Tell Me Tuesday

What is the best part of your average day? 

Truthfully my best part of my day is my walk, run or ride... Why because it helps me centre and focus on me.  When I get a chance to centre myself, then I find it easier to deal with all going on around me.  When I get my daily walk, run or ride in, I can get more done...

So unable to get out daily while the kids were on Spring Break, we kept busy... and this week I've been to the pool with them 3 times (The girls had lessons everyday, so my son & I went in Monday, Tuesday & Thursday...)

Spring Break ends tomorrow, and we are back to school on Monday! That means I will get out for my run/walk/ride... I'm not sure what I will start with. If the weather's nice, I'm going out for a spin on my bike.

Tell Me Tuesdays

Is it out of reach? Or have you just not stretched yourself far enough?
Well I guess to answer this, I need to define my goals. My current goal is to loose 20-25lbs and complete a triathlon (or two) in 2013. No my goals aren't out of reach, but I am not currently on a good track to reach them anytime soon. I need to stretch further to reach them.
Goal 1: Loose weight

What will I do to reach my goal?

1. Record what I'm eating - I keep saying that, but I really need to take the time to track.  I think I will start eating a smaller menu for most days, as it will make tracking so much easier... Not as fun, but definitely easier and right now that is what I need.  A fully planned day of food.
2. Continue drinking 10+ glasses of water a day.
3. Exercise - I need to get out and exercise a minimum of 6 days a week. I want to get organized so that we can start walking to school again.

Goal 2: Complete a Triathlon

1. Run - 3 runs per week - on days too wet and miserable to ride.
2. Bike - 2-3 rides per week - I don't like riding in the pouring rain, so these days will be set based on the weather!
3. Swim - I'll start with 1swim  per week.
4. Enter a 5k or 10k race... still trying to figure out when....

My goals….

The past few months I have gotten off track in my running training.  Between illness (of myself and others), travel, and holidays as well as weather its been hard to get exercise in. 

BUT I’m hoping we are on our way to recovery…  so now back to setting goals and training.  Originally I’d wanted to do a triathlon in 2012, but with the kids schedule, that just isn’t possible.  So I will be training for one and will do one in 2013!  

I have a new bike, I have my swimsuit… I think I’ll get a new pair of prescription goggles and a lap counter… but otherwise I’m set to go. 

I’m thinking I might do the Longest Day Run in June…. They have a 5k and 10km… I might do the 5km with my son – it would push him… and would force us to get out and train.  He doesn’t run but does a decent speed walk (under a 12min/km)

New Bike

I got a new bike for Christmas.... A 2011 Trek Lexa SL with a 52cm frame, a 50/34 front crankset and a 9-gear 11-26 rear cassette. I went for my first ride on it today. 

Week 2: Triathlon training.... recap

OK -- I haven`t decided what race I`m doing... I`ll probably do a Sprint triathlon first...

Monday - rest
Tuesday - 23.3km bike
Wednesday - run & power walk
Thursday - swim
Friday - run, ST & power walk
Saturday - planned bike
Sunday - planned run or swim

Swim - It was much better swimming with a swim cap!  But I did loose track of how many lengths I`m doing... I think I completed 750m total...   Next time I`m taking my workout written down and something to help me track!

Bike - My bike ride was wet but glad I had my brother`s mountain bike.  The trail was slippery and muddy...

Run - Just doing 5-8km runs... for the most part, slow and easy runs, although I pushed it for a km or two today.

Next Step?

I'm thinking the next step is a triathlon....

Now to figure out my training plan, and which race....

Oh and it can't conflict with my son's trip to Scotland - for the World Pipe Band Championships in August 2012!

Band weekends are out, dancing weekends are out... what weekend is left for me?  Off searching for an event...


Some possible events, with dates - that MIGHT fit into the schedule

• UBC Triathlon 
• Also has a dualthon (so I can skip the swim....)
• Pool swim
• March 11
• Olympic, Sprint & Short 
• Shawnigan Lake Triathlon
• on Vancouver Island, but have a place to stay at the lake... ferry fees extra
• open water swim = COLD!
• May 27
• Half, Olympic & Sprint 
• Whistler Try a Tri
• would need to stay overnight - early morning start
• Pool Swim
• End of May -  2012 date not announced
• Try-a-Tri length (short) only 
• Lees Trail Triathlon
• local
• Outdoor Pool Swim
• End of May - 2012 date not announced
• Short Course
• Delta Triathlon
• local
• Indoor Pool Swim
• April 21, 2012
• Sprint course
• Ironmountain Triathlon
• local
• open water/lake swim
• Father's Day
• Olympic, Sprint & Super-Sprint Courses

Disneyland Half Marathon Race Report

This scrapbook pages were created with MyMemories Suite
software.  If you are interested in winning a copy of
this for yourself, enter the giveaway on my blog here.

Disneyland Half Marathon....

On Friday morning my husband and I left on our vacation without the kids.  It was our first trip without them... and although I enjoyed our trip, I did miss them a great deal.  They had a great vacation at Gramma's while we were away!

We arrived down in LA after a very early morning flight...  We drove around LA, hitting the Fabric District and Mood Fabrics...  It was an interesting trip and we found some beautiful fabrics - most of which I didn't buy!  I only came home with two pieces of rayon knits from Micheal Levine's The Loft where fabric is sold by the pound!

We went to Rutabegorz for lunch in Fullerton and the Disney outlet store.  Loved the Vegetarian Black Bean Chili....

Then after checking into the hotel we walked to the race expo.  The expo was held at the Disney Convention Centre right near downtown Disney.  It was a short walk, and great to get out and moving after driving around town for the day...  Having only been to one other race expo, I was impressed by the freebies and selection.  Many more samples and freebies than at the Princess Half Marathon.

Race Day...

This scrapbook pages were created with MyMemories Suite
software.  If you are interested in winning a copy of
this for yourself, enter the giveaway on my blog here.

Race day saw us getting up early and walking to the race.  This was much easier than busing it at Disney World.  The walk was easy, and many others were walking to the corals.  There were a few bottle necks getting to the corals, and they weren't checking as we entered each coral, only if you were in corals A,B or C...  There seemed to be many more "jumping" corals here... it really wasn't an issue as those that "jumped" were able to keep pace, but it did add many more to the coral than should have been, making for a crowded start.  I found the start at Disneyland much more crowded than Disney World at the start of the race...


The race starts through the back of California Adventure park, then through downtown Disney to the main gates and into Disneyland.  At the Disney Princess half marathon I found it much more impressive going through Magic Kingdom, main street and the castle.  I think mainly because at Disneyland we were only at 5km, but at Disney World by the time you get to the castle it is 10km into the race.  It felt like an accomplishment at Disney World - no so much at Disneyland.   


I loved seeing the backstage and behind the seen places at Disneyland, but it seemed there were far fewer cast members out than at Disney Princess.  It seemed like we'd hardly ran anything before we were leaving Disney property for the streets of Anaheim (by Mile 5).  There were various bands, cheerleaders, and other groups along the streets.  The water stations were numerous with a marvellous set of volunteers!  Wow!


We ran past the Honda Centre then to the A's stadium... The stadium had a nasty slope heading in, but there were many volunteers reminding you about the slope and to be careful of your footing.  As we ran through there were Girl & Boy Scouts all in their uniforms cheering for us.  It was great, but reminded me I was missing my kids.  At this point we were 9.5 miles into the race and I was feeling exhausted, and knew I wasn't going as fast as I'd hoped... Then as I left the stadium a family cheered their mom on (who was running behind me).  This wasn't good for me, I then realized my kids wouldn't be at the finish line for me.  They wouldn't even be nearby, and I would have to wait about 36 hours to see them.  It took me a kilometre or so to get back on track... But I managed.   

The last 3 miles or so was uneventful, but I did miss the Sergeant from Toy Story that pushed us on in the Princess Half Marathon....

I did forget to stop my Garmin as I crossed the finish line, so wasn't completely sure of my final time... I was quickly awarded my medal and went off to claim my Coast to Coast Medal...

All the while I'm looking for my husband.  I'd expected to see him at the finish line, but he'd already headed to the family reunion area...   He headed there based on CLOCK time, not adjusted for the start time...  Oh well, I found time without needing to go to one of our many contingencies!

Then we headed back to the hotel, showered, changed and off to Disneyland... We went on some rides, then for lunch.  Then I was feeling awful, so we went back to the room to lay down. After a nap, some Tylenol, ibuprofen, I was feeling human again.  We set back off to California Adventure, finalizing the night with our picnic in the park, and World of Colour show.  The Vegetarian Picnic was yummy, but could have used a little more protein...

In the parks after wearing our medals, we got lots of congrats!  Many more than at Animal Kingdom... Many more of the cast members seemed to know of the race - I'm wondering if it would have been different if after the Princess Half if we'd either stayed in Epcot or Magic Kingdom where the race went through... Those at Animal Kingdom seemed out of the loop!

The next morning we packed up, returned our rental car, and sat waiting at the airport for our flight.  We were there super early as we didn't want to pay an extra day on the rental car for 1.5-2 hours...  But we sat and read quietly with no interruptions!

Reflections on the race:

• Spraining my ankle just as I was planning to ramp mileage isn't a good idea.  Set my training back 6 weeks!  
• Only getting 1 - 2 runs in per week for many of the 8 weeks before the race isn't a good idea!
• I need an adult to watch the kids in the summer when the kids and I are in a different location than my husband.
• So don't plan a long distance race right at the end of that vacation!
• It was warm, which it really hadn't been at home.
• I was only 11 minutes slower than my first half (run early morning, in the cool fog!) and 6 minutes slower than the Princess Half (similar temps, but better trained).
• I felt great after - and wasn't too stiff or sore!  My feet ached a little, but nothing a little yoga didn't cure....
• RunDisney puts on great destination races! 

A little scrapbooking...

I really should be finishing off my Disneyland Race report, but....  I recently reviewed scrapbooking software on my other blog, and am having a giveaway for it over here.

Today's 20.51km run

Long Hilly Run!

Countdown... 15 days! ACK!

My last long run is tomorrow...  Then two weeks of easy runs.  I had originally planned to do my long run today, but my mom was here - so my husband and I were able to get out kayaking this morning....

Last night I got out for an evening kayak by myself... 

This morning's kayak ride....

Cycling -- Ride #1&2

As a teenager I used my bike as transportation... I rode everywhere in highschool, but once university started and I went to university on the top of a mountain (ok a small one...) it because a little more difficult to ride.  During university I got a new bike, but it was stolen and since then I haven't owned a bike...  It didn't fit in with our lives - we weren't active - we weren't riding them - so we never bought me another bike.... For a short time, my brother moved into our basement and along with hime came a bike - guess what never left...  so my husband cleaned it up and adjusted it... and I have a "new" temporary bike.

I haven't been doing my cardio cross training since school let out (as I can't easily get to the gym or pool)... so decided since the kids are getting better at biking and soon I will have to ride to keep up with them, running/walking will no longer do... I'd better get back out on a bike.

Ride #1

I'm counting this as my first ride... although last night my husband and I went out for a test ride...



Ride #2 - a little longer....

PoCo Trail/Pitt River Rd by l3designs at Garmin Connect - Details

Countdown is ON (43 days)

So how is training going?

Good... For the most part... I did my 14km run this past weekend! It felt great. Due to the hills, I didn't run it all... but I did complete it and felt good afterward.

This weekend I am headed out for a 16km run.... It should be flatter, except the last 1km home...

I really don't feel ready, but I know I can run a half marathon. It doesn't matter that I run ALL of it - completion is my goal. Ultimate goal would be to be under 2:10, but that will really depend on the weather... if its cool, I'll be able to do it, but if its too warm then I'll be happy with anything under 2:30.

13 Weeks until my next Half

No I'm not ready... I really need to get back running.  At Easter I fell and tore my ankle badly.  During my recovery, I've let my running slide... I now need to get my cardio back!  I'm ready to do this.  I did 6km of running this morning.  It felt great. 

Here is what I'm running for:

And...

Disney Princess Race Report

It has been 3 weeks since the race, and I'm finally getting around to posting my race report...  

The day started with the alarm going off way too early, and not much sleep.  Getting to sleep at 10-11pm local time might sound like an easy task after a day out and about at Disney World... but with the excitement of the upcoming half, and not yet being adjusted to the time zone, it was difficult!   The alarm clock went off at 03:00hrs and it was almost a relief - it was now time to get up.  We quickly got ready, had a light breakfast in our room and headed off to wait for a bus... and then wait we did!  It was then that I got tired.  It was warm and muggy at 16C and 90+% humidity, but great standing outside in my shorts and tshirt that I'd planned to run in.  No gloves, no sweater, nothing to check.  

The bus eventually arrived (after waiting well over 45min, then we were STUCK in traffic.  I think they had some serious issues with the transportation, they really needed a bus lane setup!  We didn't get off the bus until after 05:00hrs and then walked to our corral which we finally arrived at around 05:32.  We didn't wait long for the wheel chair riders to start and the first wave to go!  We didn't have much longer to wait as we were in the second corral.


I said goodbye to my husband at the start line and ran off...  he would be walking (or so he said).


There was a great energy, even at the early hours, and an amazing number of runners dressed up.  Some costumes looked not too bad for running in, while others looked mighty uncomfortable.  One set of Tinkerbell wings were discarded before the 1 Mile Marker.

The Mile Markers were great works of art and loved that each had a clock - a wonderful feature.  I found the Mile Markers difficult as I'm used to running races that mark kilometers.  I don't know why it bothered me so as my Garmin was still set in kilometers and kept track of my pace as usual, but found myself doing math at every Mile Marker to figure out my pace...  which was strange since my Garmin told me that!

I only stopped for one Character Photo in the race... I wanted a photo with Mickey or Minnie but never saw either on the route, and the lineup for the few princesses I saw were 5 or more runners deep.  So I kept running.  I did stop at the carriage for a photo...

The route was fairly flat, with a few over- or under-passes to traverse.  I think the only "nasty" one was the cloverleaf at Mile 10... I found it nasty because if its length and the road was angled perfectly for driving, but left me feeling like my right leg needed to be longer....  I did like the Sergeant (from Toy Story) at the top of  ramp - he was wonderful - motivating and completely in character as a drill sergeant.  Also loved that his motor-home/support vehicle was draped with camo netting!

 I didn't take too many photos personally... I did manage a few, but found holding the camera and taking photos rather complex WHILE running!  Guess that is a skill I should master before the Disneyland Half!

After I finished, I saw my family (my kids, my mom & her husband) waiting for me just beyond the finish line on the opposite side of the fence.  The racks of medals was amazing!  I was quickly through the food line and off to meet up with the kids.  Then I finally checked my phone and my husband had gone at a much faster pace than anticipated, so we hustled to the finish line, just in time to catch a glimpse of him after he got his medal...  Then we met up with him.
After the race we headed over to look for a bus (but the roads were still closed), and then to the monorail, and off to Animal Kingdom for the day!

A day of Disney, plus a half marathon is a LONG day, and I got a great sleep after!

Developing a new Training Plan

ocean Graphics

So now I`m trying to figure out my training... I do need to fit in some more strength training, and would love to add some cross training.  But first the kids are on Spring Break!  This puts a small delay into my training....  
We aren't going far for Spring Break as we just got home from our vacation in Florida and the Disney Princess Half Marathon.  Since the half marathon I've gotten two short runs, a walk and an aquafit class in.  Since I was exhausted from the trip and had a sick kid for a couple of days, not too bad....  But I really need to get on track again.

My next scheduled race is the Longest Day Run 10KM.  I would love the kids to be able to run the 1 Mile Kids race too - but we`d need to bring another adult along.  So who can we bring?  The race is on the far west side of town...
Or do we arrange for a sleepover somewhere?


I know I need a goal and a plan.  So it is time to set some SMART goals!

10KM Longest Day Run	Goal time 0:55:00   Race Date:  17 Jun 2011 I completed it last year in 0:57:00 Run 3-4 times per week Include tempo runs, hills, a long slow run, and some speed work
Strength Training	Complete 200 Sit Up and 200 Squats Training Program Both 6 week Programs Completion Date: 8 May 2011 2 Days of Strength Training in addition to Cardio/Cross Training
Weight Loss	Lose 10-15lbs  Goal Date:  17 Jun 2011 Drink only plain tea and water Start Tracking Food again

I am starting this week, even though I know I won't get the runs in.  Here is my typical week (I hope! as I'll need to be flexible based on the kids schedule):

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday/Sunday
Cardio  Strength	Tempo Run  Challenges	Easy Run  30min Strength	AquaFit*  Challenges	Long Run	AquaFit*  Challenges	Hills or Speed  30min Strength

* Get to the Pool atleast ONE day per week for Cross Training

Weekly Goal:  March 20-26:

• Run: Sunday & Tuesday (during Band)
• Start Tracking Food again
• Monday - Challenge Fit Tests
• Thursday - Start Challenges
• No AquaFit classes this week, Away with the kids starting Wednesday

Disney Princess Results....

Princess Half Marathon

It was a great race.  A little too early in the morning!  We waited way too long for a bus on race morning, but did manage to get to our coral before the race began.  Because of the long delay in transport, no bus showing up at our hotel for over 45min and then a traffic jam -- they really need bus lanes, we only waited 15min for the race to start!  Glad we decided to skip checking anything....  It was warm - temps were above 16C (60F) at 4AM and relative humidity was near 100%!

Here are some photos from the race....

Near the end - at Epcot

At the finish

At the Castle

At Carriage

Now I'm dreaming about this....

A great race

Full race report to follow once we are home....

A great race (a few transport issues on race day)!   Completed in 2:18:28

Sunday I run!