CATCHING UP....

So I've been MIA. The cycling commute is kicking my ass!! I'm doing 25 miles per day on average (40 K for the metric folks). I'm definitely feeling it in my legs on the Friday. I believe most of the time the wind is in my face and when it's not I am FLYING! Rain or shine I am on my bike and not looking back at my time on the bus/subway. And I've lost like 7 lbs so who could complain about that?!!

I've been seeing the new physio and just started having some great results with the cold laser treatment on top of icing like crazy and stretching. I had my first run PAIN-FREE since November 2007 yesterday!! A blissful 5K with Rocky. It was wonderful. I'm feeling the foot a little right now but continuing with the treatment and hoping to see continuous improvement. Physio is SURE I will be able to run the Niagara Falls half on my Birthday and that made me very happy. I'm finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. And the 'stupid foot' problems might be coming to an end...

Leaving you with a pic of Rocky and the tulips who are just out in our front yard.

I hope all the Mississauga runners are having a great time!

A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!

I just came back from my first run in 2 months 15 days and 4 hours!

It was totally BLISSFUL!!! I would go as far as saying ORGASMIC!! LOL

We had a lot of rain yesterday and there is ice all over Montreal today but it is mainly concentrated on the sidewalks. So my Dad and I went out in a mild and sunny -10°C (14 F). My foot/ankle was feeling rusty but great, I had a stupid grin on my face the whole time. =) We ran a very slow 1.6 miles in 20:21. It was my Dad first outside run since November 4th, he was being a winter wuss and doing all his runs on the treadmill. Today's run convinced him to get back outside and enjoy winter!

I feel like the old me is back, running makes me so happy. I'm hoping this is the end of my injuries. I'll be reasonable and only run 2 times 20-30 mins for a few weeks and see how it goes.

As far as yesterday's training on the bike.... I ended being unable to sleep from 3-6AM the night before (hence me posting at 4:46AM!). I went on the trainer with a 30 mins goal in mind.

-10 mins warm-up (went well)
-10 mins speed session with 30 sec hard/30 sec easy (awful!)
-10 mins cool-down (didn't get to do it)

After 5 mins of the speed session, I felt like I was going to faint or puke or both. I guess the lack of sleep and skipping breakfast wasn't working for me.... So, I decided to stop after 20 mins. Back on the bike tomorrow!

HAVE A GOOD CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

INTENSITY...

I miss the intensity that running has. I miss running as fast as you can and stopping out of breath. I miss coming back from a long run in the cold with ice on my hat. I miss training for marathons. I miss the runner's high.

I've been doing a lot of cross training but it does nothing for me. I am becoming faster in the pool but still don't feel like it is a big deal. I bought a new kick ass bike and I am often thinking about accidents and deaths while riding it... LOL Fast bike = crashes in my head.

I've been doing my best to be PATIENT, and be CONTENT that I don't have cancer or another illness. But somedays it is just not making me feel any better.

I've got a plan... not sure it will work but I am going to do it anyway. Santa came early this year and I just received the Christmas gift from my folks.

The plan is to find a marathon training plan that has runs in minutes. And to follow this plan but on the bike. I am hoping that an increase in training volume will help me fight the runner's blues and lose some weight ( which I desperately need to!) What do you think? Good idea? Bad idea?

PS. send some good vibes my way tomorrow afternoon, I have an interview for a chemist position at the City of Montreal!

ETA: Strength training is kicking my ass. I took Laurel's advice to just stick with it... I did it Sunday and yesterday and I AM SORE. I'd love to get ideas of what others do, so I can alternate exercices. This is what I did:

3 sets of 20 reps 1 min in between sets

1. Squats
2. Standing bent-arm lat with elastic band
3. Step-up
4. Calf raises
5. Push-ups
6. Seated Row
7. Squats with elastic band
8. Abdominal with twist
9. Bicep curl with elastic band
10. Outer thigh exercise with elastic band
11. Inner thigh exercise with elastic band