Life Continues On

Hi there!

I’m alive!!! Today, I got to take part in The Inaugural Move Your Paws for the Polar Bear Cause at the Toronto Zoo.

February 22 Run: 21:59 (mm:ss), 3.24 km, 6’46″/km (GPS)

This was a 3k run/walk or 1 km walk event. I haven’t seen much details online about the results as it’s not timed but the turn out seemed great and I hope we really did raise some money for the Polar Bears. I event got to see the little cub, who is super adorable! We all got super adorable medals and free admission to the zoo for the day.

Runrchatts kept me going today as I found it difficult to breathe. I forgot to take my inhaler or pop a piece of gum for race time (both which at in my bag). I have not gone for a run in two weeks so I really felt it, my chest HURT! The rest of my body could move but my heart felt like it was ready to explode and my lungs would not ease up. I was also running as hard as I could even with all the hills! So, I’m guessing I had an ugly run face on as always but I had a blast and got to see some animals, I really enjoyed my day – even if it meant getting up at 5 am for the long drive.

I will be updating this post later on with some pictures once I get some loaded, not too many good ones, I have not learned to master selfies or really taking any photos.

Thank You! I’d like to send the Canada Running Series and all of the volunteers for everything today! The event was great!!! The only request I have is to have at least one building open for the runners to stay warm in before race time. I couldn’t feel my toes by the time we were lining up to start. The volunteers were fantastic and so was the atmosphere. Everyone was having fun 🙂

Okay, so where have I been the last two weeks? In addition to trying to cope since my last post, I’ve also been in a very tricky situation at work. The company I have been with for 9.5 years was just sold. This is not new to me, I’ve been with the company since we were independently owned, went public, went corporate, was sold and acquired so I can handle change. There has just been a lot more change that was not foreseeable or required more attention from me. Some changes include some major life decisions for myself as well. These changes would and will be affecting my personal life quite drastically. In all truth, I should have laced up and gone for a run, I’m sure it would have made the last two weeks easier to clear my thoughts but I got suckered in and settled for having bad food and watching mindless tv to not think about things. Adding sleepless nights thinking and having my mind racing over the thoughts and dreaming about work when I did sleep, did not help the situation. Please, I am very excited about this change, it’s not a horrible thing, there were just decisions to be made that were under short timelines. Anyways, I’m sort of back but I’m not 100% here. I want to get back to me, especially with vacation in less than two weeks, all my hard January work has been lost… I need to get fit again and work on that beach body! … Or at the least, tighten up some jiggles.

So, we live, learn and grow. We accept what we cannot change but change what we can to what is acceptable to our needs/wants. Try and fail, but don’t fail to try!

Well, I’m off to get some rest to cheer on Canada in the morning Olympic gold medal game. Go Canada Go!!!!

rundmach

‘Tis The Season

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Merry Running!

rundmach

Listen to the Crunch

There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them. – Denis Waitley

Before getting into the details of today’s run, I’d like to extend my appreciation to all of you who send me your support, likes, and comments. Thank you Christine, runrchatts, Jane Likes to Run, and sophiesara for your support after my last post – I needed it and you definitely made me feel a whole lot better after hearing from you. This blog community, the running family, the togetherness, I love it and I cherish your for being a part of this.

December 9 Run: 40:10 (mm:ss), 5.32 km, 7’33″/km

Tonight was a steady run and I felt much more than steady. The sidewalks were very icy and wind was testing how grounded I could keep myself haha. It was -1°C feels like -9°C with winds jumping up to 26kmh from time to time. I had a fantastic run. I was careful, so careful that in my 20 minute walk after, I slipped more during my walk than I did during my run. I felt unstoppable and felt as if I was running very hard in the 6’s and low 7’s. I guess I wasn’t that fast since my overall is still 7’33″/km but that’s okay. I gave it my all tonight and am very proud of myself. I dressed well for the weather and was probably a little too warm.

For those of you who have been looking, I stumbled across a pair of winter pants that are amazing!! They happen to be cycling pants that were misplaced so I snagged them and tried them on, they’re amazing! Minus the fact that the different stitching and swatches of fabric bugged me a little bit (since the pants aren’t seamless), they kept my legs nice and warm!! What are these wonderful pants? They are from Mountain Equipment Co-Op and they have them in Mens and Ladies (don’t worry they don’t have the butt padding even though they’re cycling pants). I only decided to check out MEC since a running friend suggested their private label (MEC) items are more affordable than buying the Nike, Adidas, Saucony, etc. that I’ve been checking out. Check them out here for $75 in the ladies. Free advertising for MEC! Better than the $100+ on the bigger brands even though I do like Nike. Yes, I still can’t believe I spent $75 on a pair of tights either but they are so worth it now!!! I don’t even spend that much on jeans, haha.

My favourite thing about tonight’s run, hearing the snow and ice crunch beneath me. Every step I just felt super awesome! I love the winter and I love the snow, today was no different. I had a tough day at work spending the first 3 hours of my day fixing up errors and touching up all these issues that had nothing to do with my actual Monday tasks that I felt a little overwhelmed due to other people’s negligence. After a stressful day all I wanted to do was curl up on the couch but what I really wanted to do was run, so I decided I’d run to my plan and not skip it just because I had a lousy day at work.

Here’s to running  Happy!!

rundmach

Five Extra Years?

We are designed to move. Give your kids back 5 years. 

December 1 Run: 40:32 (mm:ss), 5.12 km, 7’54″/km

Today I got to run outside, how wonderful! The weather called for rain/snow forecast so I got up early to run before it hit – so early I didn’t even know what I was doing. The run felt a little more tough than usual. I was tired so I wasn’t sure what I was doing. This could have been because I didn’t take a rest day at all this week – I did cross/strength training on all of my days off of running (a minimum of 30 min cycling + exercises). However, my overall pace was still pretty decent so no disappointment here on that side. I did notice my chest hurting a bit again the last 10 minutes of my run, it may be time to get a refill on my puffer. Good to know it is helping!! 🙂

I’d like to take a moment of your time as you read this and strongly recommend you watch this video (less than 2 minutes). This is one ad that every person in this world needs to watch. At least every North American does, based on our “health” statistics. If you haven’t had seen this video by Designed to Move – a campaign by Nike but not advertised as Nike, so please watch it.

This video speaks volumes to me and I am just shocked that it came out in 2012 and I just discovered it. One of the reasons I run that I haven’t shared is for my kids. I don’t have children right now but I think about the family I want and in 10 or 20 years when I am out with my wonderful husband and happy children, I want to be able to play with them and be a good example of someone who is healthy and active. This video scares me as if I don’t make better life choices now to create healthier habits, I will pass these bad/lazy habits onto my children. When I retire, I want to be able to snowboard, run, and golf every day! Please share this video and continue to blog about how you are being a healthier you. All of your blogs – especially the moms out there, who are balancing work, family, and running, you’re my inspiration. I hope you continue to inspire others as well. Thank you!

Please click on the image to see a full infographic from Designed to Move. This is very educational and provides some insightful information.

What would you do with 5 extra years? 

Here’s to a healthier future for us and our children!

Happy Running!

rundmach

It’s So Fluffy!!!

If you wait for the perfect weather conditions, you’ll never get anything done.

Today marked the first real snowfall where I live. What better way to celebrate than to go outside for a run?

November 23 Run: 30 min steady, 3.94 km, 7’38″/km

If you’re new to my blog, or may have forgotten from last year, I LOVE SNOW! I love to snowboard and I love the winter season. I have not been able to mix my love for winter with my love for running but today I did this. Today, I had one of my happiest runs I have had in a very long time. My 30 minute run at a steady pace was at just about the right speed I had to be (none of this treadmill nonsense). There was half a km uphill against 32 km/hr winds where I slowed down to about 8’40″/km but come on, Uphill and Against the wind, I didn’t care as long as I was still moving. I felt pretty awesome running against that wind and in snowfall (which didn’t last the entire run; it was on off snow). Near the end of my run, the snow really started falling hard and I couldn’t help but have the biggest grin on my face as I was finishing my last 4 minutes. I swear, there was a lady walking by me with her groceries in one hand and other hanging onto her hood to keep from blowing away, stared me down and thought I was crazy for being so happy running in the snowfall.

Breathing was awesome during this run too. I didn’t struggle finding my breath, my chest didn’t hurt, I loved absolutely every minute of my run. It was 0°C (felt like -6°C). I was worried I’d be under dressed but my top was probably a little too heavy as I was pretty sweaty but now I know better. I am so excited to run more in the cooler weather!!!! I do wish I had more chanced to run in day light other than on weekends but I am content with this.

I’d also like to welcome back fellow blogger runrchatts who came out to run 30 minutes with me today! His run plan required him to run 4 km steady, so we both started at the same time and I took an earlier turn for a shorter loop and he went on. After about 25 minutes he caught up to me, not very shocked but very happy 🙂 I met him at the end where he finished his 4 km and I finished my 30 minutes.

I wish I had been able to capture the beauty of the snowfall while I was out but I don’t run with my phone so no pretty pictures. I hope you got to enjoy your day today and get to embrace the winter!

Happy Running!

rundmach

Adjusting to Weather

Hey There,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy Running

rundmach

Caving In & Running for a Cure

Hi there,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy Running!

rundmach

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

“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

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

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

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