Sunday group run

This is the first time I've ever done the Running Room Sunday morning group runs. I did the 10k clinic years ago, but that was before when I used to sleep till 11 or so on Sundays, and I thought "you want to do what at WHAT time?!?! Na-uh!" I was surprised by all the people down at the Eau Claire Running Room this morning, for all the long runs. There are groups for Learn to Run, 5k, 10k, Ladies only, Half, Full and Full Walkers, so there were people everywhere! Got sorted into our groups, and then into our pace groups. While I am the slowest (read: last) person in the clinic, I was placed with the 4:45 group. I did my best to keep up, and I am proud to say, I did just that until about the 10km mark. Then the hips and thighs started to seize a bit, slowing me down. Didn't help that the person who planned the route this morning was obviously drunk, as we went up hills, down hills, jay-ran when there were paths to follow, ran streets that haven't been plowed since LAST January, etc. It got a bit challenging towards the end. But we ended up doing 13.93km (supposed to be 13), and my pace of 8:13 is in line with my weekly pace, and a full minute faster than last week's 10km LSD I did alone. So I need the group to keep me going, I guess.
Tried to have an early night, after seeing Up in the Air (two thumbs, arms, legs, feet, etc up! Most fabulously excellent movie...funny, touching, heartbreaking and not your typical Hollywood ending! And it was George...how could you go wrong?), so managed to be in bed by 10:30. Slept till 7, with a few interruptions from the furbabies, and then got up and ate some oatmeal (my usual nutella-banana-coconut) with a half a 1% latte. I am not running anywhere without some caffeine in my system!
After the run, came inside the mall, and did some stretching (although my butt and hamstrings are calling for a bit more), then came home and jumped in the shower. I was FROZEN by this point. I tend to sweat...I don't glow...I don't perspire...I SWEAT! My hair was soaked, my top was soaked, the vest I wore on top of the top was soaked...you get the picture. Add -10C temperatures to a wet body, and what do you get? One shivering mass! I even took the time for a sugar scrub (Rocky Mountain Soap Company's Spicy Mandarin Orange), so now I'm all warm and soft and buttery. Finished my latte, but now I need to find something for lunch. Then I have to get stuff ready for an Epicure tasting at work tomorrow (I need to pay for Conference!), which will involve a trip to the grocery store. Haven't yet decided if I'm walking or driving...we'll see.
Hope everyone has a great day.
Later,

Weigh in and run

197.2 - I'll take it.
Coffee with the girls - fabo! It was good to get all caught up. Breakfast consisted of a Green Monster and 5-shot, non-fat latte.
Farmer's market - equally fabo! Had a falafel wrap from the Greek Ladies...OMG YUM! Stocked up on feta, parmesan, apples, peppers, carrots, pita, cucumbers. I have a happy fridge.
After a brief, somewhat accidental nap, I finally got my butt in gear and went out for run, to get in my scheduled 6km steady run. My goal was to not walk it once, and I was doing really well, until I hit the ice slicked pathways on the east side of the Elbow River. Holy mother...at one point, without my feet moving, I was sliding backwards down a hill! I did not fall though, and finally got through the very nasty patch unscathed.
Garmin says: 52:40:53, 8:46/km, 151 bpm (86%), 357 calories
Slightly slower than the mid week runs, but as I said there were a few spots that I came to a deal halt to try and figure out which way to go.
Heading out to see Up in the Air with H-woman shortly. Mmmmm...2 hours of George Clooney, in all his hotness.
Later,

TGIF

Spent the day recovering from last night's pace run. Ankle still feels good, but both feet were sore first thing this morning. I decided to fully take the day off, and did not go to Boot Camp. The new schedule starts next week.

Since it's Friday, and I do heart Starbucks, I don't bother packing breakfast or lunch. Breakfast today was my usual vente non-fat latte, but since I have 5 shots of espresso, as opposed to the usual 2 (yes, that's right...there's only 2 shots in a vente drink!), the milk is reduced even further, so I count it as 2 pts. I also enjoyed a raspberry wheat scone, but not as much as the lemon cranberry, especially when there's only a 1 point difference. Ten points for a scone is harsh, but it's once a week, if that.

Since today was an 'off' day, I joined the fellas for lunch at the local food court (who all questioned what the heck I was doing when I pulled the camera out of my purse! They would not let me take snaps of them though...sorry...). Not too much in the way of choices here: a sandwich deli, Subway, a Korean place, an Indian place, Jugo Juice, Pita Pit, A&W, a Japanese place and a Chinese place. I went for the safe bet, and got a 6" roast chicken on whole wheat, with cheese & mustard and loads of lettuce, tomato, pickles and hot pickled peppers. Six points. Skipped the bag of chips and/or cookie.

Got back to the office, and after about an hour (and half of my water bottle gone) I decided I was still hungry. Headed downstairs, and bought one of the last bowls of soup left for the day. It was a creamy tomato, but also had a ton of vegetables in it. That filled the hole quite nicely.

Finished the day, with two last minute requests almost completed, and now are pending first thing Monday - one from my new boss and one from a former that retired and now consults for our company. Walked home in nice, albeit breezy weather (wind gusts of 70km an hour!) and after feeding the furbabies, and changing into very comfy clothes, I made my Friday go-to dinner of lemon carbinara pasta and artichoke "salad". The artichoke salad consisted of a jar of water packed artichoke hearts marinated in a tsp of evoo, white wine vinegar and Epicure Roasted Red Pepper dip mix. At the last minute, I added three small roasted red peppers (again, packed in water) to it, to add some more colour and texture. For the pasta, while whole wheat linguine cooked, I whisked together one egg and the juice of one lemon. Once the pasta was cooked, I drained it, reserving about a tbsp of the water, and put the pasta and water in the pot. Pour in the egg mixture, and very quickly, start stirring. The heat from the pot and the pasta will cook the egg, but you have to keep stirring, otherwise you end up with scrambled egg pasta, instead of it turning into a smooth, velvety sauce. Toss in a little bit of parsley and some Parmesan, and BAM, dinner is done!

Looking forward to weigh-in tomorrow, both WW and X-weighted (crazy, I know!). I've got almost 6 hours of exercise time recorded, with the ratio between intense (you should see me sweat at Boot Camp!) and moderate almost evenly split. Because it's not really exercise to me, I don't count my walk to & from work every day, since it's something I've done every day for the last (almost) 10 years. But I did measure it once with my Garmin, and I walk a total of 3.7km 5 days a week. That's almost another 20km a week. Wow.

Really, really looking forward to coffee with the girls, as it looks like all of us will make an appearance! This will be the first time since the beginning of December, I think. Then hopefully H-woman and I will make a run to the Farmer's Market, as that's been since November or even earlier...I am desperate for some good, fresh vegetables. Writing out the list, even as I type. Then I've got to get in a 6km steady run, and prepare for my first clinic group run on Sunday, a long-slow distance of 13km. I'm a little nervous about that, but even if it means I trot in on my own behind every one else, so be it. I have a Garmin; I can set it for 10:1's and I can aim for a good, even pace.

The couch is calling me name, everyone, really it is!

Later,

What have I done???

Tonight was the first night of Marathon Clinic, and I'm afraid!!!! It was a pretty hard-core looking group milling about the Eau Claire Running Room...in fact, most looked like they've all run marathons before...like just last week!!! One lady was discussing Boston, and since you have to qualify for that (which begs the question...how exactly did Valerie Bertinelli (did I spell that right) get in?!?!), she's already run at least one. After intros, Garrath (our leader) decided that we were doing time trials tonight, to take advantage of the fact that it's still +6 at 6:30 in the evening! What the?!?!?!? "Just" a quick 5km run to see which pace group we would start out in. Um...I can tell you that, without even having to go outside, but I'll give it my all anyway. I was last, all the way, but I DID NOT STOP RUNNING the entire 5km!! I am very proud of me just for that alone. I've heard really good comments about Garrath as an instructor, and tonight I found out why. He was waiting for me at the half way point, and ran back the entire 2.5km stride for stride. We talked about my Vancouver experience, and running history, and he even managed to get me to speed up a bit. I was officially last (told everyone someone had to stay with Garrath, so he wouldn't get lonely!) but am feeling a bit better about this group. My time was 39:and change, which is under 8/km, which is my fastest pace in forever. Sadly, the group average is about 2 minutes faster then that. Uh-oh...but someone has to finish last, or we don't know it's over, right?!

Day in recap:

Breakfast - nutella-banana-coconut oatmeal with milk

Lunch - just walked to the bank, as I wasn't sure if we were running tonight or not. Had leftover beef burger, gravy and roasted veggies. But I was still hungry, so I grabbed a spinach salad downstairs, which had about 4 cups of spinach, artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes and feta cheese. I topped it with fat-free Italian dressing. Filled the void, but nothing spectacular.

Had to go the vets after work, to pick up more insulin for Mr. George. Made really good time, as most of the trip was spent in the +15's. If you're not familiar, they are a raised walkway that joins most of the buildings in Calgary's downtown core. I went from 3rd Ave & 5th St SW to 10th Ave & 2nd St SW without having to step outside, or wait for a set of lights to change. Then it was straight up 2nd St to 17th Ave, picked up the insulin and then back home (6th St & 15th Ave)...all in all, a good healthy hike before running club!

Dinner was a very quick omelet, albeit an rather unattractive one. Just once I want it to fold over nicely and stay that way right to the plate. I diced up a couple of roasted red peppers (packed in water) and sweat them off, before adding two stirred eggs with some water and spices (Epicure Roasted Red Pepper dip mix). When it was almost set, I sprinkled on an ounce of goat cheese. It tasted far better then it looked.

Home from run club, and am now debating my weekly schedule. As much as I love/hate Boot Camp, I think I'm going to restrict it to Mondays and Fridays, so that I can focus on running on Wednesday (the group meets Wednesdays and Sundays for group runs, and Thursdays for clinic and a run), because I really want to work on my speed. I'd like to finish a marathon in under 5.5 to 6 hours.

So I think my week will look like this (we'll also see how the foot likes it):

Mondays: 1 hour Boot Camp

Tuesdays: scheduled Tempo run at lunch

Wednesdays: scheduled Tempo (Hills/Fartlek/Race Pace) with the group at 6pm

Thursdays: scheduled Steady Run with group after clinic

Fridays: 1 hour Boot Camp

Saturdays: scheduled Steady Run

Sundays: scheduled LSD with running group

I'm exhausted just looking at it! LOL

Okay...I think I'm hungry (having some water, just to be sure) so I'll have a bowl of Kashi with almond milk (only 3 points and filling), catch a little TV and then hit the sack.

Later,

Haiti

I may be complaining about my sore muscles, about having to lose weight and all the other "struggles" that I endure every day...but I am alive and well and not in Haiti.
Give your thoughts and prayers, and more importantly, help those that can directly help the Haitian people through this unspeakably horrible time.
Samaritan's Purse
Canadian Red Cross
Later,

I heart Boot Camp

My heart hearts Boot Camp...my legs, butt, abs and arms, not so much!! I kid...it was another awesome night, despite being stiff and sore from Monday!

The day started as usual, with my nutella-banana-coconut oatmeal, and a glass of milk. Ran again at lunch, and I am proud to say that I shaved a full 21 seconds...yes...TWENTY-ONE SECONDS off my time from yesterday!!! Celebrate every victory! The sun was shining brightly today, and at +5C, it was a glorious day for a 6km tempo run. Managed to restrict my walking to three brief sessions, just like yesterday, but I really tried to keep up the pace. Even remembered to take the iPod today (don't usually run with it anymore...Vancouver ruined it for me...silly rules!), and decided I really like running to the Black Eyed Peas...good beat that is maintained through-out, which is helpful to maintaining a good running pace.

Returned to the office and ate the last of my turkey meatloaf, a few stalks of celery and a carrot. A 1/2c of lightened coconut yogurt with some All Bran for dessert. Yum. Afternoon snack was an Ambrosia apple. I've been very disappointed the Pink Ladies this year, so switched this week.

Got home, changed, wolfed down a slice of rye with some nutella and headed off to Boot Camp. Trainer Josh decided since he was "so nice" to us on Monday by "taking it easy", he was going to really crank it up today! Uh-oh... We started with a good old cardio session...running up the road leading into Edworthy Park. It's just over a km long and goes up and up and up and up and up! At least his rule was whoever reached the top first, take a quick breather, and then "rescue" everyone else on their way down. Thank goodness...although I made it further than I expected. Next time, I'll make it further, this I vow!

Returned to the meeting spot, and broke out the mats and weights. Started with a countdown: 10 push ups, flip to your back and 10 'raise the roof' (full sit up, while pushing your weight up over your head), 9 push ups, 9 rtr's, 8 and so on. Made it down to 4 before the first person finished (who is this keener?!?) and we could all stop. Then we switched it up to...okay, so I've totally forgotten what Josh calls it, but it amounts to this: do a set of something for 20 seconds, rest for 10, next set for 20, rest 10, etc, for a full 4 minutes. Which honestly flies by! We did burpees for 20, dropped to our backs for drop-leg flies for 20, got back up and did thrusters for 20, rest for 10 and finished off with bent over rows for 20. Rest for 10 and repeat. Then we switched to jump squats (I did sumos) for 20, rest for 10, static leg lunges with flies for 20, rest for 10, switch legs with curls for 20, rest for 10 and finished off with...blanking on this one! We did repeat it all though, for fun! Then we dropped to our mats for alternating 20/10 sets of full body bike and scissors. After all of that fun, we did some planks and ab work to finish up the day. I may have to pay someone to go get my coffee tomorrow morning!

Came home from workout, very sweaty (it's dark by the time boot camp is done, and the temp has dropped to +1 - it was brisk, being all wet and sweaty like that!) and cold. Decided it was best to change into dry clothes and start laundry - I mean really...I've run 6km, I've done an hour boot camp, so why not add 3 loads of laundry that involve 3 flights of stairs (down & then back up again) each!!

Dinner was quick but good...I tossed together cauliflower, broccoli, carrot and brussel sprouts with some evoo and threw it in the toaster oven to roast. I also cubed up a potato and threw that in beside. Cooked a couple of the President's Choice light burgers in a frying pan, and then browned some diced up mushrooms in the pan juices. Meanwhile, I mixed up some Epicure Gravy (new this season) in the microwave - it's low sodium and artificial anything/crappola free. Less than 3 minutes, and I had gravy.

Poured that over the burgers & mushrooms, and let it all meld together. Once all my veggies were nice and toasty brown, dinner was ready. Tasted awesome, but I managed to stop myself from eating it all, and now lunch for tomorrow is all packed away!

Sorry for the long post...I do tend to ramble. Over 5 hours of activity in the X-weighted challenge so far, and I have another 6 km to run tomorrow. That's if I can actually managed to get out of bed!

Later,

The day after

OOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEE........
Good thing Trainer Josh said he'd take it easy on us, since it's the first day back after the holidays. My teeth hurt today! But it is a good pain! I like the pain of stiff muscles, because that tells me I've work. Now when the pain is associated with redness and swelling, that is bad. And thankfully I don't have any of that.

After rediscovering my ab, inner thigh and butt muscles this morning, I walked into work. Breakfast was the usual oatmeal concoction (not tired of it yet), with a turkey meatloaf sandwich waiting for me for lunch. I have to come up with something to jazz it up tomorrow.

Marathon training, which started on Sunday, dictated a 6km tempo run today. The goal of a tempo run is to maintain a heart rate in the 80% range of your maximum for 20-30 minutes. Granted, I am not at the speed to run 6km in 30 minutes, but I was willing to give it my all. I headed east from the office, going under the Centre St Bridge, down to Langevin (4th St E), crossing the river (this is the first point I walked, roughly 1.5km into the run), and returning all the way to 10th St W. Again, I allowed a brief walk (doing my best to maintain a good pace) at 3rd St W, before running to 10th St. Crossed the river again (and walked half way) before running it back in to the finish. I did have to do a weird little loop of the building in order to hit 6, but that's fine. I am pleased with my numbers, and more importantly, how good my foot/ankle felt. Took 49:35 to run 6km, averaging 8:16/km (fastest yet) and maintaining an average HR of 159 (still high at 91%). Also burned off 389 calories.

Went to the chiropractor after work, and after a quick session, he determined that I don't need to see him for about 10 days. Walked home, and whipped into Safeway for some apples, celery, mushrooms (for supper tomorrow) and milk. Finished the walk home (still feeling good!), and started supper.

Actually the chicken was marinating since last night in evoo and Epicure souvlaki seasoning. In order to not c"cook" the chicken, I didn't add the lemon juice until today. Made a salad of green pepper, grape tomatoes, cucumber, kalamata olives and feta cheese. Then I cooked up some orzo pasta to eat on the side. Whole wheat pita and homemade tzatiki (plain yogurt, garlic, cucumber and lemon juice) rounded out the meal.

Oh, and keep an eye on those food labels. The Safeway Eating Right brand of multigrain pita is higher in fat, calories and lower in fibre than good old Safeway Brand whole wheat ones! Good to know. Ate dinner, and am drinking back some water, to offset the salty (but GOOD) olives.

I've already earned 3:21 minutes in activity for the X-weighted Challenge, and will earn even more tomorrow, between the 6km run and Boot Camp. That's if I can get my butt out of the bed, of course.

I am beat...there is no other way to describe it, so I think I'm going to clean up and hit the sack. I was awake for no reason in the middle of the night (menopause popping in for a visit?? I freaking hope not!!) before managing to fall back asleep. But since I got home, I've been barely able to keep my eyes open, even dozing off during the 6 o'clock news!

Later,