No running

I haven't been running recently. Just not in the mood, nor feeling 100%... I really need to get out, but I'm tired of the trails, hills, and uneven roads here. Looking forward to some flat routes when I get home.

And as for today, I was supposed to head out, but think I'll wait a bit, maybe the wind will peter out...

Priorities....

A couple of days ago, Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point posted today about a presentation at the Healthy Living Summit about orgainziation and Priorities.

Caitlyn posed the following questions: What are your priorities? What do you want to pay more attention to? What extraneous commitments do you wish you could focus less on? Sometimes just putting it down on paper can help make it a reality!

Step one: Realize that there are 168 hours in the week. 56 of those hours should probably be spent asleep. In order to maximize our time and schedule in ‘free time,’ we need to be more aware about how we spend our energy.


I really try to get 8 hours of sleep a night, but realistically I get 7 or 7.5 average... I am trying, and think I'm doing much better as I used to get 6-7 hours.

Step two: List out your priorities. Some of these priorities are negotiable and some are probably non-negotiable. Of course, these priorities are different for other people.

Here’s my list in order of priority:
* My husband and kids
* Getting an adequate amount of sleep
* Working out 5 times a week/training for my upcoming half marathon
* Shopping for and preparing healthy meals
* Being there for my kids and helping at their school
* Keeping active with my husband and kids
* Sewing and Crafting
* Spending time with family and friends
* Interacting with other bloggers and reading other blogs
* Volunteering with three programs the kids are involved in
* Reading actual books, relaxing, and writing for pleasure
* Watching my favourite television shows

Step three: Identify which priorities you can downgrade or drop completely. Also identify new priorities that you would like to focus more on.


In the fall I will be taking on more care of my Grandmother as my mom will be out of town. This will include weekly trips to visit her for approximately 6 weeks. I really enjoy spending time with her and will schedule it in.

My youngest starts Kindergarten and will be attending full days (the first year of full day kindergarten available here). I will be volunteering now with 3 kids in the same school and helping in all 3 classes. I hope that I can be of assistance to the Kindergarten teacher as she transitions to teaching this new program -- there has already been a call out for volunteers with group reading, family lunch times and other activities. I will also be helping the running program at the school to get my older two kids involved again.

The volunteering include being a Spark (Girl Guide) leader, the webmaster for a dance association and the secretary for the school PAC. I hope to get organized and schedule time for these so I don't have to do anything in a rush. I want to be planned and organized ahead of time. And to keep the prep time spent on this under 1 hours a week; plus the weekly spark meeting, monthly PAC meeting and quarterly dance meeting.

Truthfully I'd love to be able to drop the shopping, cooking, cleaning, etc - but realistically that's not going to happen. I hope to work on getting a routine set to get these done while the kids are at school and meals planned ahead

Step four: Get organized by using a paper calendar or online calendar. Look for ways to plan ahead so your priorities get accomplished and you don’t feel overwhelmed.


I already use Google Calendar to plan my families activities. I also keep a paper calendar in the kitchen and a white board calendar on the fridge. It works -- most of the time!

A Short? 10km

Today I ran a "short" 10km out and back route... When did 10km become SHORT? A year ago, I was barely completing the C25K program and wasn't even running a 5K... I completed my first 5km race in January.

Today I wanted to work on achieving negative splits - of course this was easier because of the hills - they did work to my favour.... The route was 4.5km uphill, 1km little down, then turn around, with a short uphill before the remainder of my run downhill...

Lap    Time     Dist    Pace
                (km)  (min/km)
 1   00:04:33   0.38   11:54   (warmup)
 2   00:07:13   1.00   07:13   (uphill)
 3   00:06:07   1.00   06:07   (uphill)
 4   00:06:17   1.00   06:17   (uphill)
 5   00:06:11   1.00   06:11   (mostly uphill)
 6   00:05:33   1.00   05:33   (slight downhill)
 7   00:06:11   1.00   06:11   (slight uphill)
 8   00:05:50   1.00   05:50   (mostly downhill)
 9   00:05:26   1.00   05:26   (downhill)
10   00:05:17   1.00   05:17   (downhill)
11   00:05:12   1.00   05:12   (downhill)
12   00:06:09   0.63   09:48   (cool down)

I had to walk a little extra at the end as my heart rate was too high to stop moving... Guess I pushed it a little harder on the downhills

Then I did 50min of yoga to stretch out my tight hamstrings, calves and thighs..

30 Days of Reflection for Self-Love

Tina over at Faith, Fitness, Fun is running 30 Days of Reflection for Self-Love

I'm interested in what the month will bring!

I can do it! 21.9km Walk/Run

My plan today was to run 18km, and I did it! Actually I ran 18.49km, jogged 1km and walked the remaining 2.4km. As usual when living on a small island you do lots of hills! I figured my run would be rather flat today, but in reality, it wasn't... but it felt flatter than many of my other routes....

1 00:10:41 1.00 10:41 UPHILL
2 00:06:07 1.00 06:07
3 00:06:02 1.00 06:02
4 00:06:19 1.00 06:19
5 00:06:10 1.00 06:10
6 00:06:09 1.00 06:09
7 00:06:03 1.00 06:03
8 00:06:39 1.00 06:39
9 00:06:40 1.00 06:40
10 00:06:41 1.00 06:41
11 00:06:57 1.00 06:57
12 00:05:55 1.00 05:55
13 00:06:35 1.00 06:35
14 00:08:01 1.00 08:01 SNACK Break; UPHILL; jogging
15 00:06:13 1.00 06:13
16 00:06:51 1.00 06:51
17 00:06:44 1.00 06:44
18 00:06:32 1.00 06:32
19 00:06:25 1.00 06:25
20 00:06:32 1.00 06:32
21 00:00:30 0.08 06:35 Running to the bottom of the hill
22 00:05:33 0.53 10:33 WALK UP the HILL--I was NOT running it
23 00:02:48 0.41 06:47 A little more of a run
24 00:07:57 0.88 09:01 Walking down the steep rocky road


So the next goal is to run more of my route... I can do it! And I know that I will complete my half marathon in under 2-1/2 hours!

Added benefit to todays run - I got to explore areas of the island I've never driven...

I am a runner! A journey to love our bodies (Operation Beautiful)

A while ago I stumbled across the Caitlyn's website at Operation Beautiful. She is releasing a book that hopes to end negative self-talk or “Fat Talk.”

In celebration of the release of her book, there has been a request for readers to respond to the post at Change The Way You See, Not The Way You Look Week



My Journey
Two years ago I was struggling with my body image and weight, I was at 250lbs and really wanted to lose weight but I didn't want to "diet" and didn't know where to start, and tried many times to get the momentum going. I'm not going to say this journey was easy, it wasn't and still isn't. This is a life journey, a new lifestyle! I started by saying to myself that "I can do it" and "I am worth it". As a mom to 3 young children, it is easy to put yourself last, but it is important to take care of yourself. My journey started by making small changes and keeping up, one small step at a time. It is so much easier to make changes making small ones.

Those were great first statements, and in Dec 2008, I started exercising and tracking what I ate. I started by buying a pair of runners as I hadn't owned a pair of runners since high school! I made the commitment to walk with the kids to school as often as possible and not to make excuses as to why we couldn't walk. No we didn't walk every trip (3 or 4 trips a day), we even managed to increase our speed, so the journey has been reduced from 20min to 15min for the 1km hike uphill to the school (and since then we've decreased our time again, and usually do it in 12min). I started exercising in the evenings after the kids were in bed. As the weather improved and my fitness level improved, I would strap my 3yo into her stroller and we would head off for a walk. My first 7km continuous walk was in April 2009! When possible I fit in some longer walks that spring, and even started jogging a bit as my speed got faster.

I wrote the following in another blog on June 2, 2009

I am trying to keep scheduling time for me. Unfortunately for the next 3 months most of this time will be after the kids are in bed. BUT that is OK - I can and will exercise then. I am on track and loosing both weight and inches. I know from the last time I lost weight (12 + years ago) that getting from down to 180lbs will be difficult, but I can do it as I am changing my LIFESTYLE... And I will do it for myself, and for my family!

In July 2009 I started the couch to 5K running program. Prior to this I have not been a runner, I always HATED running. I was never athletic, and never encouraged to find an activity to keep me moving as I grew up. It was never encouraged to keep active year round... Nor was I encouraged to keep active and healthy, sure I skated, biked, downhill & water skied, hiked, and went wind surfing...

By July 22, 2009 I posted a blog titled "Really want to RUN". What? That came out of my mouth? I wasn't a runner, I didn't like running, but here I was craving a run! This wasn't highschool gym class anymore, there was no one pushing me to do this, just ME and I was enjoying running. Enjoying the time alone, enjoying the music or podcasts, enjoying being more active. On July 23, 2010 I ran 18km and walked an additional 6.9km with my family!

Since then I have run a 5K, 8K and 10K race. They were all exhilarating experiences and I have come to understand that I am an athlete -- I may not excel at baseball, basketball, lacrosse or hockey nor am I a gymnast or dancer but I am a runner. I may not ever win a race, but "I am a runner" and am getting faster with all my training.

Within the first year I had lost 95lbs and was then running 3 times a week, now I've lost nearly 110lbs, am at my lowest weight in over 20 years and am now I'm training for a half marathon (actually two!.)



And the best thing I have included my family in this journey. My kids are active and can easily walk 5km, even the 4yo with few complaints! My husband has joined me and he too is training for a half marathon and we are both signed up to do a half marathon at Disney World. My son would love to walk a 5km at Disney World so he is now working on walking faster...


During this journey I have had days where I've struggled with positive thoughts, but as the days go on, the positive thoughts outnumber the negative. On the weekend I have a planned 17km run. I will do it! And enjoy it... But I am a RUNNER! I am worth it!

My training plan

So my training for the summer isn't the ideal or typical schedule. I am doing two runs on the weekend and then fitting in some cross training or interval training or at most some short runs up and down the driveway. But it is working for me. Saturdays are my long runs; Sundays I do a shorter run (8-12km).

In July I had two weeks following this schedule and for August I have 3 weeks where I will only get in weekend running. It has worked quite well and I do enjoy my weekend runs, but last week while my husband was here on vacation, it was great to get some weekday runs too!

My long runs are increasing slowly in distance. Two weeks ago my long run was 18km, this past weekend I'd planned a 16Km and was a little short finishing at 15.4km of running - plus an additional 1km of power walking! Next week I plan to do an 17km, but am debating the route -- I have been having some difficulties with the out and back route and my left hip... so might try another route where the roads aren't quite so curved.

The other thing I've noticed is that my pace has increased. My average pace in April was 6:30min/km on a 6-8km route, now my average pace is 6:10 (or faster) on a 10-18km run.