Nasty and Neat! 1:00

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

There was the smallest group I have ever seen at the track tonight. Me, Boob, Wayne, Squintch, Joe and Tony....that was it! It was nasty out! Gusts of wind blew the rain sideways, broken tree branches were flying in the air....I thought that this was going to be the worst run ever and it turned out to be a hoot! Boob decided to ditch the track workout and just do a run. We started off around ring road and then headed into the Uplands. It was brutal running against the wind! I thought I was going to be swept away! We hit Willow's Beach and that's when it got fun! The waves were huge and were crashing into the beach, the wind was howling and we could barely run in a straight line! We rounded Cattle Point, went back through the Uplands and back to the track. It was a lot of fun! Too bad Shan missed out...heh...heh...People who saw us must have thought we were nuts! It was an hour of running at a good clip.

Monday Strength Day

Monday, January 30, 2006

I had another restless night last night of sleep. Unlike Jarhead however, I know that it will pass. Today was a day off from running to recover from the race. Instead, I did some upper body weights and core exercises after work. My legs feel good. No muscle soreness so far after yesterday’s effort. Flo-Jo said he feels good too. Yay!

Mill Bay 10km 38:30

Sunday, January 29, 2006

The two Dons, FJ and I started the drive out to Mill Bay at 9:15 to run the 2nd race (10km) of the Island Race Series. I was periodical and complained most of the way making the boys wince and cringe…I even threw in a few extra symptoms with graphic descriptions just to make them squirm…it’s good for them! I have to say I had another crap night of sleep, and wasn’t in the mood to run a race, however I shouldn’t complain as Jarhead was on something like day seven of restless nights…poor guy…that’s just torture.

The three of us ran the warm-up with Boob who decided he was just going to run the race as a tempo run since he was just coming off an injury. FJ waited for Squintch who rolled in just in time in usual fashion and did the warm-up with him. The weather was good; no rain and just a bit on the cool side…perfect for a race! After a few strides, Boob positioned me at the front of the start-line so I had a clear path right at the start. Once again, even though I stayed relaxed, the downhill start rolled me into 3:27 at the first km marker. I tried to keep it steady as planned but the next couple of kms were also were a bit on a down grade. I started to pull back a bit fearing I would blow a gasket! Kate caught up with me at that point and we kept each other company and paced ourselves up and down the hills. I was a bit chicken to start cranking it up at the 5km as planned since I knew I had gone out too fast so we kept it strong and steady. I realized after the final hill that I had another gear so I picked it up in the last km or so and had a strong finish. I was pleased with my time even though I thought I would run in the low 38’s. It was a PR for the course but it wasn’t a PR for the distance. I haven’t been doing a lot of intense running so I was encouraged actually, at how strong I felt and how rhythmic my breathing stayed. I just didn’t have the courage today to push or to know if I could push but I think that will come as the training moves into a more intense phase and I get reintroduced to running hard again. We did a 30 minute cool-down and the weather turned nasty!!

Once again, all IRR members had superb races. Wayne and Gwyn came in 1st in their age categories, Hugh and Shan 2nd, Boob and I 3rd, Don 8th and Ken 10th in a stacked group! FJ was very happy with his time. Great job to everyone!

Pre-Race Saturday

Saturday, January 28, 2006

Shan picked me up this morning for a short run at the lakes. We mixed it up a bit with some Pose drills and strides. It was a wet one out there today! My one glass of wine hangover (pathetic) hung on until about noon today. When my head began to clear, I started practicing and much to my surprise it was a good one...go figure. I put in a good 75 minutes of warbling...I could sing Mozart all day long... What a guy!

RB called and we went over the plan for tomorrow's race. It's a fast, downhill start again so I want to let the downhill take me through the first km, keep a quick but realxed pace until about half-way and then see what's there to pick it up. I remember this route to have hills in inconvenient places...like between the 4-6km just when it starts to get serious.

There will be quite a number of IRR folks running tomorrow including Flo-Jo. We're giving the two Dons a lift and plan on getting there at about 10:00. Let's hope for decent weather!!!

Happy Birthday, Wolfy!!

Friday, January 27, 2006

Mozart was born 250 years ago today! This is one of my favorite composers, I must say. I am singing at a church service in a couple of weeks. They are having a series of Mozart Sundays this year celebrating his birth by featuring some of his music. I have chosen one of my favs, the Laudate Dominum movement from the Vesperae Solemnes de Confessore and the first movement of the Exsultate Jubilate. I had a lesson today and thankfully it went better than last week! The second piece has a few old habits that I need to work through. I still have some time so hopefully some of the good stuff will stick. If not….what can you do!?

Today was a day off from running. J and I went to a dinner party in the evening and I idiotically had a glass of wine….Why do I do such things? I had a fitful night of sleep and woke up feeling very crooked and exhausted…sigh…I will try and practice now but I suspect it will be a struggle.

Pose Revisited 1:20:07

Thursday, January 26, 2006

Tonight I did a 10 minute warm-up followed by 10 minutes of Pose drills. I realized once again that these drills are so essential to keeping the elasticity in my legs with all these longer runs I am doing right now. Patrick and I were chatting and agreed that the base building phase of training is the least fun for us. I prefer doing fast, quality workouts but we also agreed that the base-building part is equally important.

The Pose drills got me on track tonight for the hill workout. I kept my feet light and legs springy by thinking of the quick “pull”. I noticed my hips were getting stiff these past couple of weeks which tells me my support foot is probably lagging behind and I am pushing off, which requires a lot of use of my hip flexors. I tried not to resort to that to get myself up the hills and I noticed a big difference. I kept the pace brisk throughout and did an extra 20 minutes with Don E, followed by a few Pose drills/strides. It may have been a coincidence but my legs felt springier after tonight’s run than they have felt in weeks! I MUST do those drills before and after every run. I was doing this last summer at the lakes because it was easy to hide in the trails. Some of the drills look geeky so I am a little shy to do them with anyone around! I have to get over this and just do it!

Easy Wednesday 48:48

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Tonight  was a nice recovery pace run with Wayne, Boob and Don E. We started off running aroung the bog trail and then headed up to our usual Wednesday night stomping grounds. It was another beautiful night! The pace was a bit slower than last week so I concentrated on staying light and thinking about feeling the elasticity in my legs. There were a few hills but nothing too grueling. We chatted about this and that. Boob had a couple of funny stories about his hectic day. The plumbing fiasco was hysterical! I did a good bout of stretching and some light weights for the upper body.

Track WO

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

I met Boob, Ken, Jennie and Don at the track at 5:00 for the warm-up. There’s enough light now to run the trails so we were able to stay on gravel the whole time which was great. The warm-up was 26 minutes at a super brisk pace. Boob is back!  

There was a large group out tonight at the track. It was great to see some old and new faces. Maestro did his track WO in the morning by himself since he has rehearsals Tuesday nights. The workout was 400m-300m-200m with 100m rests and 500m set breaks. I kept the intervals brisk and loose and did not push. Jennie and I ran the sets together. The sets were (1:20, 1:00, :38) hips felt a bit stiff….from Sunday? (1:15, :58, :36) (1:18, :58, :36). I kept the pace aerobic, trying to get the elasticity back in my legs after Sunday’s effort. It’s kind of fun to see if you can state a predicted pace at the beginning of an interval and see if you can nail it to the second. It’s not easy! Lisa was right behind us in the first set. Once she gets some endurance she is going to fly and leave us in the dust! I did a 20 minute cool-down and got a lift home from the Squintch. He wanted to order his dinner from Il Greco’s but couldn’t remember the number so he called Pan in Vancouver from his cell! Pan and Lin were laughing, of course…what a guy!

Election Monday

Monday, January 23, 2006

Today was a day off from running. Flo-Jo and I watched the election coverage on TV (since that’s what was monopolizing all the channels) while cooking dinner and snacking on warm baguette topped with brie and sun-dried tomatoes…yum…yum…This was a Squintch recipe that actually tasted fantastic! I really let loose and had a glass of wine. It was a great combo!

I promised myself I would do some core strengthening exercises and upper body stuff tonight. I managed to get my brie-belly over to the exercise ball and did some crunches and curls while watching and listening to election commentators drone on about…well…nothing, really.

After dinner, I worked on getting the Pioneer race photos up on the IRR web site. After an S.O.S. call to Matty who is an absolute computer expert, the photos appeared! Learning how to do some of this basic web site stuff is already motivating me to learn more!

Thetis 1:24!!

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Flo-Jo had a rehearsal this morning so I asked the Squintch for a lift. I suggested 8:45 as a pick up time but he insisted on 8:40. He arrived at 8:51….sigh….Ha!

There was a good group this morning. Boob was there which was great to see, along with our beloved Pan-Pan, Jarhead (looking a wee bit sleepy), Darryn, Jennie, Wayne and a small group of PIHers. RB was there for his Sunday hike.

Boob set the pace right off the top. It was a tad quicker than weeks previous and the breaks were either short or nonexistent! I felt OK the entire run but could tell I had done a WO the day before. The group split up with about 20 minutes to go and I decided to stick with Boob, Kevin, Buddy and Jennie. Jennie and I held on and finally let the boys go and used the last 10 minutes to cool-down. It was a good run. Total running time was 1:24. That's a good 5-6 minutes faster than usual!

When we got back to the parking lot, we decided to go out for brunch. The Squintch took off as he had some special plans for the day. Some people were on a time restraint so the Chequered Flag (that’s how it’s spelled!) was ruled out. I had an embarrassing moment while I was changing into a dry shirt. My eye caught somrthing moving in the van right beside me so I instinctively peered in and of course it was poor Cliffy getting changed. I must have had a funny look on my face because I heard laughter coming from inside the van...good job, Mar! It was then discovered that Jarhead had locked his keys in his car! Luckily I had my CAA card so I was able to call and get a tow truck to come out and have the guy jimmy the door. Don, Pan and I ended up going to a place closer to town for a quick brunch and chat. Pan gave me a lift home in his car with heated seats….I didn’t want to get out of his car!! He heads back to Vancouver tonight but will be back in a couple of weeks.

The rest of day was spent lounging and catching up phone calls with friends and family back East. Flo-Jo just came back from his kid’s concert. Jarhead took T and Boob’s kids went too. Squintch is now on his way over with his marinated ribs which he is going to cook here at our place…they better be good! Ha!

Tempo WO 1:16

Saturday, January 21, 2006

Yesterday was a rest day so I would be fresh and ready for this morning’s workout. RB gave us 2 or 3 x 20 minutes at a comfortable tempo pace. Don E and I got there a bit early and did about 10 minutes with Lisa before we were to start. The 8:00ers were just coming in from there sessions as we started out on our warm-up. There was a small group of fast men that pulled away from us as soon as we hit the 1km marker where we decided to start the tempo. Don, Lisa and I followed RB’s instructions to take the first 5 minutes to ease into a good pace. Lisa proved to be a perfect partner as we kept turns keeping each other on pace. I would lag a bit and she would pull me to encourage the even pace then vice versa all the while being aware not to push each other too hard …it was great! Don had a stomach issue so he turned off after the first set. We continued to run easy for 2 minutes for the rest period and did the exact routine for the second set with a strong finish in the last minute. We did a good cool down with a total running time of 1:16. I just love these longer tempo sessions!

Jarhead brought T over for a singing lesson. She has a pretty voice and sings completely in tune! She learned the little song I gave her to try in about 30 seconds!! I had another student right after T and then gave the place a good fastidious cleaning.

Flo-Jo and I then brought the Squintch to Island Runner to fit the beast into a pair of size 15s!!! Then it was off to Costco to spend more money…yikes!

Hill Route 1:27:33

Thursday, January 19, 2006

I picked up Flo-Jo right after work at his rehearsal and we headed to the “Y”. There was another big group out tonight. Jarhead and I did an extra 10 minutes at an easy pace to try and add some mileage. The pace tonight was better with more chatting and socializing so there were proper breaks at the tops of the hills to give everyone a breather. I and a few others continued to run at the top, looping around to join the others when they were ready to go on to the next hill. I kept the pace straight through allowing myself to pick it up a bit more on the flat sections. JS and I were discussing how much harder it is to add mileage while running mostly on the pavement. Last year I added mileage for the first time while we were running on trails and I find there is a big difference to how your body feels. We both agreed you have to really concentrate on staying light on your feet on the pavement at all times. Jarhead, Don E, Patty and even Flo-Jo did the loop of Beacon Hill adding on another 20 minutes. Flo-Jo is getting into shape so fast! It’s great to see!

Wednesday Night

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Jarhead picked me up after work so we could car pool to the run. We met up with Boob and started our usual route. We hooked up with Ian H and he ran with us for about 15 minutes at a brisk pace. Jarhead's heart rate monitor was beeping like crazy warning him he was out of his zone! Ha! Boob took a sharp left turn off of Cordova Bay Rd and I soon realized we were heading up Haliburton Rd which is basically a 5 minute climb to the top. It just kept going and going...I called Boob a few names...sorry Boob! It was a lovely evening, no wind and a nice temperature. I felt much better running in my old pair of shoes! Jarhead and I did an extra out and back once we got back to Boob's work and then went in and did about a half hour of weights. Total running time was an hour.

Tuesday Run 1:07

Tuesday January 17, 2006

I met up with Boob at the track after work to do a 30 minute run before the track WO. We picked up Matty and eventually Jennie. I did the dynamics and decided to continue running instead of the WO. Matty, Patrick and I did another 40 minutes around the streets near UVic. I wore a new pair of shoes that were not the greatest for me so the run was a bit frustrating. I threw on my flats as soon as we got back to the track and did 4 strides just to shake out my legs and feet after running in such stiff shoes. I took a nice hot bath as soon as I got home. My calves still feel tender and now my feet and back ache...arg, those shoes!

Day Off

Monday January 16, 2006

I decided on a day off today rather than an easy run. I personally find a complete day off is better for me than doing an easy run if I want to rest. I know an easy run won't hurt you but I just figure I'd rather rest and take that saved energy and use it for the rest of the week's training. I also feel that the easy run makes my legs lose the quick turn over feeling you get after a good race. I will try and add a bit of mileage throughout the week. My calves were a bit tender this morning but nothing to complain about. I must have been running too much up on my toes.

Jarhead came over after work and downloaded some photos of the race to put up on the web site. I then met the Squintch to go see "Capote", a film about Truman Capote's journey researching and writing his best-selling novel In Cold Blood. It was a good movie with a brilliant performance by Phillip Seymour Hoffman in the title role.

Pioneer 8km Race 30:11

Sunday January 15, 2006

Maestro and I met Jarhead, Squintch and Wayne for a 20 minute warm-up before the race. It was a gorgeous day and I made a smart, last minute decision to ditch one of my shirts before a few strides and heading to the start line. I reassured RB that I would take it easy in the first few km and I was determined to follow the plan on staying loose with a quick, easy stride no matter what. It was a bit hard watching a few runners I knew I could stay with cruise by me in the first few kilometers but I used Nancy B as a role model and let them go knowing I could catch them later...I hoped! At 4km I was feeling strong and my breathing was still rhythmic and easy so I had the confidence to pick it up a smidge knowing the up-hill finish would take a bit off my time. I managed to pick off those who passed me at the beginning and caught a couple of others. The final km was a bugger with the slow upgrade but I managed to keep my pace steady to the finish with RB reminding me to keep my cadence quick. I didn't quite do a negative split as I had planned but the downhill start made that tricky (it's a good excuse, anyway!). Still, I need to practice setting a slightly slower pace at the start. The race was much more enjoyable for me this year, yet I took off about 40 seconds so I think starting slower than I usually do was a factor. Thanks RB!! Everyone else in the group had great races. No one was disappointed, which was great to see. Flo-Jo had a fab run for his first race of the season. We had at least four IRR members finish in the top three of their age categories!

A group of us did another 30 minutes of easy running for the cool-down chatting about our race experiences that day...in the sunshine!

DonE, Squintch, Hugh, Flo-Jo and I all went out for brunch afterwards. We were all pretty hungry!

Easy at the Lakes

Saturday January 14, 2006

Today was an easy lap of the lakes with RB's 8:00 group. Those who were not racing did a workout and the rest of us did an easy lap. I ran and chatted the whole way with K. Such a sweet girl! We got so caught up in conversation we forgot to do the strides RB told us to do half-way into the run!! Smart. I didn't realize this until I was in the car driving home! Ha! I did a few Pose drills with strides as soon as I got back. My legs feel fresh so I should be able to put in a good effort at tomorrow's race. The ultimate goal is a negative split. Let's hope we have a dry day tomorrow...ya, right! Flo-Jo is racing. He has a big concert to conduct tonight so it will be a good chance to blow off some steam!

Friday Off

Friday January 13, 2006

It was another busy day at work with the admissions deadline being the 15th. I was swamped with phone calls, emails and incoming docments...the day flew by. I also had a voice lesson (another good one!) which ate up an hour and a half of my work day.

I taught a student after work and then Matt came over and we got the new IRR web site up and running. I think it looks great and we'll keep adding to it as I get more comfortable learning the program. Matt walked me through editing things on the site. I am excited to learn about it all and I think I got the basics down. Squintch showed up afterwards and he and Matt stayed for dinner. Flo-Jo made a great pork loin recipe and we we sat around yakking until alomst 11:00pm...way past my bedtime. I took a day off from running but plan on doing an easy run tomorrow.

Hills and Gale Force Winds on Dallas

Thursday January 12, 2006

It was another soaker run tonight. We had a pretty big group out with a few frisky frontrunners that pushed the pace. I kept it steady straight through and didn't stop running on the tops of the hills along with Jarhead who had the same plan. We held back going hard and just let them go. I forced a break on the top of hill four, I think it was, since I felt we needed to rest and let everyone catch their breath. Once agin, it was mentioned that Pano was missed...it seemed strange, said Jarhead, not to hear his voice.

As Jarhead and I headed out to do our extra bit around Beacon Hill, we spotted Squintch trying to make a getaway to his car. Jarhead yelled in military fashion for him to join us...he didn't have a choice, it seemed! When we hit Dallas Rd. I thought I was going to be blown away. The rain was hitting us sideways and despite having the Squintch in front it was like we were running backwards! I clocked a total running time of 1:10. Great run guys!

Cruisey Wednesday

Wednesday January 11, 2006

The great voice lesson I had last week has stuck with me during my practising this week! I've been able to execute the ideas we were working on consistantly on my own which tells me I have understood (and my body has understood) what Selena was talking about. Yay!

Flo-Jo impressed me today by doing the track WO Boob gave him all on his own...and in the rain. He had to miss the track last night so he decided to do it this afternoon. He also said he was looking forward to the Hill run tomorrow night. What has happened to him?! He is now officially hooked on running!!! I am thrilled!

DE picked me up after work and we met Boob for a run at his work. It was raining...again but it was pretty warm and pleasant. We did a moderately brisk run, yakking most of the way around the Braodmead area for about 40 minutes (10 minutes more than what Boob wanted to do and 10 minutes less than what I wanted to do...a comprimise). Boob is feeling much better and will be back into training soon, I'm sure. We then did about 30 minutes of light weights in his gym at work. I concentrated on the core exercises for my back and did some upper body stuff too. I can now do 4 chin-ups in a row!!

Track in the Rain

Tuesday January 10, 2006

It was a pretty wet one tonight. I met Boob at 5:15 and we did an out and back of 20 minutes total, picking it up a bit on the way back. Next week I will do a 30 minute warm-up since I am  not going hard on the track right now. The WO tonight was 3 x 300m x 3 sets with 100m breaks and 500m set breaks. I kept the sets brisk but not "all out". I continued to run during the breaks, keeping them short (including the set breaks) which made the 300's almost feel like a continuos tempo run. I felt good despite having the rain whipping at my face the entire time. I could have done another set with Hugh and Patrick, I suppose...The rest of the group seemed happy with their efforts too. We were all soaked but at least it was mild out. I did two loops (20 minutes) of ring road at an easy pace as a cool down. Most of us will be running the Pioneer 8km this Sunday. My plan is to use the race as a tempo WO since I don't want start running hard so early in the season. RB suggested to start off easy and move into a moderate pace after a few kms if I'm feeling good and then if I still feel good, pick it up near the end.

I called Pan tonight to see how he was holding up in his new job and pad. He sounded good and was even cooking his own dinner! I told him Shan mentioned we should have a moment of silence in the parking lot to pay hommage to him! Ha!

Monday Strength Work

Monday January 9, 2006

Today is a rest day from running. I am going to do some light weights and some strength excercises for my lower back and core to help with my old bike accident injury. Boy, when someone told me two years ago that I could still be having problems after all this time, I thought 'no way!'. It's amazing how long your body holds on to an injury. I notice I feel better (no pain) when I run faster which proves perhaps that you do run more efficiently when you run faster. My back and groin are aggravated when I run at a slower pace so I have to be careful in my warm-ups and cool-downs to keep my upward alignment  and my feet light even though I am running a bit slower. I have to constantly think 'up-up-up' with every step. Actually, that's a cool excercise. Next time you're on a 10km run, try to focus on on the word 'up' or 'lengthen' in association with your body from your feet right up to the tip of your head. Do this for the entire run without worrying about speed. Just concentrate one these words the entire run (it's best on a solo run when there is no chatting etc). Your mind will wander (like in meditation) so just get back on track when this happens and repeat your 'up' mantra. The first time I did this I was amazed at how fresh and 'up' I felt after the run...and I realized I had run the 10km route noticably faster without even trying! Try it!

Thetis Lake 1:40

Sunday January 8, 2006

Only 4 IRR members showed up this morning for the trail run, Wayne, Qayam myself and Lisa. Squintch called me at 8:15 to say he was still in bed and that he was following the traineasier.com method of training! We miss Pan already...There were five or so PIHers led by BR doing a run so they invited us to do the first hour with them and then continue on our own. RB was also there to do a hike with a friend. BR took us on a slightly different route from the usual to avoid the huge puddles which made us very happy. We kept the pace steady and this time didn't stop much giving us a slightly longer, more continuous run. I felt good despite yesterday's effort which tells me I am getting back into shape. When we arrived back at the parking lot, there were four glasses of Gatorade left by BR on the hood of my car! We were so thankful since we hadn't stopped for water this time around. I joined RB and a few PIHers at the Flagg for breakie afterwards. Syl was surprised to find out that I am a cuban cigar afficionado....it was years ago...it was a job....

Saturday Tempos

Saturday January 7, 2006

This morning's WO was 10 min easy, 10 min moderate, 2 x 15 min tempo, 20 min cool-down. Since we went a bit too fast to start last week, I decided to jump in the lead for the warm-up to try to keep the group pace slower. This worked for about 3 minutes and then sure enough a wave of runners made their way past me and the pace was moderate for the rest of the 20 minutes of warm-up. RB suggested we designate one runner every week to be the pace setter for the warm-up and no one is allowed to pass him or her until the WO begins. I think this is a good idea. This is a group of pumped-up, ready to go, competitive athletes and no one wants to be at the back of the group so everyone is fighting for the front and it just gets faster and faster (me included)! It's so funny!!

I may have gone out a bit quick in the first 5 minutes of the first set, but I pulled back soon enough before I over did it. I felt pretty good for both sets and got to meet two of the guys in the group, Mike and Eric. I ran with them most of the way and did the cool-down with the other girls. The temperature was perfect...no jacket...just a sprinkling of rain. I ran a total of 70 minutes.

I came home, made an omlete and then taught a student I owed lessons to from before Christmas. I am cutting back on my teaching until the spring. It was getting to be too much.

Bye, Bye Pano!

Friday January 6, 2006

Work was quite busy today...unusual for a Friday, but there you have it. I had a singing lesson for the first time since before Christmas. It went extremely well. I am making incredible progress with Selena and she said she was very pleased at how quickly things are moving along. Yay!

We did a farewell dinner for Pan-Pan tonight. I didn't run since I had some stuff to do before the dinner. We booked at Ferris' dowtown and had a great turn out! Everyone had a fun time. Brent was still talking about his Christmas gift! In fact, it popped up in conversations all through the night!

 It was great to see Max out with us again! Flo-Jo and I left at about 11:30 since we both had to get up early the next morning. Everyone will miss Pan but we hope he will come and visit often!

7 Hills and a Bit

Thursday January 5, 2006

We met the usual gang for the 7 hill route. It was Pan's last hill run before he leaves for Vancouver and Lisa's very first. Shan wasn't there for the first time....ever, I think! Ha! The group started out easy but soon the pace picked up. The boys were showing off again! I didn't take the bait and held a steady pace throughout, concentrating on keeping my cadence quick and light especially on the hills where it's easy to trudge and muscle your way up. I kept running at the tops of the hills as did Patrick and Don. There was some good razzing going on tonight with newcomer Lisa joining in!! Flo-Jo was in great form and is getting fitter every run! Patrick, the two Don's and I added and extra bit on after we arrived at the "Y". We ran through Beacon Hill park, did the mile loop and back adding about another 20 minutes of easy running tonight. It was another warm night...no jacket required! Total running time was 1:16.

Day Off

Wednesday January 4, 2006

I took the day off from running today. I don't want to kill myself on the first week back. I did a few minutes of free weights at home using the program that Roland gave me in December to strengthen my back and core. I am still having some residual pain in my back and groin from my bike accident a couple of summers ago. Pano gave me some of his weights and a bar-bell. I tried to buy an exercise ball last weekend but all the small ones were sold out. I want to add the weight program into my routine twice a week. It's only a 30 minute program so I should be able to add it in.

Track in the Dark

Tuesday January 3, 2006

A pretty big group of us showed up at the track tonight. I met Boob at 5:10 to do a longer warm-up. Squintch showed up too and we did two loops around the ring as a warm-up. The track was still dark so Boob went to ask the woman who is in charge of the lights to turn them on while I continued running at a brisk pace around the track. The woman came by and we thought (and I think she did too) that she had turned on the lights but we ended up running the entire WO in the dark. We did 4 x 500m with 300m rest and 3 x 400m with 200m rest and a lap set break. It was really windy! I used Squintch to draft behind! I kept a tempo pace with the 500's at about 1:50 and the 400s at 1:25. I didn't walk at all during the rests and made sure the breaks were short. This forced me to keep the pace a bit slower and it worked. I finished off with three laps of the ring. I have run 5 days in a row so I may take today off but will see what RB says.

Pan and Squintch came over for dinner afterwards. Pan downloaded the software on our computer since I have offered to take over updating the IRR web site.

Pose Run at the Lakes

Monday January 2, 2006

I slept in today until 10:00! It felt great! I got that slightly sad feeling realizing that I have to go back to work tomorrow...sigh. I spoke to RB about a training plan for this year. I am very excited! WOs will not be intense for a while (no anaerobic running) just a bit more mileage to build a base. We are aiming for the Sun Run and the TC 10kms as some goals for this spring.

I practiced for an hour this afternoon. I am learning a new aria from "The Barber of Seville". It went well despite the long break. I hadn't sung since the last Violons du Roy concert!

Squintch picked Flo-Jo and I up and we headed off to the lakes for an easy 10km. We met Pano there and enjoyed another perfect day, weather-wise. The lakes were completely still. After about 15 minutes into the run, I ran about 200 meters ahead of the guys and stopped to do some Pose drills. When they caught up to me I went from the drill into a run and would surge ahead and start a drill again. I did this for about two and a half kms and then continued the easy run with them. I was able to push Pano into some horse poop one last time before he leaves us to work in Vancouver. It was a special moment..... We ran a total of 53 minutes.

New Year's Day

Flo-Jo and I met Pan, Quyam, Ken and DE at Thetis for a 10:00am run. It was Flo-Jo's first time at Thetis and my first long run in almost a month so we agreed to take our time and take a lot of breaks. The trail was pretty muddy for the most part and the puddles were big. I got a couple of dirty looks from FJ when we stopped to re-group since he got a couple of soakers! It was a great run though with the sun shining on the way back! We witnessed our baby Qayam try his first PowerGel!! Ha! He didn't like it much and spit most of it out. I felt good and was glad we went at an easy pace the first Sunday back. Total running time was 95 minutes but we were out there for about two hours.