Janathon 2.09

Good evening, oh well it’s past 9 so I guess Good Night.

Oh why yes it was a good night for Janathon Day 9. Well as good as it can get. I did my run close to plan… I completed the 5k but had to speed up the run. The extra slow jogging pace was getting way too slow for me and I really didn’t want to be on the treadmill for the last km for twice the time I could actually finish it. So, I’m exhausted now but I emptied the tank at the end of the run so I could max myself out and get the distance covered. Whew. Feels good to finish the run.

January 9, 2015: 5 km run (3.15 miles on the treadmill)

Sometimes you just have to run a little faster to feel great! I know, don’t overdue it, follow the plan, don’t risk an injury. I may have run faster than I normally do but I did it to my capabilities.

Happy Running!

rundmach

It’s Okay to be Sad

Well, Hello There!

It seems so odd to be blogging now after a little break (since January, I blogged every day!).

Today, I got to run a Valentine’s 5K Run with runrchatts and for the spirit of this “holiday”, we were tied together! Luckily, there was some slack because I fell behind a couple of times (and he was already running pretty slow for his pace). He’s got another 21 kms to run today to complete his 26 km training run towards a 30k race in March!! You’re doing amazing, keep it up!!

February 9 Run: 37:05 (mm:ss), 5.02 km, 7’23″/km (GPS Watch)

The great news is that this is my fastest 5k in quite some time! I’ve slowed down a lot since this time last year. According to my watch we finished 5k in 36 minutes 56 seconds. We’ll see what happens when the race stats are loaded; yes this fun run where you’re tied together, you are given a chip and timed as a team!

I just wanted to let you all know, that I am doing okay. I am still pretty broken and have my moments. The visitation and funeral were very tough (but when is it not?). I’m still finding my struggles with my family and learning how to stay strong. I have a wonderful second family of friends and bosses, my bosses are the best in the world. People work for people and I definitely stay where I am because of my two bosses. They have been more than understanding and supportive. My friends, (yes, this includes you!), have read/listened to my thoughts and hurt, you have been there for me and provided support and extremely touching words/gestures. I would like to clarify, I do find many of you, other bloggers, to be my friend. I may not have met you but you know more about me than a lot of my family does and I know more about you than I could say about some members in my family too. You are here for me and you understand, you do not judge and you care. Thank you to everyone, from the bottom of my heart, life is too short, cherish every moment.

It seems that “enough” time has passed and I should be able to move on from grieving. That’s what seems logical. BUT I’m not ready to move on yet. I’m not ready to say good-bye and I’m still so broken up with all the thoughts of my Uncle and all of the last memories I have with him and of his funeral. Everyone is different and I guess I am just one of those people who need more time to mourn.

The heads up is that I may still have some pretty bummer posts, I don’t know how long it will take me to not be sad about this whole situation but I will continue to motor on and be the best I can be. With that being said, I have signed up for the The Inaugural Move Your Paws for the Polar Bear Cause 3km Run. I’m very excited about this run!! It’s at the Toronto Zoo and this will be the first one hosted in February with super adorable polar bear medals (yes, there is a Zoo run in August as well but this is only up to a 3km fun run).  If you live in Ontario or plan on being in the GTA February 22nd, please join in on the run! Proceeds go to the Toronto Zoo. It’s only 3 kms, and if you’re slow like me or if you choose to walk (basically my pace), you’ll be done in less than half an hour! If you walked the zoo, you’d be walking more than 3km. Oh and your race fee includes all day entry for yourself to the Toronto Zoo.

It does seem like it has been forever since blogging and my thoughts are all over the place trying to get you all caught up!
Last week, after giving up on my running streak after 35 days, I substituted the run with a Spin Class! On February 4th I rode for 51 minutes!! It was super intense and completely different from my first spin class. The instructor this time didn’t introduce herself or give me the opportunity to speak to her before the class (unlike the first one I went too). Both classes were “advanced” and yes, this one surely felt way too hard for me but as long as I kept peddling it didn’t matter much to me. I’d like to continue to spin to get a different activity in that will compliment with running.

I hope you have been doing well yourself, I have not been able to get out to read any blogs over the last week but I do plan on getting caught up this week. Look forward to my likes when I drop by and catch up on your journey!

Happy Running!

rundmach

Janathon Day 26

The struggle you’re in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow. Don’t give up! – Robert Tew

January 26 Run: 50:00 (mm:ss), 6.52 km, 7’41″/km (iPod)

Well hello Sunday Runday & Readers! Yesterday, I was super stoked to have finished 5 k and said I wasn’t hurt by not hitting 6 k because the time ran out. Honestly, I wasn’t, but because I knew I still had it in me, I’ve been thinking I want to do 6 k next. For  Janathon  Day 26, running streak day 27, I completed a 6.5 k run (4 miles)! I went for a 1.5 km walk before this outside just to get some fresh air, plus it’s snowing and not ridiculously cold out today but the wind still hurt. I had a mini foam rolling session this morning to stretch out my tight calves/quads from yesterday. After the run I completed my regular  strength exercises.

I found that the run went by pretty quickly today after I got over the fact that I hung up a motivational poster in front of the treadmill crooked… I have some OCD with certain things and seriously I couldn’t look at it any more. I changed my iPod from music to motivational speeches again and listened to the one I posted yesterday twice during today’s run. If anyone knows where I can find this  BEST Workout Motivation in just audio to download, that would be fantastic! I even put on the video today and that really got me pumped! I’ve tried listening to podcasts, watching tv shows / documentaries, and regular music but nothing has worked like this video compilation.  My last session (a 5 minute run after intervals of 8:1), I increased speeds from 5.2 up to 5.7 mph! I’m actually starting to like my dreaded treadmill again!!! It’s telling me I’m running at paces I find amazing for me and helping me push myself to run long and further than I would outside. This must have been how I felt last winter when I built up to running 10k’s on the treadmill! Any ways, it does get a little boring on the treadmill but today I really found listening to different motivational speeches really got me through the run quicker than when I was switching to songs.

Do you have any recommended motivational speeches that are heart pumping?
Any recommendations on what to listen to while running?

Happy Sunday Everyone!!!

rundmach

Janathon Day 25

I will define my own bruises! I will define my own success! 

January 25 Run: 45:00 (mm:ss), 5.83 km, 7’44″/km (iPod)

Boy, if my treadmill could do the things I thought paying $800 for a machine would do, I would have completed 6 km. I know I complain about the treadmill a lot but I really wish I could just add 5 minutes to a current session without having to wait for it shut down, restart, and reselect all my run settings. I actually had set out to complete 5 km, so I set the treadmill to 45 minutes giving myself a good little buffer if I decided to run “slow”. My run felt pretty great! I steadily increased my pace from 4.8 up to 5.5 mph throughout the run. At each 8 minute interval, I had a 1 minute walk at 3.9 mph.

What drove me to running up to 5.5 mph? Well, You’ll have to thank motivational speeches as cliché as they are, they work! I was skimming through some online radio workout stations while running and I hit skip a LOT even on my own playlists. I came across this in a station: BEST Workout Motivation (warning, 9 minutes long and you will want to be a beast after this!). It wasn’t anything I haven’t heard before but I think around the 5 minute mark, the “WHO AM I?! I AM A CHAMPION” got me really really pumped up and that’s when I went from 4.9 to 5 to 5.1 to 5.3 in 1 interval. Nearing the end, with I think 4 minutes left, I looked at the actual distance and realized how close I could be to 6 km. I knew I wouldn’t hit it with my pace (I even knew 5.5 wouldn’t get me there), but I had to up the speed and get as close as I can in the 45 minutes I had set. I’m not heartbroken over not hitting 6 because that wasn’t what was going to define my successful run today, 5 k was the goal and I have achieved it. This doesn’t mean I’m settling for less either.

After the run, I continued with some more of my strength training exercises. The nice kind of sore happens almost every morning in my upper back / shoulder blades. I’m working on bringing sexy back! Haha.

So, here we are, the last week of  Janathon , with Day 25 completed early in the day. Yes, I went for my run before noon today! I have a family dinner tonight and well that will go late and include a lot of food. I did some cleaning and organizing in my basement. Prepped some of my fruits into snack sized containers. I also woke up at 7 am and didn’t get back to bed so I’ve had a pretty productive day so far! With only 6 more days of Janathon being the “reason” why I’m running, I have already been running for me but I like having Janathon be the excuse; plus it just seems easier to let myself down than an entire community! However, I am working at changing that mentality and working on focussing on me! 😀

Happy Running!

rundmach

Janathon Day 9

If you sell yourself short, so will everyone else. 

January 9 Run: 41 minutes, 5.18 km (3.22 miles), and a kicked the treadmill’s butt pace!

Okay, so here’s the breakdown, I’m still sick with a bit of a sore throat today, but feeling better. Stayed late at work today to get some stuff done (had a major breakthrough in Excel again and I booked tomorrow off). Yay, today was my Friday at work! Anyways, I put myself to the treadmill not really wanting to at all since I got home a little later than normal. I set 18 minutes to run a little more than my 16 minute 2 km run. Since the time flew by and I felt so strong, I put another 7 minutes to the treadmill. After completing my run and completing my run on my iPod, I stepped off the treadmill and still felt strong. I WANTED MORE! I even thought about setting the treadmill to 60 minutes just to see how long I could go. I ended up decided another 16 minutes to add another 2 km. All that adding puts me here: 41 minutes, 5.18 km, and an average pace of 7’55″/km (according to a pace calculator).

No real photo to give you that will have all the details and not sure what to upload from my devices that shows all of my stats in one place. I decided to upload the 3 runs from the treadmill online and this is all I get (see below). Yeah, the Livestrong treadmill kind of sucks and so does the website (it’s hard to navigate through online and the treadmill doesn’t give you too much room to be creative). Unfortunately, the Livestrong site says I only burned 183 calories and I’m pretty sure 5 k burns a whole lot more than that at my weight, haha. I don’t mean to give them a bad review, maybe I’m just so accustomed to the Nike+ site…

Now I’m sweaty and gross, again. Time to shower, again. Eat, again. Sleep, again. Run, again! 🙂

Happy Day 9 Janathon to all of those who are participating and Happy Life/Running to everyone else!
(Because really, what’s life without running?)

rundmach

Janathon Day 4

It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. – Confucius 

January 4 Run: 42 min, 5.02 km, 8’20″/km

Today’s wonderful, slow, steady run was accomplished outside!! Yay, outside! Although I didn’t get my butt out there until 5:30 pm, it was already dark out! It’s 7 PM now and it look likes it should be midnight. Glad to be able to get outside again in -1°C (feels like -7°C) weather. A little windy (21 km/h) but still fantastic compared to a treadmill run! I went my pace; even though I thought I was going fast but ended up being “slow” – thanks snow! I love snow so I can’t really be upset. 🙂

runrchatts came out and joined me for my run which was great. I always enjoy his company. No music, just a little bit of chit chatting wherever I could get the breathes in to, haha. I didn’t really look at my watch too much other than for timing to see how long I’ve been running each interval. I did look at my pace as I mentioned earlier thinking I was running faster but I didn’t push myself harder or make myself go slower – I just went out and ran.

If you aren’t aware yet, I’m participating in Janathon! Run – Log – Blog for the entire month, every single day. Yes, you can substitute Runs with any sort of physically activity (I’m sure I’ll have a few cycling days). So, for day 4, I got in a good 1 hour work out, 40 minute run and a nice little walk outside after.  Thanks to @janathon_ , I have now signed up for twitter too!

So much social media: twitter, facebook, blog, nike+, Running Free (not sure how to get to my personal page), pinterest, and I’m sure I’m part of a bunch of other sites I’m not even sure how to use. The below “Social Media Explained” has been pretty helpful (even at my work I’ve used this a few times about a year ago to help get a handle on all of this and get a good laugh). Why so many different mediums? Well, I really do enjoy reading your stories and blogs but it’s a lot easier to find other Janathoners out there through twitter/facebook so I’ve joined to be able to connect with more of you and read more inspirational stories. Any-who, my username on anything I’m signed up for is rundmach so please, add me, follow me, invite me, let’s be friends! 😀

Enjoy the weekend running!

rundmach

Resolutions Resolved

If you want to test your memory, try to recall what you were worrying about one year ago today. – E. Joseph Cossman

The end is near… at least the end of this year!

Resolution Run by Brita & Running Room
December 31 Run: 39:22 (mm:ss), 5.05 km, 7’47″/km

I’m excited to end off a Year with a run. Seeing my tags for my posts with “New Years Resolution” still being one of the larger ones means I’ve kind of succeeded! I’ve continued running this entire year! I have gone for at least 1 run every month this year!! I can’t wait to set new goals for the New Year. I’ve been reading a bunch of inspiring and touching year-end recaps and excited goals for the New Year, I wish you all the best! Your stories and blogs inspire me to continue.

Tonight’s run was at the pace that is comfortable to me without my spikes… didn’t think I would need them since I thought it was a regular “race” but we ran the sidewalks and was following pedestrian rules. The sidewalks were a little dangerous with ice and snow all around so we were all being “slower” and more careful with each step. Although I kept the same pace as my last run, my average heart rate was ridiculously higher than my average, guess I really ran my heart out! There’s no medal or anything but a super cool race jacket! I am so thankful for all of the volunteers, Brita, and all of the staff at the Burlington Running Room (and anyone else who may have been involved).

Thank you runrchatts for doing this run with me! I remember a few months back I didn’t want to do this alone since it was at 5 PM race and I had to go to work this morning so I signed him up and asked him to join me 🙂 Thank you for running my pace as well.

I am a runner. A slow runner. I might be going slower than a snail who’s stuck in peanut butter but I am still moving and proud of it!

This has been an amazing year with a lot of amazing victories: my first 10k, my second 10k, a couple of 5ks in the mix, and a whole lot of money raised for causes I believe in. The only resolution that has been left unresolved is my weight – I started and will be ending the year weighing the exact same. I’m not too bummed out about this since I feel much healthier than I did last year! 🙂
I am off to plan out my New Year and decide on the runs I’d like to do, volunteer for, and charities/causes I’d like to raise some funds for.

Have a fantastic New Year!!!

rundmach

‘Tis The Season

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you’ll be a success.  – Albert Schweitzer 

I hope you had a very Merry Christmas / Happy Holiday no matter what you celebrated or will be celebrating!
I hope Santa was good to you. He was too me and all my favourite gifts are running related!! 🙂

December 28 Run: 39:00 (mm:ss),  5.00 km, 7’47″/km

It’s that time of year where I give in and have that second glass of egg nog and choose to spend time in front of the fireplace over lacing up and running. I won’t fully blame it on being sick as I’ve had a some kind of stomach bug for a few weeks now – it’s been so painful some days I just curl up until the pain passes. Today was no different. My stomach felt off and I really didn’t know what to do with myself – besides watch Criminal Minds (Marathon is on for another 7 days – STRAIGHT!). I just chose to let work take over my life and get caught up with the holidays.

Well, regardless of how I felt, I thought maybe my stomach is acting up because I haven’t been running! So, I laced up and put to use my new running spikes from runrchatts. The best part of Christmas? We bought each other the exact same thing – not only running spikes for the winter (because we just had a major ice storm here in southern Ontario), but we got each other the exact same brand and colour just in a different size, hahaha! The ice storm was so intense that people were ice skating on their side walks! Any ways, back to the run. The spikes are fantastic! I felt unstoppable! It was a little odd running on pavement with them on since some of the ice and snow has melted but the rest of the run felt steady and great! I had a very pleasing pace for my first run back after a 2 week Christmas hiatus. Everything was great – a little over dressed, body was sore and aching, my chest hurt, but the run was fantastic!

So, the running continues. My running plan is put on hold until I can get back on track with the plan itself. In the meantime, I will just get out there and run. 😀

Not a day went by in the last two weeks I didn’t think about running. I was sad I was letting myself down but was happy with the other things I was doing with family and friends. On the plus side, I didn’t let this turn into a month of no running and I was still very mindful of what I was eating and how much I was eating. I let myself have what I wanted but didn’t over do it. I hope you have been giving into your indulgences, you’re allowed! 🙂

Tuesday, December 31st is quickly approaching. Only 3 more days to the resolution run… It’s not on January 1st so it’s really a year-end run for me as I see it. A celebration of all that I have accomplished this year and getting ready for all the awesomeness in the new year!

Any who, hope you’ve been better than I and been running in the wonderful Winter season!

Merry Running!

rundmach

Snow Much Happiness

Remember that happiness is a way of travel, not a destination. – Roy L. Goodman

December 15 Run: 45:17 (mm:ss), 5.47 km, 8’16″/km

Woah woah woah, let’s cover one thing with this pace, I was running in snow and my watch kept telling me I was running at 5’s and 6’s the whole time!! Not to fret though, I got out and completed my run after skipping the run on Friday night. I’ve been sick the last two days – not cold sick from the weather but bathroom sick which means no rapid movement allowed. Sorry if that was too much info for you.

Anyways, I got out to do the Friday run I had missed today since I felt a little better, my stomach is still not 100% back to normal but I managed. We got hit here with a LOT of snow and I’m sure all my fellow runners in Southern Ontario know what I mean since this is our first “Major” snowstorm of the season. According to the news we got hit with 25-30 cm of snow yesterday. My run today was wonderful. Very very tough but wonderful. This challenge was different from any other I have done as the issue was not with breathing or wind, it was with pushing my legs to go harder and faster because the snow felt so packed and tough to move through. I ran on the roads (against traffic) since most sidewalks weren’t done yet. I had to do mine twice yesterday and again this morning twice…. Cars were very kind even if they gave me crazy eye. Thank you everyone who was out shovelling and clearing up the sidewalks as well as to those cautious drivers who didn’t honk at me 😀

No, this did not stop me from starting my run 🙂

Eventually I made a path… then made my way to the roads!

I was dressed well and had the weather on my side. No wind!! Or not a lot anyways. My second layer of socks were soaked when I got back from my run but I didn’t notice during my run so I’m happy about that. My gloves were a tad too warm and so was my fleece buff headband. I wore the same pants I mentioned in last post and they were greats. Legs stayed warm!! 😀 In the end, it was all wonderful!! Some fluffy snow dropped a little bit during my run, oh how much I loved it!! ❤ Some shovellers were looking at my like I was crazy and they looked pretty angry and miserable… Not sure why some people hate the snow so much and choose to live in Canada? 🙂

So, I’m one run behind and I will make it up. I haven’t decided if I’ll do 3 runs in a row or if I will just shift my runs down one. The current plan I am running is run every other day. I know I have procrastinated with putting it up so here it is: Run For Fat Loss. I’ve been slacking on cross-training as well and there’s no excuse but Christmas. Hopefully I can jump back on a full strength/cross-training plan again on my days off soon! Right now I just need my days off to work and get holiday stuff ready 😀

Anyways, off to shower and get some food in this belly!!

Happy Running!!

rundmach

Run Calm, Run Happy

Keep Calm and Stride On. 

November 27 Run: 40:05 (mm:ss), 5.08 km, 7’53″/km

Today’s run was a steady run which means outside running!! Yay!!  I should have been a little faster but I chose to run outside since it wasn’t a speed/interval run. Yes, I chose to run in -5°C weather (feels like -11°C). I didn’t care too much for pace, (I barely looked at my watch), as long as I achieved the run goal of 40 minutes at a steady pace I would be happy. My heart rate monitor says I exerted a steady flow of effort (even though my pace jumped around a bit) which is good because I did slow down a bit going uphill against wind at a few legs of my run. I am very happy with today’s run except for making the wrong turn. I made an early right turn and missed an entire section I had mapped out prior to my run so I had to make a loop back around to complete the time. Besides being a little frustrated with not knowing where I was going in the dark, I had a wrist light and was just happy to be out. I stayed calm and just continued to run until I hit a major street. A calm run meant a very peaceful and happy run. I am so glad I chose to go outside – I hope you do too.

My legs were cold!! Burr!! I couldn’t feel my toes until 15 minutes into the run – they were tingly and numb but I didn’t mind. I dressed well upper body, just need some better running tights. Any recommendations for below 0?
I love the winter! Running over snow and treading carefully over ice patches made me feel like a champion!

I hope you’re enjoying the crisp weather as much as I am! White hot chocolates, scarves, toques, mitts, snow, and now running!!! 😀

Happy Running!

rundmach

Back to Back

Expect the best, plan for the worst, and prepare to be surprised.
Never expect less of yourself!

November 17 Run/Walk: 40:01 (mm:ss), 5.15 km, 7’46″/km

Today, I completed another 5K outside running 4 minutes and walking 2 minutes. Despite the Wind Warnings and risk of thunder showers all day, I went outside and took advantage of the 12°C cloudy weather. If I don’t run both days during the weekends, I lose running during daylight. I expected today to be slow and painful but somehow, today was much better of a run all around compared to yesterday. I didn’t over dress, I was confident, I was sore but faster, I didn’t feel like my chest hurt as much, a lot more runners outside as well, and overall I enjoyed the run much more!

Trying to keep my blog posts short so I’m not ranting and rambling soooo….
I’m so happy to have gone for a run today and hope you’re enjoying your day too 🙂

rundmach

I’m Alive

Hi there,

I don’t even know where to begin. It seems I’m always cycling back to writing this message. I appologize in advance as this may come off as a very negative post but it is not, I just need to vent a little. I’m sorry I have not been running or blogging or following your blog. I’m sorry to myself and feel ashamed to consider myself a runner. I am no runner. It has been almost an entire month since my last run. I made every excuse possible to not run. It’s too cold, it’s too dark, I’m in another province (Wahoo, my eldest brother got married and I was away for over a week), etc, etc, etc.

November 10 Run: 35:49 (mm:ss), 4.07 km, 8’47″/km

These stats are based on my Nike+ GPS SportsWatch. I did my first run of the season on my treadmill this morning. I have finally put it together, since moving to my new home back in June, with the support of a great friend. The treadmill stats say I ran less but faster so I’m not even sure what to believe anymore. I’ll stick to the GPS watch as that will be the one constant that will follow me when I do run outdoors.

Mentally, I always want to run and I always feel like it’s the one thing that’s missing in my day. So how is it that I don’t do it and come up with all these excuses? Am I that weak mentally to not be able to push myself? Even today’s run, I followed the treadmill’s running plan to Run hard for 30 seconds (between a 6-7.4 mph pace) and jog/walk for 90 seconds (between 3.9-5 mph pace). My pace for today overall was ridiculously slow. However, I’m not upset about this at all, it is my first run in almost a month! I am just disappointed with always feeling sorry for myself and disappointed I keep finding excuses. What’s wrong with me? I want to do this!! It is tough when I do it, I can’t breathe right still but I love doing it. I love writing my blog and following your blog for inspiration, yet I’ve fallen behind on that as well. If I love to do something so much why do I keep myself away from it? Okay, I get it, I’m just ranting now and need to stop.

On other news, there’s only 4 more weeks until the Santa 5K!!! I’m excited to do this fun run for myself. It feels a little odd not doing fundraising or a charity support on this. It will be fun and probably super cold! If you have a suggested 5k run plan for 4 weeks (or 7 week to the 5K Resolution Run on December 31st), please send it over (dmach88@gmail.com)!! I’m looking to increase my speed as I was running a 5K in around 36-38 minutes. I’d like to be running at the average speeds around 30-35 minutes for a 5k but can’t seem to get myself there. Do you have any good plans?

I’ve been thinking about so many things to write but here I am expressing to you my shame with how I have one again fallen off the tracks. I’m not disappointed with my run today, I am disappointed with all the runs I didn’t do. I was in one of the most beautiful places during my vacation for my brother’s wedding, Banff (where I’d like to retire one day and Canmore, where his wedding actually was). I even brought my running shoes and all my “cold” weather running gear. I did not run. 😦

This post could go on for pages about how disappointed I am and how many runs I have missed; but, I’ll leave it at, I am still very happy with my life and enjoying everything else in my life. Work is a challenge as always and I have not made enough time for my friends but what I do get to do and what I choose to do every day, I am Happy. I need to make more time and create more energy. 🙂

I will end this post with a question to you all, what are your limits? When do you decide it is treadmill time? Is it because it’s pitch black outside by 5 PM before  you even leave work, is it when it falls below 0 degrees celsius? How do you find motivation to run outside? (I want to run outside!! The treadmill was good and comfortable because I was warm, but nothing like being outdoors).

For all my followers, please forgive me.

Sincerely,

rundmach

Run My Feelings Out

Hey there,

Today was a very long day at work! There’s a lot going on with my work life that I can’t really share online, so just know that I wish I could vent but need to be professional. I am very conflicted by a lot of my thoughts and passion with my work life right now… In hopes of relieving stress, I went to run tonight after getting home, I was so frustrated and angry, there was nothing else I wanted more than a good run. (Also one of my poor fishes died this morning before I went to work. 😦 )

October 15 Run: 36:49 (mm:ss), 5.02 km, 7’20″/km

I did indeed have a really good run! I could have go a few more KMs I feel but it was getting quite dark (aka scary) outside. I really needed the therapy but it was very challenging; I kept straying back to work thoughts and getting upset. Eventually, the last KM was when I finally let go and just pushed myself to run, finishing the last KM in 6 minutes and 34 seconds!! It really is true, when I push myself, I can run a lot faster! I did however run in intervals today: 8 minutes on, 1 minute off for the first 27 minutes then did a straight run to finish 5k.

Is it true then? Running intervals is the way to go and get faster? How do other runners just run and never stop but keep increasing pace? I need to do some more research!

It was tough not running over the weekend either! Last week I hurt my feet from work and had to spend most of Saturday in bed (couldn’t be on my feet at all); I won’t get you too caught up in it, I’m better now and that’s all that matters.

Bad days can make greats runs! 🙂

Stay Positive, Happy Running!

rundmach

Adjusting to Weather

Hey There,

I got up nice and early this morning to do a nice little 5k run. A little chilly! It was 8ºC (46ºF). I wore shorts and a long sleeve. Probably need to go the other way. Longer pants (kapris or full pants) and a t shirt. I could feel my skin crackling on my thighs, but it was a great feeling! What do you wear when it gets to 0ºC? I know the rule to always dress 10 degrees warmer than the actual temperature, but really, when do I start pulling out the gloves and headband to cover my ears?

October 9 Run: 39:46 (mm:ss), 5.02 km, 7’55″/km

So, it was a little cool and I was running slow just to get the distance in but when I got to my last KM at around 33 minutes, I said I can’t finish a 5k in over 40 minutes so I kicked it up a notch. I finished my last km in 6 minutes 31 seconds!!!! Well, I guess it’s true, when you set our mind to something, you can do it! I need to keep pushing myself to be the best me I can and I won’t stop!

Since my last post, I have decided all my runs will have to be 5 k and if they aren’t then the following run will be increased by the difference. Let’s say tomorrow I run 3 km, then the following run will have to be 7 km! This will hopefully get me to the 1000 km goal in a shorter time 🙂 .

In an earlier post in September, I mentioned wanting to sign up for more runs before the year is over. I have now officially signed up for two runs in December!!

December 7: Santa 5K – Everybody has to be in the Santa costume that comes in your race kit to participate!
December 31: Resolution Run

These two runs are more  fun runs for myself. These will most likely be done in snow! I could already see my breath all morning during my run and even fogged up my own glasses sometimes, haha. I’m excited to be part of these two runs as it will really push my limits and be a staple of how far I’ve come from not running to running in the Canadian Winter!!! 😀

I hope you remember to take some time to reflect on your success in running and in life. If you haven’t, take some time and reflect, you’re a wonderful human being and you’ve come a long way, be happy and be proud of your success and how far you’ve come in life.

Happy Running

rundmach

Caving In & Running for a Cure

Hi there,

I hope you all had a successful weekend! I have two updates to post for this weekend a few other notes to share.

October 5 Run: 27:04 (mm:ss), 3:31 km, 8’11″/km

October 6 CIBC Run for the Cure: 38:00 (mm:ss), 5.41 km, 7’01″/km

Saturday. Let’s cover Saturday’s run first. I CAVED and had to get out for a run. My last run was Tuesday and by Saturday I was dying to run again and just couldn’t wait until Sunday so I let myself outside and said I’d do 3 KMs and at a very very slow pace. I accomplished this and felt better than ever. I was sooo happy I gave myself this run. After a run early in the morning and a late night getting in from my first ever NHL Hockey game at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto to watch the Leafs’ home opener vs the Ottawa Senators, I called it a night at about 1 AM. I don’t stay up late so this made me worry a little bit about having to run the next morning.

Top right is pre run and bottom left is post run.

Sunday Morning. Not a problem! Let’s wake up and shower (yes my pre-race routine includes a shower). Off we go. Running for a Cure, my friend and I did the run to raise money for a better future for all of our breasts. Our team raised $680!!  This makes me very happy!! I hope one day we  can find a cure for cancer (and breast cancer). The atmosphere, energy, and support of everyone at this venue was incredible. I loved all the kids and the spirit that was there!! This is definitely a run I want to continue to do every year for as long as I am alive. I am happy that I am running and continue to run for a cause.

The Run. This is my second time doing this run. My first was my first ever race last September – this was a Big Day for me. It was last year and it is again this year. It marks my progress over the last year. I finished the 5k run almost 2 minutes faster! Although I luckily wasn’t sick this year and gained a bit of momentum from that, I did learn a lot about myself and being a runner in the last year. The Route had changed due to construction and instead of 5k it was 5.4km! What a bummer.. By the time I realized this, I was 150m away from 5k so I gave it my all to try to hit my 35 minute goal… The finish line was actually much further away so I didn’t realize I had to empty the tank earlier than where the finish line actually was.  I was unsuccessful at this and finished 5K in 35:19. Although I finished with a group of Warriors around age 9 – 11, it’s not too shabby. I’m getting better!!  I did run nonstop and tried to pace my friend but she drifted off after about 1.5km in; I did get to finish, walk back and run through the finish line with her again; that felt great being able to see her push through and destroy her 5k time! Can’t wait to see her progress in a year when we run this again next year. 🙂

More Happiness. Today’s 5k also marked my 500 km recorded on Nike +! That’s pretty awesome that I’ve run over 500 km as of today. I cannot wait to destroy this and get to 1000 km in even less time and less number of runs. This is definitely a huge milestone for me and I’d like to give a shout out to runrchatts for beating his first 500 km on Nike+ too! He also wore a pink ribbon today while he did his run for his half-marathon training. Thanks for the support 🙂

Other Notes. This will be my last fundraising efforts for 2013. I thank everyone who had supported me/the cause I have been raising awareness for. I know I have exhausted all of you, my friends, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving what you can. In the next two months I am looking forward to volunteering and getting hands on with helping before I start to look at fundraising again in the new year. I do also have two other runs I plan on signing up for but those are both fun (non chipped timed) runs that I’ll be doing more for myself. I love to run and I think adding in some runs just for the experience and joy will be great to add to the list of my race history. I feel that over this weekend I have had so many thoughts I wanted to blog about but as I’ve run out of time and left blogging to Sunday night before bed, I am scrambling with those thoughts… I will update you with any further notes I may have throughout the week as I continue to run.  Thank you for reading, following, liking, commenting, and supporting me. Thank you for being you and awesome!

Happy Running!

rundmach

Uh-Oh…

Hello Runday,

I’m not on a running plan right now but I know most runners do their long runs on Sunday which should now be known as Runday going forward! If Subway can rename the days of the week to chicken teriyaki , so can runners!!

Today’s a busy day and I wanted to make sure I got a run in even if it meant running early and my body wouldn’t be fully recuperated from last night’s run… I got up and headed out.

September 29 Run: 25:22 (mm:ss), 3.41 km, 7’26″/km

After reading a bunch of inspiring blogs this morning, I set out to complete 5k after discovering the  Automattic’s World Wide WP 5K from Striding Toward’s Life. It’s pretty neat how the blogging community comes together and the running community is so strong.

As you can see by my results, I didn’t achieve 5k today. These aren’t excuses but just plain truths. My body was definitely still tired from yesterday, my body felt so foreign to me as I tried to push myself. That caused me to run a little bit slower, but no big deal, just cover the distance. Then this happened…  Over my last few runs I’ve been feeling like my left shoe is tied too tight as the top of my foot is hurting quite a bit once I start running. Today, I virtually tied a knot at the end of the laces and my foot still hurt!! By about 2k I realized, it’s not the shoe that’s too tight, it’s my foot!! I could feel my foot ripping apart. Oh no!! What was I going to do? It hurt so bad today I actually stopped to walk but then I had to completely stop when walking caused the lower arch of my foot to hurt. What was I to do? The top hurt the most while running… after a minute I just said okay let’s keep going and see how it feels, by the time I looped around the corner and got closer to home. I decided that I would just run my way home and call it a day, after all I did get in my 5k yesterday but I really wanted to get the 5k in today for the love of running! I kept pushing… then realized, I need to be smart, I need to listen to my body, if my foot is saying stop, I should stop. So I got home, grabbed some water, and went for a walk to cover the rest of the distance. When I walk, there’s no pain. The last thing I wanted to do is hurt myself before next Runday’s CIBC Run for the Cure 5k charity run.

The results, Falling for the Best will be my contribution to the wwwp5k! I don’t run with a camera phone or anything so I couldn’t take a photo of my run but I’m excited to use yesterday’s run as it was a personal best in the last little bit. It was a very successful run and I’m glad I did it and happy I can put it towards the wwwp5k.

I hope you remember to listen to your body! It’s good to push and strive for greatness but sometimes, you do just need to step back and take a breath, it doesn’t mean you’re quitting or giving up, you’re just building up more energy to destroy the next run!

Happy Runday!

rundmach

Falling for the Best

Hello there,

September 28 Run: 35:29 (mm:ss), 5k, 7’05″/km

Tonight was going to be an “easy” run to do a 5k since I’ve been pushing to up my speed the last two runs. Well, I just did my fastest 5k since early May of this year. Woohoo!!! I’ll always take a win. Today was a test and practice run to pace myself. I set the first 3k as the standard to just run a slower steady pace with no walk breaks, between 6’40” to 7’00″/km. I don’t know how people can pace so well?? I just run! My breathing is still super hard and I’m sure all the passer-bys are wondering if I need an ambulance. I noticed today as I was trying to train myself to pace, (can’t rely on my watch, especially at night when it’s so dark out), no matter how fast or even slow I moved my legs, my breathe was the same. It was hard and heavy but I added one then two more steps in the same breathing count and the breathing was the same but my legs could move faster, or slower. So what’s my problem? I don’t think I know how to breathe…. I’m breathing in and out trying to use my stomach and inhaling through my nose and out my mouth… No dice, I’m still struggling to get air in at the same rate, no matter how hard I’m moving the rest of my body.

Well, regardless of not being able to keep a steady pace, I completed 3k straight in about 21 minutes, walked a minute, ran 900 meters, walked a minute, and completed the run as strong as I could. I am so proud of myself for the time I did run. This gives me so much hope with how much faster I can actually run and how much more I can continue to push myself!!!

Although this is not a PR or anything, it feels like a personal best, at least it is for the last 4 months!! This fall season feels great for running with cooler temperatures and great inspiration surrounding me to be the best version of me I can be. Only one more week until the CIBC Run for the Cure! Hopefully my 50/50 raffle and fundraiser raffle for a day off at work will drive in some dollars for the cause.
Can’t wait to beat some actual personal records and continue to help drive change in the world!

Hope you’re enjoying the nicer weather, running, and staying happy!

Love life, happy running!

rundmach

Morning Dew

Hey there,

Today I went for a run in the morning before work, sometime around 6:30 am.

September 19 Run: 40:05 (mm:ss), 5.03 km, 7’58″/km

Although today’s run was slower on time and tough on my chest, I enjoyed the run as always. Something odd was happening with my chest, no breathing but just a bad aching pain. Besides that, the rest of the run was great. The crisp morning air was so refreshing!

I also didn’t get a chance to blog this morning and I felt a little off all day at work; all I wanted to do today was blog. Now I feel like I’ve forgotten everything I wanted to say ad share… Oh well. Maybe next run/blog will be a bit more inspirational.

rundmach

Bundles of Happiness

Hey There!

Tonight I have a few other thoughts to share with you, so the running bit will be short.

September 12 Run: 39:56 minutes, 5.03 km, 7’56″/km

A little slower than the last run but it was still challenging and felt amazing! It’s down to 16°C (61°F)!!!! It’s not 40°C any more!! Yay!!! With that being said, the run felt soooooooo good. I thought I was steady and quick; apparently my time says otherwise, but I loved tonight’s run. I am happy with it and glad I have done it.  3 days to 10K!

Yesterday, I started a 30 day challenge. Similar to all the ones you may find on-line, I’ve drafted my own 30 day challenge to include: push-ups, squats, sit-ups, hip raises, leg raises (single and double), and planks. The biggest challenges here will be starting day 1 at  50 squats & 10 push ups and ending day 30 with 250 squats and 75 push-ups. I’m really excited as day 2 is over and I already feel more confident in doing the push-ups, planks, and squats. I’m stoked to get to the end of the 30 days and be able to do 250 squats!!! It’s getting late here and I want to cover another topic before I end this post so I will post the 30 day challenge as soon as I find time to type it up.

THE TERRY FOX FOUNDATION
I am so happy to share with you that so far we have raised $285 for The Terry Fox Foundation, with another $50 on its way from left over payments from the Silent Auction Fundraiser. From the bottom of my heart, Thank You to everyone who has supported this cause and my team with your words or encouragement and donations. To the anonymous donors to those joining me in this journey to some how complete 10K on Sunday, Thank you!

“I want to set an example that will never be forgotten” – Terry Fox

I am absolutely touched by the bloggers and followers and friends who support me day in and day out. I look forward to your stories for encouragement and for strength when I feel like I have nothing left to draw inspiration from and want to give up. You give me hope that there is still a lot of good in the world.

To every reader out there, I wish you all the happiness in the world that your heart can manage.

Happy Running, Much love,

rundmach

Priceless

Hey World,

Only one week left to the next charity 10 k – The Terry Fox Run. I’m no where close to being able to run 10 k straight through but I will complete 10 k no matter what!

September 8 Run: 37:42 minutes, 5.07 km, 7’26″/km

Today was a much better run! RunRChatts came out and we did the run together. It’s been a while and although I’m sure I’m too slow for him, I was running much faster than I normally do trying extra hard to keep up. Even though I can’t really speak when I’m running (which I know means I’m running too hard) and I have headphones on, the company means a lot. I’m glad he came for a run with me.

Now that the weather is getting a little cooler and running is a little easier, have you been signing up for races? I’m trying to but am finding it hard to commit. For whatever reason, I really want to be running with others and am finding it difficult in getting support. I’m not asking for others to run at my slower pace, but just to have a group at the end who would wait for me and we can all celebrate our success together. Do I need to join a running group to meet running friends or get some encouragement? It’s not that I’m trying to come off as weak and can’t do things by myself, I’d just like to be able to celebrate the wins of finishing a race at the end with someone other than myself. Plus, signing up for races sets goals and targets that I have to hit. I can’t be so wishy washy about running since there are actual finish lines to cross.

There are quite a few runs and races I want to sign up for coming up:
October 6:  CIBC Run for the Cure
October 20: Turkey Trot Trail Race (I’ve never even ran trail before?)
December 7: Santa 5K (Everyone has to dress as Santa, it’s part of your race kit!)
December 31: Resolution Run (THIS ONE IS A MUST!! I REALLY WANT TO DO THIS!)

So, if you’re in the area and would like to join me, please let me know if you plan on doing any of these runs, maybe we could meet up for a picture or just high fives.

Even if you’re not in the area, I wish you well in your runs and races coming up! 🙂
Happy Running!

Sincerely,

rundmach

Experimenting

Hi There,

I know I’m blogging twice today but I just finished a run and I couldn’t NOT blog.

August 15 Run: 40:14 minutes, 5.31 km, 7’34″/km

A bit of experimentation going on today. Tried a different route in the neighbourhood with less elevation. Run felt MUCH better than the previous and I did it non-stop.

The real reason I am writing is that today I posted my new charity up and have already received great response (The Terry Fox Foundation – “Running” for a Cause). I am lost for words with some of the amazing donations I have received in product for my SILENT AUCTION, monetary, and emotional support. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the Auction, please do. Even if you bid 10% of the value, you could win and I’d be ecstatic to have some more funds go towards the cause. Note a typo on the Auction form: If you win, you can pay in credit card – not just Visa. I will also cover all shipping costs. 

Short and sweet as I hope you get to spend time reading my earlier post from the day.

Much Love,

rundmach

Run It Off

Surprise!

It’s Tuesday and I’m blogging! What? I got out and did a run on a Tuesday night, woohoo! Finally pushed myself after work, dinner, and off the couch!

August 6 Run: 39:15 minutes, 5.22 km, 7’30″/km

Today’s run was amazing! I never stopped to walk once today. I kept a steady comfortable pace and sped up or slowed down when I felt, but constantly pushing. Best run in a very long time. God was testing me for sure. i stepped outside and it started spitting. I didn’t turn around and walk up the drive way, I said, fine, I guess I will run in the rain instead. I went out with the intentions of doing 3k then changed my mind to 4k and ended up doing 5k! Could this be because I did the run at night? Who cares! I feel great!

I’d also love to thank everyone for their support. I know I keep saying it but I truly mean it. Your comments mean a lot, likes, and follows. Thank you for everything!

I am definitely loving life as I had a pretty rough day at work today. I feel like this is déjà-vu and the same time last year I let the same work problems get to me. It’s not so much work because I do love what I do, but the people… There are quite a few who are dedicated and love the culture we are in and have a passion for our company, but then there are obviously the ones who are there for a pay-cheque and just don’t fit in. It does get to me how some people can make it through a job when they blatantly don’t care. I won’t rant too much because it has flown on and I’ve left it outside with my footprints.

I hope you’ve had a great Tuesday!

Love,

rundmach

Provisional Run

Happy Sunday!

Today is a new week and today I take a provisional run. I’m away next Saturday and the chances that I wake up early to run at the cottage are slim to none. I’d also like to clock in a few more runs this week and get myself out of the once a week ritual.

August 4 Run: 39:19 minutes, 5.02 km, 7’50″/KM

WOAH! That’s some slow running but I did get through 5K and I’m super happy and proud of myself for that. My first KM was again my best at 6:46. Then it went all downhill from there, not literally through, I WISH! Literally, it was all uphill from there. These new paths I’m running have a lot of challenges for someone who is accustomed to flat runs. I never thought it would impact me so much, but it is tough! I’ve learned to try to think or focus on anything else when I get to an incline and just think step-step-step-left-right-left-right-etc. until I feel the path isn’t so challenging. I’m not making excuses for my slower times but this new neighbourhood has got me working that much harder! Any-who, it wasn’t too bad, I ran 1 KM, walked 1 minute, ran another KM, walked a minute until I was done the distance goal I had set.

Who cares what the pace is? I read that yesterday. It’s true, Pace is relative and I will set a realistic and challenging goal for myself each run. Whether it is to run 30 minutes or to run 5K, my goal is my focus. Pace is my own standard and not a comparison. I am at awe with all the other blogs and runners I am catching up on. I truly appreciate each and every one of you for reading my blog and sharing your stories. Your support and openness helps me be a better me. Thank you!

So, that’s two runs in two days, wohoo! Go Me!! I’ve also done a bit of off-road exercising with some dumbbells as well; yay, strength!

I hope you’re enjoying this lovely Sunday as much as I am!

Love,

rundmach

 

Good Start

Good Afternoon,

I am off from work today and tomorrow! Needed to take a mini vacation and here we are.

July 25 Run: 38:09 minutes, 5.01 km, 7’37″/km

I’d like to say this time off has been off to a wonderful start. Already got out for one run, hopefully another before Monday. Seems I am off to a great start on my runs in my new neighbourhood and then taper off. Stupid hills. My first km today was 6:06!!! It’s been a while since I’ve run at that pace but of course, I slowed down once the hills hit. I also ran at intervals today. 6 minute on, 1 walk, 5 run, 1 walk, then a series of 3 minute running and 1 minute walking until I hit 5 k at 38 minutes.

Some other greatness to share; my chest did not hurt the last two runs. This could be due to the inhaler or the heat wave leaving us. Or maybe it’s a combination of two. I still can’t breathe very well in terms of getting big enough breathes in so I’m struggling with huffing and puffing but the pain is gone, so that’s really good news for me! Super excited to run some more!!

I’ve also signed up for my next 10k and my charity, I’ll be posting about it more later one once I get some more info.

Hope you’re having a great summer as well!

Happy Running.

rundmach

Hydration

Hi there,

May 7 Run: 34:05, 5.01 km, 6’47″/km

Unfortunately, a little slower than my last. A bit disappointed because I am not completely drained but I also didn’t have enough willpower to kick it in the end either… despite it all, it’s okay, I ran! I was running with a hydration belt with two 6oz bottles. Extremely annoying! I tried this as practice for the 10k since there are only two water stations: 3 and 7 km. I don’t think I can wear it. The bottles bounce up and down way too much. I don’t want to run holding, carrying, or strapping anything either. I feel like I’m out of options. What do you do for hydration during longer runs?

rundmach

Back to Basics

Hi There,

Despite the -2°C temperatures this morning, I got outside and ran bright and early. By the time I was done running it was +1°C! Yay! Hahaha… It is a beautiful day out now though 🙂

April 14 Run: 37 minutes, 3.2 miles (5.15km, 5.30km in Nike+)

I’ve been battling this whole training program a little bit, knowing that my runs are getting longer and tougher to build me up to the 10k. Today I wanted to feel how I felt when I first started running, ambitious and in love with the lifestyle. I invited rchatts to come over for a run and he said yes. I had breakfast while I waited. The first thing I did was lay out the plan when we went outside: I’m running the same 5k route I did last September, I don’t care about pace or time, I just want to love running again. It’s not so much I fell out of running but all this focus on long hard runs and training to plan has gotten me a bit disconnected with how much I do love running. That ugly face I had when I did the 5K Harry Rosen run, didn’t exist today and I ran a little more than 5 k in two more minutes. I know if I had focused on time and pace I would have destroyed my personal best, but that wasn’t the goal today.

Today I ran lightly for the first two kilometers. I picked it up until the last 500 m (really 600) and ran my heart out. Finding out there was 100m left to the end mark (5.15km instead of 5! How deceptive), I sprinted! I started at one point and said I would finish at a specific point and I did (despite rchatts ‘ GPS telling me we had already done 5k). I emptied the tank and it felt amazing!

The run was great. I felt comfortable and relaxed most of the time. Breathing was extremely hard as it always is for me. Rchatts was extremely supportive as always, thanks! There were many other runners and walkers out. This is what I love about running. I enjoyed the pace, I enjoyed the scenery, I enjoyed the company and fellow runners/walkers, I enjoyed life.

I know I need to train to get to 10k but I also need to remember to break down my runs into the fun runs that I do enjoy. Ultimately, those long runs will be my fun runs! 😀

So, if you’re struggling getting to where your goals are, just stop thinking about them for a day, shut your brain off, enjoy the beauty of life, tie up your shoes, and just run.

Sincerely,
rundmach

Treasure Chest 11:1

Hi there!

I must warn you in advance this will be a long post. I haven’t blogged since mid last week so I’ve got a lot to cover and I’m sure there’s a lot you’ll want to hear about as well!

Hills, Personal Best, Celebrations, and Fundraising. I’ll start with the easier bit, today’s run.

April 9 Run: 74 minutes, 5.87 miltes (9.45 km on Nike+)

WOHOOO! My Nike+ actually showed the correct distance I ran today!!! I actually ran indoors on my treadmill since it’s raining pretty hard out. Today’s intervals went as such: 5 minute warm up, and 3 intervals of 20 minutes 24 seconds run with a 1 minute walk in between each interval and ending with a 5 minute walk. Today’s run was supposed to be easy with two rest days since my 5K run on Saturday (more to come in the next paragraphs). The first two intervals weren’t too bad but the last one was challenging: not only was I starting to get the sense that maybe I’m getting bored (because it’s a treadmill and not the beauty of nature), I also felt my toes and my left hamstring starting to tense up and become too tired/sore. I pushed through it and just kept moving on to keep me on pace to doing the 10k in May. Now I may be taking another 2 rest days before doing this run again as I have to do this run another 2 more times before advancing. Let’s see how my legs feel in two days time.

New items added to my running memorabilia shoe box. My Treasure Chest. Can’t wait to collect more goodies from more races! 😀

5k Harry Rosen Run: First off, I’d like to send huge thanks to runrchatts for coming out, pacing me, and supporting me for the run! Without you, I wouldn’t have done as well as I did, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Second, this is my Personal Best 5K during a race (I’ve only done two but this is my first chipped race). I did 5KM in 35:04:04…. Yes, 4:04 seconds short of my goal!! I am definitely disappointed with this as I lost about 40 seconds in the last half km due to the race finishing on a hill. They warned us there was a hill… after the 4th KM I thought I hit the hill and mentally got myself up this “hill” for about 500 metres. When we hit the a flat for 100 I was excited the hill was over and I could speed up for the end. Unfortunately, the last 300m was the real hill! I think I got up about 2/3 of the way (but it was probably half) before my legs froze. Honestly, I didn’t think I hit a wall. I thought I had this and fought every part of my body to keep going but somehow my legs just stopped moving. Even walking up the hill seemed impossible at the time. Is this the Wall? Well, I made it. I ran the entire race up to that point (about 31 minutes straight). How did my legs freeze and feel like I was stoned from the waist down? Is this really what the wall is or is this just due to lack of hill training? Anyways, who cares, I hit a personal best which I will surely be beating later this year! Third, after all of that, I would like to assure you that I indeed am proud of myself for running this 5k and completing the race. Forth, I’d like to give a shout out to I Hate/Love Running who also ran this run! We’ve never met and I recently started following his run blog and stumbled across his post about running this same race (but the 8km one)! Congrats on your awesome time. Lastly, who runs when they are cold?! I couldn’t feel my toes for the 1.5 km at least. This was the weirdest feeling! Let’s make note to always stay warm before a run starts!

 It may be hard to see, but I’m actually not touching the ground in the photo to the left! This is a photo captured by the event and wants $60 for the actual photo so all I have is a blurry thumbnail to share. I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS PHOTO! I’m almost like the silhouette of the runner in the header of my blog who’s running in thin air over water.  If I didn’t have such a miserable face, I may have considered buying this photo. Also, as you can see, runrchatts was always pushing me and cheering me on: even at the end he pushed me to sprint to the finish line to beat him in the last however many feet. Thanks 🙂

Things I’ve learned from this run:
1. I did not know I was the ugly runner! When we first got to the run, the 8k race was just starting so we cheered all the runners on. We watched and hollered for these athletes running their hearts out as I knew I would need that cheering in an hour. We were picking out the runners who made it look too easy and the ones who just looked like they were dying and struggling. Those runners who looked like they hated their lives (I gave them an extra cheer). Turns out, I’m one of those runners! The pictures posted for the results show me as that struggling, angry runner. It looks like I’m tormenting myself. Who knew?
2. When you’re “racing” in a 5k and in the 2nd last coral, you’re not really racing. You’re racing yourself. So my question, why do people find the need to be jerks? I had a girl in her teens elbow by me at around the 3km mark, rchatts had a couple strollers whizz right by him, and I had a few ladies blocking me in. So, the question is why???? We ended up passing the strollers and the ladies with our steady pace and to top it all off, during each of these occurrences, there was a ton of space around us for passing. Anyways, that’s my little rant for the race etiquettes that some people clearly do not care for.
3. In line with the previous note, I am not running these races to compete with the elites. I am competing against myself. This is a sport to me where the goal is to beat myself and be better than I was the day before. Yes, it’d be great to be amazing and #1, but that’s not my goal and that’s not where I plan on heading. This race solidified that thought and just proved that I do want to keep challenging myself to be a better me, not be better than someone else.
4. I want to run more 5k races!! It’s a good time (not too long) and a good challenge! I think the 10k will be tough for me and I’ll still do the 10 K in May and the 10 K Terry Fox Run in September but I definitely want to do many more 5K races!! Despite having the horrible face while I run, I actually do enjoy running! I can’t wait to finish the Sporting Life 10 K race in May and start signing up for more 5K races. I’ve already been looking a bunch up and might even travel to be able to do some.
5. This was a very well organized run! There was a lot of water, food, great energy and just an awesome place to be for runners, supporters, and volunteers. I had a blast just watching all the 8k runners start and finish! I had a blast completing my run. Thank you to everyone involved for putting this together.

I had a pretty exciting and long weekend. Run Saturday Morning, friend’s dinner Saturday night, and celebratory Blue Jays game Sunday. I surprised rchatts with Jays tickets for all of his help with my running and being a great and supportive friend. There wasn’t much celebrating for the Jays since they lost horribly but it was still fun getting out to my first Jays game of the season! I was so tired yesterday I went to work and barely made it through the day but all in all I had a great weekend!

In other news, I’d like to share some awesome information with regards to my efforts to raise money for Camp Oochigeas. Myself and my running team have been working hard to raise money for this charity (if you’d like a refresher, read more about the charity and my goals from my previous post Running for Fun). So, the Penny has been put to rest in Canada. In respect, I had started a Penny Drive around my office for the month of March. I had also mentioned I would match whatever we raised in the office and donate it to one of the fellow members of our team. We raised $43.27 in the office! I have matched that and donated $50 to one of our other runners. Thank you everyone for chipping in and searching for those lost coins or just emptying out your pockets for a day to support this cause! My personal goal is to raise $250 to send a sick child to camp for a day, I am currently at $243.27!!! Only $7 away. I hope our team can muster up enough support and raise enough money to send a child to camp for a week ($1750). THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO HAS DONATED AND SUPPORTED!!  If you’d like to donate some change, you can do so here (the site is secure and does not charge you any transaction fees). Every little bit helps! 😀

I’m a bit behind on my blog readings and I apologize for this but I will be spending tomorrow night catching up on your blog!

 That’s all for tonight folks! Thank you for reading and supporting!
Good Night,

rundmach

5K Liebster Award – 8:3 Success!

Hello World!!

Tonight I blog in extreme excitement!! I have much to say so this may get a little long – be warned. 🙂

March 20 Run: 46 minutes, 3.70 miles (6.41 km on Nike+)

First off, WOHOO!! I ran 5 KM straight on the treadmill in 36 minutes and 20 seconds!! Second, I’ve blogged about Nike+ quite a bit and it’s obvious, something is wrong with it, 3.70 miles is really 5.95 km. This is almost half a full km off. That’s a pretty big difference when training for a 10 k! Third, back to the good, I ran 36:20 with the last minute upping from 5 mph to 5.2 and the last 30 seconds going up to 5.5 mph! 5 minutes warm up then a 5 minute cool down. Forth, I still had energy to keep going!! Fifth, I have been insanely ill today. I have a tooth infection and have been on meds for two days now. My head has been killing me (jaw/ear/mouth/temple) to the point I was smashing my head into my desk today when a co-worker walked by and thought I was just overwhelmed with work. Lastly, I didn’t even think I was going to run! After work I went for a half hour walk thinking that would be it since I felt soo sick (by 6 pm I had already taken 6 T2’s today). I came back from the walk with insane energy, head felt good, stomach a bit off still, but all in all, I had this determination to succeed tonight. Boy did I ever rise to the occassion! WOOOOHOOO!

Although Nike+ is wrong in terms of distance, it’s still a good relative comparison over time as it is what I’m using to run on my iPod nano. Today, all of my running KMs averaged BELOW 7 minutes per km!!!! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen those numbers and I’m so excited to be reuinted with these results. COME ON NICE WEATHER!! I can’t wait to run the 5 KM route around my block….TWICE! 😀

Thank you runat49 for nominating me!!! It’s a huge honour to be nominated for this! I love my blog and I love reading everyone else’s blogs that keep inspiring me to blog and run.

What is the Liebster award? Find out at strivebalance – Karen does a pretty great job at keeping it short and sweet.

This is a bit tougher for me as all I seem to blog about is running so let me give this a go and give you 11 random facts about me that I haven’t shared yet.

1. I have been working for the same company for almost 9 years now (since August 2004).
2. I just bought a complete new set of Golf clubs – I’ve never golfed in my life but I will start this summer!
3. My mom made my dad go through the Burger King drive through when she went into labour with me – this must be why I love fast food! (runat49, I thought you’d like this)
4. I am a hopeless romantic; I am not married but can’t wait to be.
5. I have earned honours in my Bachelor of Commerce Degree majoring in Operations with a minor in Human Resource studies.
6. I earned the President’s National Scholarship, at the University I earned that degree, for all 4 years. Only 5 students earn this award each year.
7. I set extremely high expectations for myself and beat myself down too hard too often.
8. As a kid I hated running but loved all other sports (I saw nothing great in running – boy was I wrong!)
9. I have a tattoo on my right wrist that says LIVE ♢ LEARN ♢ GROW
10. I find it easier to do nice things for others and treat others than to do the same for myself.
11. I am super happy for Danni who recently won The Biggest Loser season 13. I have been cheering for her the entire time.

Now, the other part of this is to answer 11 questions that I have been asked.

1. Who most influenced your life and why?
   My mom – she’s a warrior with insane stength: divorced, raised my brothers and me on her own without child support, had the strength to walk away, … I could go on but I think that paints a good picture. She has taught me to be strong, determined, and to never settle.
2. Why did you start blogging?
   To raise awareness for the charities I am running for, and keep myself dedicated and accountable to running.
3. What do you like most about blogging?
   Receiving Likes, followers, and visitors – this stuff means a lot to me. Also, I am able to be completely honest with my feelings, track my progress, and hold myself accountable for not doing it (because if I don’t blog, that means I didn’t run).
4. What is your favorite movie and why?
   FIGHT CLUB – great plot, the movie was extremely well done (better than the book in my opinion) and we all have another side to us that we just don’t know about.
5. What is your favorite book and why?
   The Outsiders – this book taught me a lot as a child…
6. What was your favorite subject in school?
   No, it wasn’t gym… It was Math! I still love problem solving to this day. It’s kind of my job now. 🙂
7. What is your biggest goal for 2013?
   To complete two 10k races and raise money for good charities!
8. Who do you admire most?
   I admire Terry Fox. A man who ran across Canada after losing a leg to cancer to build awareness deserves admiration from the world. I couldn’t be happier to run for the Terry Fox Foundation in September.
9. What do you consider your best quality?
   I’ve been told I am too kind, I wear my heart out on my sleeve and always go above and beyond for others. I think these are pretty awesome qualities to have.
10. Where would you move if you could move anywhere in the world?
    Jasper (the Rocky Mountains) if I didn’t have to work. I’d snowboard all winter long, and run through the mountains and forests all summer.
11. What makes you happy?
    This one’s easy, RUNNING! But also family, food, snowboarding, and sleep also make me happy. 🙂 .

FInally, I nominate these bloggers that have inspired me, check them out:

runrchatts
diannegrey
runat49 (I know you’ve already been nominated but I wanted people to check your story out too)
lesleycarter
running26point2
fitforayear
thestripedstrawberry
run5kaday

That’s all folks! I hope you enjoyed getting to know me a bit better.

Thanks for reading and constantly supporting me 🙂

rundmach

P.S. I forgot to mention, today, it happened!!! I felt my breathe get steadier as I was running! Still tough holding a conversation but I wasn’t panting! Woooohoooo!