HARD DAY... TOUGH RACE...

But I didn't give up... hip/knee problems ealy on lead me to a 5:03:23 finish (chip). I am proud I persevered... more to follow when I rest and digest my result.

RACE JITTERS!!

I am leaving tomorrow morning for London. I am at the same time excited/scared/stressed about the marathon! I know I trained hard and I should be able to have a great race and get the results I want. It's an accomplishment itself to be running a marathon and I am not forgetting that. I committed to the training, long runs in the snow and cold, I gave it all I got, dedicated all the way. I am proud of that and I am proud of myself no matter what!!

Thanks for reading and wish me good luck!!

Have a good week-end everyone! =)

REST, COLD FX AND ORANGE JUICE...

Will help you get rid a of cold!!! YAY! I feel totally fine today! Resting this week-end was the best thing I could have done =)

I ran 3 miles yesterday with my dog. After spending all day inside at the air conditioning, I didn't realise it was 28oC outside and that we had a smog advisory... We stop every 0.5 miles and he drank some of my gatorade. My poor fur-baby looked like he was going to have a heart attack around mile 2... so we slowed down. At some point, I even picked him up and kept running holding him!! Note to self, he can run 3 miles when it's cold out. He's just not a runner =( I think I've resigned myself now! Average pace = 15:03 min/mile!!!! OMG that was the longest 3 miles I have ever ran! BUT my dog didn'T have a heart attack =)

On other news, I went to an atheletic bra clinic at the Running Factory last night and the guest speaker was Silvia Ruegger. She's holding the title of the fastest canadian marathoning women (1985) with a time of 2:28:36!! Oh man was she inspiring! She was explaining her story, that with 4 months before the National Capital Marathon in 1984 she decided to switch to marathon training, her previous specialty being the 1500m and her longest long run was 12 miles! She had an intense training, more than 100 km per WEEK! And in the end, she won the NCM marathon (1st woman) and was one of the 3 canadian women to qualify and participate in the first time women marathon at the Olympics! AND THIS WAS IN 1984!! I had no clue women could not do long distance running in Olympics until after I was born, this seem so surreal!

She definitely inspired me and totally pumped me up for Sunday! I am so excited and cannot wait to race and give my best at the marathon! This was exactly what I needed after getting a bit down with catching a cold. Anyway, I could write a lot more about her but I'm not sure it interest everyone! If you have a chance to hear her speak go for it!

Happy running!!

IT'S OFFICIAL....

I have a cold.... I'm all stuffed up and can only think about sleeping. My head hurts and I cannot breathe properly. I just bought that cold FX remedy... hopefully this can pull out some miracle in time for the marathon. I've been struggling with the thought of missing my last LSD tomorrow (8miles). I rarely miss runs, I feel like I'm being lazy if I even just think about skipping a run... I will see how I feel tomorrow morning but I feel tiny bit silly to even considering going... It's just 8 miles and I know it should not affect my performance on marathon day....

Other than that, I felt pretty zen about the marathon... not as excited as the previous one. I guess it didn'T help that I had a crazy week at school + some personal turmoil... I went back to read my blog entries from last October before the marathon and it got me all excited again. So, I know when I'm going to stand on the starting line, game face will be on and I will do my best

I decided to share my expectations with you and will try to not be disappointed if I can't pull it off my first goal...

1) Finish in 4:30-4:40 (Pace = 10:15 to 10:40 min/mile)

2) Finish between 4:41-4:49 (Pace = 10:45 to 11:00 min/mile)

3) Finish between 4:50: 4:59 (Pace = 11:05 to 11:25 min/mile)

I do not think that my first goal is out of reach. According to MacMillan and my fastest half-marathon, I could do 4:33. Hopefully, the weather gods will be on my side and I will feel good on race day!

Here is the week recap

Tuesday 4 miles @ 11:07 min/mile

Wednesday 3 miles @ 11:33 min/mile with my pooch

Thursday 4 miles @ 10:39min/mile

Have a good week-end everyone

A HARD 12 MILER???

After having 2 awesome 20 milers I never thought I would say that but this 12 miler was painful!! I know why... and it's totally my own fault so I am sucking it up right now...

Yesterday

-I didn't drink my water

-I didn't carbload

-I didn't go to bed early

-I drank too much wine!!

Today

- I slept in 'till 11!!

- I waited until midday to get out the door

It was 25oC and the sun was killing me, I was sweating big time, my contact lenses were burning.... I felt like I weighted 300 lbs not a fun sight... It was getting better around 6 miles when I turned around and the wind was in my face, so refreshing... Anyway, 12 miler in the book with an average pace of 11:34 min/mile.

On a happier note, I went to Point Pelee yesterday and I had a good walk with Rocky there. The point was covered with water though, we couldn't go very far, here is a picture of the pooch and I!

Have a good running week everyone!!!

LUCKY ONES....

Tomorrow morning I am driving my parents to the Detroit Airport, they are leaving for a 30 days cruise and will spend 10 days after that in Paris... ah retired life is so hard!!!

Since I will be in the states, I will stop at Dick's Sporting Goods trying to find a running skirt. I've heard they have good deals there =) I will also refill on body glide...

It was a good running week despite the rain. I pushed a bit hard on Wednesday... I should have stick to 10:20-30 min/mile... result I was very tired for my run tonight. I am helping moving my friend Flashy this Saturday, so I'll do my long run on Sunday, only 12 miles! I love taper!

This week's recap:
Tuesday 5 miles @ 10:45 min/mile
Wednesday 4 miles @ 9:55 min/mile (PACE)
Thursday 4 miles @ 10:51 min/mile

WHAT A GREAT WEEK-END!!!

The weather was AWESOME (high 20's oC/ 80F), the 20 miler went great, even got a tan out of it! I finished a bit faster than the previous one, my pace was 11:14 min/mile instead of 11:31, the absence of snow and wind really helping with this! It went by very quickly nothing hurt at all, I just have to figure something out for the sweat in my eyes. The baseball cap is not preventing this and it is truly annoying to use my t-shirt sleeve! When I got back home, I had my usual cold bath but I was a bit stiff in the afternoon this time. At least it was all gone on Sunday! I even went for a 3h bike ride yesterday and stopped to read by the Detroit River.

It is now taper time and I sure am going to enjoy it!

Have a good running week everyone! =)

GETTING READY...

To tackle my second and last 20 miler of this marathon training schedule! I cannot believe this marks the end of the hard part of my training.... and taper will officially begin tomorrow night! =) I'm very excited to lower my mileage and spend more time walking the pooch, I feel I've cut short his walks so many times during this training.... hope he still loves me ;-)

I've talked to my chiropractor and I will get some new orthotics made up especially for running. My old ones were made for walking and they are very soft and don't seem to give me enough support while running.

Here is a picture that was taken at the finish line of last week's race. You can't see my face very well but there is a huge smile there! =)

This week's Recap:

Tuesday 5 miles @ 10:35 min/mile (PACE)

Wednesday 5 miles @ 11:42 min/mile

Thursday 4 miles @ 10:47 min/mile

Thanks for reading everyone and have a good week-end!

QUICK UPDATE!!

I think we're all pretty busy with life right now. Like Jelly and Laurel, I haven't had much time to blog lately! But it's not because I am not running! I raced a half-marathon on Sunday, Run for Retina, in London. And I had a blast there, I ran at LSD pace (ok a bit faster) but I was able to maintain a conversation with Jill for 11 miles!! She is a great racing partner from Running mania. We spoke back and forth in French and English, it was great! At mile 11, she started having some knee problems so I went on my own. Finished strong at 2:24:01. I cannot believe the difference between this half-marathon and my first one (2:23). I felt like this has become so easy for me =) and finish with the same time!

Running with someone who has exactly the same pace as you is so much fun! I didn't feel like she was holding me back and it was the same for her. Too bad she lives in Winnipeg!

Here is one picture before the start of the race, Jill on the left, me and Trixee.

Anyway, sorry for the short race report but I'm overwhelmed with schoolwork as I have a presentation on Thursday and I'm not done analysing my data! I gotta get back at it now!

Here's last week in review:
Tuesday 5 miles @ 11:09 min/mile
Wednesday 8 miles @ 11:42 min/mile (in pouring rain with 45 km/h wind!!)
Friday 5 miles @ 11:00 min/mile
Sunday 13.1 miles @ 10:45 min/mile at the Run for Retina Half-marathon

Have a great running week everyone!!! =)

GO AWAY WINTER GO NOW!!

I HATE YOU SNOW!
I HATE YOU WIND!
WINTER, JUST GO AWAY NOW!

WHY DID WE GET A SNOW STORM ON APRIL 7TH??

Rant is over now, it's good to get it off my chest... I ended up running 20 miles @ 11:31 min/mile pace. Where is my chocolate now?!?

HAPPY EASTER!!!

My parents are in town for Easter and I am going to celebrate this by running 19 miles tomorrow (so I can eat as much chocolate as I want!) =) We went shopping in the states today and I got 2 new pairs of running shoes (NB and Saucony). I'm very excited to try them out. I didn't find any running skirts there which was my main goal... And I spent way too much money on other things... summer dress and sandals...

Here's last week in review:
Saturday 12 miles @ 11:09 min/mile
Tuesday 5 miles @ 10:23 min/mile (PACE)
Wednesday 5 miles @ 11:03 min/mile (45 km/h wind!!)
Thursday 5 miles @ 11:14 min/mile (35 km/h wind!!)

Happy Easter and have a great running week everyone! =)

I'M EXHAUSTED!!

I am feeling physically, intellectually and emotionally very tired. I had a big week at work in the lab everyday, and althought I wasn't that sore after ATB, standing all day took a toll on me. I hadn't much time to recover from the race as I took only Monday off and resumed my training schedule on Tuesday.

Here's this week in review:

Tuesday 5 miles @ 11:23 min/mile

Wednesday 8 miles @ 10:31 min/mile (PACE)

Thursday 5 miles @ 11:09 min/mile

The last 2 runs were very hard, I was running on the waterfront and there was a lot of wind. I felt like I was fighting with the wind more than running. I was tageting 10:20 for my pace run but I was not able to maintain it. I believe it's a mix of the evil wind and being tired. I actually had to nap for a hour before Thursday's run!

I'm happy this is a step back week, I'm only doing 12 miles tomorrow and that will feel like nothing after last week's 19!! =)

Here are some pictures from ATB.

Before the race with Tim (tdiller on RM)

During the race, look at the swing of my hair!! I almost didn't recognize myself! I think it's a great picture!

I really like the finish line one.

As you can see my gun time was 3:25:32

FUN TIMES AROUND THE BAY!!

I had a blast at the Around the Bay 30K race!!! This has just become my favorite race =) I only have postive things to say from the organization , the volunteers, and the people cheering on the side of the road to the race course. There was almost twice as many people as at the Chilly Half (5200) but the organization was so much better! It didn't feel crowded except at the beginning of the race, it took me almost 4 minutes to cross the starting line! I hung out with some maniacs at the beginning and it was great! It was so nice to be running and meeting some of them on the course, felt like I was running with some friends, orange power! ;-)

I didn't start the race at a crazy and unmaintainable pace which is a small victory for me! I am also very proud to announce that I finally got negative splits!! YAY!

10K @ 10:50 min/mile

20K @ 10:55 min/mile

30K @ 10:44 min/mile (woohoo!)

I felt strong the whole time, I could not believe how easy it was to maintain that pace! No knee pain, nothing hurt at all. This was a great test for me, all that winter running really paid off and the 4:30 spring marathon is really becoming a reality. =) Everyone was talking about all the rolling hills and the big one, but I didn't think they were that bad and I really didn't concentrate on hill training this winter. I actually had lots of fun doing them (yes you can call me crazy!). I'm sure that driving the course and seeing all the hills the night before (thanks to Dierdre) really helped me on visualising them and not being afraid. I had lots of energy the whole race but when I saw the 28 km marker I really speeded up! I crossed the finish line at 3:21:45 (chip time) and felt great about my time and my performance!

I love this race and I'm hoping to do it again in the future! Thanks for reading and happy running everyone! =)

AROUND THE BAY, HERE I COME!

I am leaving tomorrow morning for Hamilton and I'm very excited to be racing the oldest road race in North America which was established in 1894!!! =) It even started 3 years before Boston! This will be very fun! I'm not going to race it, I will be running it as a LSD (targeting 11-11:30 min/mile). I don't really have a goal time in mind anything around 3h30 will be fine with me. I think this is a great way to get a 19 miles run in while getting out of Windsor and seeing some Maniacs.

As far as this week's recap:
Tuesday: 5 miles at 11:14 min/mile
Wednesday: 8 miles at 10:52 min/mile
Thursday: 5 miles at 11:05 min/mile

Have a good week-end everyone!

SPRING THAW????

Spring has come and gone here! After our wonderful heat wave last week, the weather cool down just in time for the race. It was really chilly on Sunday morning!! And the race started 30 mins late, I was completely frozen after 5 minutes and even if I was cheering the kids at the dash and 1K, I could barely feel my feet by the beginning of the race!!! Once the gun went off (I didn't even heard it, just followed people who started running!), cold feet and hands didn't matter anymore!! I didn't want to stat too crazy, as this is my biggest issue with races. So, I tried a 8:20 min/mile pace which is a pace that I think I could have maintained if I had been running on fresh legs (I ran 11 miles the day before). When I realised the legs were not cooperating as much as I wanted, I just tried to keep my pace around 9 min/mile for the whole time. The race went by fast!! I had completely forgotten how short a 5K race is after running all these longer distances!! I did it in 27:33 which is a PR for me, improving my time by almost 2 minutes!!! My last 5K was on Canada Day with 29:29. The best thing about this: a sub 9 min/mile pace!!!! 8:52 min/mile is so sexy =) Also, I finally made out of the "Back of the pack", I'm not a proud "Middle of the pack" (12/24 in my AG)!! Yay, I'm so happy with my improvements this year so far!

I noticed Shelley's Ironman hat when she made the U-turn, she had been running right in front of me! =) I had a chance to talk to her after the race and it is very nice to meet a fellow blogger, especially someone who is such an inspiration to me! She never stops, has more energy than the energizer bunny!! I mean she is training for her 7th Ironman this year!!

Today was a rest day, tomorrow back to our normal running schedule (5 miles). Have a good week everyone!

YOU KNOW SPRING IS HERE WHEN....

-It's 20 oC outside and you can run in capris and a tank top
-The usually deserted streets are full of people just hanging out on the front porch
-You don't see any more snow
-The birds are singing
-You decide to run 8 miles at pace (10:22 min/mile) instead of the plan 4 because it's so nice and you can't stop....
-Last but not least: you're running through MicMac Park and you see people having sex in the back seat of a car! yes I did see you in the Grey Mazda Protégé!!!

Have a good day everyone =) it's still gorgeous here and I'm going to do a slow 4 miler tonight!

IT'S ALL RELATIVE!

It was really grey and windy this morning and I wasn't too enthusiastic about the 17 miles run!! But by the time I ate breakfast and walked the pooch, the sun started to come out and it ended up being a GREAT run. I remember last summer when I tried the 15 and 16 milers I was ready to die at the end. Well, things have changed and I'm very happy about it! This almost seemed like an easy walk in the park! =) I ran 17 miles @ 11:23 min/mile pace which is right on target for my LSDs. I think I'm getting good at this whole training thing! =) When I got home, I went in a cold water bath for as long as I could take it (2 mins!). I felt so tired, I ate a banana and got some chocolate milk and went to bed.... 1h30 later I woke up soooo hungry.

The pics from the chilly half are up... not pretty, the fuel belt underneat the coat means I look like 30 lbs overweight.... oh well that's what you get for winter racing!! :D

HALF-MARATHON vs MARATHON PACE

Now that the half-mary is behind me, I had to figure out what my marathon pace will be... According to the Equivalent time Calculator I could run a 4h33 marathon!! WOW that would just be amazing!! =) That's why I've decided to target 10:20-30 min/mile for my pace runs (compared to 10 min/mile for the half).

It's been a big week so far with the race on Sunday and having only Monday off I feel like I haven't stop at all!! Tuesday's run was very hard, I was still sore from the race and going up and down the stairs hurt! The good things is that weather has warmed up and we're looking at a GREAT week-end (8oC). Thank god because I will be running 17 miles on Saturday and I wasn't looking forward to it!!

Here's this week's recap:
Tuesday 4 miles @ 11:09 min/mile
Wednesday 7 miles @ 10:22 min/miles (PACE)
Thursday 4 miles @ 11:31 min/mile

Have a good week-end everyone! =)

CHILLY IN BURLINGTON!!

The Chilly Half-Marathon was a great race! It was a very nice flat course and despite the really cold weather (-15 oC with windchill) I had a very good time! On the morning of the race, I found myself very relaxed and not nervous at all. =) That was a good change from my previous races, I think I just felt confident about myself, the distance and the performance I could pull off. It was nice to see my friend Amanda at the startig line (thanks for coming!). I swore to myself before the race that I wouldn't start too fast.... but I did anyway... I don't know why but there is some sort of energy that takes over me and I can't rationalise my speed... oh well at least I didn't crash and burn! I was feeling like a speed racer though (9-9:10 min/mile for the first 4 miles). But then I couldn't maintain that pace (of course that's my 5K speed!!).

I started to lower my speed to 9:45 min/mile for the next few miles but then again I found myself, out of breath... The good thing is that my legs were feeling great. No knee problems, no shin splints =) Then we got to Lakeshore Rd for the last 5 miles and the wind was in our face the whole time up to the end! It was hard but everytime I wanted to slow down I kept saying to myself: "If you don't give your 100% you'll be disappointed" or "Pain is temporary, pride is forever".... I felt very strong mentally =) When I saw the 20K marker I speed up a lot but it look like the never ending 1.1K (apparently the markers were slightly off...). My official time is 2:10:59 (chip time)!!! I am soooooo HAPPY with my time!! It's right on my target time with an average pace of 9:59 min/mile. I am so glad that I train smart and hard as it paid off at the race! I PRed by about 13 minutes, I am so proud!! =)

The thing that I learned with this race, is that I am not a big fan of crowded courses, there was over 3000 people running and it was way too much for me. I like to have my own space and not have to fight for it... I'm guessing Around the Bay will be even more crazier than this but I'm a strong believer in "Gotta try something once to know you don't like it!".

Well thanks everyone for all the good wishes on the race! I had a blast and it felt good to be racing again! I'm even more excited for the marathon in May!

RAINING... AGAIN....

I ran 4 miles on Tuesday (10:30 min/mile) and then 30 min tempo run on Wednesday (9:35 min/mile). And tonight was 2 miles in pouring rain.... again... grr! We're having this freezing rain warning going. I decided to bring the pooch along tonight, makes the run more enjoyable =) And I knew I wouldn't have to walk him in the rain after (bonus!). He did start to slow down considerably after 1.5 miles, he was way behind me!!! I believe he can run 3 miles but 2 miles is a great distance for him. I would have love to adopt a bigger dog and be able to do all the runs with him, maybe one day!

I just checked the weather network and it seems that Sunday will be a great Race Day! Sunny with a high of -1 oC and a min of -6 oC and wind of 20 km/h. Perfect! Well this has time to change like 20 times in the meantime but at least the outlook is good!! I can't wait till the road trip, Flashy is coming with me! This is going to be great!!! =)