T-minus 16 days till race day, and counting: Run-dancing and the League of Funny Walks

The countdown till race day is still on, but I have to say that my goals are getting more and more realistic, with the cold and slippy weather we've had. I'm starting to think of race day as not so much a race, as an opportunity to get outside and enjoy the day with several hundred other runners, in the middle of winter.

For day T-minus 16, since it was Friday, I swapped a run on the treadmill with one of my favourite classes - Zumba. As anyone who has seen me at a party can attest, I just love to dance, and I don't care who's watching. If that means that I'm also burning calories and getting a good workout, so much the better!

I also love Zumba because it's so great to see women (and the occasional man) of all ages and abilities getting out there and having fun. It's got to be one of the greatest ways to exercise out there.

In fact, I love dancing so much, that sometimes I think I should invent a way to dance and run at the same time. It would be a faster version of dance-walking.

Actually that's not true - sometimes I have caught myself bopping to the music while I run - I just haven't done anything quite as outlandish as the League of Funny walks - yet. But maybe if the going gets tough on race day and I want to distract myself, I might just try it.

How's your training going? How did you handle the cold weather this week?

- HRG

PS - One last thing, before I sign off and head to yoga class: this week, my blog surpassed 1,000 page views for the first time ever. And maybe it's just me being a nerd, but I have to say it was a pretty neat feeling. It was a sign, to me at least, that I'm not just sending my writing into the void.

But I couldn't have done it if there weren't others out there who were taking the time to read my rambling thoughts (and sometimes, sharing their comments and insights).

So thank you, fellow readers. You make me feel like someone's listening, and that means a lot.

T-minus 19 days, and counting: cross-training on a wintry day

It snowed again today...A common theme around these parts lately (it's snowed four times in eight days, nevermind rain and snowmelt and everything in between). Given my fall from this Sunday, I thought I'd avoid the risk and stay inside tonight.

That's the thing about winter running - the weather can be so unpredictable that it can scuttle your plans. Which means that a mid-winter half marathon will probably not see you posting a PB on race day.

So tonight, I headed to the gym for a Body Pump class, for some good ol' cross-training. It's been a few weeks since my last BP class, so I didn't quite know what weights to put on the bar, but for the most part my leg core, arm core and back core felt strong.

My core, however, felt a little weak. I could especially tell when I was doing squats - my back started to hurt, which was a good reminder to suck in my abs as we worked.

I find it really takes effort and planning to find a good balance between running and cross-training, but it's that cross-training that's so important to building and maintaining strength.

We once had a speaker come in to one of the clinics I attended, who used to be the trainer for the national triathlete team. He said that they immediately saw an improvement in their athletes' performance as soon as they started building strength training into their regular training. So, for example, he suggested running to the park as part of your regular training run, then using the bars and a strength band there to do some core strength exercises, and running back.

I can tell you that the year that I got married, I tried something similar, and I was the fastest, strongest and fittest that I have ever been in my running career (if you can call it that). I would run 1.5kms to the gym, do 30 minutes of strength training, and then run 7.5 kms home. But the problem was that I'd arrive home at around 8:30 or 9 and have missed dinner (not to mention spending time with my fiance).

These days, my priorities are different. I would rather spend an hour at the gym or running, then the rest of the evening at home. Which means that most days I'm doing one run or cross-training class (whether yoga, Body Pump or Zumba), instead of both.

The trick, again, is to find that balance and to realize that I'm not a professional athlete, but I can still live a healthy and active life without expecting myself to hit PBs on every race.

Thus endeth my blog post for day T-minus 19 until race day!

_ HRG

I'm taking the Yoga Journal 21-day chalenge!

We are into the final stretches of training for the Halifax Hypothermic Marathon. Things have been going fairly well, despite me getting a little confused with the schedule over the holidays and doing my 18ks two weeks early. But I'm finding that now that I've done these distances more than once, the learning curve isn't as steep.

What I have learned, however, is that training with a group is way, way more motivating that running alone.

Take my last two 18ks, for instance: two weeks ago, I ran it on my own in 2:06. I knew that was slow, for me -- my average pace was way slower than I'd run it in the past (a good argument for tracking your runs -- I use the Running Room's tool, but there are others out there).

Then, a week later, after a particuarly festive New Year's Eve and a day to recover, I ran the same distance with my friend Carol. We shaved 14 minutes off that time! Crazy! I could definitely feel the difference in my legs - with that run, I felt I was working, but it was manageable. With the previous run, it just felt like I was plodding along. Of course, it helped that we were chatting the entire time, thus keeping my mind off the run.

So one of my intentions (I don't make resolutions- they're too easy to break) for the New Year is to try and get back into group running. That run with Carol made me feel vindicated as a runner and helped me gain back my trust in my legs. I haven't gotten slow - I've just been running alone!

We'll see how the Hypo Half goes in a few weeks' time, but my goal ultimately will be to run it and have fun, as a prep for a spring half or full.

Another of my intentions since the New Year has been to sign up for the Yoga Journal 21-day challenge. Why? Because healthy minds + a healthy body = a healthy runner! I also love yoga - perhaps even more than running (though the rush you feel while running a good tempo or race is nothing like the calm you feel when you're in the zone in the middle of a good yoga class).

The challenge for this week is to do one yoga practice each day, plus one 15-minute meditation and eat one vegetarian meal. And yesterday, I did all three: a practice in the morning, followed by a vegetarian brekkie and meditation at lunch. It was nice waking up and starting the day with a nice stretch, and taking some time during a hectic day to close my eyes and simply focus on my breath.

Today was day two of the challenge. Things I learned today:

- this takes time, and effort. I had a busy day, so I didn't get to the challenge until the end of the day, after work and Zumba. I haven't even had a chance to meditate yet;
- each day in the challenge seems to be a different instructor, and a different series of poses. You kind of have to trust the process and learn to give yourself up to it, because you don't know what's coming up next. For someone who is used to practising a regular series, this can be a little frustrating at first, but also a learning experience; and
- practising yoga at home is also different from going out to a studio. You need to find the physical space to do it, as well as the equipment. I practised on my carpet the last two days, which eliminates the need for a mat but also works different muscles than normal. I also improvised a strap by using a ribbon I had in my sewing kit, and figure I could use a dictionary as a block if need be.

Trusting the process, and looking forward to seeing what tomorrow brings. I also look forward to seeing if this makes any difference in my running!

~ HRG

Yoga glow, handstands and Natal Day 8k run!

This recovery has been one of learning about patience and believing -- believing that no matter how difficult things may seem, they will get better. It's also been one of taking lessons learned from different times and places, and applying them to this long learning process. It's been one of learning not only about my body, but about myself as an athlete and person.

And this week, I felt like I accomplished a few major milestones in my recovery. I finally feel able to put in place a tentative fall race goal. More on that race goal later.

Although last week my belly was a little sore and swollen after Zumba, I decided to head to the Park Lane Good Life to see if I could make it through the whole hour of yoga. I'd also been feeling tired the last few days, perhaps because I'd forgotten to take my iron pills. But I was tired of doing nothing so I decided to see what I could do.

Perhaps it was because Jason slowed things down since there were a few beginners in the class, or perhaps because I'm getting stronger, but nevertheless I felt like I had much more stamina and energy this week as we flowed through the poses.

Focusing on my breath, I was in the zone, flowing from one position to the next. By the end of the hour, I felt cleansed. As we said Namaste, I thanked myself that I'd taken this time to practise on that day. I headed out of there, my mat slung over my shoulder and a satisfied glow within.

After that success, I felt emboldened. Yesterday, after a great day hanging out with hubby on the Eastern Passage, I decided to head to Ashtanga Yoga Shala and try an hour-and-a-half-long Karma class. I figured if worst came to worse, I would hang out in child's pose for most of the class if it got too difficult.

Walking up the stairs to the Shala, I was more than a little nervous. Guylaine's Karma class is a tough one to keep up with, and she can be pretty ruthless. I was worried that she'd try to force me into poses I wasn't ready for and I wouldn't be able to keep up.

But then when I got into the studio, there was no trace of Guylaine. Instead, Seth was there. And anyone who's taken classes with Seth knows -- he's even more ruthless and focused than Guylaine. Just a few minutes with either of them is enough to turn me from a confident yogi into a self-doubting one...Which according to them is probably a healthy approach to yoga in any case.

So I unrolled my mat, took a seat and waited to see what Seth had in store for us. The studio was uncommonly empty for a Sunday, and I wondered if most of the class had headed east to Moncton for the U2 concert.

A few minutes later, Seth came in, turning on the lights and taking a seat on the stairs.

"So - do you want fast, or slow this week?" he asked. Most of the class was quiet, although there were a few inaudible mumbles from the far corner of the room.

I didn't say anything. Last week I'd warned Robert that I was still recovering from surgery and wanted to play things by ear, and he respected it (sometimes instructors feel compelled to push me into poses and I didn't want that to happen). But around Seth, I felt a little shy -- or perhaps intimidated. He's pretty intense. Again, I figured if need be, I'd take a breather and hang out in child's pose if things were too tough.

"No one? Ok well then we'll just do handstands all class. I'm not kidding," he said.

He wasn't kidding.

Bear in mind that I hadn't done a handstand in at least 10 years, even though I'd been a recreational competitive gymnast and coach for almost 10 years.

Bear in mind that I'd had pretty serious surgery about two months ago.

I was nervous. As I breathed in and out through my nose and settled into a few sun salutations, I wondered whether this had been a good idea. Maybe I should roll up my mat and walk out.

Then again...Who knows what I could do?

So I stayed.

Soon enough, we progressed from sun salutations to deep groin stretches, and then...

Handstands against the wall.

But I was determined not to be the one who walked out. Thank goodness for self-imposed peer pressure.

In the end, I ended up doing handstands against the wall for 5, 10, 15 breaths as Seth worked us through a series of poses meant to stretch our groins (how handstands were doing this, I wasn't sure, as I breathed into my shoulders, which were quaking with the effort. However, I tried to remain up as long as I could given that I was one of only a couple of girls hanging out in the full pose. Yes, I'm competitive).

It was a tough class. It was at times a painful class -= as classes with Seth tend to be. But I did it. Once again, I left with a tiny little glow of self-satisfaction. I felt like my recovery was looking up, although my shoulders would be sore in the morning.

Yet today, surprisingly, my shoulders weren't sore. I was encouraged.

Although today was Natal Day and Nova Scotians should be taking the day off to celebrate our province's origins, my poor hubby had to work. So after dropping him off at work, I decided to try and head out for another run, albeit a slow one.

It was hot, so I spent most of my run darting from one shaded area on the sidewalk to the next. Part of me was glad that I'd missed so much of the summer's hottest days. I typically tend to be a hot runner, so I don't perform well on warm days.

Anyways, I did it. I ran 8k today in 10:1s. My pace slowed considerably by the end of the run, but I didn't let it get me down.

Something Seth said in class yesterday while I was upside down in handstand resonated with me today as my Garmin ticked from 6.99 kms through to 7.00 as I crested the long gradual incline next to the Public Gardens:

"Your leg may not be as far down as the person beside you, but that's ok." I think that's what he said...something akin to "It's not a competition. It's just about you." (I was upside-down and focusing on not falling, so not all of what he said stayed with me, but the message did).

And unless you're an Olympic athlete, I realized that's just as true for running as it is for yoga.

So while I could have been disheartened that once again this run was slower and harder than I would have liked, and that friends I used to train with would have smoked me today, instead I focused on my own little accomplishments.

Today, 8k, next week - 10 or 12?

And this October, who knows -- maybe the Valley Half?

But for now, I'm content to take it one day at a time; one step at a time; one little success at a time.

~ HRG

Week 17-18: Look how far I've come!

Eep! It's T-23 hours and 35 minutes till the starting gun goes off, and I've definitely got little butterflies and ladybugs flitting around in my tummy!

Today's going to be a rest day, so I'm taking the time to reflect on all the training I've done, as well as my personal milestones in my running history, all the way back to my first 5k at the Toronto Waterf ront Marathon in 2004. It's a great way to remind myself of just how much I've accomplished.

Look how far I've come!	Time
2004 Toronto Waterfront 5k	39:20
2008 Blue Nose 10k	54:14
2009 Halifax Hypothermic Half	1:59:49
2009 Blue Nose Half	1:56:48
2009 Valley Harvest Half	1:54:46
2010 Blue Nose Half	1:57:44
2010 Legs For Literacy Full	4:39:51

As for my training for this marathon, the last two weeks in Ontario have been a little busy, what with visiting family and friends throughout southeast Ontario, and working out of our National office in Toronto. Surprisingly, I did manage to get most of my runs in last week, including what felt like an amazing 16k race pace run in Orléans, Ottawa.

Unlike last fall, when the runs leading up to the Legs for Literacy Marathon in Moncton were painful, sluggish and had me wondering how the heck I could manage to run 42k when I couldn't keep up the pace for these smaller distances, last week's 16k felt amazing. Effortless.

As I wound my way through Orléans, the cars whizzing by me at a much busier rate than in Halifax, and trusting my Garmin and my sense of direction to get me back to my brother's house, I finally felt like all of my training was coming together. It took me a good 15-20 minutes to warm up, so my calves in particular were a little crampy at first, but I knew that if I just kept going, eventually they'd work themselves out. And once they did, it felt magical.

Looking down at my watch after the first few kilometres, I was surprised to see that I was running below my goal pace of around 5:40. I told myself I could hold off a bit, but even when I relaxed and "slowed down," my pace gradually increased to about 5:20ish, then even down to 5:11.

I couldn't believe it. There was no lactic acid buildup, my breathing was relaxed, and my legs felt FANTASTIC! After coming back home, pink-faced and sweaty, I spent most of the rest of the day on a cloud, proud of myself and all the work I had put into this training program, and confident that I could now accomplish what I have set out to do: run the GoodLife Toronto Marathon (and hopefully accomplish a PB over last race).

The following day, I did a slow 6k, and my legs felt much more sluggish, but I took most of the rest of the week off to relax (in any case, my work and social schedule were so busy last week, I had little or no time for running).

My race bib and the Toronto Marathon t-shirt!

I've come so far since those first steps on my journey of 952.2 kilometres. To be honest, I haven't run all 952.2 kilometres in this training program. In fact I've built in a lot more cross-training into the program, with Zumba, Body Pump and yoga. But I feel ready.

Thinking back on my first Blue Nose 10k race in 2008, when that run from the Halifax town clock, over the MacDonald Bridge and back felt like a huge accomplishment (and it is - no doubt about it), I've come so far. I've made new friends, trained really hard, and run farther than I've ever done before. I also owe so much to the support and encouragement of my husband (who says he'll be virtually holding out the chocolate milk and chips for me at the finish, even though he'll be watching from Halifax), friends and family who believe in me and will be cheering me on.

In fact, on that night more than 10 years ago when I headed out for a short run through downtown Toronto, and kept running simply because I wanted to get home and out of the Riverdale Valley before it got dark (because at night in Toronto, the critters and the Don Valley tent dwellers come out) I could never have imagined I'd one day be prepping for my second marathon.

But no matter the highs and lows, the aches and pains, the nights that I don't want to pull on my gear and head out for that run...I've gotta say, I've been bitten by the running bug.

And no matter what happens tomorrow, whether I accomplish a PB or not, the important thing is the journey. And by golly, it's been a tough one, but I'm here, baby. Bring on the Toronto Marathon!

~ HRG

Week 12 complete, and 13 begins: Marathons are also about the chocolate-banana smoothies and ice baths!

Well, last week was tough, there's no denying it. But as I was discussing with a fellow runner on Twitter, usually a tough run is followed by a great run. And that's what happened this week. After my awesome Body Attack class on Monday, which was supposed to have been a rest day, I didn't know quite how I'd be feeling on Tuesday. But after Bruce's quick chat on perceived effort vs heart rate monitoring, we headed out for our 6k tempo run. And it was a great run.

To keep things easy route-wise, Bruce made us do laps around the Commons. I thought I was going to stick with the 4:15 group, given the attacking that my body had done the previous day. As we came up Bell Road and along Ahern, turning left onto the sidewalk next to the Commons, I started to pick up the pace. We were supposed to be running at around a 5:50/5:55 pace, but pretty soon, I was catching up to the 4hr group. Looking down at my Garmin, I saw that I'd picked up to around 5:06 in order to catch up with them.

I let myself slow down to around 5:24 and drafted along behind the 4hr group, feeling pretty good. My breathing was a little heavier, but I was just enjoying the feeling of speed, and of the strength in my legs. At around 5k, my calves and shins were cramping a tiny bit so I held off a tad. I find that usually helps burn off the latic acid and lets my muscles recover and loosen up a bit.

Anyways, we were supposed to do threre laps around the Commons and head back, but by lap three, I saw Andrea and Bruce standing at the Five Corners. I guess I forgot how to count that day, because when Bruce told me we were supposed to do three laps and head back to the store, I got confused and thought I'd only done two. So back around the Commons I went.

By that time, I couldn't see the group ahead of me, and there was no one behind. Confused, I headed back to the store, only to see Wendy, Carol and Andrea stretching there, when I thought they had been behind me! In the end, I did 8k at around 5:30/km and it felt great.

Long story short, this run reminded me how much I love running short, fast (relative to me) distances. I don't mind not being able to breathe for a few kms (5-10) if I know the finish line is nearby!

On Wednesday and Thursday, my husband and I headed in to the Valley for an early birthday mini-vacation. We had a great time sampling local beers, wine and food and watching the local bald eagles (did I mention I'm such a Lisa Simpson?), and it was nice to relax with him in the countryside for a few days -- we don't often get two days off together due to our different work schedules.

Friday, the weather was a typical Halifax spring day -- wind, rain, snow, ice pellets...I'd been running in a tank top and shorts only a few weeks ago, now this? I opted for Zumba instead, but for some reason I didn't quite feel like I had my A-game. So Saturday, rather than repeating my mistake of the previous week of doing too much (10k + Ashtanga), I just did Ashtanga. At this point in the training schedule, skipping out on a few runs isn't going to make or break my race. And I knew that if I was feeling tired, sometimes it's just best to take it easy and give my body a break.

Today, we ran 32k. And I conquered the MacDonald Bridge once again! I've never been a fan of running it, but today it was pretty cool - there must have been 50 or more runners heading over to Dartmouth from the Running Room, and I felt surrounded by our positive energy. We headed past the Mic Mac Mall, then under the highway to Shubie, around the Mic Mac Lake and back over the bridge. I kept my pace consistent with Wendy's at around 6:45-7:00. My legs felt a little sluggish, but I knew that today was just about getting the distance in.

After crossing back to Halifax, Wendy peeled off at  23k to head back to the store, and we continued through the outside loop at Point Pleasant Park. For some reason my Garmin decided to conk out at around 24k (I'd charged it the night before! Jonathan at the Running Room suggested doing a master reset, so I tried that after our run. I'm going to *need* it to last longer than 2 hours for my race, that's for sure!).

I was happy to have stuck it out with the group this week after a few weeks of runing the long runs on my own. I was reminded today that the thing I love about running with a group is that you get to meet some really interesting people. Today, I ended up running with Rachel, who is in our clinic. I had no idea, but she's running her marathon in the name of animal welfare, and raising funds for that cause. I hope to be able to profile her in a future Runner in Profile spot.

Since most of the group is running their race the week after me, they were doing 29k today but I was supposed to do 32. We stopped at South and South Park, and then I walked with them to the Running Room for a quick bathroom break and some water. Then I left everyone to their stretching while I finished my last 3k -- amazing how much better I was feeling after a little break, but at 32k, I'd had enough. But I was done! Next Sunday, I'll taper back to a nice comfortable 23k, followed by 29, 32, 16 and then...42!!!

After my run, I headed to Starbie's for a chocolate banana smoothie, praying they had bananas -- it's one of my favourite post-long run recovery drinks, and I can literally feel it working only minutes after drinking it. My legs were starting to cramp up. Then home, for an ice bath, followed by a soak with some Epsom salts. Phew!

I'm still not 100% sure about the benefits of an ice bath for recovery, but most serious runners swear by them. See this article published in Running Times Magazine a few years ago. Says @Love4GambiaErin, "Am 100% pro ice-bath.  Feels like relief.  Important tip: hoody, hat and latte required." I have to agree: when you're sitting in cold (or ice-cold) water up to your legs, a jacket and hat definitely helps dull the cold in the rest of your body!

I'm looking forward to profiling Erin soon in an upcoming Runner in Profile spot. Stay tuned!

Happy running, and healthy recovery,

~ HRG

Ready, set, go!!!

Dear friends,

I've been treatening to do this for some time now, and the day has finally arrived: the launch of my all-running blog, Halifax Runner Girl!

I've been blogging about my marathon training program on my regular blog for the last month or so, and gradually realized that this needed its own space where I could expand on the theme of running.

So here it is folks. In addition to continuing to blog about my own marathon training process, I plan to include monthly HRG Runner Profile posts, product reviews (a whole post on shoe shopping!!! :) ), cross-training tips (including things like yoga for runners, Zumba and strength training), interviews, recipes, inspirational quotes and more. And who knows -- maybe some guest posts from fellow runners too!

Whether you've been running for years, debating starting to run but just don't know how to get started or simply looking for inspiration to get active in any sport, I hope this blog will be of interest. I'm by no means an expert, and sometimes running is more agonizing than enjoyable, so I also hope it'll be a place for us to share and learn together.

Ready, set, go!!!

 ~ HRG

And if you are new to me, here are some my links to my previous posts on my first marathon and the first six weeks of my marathon training program.

My first marathon story: Pain is temporary, pride is forever

Getting back into it: Those first steps on my journey of 952.2 kilometres

Week one of my marathon training program: Great tempo, speed bumps, and keeping on...

Week three: Snow, rain, ice, snain, it's all good...

Week four: Whatever it is, find something to kick your butt out that door

Week six: I *heart* two-degree weather, and the importance of cross-training