Do you know what I mean when I say totem animal?
'An Animal Totem is an important symbolic object used by a person to get in touch with specific qualities found within an animal which the person needs, connects with, or feels a deep affinity toward. ' Read More
Well I have many encounters with one of my totem animals a 'stallion/horse' in the last few years and I have to say today was no exception!
Dad told me I had to have an easy run today, let my body rest and just enjoy the scenery so I decided to think of this as more of a trot than a run...so I trotted out the front door and left for my daily jont.
The training was pretty low key today, the only real excitement was a cute little bunny that hopped across the path in front of me, for a wild animal it had the most fluffiest white tail I have ever seen.
It's so great to connect with nature each day, it relaxes you, relieves any stress, opens your eyes to beautiful world around us and gives you a great start to the day. I would highly recommend you find a sport or set a goal for yourself that you have only wished you could do. Think back when you were a child and think of what made you excited, fulfilled and happy. I know the next sport I'm getting back into is Dancing once I've reached this marathon goal. Whether you are trotting, biking, skiing, swimming or playing golf get outside and enjoy the fresh air. You won't be disappointed.
Overall today ended with a 3 mile, 4.89 km in 31:26, avg pace 6:26/km burned 422 cal, avg heart rate of 165 bpm Excited I get to trot again tomorrow!
Friday, May 14, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Day 18 - Where did that come from?
Today was a normal day, didn't feel good or bad just knew I had to go do my run quickly and get home so Dan could take the girls to school! Today is Isabelle's birthday so she was excited to go to school. I felt pretty good today on my run, really pushed a little to hard in a few areas thinking if I could just push through the pain, soon I'd feel ok again. During my run, I noticed alot more about the elevation. Today it seemed as though I was constantly going up a hill, I could feel every change in elevation. I found this weird as I had never noticed it in that light before. I'm guessing it was more apparent because I had increase my speed slightly and was noticing any little challenges I came across. Kind of like when I got chased by a barking poodle this morning on the trail. Most days my runs are calm and uneventful. If I do run into people walking on the trail with their dogs they have been very nice and never really bother me. The dogs are always suppose to be on a leash but no one ever walk their dog on a leash because it's their fun time to be outside. I don't mind as I love dogs and totally understand where they are coming from. However this morning the dog owner was walking with a cane and couldn't keep her dog in check so it ended up following me down the trail barking at my ankles. The dog tiered early and returned to it's owner.
After the dog incident, I noticed another a change in my performance. I was tiered and off my pace. I guess I had exerted much energy trying not to step on the dog which then slowed me down. I did get back on track after a few 100 feet but those elevations were coming out of no where again!
I'm guessing this is what I will be feeling like when we hit the last 6 km of the marathon. Dad is telling me that it's all a mind game by that point in the race and your legs and lungs just want to give up and you just need to keep telling yourself you are almost there.
Well, between you and me...I've been giving myself that speech every day out on my run, 'ok, your at 1mile, only 3 more to go, ok half way done, the worst is over yet, really only 1 mile left and your almost back home...' does anyone else talk to themselves like this when they are running. Or am I the only one :)
Oh ya, today I ran 4.20 miles, 6.81km in 38:24 avg pace 5:38/km, burned 574 cal and tracked my heart rate today for the first time, the avg heart rate was 165 bpm.
Two easy days comin' up...oh how I long for the 3mile runs :)
After the dog incident, I noticed another a change in my performance. I was tiered and off my pace. I guess I had exerted much energy trying not to step on the dog which then slowed me down. I did get back on track after a few 100 feet but those elevations were coming out of no where again!
I'm guessing this is what I will be feeling like when we hit the last 6 km of the marathon. Dad is telling me that it's all a mind game by that point in the race and your legs and lungs just want to give up and you just need to keep telling yourself you are almost there.
Well, between you and me...I've been giving myself that speech every day out on my run, 'ok, your at 1mile, only 3 more to go, ok half way done, the worst is over yet, really only 1 mile left and your almost back home...' does anyone else talk to themselves like this when they are running. Or am I the only one :)
Oh ya, today I ran 4.20 miles, 6.81km in 38:24 avg pace 5:38/km, burned 574 cal and tracked my heart rate today for the first time, the avg heart rate was 165 bpm.
Two easy days comin' up...oh how I long for the 3mile runs :)
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Day 17 - She's Like the Wind...
NOT! I'm more like an elephant trotting in the woods with it's ears and trunk swingin'! I try really really hard to be light on my feet and have a consistent rhythm while running but it's not always the case. Between, breathing hard, telling my muscles what to do and watching where I'm going, 'elegance' doesn't come into play at the beginning stages of learning how to become a runner. I guess this is what you need to experience to gain endurance. Like in skiing, Dan would say one needs to move from initiation then to acquisition then to consolidation and finally to refinement stage before perfecting the sport.
I remember Dad telling us when we were younger, that 'your arms are just as important as your legs while running'. Keeping your arms in sync with your feet, moving back and forth at a consistent pace and using your hands to cup the air as you run. I"m not as graceful as I'd like to be and I'm definately not 'Like the Wind', more like 'blowing wind'!
I did however improve my time, today I ran 3 miles, 4.86km in 29:56, avg pace 6:10 /km burned 414 cal, I did my easy run this morning, the one I should of done on Monday because I had to be back home early for a full day of meetings. It worked out well as I needed a short run today.
What is your definition of an 'elegant' runner? Can we be unconventional while running and still be effective and improve? What are the different stages in the sport of 'running'? I guess you can see I'm no longer looking at running as 'an action' that we can all do as humans to one degree or another. I"m really starting to analyze running as a sport. How to do the best training. How to make sure I"m using the best equipment. And how do I get from the starting line to the finish line the fastest.
I guess you can call me a serious runner now! Well once I hit 21 days I think I will officially be a 'runner', at least running every morning will be ingrained as a habit by then. Hopefully all you'll be seeing of me, is my 'Tail Wind'!!
I remember Dad telling us when we were younger, that 'your arms are just as important as your legs while running'. Keeping your arms in sync with your feet, moving back and forth at a consistent pace and using your hands to cup the air as you run. I"m not as graceful as I'd like to be and I'm definately not 'Like the Wind', more like 'blowing wind'!
I did however improve my time, today I ran 3 miles, 4.86km in 29:56, avg pace 6:10 /km burned 414 cal, I did my easy run this morning, the one I should of done on Monday because I had to be back home early for a full day of meetings. It worked out well as I needed a short run today.
What is your definition of an 'elegant' runner? Can we be unconventional while running and still be effective and improve? What are the different stages in the sport of 'running'? I guess you can see I'm no longer looking at running as 'an action' that we can all do as humans to one degree or another. I"m really starting to analyze running as a sport. How to do the best training. How to make sure I"m using the best equipment. And how do I get from the starting line to the finish line the fastest.
I guess you can call me a serious runner now! Well once I hit 21 days I think I will officially be a 'runner', at least running every morning will be ingrained as a habit by then. Hopefully all you'll be seeing of me, is my 'Tail Wind'!!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Day 16 - no sleep and I still ran
For all you ladies out there that have a snoring husbands, your not alone. I think I must of gotten a total of 2 hours sleep last night. And of course all I could think about was my run in the morning being dead tiered. I did however pro vale and actually I surprised myself and improved my time again this morning. I ran 4:01miles, 6.45 km in 39:30, avg pace 6:08/km and burned 552 cal. I love beating my time to get it under the next even number. I know I will only get stronger and improve my time and for fun I decided to check out qualifying time for the Boston Marathon as these are the times to strive for. See below:
So looking at these times I know that being 31 years old I would have to run a marathon in 3hrs and 40mins. So then I wanted to know what pace I have to run at and compare it to what I'm running now. I found this great calculater that you can input your age and # of miles you are running a week and it will tell you the pace you will need to run at. Needless to say I have a ways to go.
Your Age:
Your Gender:
I run: miles a week
The slowest you can run and still qualify for the Boston Marathon is 3:40:59. This is a 8:25 per mile pace. If you train at 27 miles per week, you need to run a 5 K in 21:21 which is 6:52 per mile pace.
My #1 goal in training for this marathon is to run it and complete it with my Dad. Then goal #2 would be run it in under 4:15 so Dad can qualify for Boston one more time. I think that will be the ideal situation.
Anyway, I"m having fun learning about this sport of running that I thought I knew so much about. Like any sport should it be skiing, running or golf...we always have more to learn.
| Age | Men | Women |
| 18-34 | 3:10 | 3:40 |
| 35-39 | 3:15 | 3:45 |
| 40-44 | 3:20 | 3:50 |
| 45-49 | 3:30 | 4:00 |
| 50-54 | 3:35 | 4:05 |
| 55-59 | 3:45 | 4:15 |
| 60-64 | 4:00 | 4:30 |
| 65-69 | 4:15 | 4:45 |
| 70-74 | 4:30 | 5:00 |
| 75-79 | 4:45 | 5:15 |
| 80+ | 5:00 | 5:30 |
So looking at these times I know that being 31 years old I would have to run a marathon in 3hrs and 40mins. So then I wanted to know what pace I have to run at and compare it to what I'm running now. I found this great calculater that you can input your age and # of miles you are running a week and it will tell you the pace you will need to run at. Needless to say I have a ways to go.
How Much Speed Do I Need To Hit a Boston Qualifying Time?
Your Age:
Your Gender:
I run: miles a week
The slowest you can run and still qualify for the Boston Marathon is 3:40:59. This is a 8:25 per mile pace. If you train at 27 miles per week, you need to run a 5 K in 21:21 which is 6:52 per mile pace.
My #1 goal in training for this marathon is to run it and complete it with my Dad. Then goal #2 would be run it in under 4:15 so Dad can qualify for Boston one more time. I think that will be the ideal situation.
Anyway, I"m having fun learning about this sport of running that I thought I knew so much about. Like any sport should it be skiing, running or golf...we always have more to learn.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Day 15 - Wrapped up
That'll teach me...I ran 4miles today and on the running schedule I only had to run 3miles. But I forgot to double check what I was suppose to run today before leaving the house and a mile into the run I started questioning myself as to how far I had to go. I thought that since I ran 6 miles yesterday for sure they would only want me to run 3 miles today as a easy down day. But, I wasn't sure and I didn't want to ruin my training program by running a mile short so I ran 4 miles today just to make sure. My time was not bad either considering I was very tiered from my run the day before. The results of my run were 4 miles, 6.45km in 41:06, avg pace 6:23/km burned 578 cal.
Before leaving the house this morning I did do something different. I wrapped up my left thigh. I found a wrap in the medicine cabinet and thought it would be a good idea to wrap that muscle to keep it warm and together. I've tried everything else...hot, cold, stretch, yoga, rolling, hitting it but that muscle does not want to let go. I'm very flexible as in I can touch my toes, head on my knees but it's not those hamstring muscles that hurt it's the little ones in behind or around the main hamstring muscle that connect to my ass muscle. I do the pigeon stretch and that seems to reach those muscles I need to stretch but still no improvement. I've also been rotating my hip joints a lot to keep that area agile and I'm taking glucosamine with my protein powder...anyone else out there have other suggestions? Not sure if wrapping the leg was a good idea or not but it didn't seem to hurt. What are the expert opinions out there?
Before leaving the house this morning I did do something different. I wrapped up my left thigh. I found a wrap in the medicine cabinet and thought it would be a good idea to wrap that muscle to keep it warm and together. I've tried everything else...hot, cold, stretch, yoga, rolling, hitting it but that muscle does not want to let go. I'm very flexible as in I can touch my toes, head on my knees but it's not those hamstring muscles that hurt it's the little ones in behind or around the main hamstring muscle that connect to my ass muscle. I do the pigeon stretch and that seems to reach those muscles I need to stretch but still no improvement. I've also been rotating my hip joints a lot to keep that area agile and I'm taking glucosamine with my protein powder...anyone else out there have other suggestions? Not sure if wrapping the leg was a good idea or not but it didn't seem to hurt. What are the expert opinions out there?
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Day 14 - Blown away!
Today was the long run for the week 6.2 miles, 9.98 km in 1:03:53, avg pace of 6:24/km burned 915 cal, I was pretty disappointed with the outcome as I wanted to come in under 1hr but I guess I took it to easy and didn't factor in the amount of wind out there this morning. The wind was blowing so hard across the Ottawa River, I had to force just to stand up straight. Hat and mitts were worn and despite all efforts to stay warm I could hardly fell my hands when I arrived home after the run. With NW winds of up to 33km/h it feels like -3 outside. Not the ideal weather to run in but I guess I would take that over a 30 degree hot summer day! If I'm going to be a marathon runner there is no fair weather training, it has to be done everyday rain or shine, cold or hot, no matter what holiday it happens to be.
As for body toning and weight I've been keeping track of that too. It will be fun to compare the before and after results. So today here's where I stand.
PreTraining End of Week2
Weight 156lbs 154lbs
Neck 13" 12 3/4"
Breasts 38" 37"
Waist 32" 31"
Above Hips 37" 36 1/2"
Hips 39" 39"
Thigh 22" 22"
Calfs 14 1/2" 14"
Ankles 8 1/2" 8 1/2"
Arm 12 3/4" 12 3/4"
Wrist 6 1/4" 6 1/4"
The only real goal I have re body toning is to get Above Hips area to be within 1" of waist and arms to be strong, toned and as thin as possible. I'm guessing all this cardio will play a big roll in helping do that but I still do my push ups and core toning exercises daily.
Well off to enjoy Mother's Day...have a good one.
P.S. Mr. Charlie is still there hanging out in a big way!
As for body toning and weight I've been keeping track of that too. It will be fun to compare the before and after results. So today here's where I stand.
PreTraining End of Week2
Weight 156lbs 154lbs
Neck 13" 12 3/4"
Breasts 38" 37"
Waist 32" 31"
Above Hips 37" 36 1/2"
Hips 39" 39"
Thigh 22" 22"
Calfs 14 1/2" 14"
Ankles 8 1/2" 8 1/2"
Arm 12 3/4" 12 3/4"
Wrist 6 1/4" 6 1/4"
The only real goal I have re body toning is to get Above Hips area to be within 1" of waist and arms to be strong, toned and as thin as possible. I'm guessing all this cardio will play a big roll in helping do that but I still do my push ups and core toning exercises daily.
Well off to enjoy Mother's Day...have a good one.
P.S. Mr. Charlie is still there hanging out in a big way!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Day 13 - early, cold, painful and fast
Today was an early rising...I was attending a CAPS meeting at 8:30am this morning so I had to run with the birds again. Is was very cold, windy and hamstring didn't like the conditions it had to endure however everything else was strong and lively which made for a pretty good run 3miles, 4.83km in 30:00, avg pace of 6:13/km and burned 402 cal. (still need to get time down) I think the rule of thumb is 2 weeks to develop strong running lungs or is that your lungs will keep their efficiency up for 2 weeks after you stopping to run? I'm sure one of the running experts reading this blog will enlighten us on the issue! Whatever the case, I can feel my body getting stronger. I yearn for my run in the morning and know that the morning is my time to run, because if I don't get it done before I start my day it will never get done. So I've found my formula, get up, get dress, stretch, water and run...no matter what I have on the go that day or no matter how busy I will be. #1 is get the run done and out of the way.
I started thinking about what the conditions will be like on marathon day. As you know I train along the Ottawa river and some mornings it's quit windy and cold. The running conditions actually reminds me a lot of the PEI Marathon route and the weather along the Gulf of St. Lawrence. I'm not one for the cold but I'm sure I'll learn how to layer my clothing and prepare for a marathon in varied weather. The more I think about running a marathon the more I realize I need to research my facts and consult good old Dad for advice in all areas. All I know is I keep envisioning me hand in hand with my Dad, as we cross the finish line...Dad hope you are training as hard as I am. Love you! Long run tomorrow :)
I started thinking about what the conditions will be like on marathon day. As you know I train along the Ottawa river and some mornings it's quit windy and cold. The running conditions actually reminds me a lot of the PEI Marathon route and the weather along the Gulf of St. Lawrence. I'm not one for the cold but I'm sure I'll learn how to layer my clothing and prepare for a marathon in varied weather. The more I think about running a marathon the more I realize I need to research my facts and consult good old Dad for advice in all areas. All I know is I keep envisioning me hand in hand with my Dad, as we cross the finish line...Dad hope you are training as hard as I am. Love you! Long run tomorrow :)
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