Double Tuesday 1:19:32

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

We finally made a decision about what hotel we are going to stay at in Carlsbad so I booked it last night. Matty would have been happy to sleep in the car or on the beach so we compromised. It’s a 2-star beauty which according to Matty, is decadent. I am very frightened but I will survive. The most striking feature of this hotel is that it is close to Legoland! Yeehaw!

Matty and I shuffled around Cedar Hell this morning before work. Syl and Cherry were supposed to join in on the fun but bailed because of Syl’s bulbosity (one of his own concoctions). We did bump into Patty though doing his early morning run around CH before work. It was so great to see him and catch up on all his news. He may join us again on Thursday morning, along with little Cherry and Syl.

Giuse did the track WO on his own late this afternoon before rehearsal. Matty and I popped over to the track right after work before we started our run to see how he was making out. Boob gave him 2 sets of 4 x 400m with 1 minute breaks and 1 lap set break. He looked pretty zippy out there. Matty and I continued our run along the UVic trails while Giuse finished up on the track. Matty’s stomach sounded like it had a gallon of water sloshing around in there tonight…holy! My legs felt pretty good so I should be recovered for tomorrow’s track WO. We stopped off at the track after and said a quick hello to the rest of IRR who were about to start their track WO. We ended the run by doing some Pose drills and strides on the grass. Giuse in the meantime had gone home, showered and we all met at 1550s for a bite to eat before his rehearsal. It’s 8:00pm and I am in my PJs with a bag of popcorn ready to be microwaved in time for American Idol. It's junkie TV but I love it anyway!!!

Easy Monday 57:29

Monday, February 26, 2007

I just did an easy run around the UVic trails after work today with Matty. Going up the hill from Mystic Vale was a bit rough the first time around but I felt better on the second go at it. We ran at a nice easy pace and I felt pretty good as we did a small pick-up in the last five minutes heading back to the track. We finished off with a few Pose drills/strides on the grass.

E/B Lakes 1:20:27

Sunday, February 25, 2007

The weather was decent for today’s race. It was a bit windy but the rain held off. Giuse met Shan at the race while Matty and I (with our running gear under our clothes) headed over arriving a few minutes before the start. I brought our new camera and got some great photos of Wayne, Ased, Shan and Giuse. I also took a few nice ones of Gare and Nanc. Everyone did so well this year! It was fun to watch the race but it made me antsy to compete! Erik F won the race overall while Cheryl came in as first woman both looking super strong! Way to go guys!  After congratulating Shan and Giuse (who PB’d by over a minute on this course!), Matty and I headed over to E/B lakes to do our long run. Matty said we would do what we normally do which is run the first loop at a comfy pace and then increase the pace slowly so the second loop is a bit quicker. We haven’t been able to do this much this winter because the conditions on the trails have been so bad until recently. We did the first lap in 40:45 and the second in 39:41 taking the long route as usual for both loops. This was a very encouraging run since it still felt comfy most of the way. My run ended badly though when I realized someone had stolen my favorite running shirt. I took it off after the first loop and left it on a picnic table right near the fountain. I can’t believe someone stole it. Why would someone do that?! Poor Matty had to listen to me grumble about it all the way home. After some lunch, I had a nice nap on the couch.

JdeF Tempo 1:12:39

Saturday, February 24, 2007

It was pretty windy this morning for our WO at Juan de Fuca. Matty and I were the only ones who showed up since there is and race tomorrow at Royal Roads. The WO plan was to run 5 minutes comfortably, then pick it up a bit in the second 5 minutes and then move into a tempo pace for 20 minutes. We started out a bit quick so I would say that I actually ran a good 25 minutes at tempo pace. I felt a bit tired at the start. Somewhere in the first 10 minutes, I caught myself making excuses for why I was feeling tired and was focusing on the pain. I snapped out of it and reminded myself that this is a WO that will really come into play in April and to stop goofing around. I repeated the mantra, ‘Feeling good…Feeling strong’. I got back into a strong rhythm and the last go up the hill this week was much stronger. I was happy with today’s effort and for not wimpng out.

Giuse ran on his own this morning in preparation for his race tomorrow. He said it was really windy on the Goose. I hope they have a good day. We went to Demitasse for brunch and ate a heck of a lot. After a quick nap, I did two sets of my strength/core program.

Tonight, Joey and I took Selena out for dinner before going to POV’s closing night of Daphne. She looked so elegant and had so many interesting stories about her singing career and the people she met along the way. I can’t get over how hip she is! We left the closing night party at about 11:30pm. Selena and I were walking arm in arm, talking about the opera as we made our way to the car when Joey piped up saying that if it wasn’t for her, I would have gone home after the show and gone right to bed. Thanks Joe. Yes, it takes an eighty year-old woman to show me how to live it up a little. Sheesh!

Easy Double Day 1:20:32

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Matty and I did an easy morning run of about 28 minutes at Cedar Hill. My legs (hip flexors) felt a bit stiff at the start but warmed up as we went along. The second go at the large hill was a crawl though and had us both laughing and gasping. Ha! We worked hard last night.

Giuse picked me up after work to go to the Y. Matty and I did our 20 minute jaunt around Beacon Hill at an easy, recovery pace and then met the rest of IRR at the Y. We ran up Gonzales and then continued on our way back to the Y while the rest of the group stayed to do the hill repeats. We finished off the run with some Pose drills/strides. My legs felt better than I thought they would. Tomorrow will be the usual day completely off so I should be good to go for Saturday’s tempo run. I did my strength routine x 2 sets and then ate a healthy meal of halibut with pesto, on couscous and green beans. This made up for the junky dinner we had last night. Giuse bought dark chocolate almonds from the bulk food section at Thrifty’s for dessert…OMG are they ever yummy!!

Big WO! 1:23:14

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

I had my first voice lesson with Selena since November today. I knew I had gotten myself a bit off this past week. I think I was trying to incorporate some of Benj’s ideas and started to sing with too much weight on my voice. I knew that going into the lesson so as soon as she said I was singing too heavily I thought, ‘…and this is why you are so wonderful Selena.’ She’s eighty-something but she’s got the best ears of any voice teacher I have ever worked with, she really does.

Matty and I drove out to Sidney tonight for our track WO. He had left his track shoes at his folks’ place so we decided to run on the track at Parkland Secondary. During the warm-up we talked about what we would do. He was hoping we could do kilometer repeats but since it was a bit windy he opted for 400s with 60 seconds of active rest. I was to do them in the 1:21-1:23 range but he wouldn’t tell me how many I was going to do. I figured 10-12…was I ever wrong. I lost count after 12 but I knew at that point we were heading for 20. I only have 30 laps on my watch so I lost the first 4 repeats but I know the first one was way too fast (typical) at 1:15 followed by a few at 1:18 - 1:19.

Here are the times for the repeats:

1 – 1:15

2/3/4 – around 1:18 or 1:19

5 - 1:18

6 -  1:19

7 - 1:20

8 / 9 -  1:21

10 - 1:19

11 - 1:18

12 - 1:20

13/14/15/16/17 - 1:19

18 - 1:21

19 - 1:18

20 - 1:17

 

Matty told me to add a few seconds on to the 18th repeat and then to go back to 1:19 pace for the final two. I was happy I was able to actually pace it dead on. I am not a usually so hot at hitting a set pace on the track.

The first 12 felt very relaxed and natural. I was coming in a few seconds quicker than the pace Matty had set for me. He said that as long as I was comfortable, it was fine and that the range he gave was a bit of a guess so he suggested I keep going and see what happens. The next 13-17 is where I had to concentrate a bit more on keeping the rhythm going and funnily enough, this is where I was the most consistent, time-wise. The breaks started feeling shorter but I stayed calm, didn’t push or strain and really worked at staying tall and keeping my breathing as relaxed and low as possible. The last few were tougher physically but mentally easier because I knew we were almost finished. This was definitely the biggest track WO I have ever done, 8kms worth and will get my legs used to running at a 5km pace. I felt pretty strong and finished feeling like I could have done a couple more (if someone told me there would be ice-cream at the finish!). Matty had an awesome WO too. His repeats were held consistently at 1:10 with a few 1:09s a couple of 1:08s and his 20th repeat was a flashy 1:03…sweet!

We did an easy warm-down, followed by some light stretching and then hopped back into the car. We then did a bad thing. For some outrageous reason, I was craving McDonald’s so I suggested we stop and get dinner on the way home. Matty of course was all over this idea. Giuse had done a run on his own tonight along the Goose so I called him at home to get his order. 20 minutes after we ate, my belly was a little unhappy...burp!

Double Day 1:19:36

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Matty and I decided to do our double run day today and Thursday and will run the track WO tomorrow. We ran around Cedar Hill for 28 minutes this morning at 7am. It’s completely light out now so I don’t feel we’re completely insane. It started raining minutes before we started running and stopped raining minutes after we stopped…nice. I propped up my wet shoes from this morning’s run next to the shoes (still wet) I used for last night’s run.

Tonight’s weather was just plain yukky. We were treated to wet, slushy snow hitting our faces as we ran around the UVic trails. It cleared up about ten minutes into the run but at that point we were already wet. We ran at an easy pace for about 50 minutes, dodging more puddles and sliding in the mud. I got to see Matty come very close doing a face-plant on the Mystic Vale trails. Very Fun! We popped over to the track where IRR was doing the track WO. I did a few pose drills and strides and then went and cleaned up in one of the washrooms on campus. We had a club meeting at Smuggler’s Cove Pub after their WO to organize the Sooke race we are hosting this April. It was so nice to socialize with everyone. We have to start organizing some club gatherings when the weather is nicer.

Tonight I added a third pair of wet and muddy shoes to the line-up next to the radiator.

Soaked! 55:05

Monday, February 19, 2007

What a horribly wet and cold run we had this evening. I had the bright idea of running around the lakes tonight after work. It was windy, raining and cold and the trail was basically one big puddle. We did an out and back after we finished the loop to make it a 55 minute run. We were absolutely soaked and muddy and shivering when we got back to the car. Ugh!

My legs felt good. My hip flexors were a bit stiff at the start of the run from yesterday’s race but once we got going I was fine. I took a hot shower the second I got in the door and after a good, long yak with Gwyneth (Happy B-day Gwynthbthbb!) I went straight to bed.

Bear Mountain Summit 1:10:53

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Joey and I were treated to a large rainbow as we drove along Millstream on our way to the race this morning. Matty met us in the parking lot near the start line so we could do our warm-up somewhere where it was flat. We weren’t feeling very perky in the warm-up, I think mostly because we were both intimidated by the fact that we were about to run 3.5 kilometers straight uphill. After stripping down to our race gear we made our way to the start where a few others were doing strides. Giuse drove up to the clubhouse so he could meet us at the top once we were finished. The race started a bit late since we had to wait for the other runners to be shuttled down to the base of the hill. I was starting to get cold so I tried to keep moving as much as possible. I really didn’t know what to expect going into this race so my plan was to just run a steady pace until the clubhouse and if I was still conscious at that point, I would try and pick it up the last ascent to the finish. I started out conservatively, slowly moving into a rhythm I thought I could hold for most of the climb. The assault we faced near the 2km marker was pretty nasty so I pulled back a bit in case there was more of the same around the next corner. I was breathing hard but wasn’t anaerobic as I neared the last flat bit before the summit and although my legs were feeling tired they weren’t blocks of cement yet, so I thought this is where I’ll pick it up. Once I started up that last climb however, I realized “picking it up” just wasn’t going to happen! That last ascent was pretty steep and felt like it went on forever. It was such a relief to reach the top of that bugger but discouraging to find out there was one last small but steep hill to climb to get to the finish….CRAP! Who put that there?! My finishing time was 15:53. Lucy was stellar as usual and beat her course record she set in 2005. Matty was the star of the day coming in 5th overall in a very stacked men’s field! Another special mention goes to Team Gobi Canada

These guys dragged tires behind them the whole way...amazing!

It was a really fun race (uh…did I just say that?). I would definitely do it again next year. Way to go Mark and Nick!

After a good cool-down, we went to the awards presentation and then went for brunch before heading home.

Spoiled Rotten 44:10

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Joey surprised me this weekend with a getaway night at Brentwood Bay Lodge. He had an overnight bag all ready to go and just said that we were heading off for the evening. I didn’t realize where we were going until we got on the highway. He  planned it weeks ago for my b-day. We hadn’t been there before so we didn’t know what to expect. Holy smokes was it ever decadent! Without even asking, our room was upgraded…I think because it was our first time there and the room was available. The room was really gorgeous. The bathroom had heated floors and a huge jetted tub. There was a fireplace in the sitting room and there were large windows overlooking the ocean. Swanky! We were offered a glass of bubbly when we checked in and it was then that Joey said I had to be down at the spa in 45 minutes for a massage he had booked for me. OK…now how lucky am I?! On top of it all he had made dinner reservations at the restaurant there…the bonus points just keep rolling in. He's the SWEETEST!!!

I sang for a good hour when we got home this afternoon. Selena is back and I have a lesson booked with her next week. I can't wait to see her and work with her again!  After my warbling session, Joey and I met Matty at the lakes to run an easy loop in the sunshine. Matty and I tried not to think about the pain we are going to be in running the race tomorrow…we’ll leave that for tomorrow. At least we’re not dragging tires behind us!

Short Hills 53:47

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Giuse was still not feeling 100% tonight so he chose not to do the WO and just dropped me off at the Y. He should be ready to run again by Saturday. So many people I know have been hit by this nasty flu bug. I’ve been lucky so far.

Matty and I did our usual extra 20 minutes of running before meeting the IRR group at the Y.  I was thrilled to see my buddy Syl show up. He was really clowning around during the warm-up drills. I thought I was going to pee my pants, I was laughing so hard. What a trouble maker he is. He disrupted the group and may never be allowed back again. lol

Tonight’s workout was short and sweet for me and Matty (and Syl): 5 x the short section of Gonzales hill with the usual strides between the hill repeats. The rest of the group did some long and short sets. My legs were a bit stiff from last night’s drills but not horribly so. I was still able to keep a good turn-over going. We did a 10-15 minute warm-down and called it a night.

39 Forever!! 50:02

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Happy Valentine’s Day!! I came in to work this morning and found some gifties waiting for me on my desk. It was my birthday today….39…wow. How did that happen?

Matty met me after work today for our run. When I got to his car, there was a box on the front seat. He got me a massage mat! You lie on it and it massages your back! Joey was thrilled…now he’s off the hook! Ha! When he saw the box he reacted as if it was a gift for him!

I have been feeling kind of tired since Monday. I am either fighting something or maybe this is normal after a period of harder running and this is just my body’s way of saying it was ready for this recovery week (or maybe it's because I am getting old!). We did pretty well the same run as on Monday. 20 minute warm-up around the UVic trails, 20 minutes of drills and a ten-minute warm-down followed by Posey drills and strides. I am not huffing and puffing as much doing the strength drills so I think I am getting stronger! The double-legged hops are still death but I don’t think that will ever get easy. It was raining and and windy but still fairly warm.

When I got home, I found a bouquet of roses sent from Barb and David…thanks guys!

After doing my weight/core exercises, I took a shower and got all dolled up. Giuse had made a reservation for dinner at Brasserie l’école. What a lucky girl I am! It was the perfect way to end the day!

Speedy on the Trails 58:51

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

We’ve been pretty lucky with the weather lately. I can’t remember the last time we’ve had to run in the pouring rain. Last year at this time I came home from nearly every run, drenched. Tonight was another dry, windless night. Meanwhile my friends back in Montreal are being forced to run on the indoor track (200m) at McGill. Brutal.

Tonight’s WO was short but intense. 12 x 1 minute with 1 minute recoveries. We ran the intervals along the trails around UVic campus this time instead of the roads.  I was able to concentrate well on form tonight and as it got tough in the last few intervals, I focused even harder and practiced ignoring the pain. It was a good mental WO. My legs were firing well tonight so I think I maintained a good clip from start to finish. I am looking forward to getting back on the track next week to see if I am really staying consistent. Matty and I ran back to the track, switched out of our racing flats and ran around the infield while watching IRR do their warm-up drills and stayed for the beginning of their WO. I wanted to stick around and say hi to everyone after they finished but I was getting chilled just standing there, so we left like the snobs we are!

Chick Night 55:06

Monday, February 12, 2007

Tonight Matty and I did a 25 minute warm-up around the UVic trails followed by 20 minutes of the strength drills on the in-field of the track. We finished off with a ten minute warm-down and some Pose drills/strides. The 20 mins of drills were hard but good. After a cruddy sleep the night before, I felt like I was sleep-running!

When I got home, I took a quick shower and headed over to Sauce with Lis. We were supposed to get a lift from Giuse but he was called to be at the opera rehearsal right at 7pm since Timothy had come down with the flu and would perhaps need Joey to conduct portions of the rehearsal. Lis and I ended up taking a cab and after a comedy of errors (Lis…I found those earrings!!!) we arrived at the restaurant a good 25 minutes late….sorry goyls! Jen Mac, Shan and Jennie were already there waiting but were very understanding. We had a great girlie night. The conversation would have sent even the bawdiest of sailors running out of the room. Thanks for a great night!

I Forgot a Day!

Well...last Friday was a day off from running but definitely a day worth documenting! After work I met Joey, Becky and Timothy (who were on break  between rehearsals) for a bite to eat downtown. I went back to the Royal to watch the part of the rehearsal of the next opera of POV's season. Giuse and I snuck out after about 20 minutes and headed over to Shan's for a visit. She offered wine and beer...I had almost a full bottle of Schmirnoff Ice! Lola was there and we got to play with her quite a bit....that was a blast! She is a sweetie! Lis came over too and if Paul had known Joey was coming, he would have showed up. He thought he would be the only guy there...instead, Joey was the poor soul who had to sit and listen to girlie chatter....and with the likes of us, there is no holding back. In the middle of one particular conversation (the subject matter is far too graphic for this family show), we looked over to see Joey acting as if he was deep into a magazine that he had picked up, pretending that he wasn't hearing all the potty-mouth talk going on around him...very Qute! Thanks girls for the great night!

Recovery Week 59:46

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Joey was feeling much better but we thought he should not run and give his body a chance to really rest up. Matty and I did a loop around the lakes with an out and back making the whole run last just under an hour. This is the start to my easy week. We saw Shan a couple of times, Helena and finally Don-Don with Packman and Lisa. I was surprised not to see the boys dragging their tires in preparation for their Gobi March this June! I gave Don-Don a hard time about putting the bug in Matty’s ear that I run next weekend’s hell-race…that was fun!

Later in the afternoon, Squintch met Giuse and I for brunch at Avalon. Then we drove out to Langford as a family and did some outlet shopping for an hour or so. The highlight of the day was when I went all out and cooked the boys their dinner! I thought Squintch was never going to stop about how shocked he was seeing me in the kitchen. I tried to take pictures to document this momentous occasion but our camera is on the fritz. Don’t worry…there’s always next year!

Juan de Fuca Tempo WO 1:10:39

Saturday, February 10, 2007

I woke up this morning to find Joey curled up on the couch. He woke up sick in the middle of the night and didn’t want to wake me….awwww!  He had a temperature and was exhausted from a night of restless sleep…poor thing. He said he was feeling better so we’re hoping it was just a 24-hour bug.

Tomorrow’s race made for a small group today at JdeF. It was just Jen Mac, me, Matty and Dawn. Dawn had to stop a couple of times due to a niggle that was bothering her so she wisely canned the WO.

Today the WO was a 30 minute tempo run with the first five minutes as a gradual pick-up into the pace we wanted to hold for the remaining 25 minutes. I felt pretty good until the last ascent up the hill on the far side of the golf course. It was my third run at it and I hit the base with about 7 minutes left to go on my timer. It was a nasty climb to the top that had me sucking air but I was determined to finish strong and stayed focused. I finally got up and over it and found my rhythm again to run the last few minutes with some quick turn-over and feeling strong.

We wanted to see the route for next weeks’ race at Bear Mountain and all I have to say is...Yikes! What a nutty course...it should be a riot, if I don't go into cardiac arrest!

That's Better! 1:19:20

Thursday, February 8, 2007

Boob met me at Island Runner after work to have a look at the shirts Phil had lined up for the club. They’re not exactly what we were looking for so since there are seams where the logo would go. We will wait until the fall when he’ll have more selection for long sleeved shirts.

We met Matty at the Y and did our usual warm-up route, crossing paths with Jennie as we ran along Cooke. The turnout was great tonight. LeRoo showed up so we ran to Gonzales Rd together. My legs still felt less than perky so Matty thought it would be a good idea for me to do a slightly shorter WO than planned. I did 6 x long hills and 4 x short hills with strides in between. I eased into the first hill, did a stride and felt pretty fluid, so I picked it up a bit on the next hill but stayed at a pace that hard  but not brutal. Brent wasn’t doing the strides in between the hills but he was nice enough to wait while I did mine so I would have some company up each hill. Tony joined in too and soon I was feeling strong and my legs were firing again. Giuse is planning on racing so he said it took it a bit easier this week. Matty in the meantime did 10 long hills but started further down at Richmond St. leaving out the strides. He really had a great WO. After scraping him off the sidewalk, we did a 20 minute cool down chatting about what the schedule will be for next week.

Easy Run 56:35

Wednesday, February 7, 2007

I had my second singing lesson with Benj today. It’s working really well so I am very excited!

It was just me, Wayne and Boob out tonight for a run. Boob took us on another route near his office. Wayne and I were lost as usual but we had a great time! I ended with some Pose drills and strides. My legs felt better so I should be good to go tomorrow night. I did my weight and core routine but skipped the leg strengthening stuff just to be on the safe side.

Violet Looking for a Foster Home 1:10:22

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

The poor violet that sits on my desk has had about fourteen near-death experiences since I took ownership of it last year. Its leaves were completely limp, their edges curled and dry. I watered it as fast as I could as if those extra seconds would make a difference between life and death. I am a terrible Mother. I have a long history of abusing plants. Years ago, I was given a plant clipping which I put in a jar of water. After month or so, it grew roots and was ready to be planted into some soil. I never quite got around to it. A year or two passed and the poor little clipping survived multiple droughts, mold infestations, sun damage…you name it. One day, Joey and I came home to find the clipping on the kitchen floor. We had left the window open and the cutting must have gotten caught in the lace curtains that were blowing in the breeze and then was thrown into the middle of the kitchen floor, roots and all. I felt terrible and quickly scooped it up and put it back in the jar. Without missing a beat, Joey said that the poor bugger flung itself to the floor in a desperate attempt to commit suicide and was now being forced to return to its torturous life. I howled with laughter! I eventually planted the clipping and it turned into a pretty nice plant . It now lives happily with Joey’s Mom in Montreal who has the greenest thumb around! She would be appalled at the sight of my sad, little violet. When will the abuse end?!

Matty and I met right after work so we could run our WO in the daylight. The WO was 6 x 5 minutes tonight with 90 seconds break and we took basically the same route as last week with the majority of our intervals on Beach Dr. The first few intervals were cruel. My legs didn’t want to turn over. I tried to keep some spin going without forcing but it wasn’t easy or pretty. The fifth interval included that bloody hill from Beach Drive up Cadboro Bay Drive…that was a bugger, so I made the last interval count and finally, out of the blue, I found some flow and was in the groove. I finished buckled over. That was a good one! A tough run tonight but I did it. After the cool down, Matty decided to cancel the run for the next morning. My leggies are tired and need to rest so I will just do an easy run tomorrow evening and get some recovery in.

Monday Blahs 1:25:38

Monday, February 5, 2007

It was a double day for me and Matty. We did the usual 30 minute shuffle around Cedar Hill golf course this morning before work. After work we met again and ran for 55 minutes around the UVic trails. I felt a bit sluggish at the start of the run. I was breathing a bit harder than usual for the easy pace we were going. After about 25 minutes though, I perked up and even had enough juice left to do a pick-up in the last km or so and felt quite good. We ended the run with five sets of Pose drills leading into strides. I haven’t had any groin pain for a week….yay!

Super Bowl Sunday 1:30:56

Sunday, February 4, 2007

Just as Matty and I pulled into the p-lot at Beaver Lake we spotted LeRoo running toward the trail and caught her before she sped off. She was away all week so we were happy to have the chance to run together and chat. Syl showed up too and ran with us until a km or so after Hamsterly Beach where he veered off to do the Bear Hill climb. I was quite happy just to have a long steady run, with no hills or other spurts of effort, thank you very much! Instead, we did a leisurely 1st lap in 46:23 (taking the long route) while enjoying being back on the trails at the lakes. On the second loop Matty left LeRoo and me in the dust as he sped off as we approached Hamsterly. She and I continued along nice and steady chatting girlie-talk the whole way (I wonder if that is why Matty took off!). We finished the second loop in 44:33, covered in mud and sopping wet.

After a pretty big mileage week (for me) and three good quality sessions, I am still standing and still feel I have some fight left in me. It will be interesting to see how I feel though this week. It may end with me in curled up in a dark corner in fetus position sucking my thumb, rocking myself back and forth!

Giuse started his long run with Shan at the lakes an hour before us so he had time to have brunch ready for when I got back! Stuffed with pancakes, I had a quick lie down before we met Squintch at Island Runner. Giuse needed some new shoes and Squintch picked up a pair that he had on order. IRR is due to buy more club shirts so I spoke to Phil about getting the order done through him. Squintch then convinced me to go to The Beagle Pub to watch the Super Bowl. I was skeptical at first not having watched a football game in its entirety (and not knowing any of the rules). The Beagle was packed. A few people sitting around a table, invited us to join them just as we were about to give up trying to find a place to sit. The gentleman we (I) sat beside was very nice but was totally pickled and reeked of a combo of ivory soap, beer and barf. Charming. I turned to Squintch on my other side to complain and he just laughed…friends. The guy kept leaning into me chatting loudly into my ear while I held my breath and nodded politely. Buddy’s focus eventually turned back to the game so I was able to finally settle in and once I started absorbing the atmosphere, I was in there like swim-wear, cheering away with the rest of the football fanatics. It was really fun! My new pal provided some entertainment at half-time which included knocking over his drink, spilling the entire contents on the table and floor missing my lap by inches. Apologies were made…over and over…’No honestly, no harm done… forget all about it (just stop breathing on me!)’. We snuck out just as the game was ending and called it an early night.

Juan de Fuca 1:35:14

Saturday, February 3, 2007

There was another big group out this morning at Juan de Fuca. Boob gave us 8-8-7-7 minutes with 3 minute rests. Matty added on another 2 x 6 minutes for me and him to give us 42 minutes total of solid effort. I ran the warm-up with Jen Mac and felt pretty sleepy and sluggish. We talked a bit about how hard it is to get enough rest between workouts while working full-time. I got a good 8-9 hours of sleep in last night so I hoped that was what was making me feel a bit pokey but was thinking…'uh-oh…this is going to be brutal...we are coming close to the end of a big week so get ready to feel like ka-ka, Mar' but once we started the first interval I felt pretty good. The rests were plenty long so I felt recovered between each interval which helped. I tried to stay relaxed while keeping the turn-over quick and tried to keep my shoulders down and lead from my core. Boob ran a couple of sets with me. It was a good WO. Matty said he felt great too.  I am sure we will be crawling our way through tomorrow’s long run though, but that’s ok. I got some great training volume in this week and banked some good mileage. I will just go with the flow tomorrow and see how it goes. We have another big week coming but Matty says it will be a little less intense and then I will have a well-deserved easy week.

Giuse had a good run today too. It was great to also see the two Nancys out, Shan, Gwen, Dawn…a great group of chicks!!

Squintch met me and Giuse for lunch which was followed by a late-afternoon nap for me. Now it looks like we are going to catch an early show…I love weekends!

Hills and Strides 1:20:27

Thursday, February 1, 2007

I’ve been really making an effort to get enough sleep these past couple of weeks. I made a commitment to be in bed between 9 and 9:30pm whether I am sleepy or not. Now I am hooked! That extra hour or so of sleep has made such a difference to my overall energy and recovery. It took a week to get into the groove of this new schedule but I am now very used to tucking into bed at an earlier time. I have taken being dull to a whole new level and I look forward to being razzed by my buddies. Bring it on!!!

Matty and did our usual loop around Beacon Hill before meeting the rest of IRR at the “Y” after work. The nice weather attracted quite a large number of runners tonight and what a beauty of a night it was! A few new faces showed up which nice (John B, Claire J, Shane) as well as a couple who we haven't seen in a while (Joe, John). As we were leaving the lobby Boob told us all to do a gradual pickup heading to Gonzales.  We lost first-timers Johanna and Glen somehow so Matty went back to get them but they were no where to be found…ooops!

After some drills and strides, Matty and I did 10 long hill repeats on Gonzales with strides in between while the rest of the gang did 6 x long and 3-4 x short with the strides. With the extra volume this week, I was anticipating that tonight’s WO would be tough. My legs weren’t fried but they weren’t feeling super frisky either. I just focused on keeping a quick turn-over going and keeping the effort even and steady from the bottom to the top of each hill. I was pretty knackered by the time I got to the 9th so Matty called it and said I had had enough. After quick rest, I did one short hill and stride to finish the WO feeling strong and springy. The twenty minute cool-down for me felt really excellent. I don’t know why but I could have kept running but Matty pulled the reigns in on me and said I was finished for the night. Good thing I have Matty as my second, more logical brain. I have a rest day tomorrow but Saturday will be a big WO. I was warned it might be painful…I can hardly wait!

Joey was pleased with his run tonight. He said his repeats were a lot faster this week than last week. I swear, if he trained consistently, he would be kicking my butt easily! We had no groceries at home so we grabbed take-out from Sen Zushi. Mmmmmm!!!

Double Wednesday 1:22:23

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

The start of this morning’s run was pretty brutal. Matty and I both complained of feeling pretty stiff as we made our way up the big hill around the Cedar Hill golf course. The second loop felt much better but boy-o did it take a while to warm up. It was another crisp morning and just as started to run we caught another neat glimpse of the moon. We got the run done in just under 30 minutes.

I had a voice lesson with Benj today. His studio is just a three minute walk from my office which makes things very convenient.  It was a great lesson-he’s so much fun. He uses a rubber chicken to demonstrate…you'd have to be there! A lot of info was thrown at me all at once. The concepts are very much similar to Selena’s so I think it’s going to work well.

I think the Wednesday night run from Boob’s office is my favorite run of the week. I love the trails around the Tech Park and Interurban and I can’t explain why. Boob always manages to find a new route every week and there’s always a nice group of people to run with. The group tonight included Wayne, Boob, Giuse, Matty and Deby. The pace was easy. We ran on trails at first but eventually when the sun set we had to switch on to roads. As it got dark, we made our way onto Beaver Lake Rd, running through the p-lots near the lake. The moon tonight was high and almost completely full and bright enough to light our way along the dark road…I loved that! We got back after 50+ minutes. Matty and I both commented on how great our legs felt. I thought for sure I would be dragging my butt on tonight’s run but instead, I felt warmed up and pretty perky. I don’t think I could have done a track WO or anything like that, but I was feeling pretty good. I finished off with some Posey drills and strides with no grief from my groin. Whew! After dinner, I did two sets of my weight routine.