Okay so it’s not my favorite type of run but there are days when I just don’t have a choice. Today was one of them.
Granted the rain is melting away what’s left of the snow and cleaning up the city but it’s also bone chilling to be sweaty and rain soaked at the same time! The good part is that it pushed me to keep running no matter what in an effort to stay warm!!
These were my thoughts during this morning’s rainy run……
So my rainy run turned out to be fun after all and now that I have these 5 reasons, I will have no excuse but to get out there again next time it rains!
I am a month and a half away from my first race of the season and super excited about it! It’s amazing to see how far things have come in just one year. Last year at this time I was prepping for my first race EVER -a 2km run at Ottawa race weekend. At that time, I had never run with others, never followed a training plan, still ate whatever I wanted without much thought put into it and never even attended a race as a spectator. Yet I thought I prepared…..Lol!
I had no idea what to expect and had no idea how much I would fall in love with racing. I loved the crowds, I loved the excitement in the air, the feeling of anticipation at the starting line and most of all the feeling of being a superstar at the end! Okay maybe I didn’t love everything in between those moments though….
A year ago I thought 2km would be an easy race. Boy was I wrong. Although I had been running a few months by that point I had no idea how difficult it would be, especially when you throw in incredibly hot weather, hundreds of other people, nerves, walkers with strollers and more….I especially didn’t anticipate preteen boys zooming past me calling out “excuse me ma’am!” as they went. Yep…that was a humbling moment for sure.
There was about 2 minutes of that race where I thought I was the bomb then another 9 and half minutes where I kept telling myself to continue moving or risk dying of total embarrassment on the course. However I managed to get through it and came out truly loving the intensity of it all. It was only afterwards when I found out that I had pneumonia and was ridiculously sick that I actually felt better about hard it had been! 😉 Check out the full story of my first race HERE!
Since that moment so much has changed. I have read a lot and feel much more educated. I’ve learned how to train properly, how to fuel properly and how to build mental strength. I have now run several races-mostly 5km’s and one previous 10km. The 10km was tough but so worth the feeling of accomplishment at the end. It was actually my favorite race to date. This year I chose to go back to Ottawa Race weekend to honor the moment of how I started racing. However this time instead of it being my first race, it is my warm up race to a season of much more intense running. This time I will run the 10km and aim to make better time than I did in November. See the full story of my November 10km HERE. Later this season I’m registered to run a half and a full marathon so this race weekend is an important one for me as it lays the groundwork for the bigger races down the line.
This time I will not be running while battling un-diagnosed pneumonia! This time I am running with so much more more. Not just with good respiratory health but with better eating habits, much more intense training behind me and a stronger mental mindset. Last year Ottawa Race weekend symbolized the beginning of my running journey. This year Ottawa Race weekend is even more symbolic to me as each step I take is one step closer to completing my ultimate goal of completing a full marathon.
A month and a half to go….1 year RACE-A-VERSARY here I come!!
When I first started running, I ran too fast and couldn’t keep it up for very long. As time passed, I read more, learned more and tried to understand the concept of pacing. I’m an all or nothing kind of person, so this concept didn’t come easily to me. I’m also a dancer. Dancers are great as sprinters but in general we do not excel at anything long distance. We can give it our all in a 4 minute routine to the point where we need to crawl offstage but ask us to maintain high intensity for longer than that and most of us will need bring in our understudy!
I ran my first 10km in Novemberand truth be told I wasn’t really ready to do so. At that point I was not able to run a solid 10km without taking walking breaks. However I completed the race in an hour, walked at certain points when I had to and still loved every minute.
I also have zero patience for anything math related. So counting, calculating blah, blah, it all just puts me to sleep zzzzzz…. What I needed in order to properly understand pacing was to very simply learn to listen to my body. Not listen and ignore like I usually do but actually hear, listen, understand and comply.
Now that I am officially training for my first half and full marathon, I am taking this concept much more seriously. One of my short term goals this month was to figure out how to pace myself properly in order to run without stopping. I am happy to report that I have finally made significant progress! Today I ran 11km without stopping and progressively ran faster as I went. I was not out of breath and it wasn’t even that difficult. In fact at one point I realized my mouth was closed and I was still breathing through my nose! Yay!!! 🙂
As I approached my target distance, the feeling was exhilarating! By the end I was grinning like a Cheshire cat and people at the gym were staring at me wondering if I had run so much that I had officially lost my mind.
Finally! Finally, I have listened to my body and followed its lead.
Here are the 7 steps that helped me to run 11km without stopping:
Start already warmed up (walk, stretch etc…be active and break a sweat for 10 minutes prior to starting the run)
Start running but keep it slower than what feels comfortable 0-1km
Maintain a slow to medium pace until it is no longer awkward but actually feels comfortable 1-3km
Step it up a few notches but only enough to feel it slightly 3-6km
Put on some motivating tunes, get competitive with myself and push into some serious running 6-8km
Run as fast as I possibly can 8-10km
Push to run even faster than I ever thought I could 10-11km
Step 4 is by far the hardest step mentally for me.This is the part when the little devil on my shoulder eating the bag of chips starts talking to me. Today wasn’t too bad though, I knew he was there but I didn’t give him too much attention. Every time my thoughts wandered over to that corner of my mind, I consciously changed the subject -new song, new focus etc…
After a couple of weeks of testing this method, I feel comfortable finally saying that I have achieved this month’s goal and I am ready to move on to start working on February’s goal of running 15km or more without stopping. I need to get to 21.1km for the half marathon and today I finally feel like it’s within reach! My body has shared a special secret with me and my mind has finally listened….it’s all about the pacing baby!
#SweatPink, also known by its parent company, Fit Approach, is an awesome movement and an inspiring lifestyle for girls and women of all ages and fitness levels.
It’s mission?…. “We believe that kicking ass is best done in pretty shoes. We’ve learned that real women sweat, and sweat hard. We know that assertiveness, strength, and ambition are the ultimate feminine qualities. We concede that sometimes it takes hours to get ready, but we’re also no strangers to just rolling out of bed and going. We’re convinced that we run faster in pink shoelaces. We believe in pushing ourselves, and we believe in giving ourselves a break, too. We’re all about the rush of endorphins and the thrill of the challenge. We’re all for looking great and feeling even better. We’re committed to finding our best fit, and making it stick.
I love this way of thinking and I can’t think of anything more perfect to associate my name to 🙂
What does being part of this awesome network of women actually mean? Well, I get some sassy pink shoelaces for myself and everyone I know! Let’s just say there will be a lot of Montrealers sporting pink shoelaces very very soon!! 😉 These shoelaces represent the notion that one should NEVER underestimate a woman’s strength and power just because she looks dainty and feminine! Hell ya!!
In training news, I am keeping up with the gym 3 times a week and despite the lack of outdoorsy connection which I so enjoy, I am getting used to the treadmill/track and shall I say starting to actually enjoy?!! the process!! Wow….I never saw that coming!
Also I have started planning my spring and summer race schedule!! Yay! I just registered for a 10km at the end of May. Although I’m hoping to find another 10km that fits my schedule earlier towards the end of April. Unfortunately for my running, spring is a busy time of year for my business. It’s dance competition season and that means that I spend a lot of time rehearsing for competitions and traveling with my team. Although that often means I’m out of town during the early spring races, it also means I will get to run in new locations which is always fun!
My goal is to run at least 2 10km races in the spring and then hit up the half marathon towards the end of the summer 🙂 🙂
All the stress and preparation from last week has come to an end and the big road trip was completed in record time. My family and I have finally arrived in Connecticut 🙂 There’s nothing like pulling up into the driveway and greeting loved ones you haven’t seen in months, gathering around the table to share food and memories and just plain old relaxing on the couch and catching up on movies.
All of this has the makings for a great holiday season. This and……..NO SNOW!!! So fabulous holiday running here I come! First of all the view from my room this morning was just amazing and inspirational. If this doesn’t get you excited to go outside, nothing will!
I must admit that I bounded out of the house this morning like an overexcited puppy. I just couldn’t wait to get outside and run without slipping on the ice, tripping in heavy snow, avoiding snowplows and wearing 10 layers of clothing! It didn’t even matter that it was raining hard. It was misty, cool and I ran admiring the beauty of nature all around me and enjoying the rain in my face.
I even ran along the beach, drinking in the salty smell of the water. It was one of the loveliest 10km I have ever run! There is a particular joy in running in a new location; not really knowing where you are going, not checking the time, just turning down streets and paths in the hopes of discovering something new and interesting.
I am so grateful for this week and the opportunity I have to be with family during the holidays and run in such an inspiring and beautiful location. This week I will drink it all in, taking advantage of the beauty of this lovely little town and it’s scenery. Each day I will run longer, faster and better than the day before. After 5 days, I will rest for 2 then conquer my upcoming race!!
Wishing everyone a fabulous holiday week and a very Merry Christmas! Hoping Santa is good to all of you tomorrow evening 😉 See you Friday, happy holiday running!
I did it!! I finally had a good training week despite the snowstorm!! This week has been my get back on track week after being sick and succumbing to nasty winter slushy weather. I got three runs in this week, each progressively getting better despite the snow!!
Tuesday 5km, Wednesday 8km, Thursday was a rest day in part due to the storm and just because I needed the rest and then today….finally got my 10km 🙂
I haven’t run 10km in a couple of weeks and boy did it feel good! This week’s snowstorm was our first really big one of the season but lots of snow also means really nice mild running conditions. As long as the streets, trails and pathways have been cleared it’s a great time for winter running. Luckily my area was well cleared and easy to navigate through, which helped to get me back on track.
Winter running can actually be a beautiful and surreal experience. When everything is covered in snow, the world looks like a magical fantasy land. Everyday items like a lamp post or fence all of a sudden have softened and have mystical qualities. The trees heavy with snow become misshapen yet remarkable. By taking the time to really breathe in beauty of the snow while running, my mind flowed towards these words…..(apologies for mix of languages, my thought process sometimes does that!)
Magical majestic white flocons de neige
A beautiful tempête whirls dans l’air
Comme un ange that dances in the rays du soleil
We welcome l’hiver once again
So much beauty and wonder in can be found along a good snowy running trail. I wish everyone could experience it! That is of course if you remember to slow down and look up! Sometimes that’ s hard to do, especially if it’s icy but this week was all nicely packed snow 🙂
After this fabulous week I feel much more confident about the upcoming race and I still have a good 2.5 weeks to go! Next week I will take a couple of opportunities to train on the actual course. Then I’m off to Connecticut for a week where I can boost up my speed running without any snow!! So excited for that!
The race is on the 30th, then once the New Year’s deals hit, gym membership it is. I have been grudgingly talking about joining a gym for a while now and every time I do my mood turns sour….so now I decided to look at it another way. Instead of griping about having to go to the gym, I am getting psyched to do so because once January and gym time begin, there will only be 3 short months before the snow is gone and spring is here 🙂
Okay so I’m still on a high from last weekend’s race!! It was so incredible!!
However I’ve encountered a new problem…finding winter races to enter! Okay so I get it…it’s Montreal and we’re getting very close to snow season but it’s really hard to stay motivated without an upcoming race to focus on! Up until now I have always registered for another race within a few days of finishing one. This has kept me excited, motivated and most of all encouraged me not to slack off. I love researching new races, locations and courses.
Now without this excitement, I’m feeling a little lost….
So far I have only found one “Resolution Run”on Dec 31st which I will most likely sign up for but it’s only a 5km and I had really wanted to get in another 10km before the spring.There are a couple of “Blizzard Runs”in February but honestly the thought of running a race in the coldest month of the year, potentially during a snowstorm literally makes me freeze up!! Destination races are not possible for me right now and so you would think that cold weather climates might have indoor races during winter but these too seem hard to find in my immediate area.
So I am calling on my fellow runners for some help…..
How do you stay motivated without having an upcoming race to work towards?
This past Sunday I ran my first 10km race! Words can barely express the emotion of that day and those moments during the race. I am still on a high and my legs are still recovering!
My time was 1hr6min. Not fabulous by any means but I am happy anyway as it was my first attempt at a 10km. My goal was to make it through at a comfortable pace and enjoy the experience, which I did. However….I did also notice that I had made it to the 5km mark by 27min into the race! This would have been a HUGE PR for me if this had been a 5km race! My last PR for a 5km was 30min back in late September. The second half of the race slowed me down mostly because of the insanely large hill! However the satisfaction of my time in the first half totally made up for it 😉
So here goes the full 10km story!
We changed the clocks back an hour the night before the race which technically meant we all got an extra hour of sleep….lol…never mind. The kids woke up at 4:30am which was really 5:30am according to their internal body clock. It was a very early start but honestly I was just too excited to care. We had extra time to eat, relax and get organized without the usual rushing and craziness of a typical race morning.
The weather was just perfection! The snow held off and although it was just below zero degrees, the sun was shining and the skies were blue. It was so beautiful!
Excited to begin!!
The race was organized by the Running Room and was in support of a local charity for the intellectually handicapped. The location was just magnificent. Oka National Park. It is so beautiful. Words cannot express the sense of peace that overwhelms you as you enter the park. I actually felt guilty that it’s only 1hr30min from my house and I had never been there before. Made a mental note to return soon….great running trails, beautiful beach, camp sites, ski trails…..basically fun family activities for all seasons 🙂
View from the chalet
In addition to my husband and kids, this was the first race that my mom attended. She had never been to a race before and it was so nice to have her there. Nothing like your mom cheering you on to make you feel like a superstar!
My mom’s first time attending a race
1500 people ran the 10km. It was a good crowd, not too huge but large enough to get some good energy going as we warmed up. Excitement and anticipation filled the crisp fall air….and then something strange happened. In the last few minutes before starting I felt overcome with emotion. I was chatting away with the other runners and stretching when it just hit me. I got all choked up. I felt so grateful for this beautiful day, for my family, for doing something that makes me feel so amazing and being able to enjoy the outdoors surrounded by other happy runners. This had never happened to me before and it totally took me by surprise. Other than the not so practical side of holding back the tears as you begin to run, it was a very inspiring way to begin a race!
As I mentioned earlier, the first half of the race I was super speedy and thrilled about it! Second half was a lot harder but I pushed through and even manged to snap a pic of the gorgeous view of the last 2km as I ran! This probably didn’t gain me any respect among the serious runners…they most likely thought I was some kind of crazy running tourist! LOL
Can’t believe I took this while running!
As I came towards the end of the race, I realized that I needed to enjoy these last few minutes because it was almost over. This was another first for me…up till now the only thoughts in my head towards the end of a race have been: is it over yet…I can’t breathe…I’m not going to make it…and OMG, my legs HURT!! This time was different, yes I could feel all those things but my mind was in a place of calmness, peacefulness and appreciation. It was surreal and beautiful.
Hubby snapped this pic (that’s me running in the red shirt) in the last km of the race.
In a flash it was over. What seemed like an event with so much lead up was now gone.
What an experience! And a new medal to show for it 🙂
new medal to add to the collection!
I crossed the finish line and for the first time ever after a race….I was STARVING! Never before have I been so happy to get my medal and move on the snack tent! Mmmmm….bagels, fruit, chocolate milk….ahhhhh…happiness! I quickly ate as much as I could before heading up the hill to meet the family. I could see my kids running down towards me screaming “I WANT A BAGEL TOO!!” I quickly ate as fast as possible before I had to hand over the rest of my snacks to them….sigh…always a mommy!!
After relaxing in the chalet and having lunch overlooking the water, we took the ferry back across the lake and headed for home. What a beautiful day. I couldn’t have asked for a better first 10km experience!
On the ferry!
Beautiful view from the ferry as we crossed the lake.
2 days to go till my biggest race ever! I am super excited but also SUPER nervous!!!
So many “firsts” this Sunday…
First 10km race
First trail run
First time racing in colder weather….-1 Celsius is predicted for Sunday morning!
First time racing with Daylight Savings Time…which actually may help as I will get in 1 extra hour of sleep!
First time racing after eating too much Halloween candy!!-this problem has actually been going on all week and it’s not even trick or treating time yet!
I would have liked to go into this race with a good 9-10 weeks of 10km training behind me but truth be told it’s only been 5 weeks since my last race which was a 5km. I’m pretty sure that I’ll be okay to run 8km without any issues but those last 2km might just do me in! However, even if I crawl my way to the finish line at least I will have finished the race and can say I’ve completed a 10km.
Then I can eat more Halloween candy!!! Bahahahahahahaaaaa 😉
All joking aside, I am really looking forward to accomplishing the goal of running 10km. Once I’ve done it, I can then focus on training to get a PR in a 10km. I am pretty competitive so aiming for a PR always seems to push me to do my best.
However before I go thinking too far ahead to PR’s, I just need to be on my game for Sunday. So in order to be fully rested, I’m not running till the race. I also need to nix the Halloween candy so……no running, no candy…..OMG I will definitely need another form of therapy!
I am so excited I can barely breathe! My ultimate motivator….the man who can get me and millions of others moving, cheering and raising productivity like no other is coming to the NY area in March and I have TICKETS!!!
Going to see Tony Robbins #UPWNewYork baby!
I attended a Tony Robbins seminar about 8 years ago in Montreal and in one weekend, he totally changed my perspective on life, business and relationships. His teachings helped me to pursue all the things that I wanted and for a long time it was good, really good. However, as the years passed I became distracted by life and let go of some of the tools I had learned. With time, as many of us do, I lost my way a bit.
Last year when I took up running, I started listening to his seminars as I ran. By returning to the teachings I had originally learned from Tony Robbins, I was once again able to make changes in my life. I have since regained much of the confidence, personal power and motivation from years prior. I have once again raised my levels of productivity, my motivation is at an all time high and so far the results have been far better than I could have ever imagined! Most importantly, with these changes I have also begun to practice daily gratefulness for the abundance of love, health and current success that I have in my life.
So….. when I heard that Tony was coming to New York, I knew I had to attend and see him live again! I needed something extra, something a little crazy, something a little Tony 😉
Fire walk experience here I come!Nothing like walking across burning hot coals to make you feel invincible!
This year, I have some major running goals to achieve, a new business idea that needs to be realized and above all else I have this desire to make a difference in the lives of others. So pursuing these goals while having in mind that I will be recharged by Tony Robbins himself in just a few months, is overwhelmingly HUGE to me!
And…..this development was perfect timing to take me through my last week of training before my first 10km race on Sunday! I am super pumped for this 10km and although it’s freezing cold outside and there’s light snow predicted for the day before the race, I don’t care.
I am going to rock this 10km and have the most amazing time doing it 🙂
This race symbolizes to me the end of my first year of running and the beginning of some serious training for year 2. It was hard to get off the couch and start running and I have a feeling it will be even harder in phase 2. However, moving from 10km to the half and then to the full marathon with Tony Robbins and his words of wisdom in my head, I know I can accomplish ANYTHING!
Nothing like supreme motivation during the last few days before my first 10km race!
Montreal Runner Mom 