on my part than were absolutely called for. But that was the pitcher talking... or was it more than that??? Whatever the precise amount, it probably ruined all the training I managed to sneak in this week. Sitting here with a bottle of water and a piece of bread (if I'm up, I might as well stop the hangover cold in its tracks...), I feel somewhat guilty about that aspect. I could say I was "carbo-loading"... but that's a pretty awful excuse to begin with, and for a 10k race... no one's buying it :)

However, I am happy to report that despite a very long day yesterday, I did drag myself out the door for a lovely 4k in the sun (24:24 - and whatever your PR may be, don't laugh, this is a fast easy run for me...), bringing my grand monthly total to 103.2 km. Yay! Some of us are accomplishing more virtuous missions than intoxicating others...

Technically, it's true, the month's not quite over yet.

But I'm pretty sure there won't be a run in the cards today.

It's past midnight which means I should be in bed, but actually what it really means is that it is now officially my birthday!

2006-04-29T00:34:00.000-04:00

I have two milestones to hit tomorrow (aka April 29th, for anyone who's counting):

#1 Turn 21 years old. This one should take care of itself.

#2 Run at least 800 meters. I did my tally this evening, and my month's worth of running comes up to a grand total of 99.2km... go figure!

I should definitely do this run Saturday. Sunday is scheduled for birthday recovery. A run may be out of the question.

That's okay, I got a ton of new running gear today by abusing the ex's Nike store discount. It's crying out for a workout - fitting in a run should be a pleasure.

-----

Shoe update: took 'em for a 3-mile fartlek today. I'm pretty pleased, although the arch support may be the one thing slightly lacking. Might have to pop by the drug store and try out some inserts. In the meantime, I'm keeping them clean... and keeping the receipt.

And btw, I *loooooove* fartleking (tee hee)... 3 miles in 27:37 - very speedy for yours truly!

Run for your cereal

2006-04-28T00:33:00.000-04:00

Today is an exciting day... new shoe day! I *heart* the Running Room - their staff are ever so friendly and helpful. The salesman looked at my old shoes, at my feet, at the way I walk, lunge, and transfer weight... it felt oh so professional. Then I tried on a few recommended pairs and found one that felt like a dream - woohoo! Of course, I had to pick the ones with the highest price tag. It just figures. But then my friendly sales guy came through again - he mentioned that they were doing a promotion with Vector cereal, and if I hopped over to the Loblaws down the street and picked up a box, I could save 20%! Sweet! He put the shoes on hold for me, and I jogged over. This was a slightly eventful excursion, since I was in a rush to be somewhere else and therefore needed to run - and because (beware, possible TMI to follow), I was sadly bra-less for the day. I usually don't bother to wear bras, I hate them, and I can get away without them no problem... unless I am running. Yikes. But I made it to Loblaws all the same, not much the worse for wear, picked up my cereal (I happen to love Vector and will actually eat it, which makes the deal even better), and headed back again. Sales guy molested my box of cereal by clipping out the coupon - however, between that small damage and the money card I still had left over from Christmas, I saved over $60 on these new babies. Not bad at all. Test run tomorrow... hope they feel just as good after a couple good kilometers!

'Tis the season

2006-04-25T19:10:00.000-04:00

No, not Christmas. It's TAX REFUND season. It's Christmas in April. It's my birthday in April (actually, it really is, but I'll post about that later...) It's the beginning of the long and anguishing decision: what oh what should I buy with all this "free" money?

Before I actually filed my taxes, I had already treated myself to my new love, Ms. Nano, and justified it by saying, "well, that's my refund money... a little early". But now, oh glorious now, I have been informed that I will actually be getting back more than double the amount I was expecting! Oh Government of Canada, how I love you for taking my money away from me all year, and then giving it back in a lump so that I feel like you really love me.

Hence, the decision-making process all over again. I know, I know... I should put in in my savings account. I should invest in a GIC. Booo for saving money. I'm terrible at it - I like to shop way too much. I know I need some new clothes - well, if "need" is a relative term. So perhaps some portion of the budget should be put to use there. But even more tempting, these days, is my particular weakness - internet shopping: point, click, voila - new toys. And this running obsession is really making me lust after some fun gadgets that I know I totally don't need but I want them anyway...

I confess this as I scroll through the eBay listings, drooling over the Garmin Forerunner 305. Before, I wasn't so sure I wanted a Garmin, because of the price, the size, the fact that it's been known to malfunction around trees and buildings, and the fact that gmaps-pedometer exists to make this world a better place.

However, gmaps cannot precisely map out the twists and turns of some trails I'm longing to try. It doesn't do shortcuts. It's time consuming and only as accurate as my pointing and clicking. Plus, it can't tell me my heart rate or my splits. Forerunner 305 is sleeker and more streamlined than 301 - and it's supposed to be far more sensitive to the satellites than the previous models. Does anyone have one who can confirm (or deny) the propaganda? And finally, the price... eBay just makes everything so much more accessible. Although a little riskier. I don't know if it's a risk I should take...

... but I'm being tempted. Oh so tempted. I think I'm seriously in danger of becoming a gadget whore.

It's spring makeover madness!

2006-04-25T03:53:00.000-04:00

Finally... I was SO over the old look of my blog. And I think I've managed to do this without deleting anything critical (knock on wood...) - wonders will never cease! One of these days, I may even become a computer geek.

Ha. Not likely :)

Strategizing

2006-04-24T23:15:00.000-04:00

Here's a question I'm pondering: does one taper for a 10k? I know you would definitely do it for a marathon, and even a half, but the shorter race? I'm not sure. My Smartcoach schedule has me running my highest mileage ever in this, the second-to-last week before the race, and a hard long tempo only two days before. Should I stick to this, or would it be better to cut back a little and focus on easier runs? I want to be in good shape for the 10k, but I also want to be totally fresh, and not smarting from any gruelling workouts. So I solicit the general opinion of training-savvy RBF-ers - would I be right to modify the program a little?... Or am I just looking for a "good" excuse to be lazy?

...And I'm not hungover

2006-04-23T17:41:00.000-04:00

I LOVE it when that happens!!!

My quads have spoken: today is rest day. Perhaps a little bit of yoga later on. Priorities: laundry, dishes, room cleaning, tax filing, studying. Such a wonder that I do well in school.

I am drunk

2006-04-23T03:37:00.000-04:00

Today's workouts:

Workout #1: 8 mile run

Workout #2: 2+ hours dancing my butt off at Phoenix nightclub under influence of many alcoholic beverages

Calories consumed = calories burned?

Not a chance in hell.

Teeheeheeheehee I've made so many typos already in this post (all corrected I hope) that I better stop before I tarnish my reputation. Goeodnaighte.

Open call to boys (oh okay and men too, don't get your boxers in a knot)

2006-04-22T02:43:00.000-04:00

SWF seeks male visitors to her blogspot. Must love running and be willing to put up with lots of girl talk about slow poke "intervals" and 8 mile "long runs".

Rob is feeling lonely.

Asthma Schmasthma

2006-04-22T02:09:00.000-04:00

Asthma or not asthma? That is the question.

A few months ago, I had a couple of ridiculous doctor's appointments at the university health centre, in a quest to figure out why I've been coughing and having some mild but persistent chest tightness. After being told it might be a multitude of things, I was eventually prescribed some asthma medication and instructed to "see if it helped, come back if it didn't." Apparently, the only thing student health services is really good at is issuing notes to profs about test-delaying illnesses, contrived or otherwise.

The thing is, from what I know about asthma (which isn't much), if you have it, it's imperative to control it properly. Since Dr. Dick wasn't very helpful (okay, that's not her full name, but is, appropriately, part of it), I finally bit the bullet and made the trek to my family doctor (aka, right down the street from my parents' house; totally convenient, except that I'm not living there right now!). I expected the same old same old from him: he's a big fan of the "don't worry, it will go away eventually" school of prescription. To my surprise, he was all business: he ordered chest X-rays and a bunch of tests, and gave me some new medication to use until the results are in. On the one hand, it's comforting that he's taking me seriously; on the other, it's disturbing: do I really have asthma? It's so weird! I was never bothered with it as a kid or a teenager, and there's no history in my family. This is totally the suck.

The good news is that, as of yet, it's never worsened while exercising, and I've been able to run without concern. So I'm going to take these meds like a good girl and keep my lungs as healthy as they can be - I've got some use for them yet. Now, if only I could figure out this inhaler - I keep thinking I've got the technique down... and then I spray steroids all over my tongue. Yuck.

Speedy Gonzalez

2006-04-20T23:57:00.000-04:00

Two words: speed intervals. My most dreaded and most loved workout at once. They are so hard, but they make me feel so proud. It's the one time in my training when I can really whip by all the other people on the track, and actually feel like I'm fast. As long as no one else is doing speed intervals, that is :)

Did reps of 800m yesterday and felt wiped but fantastic at the end. My current training program barely has any intervals scheduled at all, as it alternates them with tempo runs, with much more emphasis on tempo runs. I guess that's okay for a 10k, the tempos are probably more relevent. But for my next race, a 5k, I'm definitely stepping up the speedwork. This time around, it's all business, baby.

Today was just a 4k trot for recovery, but I received some serious motivation en route: I was at the Athletic Centre at the same time as the track team (well, I often am, as they seem to live there!), and this bunch of girls were doing really fast intervals, all in their sports bras and teeny tiny spandex shorts. Now, I really don't mean to stare, but my gawd, I want to have abs like these girls. The long legs and the skinny arms I know are beyond my genetics, but those tummies - if it's even appropriate to call them that - man, I could do with one of those. You could wash clothes on them. If your washing machine was broken.

How do they get that way!? I know, I know, I know. Nothing for it I guess but to run, run, and run some more. Oh... and maybe do a little ab work too ;)

Break 100

2006-04-19T13:41:00.000-04:00

I currently have "BREAK 100" written in bold black marker on a yellow post-it, which is prominantly stuck to my bookshelf in plain view from anywhere in my room. It's my tangible, constant reminder of my current running mission: to log 100km or more for the month of April.

This New Year, I mentioned that I wanted to run 1000km in 2006. Now I realize that to be on track for this goal, I really have to break it down month by month and plan so that I will get there. Aside from all that, running farther and more often just feels so good!

I love looking back through my log (and my blog!) and seeing the evidence of how far I've come. In November I was struggling with setbacks, and barely able to eke out 3k. Now I regularly run 4 or 5k as an "easy" run, and my long runs have passed the 12k mark! I'm feeling strong, fit, and capable of so much more. And although that half-marathon looms over me menacingly, I feel that with a summer of good training ahead of me, I will be more than ready to tackle it.

Break 100!

Technologically deprived human popsicle seeks wisdom and advice

2006-04-17T16:35:00.000-04:00

Ah, the long weekend. What better time to go home, mooch off the parents' hospitality, and in general be a bum? Unfortunately, the concession I made to being home was being without the internet - in my archaic household, if I don't bring my laptop with me and hook it up to the phone line, all ties with the outside world are severed...! Funny, I've been so addicted to blogging lately, that I catch myself composing entries in my head even as I'm out running, and it's strange to return and realize that I'm lacking the technology to set them down! However, I shall do my best to summarize my running thoughts of the past couple of days.

I logged 28k this week, my farthest ever, and overall it's been a weekend of firsts, in terms of running. The first time I ran 12k all on pavement (more interesting than the track, but definitely more ouchy). The first time I got molested by an unleashed dog on said run. The first time I attempted the elusive technique of 'snot rocket' expulsion on the go (let's just say, I'd be better off carrying kleenex!) And the first time I decided to try having an 'ice bath' to soothe my sore muscles, before jumping into a hot shower.

So this ice bath thing, is this for real? I read in RW that it's a good idea, that lots of athletes do it in order to reduce inflammation in their legs. Oh, really. Tell me how any human being with even a smattering of skin temperature nerves can possibly immerse even half of themselves in frigid water for more than 20 seconds at a time - because I sure couldn't. It was too painful to even scream! After I emerged from a few tentative dips, I gave up, took a very relieving hot shower, and swore that muscle pain was nothing compared with this absurd ritual of self-refrigeration.

Except... of course there has to be an 'except': my legs felt great the next day! No stiffness or soreness at all, except for in my hip, which I am sure had everything to do with running on the road and nothing to do with normal muscle aches. So now, I am torn - was it worth the agony, after all?

Maybe I just wasn't doing it right. Now that I think about it, RW never specified the temperature of the water you're supposed to dump ice into - I assumed it might as well be cold, but maybe I'm wrong: maybe you're supposed to start with lukewarm water, and gradually cool it off with ice. Or maybe I should just modify the technique and take cool baths rather than an icy one. Or maybe I'm just a wuss, and turning one's lower body into a popsicle is just one of the perks of being a true athlete.

Anyone have advice on the subject? My ignorance is crying out!

Food issues

2006-04-12T14:04:00.000-04:00

Keeping food around is such a delicate balance. As a student with a generally icky meal plan, I find it particularly difficult to eat well and not waste things. Our cafeteria serves us such gianormous portions, and I've often felt compelled to eat them all so as not to waste them - never mind that they're at least three times the amount of food I should be eating, and loaded with ten times more cooking oils than any human in their right mind would consume in a week.

No wonder I've been gaining weight - wow, how long did that take to dawn on me. Guess I'm slow in departments besides running! Luckily, I have become wiser in my old age, and I'm now buying healthy groceries every week, coupled with saving cafeteria portions in tupperwares for two or three meals worth of consumption. This is doubly productive, because as it's near the end of the school year I'm running short on meal plan money anyway.

Now though, I'm faced with the dilemma of too much food in my fridge. I have leftovers coming out my ears! If I don't eat them within a short time, they'll go bad. If I do eat them, I'll resume my ascent into cowlike proportions. Nobody wants to help me eat them - they've mostly got the same problem. I hate throwing out food, especially since my stupid residence doesn't have composting - but I also hate gaining weight. I really have to get better at this leftover management business.

Some days, I just wish I could hook myself up to an IV and pump all the nutrients I need directly into my bloodstream. Food can just be too much of a hassle. Give me a banana bag any day, baby.

Cross-training rocks (almost as much as running)

2006-04-11T23:46:00.000-04:00

It may not have been a running day, but it's been a physically productive one nonetheless. I attended my first ever drop-in fitness class today - oh woe is me, I am supposed to be the girl who runs around the track that overlooks the lower gym, mocking the people below me, and I have become one with the enemy! I console myself with the fact that it was a core conditioning class - I haven't succumbed to the devil that is step class yet. Thing is, these classes look idiotic from above, but they're a hard-core workout - no pun intended.

Well, moderately hard-core. To be honest, we did a lot of legs work in comparison to abs, but I guess as a runner I can't complain about that. I was hoping though for that deliciously satisfying post-workout pain, but as of yet it hasn't surfaced (ask me again when I wake up in the morning...) The class was pretty slow-paced compared with what I had imagined.

But oh well, I made up for the slight disappointment there by heading to the pool afterwards for a few laps. I always seem to neglect swimming for ages, but when I do it again I am reminded of how much I love the water. Swimming is such a fantastic workout. I really should be taking better advantage of all the pools at this university...

All in all much more satisfying than taking a rest day. I've got to start cutting back on those...! I love to exercise, I really do - I just happen to also love being terminally lazy.

I can't believe I forgot to brag!

2006-04-11T11:21:00.002-04:00

Looking back over my recent posts, I've realized I completely omitted any mention of a major milestone I passed last week - namely, the eight mile milestone! (okay, so I didn't "pass" it, but I got there!) Last Saturday I officially logged the longest "long" run of my life so far, and okay, it took me almost an hour and a half to do it, but hey, now I can say, "I ran for an hour and a half", which also sounds pretty awesome. I even managed it without music, because at that point my mp3 player was dead and I was still awaiting nano's arrival; luckily for me, I ran into my sometime "running buddy" at the gym that day, and he did a few laps with me every so often to keep me company.

I can't believe I didn't crow about this yet! Well, yes, I can believe it, because Saturday immediately after the run was the dreaded breakup, shortly followed by myself becoming severely intoxicated, dancing like a maniac all night, and not blogging for a week (don't I deal well with my feelings?!) So my moment of triumph slipped totally under the radar. But here it is, resurrected and recounted in all of its glory.

Going to attempt it again this week!

Track blues

2006-04-10T13:38:00.000-04:00

Well, easy week is over and it's back to the grindstone for me - time to hike up that mileage for my 10k next month. I'm looking forward to running, but one thing is odd: it's a beautiful day outside, but I'm gravitating towards the indoor track.

It's rather irrational, I guess. I mean, it's a sunny, warm day, there are things to see, an outdoor run is probably the best idea. But for some reason, I'm hesitant, and I feel like I'd rather just go to the track and do some mindless loops to the sound of music in my ears. I suppose it might have to do with the fact that my legs are really achy today, and I'd rather the relative softness of track than the pounding of asphalt - not to mention flatness vs. the undulating city streets (okay, so that might be a slight exaggeration...). It might be because I am in love with my iPod, and I want to listen to it, but hesitant to do so while dodging downtown traffic. It might just be because the ex (ooooh, it's so weird to call him that) is going to the gym, and I feel like some company (he runs way too fast for me to keep up outdoors. Inside, I can say hi whenever he laps me.)

This is so pathetic. What kind of runner choses to run a more boring course when better ones are available?

Oh well. It's what I feel like doing, regardless of how silly it may seem. I'll have plenty of time in the summer to run in the sun, and there won't be the option of the gym at all. Might as well get my money's worth out of it now!

True confessions

2006-04-07T13:14:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everybody who left encouraging comments on my last post. I did eventually get out for a run, although it wasn't until yesterday, and I am feeling a lot better. I suppose I ought to offer some form of explanation for my sudden tirade about being "emotional" - in a very tight nutshell, my boyfriend and I broke up and are now working at being "just friends". It's pretty draining. We've been together for over two years so this is a tough adjustment to make. Mostly, time passing is just helping me out right now - things don't hurt so much once you have a little distance. So that's the story, and the reason why I was such a bad blogger and runner for a while there.

Of course, the best shallow way to get through an emotional time is to treat yourself with something terribly materialistic and expensive. That's right - I finally got the ipod. Oh, baby. Little nano 4G. And it is sexxxxxxy. I can't wait to go running with it - although I'll probably hold off on that until tomorrow, since I'm supposed to be resting today. I *heart* rest week - it's shameful how much I'm loving being a lazy bum and cutting back my mileage. But I know that this respite will make me eager to get back to tougher running next week.

Maybe I'll go cross-train at the gym, just so I can show it off. Well, okay, not that anyone will notice one more ipod added to the zillions already in there. But I will feel so awesome anyway.

Warning: this is a stupid rant

2006-04-05T14:45:00.000-04:00

Ever have that feeling that you just don't want to do anything at all? It's coming over me now. Maybe it's the lack of sleep. Maybe it's the crappy state of my emotional life. Maybe it's just the bloody cold weather. Whatever it is, I don't want to run. I didn't even really want to blog, because I'd end up writing a whiny post like this, but oh well, here it is anyway. I need to vent somewhere, I guess. Sorry.

Thing is, I feel like I should run. It might end up feeling really good. But given my state right now, it also might end up making me feel terrible and weak. And that's something I really don't need at the moment, especially from my running.

So I'm torn. To run or not to run?

I just want to run away.

A touch of OCD?

2006-03-29T22:48:00.000-05:00

Honestly, I don't normally see myself as an obsessive OR a compulsive person, but today I've been a real wacko.

For starters, it was a beautiful beautiful day outside, and I just couldn't bear the idea of running on the indoor track when there was so much sun to soak up. So I headed over to Queen's Park to do a couple loops of the dirt trail there. I thought it would be a nice change from my regular road route, and also easier on the joints. One little gripe: I didn't know how long the QP loop is, exactly - and I still don't.

I measured it with gmaps, and it said a little over 800m - but I couldn't be accurate, because the trail itself isn't marked on the map, so I had to estimate its contours. I measured it with my cycle computer, and it read out 850m - which I thought was great. Then, I did a tempo run and calculated my pace based on that distance - and realized, much as I would love to believe I suddenly became a speed demon overnight, 850 must have been pretty generous.

I know it's roughly 800m, but I want to know exactly how long it is - it bugs me not to know precisely how far and how fast I've run. I'm so quantitative when it comes to running, and every little bit counts, in my mind. I hate to feel like I might be "cheating" by running a shorter distance and counting it as more.

I'm also completely in a tizzy over my pending ipod purchase. I'm having a hard time deciding whether to go for a 1G, 2G or 4G nano. Do I want monstrous amounts of songs, or a cheaper price? How many songs do I really need, vs. how much money am I willing to spend? And don't even get me started on the accessories - skins, clips, armbands, all in different colours too... I want to protect it and I want to be able to run with it. But there are such an overwhelming number of gadgets to do that with... and they all seem to cost an awful lot of money. I know, I know - I'm buying an ipod, it's not exactly bargain shopping - more like a statement of how cool I am, and how much I'm willing to spend to look that cool.

Little itty bitty irritating things. Choices, choices, choices. Both very unjustifiable reasons to feel like I'm going totally insane.

If only I would be this obsessively committed to studying. Which I should be doing right now, in a serious way. Okay, enough nonsense - time to cram many many little factoids into my poor overworked head.

Mmmmm

2006-03-28T21:35:00.000-05:00

Finally snuck in some crosstraining today - I've been seriously slacking on all forms of exercise other than running, which ultimately is probably not good for me. I have some gimpy knees to think of, after all. 15min on the bike, 15min legs, and a 10min stretch. It was short and sweet, and although I would have gladly done more, I had to ditch the gym so I could go gorge myself on wings and beer with a bunch of friends. Hmm... somehow I don't think the calories burned took care of the calories consumed. But the meal was wicked.

Hunh. I totally had something else I was going to add to this post, but I'm just tipsy enought that I haven't a clue any more what it was going to be. And it was probably so brilliant and insightful too. Oh well, if I remember I'll post it later. So this is what alcohol is doing to my brain...

Update, literally 20 seconds after posting this...

Oh yes - it's come back to me now. I was going to lament the apparent death of my mp3 player. It has always been a piece of trash ever since I bought it on ebay for way too little money - it may be true after all that you get what you pay for. The thing has many very irritating habits including cutting off songs and jumping to the next one, neglecting altogether to play some of the songs I upload, and occasionally just chosing to shut itself off entirely. I am not the greatest multitasker, and fiddling with my mp3 player while running laps while trying to avoid people while trying to count said laps is almost more than I can handle...

So it's never been a very reliable piece of machinery, and today when I accidentally dropped it on the floor, it pretty much officially broke up with me. The control button caved in, and it refuses to believe it's not permanently connected to the computer, to judge by the LCD screen. Goes without saying, it's no longer playing music for me.

It's been an altogether rocky relationship. It probably knows how much I've been toying with the idea of buying an ipod nano, and it's jealous because it knows it could never attain that degree of sexiness. It has a point.

My one reservation about the nano is it's just so damn expensive. However, tax season is just around the corner, and being a destitute student, I'm thinking the government might be kind to me. And if you really do get what you pay for... this has got to be one quality high-tech toy.

So farewell, old mp3 player. You have been my companion, you have had your good days, but you have never been truly faithful to me. I'm pretty sure that I'm going to get over you.

Okay, I'll happily eat those words

2006-03-25T20:47:00.000-05:00

It seems that if I whine enough about not being able to run well, I see a sudden reversal and have a fantastic run just to prove myself utterly wrong. In this case, I don't mind at all. Maybe I should just stop whining - after all, we all have bad days that are just par for the course.

Today was amazing though - a sweet 7-miler at 10:32 pace - that's like flying for me on such a distance! I knew it was a perfect run because I felt really strong throughout most of it, tired towards the end, and then for the final few hundred metres suddenly found the juice to kick it up into a sprinting finish. Now I'm wiped and I'm ravenous, scarfing down my sandwich almost as fast as I could make it. Mmmm.... fooooood......

By the way, one awesome side effect of running at the gym is getting to surreptitiously evaluate the attire of everyone there, just to keep myself amused while I crank out the laps. There are the people like me, in boring t-shirts and leggings or shorts or whatever. Then there are the super-cute girls I always wish I could look like, in their designer workout attire that always matches and is entirely flattering to their maddeningly perfect bodies. And then once in a while you get to see a special treat, like I did today: some crazy old lady who transplanted her wardrobe directly from the 80's without passing go. Seriously, she was wearing pink leggings with a pink-and-white-vertically-striped leotard overtop so she looked like she was in some crazy underwear - the only thing missing was a side ponytail. I'll forgive her for that, her hair was short :)

And one more thing I like about the gym, specifically when I do long runs there: I have the satisfaction of seeing people get on the track, do some laps, and go off again, over and over, while I remain - I have yet to be running with the same people from start to finish. Even though I know this is because the hard-core runners are actually going outside to do their 7-milers and more, it still gives me immense satisfaction - I feel like the endurance queen.

Besides, it's dark outside.

Running out of steam

2006-03-25T01:27:00.000-05:00

I. hate. end of term.

Each of my classes in and of themselves contain a perfectly reasonable amount of work: a couple of books, a couple of essays, a couple of tests. Shouldn't be a big deal. But multiply that times six (yes, I'm taking six courses, I must be crazy) and you've got yourself waaaay too much to do and not nearly enough time to do it in.

These past two weeks have been so hectic - churning out papers one after the other, madly catching up on all sorts of reading I've let slide. And the end doesn't seem any closer - only three weeks to go until the end of classes, but it seems an eternity away...

The work, the studying, I can deal with - hey, I've been a student for umpteen years, I'm a pro at handling this stuff and handing my work in on time despite all the odds. The problem, though, is that it's all reflecting on my running. I've been running, yes; in fact I'm happy to say I've kept to my schedule very consistently. But it hasn't been fun - each time I go out there I feel like I'm slogging through sand or snow or a bottomless gaping pit, and I've slowed so drastically it's hard to believe I PR-ed at a race a mere two weeks ago.

It might be the stress, but I have a feeling it's more the burnout - specifically, I'm just constantly tired and not getting enough sleep. Plus, I've cut down my caffeine intake recently, and while I think long-term that's going to be good for me, it's definitely putting chains around my ankles for the time being. I'm even getting fatter, I swear. Grrr... I think I might be falling apart.

Well, I guess that's enough whining - time to grin and bear it. At least I can look forward to a good solid three week holiday before I write exams. That will be plenty of time to sleep, sleep sleep, and run, run, run. Oh, yeah, I guess maybe I'll get some studying in there too... somewhere :)

Procrastinating

2006-03-21T20:24:00.000-05:00

I have to work, when I wish I could work out. Tomorrow is supposed to be a running day, but if I have to do this essay all afternoon I am not going to make it happen. *Sigh* - I should really be finishing it up today and getting it off my mind, but I'm just so soo soooo bloody tired of reading and writing and reading and writing. Too many papers, too little time.

Blogging is another matter of course. This is reading and writing by choice, not demand. A whole other world. Interesting and funny thing though - I was researching for my essay, about one of my favourite authors, and on her website I came across her blog, on Blogger no less! Ha ha, the internet makes it a very small world, does it not? Not that that furthers my paper or anything, but I thought it was cool nonetheless.

Anyway, I'm just wasting time. I should go work diligently again.

A little word of wisdom from a friend of mine, concerning procrastination. Warning: it's rude, so read on at your own risk, and don't say I didn't warn you because I know you're not going to stop here no matter what I say...

"Procrastination is like masturbation... you do it because it feels so good, but in the end you realize - you've fucked yourself."

With such luminary advice in mind, I'm off to finish this paper.

Loving the smartcoach

2006-03-15T13:13:00.000-05:00

So I've realized that my next race, a 10k, is less than 8 weeks away, and I'd better get cracking on a training plan if I want to actually race it rather than shuffle, like I did last year. There's a lot to be said for shuffling, and I'm sure I'll do it for the entire half marathon, but for a shorter distance I feel like pushing the pace.

I was on the Runner's World website, just looking for articles related to training and figuring I would grab one of their pre-made plans and tailor it to my needs. But instead, I came across "smartcoach", this completely awesome feature that allows you to plug in your individual specifications and then it churns out a customized plan all your own! I have no idea how long this tool has been available, I only just discovered it, but it's fantastic - I highly recomment checking it out. I got my whole 8 weeks mapped out in about a minute and a half, and my training is already in the works.

In fact, after lunch, it's time to take on run #2 - yay! Come on digestion, hurry up already...

Race Report

2006-03-13T20:20:00.000-05:00

Time to recap yesterday's race!

I went into the 5k with high hopes of a new PR, my previous one being 30:43 with a chip time of 30:37. I was also set on breaking 29 minutes, which I considered to be a reasonable goal but still challenging enough.

I am happy to announce that this was fully accomplished! I crossed the finish line with an official time of 29:31, chip time 28:45. Woohoo! Overall, I'm happy with the race, but there are a few things I know I could improve on in order to cut that time still further. For instance, I pushed the pace very well through the first 3km, but started to fade a little towards the end. I didn't slow down too much, and managed to make a strong finish nonetheless, but I was definitely "feeling it" around 4km. Interestingly, it wasn't my legs or my lungs which held me back, but rather my stomach started to feel a little queasy if I pushed too hard, and I figured, no fun 5k is worth hurling over! There may be three factors involved in the stomach issues: #1 - okay, so I did drink the night before. And you know what, I don't regret any of those 3 glasses of wine - they were fantastic, as was my night, and good times were had by all. I stopped drinking at 8:30 just as I promised I would and began tanking up on water for the remainder of the night. I did a good job too, if I may say so - I went to sleep sober and the pee flowed free and clear, a sure sign of success! Ha ha. I'm not saying it was a great race strategy, only that the fun was worth it. Also, I feel that factors #2 and #3 were on the whole probably more to blame, #2 being the fact that I ate cereal with milk for breakfast, and I'm pretty sure it was the milk that was the main source of ickiness. I'll have to try a bagel or something next time. And #3 - the water that they handed us along the course was so frickin' cold, it made my stomach clench right up as soon as it got in my system. I probably shouldn't have bothered to drink in such a short race anyway, but I grabbed those cups regardless. Oh, well, it's all hindsight now, and a good learning experience.

At any rate, the event was really well organized and dead on time, which was impressive, and the weather, although overcast, was very seasonable for a Canadian March. The course itself wasn't much to behold, basically a tour of the Exhibition Place "grounds" (i.e., the whole place looks like a giant parking lot!), but it was blessedly flat and wide enough that there wasn't too much bottlenecking, except of course at the very beginning. We also doubled back to the starting area a couple of times, and my official cheering squad (my dad!) was able to snap a few action shots. Most of them didn't turn out, but I think there were one or two keepers. I'd love to post them now, but he hasn't sent me the pics yet, so I'll put them up when I get them.

So overall a happy race, a good time (for me!) which placed me in the top quarter of my age group and the overall rankings. Fun run! Plus, the day was made doubly awesome by the fact that I went home to visit the parents afterwards and had a scrumptious home-cooked meal, and then got taken out for the evening to see David Copperfield live... SOOO unbelievably cool. I swear that guy really has magical powers. At one point during the show, he "reappeared" from a trick on a pedestal about 2 rows behind where I was sitting - oh baby. I love that man. But I digress :)

Next up, 10k!