A new YEAR, A new GOAL, a new PARTNER!

You all thought I gave up on this blog didn't you? LOL
Well, it is the dead of winter and I have not been out actually running for a few weeks now...But the excitement of the new season has not passed me by. The new race dates have been released and I am pumped! This year should be even better then last. For one thing I am a bit lighter then last year so that should help shave off some time off. And that is my goal. Last year it was all about just finishing the races. This year, I want to mark my races somehow. Either by being in my top ten in age. And God willing...top three in age by the end of the summer. I am going to try. I think it would just be over the top outa this world if I could do it. I mean...Come on...Me? A placer? OMG how amazing would that be?
I have even more incentive this year. I have a new partner! He is only 26lbs right now. But the vet tells me he should be at least 100lbs by summer and is an excellent breed for running.
Everyone say hi to BOB! He is a goldendoodle. So far training for both of us is just about long walks and healing on the leash. So far so good. He has a bit of an issue with being scared of sewers. But the little bursts of running we do do...I can see how great it will be.
I am soooo pumped. Now get me some warmer weather!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know ..it has been a long time ...

Yeah. It is true. I have neglected my blog.

Here is why.....


http://secondlife.com/ss/?u=bd190b9539b891319052e889e531041c


Check it out. It is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much fun. The ultimate Barbie Doll experience with a great way to view new or unsigned bands who live stream. I am seriously over addicted. Come join me!

Five words for you...

I am bringing Sexy Back.
Love me a little JT in the morning!

As you can imagine...if someone took a listen to my ipod on any given day and you close your eyes...You'd think you were in a nightclub.

Secretly...when I am out on the trail and no one is looking...I busta move. Hell...I admit it, I do it when people ARE looking too. LOL!

Back from vacation

I am happy to report I kept up with my running while I was away. We were in Grand Bend and for those of you who know the area you will remember that it is full of rolling dunes. So it was quite a challenge for me going up and down these hills when I am used to the very flat topography of home. The day before we left I ran a 9km route into town from where we were staying. It almost killed me! Those hills knock me out!

I am very very nervous now about the hill training I am starting with my marathon running group on Tuesday. Eeeeeeeeek. I suck!! I need A LOT of practice!!


Anyway side story.... Yesterday I did my long run on this very isolated route. I always have hubby meet me at the end of this route. It was VERY freakin humid and I was not enjoying this run at all. I only saw one person the whole time and had my tunes cracked full out to squeeze an ounce of energy into my mojo...When out of the blue this pack of 6 serious male cyclist came up from behind and whirled past me. I did not hear them coming at all and you should have heard the scream I let out. LOL! Oh my God! It was so primal and out of body I didn't even recognize my own voice. LOL! The guy at the front of the pack said sorry quickly as he past and the last guy was out right laughing and said these things happen. Oh my God.

8km Beat Beethoven Race. My 3rd race.

I was soooooooooooooooo nervous about this race. The premise was that Beethoven's 9th symphony would be played and it is a 50 minute song. So you have to run 8km before the song is over.
Ahhh no easy feat for someone who at her last training run made 8km in 57 minutes.
It was a really hot and humid day. The air was so heavy. The nervousness just kept on building. Then a miracle. A girl I like to run with called me up and said she was back from her trip to Moscow with no trip-lag and wanted to do the race with me. OK. Good. I won't be the only one humiliated by not finishing before the music stops. Phewww.
In the car on the way there...I say to hubby flipping through the radio stations...Find some Duran Duran. And wouldn't you know it, he did. LOL! We thought that was a really good sign.
It started to rain on the way there...But cleared up into just a light sprinkle which was perfect.
This race took place in our little Italy. Which usually at that time of night smells amazing...All the garlic and breads smells wafting through the air.
Well, gag me. By 5k I wanted to hurl from those smells. I couldn't take it anymore. Ack. Garlic and running do not mix. It was set up so we ran through the closed off streets lined with outside patio cafes. So there was crowds cheering us on. It was all to benefit Breast cancer and the International Dragon Boat Races.
This was important for me to be in this race. In fact we cancelled our first night of vacation just to be here for this and the Dragon Boat Race tomorrow for my MIL. She is battling breast cancer for the second time right now and she is well enough to be in her boat tomorrow to race with the Wonderbroads so it was important for us to go watch her.
And she and my FIL surprised me and were there to cheer us on for our races. How cool.
Anyway...I ran with a couple of my running friends and we had a few laughs and we were dead last for most of the way. LOL!
My music and friends really really pushed me through this heat. It sucked and as fun as it was I hated this race. Thank gawd for Laura (Lmo) and her ridiculous love for Thomas Dolby and Blinded me with Science. That came on my ipod at the 7km mark and I sang it out loud. Gave me a boost that is forsure. I could have given up before that point easily.
I came in somewhere at 56minutes. So I skinned one freakin minute off. But like I tell my son... You only have yourself to beat. I was having too much fun with the gals to break from the crowd. I knew I wouldn't beat the maestro so I just hung back. If I had dug deep I think I could have done much better.
He did awesome AGAIN in his kids dash. He is getting quite the collection of shirts and medals.
Well I am tired and need a shower and this blog probably made no sense.
But I am off for vacation! ta ta!

Motivation

Bid me run, and I will strive with things impossible.William Shakespeare

Friendly Comments

An old friend of mine, after hearing about my first 5km race laughed and reminded me at how much I hated gym class in highschool. I did hate it. I admit it. But it was only because a certain huge beast of a male class mate spiked a ball and hit me square in the head and knocked me out, in a so called friendly game of volleyball between the girls and boys class one day. This boy later went on to the NFL. I was just a stepping stone. LOL!
Seems to me, and hubby will vouch, that my head is a magnet for any airborn balls. But this isn't gym class anymore. I actually like this running stuff. I do.
I have come a long way. Yesterday on my long run I tried a new route. I jogged from where I used to live as a girl past where one of my bestfriend's used to live as a girl. I used to sleep over and spend a LOT of time there. But there was always one problem. It was just toooo far for me to walk. And God forbid I had a purse or an overnight bag to carry. I would BEG my Dad to drive me everytime. Now look at me..I am jogging the same route very comfortably and continuing on another 6 0r so km's 23 years later. Amazing.

Quote of the day

Never grow a wish bone where your backbone used to be.
George Shrinks

Flat Nick does his first marathon!

In keeping with the Duran Duran and running theme of this thread I have horked a couple pictures from a friend of mine Shelley. She had the pleasure of entertaining that world traveling Flat Nick Rhodes while she (and he) completed their first ever marathon. It was a really a hard fought race that took some incredible mental and physical strength unlike anything I could even imagine. But like our Nick, she (and he) never gave up, ran with class and still came away with tons of style. And look at that, he never even broke a sweat or had a hair outa place. I love it!! Way to go I am so proud of you both!

On Becoming A Runner

For better or worse, you are the only you that you will ever get. What you decide to do with you is up to you. Tomorrow you will still be you. The question is whether you will move closer today to who you want to be.
-Penquin Wisdom

Ironman

I have been running with a few people who are training for the ironman in Clearwater Florida this year.
Distance:2.4 mi. swim 112 mi. bike 26.2 mi. run
Holy crap.
A few of them have gone into the serious shaving part of their regeime having no body hair left. It was hard to get used to at first...but I have to admit I was rather jealous the other day at the five k. For a few minutes I daydreamed about shaving off my hair. Must feel great.

Oooooooooooooh I did better then I thought......

Overall
242

Gun time
32:37

Class Placing
SF35-39

Gender Place
18/25

Pace/Km
6:32


(the winner of my class was 20:17. Wow. I have a lot of time shaving to do. LOL!)

Happy Canada Day!!!

Today's Canada Day race was fun. The 5K was first. 9am sharp....Oh Canada played then a canon was shot to start the race.
Felt pretty good going out. Pretty hot though. First water stand I dumped two cups over my head. Felt good. On the way back I did the same. Looked like a drowned rat by the time I finished. Unofficial time was 33:28. Shaved a few minutes off my last race. I had hoped for 31 since my race number was 31 but it didn't happen. I think I will be able to do 30 the next time. If the jack asses wouldn't have cut their lawns during the race on the race route, my allergies might not have held me up so much. I had to stop and hork. LOL! What a pretty girl I was.
It was nice this time I had my own cheering squad made up of my son, hubby, niece, nephew and brother and sister inlaw. That was nice to come back too.
The kids dash was after and I swear it was almost a km long. Little guy was pooped after but he loved it. I am so happy he is into exercise like he is. Part of life and no big deal. I am quite proud. Our motto is it doesn't matter if you are first, just have to finish the race to be a winner. Only have yourself to beat.
And we did!

This one goes out to a friend...you know who you are... who can't seem to get back in the game after being sidelined with an injury.


"Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do, begin it. Action has magic, grace and power in it."
Goethe

Today for inspiration I watched the first disc of The Long Way Round with Ewan McGregor and his friend Charlie. I know, it is not about running. But it is about living your dreams and taking the adventure of a life time. That inspires me! Highly recommend the series.

Marathon Training Clinic

For the next 17 or 18 weeks I will be trying to follow my marathon training clinic schedule.
It is based on the hard /easy approach. Meaning longer runs are usually followed by an easy day or rest day. The goal being endurance is build through stress and rest. It is also set up that I will have 2-3 weeks of harder training followed by a week of lighter training.
Right now I am in the base building period where I am gradually building up running to 4-5-6 days of running a week. Also, all my suggested runs are in km's now as opposed to minutes like we did in the first half of this clinic.
In August we start hill training and in September we add track sessions.

My own personal goal is to get over myself. LOL!
I gotta get some sorta mantra or something. Those long runs...I feel everything. I feel the little hair on my eyebrow gasping for air. LOL! It would be so easy to quit. So easy. I really hope I can get to the point where it would be more difficult for me to stop then keep going. That it would kill me to give up. LOL! Where does that come from and can I buy it? Or am I really going to have to dig deep?

So today instead of doing a 5k race and then either running before or after to log my training miles, I opted for just a long run. I wish I had the dedication to do it the otherway..but I don't. When I stop, I am done. LOL!
On my long run I always try to do a soft trail run. I have been doing that so far since spring and this is the first year...(knock on wood) I am injury free. I know that is because of a combination of a few things but I know this helps. Pounding the pavement everyday has got to be rough on a body.


On a side note...I cannot find the Rum Runner thread at DDM. Where the heck is it?

My drill sargent Marty said to us in class the other day that when a race comes up like a 5k and we have a longer training run scheduled on that day, that we should either run to the race or run afterwards to complete those needed km's no matter what.
Yeah.

"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go."

T.S Elliot

My road splits into two directions...Which should I take?

Yesterday after a two week break, my marathon training class resumed. We are now at the point where we have to make decisions. Step up our training to half marathon or the full marathon. That is an easy one for me. HALF! But because of the timing of the training and how far away the Disney race is, I have to decide if I want to participate in any long races like the rest of my class or be a pussy and not really start pushing myself until October when I need to. I feel I have the momentum going right now. I think I might want to do a big race IN October.
There is a really boring fly infested nonciquential race at Point Pelee Sept 24th. Or a HUGE international Half Marathon in October. This one looks freakin amazing. You get to cross over the Detroit Windsor Bridge and go through the tunnel and run the only under water mile race in the world. And lookie here, it is right in my backyard.

Detroit Free Press Marathon


The thing about signing up for races is you have to do it so far in advance cause they sell out. No refunds if you get hurt or you just can't get it together to pull it off.
Do I believe in my heart I can pull it off?
Well yes, I can picture myself running through the finish line.
That darned little voice in my head is saying some really negative things about my body capabilities though. Man, I really gotta learn to tune him out!

And the Results Are In

5Km Moon In June

Over All
135

Gun Time

35:35

Class Placing

SF35-39

Gendar Place

16/24

Pace/KM

7:07