MY FIRST TRIATHLON IS HISTORY!

I've started thinking about doing a triathlon since I've been injured with plantar fascitiis (8 months ago!!). I am also very inspired by a close friend who is training for her first half IRONMAN and she inspired me to go forward with this sillyness! Lisa, you're the Best. =) Since I got back at my parents' house, I've worked hard on the bike and at the pool to be able to do this. Sorry, if this is long, like any other 'first' it is great to write a lot so you can remember it and see your progress as you move along!

Pre-race

I ended up having stomach issues yesterday and did not feel very well for part of the day, not sure IF it was due to pre-race jitters or just a bad spinach salad I had for lunch... LOL After 2 bottles of perrier water I was finally feeling better. Carb loaded on a wonderful chicken pasta recipe (yum make it!). I went to bed early but did not sleep well, kept dreaming of getting lost in transition or missing something to go on the bike and run... yeah everytime I woke up I told myself that's enough now! But would start dreaming the same thing again... I rarely get like that with running race anymore, seems the unexpected is frightening!

The cheering squad and I got up at 6AM, brekkie and we're out the door by 6:45AM. Here they are in all their glory! Thanks for coming out with me.

We got to the race site no problems, I went to get my race kit, my chip and get marked but the girl at the registration booth did not tell me there was a board where I could check which rack to put my bike on... I knew there was 2 waves of try-a-tri and she said to another volunteer: wave 1 red cap. So, I tought it would be written, Wave 1 Try-a-tri somewhere... We went the transition area and the bike racks were separated between Wave 1 to 12... so I had no idea which wave I was in really (I knew it wasn't the 'real' first one tough lol). I asked a bunch of girls at Rack 10 if they were doing the try-a-tri and they didn't even stop talking to answer me... only one guy turned and said he wasn't.... hum friendly! So I then ask someone who was in charge of transition area and he didn't know, so about 15 mins later and going back to check a board near registration. I knew which one was my bike rack (5th wave!!). I felt I looked so so clueless but this all new to me!

I meet up with a friend that I went to Université de Montréal with, Élaine, she was also doing her first try! It was great to see a familiar face and we went through this event together, it took some of the nervousness away. She said we were very lucky to be in the middle of the waves with a start at 9:10AM as they usually put the try-a-tri last, thank god because it was a HOT one today!

Off we went to the pool for a little warm-up and we anxiously waited our wave to start. We had a little race meeting and it turns out I was on the first wave of the try-a-tri. Most of the people in my wave we're doing their first one too! I was in Couloir 5 and Élaine went to Couloir 6.

Anxiously waiting for the start of my wave above!

Swim (300m in 6:52 with T1)

I believe I'm a good swimmer, my technique is not perfect but I am like a fish in the water so I knew this was going to be faily easy for me. My tryouts at the pool were close to 9-10 mins for 300 m so my goal was to go sub-9min, so I was delighted to see a sub 7 mins!!

I'm in the red cap, the girl in the green cap, asked me what my 300m time was and she tought she was faster so I let her go first... after 1 lap I had to pass her cause she was going to slow! This time included a run of about 200m =) It was a pretty weird feeling to just start running after you've been in the pool, I was definitely out of breath when I reached transition! I was 17th overall when I got out of the pool.

Bike (13.2K in 36:18 with T2 -garmin says 33:44)

After crossing on the mat, I reached my place and was pretty quick on putting everything on. Got the garmin on Auto multisports (thanks to Leanafor pointing that to me!). More running and off I went, hop on the bike. I had to do 3 loops of a 4.4K course. Élaine passed me about 2 mins in the bike ride! She has a neat bike =) It took me about half a loop to get my breathing under control, I think I pushed a little on the swim lol Granny was doing good, I had no clue of my speed as the multisport just says Bike and doesn't give you a speed... oh well, I went by perceived exertion. It was a flat bike course, great volunteers cheering too. I had lots of fun, one of the bike marshall even said to me it was great to see such a great smile. =) My goal was to go sub 40 mins so I'm very please with Granny's performance, however, she's still pretty old and rusty so I went from 17th to 35th but I'm ok with that. I knew my bike had limitations and I wasn't there to win any speeding contest! Off from the bike and run about 300 m again to my bike rack, I was out of breath really bad, I had to walk and take it easy there (as you can see in my exhausted face!).

Run (2.5K in 18:11 -garmin says 18:26 for 2.61K)

I knew I had hit lap too soon for the run so that explain the extra garmin time, guess what, I was excited to start running! Soon realised my legs felt like lead... oops Plus, I had loosend my shoelace A LOT so that it would be easy to put them on in transition but they were too lose... so yeah no time to stop and undo the crazy knot I did LOL

Heard my Mom cheering me a lot at that point and that really helped cause I felt I was going SO slow. First mile poped up at 11:22 and I was happy it was under 12 min/mile, I felt I was going much slower tough! As soon as I saw the finish line I speed up and heard my family cheering =) Total time 1:01:21!

It was a great experience and I'm very happy I went through with it. I liked it a lot, I do find it is a very expensive sport and that might prevent me from doing a lot of it... oh well, I'll have a job someday =)

Thanks for reading up to the end!!!

I FINISHED! I'M A TRIATHLETE =)

Swim/Bike/Run got done! 1:01:21 and very happy of my day! More to come later, after a nap and this nagging headache is gone!! Thanks for all the support guys!

GRANNY HAS WEIGHT ISSUES....

She does NOT fit in the car!!! AT ALL!!! I was near a major breakdown when my uncle who has big huge truck came to the rescue (thanks Fernand!!) MAJOR PHEW! I will be on the starting line tomorrow! =)

BORING DETAILS + STRESS...

3 days till my first triathlon and I'm getting pretty nervous about little stupid stuff:

-Do I wear my bra under my bathing suit?
-Do I swim without a bathing suit and with shorts and a top?
-How to I prepare my transition area?
-Do I bring a bottle on the bike ride
-Should I bother with the garmin?

For now, that's pretty much it, I have a friend who answered all the others (more stupid) stuff!!

Training so far this week:
Monday: 10K bike /1.6K run
Tuesday: 2K bike / 1750m swim

I asked the lifeguard if my technique was ok and she said it was good (I never took classes). I just need to adjust my breathing which I will work on next time. So, I'm pretty happy with that =)

I left 'Granny' at the bike store so it will get a much needed maintenance!! And new tires! Woohoo look at me, I'll be Speedy with Granny on Saturday! lol

Oh also, I have an appointment on Monday to the physiotherapist so I can get some laser treatment. My coverage ends on August 31 so I'm trying anything I can before that.... Thanks everyone for the good words on my last post. It's been really hard to not be down about this. I've had to deal with the PF since November last year...

SCRATCH THAT....

I was up around 5AM as my foot started to bother me... put on the strassburg sock again.. I really just want to cry, this is pissing me off. I've seriously had enough of this. I won't be running on it today like I had planned...

MIXED FEELINGS REGARDING THE "FOOT"...

It's been 12 days since I had the cortisone injection and altough I am not in pain anymore and I stopped limping when I get up in the morning. I can feel that the foot is not back to normal. As weird as this sounds, I have to learn to walk properly again! Since, November I had been dealing with the PF and switched my way of walking so that I would not put much weight on my foot... well, this brilliant idea is now biting me in the ass, because my ankle feels weird now that I can put all my weight on the foot again!! Anyway, not sure I am totally clear but bottom line is: foot is fuc*ed! LOL

I got up early this morning, 8AM is early for me these days (!!!), and did the Learn To Run (LTR) with my Dad. It was his 3rd time doing the 6 mins running and 1 min walking (5X). He's doing really well, I'm pretty proud of him, we're moving on to 8 mins next week! I'm trying to find us a 5K race in early August as I think he will be ready.

For the first K of the run, the foot was weird but it got better and I finished the 3.85K without pain. I think I will be fine! No limping so far yay! Tomorrow, I'll do a brick workout and see how I can handle the bike-run. I also want to practise my transition... Granny better old on! LOL

Hope everyone will have a great day =)

HBC CANADA DAY RACE: VOLUNTEER REPORT

I was up at 5AM in order to get to the Old Port by 6:15AM. Made my way to the volunteer tent where I waited for quite a while and finally got my shirt and signed in at 6:35AM as a Road Marshall. There were a lot of volunteers!! When you run a race you often have only a small idea of how many people are needed for things to run smoothly!

Me and 5 other people made our way to the 2K/8K mark of the course. At 8AM sharp the race started and 660 runners made their way to us. The first runners arriving in less than 6 mins!!

Since the course was on the Canal Lachine cycling path and we had priority on it, our job was to stop cyclists from going on that path. Sounds easy, right? Well some people were pretty nasty with us! Swearing and being angry at us or just not wanting to cooperate! There was the street right behind the path... Thank god not everyone was like that and some people were really nice.

3 of my friends were running the race and they all recognized me while they were running! I was pretty impressed since all the volunteers were in red and they had no clue where I was going to be! All around a very well organised race, I only wish I was able to run it... I'll be back next year ;-)

Here's a pic of some of the Canadian Athlete who actually ran the race. I have to say some of them were pretty slow... I mean they ran the 10K slower than I would have!! Made me feel good lol

All the pics are courtesy of my friend Andre!

QUEEN OF CROSS TRAINING!

Well at least today ;-) It might have something to do with the 10 days of prohibited running or with an Event that I will soon participate in!! Missy here will be doing her first Try-a-Tri on July 12th! It will be 300m swim -13.2K bike - 2.5K run.

I have no money to invest in this sport at this moment, so a new bike was out of reach but my Mom offered me her 1987 Road bike and that will have to do! I haven't named the bike yet but I'm thinking it'll be something like "Granny" or "Oldy"... any ideas?

Other than that, I went to the pool for the first time since my first year in University (that was a long time ago!) and was able to do 1K of crawl non-stop in 28 mins. I'm pretty happy since I'm really rusty but I'm like a fish in the water so I wasn't worried about the swimming part.

Counting the days till I can run again! (7 if you were wondering)

BONNE ST-JEAN!!!!

Happy St-Jean-Baptiste Day everyone! This year is very special for me as I have been away for the past 5 years and I can finally celebrate with my family. It is also Quebec's 400th Anniversary! So Happy Birthday Quebec!

Moreover, it is my Mom's Birthday, so Bonne Fête Maman!

Yesterday, my foot was hurting too much for me to go anywhere but tonight we went to Park Bellerive in the East End of the Island. We saw a Quebec band named Harricana who mostly plays other quebec band's music but they play it well and we had a great time. It's really too bad I wasn't feeling that well again tonight because we would have stayed longer.

I SURVIVED THE CORTISONE INJECTION!!!

I went to the radiologist this morning. He took a radiography of my foot and the procedure was done under arthography. I didn't look at the screen or the syringe so i have no idea what it looks like.

The doctor started by freezing my foot which hurt a little but when he injected the cortisone it was more intense pain. I tried really hard not to move my foot... Glad it is done, I should feel a difference in 3-4 days and can start running again in 10 LONG days. Now that my feet is thawing, I can feel some discomfort but no real pain....

Thanks for the positive vibes everyone!

BIG DAY TOMORROW!

I'm finally getting the cortisone injection. Last week, I ran 10K and hobled for about 2 days... I know this can't go on any longer. Even tough I have been doing the LTR with my Dad, it is slow running and only 30 mins of a run:walk combination... I miss running long!

I heard the procedure is VERY painful... So, please send me positive vibes for tomorrow and have a tought for me on your run!

Thanks guys!! I'll post tomorrow about how it went.

p-s Yes, I finally got my router to work so I'll be more 'present' on the net! LOL

THE TAGGING GAME

I was tagged by Ken to play along this game.

Here are the rules as explained to me. Copy the rules (or your version of them) and the set of questions onto your blog post, provide your own answers and then tag 5 new people. If tagged, you’ll find your name at the end of this post. To be sure everyone tagged knows they’ve been invited to play, go to their blogs and leave them a comment notifying and referring them to your blog for details. Lastly, once the chosen have answered the questions on their own blog, they should come back to yours to tell you.

Here are my responses.

1. How would you describe your running 10 years ago?
10 years ago I was finishing high school and my running was sporadic. I would go on intense training months where I was running everyday to no running at all for a few months. I only participated in a few races when I was 13 and 14 years old. A 3K in 1993 and a 5K in 1994 at the Quebec cross country event which took place at Ile Ste-Helene and some inter-high school competitions at the 1600m. I have no recollection of my times… Even then, I wasn’t super speedy! I know there is a box somewhere with my cross country times but nothing I can find easy.

2. What is your best and worst run/race experience?
Best – Crossing the finish line of my first marathon =) Even when I think about it now I get tears in my eyes. The result of a lot of training and determination to go all the way.

Worst – Mile 20 to 26.2 of my second marathon, my mental let me down and I found myself walking in a forest alone (small race). I wascrying and I had trouble breathing... there was nobody from the race during that part and that freaked me out. Finally talked to myself a lot and decided to suck it up and start running again but it was the hardest thing I have done so far. Came very close to a DNF… but I’M NOT A QUITTER!!

3. Why do you run?
I started as a way to lose weight and remembered why I’d always return to it when I was younger. I love to run, I love the way it makes me feel. I cherish this time alone to think about all sorts of things. I’ve been missing this peaceful time a lot since I don’t run as much as I want. But I also learned that I like running with people now. In Windsor with the GLIER Running club and now with my Dad and Aunt =) Since, I started running again in January 2005, I have never stopped and I don't want to either.

4. What is the best or worst piece of advice you’ve been given about running?
Best –You shouldn’t run a marathon on a 2 months training schedule (and I didn’t).

Worst – Get these orthotics and you will help your PF.... yeah they worsen it.....

5. Tell us something surprising about yourself that not many people would know.
I have a huge wooden chest where I keep all sorts of memorabilia, love letters from ex boyfriends, my many diaries and even pieces of hair! I can’t throw anything that holds a sentimental value to me….

These are the folks I'm tagging:
Leana
Kenny
Francis
Michelle
Jelly (I hope this will make her blog again!)

TIME IS FLYING!!

WOW! It's already Mid-June, I've been on vacation/un-employed for more than a month now and it feels like I defended my thesis yesterday... I've been VERY bad at blogging, sorry everybody. I gotta fight for the computer here, things should go back to normal soon as I will invest a big 60$ into a router. I will work on submitting 3 papers to scientific journals all summer... not that I really want to, but its good data and will look better on my résumé!!

Lots of catching up to do:

1- My foot : Stupid stupid foot. I hate you!! I'm going to get the cortisone injection on June 23rd, hoping this will cure me. I could resume training about a week after the procedure. I also tried the physiotherapist in the meantime but without any significant results.

2- I got my Dad started really well on the Learn to Run program! We're at Week 5 and we're running 3 mins and walking 1 mins intervals for about 30 mins. We even kept with the running on our trip to Aruba. It's also the only running I've been doing these days as my foot is bothering me on longer runs...

3- Next race : Quebec City Half-Marathon /Demi-Marathon des 2 Rives (I will see you there Leana!). Friends of mine from Nova Scotia were doing the full and I decided to tag along and make a trip out of this. It should be fun and will give me a goal for training this summer.

4- Last race: Cabot Trail Relay Race was SO MUCH FUN! This is a great event, I'm happy I got the chance to participate. I didn't sleep the whole week-end but it was worth it. I did Leg 7 which was shorter than the one I was suppose to do. But I just hadn’t realised that I was trading distance (leg 14 is 20K) for monster hills…

My plan was to go slow on the uphills and then to hammer the downhills! And this is what I did. That 8:44 mile is real and I can’t even do that for a 5K race… so I was going down fast! I was so afraid to be last and seeing the ambulance (who followed the last runner for the rest of the leg!) that I pushed myself a little too hard on the downhill. I had to walk the last little hill of my leg but after that, my energy was back and I finished strong. Pretty happy with my time considering the year I had, plagued with injury and life... and I only missed the mat by 2-3 mins… The rest is a real blur, wine, cheering runners at the night legs, sleeping well not really sleeping in a van, teaching lots of French swears and other X-rated sentences to my anglophone friends. LOTS OF FUN!

Our team finished last... but it wasn't about performance. This event is a lot more than a race, it's about friendship, cheering your teammates and having fun.

My week-end's best moment: meeting, talking and taking a pic with Ed Whitlock =)

The race by numbers:

Mile 1 @ 11:13 min/mile

Mile 2 @ 11:54 min/mile

Mile 3 @ 11:56 min/mile

Mile 4 @ 9:57 min/mile

Mile 5 @ 9:20 min/mile

Mile 6 @ 8:44 min/mile

Mile 7 @ 11:38 min/mile

Mile 8 @ 10:51 min/mile

Mile 0.2 @ 10:56 min/mile

Total 8.2 miles in 1:27:45 @ 10:42 min/mile

More on my trip to Aruba in an upcoming post!! Happy Running to everyone who can!! =)

POST OF REPORTS

1-JOB REPORT!

My interview for Health Canada went really well. I'm very happy. Remember a few weeks ago, Health Canada put the Bisphenol A on the list of dangerous chemicals? I talked about this issue at my interview and that I wanted to work on projects with that sort of impact for Canadians and their health. I think I really impressed one of the interviewer! As the women interviewing me proceeded to say that she was a researcher on that project! After that she was more that friendly with me, I tought I was in a meeting with a friend. =) If I make the cut, they will keep my name in a list of people and any employer from Health Canada could call me. They have jobs opening now so I'm hoping since I am done they will offer me a job first... They told me I should know within 1-2 months... just gotta wait now.

2-FOOT REPORT!

I meet my podiatrist on Wed (the 14) and he suggested I go for the cortisone injection for my very bad PF. I've been dealing with this issue since last November, I have tried so many thing and spent a LOT of money with no results. I haven't been running much in the past 2 months and even that didn't help reduce the pain, plus lots of stretching when I wake up. Apparently, this injection is the last resort and should clear the PF completely...

However, the good news is that I still have access to 300$ of physiotherapy coverage! My insurance coverage is long gone for chiropractic care and I had completely forgot about the physiotherapy money. And, a running maniac friend suggested the cold laser therapy whic can be done by a physiotherapist. So, I will try this in the meantime (of waiting for the injection). Hopefully, it will help me solve my problem and I could just cancel the cortisone shot. I also got the Strassburg sock and I'm trying to get use to it. Since I sleep on my front it is very hard to have the foot in that position! But after one day, I didn'T wake up limping.

I also got my orthotics fixed on Thursday and I am wearing them consistentely. I ran with them this morning and it went really well. I am hoping that this adapted orthotics (longer and heel gel) will make a difference. I had stopped wearing them as they were half lenght and causing blisters when I ran. Hope all these changes will be good for this Freakin foot!!

3-RUNNING REPORT!

Run it forward: So, I've started a LTR program with my aunt and my dad, who are both overweight. We're aiming for 20 mins of consistent running. Since I'm at home and can't run for long, its the best time to get them started! I will be there to motivate them and we can all do it for fun. We will celebrate with a 5K race at the end of the 9 weeks. So far, so good =)

With getting ready for the interview and taking the bus to my brother's place (Ste-Luce-Sur-Mer) I hadn't run in 3 days.

RACE REPORT: 10 on the 10th

Better later than never... I've been pretty bad at blogging lately, this is mostly due to sharing a slow computer with my dad here. And the fact that we can't seem to make the router work!

When I woke up on Saturday, I was eager to go for a 10K and push the Dr's limit of 5K... In the end, I didn'T think it really mattered as my 5K limit was until today! What is a 5 days difference? ;-)

So, I ran 10K and it was AWESOME (chip time: 1:10:40)! On shorter runs you don't have much time to think and reflect. It was great to being back in this peaceful place I love so much, the roads in my head. And bonus: one runner said Bonjour to me =)

So that's my race report! I have news on my foot issues and what is the next step in this problem but no time to write about it. I have my first job interview for Health Canada tomorrow!!! WISH ME LUCK!!

p-s Thanks Nancy for being such a great RD! And you don't need to add me to your post, I'll be the runner who lost its chip and miraculously find it in the trash! LOL

RUNNING IN QUEBEC...

So, people on the cycling lanes are not too friendly with runners here. I almost died due to a motorcyclist who was in the bicycling lane!! Seriously?! Then, two bicycles passed me so close that Rocky got afraid and almost attacked them to protect me.

One thing that really surprised me is that other runners are not saying the casual "hello, morning, etc."... I smile and say "Bonjour" and receive nothing in return! I guess I'm used to my old Windsor running crew who are all pretty friendly to strangers... did I become a small town girl after living for 5 years in Windsor?! ....pondering.... ;-)

On other more exciting news! My next 2 races:

1-10th on the 10th: Cave People Unite (virtual race organized by the lovely Nancy). I will actually have to do 5K on Saturday and 5K on Sunday since I'm limited to this for another full week....

2-Cabot Trail Relay Race in Cape Breton (Nova Scotia). This is a 24h race with 17 legs that I will do with my "internet friends"! I was suppose to do leg 14 that starts at 3:30 AM (!) but since it is the longest leg of the race and that my foot is not up to do 20K right now, I had to bail. A team member switched legs with me, so I am now running leg 7 which is 13K but it starts at 5 PM. I was really looking forward to the nightime run, something that I would never do on my own... that'll be for another year I guess!

Leg 7 is described as:

"A rolling leg but the first 8 km climbs steadily 90m
and then falls quickly to finish 0.2 km past the Dingwall garage"

This will be lots of fun and I can't wait to go =)

Congratulations to Yumke who PB'ed at the Pig marathon (+0.25 mile!) and Jelly who ran with her sister for her first half! Great week-end guys!

NEW ROUTINE

Slowly settling into my new routine, what day of the week are we again?! Yeah, vacation is THAT good! lol Well it would be a little better if the Montreal Canadiens could win a game but since they stopped doing that I might as well cheer for Ken's team....

Last Thursday, I waited 5h at the clinic to see a doctor and resolve my foot issues. After taking X-rays of my foot and learning that there is no stress fracture but just a really bad PF. The doctor, who was a runner, told me my orhtotics were shitt and so hard that my foot had to absorb all the shock instead of the cushioning of the shoe when I run. So yeah, by wearing the orthotics I aggravated my problem (insert French swearing here: @!$%%!@#$). At some point, you just don't know what to do and who to listen to... So, now I'm on a strict short runs regimen from 2 to 5K for 3 weeks and then building up SLOWLY for the next 3 months... 3 months!!! This is already hard... so I bought a stationary bike! And I hate biking but it keeps my cardio up and I'm not going totally insane!! =)

Lastly, I have 2 GREAT news!!

1- I'M going to ARUBA!!!! With my Dad, 1 week on the beach YAY

2- I GOT MY FIRST INTERVIEW FOR A CHEMIST POSITION!!!! In the government just like I want!

I'm pretty excited about both and not sure which one I'm most happy about!! =)

TURNING THE PAGE...

As happy as I am to be done my Ph.D. leaving Windsor is a really emotional and hard time. I am leaving behind a lot of people I truly enjoy working with (my boss was truly the BEST) and friends who are like family (Flashy and her BF were a support system for me here....).

It was my last day at work today, lots of tears were shed by me and others friends. It’s hard to see you desk empty after 5 years at the same place, you get comfortable and things feel like "home".

Now, going back to my real hometown, Montreal, for an indeterminate period of time, until I hear from the dozen of jobs I applied to and take some time to relax. It’s been a real stressful time in the last few months for me. So, I will be looking for some down time. Maybe a trip to the beach… Who know?!

One thing I don’t really want to talk about but I will… is the state of my foot. It’s really bad, hurts me all the time now and I’m having pain when I walk…. I guess going back home is a good thing as I will be taking care of this seriously.

Cheers to running pain free one day (soon I hope...)

Dr. SONIA!!!

Sorry for the delay, no need to worry, I did successfully defend my thesis on Tuesday morning!!! I am now officially Dr. Sonia!!! YAY!! So happy but still SO BUSY!!! I have some revisions to do and I'm leaving Windsor on Tuesday morning, so I've been working very hard on making sure the thesis is ready to be submitted before I move out!

My whole family came for the defense, it was very nice =) And I think part of my lucky charms as everything went really well!!
This is a picture of me and my advisor, I will miss him a lot. A very great researcher and taught me so much in the last 5 years.

Running has taken a back seat and my 2 miler yesterday hurt my PF... this really sucks!!! The things that sucks even more is that I've ran out of funds for the chiropractor and will have to pay for it with my own money (and I'm now unemployed... so yeah fun lol).

Anyway, I will try and catch up with you guys tonight while watching the game or this week-end! GO HABS GO!!!

SPIRIT OF THE MARATHON....

So when am I running this third marathon????????? That's how good it was, I want to start training and get that feeling again!

Spirit of the marathon was so AWESOME!! I have a soft spot for the 71 years old marathoner who ran his first marathon when he was 65 and was running this one with his daughter.

I also really liked Lori, she's a grad student like myself, and running by herself which takes lot of inner motivation. When people where shouthing her name and she was waiving it reminded me how felt during my marathon and how happy I was. I shared a few tears, especially when they crossed the finish line....

This night out definitely cheered me up for my upcoming thesis defense. I finished marathons, I can do anything-type-thing =)

MIRACLE RACE 5K

It was a beautiful day in Windsor and altough I wasn't feeling like racing all that much when I woke up, the excitement of the race ramped up as when we watched the kids run the "Dash" and "1K". Some of these kids were so cute!!

I was running this to pace my best friend, Flashy, on a very challenging course, think hills, hills and then more hills!! It's good we did a practice run there on Wednesday because that big hill is definitely scaryt! I pushed her hard during the race but I knew she could do it and finish the race feeling accomplished. And she was pretty proud of her performance so that's all that counts!! =) Coach-Sonia that's a job well done too!!

I'll update later with the official results but my Garmin says 36:57 for 3.27 miles. Definitely my slowest 5K but seeing my friend so happy and telling me she wouldn'T have finished it without me means a lot more to me than a PW =)

Here is a pic of Flashy and I taken after the race, all purple and all happy!!



My foot hurts, like a lot, the PF is worse than its even been. So, going to a new chiro/ART practioner tomorrow and hopefully she can help me get rid of this. I might take have to take it easi-er this week..... with the Run for Retina 10K race next week-end, I gotta be in shape for that! I will have a special thought for my blogger friend Marcy during that race. ;D

Have a running great week everyone!

p-s 9 days until my Ph.D. defense right now!!

ETA: Official time is 37:14

WHAT ABOUT 3 RACES IN 3 WEEKS??

So, I'm leaving Windsor in 3 weeks and to celebrate this and the fact that my best friend has followed in my runner's steps (she likes to call it "Run it forward"), we decided to run as many races as possible until I leave! Now, what a plan, right?

We started with Around the Bay last week, 30K for me and 5K for her. Tomorrow, we will be running The Miracle 5K race together, I will go at her pace, its a challenging course with several hills so we're not expecting PBs there. Next week-end we're driving to London (ON) for the Run for Retina 10K where I will pace her in her first 10K race! How exciting to be there for my best friend on her debut at the 10K distance! =)

Last week's in Review:

Wednesday 3.1 miles @ 11:46 min/mile (still sore from ATB)

Thursday 4.1 miles @ 11:41 min/mile (PF hurt......)

My pictures from last week's race are pretty good. Here's one running alone and being super Orange!

The one below is my favorite! Jaime and I celebrating after crossing the finish line together!

AROUND THE BAY 2008

When I ran this race last year, I was at the top of my game... I knew this year would be a totally different story...

I'm not going to make this LSD-race report long. I had the chance to run with 2 friends, one for the first 15K, then 10K by myself (but still talking to strangers lol) and the last 4-5 K or so with another maniac friend. I took 2 Anacin during the race so that my plantar fasciitis wouldn't bother me, it was a wise choice as I didn't feel any pain or calf cramping. My legs were just overall fatigued from the rolling hills. Altough I said to myself I wouldn't be disappointed with my time, I kinda are, I finished 20 mins slower than last year.I guess they are also right about the rule that each pound adds 1 mins to your time... I am 20 lbs heavier this year!

This stays my favorite race, I love everything about it and the weather was fantastic this year... except for the 30-35 Km/h winds ;-)

Oh yeah I wanted to say that near the end of the race, I meet with a French speaking 72 years old man, who was finishing his 27th Around the Bay race and I found him really inspiring! =)

The stats

SORENESS!

Today is the first day that I'm finally not sore. Wow that hadn't happen to me since last marathon training... maybe I'm pushing it a little! ;-)

Tuesday 3.1 miles @ 11:57 min/mile (with Flashy)
Wednesday 3.1 miles @ 10:52 min/mile (with Rocky)

I wasn't suppose to run today since I'm tapering but it was so gorgeous: 10°C and sunny that I didn't want to let this go. Also, a friend from runningmania.com who has cancer asked that we dedicate our run to her today so I wanted to do that for her.

I'm still suffering from plantar fascitis but its been less painful since I've been back to the chiropractor for 2 appts. I'm really hoping I won't have any issues on sunday. Anyhow, I'm running the 30K with 3 friends, taking it easy and not worrying with time! I'm sure its going to be lots of fun. I'm looking forward to it =)

Have a good rest of week! I'm only going to blog again for the race report on Monday!

Special Request
MARTY IF YOU'RE READING THIS, PLEASE LEAVE ME A COMMENT AND TELL ME HOW YOU ARE, AND THE MONSTERS, AND THE WIFE, AND THE RUNNING! WE MISS YOU IN BLOG LAND!!!!!!!!

A BAD LSD...

I guess these things happen but when you're about to run 30K you'd prefer they would all be great!! Truthfully, I'm a little depressed.... so when I ran 13 miles last week @ 11:48 min/mile, it was hard but there was no way I wasn't finishing it.

Today was suppose to be 15-16 miles or 3h whichever would come first. I could feel I wasn't into it as soon as I started... bad news. I kept on trying but my mind wasn't into it. It was the slowest I've ever been 12+ min per miles almost the entire way and then around mile 11 my knee started to hurt (my calf was solid rock) and I had to walk several times (13+ and 14+ min per miles for the last 2 miles!). I felt like my legs were made of lead and didn't want to move forward.

So in the end, with lots of self pep-talk, I did 13.5 miles in 2h48 @ 12:29 min/mile. I'm not questionning my desire to run the 30K but I'm questionning my ability to do it (in a good time). The fact is, the training has been sporadic and sometime inexistant and I know I'm far away from last year's shape. I will not make it close to a time I'd like but I do think I could make it to the end line with some walking. Fortunately, I have friends who are willing to run it with me so I wouldn't be alone.

I'm going to get some A.R.T. done on my knee/calf tomorrow and see what my chiropractor says. I do not want to risk an injury for this race. I have a fall marathon to train for ;-)

Anyway, thanks for reading all my ramblings!!

Happy Easter! Joyeuses Pâques!

OUCH IT HURTS!!

So...... I ran 13 miles today!! The birds were singing, the sun was shining, the snow was melting, yadi yadi yada until mile 9! Cardio was holding on but the legs were tired and heavy + my knee started to act up. But I finished in 2h33 @ 11:48 min/mile. Glad to be done but it looks like this 30K (18.64 miles!!) race coming up will be hard on my body! At least I'm running it with a friend....

I DID IT! THESIS HAS BEEN SUBMITTED!

I did the unthinkable.......... I submitted my thesis 24h in ADVANCE, yes you read right! While most people can't even submit theirs on time, I gave mine a day before! I was all done on Monday night at 7 P.M. =) And pretty proud as you can see! lol My committee has one week to review and accept it and then it will be sent to the external (from U. of Manitoba).

So, I've been on the "party" since then.... lots of beer! I feel like I am on vacation until the defense... which is far from the truth since I still have to study and submit my 4th article which will be derived from the last chapter of my thesis.

I tried very hard to get a picture of Rocky with a graduation hat but no treats could make him sit still with that thing on his head! So, here's the best shot....

I also ran 2 times this week (yeah!) and don't feel like I lost TOO much fitness (great!) so I'm still going to attempt running ATB 30K later this month. I have already decided that I will be running with a friend and taking it slow so no pressure to perform....

Tuesday 3 miles @ 11:39 min/mile

Thursday 4.5 miles @ 10:58 min/mile

SURVIVED MY LAST THESIS-MADNESS WEEK-END

I'm exhausted though, so just wanted to keep you guys in the loop... I've written 15 pages in 2 days, my brain is mush.... It's due Tuesday so until then, not much sleep will be had. This truly feels like a marathon journey!!

MY FIRST DNS.....

After a disastrous 2.6 miles run on Thursday (i.e. I had to stop in the middle to eat some snow... because my crazy coughing made my throat all dry) I decided not to run the Chilly Half this week-end... I'm disappointed, this is the first time I sign up for a race and Do Not Show up.... I know I took the right decision it is just hard to accept. Anyhow, there will be tons of races in my future and better get healthy before I do another half!

Good luck to Francis who is in California to (perharps?) BQ!

Have a good week-end everyone =)

OKAY... SO ITS WEDNESDAY AND STILL NO RUNNING...

I'm having winter-thesis blues. It's pretty bad. We set my defense date for April 15 which is coming at lighting speed for those wondering!! Especially since the thesis needs to be finished 5 weeks prior to the actual defense (i.e. Freakin March 11!).

So, my head is a big mess and my bronchitis is taking its slow-ass time to leave. I had to go back to the doctor today and get stronger cough syrup and an inhaler (like they give to ashtmatic peeps). So, yeah, running has been the least of my problem lately.

I wanted to go for a run yesterday but we've been hit by another stupid snowstorm and its minus crazy mental degree outside! This is getting old and there is no spring in sight!?! Blech, I'm in a bad mood!!

So, yeah running plans for tonight are 2 miles but I really don'T feel like it, hence why I'm sitting on the cough writing this instead of being outside.... anyhow, the pooch is waiting for his walk! So, I gotta go!

Hope you're all surviving the weather!!

BRONCHITIS...

No running until Monday/Tuesday as per Doctor's order and this is definitely jeopardizing my half on March 2nd. Can I write how much this sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SERIOUSLY.... SERIOUSLY?!

Every time I get back in the groove of things, I'm hit with another health issue! This has been going on since last August now.... I'm getting pretty frustrated and angry at the situation. I know this one is not a huge issue but still.

I've had my first week of 5 running days with a total of 27 miles and I was doing pretty well working on my thesis too. I had a 12h night of sleep on Saturday but just tought it was from exhaustion not getting sick! And this morning at 3:30AM, I started coughing and a sore throat woke me up. Now, I can't get back to sleep.... grrr and its a Holiday, I could have slept in! Sooooo mad!

I blame it all on the stupid weather we've been having, -20 °C one day and +10 °C the other. No wonder we're all screwed up!!! Anyway end of my rant right here... I'm drinking hot lemon tea right now and gobbing lots of cold and sinus medecine... hopefully I won't get it too too bad!

Total miles for the week-end:
Saturday 11 miles @ 11:20 min/mile
Sunday 3.1 miles @ 10:52 min/mile

Happy Family Day everyone! (I wish my family was here)

WRITING, RUNNING AND STRESSING...

What a week! You'll definitely hear about my high stress level in the upcoming weeks... I just finished my 3rd article to be submitted on Tuesday and that represents one chapter of my thesis. This means that I have met the minimum requirements of my program to graduate (1 published, 2 submitted!) =) My Boss still wants me to write another one but it doesn't have to be "journal-ready" for the defense. I'm doing relatively well but still needs lot of running time to keep my sanity! I want to get back to 5 days of running per week in preparation for Around the Bay.

I ran twice with people this week and I loved it!! Wednesday was, Flashy and I's weekly Fun-Run and we did 4 miles. Last night, I would have probably ended up sitting on the couch all night feeling miserable due to Single Awareness Day (aka Valentine's Day) so having planned a run with Flashy, her BF and an office-mate was awesome! Rocky tagged along for that 6.5 miles and he rocked it! I was so proud of my little Dude =)

I have put on some weight since the beginning of this thesis writing and I am feeling a lot slower, it might be mental but overall I feel bad for putting some weight back on (I had so much problem getting rid of it...) One day at a time, I keep repeating to myself.....

Here's last week in review:
Tuesday 2.4 miles @ 10:57 min/mile
Wednesday 4 miles @ 12:01 min/mile (Fun Run with Flashy and Rocky)
Thursday 6.5 miles @ 12:01 min/mile (V-D Group Run)

Have a good long week-end everyone!

TOUGH OR CRAZY?

-30 °C with windchill
60 km/h wind
3.1 miles
37:05 min

So, tough or crazy? You tell me!!!

9 ON THE 9th: SWEETHEART SHUFFLE RACE REPORT

I was reading Marcy's blog last night and saw that she participated in a "virtual race" organized by Nancy. Since I hadn't decided on a length for my LSD, I decided to jump on the bandwagon and go for 9 miles. I participated in my first ever virtual race! =)

It was hard! Most streets are not plowed here but it was slushy enough that the yak trax were not needed so I took them off at mile 2. With the fuel belt already underneath my coat and the yak trax in my pockets, I looked like a pregnant (or overweight) runner... nice! It was grey and raining, I wasn't in the best mood, but I'm glad its done! I would have bailed earlier if it wasn't for that "virtual race".

The facts

9 miles in 1h43 (11:32 min/mile average)

Mile 1 @ 11:35 min/mile

Mile 2 @ 11:50 min/mile

Mile 3 @ 11:46 min/mile

Mile 4 @ 11:33 min/mile

Mile 5 @ 11:41 min/mile
Mile 6 @ 11:23 min/mile
Mile 7 @ 11:43 min/mile
Mile 8 @ 11:19 min/mile

Mile 9 @ 10:56 min/mile (Very happy to be done....)

This is my first time using Google Earth to map one of my run (load from the Garmin) it looks pretty neat!

THERE IS NO BAD RUNNING WEATHER!!

This is the speech I was giving one of my non-running friend today as she called me crazy for running in 4 inch of fresh snow. My friend Flashy and I decided to do our weekly "Fun-Run" on Wednesday and this was the day of , yet, another winter storm.... nice! We headed out at 7:30 PM, the snow was falling, it was so peaceful. The run, though, was less than peaceful! So freakin hard to run in 4 inch of snow! We managed 3.1 miles in 44:15 and when we stopped we both felt leg tiredness and butt stiffyness! lol We thought we were pretty hardcore as we didn't see any walkers and only one other c-r-a-z-y runner!!

We stopped in the middle to take some pics but it was pretty dark.

Me and Rocky with Detroit in the background

Flashy running towards the Ambassador Bridge!

BACK TO REALITY....

And its not pretty. I'm so stressed... In one day, I go through several panic attacks thinking that I will never finish, to writing a nice paragraph and thinking this is going really well and then back to intense stress when I can't figure something out.... I'm an emotional mess! And I think I might be driving my advisor crazy!!

I had my first run post-race today, a little 2 miler (splits are 9:52 and 9:44) but it felt great and fast.

I wanted to have a positive race report so I didn't mention my numerous accidents in Miami. After the race, I had a very big and nasty blister on the bottom of my feet +2 on my little toes and I could barely put my own weight on my foot. The day after the race, I was walking on the beach and stepped over a corral and ended up breaking my toenail in two, right in the middle!! And that wasn't one of the nasty toenails that I had lost previously, no no, it was one of the nice looking ones. This hurt soooooooooo bad. On my last day in Miami, I went for breakfast with my parents and ended up splitting my foot open (about 1 inch)under a metal table.... it was a mix of slippery floor and crocs fault!! Can I tell you that my parents were afraid to leave me alone in the end!!! lol

So, all of these issues preventend me from running for 8 long days. Well, how can you run when you're already limping and in pain from wearing shoes?!

Kids, be safe don't do like me!!

WELCOME TO MIAMI, BUENVENIDOS A MIAMI!

"Miami uh uh
South beach bringin the heat uh

Haha can yall feel that

Can yall feel that

Jig it out uh"

The race started with this song by Will Smith (Miami) with 10 400 runners jigging to it the atmosphere was pretty wild!! I was going into this race just wishing to have fun and not look at the time... ya right the competitive person I am won and I decided to try for even splits of 10:30 min/mile for the whole half.

As Laurel said in her last post, once you've done a marathon you kinda lose respect for the half or at least think this distance is not important considering you've doubled it and not died! So, I wasn't very nervous heading into the race, as I said many times to my mom: "It's only a half!" and she replied that it was still a big achievement nonetheless. I think she was right and I got a little emotional once I heard the gun start, I was happy to be able to run a half. That is something most of mortals won't do in their life and this was my 6th half-marathon =) I wasn't sure if my ankle would hold up but I didn't have any issues with it. It took me 7 mins to cross the starting line, there was definitely more runners than for Detroit.

Before the race with my parents:

The race was pretty much effortless until mile 9. I hadn't done a race at that pace in ages... like months! But I thought I could hold on to that pace for 13.1 miles?! What the heck was wrong with me? lol

I got new shoes over Christmas and should have updates my socks at the same time, they are solely responsible for my blisters (all on my bigger foot). I had to repeat and repeat to myself when it got hard that it was mental and not physical (even though I barely believed it!). I slowed down a little but tried to pick it up as soon as I noticed a slow down. In the end, I am pretty proud of the way I raced considering the training involved before this race.

I loved the race course, it was B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!!! The first part running up the road near Biscane Bay with the Palm trees and we could hear the parrots in the trees were simply awesome. I thought it was kinda surreal with the helicopter from Homeland Security too. Once we were arrived in South beach the crowd support was fantastic and really pumped me up (might explain that 10:18 min/mile!). I just truly enjoyed this race, the weather, the crowd both on and off course and would definitely do it again. I know we got "lucky" since it was a cooler day and it barely rained for the half but I think I would have still loved it even if it had been warmer or raining (as crazy as last year's sounded with what Laurel told me!). Racing to the finish was frustrating and very motivating at the same time. You can hear the crowd and you think you're close but there are a lot of turns and I was giving a lot of speed and finally ran out for the final stretch!! My parents said it looked like I was having a hard time near the end and it was close to the truth!! But when I heard them shouting my name and waving big: "Go Sonia signs". I waved back and went for it!! =) What a boost seeing your family can do for you.

I was so touched to read her blog when I got back home. I think she put in words way better than I could do how our meeting went. It was definitely like meeting an old friend and we had a lot to say to each other. I was disappointed not to have more time and sit down for a drink. For sure next time =)

The facts:

13.1 miles in 2:21:44

Mile 1: 10:57 min/mile

Mile 2: 10:37 min/mile

Mile 3: 10:36 min/mile

Mile 4: 10:35 min/mile

Mile 5: 10:18 min/mile

Mile 6: 10:40 min/mile

Mile 7: 10:28 min/mile

Mile 8: 10:34 min/mile

Mile 9: 10:55 min/mile (Getting tired and blistered!)

Mile 10: 11:00 min/mile (only mile at 11 min!)11 min

Mile 11: 10:59 min/mile

Mile 12: 10:59 min/mile

Mile 13: 10:18 min/mile (pushing it hard! Crowd support and seeing my parents helped!)

0.24: 10:35 min/mile

The Best way to end the day: AT THE BEACH WITH MY DAD!!!

I'M IN LOVE!!!!

With Miami!!! I love the beach!! The race was great, the course is breathtaking. I loved it. Finished in 2:21:44 and had to give a big effort from Mile 9-13.1. But finished strong. I only had one mile with a pace of 11 min /mile. All the rest was 10:XX min/mile!

I also meet with Laurel! She's so great! I will put more details once I am back in Canada!

Hope you are all doing well

MY FAVORITE PLACE: THE BEACH

So, I'm off to Miami tonight! I cannot wait to be in the warm weather and sitting on the beach!! =) I think I brought all I need (sunblock, sunglasses, sundresses... etc. ;-) hahaha)

Today the weather is highly disgusting (-23 oC with windchill) sooooo I'm loving this little escape from winter! I ran 2.5 miles on Tuesday and kinda hurt my foot... it was like my ankle froze and then when I took the next step, I kinda heard a crack and it hurt. After running for a little bit it got better but not back to normal... After icing it that night and the next day, it felt a little better so I wanted to test it for a short run (3.1 miles) on Thursday. The ankle did not hurt but it didn't feel "normal" or like usual. sigh... I'm just hoping it won't bother me during the half-marathon. Anyhow! I'm leaving soon and I'll catch up with all of you bloggers when I come back!! Except for Laurel who I will meet during my Miami stay!!! =)

Happy Running!

ALIVE AND KICKING!

The stomach bug finally got away, I stopped the intense vitamins mix I was on and tried to lower my stress level. All of this combined was not good for my health!! But I had a good running week:

Tuesday 4 miles @ 11:25 min/mile
Thursday 3 miles @ 11:18 min/mile
Saturday 8 miles @ 11:38 min/mile

I had an interesting run on Thursday.... I am dog-sitting a 80 lbs golden retriver/husky for a friend. I didn't want to miss my run so I decided to try and run with both dogs with Rocky attached on my waist while I hold the other leash. I made my way to our Riverfront path as I decided it wouldn't be the best idea to run in the middle of the streets with 100 lbs of dogs! Fritz is the sweetest dog ever but he's also very nervous...he had diarrhea all over is bum-fur and I realised I had poppy-bags who had defects (meaning it wasn't a bag but a sheet of plastic!!) GRRR I was fuming. I decided that I would take care of "that" after the run and tried to get in a better mood... right then a pigeon shitted on my head! Seriously?! Does life get any better? I think not! At that point, I wanted to forget about the run, thought I had enough of this madness but we were at the beginning of the trail and I wanted to see if I could run with both dogs. The answer is yes, and it was a great run! Rocky was going faster to keep up with his buddy (male are so competitive!) and never pulled me from one side to the other like he usually do. =)
Today's run was insanely cold, we usually never get weather like that here, it was -20 with windchill, WTH is going on!! I kept thinking: "6 days and you're in Miami, 6 days and you're in Miami, ON THE BEACH!"

Happy running everyone!

STUCK IN A SICKNESS VORTEX!!!!

Well Ken couldn't have said it better :" You know what happens when we have plans... Something seems to creep in".

Yep it does. To make a long story short, I started having this stomach-intestinal bug for about a week now. I tried to get rid of it with pills but its not working. So, after I called the Healthline last night. The man-nurse told me to forget about sugar and fat for 2 days. I'm allowed to eat rice, potatoes, soup and chicken. Some easy digestible things like canned fruits and yogourt. Fun times.

So, I'm not so sure about that 12 miler anymore =( This sucks, so tired to be sick!!

I did run 4 miles last night in 45:06, it was pretty windy and I gave in a good effort. I'm thinking Sunday might be a better day for my run if I feel better by then. Who knows???

On the bright side, this is my fur-baby's birthday! He's 4 years old today and it's also the anniversary of his adoption by me, 2 full years of love =)

MIAMI IN 3 WEEKS!

I really can't wait to be on the beach... oh yeah and run the half too! =) We've been having some nice spring weather so I decided to run 3.1 miles yesterday even though I was pretty tired and finished in 34:50. I'm thinking about another 3 or 4 miles on Thursday and 12 miles on Saturday which will be the last long run before Miami. My week-end is already full of job applications I gotta do but there's always time for running! =)

RESOLUTION RUN (NOT REALLY A RACE!)

It was a first for me, to race in my hometown! And what a great day for it =) It started snowing the day before and it hadn't stopped until the race. It was a very informal race with 30-50 people only. I was kind of surprised considering the high turn-out in Toronto and Ottawa.

We started at 11 AM on January 1st and I was still feeling heavy from all the food I ate the previous night (and wine I drank ;-)). My personal chauffeur and photographer (Papa) drove me to the race and my mom was there as a cheerleader (with a bad back!)!

I really like the French sign (Coin des Coureurs in that one!)

I meet up with Arthur, a Runningmaniac friend, just before the race started and we ran together talking the whole way through. It was a nice run, it was snowing and very peaceful. The best part was when a drunken guy encouraged us from a moving bus, obviously still on the party at 11AM! We finished in 35:35, my dad made a video but I realised I didn't copy all of this on a memory stick so its on my Dad's computer!

That's the best way to start the year!