Soooooo...It's Been a While!

Something happened last fall and my motivation ground to a halt. My interest in taking time to exercise, run and go to the gym vanished. It's no coincidence that blogging fell off at the same time that I stopped having anything to really talk about. I think it started off as taking some time to rest and relax after a busy season...but the motivation to pick things up where I left off hasn't really come back.

I'm working on it.

Meanwhile, I kept signing up - and showing up - for races, but they have been harder than they needed to be since I haven't been training.

Both my mom and my friend Julia called me out on my lack of blogging recently. I promised Julia that if I could make it to the finish line of my race today, that I'd pick it up again. I did, so here I am (Hi, Julia!). Hopefully recommitting to blogging will force me to get moving again, so that I have something to write about!

Here's what you've missed:

December 2012 - Santa Shuffle 5K

Sarah, my daughter, me, Emma, my son

This was a strange one - it is usually a very well-organized race but not this time? It was supposed to be a 10am start, but at 9.30 they started letting people go out whenever they showed up, causing a lot of confusion for all runners who came on time. A number of bandits also ran the race, were given medals and allowed to help themselves to post-race refreshments - meaning that by the time we crossed the finish line there was barely anything left. It's a charity race so I shouldn't mind - but it was a very chaotic morning and things really didn't need to be this way.
 
March 2013 - Around the Bay 30K relay (15K for each runner)
Big, scary goal #1

Only 2K left to go. Just passed The Reaper

Rachel & Sarah (relay team), Emma (30K), Laura (30K), myself & Lynda (relay team)

This race kicked my butt but I had so much fun that I didn't care. It's out of town, so we booked a hotel room, made a girls' weekend out of it and had a blast. We went last year, but I only did the 5K. Not-so-secretly had my heart set on doing the relay but wasn't mentally ready at the time. Made sure I'd be back for the longer course in 2013 to earn one of their "older than Boston" shirts.

This race features rolling hills (bah) but a lovely view and the people who live on the route not only come out to cheer for hours, but play music, offer snacks and generally put on a party. That last hill is a killer though - and the Reaper is waiting for you at the top. The agonizing thing? You can see the finish line for the last 3 kms and it takes forever on tired legs to get there.

More training and better nutrition would have been wise. I was going on empty for the last 1.5K. Took everything I had to pick things up for the finish line. Going back next year and aim to arrived trained.

May 13, 2013 - Sporting Life 10K

One of the few moments where I managed to actually run

Alex, Sarah, myself

This race kicked my butt and I DID care. I could not believe how much fitness I lost in two short months after ATB. I was running on empty after about KM 3 and the whole thing was such a struggle. Spent most of it power-walking. An eye-opener to say the least....but I couldn't get back in to running just yet because it was time to cram for...

June 2, 2013 - Ride for Heart 75K
Big, scary goal #2

Done and so happy. Amazing how all the pain goes away as soon as you cross the finish line!

You heard me - I crammed for a 75K bike ride. I started with a few short rides and almost gave up. Switched to my husband's road bike (significantly lighter than my mountain bike) and pulled off confidence-boosting 21K and 44K rides over rollllling hills.

I've also done the 25K (2011) and 50K (2012) version of this ride and wasn't going to give up on my goal of doing the full course this year.

So - I got up at 4.30am, rode to the 6am start line and just. kept. riding. It poured rain for a while - so heavily that I was actually wishing for my swim goggles. Then the wind picked up. Which was not fun. But I watched my nutrition carefully (G2, Hammer gels, bananas, raisins & pretzels for the record), managed not to swallow any bugs and didn't walk up a single hill. 81K total including my ride from home.

But I really don't recommend cramming for this sort of thing.  I also don't recommend doing this sort of thing in NON-PADDED shorts. Ouch.

What's next? A recovery day or two, then back to the gym and C25K. We're doing the Colour Run later this month, the Warrior Dash in July, and Island Girl 10.5K in September. I'd prefer not to go into these completely undertrained.

How have you been?

50K Ride for Heart - Check!

The Becel Ride for Heart is an absolutely fantastic, 25-year-old event in Toronto. Two major highways are closed off to make this work - one running along the Lake Ontario waterfront, the other through the beautiful Don Valley. It's hard to really notice just how scenic these routes are from a speeding car - but it's lovely from a bike.

Equally spectacular is the opportunity to go for a ride along a perfectly smooth (no potholes!), 3-to-4-lane-wide highway that's closed to cars.

This event is capped at 13,000 riders and sells out every year.

I can see why.

It also raises over $5M for the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Ontario every year. It's a pretty big deal around here.

I rode the 25K course last year - the longest ride I'd ever done at that point - and came away so delighted from the experience that I knew I'd be back for the 50K this year. I actually made up my mind about that before I even hit the 10K mark last year - this ride IS that fun.

Last year, I went out with the general 8am start - which meant starting in a chute with over 10,000 other riders. The first 5K or so looked something like this:

From the 2012 Ride's Facebook page. You get the idea - that's a big crowd

It took me a while to get through the pack and be able to ride at my own pace - about 5-6KMs actually. That part wasn't all that fun, come to think of it.

But this year, I got up a little earlier and went out in the early-bird start. Smart move. I didn't arrive at the start until 7.50am, but WOW. Was it ever fabulous to ride past the massive crowd in the starting chute, flash my green badge at the marshalls and head out in this crowd:

Except for paramedics, I HAD THE HIGHWAY TO MYSELF!  

That sweet 10-minute head start meant that I was loooong gone when the crowd hit the course.

I started to catch up to other early starters around the 3K mark, but even by 10K the road was nice and open:

Early bird starts are the BEST.

Now, the 25K course is very pleasant - lots of low, gradual rises and falls. I imagine the net elevation change is maybe...0 metres?

But what happens on the longer course?

In additon to being worried about the overall distance of the course - and freaked out by the dismal experience in my one and only long training ride - I've spent the last few months absolutely terrified of The Hill.

A few 50K finishers from past years had warned me about The Hill. "Things change once you get north of the turnaround for the 25K route".

Put all this together and you can see why this race was one of my Big, Scary Goals for 2012.

I didn't had a chance to drive the route in the last 6+ months, and didn't think to map it out, so had to go by logic: Toronto is built on a long slope that leads down to Lake Ontario, so heading away from the lake means going uphill. I live on the west side of the city at the top of an escarpment, and there are some nasty hills over here, so I can imagine that things would be fairly similar a few KMs east.

I've read about nasty hills - like this one that has made Julie swear off of all events that include it.

With that in mind, I made a quick stop at the 15K spot (DVP/Eglinton) for a snack - 1/4 Luna bar, 1/4 banana, some water - and some stretching. Gotta get ready for that Hill.

But as I got  further north, I noticed that I was going DOWNHILL. And that The Hill was on the other side of the highway - beside me - in the southbound part of the course. Not going to be fun tackling that in another 10KMs or so.

Except when I headed through the (dangerously crowded) turnaround (where are the race marshalls??), headed south and got over to The Hill - it was just another long, low rise. A little longer and a bit...rise-ier...than others, but nothing like I was worried about. It would have been a piece of cake with fresh legs, but even so, it really wasn't so bad.

Said a small prayer of thanks to the engineers who designed this highway.

Remembered that Julie lives in Colorado. 

Promised myself that I'd be back next year for the 75K course.

Stopped for another quick snack (more Luna/water/banana/stretching) and kept going.

There WAS a nasty surprise later on - the course involves a short detour off the highway, around a cloverleaf and back on. It's short, but rather steep. It's part of the 25K turnaround and it almost killed me last year although I managed to keep going rather than walk up. 

Surprise, surprise - it turns out that it's part of the 50K course as well, because it's a spot for those doing the 75K to loop around north again.

This year, that detour was much easier, even on tired legs. I have running and boot camp to thank for that.

I have running and boot camp to thank for a lot of things, actually.

Anyway - once I was past THAT and had only another 11K to go - my competitive nature showed up.

I'd started this with "finish" as my goal.

Now it became about time.

I finished 25K last year in 1H10mins - slowed down by the pack at first, but no breaks aside from a quick text to my husband.  

Wonder how fast I can get to the finish this year? And wouldn't it be great to finish before the rain shows up?

Only 5K or so to go. Starting to get crowded - lots of 25K and 50K finishers riding together at this point

I did have to slow down a bit because of the gathering crowd..and to send a few quick texts to my family...be there soon...but soon rolled into the finish line with a smile and legs that could have gone for more.

Finish time: 2 hours, 15minutes.

Number of bugs swallowed: 0

I'm very pleased with BOTH of those numbers!

Loaded up on snacks, found my family, hugs and kisses all around, photo op...

I just tackled one of my Big Scary Goals - and it wasn't so bad!
That smile is mostly joy, but with a bit of relief mixed in :-)

...stretched, and headed for the car.

The CAR! That's right!

What with the early bird start...and living somewhat close to the starting line...I actually rode my bike to the starting line. Left the family sleeping and the car at home.

Which means that I rode fifty-SIX kms today.

And had enough left over to walk down to the dog park after lunch. And again after dinner.

Yep - I'm going back for 75K next year.

That being said?

Having ridden 50K, I can't EVEN IMAGINE doing 42K on foot. All the marathoners out there are made of IRON. Wow!

Rookie Mistakes Galore!

Loving this bike trail

So, I went for my first long ride of the season today. 26.6K through the cemetery, along busy roads, along an excellent bike path that I've been meaning to try, down a riverside trail that I'd heard about, and back again.

Loving it even more for leading me through this forest

Aside from the sections of busy roads, it was a beautiful ride. Long rolling hills for a nice challenge. Birds, trees, water. Sunshine. Bright blue sky.

In the forest and beside the river. Good spot to stop for a snack!

But I made just about every rookie mistake that you can make on this ride. Oh, I did a few things right...like wear a helmet and gloves and brought water...but that's about all I did right. Let's see...

• Grazed on some leftover pizza for lunch before heading out rather than fuelling properly.
• Didn't bring a snack even though I knew I'd be hungry soon.
• Chugged water before heading out rather than hydrating in the hours leading up to the ride. 
• Didn't stretch.
• Didn't put on sunblock.

• Made a pit stop en route for snacks but bought a Snickers bar (peanuts give energy!), a small bag of baked chips (need salt!) and a diet Coke (caffeine!).
• Chugged my leftover water when I got home. 

Add all of that up and you have a ride plagued with low energy, tight legs, stiff back, sore hands, and an upset stomach. Followed by violent stomach cramps and throwing up after I got home (thanks to chugging that water). Which made recovery eating almost non-existent. Um, that means that snickers bar didnt put me over my calories for the day...not that this is the way to stick to plan though.

Honestly - you'd think that I have never exercised before.

I did make sure to take an Epsom salts bath afterwards, and I certainly learned my lesson about hydration, nutrition and stretching. So I can take some comfort in that, I suppose.

Make me feel better - have you ever made rookie mistakes like this, despite knowing better? I'd love to hear about it!

Dialing Back the Intensity (for a week)

Spring has got to be my favourite season. 

And with both my gym and my pool closed for the 4-day Easter long weekend, I'm taking that as a sign that I was meant to put training on pause.

So, I slowed things down this week to make sure that I had a chance to enjoy the stunning weather. And now I'm feeling refreshed...rejuvenated...and so happy.

I've also taken some time this week to think about how to balance work, home, kids, dog, running, swimming and gym while also adding in biking. I've been dangerously close to becoming stressed over how to fit everything in but I think I've figured it out -

• Hitting the gym 2x/week instead of 3 should give me the time that I need to get in a long ride every week.
• Riding to the gym (possible now that the days are longer) will add in two short rides :-)
• Zumba has moved to a day/time that really doesn't work for me - I'm going to miss it this season, but that frees up the same amount of time as one of my runs typically takes.

I think that's all the tweaking that's going to be needed, and I'm feeling pretty good about these changes. Let's see how the next few weeks go!

How are you keeping life in balance? Do you find that you need to tweak your routine now and then to fit everything in  - and make sure that you're still enjoying what you're doing?

Here's this week's recap -

Saturday - Spent the day with my inlaw's - took kids and dogs for a hike, then settled in for a long and lovely Easter dinner.

Kids on a log

Dogs in a creek

Sunday - Easter egg hunt in the morning...park in the early afternoon....

Kids got some excellent super-bouncy balls in their Easter baskets.
Perfect for handball and every other game we could come up with.

...and jogged over to a different park in the early evening (2.6K round trip)



 

Monday - Kids and husband had the day off. They went to the zoo while I had to go to work :-(

Tuesday - Rest day.

Wednesday - Boot camp followed by Curves circuit. Did 50 pushups, 1min plank, 70 leg lifts each side, 5 burpees, 250 crunches and 7 mins on the stairstepper.

  

Thursday - The 5 of us went to the school playground after dinner - I jogged with dog while kids rode their bikes - 2.7K round trip.

Sliding face first with your sister riding on your back seems like a good idea, no?

Friday - FIRST BIKE RIDE OF THE SEASON. I know, I know - it's April, what took so long? Mainly, I'm a wimp about riding when the temps are so cool that I get chilly during a ride. Tonight was perfect though. Felt great to be back on the bike, and I think that starting to run over the winter helped a lot - I felt remarkably strong for my first ride out, rather than rusty after almost 6 months off the bike. All good.

Rode to my gym (6K round trip), did a circuit and a few extras (100 crunches, 30s plank, 40+20 pushups, 50 leg lifts each side).

Took this to show how sweaty I was after the circuit, but it just doesn't show up.
Honestly, I was dripping!

And here's something wonderful - a lady came over to the stretching area at the end of her circuit, grabbed a mat and did 4 pushups. Turns out that these are the first pushups she's ever done in her life. Said she saw me doing mine and wanted to give them a try. She's aiming for 5 next time. LOVE IT.

Home Alone

My husband's on vacation with the kids this week and took them out of town for a few days. We thought back on if I've ever been left home completely alone since the kids were born (they are 11 and 7) - and nope, this is the first time.

I love my family like crazy, but moms out there will understand that at the moment they drove away, a burst of sunshine broke through the clouds and I'm pretty sure I heard angels singing.

How did I spend my time? Did I go shopping? Hang with my friends? Go to a movie?

Nope.

I grabbed this opportunity to work out without keeping an eye on the clock. Rode my bike. Went to the pool. Went to the gym (on my bike!).

Big grin.

My husband and children are each extremely supportive of me heading out the door to exercise on my own, but ultimately I need to make sure that I get back within a reasonable amount of time so that I can hang with them. Especially on week days, when we've already been apart all day.

I know that the time will come when my children need me less. I'm absolutely in no hurry for that. But when I have the change to go on a long ride - I snatch it!

Kevin posted something this week that pretty much mirrors the way my brain works:

Not too long ago, I talked to a man that biked from Ottawa to Vancouver in 44 days - inspiring, I know. But, what usually happens when Kevin listens to these stories… Well, Kevin wants to do something cool too. (Read the full post)

Listening to stories like that sets me on fire too. For now, the things I set my sights on will continue to be the kind that have training plans that fit the needs of my family.

I'm cool with that.

And when the kids get older? Hmmm.

Wonder if I can take a couple of months off work and bike to Vancouver...?

Here's this week's recap -

Saturday - Curves + 26 pushups. In the evening, we took the kids to see an outdoor performance of MacBeth put on by Driftwood Theatre -



To know my deed, 'twere best not know myself.



We've got a few children's adaptations of Shakespeare's plays and read the version of MacBeth through a few times in the days before the play. Was a great refresher for us, and knowing the story allowed the kids to get absorbed in the show despite not always understanding the dialogue.

My son and I caught Driftwood's Romeo & Juliet a couple of summers ago and were absolutely wow'd by the performance. MacBeth was no different - this was gripping, edge-of-your-seat drama that had all 4 of us captivated from the opening scene right to the end. The kids talked about the story, the perfomance, the props, the set and the staging all the way home and right until they fell asleep - and then woke up talking about it the next morning! Love it. Can't wait to see what Driftwood puts on next summer.

My Sunday ride took me through this very peaceful garden

Sunday - 17.8K bike ride, followed by 11 slow and lazy laps of the deep end at the pool (about 550m total), then 4.2K round trip ride to pick up Indian food for dinner. Big grin.

Monday - 6K round trip ride to my gym and back; worked out + 24 pushups. Beautiful rainbow in the sky during my ride home. Oh, and I agreed to do a bus pull with my gym in September. Yes, you heard me - a bus pull.

Tuesday - 16 laps at the pool (about 800m). Went slow and focused on technique. Think I'm finally on the road to solving two of my most major problems. Big grin.

Wednesday - Cuddle day - my family came home last night. Good to see them! Can't believe how loud the house seems all of a sudden.

Thursday - 1K walk at lunch to go buy some swim goggles - my first pair - to celebrate my emerging swim skills. After dinner, Zumba + once around the circuit + 26 pushups.

Friday - Long day at work but....NOW I'M ON VACATION! Big grin. It's been a very fabulous week.

Next Time, Check a Map First

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I live near a trail that follows the route of an old railway line. The trail stops after a couple of kilometres, but I know that it picks up again...somewhere...then runs quite far east.

I set out on my bike on Saturday to check it out.

Without first looking at a map.

I was SURE that I could find it!

I went from here:

...to here, shortly before the trail ends:

...then tried to pick the trail up again. I went through a number of nice parks, over this bridge:

...past some really nice houses - including a few that are growing edibles in raised beds on the city-owned part of their lots (strawberries, dill, tomatoes and watermelon in this one!):

...and finally stopped here:

...which was 8.75 KM from my house...

...and never did find that trail again. Turned around and rode back home.

Even though I didn't find the trail, it was a pretty great ride - 17.5KM round trip and rode on a number of nice streets that I'd never been down before.

Still.

Next time? I check a map first before I head out.

Here's this week's recap: 

On Sunday, we rode our bikes over this bridge...

...along this trail...

Sunday - Family bike ride day! Took the kids to a park by the lake and spent a great afternoon exploring the bike trails around the waterfront. Found one that connects to the river where my son and I went kayaking last week. Was amazed to check a map later and realize that we rode about 7KM - which is by far a record for my 7-year-old! Later - kids and I went swimming at our local outdoor pool with our neighbour and her daughter. It was opening weekend - which meant that the pool was not crowded, and definitely not warm either!

...stopped for a drink...

Monday - Curves after dinner.

...went through this archway...

Tuesday - rest day.

...skipped stones in the lake...

Wednesday - Zumba AND an ab class after dinner, then home to play catch for a while.

...over to this trail...

Thursday - Curves in the afternoon; hit a few balls around at a park while my husband went for a run, then hit the playground.



...back to the bridge and over to a playground to hit the swings and climbers. Great ride!

 

Friday - Happy Canada Day! Lazy day today - tomorrow is the Do Life 5K!

Willows are her favourite!

Week 4 'Queen of the Circuit' challenges:

Drink more water - check
Workout 3x - check
Bring in a healthy recipe - check
Check body mass - check. Ugh. It's not moving.
Do an ab class - check
Do 3 extra reps on each station during every workout - check
Participate in a game - my trainer says that the Do Life 5K will do :-)

Here's what I've been reading: Bullfighting by Roddy Doyle, Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis (very good!), Irma Voth by Miriam Toews.

25K Ride for Heart? Check!

The Becel Ride for Heart - what a fabulous event! Hands down, my favourite so far and definitely a race that I'll do again next year. It helped that the weather was stunningly beautiful!

This one was one of my big, scary goals for 2011 and I'm wicked proud of myself for doing it.

After crossing the finish line

If you're not familiar with this event: Toronto closes two major highways for this one every spring. Follow the Gardiner east alongside Lake Ontario, then head north on the DVP through the beautiful Don Valley before turning back to the start.

This being my first time, I picked the 25K course (there are also 50K and 75K routes). This was a reasonably easy course with a few gradual slopes, two short hills and a beautiful view - and how cool was it to be riding on these car-free highways?!

Ever take a picture of yourself during a ride? Flattering, no?
Didn't realize that my helmet was sitting that far back - time to adjust it.

# of times that I stopped: 1 (15 seconds at the turn-around to text my progress to my husband)

# of hills that I walked up: 0

# of hills that I wanted to walk up but rode up anyway: 1

# of bugs that I swallowed: 0

Amount of food that I ate after crossing the finish line: Vast. Thank you to the organizers for having fresh fruit, bagels, juice, water and granola bars on hand. So appreciated.


Now, I call that a successful race!

I am very proud to say that I finished in 1H10 - but disappointed that it was over so quickly! I am definitely signing up for the 50K route for 2012. It comes with more hills so will be more challenging - but that's a good thing, right? Make that one my first big, scary goal for next year!

How was your weekend?