Food!

"Never interrupt someone doing what you said couldn't be done."
-Amelia Earhart

A year ago today I fit perfectly into my favourite pair of size 10 shorts.  Yesterday morning I tried to put them on and they fell right off.  Right down to the floor.  I put on my belt and they still fell down.  Sigh.  This means I need to buy new shorts.  A quick trip downtown yielded great results.  I bought three pairs of shorts and looked at some dresses.  The best news is that I am now a size 4.  Now I know size doesn't matter and blah blah blah but I don't care!  I've never been this size before.  I owe it all to running and eating the right diet for my body.

Yes, I know my handwriting is hideous.  My typing is even worse, somehow.  But as you can see, my grocery list has a focus on produce.  Food passes through my system very quickly, so I prefer to eat foods that my body breaks down quickly.  That's mostly veggies and fruit.  Plus simple grains and seeds.  I'm going to experiment adding greek yoghurt back into my diet.  It's sooo delicious, but my body hates digesting dairy.  It also hates digesting meat, hence my mostly vegan shopping list. 

I don't stick to anything strict when it comes to portions or calorie counting, but I stop eating when I still feel a little hungry.  I function better on small meal throughout the day.  It's fun since it gives the illusion that I'm always eating, yet magically shrinking.

A few rules I try to live by:

1. Eat 3-4 types of fruits and vegetables a day.  Variety is key here.  So is volume.  At least 60% of what I aim to eat is fruits and vegetables.

2. 2 tablespoons of flax and chia every morning.  Omega-3's are important!

3. Oatz!  I only eat rolled oats raw, but I like to eat cooked steel-cut oats when I have the time in the morning.  Oats have more fibre than any other grain, and I think due to my family's heritage we're just made to consume oats. 


I actually spend only around $20-$30 a week on groceries.  The list you see is part of an extended 2-week list aimed to take advantage of sales.  I also try to spread out buying staple items, since they are heavy and can be an investment.  I'm not quite out of potatoes but the store has a 10-lb nag on sale for $2.  I'm debating if I want to buy it or not.  I do have a fixed-up buggie.  But I have at least a week's worth of potatoes still. 

My other internal debate is my run for today.  I really really really want to run this fun, hilly 15k route I mapped out.  The issue is that I realise that I am very strong at running long, slow, hilly routes, and I need to work on speed.  So really I should be going down by the lake and running km repeats or something like that.  Maybe I can somehow combine the two, and run a 15k fartlek with 1-minute sprints every 5 minutes?  That could be crazy fun.  Might be hard to pull off on my route.  Sigh, I think I might go down by the lake.  I really want to work on my speed.

Party and Bullshit

"Some of the world's greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible."
-Doug Larson

I hit another stumbling block in my training plan.  This time I was knocked out with a chest cold, hurray!  I have no problems running while sick, but this close to race day I need to make sure I stay as healthy as possible.  I may even skip my planned long run for today.  I will suppliment with a lot of walking as I have a million things to do today.

Speaking of errands, one thing I dislike about my sleep schedule is how I spend a lot of time waiting around for stores to open/people to wake up.  It's great on days when I have things to accomplish at home, but not so great on days when I need to leave the house.

Here is a picture of my baritone sax, Brimstone.  I don't play nearly as much as I'd like, but I hate practising when others are nearby, so I can only play when my landlord is not home. 

Also, it's been almost a year since the Most Epic Road Trip Ever.  Here is a giant shuttlecock to commemorate the occasion! 

One can never have to many giant shuttlecocks.

Bloggers' Block!

"I don't think jogging is healthy, especially morning jogging. If morning joggers knew how tempting they looked to morning motorists, they would stay home and do sit-ups."
- Rita Rudner 

I dedicate this post to hilarity!  Why?  Because I can, bitches!

Ran some blah km's yesterday.  So blah that I actually had to look up how far I had run so I could tell you all that I ran 5k.  Now there is snow everywhere and I was hoping to run maybe 11 or 12k today.  I'm feeling like a huge slacker, though.  Maybe I'll work on my core or something. 

Here is a picture of my old bike.  He's massive.  I think I've found a new home for him, so I just have to change the tubes and send him off.  *sniffle* We had some good times together tearing up the mean streets of Scarborough.  Nothing quite like rolling through Thompson Park at night, high on E and carrying an 8-ball in my pocket.  Gangstaaaaa!



I've been working in deciding a pace to run my 10k at.  Originally this was just supposed to be a warm-up for my half-marathon, so I was planning on running it closer to my half-marathon pace.  Now that I've decided to focus on the 10k, I figure I can push it a little with my pace.  My fastest 10k sits around 53 or 54 minutes, and that's on a hilly course.  I think I may be able to pull off a steady 5:00/km or faster pace for this run, aiming to finish in under 50 minutes.  Ideally, I figure, if I can run this in under 50:00, I can maybe run my half-marathon under 2:00:00.  That would be pretty sweet.  I'm not even ready to think about pace for my marathon this fall.  I just don't want to throw up on my shoes. 

Supermoon!

"Ask yourself: 'Can I give more?'. The answer is usually: 'Yes'."
-Paul Tergat, Kenyan professional marathoner 

 Really feeling the energy in the air today! 

Yesterday I ran twice.  I did 4.5k on my lunch break, and 5k after work.  I was worried I would feel like shit today, but I don't!  I was even up/out pretty late last night. 

I want to send out a special thank you to everyone who came out last night to support Japan!  $1 500 raised in one pubnight!  Magic was in the air...

I really smoked my 4.5k yesterday, running it in 22 minutes.  I tried to race a streetcar with a co worker on it back to work, but the streetcar won.  Next time, streetcar, next time.  *shakes fist*



Today I ended up wasting alot of energy trying to get through crowds of people on Bloor.  Next time I will run on the south side, or save this route for weekday runs.  I'm really enjoying this new route, since it has lots of hills (yes, I see that as a plus!) and I feel like I'm reall travelling. 

"Anybody can be a runner. We were meant to move. We were meant to run. It's the easiest sport."
-Bill Rodgers


It was such a nice day I decided to do some junk miles through the park.  I did 3 hills and ran about 5k total.  Not bad for a rest day!  Tomorrow I am going to try running twice in one day and see how my body responds.

Back to my run.  My whole body was sore when I got home from work and I was tired.  I wanted to run.  The sun was calling me.  I felt really strong on each interval, keeping my steps light and springy.  I've adjusted my breathing down to a 2-2 pattern on uphills.  I do a 3-3 downhill and on flat ground.  I like odd numbers because I've heard that breathing in and always stepping with the same foot can lead to side stitches.  I'm not sure if it's true or not, but I seem to have a system that works.

This was also my first true run in my Bikilas.  No socks or anything!  Sizing down made such a huge difference.  I don't have any hotspots or soreness on my soles, and feeling the wind on my ankles was refreshing.  I overdressed a little, going out in shorts, a t-shirt, a sweater, and gloves, when really I should have just been in a long sleeved shirt and no gloves. 

I was feeling some tightness in my left calf this time, and I think it may be due to my left toe being hurt.  My form may have been off yesterday, which put too much stress on the muscle.  Live and learn.  I paid close attention to my form today.  Only once (at the top of my third hill) did I really start to feel my heart pound.  I was worried my cardio-vascular system would be out of shape, but it seems to be right where I left it last October. 

I've figured out that I can run on my lunch break by just taking my running gear to work and changing.  In this weather I won't get sweaty, plus I wouldn't be running more than 3k or so.

"Run Free!~"
-Caballo Blanco 

Concerning Hobbits

"You also need to look back, not just at the people who are running behind you but especially at those who don't run and never will... those who run but don't race...those who started training for a race but didn't carry through...those who got to the starting line but didn't in the finish line...those who once raced better than you but no longer run at all. You're still here. Take pride in wherever you finish. Look at all the people you've outlasted."
- Joe Henderson 

I fell asleep on my couch last night and woke up at 3am.  I must have fallen asleep at 20:00.  That means I got 7 hours of sleep.  That's about 2 hours more than I usually get, so my body must be really worn out.

Breakfast this morning:

I know it looks like crap, but it was delicious.  I cubed up two potatoes and boiled them in salted water for about 15 minutes.  Then I sauteed them in a pan with an onion and some pumpkin seeds.  Once that started to brown (due to carmelization in the onions and the Maillard Reaction in the potatoes) I tossed in one red bell pepper.  Cooked that shit for 5 more minutes addings herbs and spices.  In the background I have an earl grey tea with vanilla almond milk.  Gangstaaaa

I'll hopefully find a way to post my training schedule up here later today.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire...

"It hurts up to a point and then it doesn't get any worse"
-Ann Trason

Truer words have never been spoken!  That's my mantra when I really start to hurt, which is pretty much all the time.  Between my leg and my shoulders I'm pretty much experiencing some degree of pain or discomfort.  You know what I find works?  Running!  It just loosens everything up.  Plus running makes you sore, but in a good way. 

So today I ran 6.11k in 38:42.  Not the greatest time, but considering the last half was uphill and I'm still running out the cobwebs, I'm pleased with myself.  I felt like utter shit when I started.  Sore and tired!  I somehow pushed through it and even conquered the Hater.  You'll remember him from my last post.

I did this run in my Flows, since I can wear socks with them.  The bottoms of my feet are soft and girly after a long winter, so my skin would protest if I wore VFFs without socks.  Yes, I have to buy expensive toe socks to wear with my crazy shoes.  Anyway, my Flows are nice and warm, but it was damp and my feet just felt clammy the whole time. 

My calves were feeling a little tight after having my feet in coffins all winter, but nothing cramped up or got too uncomfortable.  I did a round of stretches at the halfway point.  I marked my split at the usual halfway point (2.5k) and I think it was 15:00 something.  I made good time. 

Now, I want to address cross-training a little bit here.  When I trained for my half-marathon I didn't cross-train at all.  Unless you count volleyball once a week and the occasional rollerblade.  Now, I know you're supposed to cross-train and blah blah blah but I've just never felt like I had time.  "Those are hours I could be running!" I would tell myself.

This year I wanted to be different.  I bought a bike and have added cycling into my workouts.  The problem is I haven't cycled since college (two years ago) and am super rusty.  Here comes the issue.  Because of soreness from cross-training yesterday, I feel as though my running performance today suffered.  Is this just an inevitable double-edged sword?

Journey in the Dark

"Running is not, as it so often seems, only about what you did in your last race or about how many miles you ran last week. It is, in a much more important way, about community, about appreciating all the miles run by other runners, too."
--Richard O'Brien


My new bike is finally home!  She's soooo tiny.  I still need to make a few adjustments.  The dorky reflectors are coming off and being replaced with lights, and I need to push the seat back.  I'm also removing the toe clips.  They just don't work well with my VFF's.  One day I will invest in proper cycling shoes and clipless pedals.  Right now I'm still getting used to the drop handle bars.

I may have fallen off my bike after getting caught in the toe clips.  This may or may not have caused me to injure my left big toe.  That poor thing just can't get a break.  I blackened the toe nail (sexy, eh?) setting a 5k PR back in the fall (stupid streetcar tracks).

Dinner Monday night was a spinach salad with half a yellow bell pepper and some whole wheat pasta and organic tomato sauce from work.  It was uninspiring, but yummy.  I should be making a vegan curry today, or maybe a pizza. 

I locked myself in my laundry room yesterday by mistake.  It was terrifying.  I didn't have my phone on my or anything.  Thankfully I grew up in Scarlem, and have opened a few locked doors in my time.

This is my favourite hill in the whole world.  This picture cannot do it justice.  It starts off steady and then gets steeper and steeper if you stay on the sidewalk.  We used to not get along, this hill and I, but last fall I made him my bitch, and now we get along just fine.

Monday is my planned hill day, where I run intervals up and down him.  It's really fun when other runners are around as well!  Cyclists always look like they are in pain when climbing him, but runners look sort of happy, in a crazied, maniacal way.

My toe now has me even more worried about the Goodlife Fitness Half-Marathon.  I keep reminding myself that it's still two months away.  My 10k is less than 6 weeks away, so maybe that's what I'm secretly afraid of.  Distance doesn't scare me as much as speed.

 I'm thinking of switching my blog over to wordpress...

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. "

-Winston Churchill

NEW BIKE!!!!!

Holy crap, am I ever excited.  I get to pick her up on Tuesday!

Yeah, she's kinda pink.  I wanted the red one but it was just too big.  I would have had to have the seat all the way down, and that's not ideal.  This bike is made specifically for women, so not only is the frame shorter, but the distance from the seat to the handle bars is shorter.  I actually think I may even raise the seat up a little more, but I'll see once the handlebars are rotated properly.  Right now they're tilted 'back' too far for me to comfortable reach the brakes.  Brakes are kinda important in the city.

 

I just realised the people at the store forgot to take the safety clip thingy off my gloves.  I think I can pry it off by Tuesday.

No matter how cool the helmet looks on the shelf, I will always look like a dork while wearing one.  My head is just not meant to look good in a helmet.  

This is my last large planned expense for awhile, which feels awesome.  My next big expense will be this fall, when I buy a roller to train indoors in the cold weather. 

This morning I was very confused as to what time it was.  I set half the clocks in my house forward last night, and then forgot that I had done so when I woke up.  Thankfully I realised what was going on before I showed up to work on hour early.  Then I went to go pick up a co worker and was an hour early.  Sigh, stupid DST!

I felt like I had no time to eat breakfast this morning so I made myself a delicious mug of mocha.

What a complete breakfast!

This was when I realised my clock confusion.  I then found the time to prepare 7 servings of what I suppose is muesli mix.  Raw oats, chia, flax, pumpkin seeds, raisins, and cinnamon.  I can just grab one and add some almond milk and be all set now.

With the almond milk it comes out to around 250 calories, so pretty close to what I aim to eat before work.  I would generally add blueberries to the mix, or maybe a banana.

 

Three more days until I can start running.  I am going to cheat and ride my bike on Tuesday if the weather is decent.  I won't go far, I promise!  All this inactivity is really bugging me.  

 

I've increased my daily meditation from two 45-minute sessions up to three.  That's given me a decent energy outlet, as well as a few side projects I've been working on.  I think I may be burning myself out a little, energetically.  With the equinox next week and Beltaine just around the corner my system is in overdrive.  

Still trying to remove this stupid security tag.  Any advice?

Paying it forward

"We run, not because we think it is doing us good, but because we enjoy it and cannot help ourselves...The more restricted our society and work become, the more necessary it will be to find some outlet for this craving for freedom. No one can say, 'You must not run faster than this, or jump higher than that.' The human spirit is indomitable."
-Sir Roger Bannister, first runner to run a sub-4 minute mile 

My delicious dinner!

Spinach

Bean Sprouts

1/2 Yellow Pepper

1/8 cup Chick Peas

Olive Oil + Balsalmic

I've been sidelined with a head injury for almost two weeks now, and it's given me a lot of time to think about why I run, why others run, and why some people don't run.  Sometimes all it takes is one bad run to ruin the experience.  But I don't think it has to be this way!  I'm currently working on my own running "comeback".  I've struggled to find motivation since the fall, but I've finally pulled myself out of that hole.  It really just comes back to being fully in control of everything.  When I run, I feel extremely tuned-in to my body and my surroundings.  I'm not limited by bus stops and paved roads.  It's a very nice feeling.  Exploring my neighborhood has also been pretty fun, too.  I found a relaxing meditation spot down by the lake, and nothing is more rewarding halfway through a long run than taking a minute to watch the boats at the marina.

 

Once upon a time...

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."
-John Bingham, running speaker and writer

When I was a child I loved being active.  I was on every team at school, including the spots that my school only had a boys' team for (soccer, floor hockey).  I was on the track team, and represented my school for almost half the events.  By the time I was 12 I could run 2.5k in 9 minutes.  That may not seem impressive (and trust me, it isn't) but for me, that was pretty awesome.  By high school I had to make a choice: sports, or music.  I picked music.  I barely moved my body for 5 years while I was in high school.  I couldn't have run next door without sucking wind.  Eventually it all caught up to me.  I had spent so many years abusing my body that something finally clicked.  All of a sudden I gave a crap about what I ate, and how active I was.

It was October 2009.  My main excuse was I couldn't run because of my heart murmur.  "My doctor says I don't have the endurance that others do, so why would I even try?".  Bullshit!  Someone finally called me on my bullshit.  For years I had been coming up with reasons NOT to run.  Then one day a friend went for a run, and stopped by to visit at work.  He looked really good, he had a huge smile and that "glow" that you get after a good hard run.  I told him that I always wanted to run but couldn't.  It turns out he had a heart murmur as well, and could run just fine.  Did he have to work harder at it?  Maybe.  But who cares?  The harder you work, the more fun you have.  Anyway, I was now out of excuses.  On October 31st I decided to become a runner.  I put on some huge sneakers, and tried to assemble what I thought my "sportiest" outfit was (cargo pants, a cotton t-shirt, and a hoodie).  I must have looked ridiculous.  I couldn't even get to the end of my block.  But I kept going.  I would run until I thought I was going to die, and then I would walk it off, and then I would run until I thought I was going to die...you get the picture.  Eventually I could run for 6 minutes at a time.  That was a big deal for me.  That was ANY song on my iPod.  I could run and listen to a WHOLE song.

I don't remember what made decide I wanted to run a half-marathon.  Insanity, most likely.  I couldn't even run 4k at this point.  It was the middle of January, 2010.  This is when I made the switch to proper (sort of) running gear.  I bought some running pants (I was not yet ready for tights) and a running sweater, and an olympic hat to make me feel like a champ.  I ran 6k that month.  I thought my ass was going to freeze off.  I had to stop due to ass coldness.  It was the first time something gave out before my lungs.  That was very empowering.  My lungs were now more powerful than my ass.

  That's my leg on the right, in April of 2010.  We were comparing leg whiteness, but you can see how much my calves have developed.  I would later learn that that was due to my running form, but more on that for another post.

In early May I bought my first pair of Vibram FiveFingers.  Those are the KSO's with white Injinji toe socks.  My toe socks were vital since the skin on my feet was soft, so running more than 1k was torture.  I also now realise I am a size smaller than I thought, so I may not need the socks anymore.

Spring turned to summer, where I hurt my achilles on a hot day.  I've learned to listen to my body now.  Summer turned to fall.  Joined a beach volleyball league.  Cue 1 month before my half-marathon.  My right foot gets STOMPED on up at the net.  This is right at the peak of my training.  I was out for a very long time.  I missed my longest run of 18k (I had only run 16k at this point) and ended up not running for about 3 weeks.  I was completely panicked about my race at this point.  I had to trust my training.

My foot healed up just in time for me to get a cold.  I maybe did a 5k the week before my race.  On the plus side, race day morning everything went better than expected.  I even felt better than expected while running.  I'll put up a full race report some other time.

I lost my spark for running after this.  It just wasn't the same without the crowds and the bands and the free gatorade.  I had a few shit runs on my own, and a shit run with a friend.  It was over at this point.  Too icy, too cold, too tired, too lazy.  I even had a new pair of VFFs, the Flows.

 

More on how I feel about the Flows later!  I think we're pretty much up to date now, except I have the Bikilas and the Classics, and I love them both dearly.

Hopefully there will be more to come in the near future!