Janathon Day 31 Run #2

I do not want to live in regret! 

January 31 Run #2: 17:00 (mm:ss), 2.12 km, 8’04″/km (iPod)

Despite how exhausted I am from this morning’s 11.8 km run, my longest yet, I got back on the treadmill late tonight to run 2 kms. You may think I’m crazy since I got my  Janathon  Day 31 run in already and set some new records but really, I had one more record to set and I do not want to live in regret. I was 900 metres away from 100 kms. I have officially covered 101 kms for the month of January!!! Not much else to blog about other than my body is tired, treating myself to chicken wings and fries for dinner is not a good idea when you plan on running again in the evening, and I think I finally understand runner’s toenails? I’ve never understood how you would get purple toes and such (I had that a lot from soccer due to the impact). Tonight, while running, all I could feel were both my big toes hurting but only where the toenail is… are they going to go purple??? My toenails aren’t even long. They’re pretty short… It must have been the 1.5 hour run from this morning!… Oh well. Hopefully this is the last you hear of my feet!

I wish I could carry tonight’s run into tomorrow as part of my run streak but I guess that isn’t how it works is it? I have a feeling I’ll be pretty beat up tomorrow and won’t do much other than rest. Any-who, I am super happy I have broken a couple PRs today (nothing in speed, but that shall come soon!).

Here’s a recap of my first 2014 Janathon:

• Run – 32 times – 101.2 km – 12.4 hours
• Bike – 3 times – 32.7 km – 1.3 hours
• Daily sit ups/crunches, Russian Twists/Bicycle crunches (one or the other), bench presses, rows, bicep curls, planks/squats (one or the other), shoulder abductions, and occasionally some supermans (back extensions)

My strength training exercises weren’t set in stone and I did them after every run. I did not log those in as cross/strength training hours. I need to be doing all of those exercises on a daily basis to get my body moving. I need to incorporate more reps and more variety to tone and strengthen my body. Yay, new plans for February!

I’d like to Congratulate everyone for their hard efforts this month and success! We’re only in January and we’ve started the year so strong. Only 11 more months to keep up the amazing lifestyle we have built. Thanks again for being so wonderful, supportive, and a great human being.

Happy Running!

rundmach

Janathon Day 11

The sick are the greatest danger for the healthy; it is not from the strongest that harm comes to the strong, but from the weakest. – Friedrich Nietzsche

Even though I’m sick, I can’t break this running streak; so, if running 1 km is what I have to do, it’s what I will do.

January 11 Run: 9:00 (mm:ss), 1.08 km, 8’25″/km (iPod)

Well, Janathon  is about getting up and being active when you wouldn’t have been. I may have jinxed myself yesterday because I am sicker than ever. My head is pounding, ears are stuffed, nose is running, throat hurts, coughing, and getting hot cold spells. With all of this, I spent the entire day bundled up and lying around. I only made my way downstairs from my bed when I got hungry and had to come down so I stayed on the couch all day. Really, the pounding headache was the only thing that hurt me the most. After some ibuprofen and more sleeping I got up and “ran” a kilometre on the treadmill. It was probably a jogging pace for most but it was still a running pace for me and with the way I was drinking water for those 9 minutes, you’d think I had been running 10k.

To my surprise, after feeling so miserable all day, before, and during my run, I now feel pretty good. My nose and my throat are still being a pain but it seems I feel more awake than I have at all today and the headache has subsided for the time being. Look at this post! It’s getting long, I thought I’d only be able to log the run and then pass out!

Some might say I’m crazy for not just resting and some might think I’m inspirational for getting up, I think I’m a little bit of both. The logical left side of my brain said to stay down and be wrapped up, continuing moping around and be weak. The fantasy based right side of my brain said how bad can 1 k be? Even if I run it slower than what I’ve been running, it will still be 1 extra kilometre I would not have done.

It’s been 12 days now of running and after January, I’d like to keep this running streak going. Hopefully by day 365 I’ll have done so many kilometres, being sick won’t matter! I’ll be on vacation in March though so let’s see how that works out for running every day…

It doesn’t seem like I’m the only one getting sick, so I hope you’re all staying healthy and doing well!
I’ll end today with two little images since I couldn’t choose between them.

Happy Running!

rundmach

Janathon Day 10

Remember, the feeling you get from a good run is far better than the feeling you get from sitting around wishing you were running. – Sarah Condor

If my nose is running more than I have today, does that count? I’m sure it doesn’t… so after spending my vacation day curled up on the couch, staying warm, and turning my nose into Rudolph’s, I got up to run…

January 10 Run: 16:00 (mm:ss), 2.01 km, 8’04″/km (iPod)

Okay, so I’m sure I would have spent my day off being lazy but I’m sure it would have been way more enjoyable than a scratchy throat and a nose that won’t stop running. However, running with a nose that’s running faster than you are is pretty annoying. Although my run was only for 16 minutes as compared to the 40 yesterday, I completed my 2 km goal plus a few other exercises. More than I can say for all of those other sick days I’ve had. I did plan ahead and put a lot of tissues at my treadmill. I think I had to wipe my nose more than I had to wipe sweat – not that I didn’t work up a sweat! Here’s to completing Day 10 of Janathon! 

I spent all day watching mindless television and playing Catan online… I decided I would watch some inspirational videos on Youtube, so here’s what helped me get off the couch, thanks Ben!

I was looking forward to having the day off and running outside during daylight but if I get better soon, I have tomorrow or Sunday still! I have also taken the remaining Fridays off for the rest of January – hello 4 day work weeks! I do plan on spending these days being active. Next Friday I’ll be heading over to Buffalo to shop. I will be on my feet walking, ALL DAY compared to the 8 hours I would have been spending sitting at work. Now here comes a very important question – Does shopping all day count as exercise towards Janathon? 

Happy Friday 🙂

rundmach

Janathon Day 2

Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted. – William Bruce Cameron

Day 2 of the Janathon Challenge – Run, Blog, Repeat.

January 2 Run: 19:34 (mm:ss), 2.19 km, 8’55″/km

I’m getting slower on the treadmill? I thought I was going faster. On the treadmill I completed 20 minutes, 1.65 miles (2.66 km), at a 12 minute mile (7’30″/km). See below for complete comparison between the pieces of technology that will make me go insane one day.

So there it is, 3 different items with the same person doing the same thing at the same time and 3 pretty different outcomes.

Well, I guess it doesn’t matter. Those 20 minutes were killer and I was basically wheezing at the end of it.
I have a lot I want to keep blogging about but since I’ll be doing this for another 29 days, this one will be a shorter one as I’d like to take a bath and relax my muscles.

Good luck to all those out there aiming to succeed in Janathon! It’s only day 2 and I thought about resting – only for half a second!
Please feel free to add me to Nike+ or Running Free – my username is rundmach. 🙂

Happy Running!

rundmach

http://www.janathon.com
p.s. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to put the logo and link to the site to every blog post, so I will do it anyways.

‘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

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

Pushing

I’d like to believe I’m a runner… not the elite but somewhere in that breed!!

Hi there,

I’m just logging in my run so this will be short.

September 25 Run: 20:03 (mm:ss), 3.01 km, 6’39″/km

YES!! My goal today was to run 3 km in under 20 minutes (6’40″/km pace), I think I did it?!!! My Nike+ says I did the 3k in 19:58, Wohoo!!

As I’ve been mentioning my, 30 Day Challenge, check out that link!! I’ve just finished day 15 and my legs feel great, arms are still a little weak and doing push ups is a challenge but that’s why it’s the 30 Day Challenge!!

Off to bed. Hope you’re all enjoying life and running 🙂

rundmach

Fast & Flexible

Hi There,

September 21 Run: 20:19 (mm:ss), 3.02 km, 6’43″/km

This run was a planned experiment. It did happen a lot later in the day than I had hoped but it happened and I’m glad it did. After talking about my slow pace for so long, I decided, why aim for the 5k every run, why not shorten it down to a more “intense” run, let’s see what I can really do. My fastest ever 5K I had completed in 34 minutes (that’s 6’46″/km), I am now ranging around the 38 minute mark, how does one get slower? Well, it’s not for the lack of trying I can tell you that. This has got to be mental and some physical.

Today’s test, Run as fast as I can for 1KM, walk 1 minute, run the next km as fast as I can, walk 1 minute, and run the last 800 meters the fastest I can. Goal was to do 3k as fast as I can.
Well, who knew, I ran this in a pace that is an entire minute faster than my current average pace. Not to mention, the 1st KM I ran in a minutes, that’s huge for me!! That means if I can add distance to my average speed today, I can knock out that 34 minute, 5k, from May and run at the speeds I was earlier in the year – Maybe I’ll even hit running under 6 minute km’s like I did last year… Where did all my speed go?

Another part of this experiment was to test my breathing and my chest/heart… Well, it turns out the harder I push my legs, the same rate my heart beats and same breathing patterns: I’m still breathing hard and heavy, my heart is still pumping as hard as every, but my legs just keep going. It was an 8 minute to walk home and my heart was still going but the cool down walk was very nice.

I know I have gained some weight since last year (actually about 10lbs), so it’s fair to say that my speed would slow down. But, after all of this, I’m drawing the conclusion that it has to be mostly mental. I’ve got a new plan, run less but run harder. Not always but maybe every other run or once a week. Then add more distance each time, just a little bit. I will still have those slow & steady runs of course. I’m going to look into some more detailed 5k run plans and see if those can help build up my endurance and speed.

The next run is in 2 weeks; it is the very first 5k event I ever did (last September – The Big Day!).  I can’t wait to run this again even though the route has changed a little bit due to construction. I was sick last year but I motored on and got through it in less time than I can run 5k now!…… This year, I plan on being in good health and will hopefully run a PR!!!

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

So Happy, I Forgot a Title

Hi World!!!

The Terry Fox run was this morning and I couldn’t be happier.

September 15 Run: 1:16:48 (hh:mm:ss), 10 K, 7’40″/km

What’s that?! 10K non-stop, that’s right!! I didn’t stop, I may have slowed down to an 8 km per hour pace at one point but I didn’t stop and I even ran an extra 200 metres pass the finish to hit the full 10k!!

HUGE HUGE HUGE Thank you goes out to runrchatts, CJ, and CF for coming out and running with me!!! My pace is pretty slow but it’s good training for them 😉 . They never left my side and just kept running with me. This made a HUGE difference. For CF this is her first 5K of straight running, awesome!! Those new shoes paid off!! (Don’t worry readers, she wore them in before the first run today, 🙂 ). To achieve this 10K means a lot and having these guys and gals next to me is just so amazing! Big shout out to Nick @ Striding Towards Life  for dedicating 10K today to Terry Fox and really running for all the children and all the people affected by cancer. We also had another team member run at a location closer to his home, he did his first 6km run, ever! He also did it in 25 minutes; amazing!!! Thanks MD for joining in on the team! 🙂

This was my ultimate goal I set out last year from not running to being able to run this particular 10k straight for charity, I did it. This feels incredible!!! Our team raised $335 for The Terry Fox Foundation!!! Cancer better watch out because there’s going to be a cure and it’s going to get it’s butt kicked out of this world!

If you’ve never heard of Terry Fox, check out The Terry Fox Story – this original movie from 1983 is great. You could also see the newer Terry film from 2005 for a bit of a different more recent retelling of his story and journey. Both are very inspirational movies I’d recommend you watch.

There were moments I wanted to stop and walk, moments where I said to myself it was okay to walk, but in the end, those thoughts were pushed out with, it’s not okay, Terry did a marathon a day with one leg and he didn’t do it for himself! I did it!!! I just kept running and running. Now to keep running and maybe get to a half marathon one day? Slow and steady!! It is no shock any more how slow my pace is compared to most other runners, but especially today, this is not a race. This is all about me and if I do a half marathon (21.1 k / 13.1 m) in 2 1/2 hours or even 3 hours, I will be soooo stoked for finishing.

“The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start”- J. Bingham

I am definitely left speechless with how supportive everyone has been on this journey and how incredible I feel. It’s beyond a runner’s high, it’s happiness and bliss. I am loving life and everything it has to offer.

” I just wish people would realize that anything’s possible if you try; dreams are made possible if you try.” – Terry Fox

Can’t wait for more wonderful journeys to share with you and a healthier, happier life 🙂 .

Happy Running

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

Working on It

Hi,

Earlier I set out that this week I had to do a 10K…

August 21 Run/Walk: 1:09:15 hour, 8.14 km, 8’30″/km

I did not achieve the 10k distance today but the week isn’t over. It was a struggle to even get to 5. I broke my run up between the first five kilometers and the last three. Thought I was going to throw up a couple of times, luckily I didn’t. The success of tonight’s run is I tried a route I go by every day and think about those other runners I see, “Boy, I’m glad I don’t run this was, that hill up and down looks killer, and I’d have to do that once to pass it and another to get back home!” Well, as challenging as today’s run has been, I succeeded in running straight through the hill both times!! No walking! Woohoo! Oh and it’s the first time in a very long while since I’ve broken the 5k mark. A lot of work to get up to 10k again before September 15!

Anyways, keeping it short and sweet tonight, I hope you’ve been staying more active than I.

Remember, if you haven’t checked it out yet, please take a look at my Fundraiser or spread the word for me!

Happy Running,

rundmach

“Running” for a Cause

Hey There!

I wrote about this event over a year ago to be my goal to achieve. It’s now official, I’m signed up and fully in fundraising mode!

On September 15, 2013, I will be taking part in the Terry Fox Run in its ongoing work to fund innovative and progressive cancer research programs. I very much hope you will consider joining the team (if you’re in Canada) or making a donation in support of my effort, confident in the knowledge that your kindness will impact the lives of so many people living with cancer.

This is a Walk, Run, or Wheel event with various distances (depending on the location). I encourage you to join our team, Platinum Stars and walk, run, or wheel to a better future. Distances range from 1k to +10k. A 5K walk takes on average less than an hour and less than 12 minutes to walk 1K. There are so many locations available across Canada: Burlington, Niagara on the Lake, St. Catherine’s, Hamilton x 3, Oakville, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, and many more. You can sign up for an event in your local community but be part of the Platinum Stars!!  There is no entry fee or minimum donation required. This is not a timed event. This is simply to raise money, awareness, and come together for a greater cause.

Whatever your ability, do this not only for yourself but for those in need. Spare 12 minutes or an hour of your time for a healthier future for you and those around you. If you’d prefer not to participate, please click here and make a donation to support the team.

In the words of Terry, “If you’ve given a dollar, you are part of the Marathon of Hope .”

Terry Fox ran across Canada – ask any Canadian, he did it! Although the evidence suggest that he may not have completed his personal race, his spirit and determination has been ingrained into Canada and I believe Terry Fox completed his Marathon a day across Canada. A true Canadian Icon, Terry Fox has an amazing story; If you’d like to learn more about Terry Fox or The foundation please visit the LEARN MORE page. He was who I wrote my grade 3 Canadian Hero report on and I couldn’t be happier that each of you do support me on each of my journeys to help others. I am also ecstatic that I have made it this far in a year with your support and encouragement from not running at all to running 10K to support The Terry Fox Foundation.

I hope you will be part of this journey and donate to the team or sign up and raise funds for this organization.

For any donors or participants, I will be doing a raffle for prizes to everyone who’s contributing!!

Brand new items up for grabs in my new Silent Auction in efforts to raise funds includes:  a West 49 Gift Card, Movie Passes, Nixon TPS Speaker,  Red Star Deck,  DC Shoes, a few Long Boards, etc. Check Out the SILENT AUCTION PART 1 HERE!! More items to come shortly!! PLEASE START BIDDING OR DONATING!! 🙂

Thank you to everyone who has supported me and continue to support me by following my blog, liking my posts, encouraging me to run, donating to the auction, donating to the charities I am raising awareness for, and believing in me!!

“It took cancer to realize that being self-centered is not the way to live. The answer is to try and help others.” – Terry Fox

Sincerely,

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

 

Time & Money

Hey There,

What a shocker, another week another single run. I’m not disappointed though, I had a great few days off last weekend: one run, relaxed, cleaned the house, went to the Canadian Open, and enjoyed life. I have started making changes in my life again as I slipped and started eating what I wanted but tooooo much of it. It’s not about dieting, but it’s about moderation. Why do I need to eat a large bag of chips in one sitting, I don’t! Or an entire bag of gummy bears? I don’t! So, it’s time to go back to portioning my eating, like a small bowl of chips for one sitting, not the entire bag, or paying more for smaller portions (i.e. candy packages) to limit my consumption.

August 3 Run: 30:38 minutes, 4.01 km, 7’38″/KM

Okay, so it seems a little slower and a little less than 5 K, a whole KM shorter! But today’s plan was to run and meet a friend at a location where he would have his car. I got there at around 3.5 km and had to run up and down the street until I hit 4 KM then called it quits. My next run will have to be 5 K, I find that’s a great point to always achieve. With walking in between, I will get my 30 minutes of exercise in but also a distance that I can be completely proud of. Of course 4 KM is HUGE for a beginner runner… How long can I keep calling myself a beginner? It’s been over a year of steady on off running so I really am just a runner. I want to run more!!

They say money can’t buy happiness and I beg to differ. The image above sums it up. If I had money, I could work whenever I want and run whenever I want. I would have time to cook healthier meals instead of opting for fast food and pre-made meals. If I had money, I could buy more awesome running related product which is kind of happiness because I love that stuff… So, this might make me seem shallow or very materialistic to some but come on, you have to admit, when you get that awesome new shirt, all you want to do is take off the tags, put it on, and go for a run! You Run with this new shirt on with pride and somehow, you seem to go just that little bit faster on your first run with it, YOU ARE UNSTOPPABLE! It happens to all of us, we get caught up in the things associated to what we love. We love to run and so we are consumed by the materials that surround running. What’s my point here? I just wish I had a bit more time!! Not necessarily money but more time and well, we all know Time is Money.

Anywho, I better get some fuel in me, I’m starving! Until next run…

Happy Running!!

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

Always in Love

Hey there,

Here we are again, a week later and I’ve finally been able to clock in my me time to run.

As challenging as running is for me, it is still my favorite pastime.

July 21 Run: 36:03 min, 4.78 km, 7’34″/km

The run was sooooo much better. A good 17 degrees Celsius feeling like 23 only this morning. I can breathe again!! Sort of.. I used the inhaler and felt a bit better. No record speeds but did get a longer distance in this time around. I had a great run, 20 minute run, 2 minute walk, 6 minute run, 1 minute walk, 3 minute run, 1 minute walk, and 3 minute run. Then a big cool off walk after. Felt amazing!!! I’d also like to give a shout out to runrchatts for coming out and following my pace, you’re awesome!

Can’t wait to run some more!!!

Love always,

rundmach

Getting Out

Hi there,

What a beautiful Saturday morning it is here! I thought it was a lot cooler but it’s actually just the lack of humidity. It is 23°C  and feels like 28. I still got out there, even if I chose to wear kapris instead of shorts… silly me…

July 13 Run: 21:43 minutes, 3.06 km, 7’05″/km

Wohoo, my speed went up a little bit from the last two runs but maybe that’s because I did a short run and it wasn’t so humid. 3K sounds like nothing compared to what I was able to push myself to so that is disappointing to feel that 3 kilometres has already kicked my butt! I am happy that I did go and run and that I can still get 3k under my belt. It’s better than 0!

It’s tough thinking I am running once a week. I envy each of you for running every day or multiple times a week – most of you have kids, a family, and I’m sure a much busier life than I. My town-house is still yet to be completed with the cleaning. There is just so much to do, it’s never ending. Not to mention work has been extremely busy and I’ve had to put in a couple work nights and will be working a little bit over the weekend as well. This coming week won’t get any better with how busy work will be but I am excited to be out for another run soon! Getting out and moving is really what matters at the moment.

Back to running. I finally picked up the inhaler… but FORGOT to use it before my run as the doctor recommended. I felt like there was something I was missing all morning when I was getting ready but thought, Shoes, Watch, Music, Gum, I’m good! Less than half a km away from home, I start working on regulating my breathing and realize I forgot to use the inhaler. Of course at this point I’ve already done my warm up walk and began running, I didn’t want to turn back. Maybe I’ll remember next run and I’ll be able to breathe better!!

I’m enjoying life and enjoying the company I have ❤
I am hoping to find more time to enjoy more of the things I love, run, golf, and read.

On a side note, for all you ladies out there, what do you work out in? I’ve been set on kapris (slim fit) but now that the summer is hot, I need shorts. I’ve tried many shorts. I have tried what you say are running shorts (built in undies and loose fiiting), and I have some longer tight shorts above the knee. Here’s my problem, I have meaty thighs (which is why I need to run more!). The tights are too tight around my thighs at the edge where the sewing is (they taper in too much for skinny people). The running shorts ride up my hoo-haa when I start running (my meaty thighs rub together and pull the shorts up in the middle), so I’m left pulling them down every two seconds. Is there nothing made for me??? I can’t go with tight shorts in a larger size because they start falling down my hips. I can’t go for running shorts in a larger size so that there’s length because they start falling down my hips. I know most runners have this ideal body type but I know a lot of you are just like me, beginner and trying to get in shape. How do you dress for these hot days and you’re being physical?

I may be an occasional runner right now, but don’t you worry, I have not broken up with running, never! ❤

Thank you for following/reading my blog!

rundmach

Sheer Laziness

Hi there,

I’m a little lost for words today… I haven’t even started my run plan yet…

July 7 Run: 30:16 min, 3.69 km, 8’11″/km I couldn’t run…

I couldn’t breathe.. My stomach/lungs were clenched.. RunRChatts wanted to get out there today so I went with him… Bad choice for me sleeping in because when he showed up ready, I rolled out of bed, changed, chugged down some water and ate a few energy chews and off I went. I dragged held him back for about 1.5 kms (a little lost in the new neighbourhood) and he went off and cycled back to me later on. From that point on, I did 2 minute run and 1 minute walk until I hit 30 minutes. Could it be the humidity today? It’s 26°C, feels like 35 with 73% humidity.

It seems that mentally I get super motivated and then somehow I get discouraged and end up doing nothing. Mostly, there’s no excuse, it’s just accepting that I’m lazy. WHY?

So, I’m disappointed with myself for dying for the summer to come so I wouldn’t have to run on the treadmill… Summer is here and I don’t want to leave my couch. What’s going on and why can’t I fight this heat?

I was definitely too optimistic when I wanted to sign up for every run possible this summer. I struggle getting myself out the door in this heat. Especially when there’s no sun and it’s this hot!

We were planning to run 5k and I couldn’t even get to 4. On the plus side, I did just get out there and move. Although the running was quite slower than any of my other runs I can ever remember, I did run.

What do you do to stay motivated in this heat???

I hope you’re having better luck than I with your relationship with running!!
I know it’s not luck, it’s your dedication and willpower that keeps you going!!! Keep it up!! Thanks for reading, you’re and inspiration to me!!!!

rundmach

Foreign Grounds

Hey World,

Yes, I’m here and alive!!!  I don’t even know where to start. I’ll start with the run. FINALLY, after over a month I picked up my lazy butt and went for a run. It wasn’t a far run but it was great and challenging nonetheless.

June 29 Run: 27:15 min, 3.5 km, 7’46″/km

I couldn’t end this month with not running once! I had big hopes to run a lot of KMs this month, beat my May total (I’ve increased my total runs/kms each month since January),  and run on my birthday but that fell through 😦 …  Well despite all the slacking I got out today and that’s all that matters. My GPS watch didn’t pick up a signal so the KMs is based on my footpod, I don’t think the distance is too far off. I had to walk at 2 km and 3 km just to give my breath a moment to catch itself. The new neighbourhood is quite peaceful and quiet. Not as many runners compared to where I was before but hopefully I start spotting more the more I get out there.

Regarding my breathing and allergies, I’ve seen a doctor and I’ve received an inhaler but I have not gone to pick it up yet. He said that allergies have been extremely high this year too so that could also affect me since I sneeze at basically everything! Hopefully, once I get this inhaler, I can regulate my breathing better and run MUCH MUCH MUCH faster.

My plan is to follow an 8 K Program. I’ll post this later on once I actually begin it. The plan is to run 8 km in 50 minutes. That is standard but apparently it’s going to be very difficult for me. That’s cutting almost 2 minutes per km!!! That’s huge!! But, I had the initial plan to run 5 km in 30 minutes so this plan will hopefully get me there! And you know what, If I don’t get to that average runner speed, who cares?! I’m out there running and doing something I love that’s good for me! 😀

I’ve finally hooked up my computer today and it doesn’t seem to want to cooperate. I’m now settled into my new home but there is still a lot of work to get done. There’s dirty dishes, dirty floors, dirty laundry, dirty bathrooms, etc. I’m sure you get the point. But with all of this in my life, it’s nothing new. YOU, fellow runner/athlete/blogger, find time to do what you love most! Why can’t I?! It’s time to stop being lazy and prioritize!!

I went a little AWOL on running in the last month but no more! I may have taken a break but don’t think I quit on you! Running world, I am back and I will keep at it! You know, you’re a runner when every morning heading into work, I would get extremely sad seeing all the runners. All I did was wish, why can’t I make time?! Why am I so lazy right now?! Excuses no more, running, I am here to stay!!

I would like to share with you that in the last month I have not been completely  slacking. I’ve found a new love in Golf. I grew up always interested but never really tried it out. This sport actually requires a lot more physical fitness than you may think. I’ve chosen to spend some time at the driving range over running and well, I need to balance my schedule out a little better. This month, I played my first 18 holes and loved it. I love both golf and running and I will make time for both! Running will only improve my game! 🙂

SOOOOOO.. I’m a little frustrated as this computer doesn’t seem to want to be working. I keep typing and my computer keeps crashing. I’ve lost this a couple of times and a few paragraphs have not been restored. Hopefully I covered all the key things I wanted to… There’s so much more to share with you and so many blogs I need to get caught up on. I hope you’ve been doing better than I and kept up with your passions in life.  Until my next run, enjoy your life!!

You only live once!

rundmach

Any Day Now

GOOD MORNING,

Yes, it is still morning and I’ve already been out for a run, I think it’s time to hit the sack as I’ve completed my goals for the day. Ha, yeah right! There’s still laundry and cleaning at bay!

April 27 Run: 46 minutes, 3.73 miles (6km, 6.42 km on Nike+)

Today’s run time consisted of ONLY my run time, no warm up or cool down. Luckily, I was able to get to run with runrchatts again today. Without him, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have run in the morning. THANK YOU! 😀 He was only free for the morning so that’s why I ran in the morning. Oh and as I blog, he’s still out running now!!

We got outside and I told him today I wanted to do 6 km, I have no other plans other than to just run and finish 6km. We did 6 km straight but it was a struggle for me. After 1/4 of a km I was already exhausted and wanted to stop. I felt really bad about the slow pace I was going as I could tell it was too easy for rchatts. At 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5, and 5.5 km, I noticed how hard it was for me to breathe. I like running with rchatts because he has his GPS on his armband which is next to the side I run on; so every time I catch up to him, I’m able to see the true distance since my Nike+ App is wrong on my iPod Nano. I was panting for air every time but the run was worth it. It was 46 minutes of straight running, that’s only 3.2% of my day! Sounds so insignificant to the overall when it does so much for the bigger picture.

Breathing is still a struggle for me on some days and today was horrible. It has to come…. My breath is just not there… there’s something blocking my lungs and I can feel my body stopping my breathes from going down my throat. What’s my problem? I’ve tried doing breathing exercises while I’m not running, focussing on my breathe as much as I can but very little improvement has come. Do you have any suggestions?

GPS RUNNING WATCH: Do you wear a running watch of some sort? Do you have a GPS watch? What do you run with? Please share and provide me with your feedback on your product of choice or even negative feedback on others. I’m contemplating getting the Nike+ GPS Watch but I’ve heard Garmin is really good (just pricey). I would really appreciate any insight from you as I really want to be able to keep track of my own progress when I run on my own.

It’s going to be a beautiful weekend, I hope you get outside and enjoy it! 🙂

rundmach

Icing 12:1

Good Evening Readers,

I have a lot to blog about tonight and I don’t quite know where to begin so I apologize if I am all over the place tonight. I’ll start off with the easy part, my run.

April 19 Run: 77 min, 5.87 miles (9.86 km, 9.67 km on Nike+) – Treadmill

Unfortunately, tonight was a treadmill run and a 10K Plan run. I’m finding a lot more enjoyment running outside and loving running a whole lot more when I do it outside. If I’m on a treadmill and I want to run faster so I can finish faster, I have to think too much (what speed am I increasing by, how much time do I knock off of the time set on the treadmill, etc.). The run itself was fairly tough. 5 minute walk followed by three 21 minutes and 36 second run intervals with a 1 minute walk in between and a 5 minute cool down. The first interval was okay and I thought the following two would be just as challenging but manageable; I was wrong. The second one was extremely tough! By the third interval, my ARMS were tired of running. That’s no typo, my arms were actually really tired and didn’t want me to go on anymore. In the end, I finished it and I’m happy I did even though it was hard. I have tried to run the last two nights and ended up going to bed sad I didn’t; but it’s okay now, I ran! 🙂

Advice: NEVER EVER have a spoonful of icing before running… Yes, Betty Crocker icing is one of my many guilty pleasures and I decided to have a spoonful before my run today. Darn my silly sweet tooth! Anyways, the taste of that coming up while running, not so good.

In other great news, I’ve found a new home!!! I’ll be moving in June 1st!!! I don’t know the area very well but it’s a convenient location with many amenities close by. The neighbourhood seems safe to run in, which was key to looking for a new place! I’m very excited to be moving here as it will feel like a real home. It’s a townhouse with a back yard and front yard. No more apartment! Wohoo! 🙂

In addition to that great news, I have even more exciting news: I’ve made my goal of raising $250 for Camp Oochigeas! Thank you to two lovely ladies at work! I am still fundraising so if you’d like to donate a couple bucks, please do so by clicking here or read more here.

This weekend may end up being a rest weekend since I’ll be out of the city and in Toronto to cheer some runners on at the Yonge Street 10k. I’ll be cheering on random strangers but also Runrchatts, I Hate/Love Running, and Eric Y. at the finish line!! I’m super stoked to be in the crowd. I’m definitely jealous that these guys are all getting a medal as I can’t wait to get mine in May! I’ve made a few signs, I’ll only show two for now. Good luck everyone running a race this weekend!!!

Only 3 more weeks until my 10k run!! Wohoo!!! I’m not sure if I’ll be sticking to the plan so much anymore as time is getting too close and I don’t want to over-run. I may start slowing down my runs after another week. Who knows. I’ll just listen to my body and run. 🙂

Have a wonderful weekend and don’t forget to run!

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

Stepping it Up 10:3

Hey There!

Today I have run my furthest distance yet and I didn’t even eat dinner yet! I’ll be munching on food as I blog, so don’t worry, I’m getting my energy back in!

April 3 Run: 66 min, 5.35 miles (8.61 KM or 8.13 km on Nike+)

This run was back on the treadmill because it feels like -6° C outside right now. I am definitely praying for good weather for this Saturday. The forecasts have changed up and down from Sun, Rain, Snow, Rain, Sleet, Flurries, and now Sun again. Fingers crossed we get sun or snow (no rain). I am hoping to hit a PB (Personal Best) on this race!!

Now to get back to today’s run. I was hungry and wanted to eat first but I really don’t want to be such a bother and run too late with my “loud” treadmill (I even put mats under it now). So, I got home, went out for a walk, then ran on the treadmill… Yes, I understand if I can walk outside for 30 minutes, I probably could have just done the 1 hour run outside.  I feel awesome right now. I haven’t done a third set of anything on this plan and felt great, but after my strategic two-day rest (instead of one), I feel like I destroyed today’s run. The first two intervals of 18 minutes I ran at 5 mph (my standard). The last 18 minutes I ran at 5.4 mph; Why? Because that puts me at a pace of 11.07 minutes per miles or roughly 6.56 minutes per km. Why am I crazy enough to increase my pace by so much? Because this is the pace I need to do Saturday to Hit 5K in 35 minutes.

I know running is about overcoming my own struggles and beating my own records, but after reading yours and other fellow runners’ blogs, I feel I need to really get in the game! I am definitely running charity runs to raise money and awareness. I am still fundraising for Camp Oochigeas and also running To Fight Prostate Cancer at Harry’s Spring Run-Off this Saturday; so don’t forget to support where you can! 🙂

Anyways, back to the run, it was a little bit of a struggle but really, nothing I haven’t faced before and nothing too challenging; it was manageable. You know what this means? It means I CAN run faster.

Oh, I’ve also wanted to bring up something about running.  Today I was talking to two of my teammates running the Sporting Life 10K with me this May. They were telling me about techniques, plans, and such. One thing that came up with Tempo runs. So, I’ve looked a bit into this before and read about your runs and other runners who have different run schedules. Am I doing a Tempo run? Does it count? I thought I’m doing intervals but really what does it matter? Running to me is Tying up my shoes and running my heart out! Whether I run at 5 mph or 20 mph, I am running and to me, that’s all that matters right now. Yes, I would like to get faster and better, but I think that will come with time. I do focus on a pace, a time, and a distance goal, but ultimately, I just want to run and finish a run. Too much analytical and not enough physical!

Go put on your shoes and run!

rundmach

Friday Funday 10:1

Good Day!

It’s a beautiful day outside. Today, is Good Friday and I get the day off work. Couldn’t have been better planned, 5° C outside. Perfect for getting back out for the first outdoor run of the year!

March 29 Run: 66 minutes, 5.22 miles (8.40 km, 9.06 km on Nike+)

I’d like to thank fellow runner and blogger runrchatts for coming out here and running with me today. He obviously kept pace with me but it was great having someone who knew my pace and kept it for those moments I needed to step it up a little bit.

After my last blog things were challenging in life. By things I mean everything and I even had the split moments considering if I should just quit running. I stumbled across this inspirational image/quote to the right and just realized, I’m a runner!
I would also like to thank everyone for the encouragement and support after my last blog. It honestly helps knowing that I’m not quite alone here, you are motivating and helping me stay strong. Thank you thestripedstrawberry, diannegray, I’maRunner?, and Emma D. They all have great blogs you should check out too! Thank you everyone who follows, reads, like, shares, and support. 🙂

So, let’s talk running. Today’s run was my longest distance and longest time. I will be repeating this run two more times before increasing the time again. The run was as follows for 10:1, 5 minute walk, 18 minute run, 1 minute walk, 18 minute run, 1 minute walk, 18 minute run, and 5 minute cool down walk. All in all, I had a better run than last but kept the same pace as if I was on the treadmill (if you work out all the details and math). Pretty sweet!

This is also my PR for 5k this 2013 I think… 37 minutes to complete 5k. It’s not the best time compared to other runners or to my past, but it feels great now! It’s a good steady pace and if I had pushed harder, I could have done it faster. Hello Harry’s 5k next week, be ready to see me at my best!

Tomorrow is going to be another beautiful day out and I’m a little stiff now but I definitely want to get back outside to run some more! I’m glad the neighbours complained; I didn’t run last night on the treadmill because I didn’t want to a nuisance. Instead, I ran outside this morning and I feel wonderful! Hopefully I can get out again for a run, if anything a smaller 30 minute jog or 5 k total. We’ll see what tomorrow has in store.

One more thing I’d like to share. Before running this morning I made a healthy breakfast and watched a very inspirational documentary done by PBS. It is available below. If you have some time this weekend, watch it! 🙂 It’s a good one.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter weekend.

Cheers,

rundmach

Undefined & Terrified 9:3

Hi World,

Since my last post, I have been in a very odd state. A vast array of emotions have come and gone. I actually ended up throwing up that night instead of going for a walk. Yesterday, I was pretty bummed out: I’ve received noise complaints of the treadmill in my apartment. I’ve had the treadmill for three months and didn’t throw out the box until Tuesday; I received a complaint on the Wednesday… It’s unfortunate but I’ve been living here for almost three years, it’s time to find a new home where I am welcomed.

Today I saw the dentist and had 1.5 hours of work done on the tooth that’s been giving me some issues. Not in the clear yet, I will be back in two weeks. With the stress of this on my body and doing work from home today, I’m not feeling very well. My stomach still feels a bit off and during my run I was light-headed the entire time.

March 26 Run: 61 minutes, 4.77 miles (7.81 km on Nike+)

This was by far the most challenging run I can think of. It’s the same run as the last two… The last two intervals I was hanging onto the treadmill feeling faint and noticing my headache was more prominent. The entire run, I was in a very negative and dark place. I couldn’t get my mind into the good. In the end I finished it but it didn’t feel as good as the last two runs. I’m terrified since the next run to plan will be 18 minute intervals instead of 12… I really don’t know how I will do this.

I have updated the 10k for Pink plan with a comparison of my plan to theirs. Basically, I’ve changed the times to hit match the distance as the plan expects running a 10 minute mile instead of the 12 minute mile I’m pacing at.

To jump back to earlier this morning, I’ve impulsively signed up for a 5k run. I was super stoked when I signed up thinking this will be great to do prior to the 10k coming up. This 5k is raising money for prostate cancer research and is on April 6.

So, my day started out pretty exciting… Then I started reading other blogs to get inspired… Then I started thinking about all the other runners out there and how I am doing… It isn’t getting any easier. I haven’t found my breath. I haven’t lost weight (and trust me, I’ve eaten a lot better as well). I’m slower than I was before. I am dreading running outside again. I’m terrified of this 5k because of the unknown. What is the route like? What about the hills? What about the sketchy weather?

I don’t mean to be really negative, I just find myself in a rut and almost wanting to quit. I’ve even thought about finishing the 10k then quitting. I don’t know how I got here… Earlier in the week I had the positive mindset, thinking maybe after the 10k, it won’t be enough and I’ll maybe do a half marathon one day…

Well… All in all, I’m trying to get myself out of this funk and excited again…
All that matters is finishing and not stopping… This photo sums it all up.

Hopefully there will be a better next blog, I’ll have completed 10:1 and be in a more positive mental space.

rundmach

Not Going to Regret It, 9:2

Hi Readers,

Tomorrow night is ladies night and that means, no run for a Monday. Instead, I went for a nice 5 km walk yesterday and ran today.

March 24 Run: 61 min, 4.77 miles (7.67 km, 8.28 km on Nike+)

Last run I calibrated my Nike+ to the right distance…. Today’s run was the exact same run as the last run but somehow it not only didn’t record the same km as last time, the incorrect 8.28 is 0.10 km more than the last run.  Basically, instead of going down, the distance went up! This is definitely odd but that’s ok, still keeping track of my fitness.

I just finished run 9:2 with my alternate timing to hit the distance goals. Because I am doing this, I had to find another app that would set up each run interval to my desired time (unfortunately, my treadmill isn’t smart enough to do this for me). The last two runs, I’ve tested two different free interval apps, Seconds and IntervalTimer. Both have been ok but neither are as appealing as the 10k for Pink app.

It was pretty tough to get myself onto the treadmill today. Spent the day being lazy and didn’t eat at my regular times. I also didn’t eat as much as I should have. Everything just felt a little off. My head said yes you need to do this, my body said no you’re still sore from the last run… After lollygagging around, taking over an hour to change and get myself on.. eventually I did it. Well I ran and I’m hoping my legs function tomorrow for work and ladies night. I’ve stretched quite a bit and will continue to for the rest of the night,  and maybe even do another little walk to loosen up before bed. My legs are pretty stiff still from the last run and I’m not sure if physically this is getting any better but mentally I’m telling myself it is!

Oh, I also forgot the best part of today’s run, besides doing it and finishing, I ran the last 12 minutes (mile) with a 0.5% incline. This may seem very little but I’m hoping I can build up the incline as my weakest moments so I can fight through those hills. After walking the 5k yesterday (the same route I ran last year), I remembered how difficult the smallest little hill seemed. Even walking it didn’t feel very nice with my stiff calves. Hills, I don’t hate them at all, I just dread seeing them and having to go up them; but, who doesn’t like a challenge?

Part of my lazy day today was spent shopping – but only related to health and running. In the end, I ended up picking up a  few new items for running. I got 3 new sports bras (Stellar Sassafras, I got two pink ones and the back of one is actually cheetah print pink), two running tops, and a pair of capris. All of this was on sale too!!! Everything together (from 3 different shops), less than $100 CAD. Petty awesome! 😀

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend!!

Time to drink up a lot of water and eat some more food, mmm.

rundmach

Friday Night, Date Night 9:1

BOOYAAAHHH!!

March 22 Run: 61 min, 4.77 miles (8.18 km on Nike+, actually 7.67 km)

Hey There!! That’s my longest run to date, both in distance and in duration! How’s that? 5 minutes walk, 12 minute intervals at 5 mph with 1 minute brisk walks in between followed with a 5 minute cool down jog/walk. YEAAAAAHHHHH!!!

As I blog, I am chowing down dinner. Yes, Friday Night is Date night, tonight I had a date and the treadmill is the third wheel. I made a nice healthy dinner for my date to have while I ran. Now I’m munching on dinner and he’s on the treadmill! I couldn’t ask for a better night! I even got my Nike+ Fuelband all set up, so if you’ve got one, add me! I’m already finding it pretty fun and challenging trying to get to my goal before the day ends. We’ll end the night with a walk together to cool down in the freezing cold outside but the crisp night walk will still be my favourite part to do this together.

Okay, back to the running. Tonight I advanced to the 10k for Pink Week 9, Day 1 run. I’ve had to alter the plan a little bit – I’ll be updating the run plan on the other page shortly once I work all the details out. The plan calls for running 10 minute intervals, but after working out the previous few runs, the app wants me to run a 10 minute mile. I’m currently running at 12 minute mile. Since the whole point of the app and this training is to hit a DISTANCE goal of 10 k I’ve decided to adjust my runs to the relative distance the app is assuming I will run. So, the app says walk 5, run 10, walk 1, run 10, walk 1, run 10, walk 1, run 10, walk 5… I’m only going to adjust the running bits as I have been with the past runs. 10 minute mile means I have to add 2 minutes few every 10 the app tells me to run. Not a problem….

By the time I got to 2.5 miles (a little over half my workout), my legs were burning!!! I think I’ll feel this run tomorrow. If not in my legs then definitely in my core. And you know what the best thing is? This is good pain!! I can handle this pain and WANT this kind of pain. Soreness from working is just such a great feeling. Yes, I dread the fact that I might not be able to walk in two days when this run really kicks in but I know it’s working!! 🙂

Yes, tonight’s run was tough, BUT IT WAS WORTH IT!!!  I may not be smiling as I’m focussing on eating and drinking fluids right now but my heart is smiling as big as it can!! 😀

I hope you all had a great Friday night and if not, Carpe Diem!!  GO SEIZE THE DAY!!

Have a wonderful weekend! Can’t wait to blog again!

rundmach

Worth It.

Hi there,

Today is a “rest” day. I really had in my mind that I would move onto the next run on the plan (just felt extra determined today) but I decided against it. My head’s been pounding and I said I wasn’t going to do two 10k for Pink runs consecutively without a rest day in between.

March 21 Run: 26 minutes, 2.02 miles (3.41 km on Nike+)

After going for a half hour walk, I did lose that energy and the pain in my mouth, jaw, and ear flooded me with grief. Sometimes, it’s just frustrating not being able to do anything about the pain. Since my head had started throbbing I really didn’t want to run but a part of me did, so I did. If I didn’t, I’m sure I’d be laying in bed tonight wishing I had. 20 minutes of running with 3 minutes to warm up and cool down definitely was enough. Challenging but not too strenuous. The entire time I could feel my jaw and head throbbing but I just thought, how much worse I would feel if I had just curled up on the couch; the pain would have seemed worse.

Anyways, today I felt inspired and went out to get the Nike+ Fuel Band. Do any of you have this? I have not synced mine up or anything yet, I’ll do that over the weekend. I’m pretty excited as I feel this will just be another tool to keep me motivated and challenged. I’m pretty competitive so if you have one, let me know so we can be buddies on it. What are your reviews? Should I keep it? Not bother? Was it worth the $$$? Also, If you have the Nike+ Running account set up, then add me there too! Find me via rundmach on Nike+ Running. I know I complain about its inaccuracies but it’s still fun being a little competitive and cheering each other on.

Off to drink a bunch of water and try to subdue this pain…

Good Night,

rundmach

A Night Off

Hey Supporters!

Tonight was my night off. My plan, as flexible as it may seem, is running the 10K for Pink program 3 times a week, and never twice in a row. I started the night off after getting home from work by going out for a brisk 20 minute walk…

March 13 Short Run: 13 minutes, 1.11 miles (1.77 km on Nike+)

I couldn’t NOT run tonight. After having a light dinner, I started preparing some fruits for work tomorrow. It wasn’t until 10 past 9 I realized, I HAVE to run. The walk wasn’t enough; Just a short run, enough to get my heart rate up and feel good.

I walked for 1.5 minutes, ran 5.6 mph for 10 minutes, and walked another 1.5 minutes. Yes, I upped my speed! (Don’t worry, I didn’t push myself too hard, just testing what I can really do). Off to go outside and do a proper cool down walk.

Good Night for now!

rundmach

Treading On 8:1

Hi there,

I’m embarrassed to be writing 6 days after my last post… There’s one missing! I have not completed a run since last Wednesday. On the plus side, I made the move to run tonight.

March 12 Run: 43 min, 3.35 miles (5.34 km on Nike+)

5 minute walk, 33 minute run at 5 mph (0 incline), and a 5 minute cool down.

It’s getting warmer here but tonight I chose to run on the treadmill. The weekend was nice, but I chose not to run. I did go for a couple walks but I chose to sit around and be lazy. I did choose to run tonight. I’ve chosen to walk every day, just not run. I have not mentally reached that state yet where I can make time to run, instead I’ve made excuses. I am working on this!

Some days are tougher than others. Mondays have normally been my easiest day to get myself to run and be the fastest I can be. Somehow, yesterday, I broke down instead. It really hit me. I’m not old but I am getting older and my body is slowing down. I’ve consistently put on weight year over year. I’m losing energy, feeling lazy, and lacking enthusiasm to staying in shape. Last night was very hard…

There are only 60 days left to the run! Please remember, I am not only doing this for my health but I am trying to fundraise to send sick children to camp. I’ve been collecting pennies at work and trying to raise money wherever I can. I’ll also be matching the donations I raise in pennies and change at work. If you’re in Canada, you know the penny is being put to rest. If it’s not too much, please, collect your coins, deposit them, and donate to the charity: Donate to Camp Oochigeas. Even if you’re in another country, send over a $1, the charity is secure and takes major credit cards.

I’m not asking for much. Just the acknowledgement of your support. So like my post, follow my blog, donate to the charity, leave an inspiring comment, or do nothing (even your virtual footprint of visiting my page is enough!). Every little bit you do counts and helps push me on.

Thank you everyone for your support!

Sincerely,
rundmach

Challenging at 7:3

Hey Reader,

All day I have been stoked that I’d be running tonight. After the last run, I couldn’t be more excited to defeat today’s run. Made a nice dinner after work, a small piece of baked chicken on some salad, mmm.

March 6 Run: 40 minutes, 3.11 miles (5.14 km on Nike+)

What a challenging run tonight! Although the run was tough, my legs felt stiff from Monday, my stomach was tight and sore, but I’m super glad I ran! I finished the run. I did all 2.5 miles on 5 mph straight. Wohoo!!

Only 2 more runs and then it’s a 5k!!!

Pushing Hard at 7:1

Hi there,

Thanks for stopping by! I’d like to take a quick minute to let you know, I’m grateful for your “likes” and comments, and even just visiting my blog. The fact that you came here to read this post means a lot to me. It is what fuels me to keep going and gives me a reason why I cannot stop. I am ultimately running for charity and to improve my health, but I couldn’t do it without your support. Without being accountable to the viewers and followers of this blog, I wouldn’t be able to keep pushing myself sometimes.

~Thank You~

February 27 Run: 40 minutes, 3.1 miles (5.13 km Nike +)

Tonight’s run was great! Extremely CHALLENGING!! I could barely make it to the 1st full mile running but somehow I just pulled through and did the 2.5 miles straight in 30 minutes! Wohoo! It was definitely hard. Near the end of the run, before the cool down, I could feel my entire stomach tightening up and telling me to stop but I kept going. 5 mph with 0 incline.

The worst thing right now is that my knee kills me OFF of the treadmill. It hasn’t gotten any better for the last few weeks when I get up to walk. I am still stretching and walking every day but my knee still gives out when I stand after sitting for a while. Not sure what to do here, my doctor’s in another city… it’s such a dull pinching pain, but it’s not life threatening…

The best thing right now is that I completed 5 km today with 10 minutes of walking. You know what that means? I can get to 5 km running in probably 35 minutes!! Can’t wait to get there in 5 more runs (according to the 10k for Pink plan)!!!! The plan does want me to run 5 k in 30 minutes but I am set on finishing the 10k in May, not setting a record, haha.
I’m also super excited because run 7:2 and 7:3 are the same as today. This means I get more time to practice and run better at this pace.

Anyways, times to fuel up and rest up.

Good night,

rundmach

Introduction to 6:3

Good Evening Readers,

Mondays always seem to be a tough day but I always find myself wanting to run more on a Monday night. It was 9 PM when I got on the treadmill. Must be the love of running I have to work all day and fight off the bag of chips I was going to eat for dinner; instead I got up and ran.

I just finished running 6:3 of the running plan on my iPad’s 10K for Pink. The reason I’m bringing this in is because my iPad’s 6:3 is actually different from my iPod’s 6:3 (but it’s the same app!). A little confused at this difference since my iPad said to run 2 miles straight while my iPod said to run 2.25 miles. I didn’t realize there was a difference; I ran 2 miles straight thinking I was doing the distance (over the time).

February 25 Run: 34 minutes, 2.59 miles (4.44 km on Nike+)

I am super stoked I ran for 24 minutes straight (2 miles) at 5 mph (0 incline).  I’m 1/3 of the way to my goal!!! The app initially said to run 2 miles in 20 minutes, on my other device it says to run 2.25 miles in 22 minutes. So, I’ve gone for the distance but am a bit let down because I definitely could have done the 2.25 miles! What a shame for not knowing. It is great joy knowing that I feel the confidence that I can do the 2.25 miles. The next run (7:1) is doing 2.5 miles straight in 25 minutes. I won’t be doing this in 25 minutes, I’m estimating 30 minutes.

6 runs away from 5 km! Averaging around 7 minutes / km means I can do this in 35 minutes on the treadmill! I’m excited!!! This also means that once I transfer this outdoors, I can do 5k faster than that! So stoked to get there!!! Can’t wait to see where I’ll be in 2.5 months at 10k!

Until next run,

rundmach

Reenergize at 6:2

Hey World,

Another week has come and gone. I’ve let myself slip off of running yet again for 7 days! How is this possible? Sometimes I really just need to be reminded of how much I love running! Every day this past week I’ve procrastinated and made excuses. I’m even on vacation this week doing nothing! There are people busier than me out there making time to run. Every night I’ve gone to bed regretting I didn’t get up to run. Today I woke up and ran! No more regrets. Who can live a life full of wishful thinking? It’s the actions that count.

Of course, once I got on the treadmill, the joy of running all came rushing back!! This came all too quickly and was such a sweet, wonderful feeling.

February 21 Run: 37 minutes, 2.79 miles (4.73 km on Nike+)

Today’s run was not hard at all and yet I ran a little faster than any other time I’ve been sticking to the 10k plan. Maybe last week’s run with the group (at a faster pace and outside) really did do more than just a run. I stuck to the distance today. Running plan for Week 6 day 2 says Workout for 33 minutes (5 minute warm up, 1 mile/10 min run, walk 3 min/0.25 mile, 1 mile/10 min run, 5 minute cool down). Since the last few runs have been short, I did the distance in running which took me 12 minutes to run a mile (5 mph). I don’t mind that it took me longer. I almost wanted to keep going after the first 12 minute and not stop to walk 3 minutes. Quickly, I realized I should take the walk so I can run the next 12 minutes, good idea!

This just makes my heart melt! ❤

Tomorrow I spend the day at Blue Mountain snowboarding, wohoo!!! This is not my favourite place to go especially on a Friday of reading week (spring break in Canada) but I’m still excited to ride!!! I truly love to snowboard. I’m just a beginner but just like Running, I don’t need to be a superstar to love it! It’s going to be awesome!!!!

On the other positive note, I’ve been going for a walk every day this year. I’ve also been making sure I do more lately since my knee is still messed up and hurts in a slight discomforting pinching kind of way… No help… Walking is still good exercise!! 🙂

I’m excited to run outside again and I hope this -18°C weather goes away soon! It’s almost too cold to walk outside with the windchill, let alone think about running! Kudos to all those runners I keep seeing in the area when I’m out for a walk and you’re embracing the cold running like a mad man/woman.

Thank you for reading!

rundmach

Baby It’s Cold Outside

Dear Readers,

Tonight marks a milestone in my history of running! I ran outside in the winter! I’d like to thank my coworkers who have joined the 10k run with Sporting Life to support me. Tonight CJ, JJ, and TF took me out for a run at 5 pm right after work! They are truly in much better shape and I cant wait to be that fit! This group was awesome support!! They got me to run 10 walk 1!

February 13 Run: 31 minutes, roughly 4.4 km from gmap (4.2 km on Nike+)

My knee is still messed up but the run wasn’t painful; it’s sitting, stretching, and walking that hurts… The weather was a bit cold at first but definitely tolerable! It was -1 feels like -3 degrees Celsius. Next week, I need gloves!

Although this is off my plan, I will work this into my run schedule to be the 4th extra run and follow the original plan on my personal runs.

The group also wants to increase the run to 5km next week. I think I can do this, it will be hard but doable! I know this is a little off my 10k program I am following but these guys are running for me, I have to join them when they run! Plus, it’s super motivating running together. Intimidating as hell since today I ran with our VP, and director of HR. next week, my director will also be joining us on the run!

I’m very happy and impressed with myself. I fell behind but one of the runners stuck with my slower pace. It was tough for me but I did it! I’m excited to run with the group again.

Until next time,

rundmach

Baby Steps, 6:1

Hi There,

It’s been 10 days since my last run, today, I ran! … It was really a jog but it still counts!

February 11 Run/Jog: 34 minutes, 2.26 miles (3.79km on Nike+)

My knee is still not recovered but I couldn’t take it anymore! I needed to run! So tonight, I got changed (9:30 pm), stretched out my legs extra longer than usual, walked at 3-3.5 mph and ran each interval at 4.5 mph. This is the slowest I’ve ever “ran” since starting this plan but it was nice. It was easy but still very painful on my knee; I ran with a limp and wasn’t trying to. I am taking it a bit easy and not push myself too hard. Slow and steady…

I know I may not be running at the speed I need to be to stay on plan BUT I am still running. As long as I keep running, I know I will get to the finish line!

Taking it slower was great. Tonight I got the chance to practice breathing. This is how you know I’m a beginner runner still, I don’t breathe properly. My friend Robert has always told me to learn to breathe and running will be much easier. He’s able to run forever at an easy pace because of his breathing. I don’t breathe well for the fact that I’m a chest breather and runners are recommended to breathe through their bellies. It still hasn’t clicked in my mind to just naturally breathe through my stomach; I’ve been practicing my breathing even off of the treadmill.

I hope that the next run is better on my knee and I can go a little bit faster. Until then…

Good night for now 🙂

rundmach

p.s. I forgot to talk about how my snowboarding went the other night. I love snowboarding! It was amazing and it was just puking snow outside! I didn’t hurt myself EXCEPT for being on the chairlift… somehow, I got smoked at the chairlift getting on. I wish it was recorded, it looked like something that would have been on the funniest home videos. It wasn’t funny at the time when I fell and smashed my head on the ground but after I opened my eyes and was thankful I wore a helmet, it was funny. I hurt my neck in that fall from a bit of whip lash (I’m guessing from my head being thrown up off the ground after the impact). So, I hope this let’s you know a bit more about me, Snowboarding is the other love of my life and although it has been a while, the love never dies. This should also give you a better understanding that I am pretty accident prone (trampoline injury, snowboarding injury)… I’m pretty clumsy sometimes… most of the time!

Doing the Time, 5:3

Good Afternoon (or Morning, or Evening wherever you are :)),

This picture made me laugh so hard and it’s kind of true. I hope you enjoy it too! 🙂

It’s Friday and I didn’t have to work today! It’s been a bit overwhelming at work so I decided to use up some vacation time and make this week short. I’ve scheduled quite a few other days off for the month of February. Can you believe it?! It’s February 1st already! Where did January* go? I guess it just ran past me! ha-ha…

This morning I didn’t sleep in too much. Woke up maybe an hour later than I normally would for work. Had a bit of breakfast and went for a walk in the -16°C weather but it was nice and sunny. It felt great being outside during daylight! With the crazy Canadian weather, most days, I get to work and it’s light out but there’s no sun and by the time I leave work, it’s dark out.

My last run definitely was a challenge because today my legs are a little sore.

I had a lot of plans for today and didn’t get through them all but I did get to run!

February 1 Run: 30 minutes, 2.39 miles (3.6km on Nike+)

Today I kind of followed plan. I did the run time but I didn’t do the distance… On the app, the time went 5 minute warm up, 20 minute run, 5 minute cool down. Instead of doing the 2.25 miles in the 20 minutes, I did 1.76 miles. At first I went into this run thinking I would do the distance regardless of the time but once the app changed and said to start walking, I noticed I had another 1/2 mile to go, so I listened to my aching body and walked.

The slightly troublesome part is that I didn’t run on an incline today and ran at 5.3 mph, hoping this “easier” pace would have gotten me to run the extra ~5 minutes I needed to get to the 2.25 goal.

I want to repeat this interval until I can run 2.25 miles straight before going further. This sets me a little behind because I won’t be running tomorrow (going to be playing trampoline dodgeball!). I’ll be creeping into next week’s plan as I repeat week 5.

I’ve decided even though I want to do the 2.25 mile straight before moving on, I will just stick to the plan (unless somehow I find time to run Sunday).
Week 6, day 1 and 2 seem a bit easier with walking intervals. At Week 6, day 3, I will be running 2.25 miles straight. This time when I get to this day, I will do the distance and not the time! 🙂

I’m excited for the weekend: Trampoline dodgeball Saturday, all you can eat birthday buffet lunch Sunday, and a big family dinner Sunday night! Sunday will definitely be a write off day but I’m excited to see this side of my family (we see each other about once or twice a year) and rest!

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

rundmach

A Little Short, 5:2

Hi,

Tonight I ran late, I didn’t get on the treadmill until almost 10:30 PM. It took a lot of time to get mentally prepared and some more time to talk myself out of bed… Running is running, doesn’t matter what time I train, as long as I get up on that treadmill.

January 28 Run: 31 minutes, 2.34 miles (3.7 km on Nike +)
Started walking at 3.5-3.7 and ran at 5.3 mph (0.5% incline).

My treadmill is a bit of a miss on my part. I really should have researched more and been less impulsive with it, but it couldn’t have been that bad, I’ve been running the whole time since I got it. Anyways, I can only set the treadmill to a TIME goal over a distance goal. Why is this a problem? Because I tried to run 3/4 of a mile in 8 minutes but in 8 minutes I only got to 0.70 miles. I definitely was NOT walking a 10 minute mile either (1/2 mile in 5 minutes). I walked about 1/3 of a mile for each 5 minute walk. So, I ran a bit less than I should have according to plan but that’s ok. I have more than enough time this week to repeat this workout before moving on (and no, I don’t plan on increasing my brisk walking speed, not sure how I can do that without stumbling over my own feet).

I’m always open to new suggestions, methods, strategies, and opinions. I got some pretty good advice from a few other bloggers who have some pretty sweet blogs you should check out as well. Thanks Jamie and tchatt for leaving some food for thought!

I’m sad… the last part of my blog got cut off when I went to publish…. Here’s the gist of what else I had written…

This blog was started to share my running journey with you. Running has become such a huge part of my life, or so I’d like it to be. I feel it is time for you to get to know me a bit more. There’s so much I wish I could share with you but I would just ramble on like a school girl who just got her first kiss. For now it’s time to get hydrated and some rest. I hope that by next run/blog I am able to break down some barriers and knock down those walls that keep my so guarded.  (All of this seemed to sound so much better the first time I wrote it.. :()

Good night,

rundmach

Moving On, 5:1

I’m not a calorie counter but this is how I feel right now.

This morning had been a very emotional one for me. It started off nice as I woke up with a smile on my face. All night, I dreamt about running and was excited to get on the treadmill when I woke up.
It’s Sunday, that means weigh in day for me. It’s been 3 weeks now and I haven’t lost a single pound. Instead of being disappointed and sad, I was more angry and frustrated over this result. It’s not as if I’m eating horrible foods but I’m not cutting them out. I refuse to. I know I can lose weight and keep eating whatever I want, whether it’s chips or carrots. I like healthy and junky foods. I believe I have a decent balance of both. So why am I not losing any weight? It’s past the point where I’m feeling down about it, I’m just simply angry with this situation.Today, I’ve moved on to the next week a day in advance. Week 5, Day 1. I stepped up and ran each running interval at 5.3 mph. This run included three 5 minute runs and walking in between.

January 27 Run: 31 minutes, 2.25 miles (3.5 km)

By the last run of this week, I should be able to run the entire 2.25 miles (3.6 km) straight. It seems out of reach right now but we’ll see what happens during the week. I will move onto 5:2 for the next run but I plan on repeating that workout a couple of times this week before doing the final run for this week and attempting the 2.25 miles straight.

I’m reading everyone’s blogs and they are definitely inspirational and motivational. I like seeing how determined you all are out there. Thank you all for putting up your blogs and sharing your stories with everyone. I’m struggling to find my inspiration to running for myself but I hope to find it soon.

rundmach

Painful

Happy Friday!

Today for my one treat item, I indulged in a doughnut and everyone made me feel so fat and guilty for it, I didn’t even get to really enjoy it… Everyday I allow myself one thing that’s not the best but is the reason I am able to hold down cravings; whether it is a small bag of chips or a piece of chocolate, I choose to have one small snack in the middle of the day on days where it’s tough to fight my urges. This really helps fight my cravings as I can have a big bag of chips all to myself or a whole box of candy bars in one sitting.

At work today, a friend helped me realize how my desk was not set up the best since she was talking about hers. With all this running and back pain, I tried to move my monitors around and lift my chair to be a bit more ergonomically correct. It helped my neck and back out a bit actually. Still not perfect but an improvement from looking downwards at my monitors.

After work, I got home and sat around to relax while my treadmill was staring right back at me. Guess I had to run and earn that doughnut…

January 18 Run: 30 minutes, 2.21 miles (3.5 km)

Although tonight was a short run, I walked 2 minutes, ran 23 minutes, and walked 5 minutes. I ran at 4.7mph on the treadmill and that was tough! I know it’s slow but it will get better. Today’s was challenging and I am proud of myself for getting to 23 minutes! I made checkpoints where I fooled myself saying I would stop to walk at 10 minutes, then 15, then 20, and in the end I finished 23 straight before settling down to walk. This was also a tough run because this is the first time ever my knees hurt. The insides of my knees, my lower back, and neck hurt as I ran… This is in addition to my rolls jiggling and flubber cramping up everywhere… The one factor I can think of besides needing to stretch more or getting my posture right at work, is the fact that I may need new shoes.

New shoes!! I think I’ll go shoe shopping tomorrow! I can’t really afford it but my current runners have last me quite a while. Trained in them all last year, went to mount doom and back in middle earth with them, and ran my first 5k in them. Hopefully new shoes will help solve my problems in my feet, knees, neck, and back. Sounds like I’m looking for miracle shoes.

What do you like to run in?

D Mach

It’s About Timing

Hello World!!

Tonight marks a breakthrough in treadmill running for me. Lately, I’ve been struggling with slowing the treadmill down whenever I felt like I couldn’t go on or felt a pain. The treadmill I got only does preset workouts built-in or a manual time and one speed (in which you change the speeds manually as you run). I choose the manual one, but what I really want to do is be able to create my program to set it to specific miles per hour for specific lengths of time… So this is how I end up running 8 minutes walking 1 or 2… running 5 minutes walking 1 or 2… and so on..

I overcame that problem a bit tonight by telling myself, that it is OKAY to run/jog below 5 miles per hour… for whatever reason, since I’ve started running on the treadmill, it’s been 6, 5.5, or 5 mph and walking at 3.5 or 4 mph.

January 17 Run/Jog: 45 minutes, 3.32 miles (5.3 km…5.6 km on Nike +)

2 minute walk, 20 minute jog/run at 4.7-5 mph, 2 minute walk, 8 minute run, 1 minute walk, 6 minute run, 1 minute walk, 2 minute’s emptying the tank – 5.5 km up to 6 km, 1 minute walk, 1 minute jog (4.7 km), and 2 minute cool down walk.

I had to add-on 5 minutes in another session on the treadmill because it doesn’t let you add time to a workout in process… a little silly… Seriously, if anyone owns a Livestrong treadmill, please help me out!

The entire run, I was feeling pain in spots that didn’t even exist before, flubber bouncing around, rolls cramping up, … etc.. By 33 minutes, my ankle was hurting in a way it’s never hurt before. I kept telling myself that I said I’d run another 3 minutes before I could stop, but it hurt so bad… I kept telling myself, I can do this, and the pain past… But about 10 seconds later my opposite foot was hurting in the arch and in my toes! I’m not saying all of this complaining but just explaining how much it did hurt to run but I just pushed through the pain today. Today was about getting to the time and if it meant running a little slower, under 5 mph, then that’s what I had to do to run for a longer period of time; 20 minutes straight, 45 minutes total! 🙂

Today I had to force myself to think positively; to think that “I’ve done this before, I can do this now, I want this for me, I want this for my future”. I thought about how I want to feel healthy and sexy again. I want to be comfortable laying on my couch without feeling rolls getting in the way when I’m trying to curl up…

~JUST THINK HAPPY THOUGHTS~

I am very excited that I did 45 minutes of exercise today!! Nike+ says I ran at an average pace of 8 minutes and 9 seconds per km while my first 5 km’s were all below 7’44″/km. That’s really exciting! It’s the last 0.6 km that I had walked to slow down that slowed down my average pace.

This means all I have to do is double my current run time and I can do the 10 km! I have not set any time goals as many others do for races… Currently, I would just like to finish the race and get to that 10 km mark.

Off to the finish line!!… in another 114 days… 16 weeks to go! …

Please don’t forgot to donate to the children I am also running for. I know I may be running for my health but I’m also fundraising for sick children with cancer to go to summer camps!!! Please donate here, or read more about my journey for this charity and the charity here.

Thank you for taking your time to read my blog!

Cheers,

run.d.mach

Running, Running, Running

Good Evening Readers,

Tonight was such a rough night. I came home starving and wasn’t in the right mind. Wanted to make some salmon and get some energy to do a run.. turns out the salmon went bad so I ended up spending more time to make some fresh spring rolls… They were delicious but took a while to digest and settle in before I could even think about running. I was tired and freezing in my apartment and just couldn’t get myself together… in the end, the battle was over, I changed and got on that treadmill.

January 15 Run: 40 minutes 3.09 miles (4.9km)

So close to hitting 5 km today! Arg!! Maybe tomorrow! I stopped a bit more than I had expected: 2 minute walk, 8 minutes run, 1 minute walk, 8 minute run, 2 minute walk, 5 minute run, 1 minute walk, 5 minute run, 2 minute walk, 1.5 minute run, 1 minute walk, 1.5 minute run, and 2 minute walk. That last little bit I was aiming to run 6 minutes but ended up walking much more and slowing down way too much. I had been running 5 KM in around 35 minutes last summer so I’m hoping I can get back to that really soon! Today was still slow though: Nike+ says I averaged 8 minutes and 12 seconds per km…. I believe it was still a successful run!

A little sad that my frined Robert has ran again and is now almost 6 km ahead of me. Goooo rchatts for running!!! I don’t think I’ll be able to catch up to him; it’s a good thing we’re running for the same team! 🙂

I want to thank a fellow blogger/bloggers I’ve been following for really inspiring me to run tonight. This is a group called youcantbeatthiscrew. Two days ago, this group posted a story about a guy who sits at a desk all day, check out the post: If this doesn’t motivate you…nothing will. Very inspirational, and just absolutely phenomenal!

It really comes down to just running… There’s so much on my mind all the time but really, what’s there to worry about? It’s just life. If I’m not healthy, I won’t be able to enjoy life so I better just keep running and get my butt back in shape.

This is what I keep telling myself:

For now I cool down, get some fluids in and get to bed!

Good night world,

rundmach

Polar Ice

Hi World!

Tonight marks a new week. I know I was a bit down last week and I still am a little held back in my head with how heavy I am getting but I did get up and get on the treadmill today. Despite having all you can eat yesterday, two doughnuts & a muffin today, I changed after work and got on that treadmill.

January 14 Run: 40 minutes, 3.03 miles (4.8km)

Today consisted of a 2 minute warm up, 8 minute run, 1 minute walk, 8 minute run, 1 minute walk, 4 minute run, 1 minute walk, 5 minute run, 2 minute walk, 6 minute run, and 2 minute cool down walk. I am a bit disappointed that I ran for 40 minutes, just as I did last run and didn’t gain too much extra distance today. I felt a lot better during today’s run, I really thought I had covered more distance. Unfortunately, I also forgot to turn on my Nike + to track my KMs for the first half of the run. Now runrchatts is still 1.91 km ahead of me according to Nike+… On the plus side, the 23 mintues I did capture on Nike+ put my average kilometer at 7 minutes and 57 seconds! I’m pretty sure my 20 minutes missed in running was 2 km! Especially since my first leg of my run is always my fastest… SHUCKS!… Regardless, the treadmill says I ran 3 miles so, I’ll take it for breaking that 3 mile mark! 🙂

I also tried something new today: I ran without chewing gum. Now this might sound odd to a lot of you as I’ve been told it’s weird; but, I can’t run/work out without gum! Specifically, my Excel Polar Ice. I’ve done this for as long as I can remember: as a kid I even chewed gum playing basketball, volleyball, soccer, etc. I’m not a huge gum fan when I’m not working out so maybe it’s just an ingrown habit? Anyways, I thought I’d give it a shot and just run and drink more water (I don’t really drink water when I run, I’ve also been told that’s not such a good idea). I drank about 3/4 of a bottle during my walks but it was definitely hard on my throat running without the gum today. I’ve gone running for 5 kilometers without water… I think I’ll have to go back to my old habits on this one.

I’d like to say a special THANK YOU to everyone who has been following my blog and checking up on me. Your “follows”, “likes”, comments, and visits do really help motivate me to keep running and not stop. I appreciate every click and every moment you spend reading my words and following my story. Thank you! 🙂

For now, it is time to get some more liquid in and a little snack before it’s time for bed.

Good night!!

Diana Mach

Interval Training

Good Evening Readers,

Before I get into running, I’d like to send out a special THANK YOU!! Three very amazing people have already donated to Camp Ooch in support of my 10k run! THANK YOU!
This year, I won’t be mentioning any names because God knows you’re wonderful people, and I’d like to keep those anonymous just the way they wanted to be seen. Regardless, you know who you are and I couldn’t be more blessed knowing such great individuals.

I’d also like to take this time to refer you over to my dear friend Robert. I have inspired him to join our Make Dreams Happen team in fundraising for Camp Ooch and join me in the 10k run. Please follow his story at Robert’s Blog. A few things here, Robert is the one who shed light on this run and introduced me to the charity. After researching a bit more, I couldn’t back out and recruited him to join in. We may have also recruited our VP of our company to run as well, but that’s yet to be finalized…

Make Dreams Happen is a common slogan at work, not only a motto in our workplace but it is a way of life. In our careers we strive to continue to Make Dreams Happen every day, there is no other name more appropriate for this team.

Today I’m feeling a bit better. Still coughing here and there with a raspy voice and sore throat. Nonetheless, I went to work, had a productive day, came home, sat on the couch….and sat some more… What a waste…

January 9 Interval Training: 30 minutes, 2.13 miles (3.4km)

Last year when I started running, I read all about interval training as a running plan. I couldn’t stick to any of them; I liked just getting outside and running until I couldn’t run anymore. Today, I started with a 3 minute warm up and ran 4 minutes, realized my chest and throat were killing me, walked 1 minute, ran 3 minutes, walked 1 minute, ran 3 minutes, walked 1 minute, ran 3 minutes, walked 1 minute, ran 3 minutes, walked 1 minute, ran 4 minutes, and walked 2 minutes.

It worked pretty well in helping me focus on trying to regulate my breathing and get some water in.
This will surely be a challenge to work myself up to even running 5k straight but I know it will happen… It has to!

10k, I’m coming for you!

In the meantime, please don’t forgot to support and donate here.

Thank you for reading!

Until the next run, have yourself a phenomenal night.

rundmach

Running for Fun

Hi World,

This is my Running for a Cause – Part II – Running for Fun

Did you ever go to camp as a kid? Do your kids go to camp now? Or do you just like the idea camp?

My mom didn’t have the money to send me to camp as a child… So when I was 16, I got my first part time job. I saved some of the money I earned so I could go to Muskoka Woods for a leadership camp with my school. It was awesome!

I can imagine how tough it must be to not be able to afford camp… I can’t imagine how much tougher it must be to be so ill that camp seems out of question.

Please take a moment in your day to watch this video about Camp Oochigeas before you read on:

Camp Ooch, a place where sick children get to be children and not worry about being sick; A place where parents know their kids are in good hands and are having the time of their lives. Camp Ooch also goes to the children at SickKids hospital to provide in house camps as well.

Last year, thanks to you, I raised $505 to help find a cure for breast cancer and ran 5k. I thank you all for supporting me. I also promised I would raise money to do the 10k Terry Fox Run in September this year.

This year, I am being very ambitious… I have not been running for a while and let myself go… But… I will be running a 10k race on May 12, 2013 to raise money for kids to go to camp Ooch.

I encourage anyone who is interested to join me in this experience as I’m looking to create a team. Please, reach out to me if you’re even playing with the idea of joining or donate to support by clicking here.

We have four months, about 18 weeks, to train and raise money. I am hoping we can raise enough money to send a child to camp for one week, that’s a $1750 goal.

More About Camp Oochigeas

Camp Oochigeas is a privately funded, volunteer based organization that provides kids with cancer and kids affected by childhood cancer with a unique opportunity for growth through challenging, fun, enriching and magical experiences. Ooch allows kids with cancer to just be kids.

Camp Ooch does not receive government funding, and relies on the generosity of volunteers and donors like you, in order to make the magic of camp happen!

To find out more about the camp, visit www.ooch.org.

Whether you donate $1 or join me for the race, I will forever be grateful of your support. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Diana Mach

Why?

Hello World,

Today I had to take a sick day from work. I’ve completely lost my voice with a sore throat and chest pains, didn’t sleep much last night, and had a pounding headache all night and morning.

I’ve spent the last 18 hours sitting in bed trying to rest until I realized sleep wasn’t going to happen even though I had no energy. So why would I be blogging now? Well, I did it, I got up on the treadmill and used it!

January 8 Walk: 20 minutes, 1.23 miles (2km)

Ok, so I thought I could get away with doing a run but that didn’t happen. Started with a 5 minute warm up walk, ran a few minutes and realized my throat was burning and water wasn’t helping… I changed the pace and ended up walking/jogging for some time until I couldn’t take it anymore.

It may have been a bad idea to do this while my immune levels are so low and my body is busy fighting off this sickness… But on the other hand, wouldn’t this be the best time? If I can muster up the energy to do this now, I can definitely get to 10k when I’m healthy!

Anyways, thats it for now. Please keep reading as I have a very special blog to post later tonight!

Thanks for following,
D Mach

It’s Been a While

Happy New Year!

2013 brings a new life!

I apologize for not blogging since my run in September. Unfortunately, I only ran once last year since the 5k and it was brutal! I promise I will not stray from my goals though.

I hit a bit of a running rut last year after the run. I got sidetracked and was distracted with some pretty good things in life, but I did gain another 10 pounds in 3 months. I’m sick of complaining about it being too cold, too dark, and just feeling unhealthy.

My goal this year is to lose 21 pounds and keep it off!

Yesterday marks a new milestone. I purchased a treadmill and now have no excuses not to run! Set up and ran my first time this morning!

Check out this bad boy:

January 6 Run: 30 minutes (3 minute warm up, 4 minute cool down), 2.93 miles (4.7km)

Shockingly, the run wasn’t so tough! I am so excited to be healthy again and fit into my jeans!!!

I hope you continue to read on and support me this year! It truly means a lot to me that you are following my blog and supporting me throughout this journey.

I have some more exciting news to share with you coming soon!

I am super happy to be back!!!

Good night world,
Diana Mach

P.S. if anyone knows how to use the Livestrong Livetrack USB stick, please let me know.