First Week of Marathon Training Done!!!

1 week down only 20 more weeks. We have officially started the marathon training program however we have modified ours so that we repeat the first two weeks in order to make it fit with Chicago. Most of the group will be participating in the Scotia Bank Water from Marathon We are thinking about doing the half marathon that day as that is what happens to be in our schedule...we will see when the time comes...I do not want to overwhelm myself too fast....


Here is an update of my training from the week:


Monday: 25km bike
Tuesday: 6km
Wednesday: 10km
Thursday: 6km
Friday: 6km
Saturday: 20km Bike
Sunday: 10km

Total Running KM: 38.28
Total Running KM (since April 13): 158.79

So far so good!

This week will look pretty similar...I will be trying to get out on the bike as much as possible in order to prepare for the: MS Bike Ride that is coming up...

SPLASH PADS

(This isn't in London...but you get the idea)


The Splash Pad located in the park system here in London may have saved my life today....On the hottest run of the year it was so awesome...I don't think I would have finished if I didn't get a little cool down....

10km tonight in the heat was super tough....We all finished....

It is runs like these that help remind me to believe in my training, to take it slow and remember that this is all apart of the journey....136 days until Chicago....

Dear Self

Congratulations on a great 6km tempo run in the heat...you did great! Now just because you have been active does not mean you can have ice cream EVERY night of the week, french fries, beer etc...Marathon clinic started tonight...you need to re-focus and treat the inside of your body a little bit better!


Sincerely,

Self

What a week!

Hi All,


It has been super crazy with birthday parties, a Christening, getting the gardens ready and the holiday of course.

So here is what I did last week...

Sunday: Got home from the Cottage and did three hours of yard work....my quads were KILLING me! I never knew I could be that sore.

Monday: Couldn't move too sore. But decided to help my hubby move and entire storage locker full of furniture and boxes...productive but painful.

Tuesday: Relaxed 19km bike ride...was actually helpful in stretching my quads out...

Wed-Sat: ZERO/ZILCH/NADA!!! I can't believe I took 4 days off...I think I needed it...I was a little stressed with getting some things done around the house that it felt great to cross multiple things off my list!

Sun: 13km long, slow run...It was great...felt good to run that far by myself...it was tough because of the humidity but I was so happy that I did it and at no time did I think I wouldn't finish!

Monday: 25km bike ride...we rode 12.5km to the in-laws for an amazing breakfast then headed back! I picked up my speed a bit on the bike so it felt great...
Came home and worked in the Garden for almost 5 hours...Let me tell you...It is almost ready to go...we just need to mulch and we are ready for the summer..I LOVE doing garden work but last year with doing multiple things for the wedding I did the bare minimum plus the mild winter...things were a little overgrown! So happy that it is pretty much done!

Tomorrow the Marathon Clinic begins! I am really excited and the past month I have not been eating as well as I should be...lots of BAD (yet so yummy) foods...I am hoping that after this week is complete I will be able to focus more on the food going into my mouth!

Hope everyone had a great weekend and will post some pics soon and an update on the marathon clinic!

Bike Ride!

Hi All,


I took Friday and Sat. off running and it felt great. I stretched and rolled out my IT band and it has really helped. However...I did three hours of gardening on Sunday and BOY are my QUADS hurting....and it is now TUESDAY! Well the Hubby and I also moved a whole load of furniture and boxes yesterday so there might be some stiffness from that...

Sooo no running but I did a 19km bike ride and it felt great...One week until the Marathon Clinic begins...CRAZY!

Dear IT Band...

Please stop being angry at me...I have stretched, rolled, iced and rested....please start liking me again.


Thank you,


Alicia

Why not another 10km?

Well...I decided since I am not running Friday/Saturday and not doing a Sunday Long run that I would try and squeeze one more run in...so I did another 10km...It felt good...I am feeling a little bit of stress on my IT band...so lots of stretching and rolling and rest for the next couple days and I should be back to normal...happy I am getting these KM's in...I know that this is what is going to help be break that 5hour Marathon!

Tough Week

FLR..For Logistical Reasons....L. and I decided to run 10km tonight....it was tough but man was I proud that we did it...I am going to try and run 10km at least once during the week. I need to have a slightly longer run to help support this whole Marathon Training which starts in 2 weeks....I am hoping the more I do this the easier it will be....

Anyway...once I got back I had a mega craving for this...



So good! So Happy to eat it with lots of veggies...Happy Running!

Hill Training on a Bike!

Hello there...

The MS Ride from Grandbend to London and Back is only just over 2 months away. So I need to get my butt in gear and ride my bike or else it will be an extremely difficult ride.

The Course is 150km so roughly 75km each way...so far my longest bike ride has been 20km...yeah I need to step that up...

Last night my friend Bente and I did 17.6km at a really decent pace...we even included some hill training into the route. We did one very challenging long and steep climb and one shorter steep climb...also there were a few rolling hills in there...like Running, it is extremely important to practice the hill training on the bike...I am looking forward to getting out there and hopefully doing a 30-45km route one Sat. as a long ride...It is very different from running...I am starting to enjoy it more and for the first time this year I am not sore after a ride...I think that is a good sign.

I also enjoy the break from running...it is nice to add a different element to the training...I am starting to see the importance of cross-training...something that I haven't done much of other than Yoga class on sat. mornings!

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

Easy Peasy 10km Run...in Compression Socks

Hi All,


I love the these in between training weeks...Only 10km this morning! Woot Woot. It was pretty windy and chilly out. It was a little tough at the beginning...I was not feeling it and probably was a bit crusty but it did feel great to finish the run and I am happy that I went out...

Today I wore compression socks for the first time while running. I wore them last weekend after the Flying Pig in the 8hour car ride home...I found that my calves were not sore and when I went to do my first run after they were not as tight...so I have been doing some research and thought...why not try them for a 10km run...Part of the reason why I wore them today was purely for warmth as it was chilly and I could not bring myself to put on running tights after I have only worn shorts for the past month...



I have a generic brand from the Running Room...

So What are they supposed to do? Compression socks reduce muscle vibration and promote blood flow from the extremities to the heart, reducing fatigue and improving performance. I am going to attempt running in them for long runs and see how well they work and potentially with wearing them after those long runs to help with recovery especially when we get up into the 30km long runs....

So far so good...will report more on how they help in the coming weeks!

Weekly Update

Hi All,


Well I have recovered from the Flying Pig...It was a really busy week and I was able to get some runs in so I think that I was pretty tired from a lot of things...I am looking forward to this week..


Monday: Day of Rest
Tuesday: 5km Run (it felt tough...but also really good to stretch things out)
Wednesday: 6km (Great run...It was hot and there was some misty rain...I ran by myself which I am starting to do a bit more...wasn't as bad as I thought)
Thursday: 5km with a friend. Good run at a nice easy pace...
Friday:13km bike ride...I need more practice...cardio wise I am not tired...but I do not go FAST on the bike...I will be doing more bike workouts and potentially make some adjustments to help me increase my speed...It was windy and we finished early because a storm was about to hit...hopefully I will get out once this week...
Saturday:I had all intentions of going to Yoga this morning but I felt so tired...I slept in and just relaxed at home...it was nice...I had a relaxing mother's day breakfast with my mum (she rocks) and then went to a baby shower...good times...

I am hoping that the weather is better for tomorrow...will probably have to break out PANTS! Crazy I know....hoping to do around 10-12km....very slow

Happy Mother's Day!!

Flying Pig Race Recap

What a weekend! We woke up early on Sat. Morning and were on the road by 6am for our 7hour drive. Please note that this is a picture heavy post!



Megan, Catherine, Myself and Lindsay


We arrived in Cincinnati, checked into our Hotel (It was actually located in Covington, Kentucky). It was wonderful. Super close and they had a sign up saying they were providing brown bag breakfasts to all the runner's in the morning.

We immediately went to the expo to pick up our race kits: Nice t-shirt, duffle bag and poster. It was some pretty sweet loot.




We also got matching "Flying Pig Spray on Tattoo's"



We then headed to the Race Pasta Dinner, there was great entertainment and the food was delicious.









They even had special "Pig Cookies"


We ate at 4pm in order to get to bed at a decent hour as the race was starting at 6:30am. While back at the Hotel we watched the Kentucky Derby in Kentucky (It was neat). I also added some more pig tattoos. It is the MOST ENERGETIC race I have EVER been apart of. Pig tails (curly ones...on your behind) were proudly worn all over the city...most people were dressed in pink and black. The entire city of Cincinnati really gets into this race and now I know why most runner's come back again and again.





I added a few more Tattoo's





Then it was time for bed! We were up at 5am and left the Hotel via Taxi by 6am to start to make our way to the start line. Let me tell you that this is where it gets a little crazy...Massive amounts of rain. Massive!!! Lightning, thunder...a power outage a the starting line...it was CRAZY...because of the rain I decided to forgo the pace band and just run to finish. We had ponchos which helped a little...





The race started and we were already soaked...The course was beautiful. Very scenic, it went into Kentucky and there were a TON of supporters that were so amazing...everywhere we were their were people cheering you on..it was a truly amazing experience..

However...It was a very HILLY course. I was doing well for the first 10km...after that I became quite tired, I had some stomach cramps and I felt pretty weighted down from the rain...I struggled on some of the hills and was quite happy once I had reached the top of the climb where it went pretty much downhill after that with the exception of a few rolling hills....I took a few more walk breaks than I would have liked but my feet were like prunes and sore from that...although I was tired I knew that I couldn't give up and I wanted to finish strong...At the last half km I started to walk and I had just past my friend Megan who started to cheer me on...It was so great to see her...I was able to pick up my feet and make it to the finish at 2:21:56 not a PB time wise but I was really happy that I was able to tough it out to finish. Especially with having the chicken pox the week before. Lindsay and Catherine also had a great runs and I am so proud of them. It was a great experience!





My Poor Feet...so sore..but they are all better now...

Recovery is very different from Retina. I am feeling sore and tired...this week will probably be a slow recovery week.

A big thank you to Megan, Lindsay and Catherine...I had such a blast with them. The race couldn't have been THAT tough since we have already started to make plans to go again!!


Thanks for Reading!


3 more weeks until we officially begin marathon training!

Flying Pig

I will post a Race Recap Tomorrow with LOTS of pictures...

I finished...despite crazy rain and lots of hills: 2:21:56


Off to bed!