Two days, two great runs.

Met Kath, Liz, Verle, Conny and Brian last night and ran the Alouette Valley Trail before hitting a spin class. Great trail conditions due to the rain we received,  just enough to make the trail muddy not soupy. Thanks to “Director B”,  the last 30 minutes felt more like a speed training session than a casual midweek run!

Speed training this morning, legs felt a little tired, an day of rest would have made a world of difference but it was logistically impossible. Broke in my shoes for San Fran, I love new shoes.

Ready or not, here we come San Francisco!

Conny, D and I did our final long run around Hayward Lake this morning. When I put out my clothes last night, I didn’t expect it to be only 4 degrees this morning, it was a wee bit chilly.  The girls had some great mantras going on today, “because I can”, “get’er done”, mine was “squinch” …

Does chocolate milk aid in muscle recovery?

We have been talking about this all week, so I decided to put some research into the subject, here is what I found…In a small study of soccer players, low-fat chocolate milk consumption provided better muscle recovery after intense training compared than an isocaloric, high-carbohydrate drink, Michael J. Saunders, Ph.D., of James Madison University, and colleagues reported at the American College of Sports Medicine meeting in Seattle read more

As this site cautions, the study was small and was presently orally and should be considered preliminary until published in a peer reviewed journal.

Hike to the cell tower

Thought I would mix up Body Camp a bit this morning, and I took the ladies on a hike up Iron Mountain to the cell tower (for those keeping track 1.93km from the end of my driveway to the top, with a total elevation gain of 680m). We even got a tour of the Rogers radio room, thank Scott! The view was amazing, could see for what seemed like forever. Still not sure what happened to Patti’s hoody that she tucked away…weird.

When my alarm went off at 3:45am this morning….

all I could hear was pounding rain. I am not going to lie, I hit snooze once. I got up at 3:54am, hit the shower, Bill got up at 4:20am and we were on the road by 4:30am. Any idea how many cars are out on the road at 4:30am on a Saturday morning?

The Weather Network said that the rain would stop at 5:00am in Port Moody, but when we arrived to Buntzen Lake at 5:30am the rain was still coming down. It came down until about 8:00am stopped and then came down even harder. Thanks to an unbelievable race crew it didn’t matter, the course was marked yesterday, the race compound was set up, the course marshals were in place and at 9:00am the rain stopped and the half marathon (we are calling it a “half marathonish”, it was 26.5km) started. The Children’s Challenge race went off without a hitch at 9:30am, and the Sport and Enduro race started at 10:00am sharp.

By 10:30am our rain gear was off, the sun was shining and the sun glasses were on! What started out as a bit of a nightmare, turned into one of the best race days ever.

I thoroughly enjoyed my second season as BC Race Director for 5 Peaks , am sad that it is over and am looking so forward to the 2010 season. Thank you to all the rockstars that volunteered today and throughout the year. A special thank-you to Evan (Race Director for Calgary 5 Peaks) for doing such an amazing job today, I loved the accents!

Nighty night.

5 Peaks Buntzen Course is ready to go

The 5 Peaks Buntzen course is marked and ready to go.  Wishing all of the racers a safe and wonderful race

Goal setting

Summer is over, the kids are back in school, and it’s time to get back into a routine.  Here are some simple strategies to help you set effective fitness goals:

• What is your goal and what behavior(s) do you need to change to achieve your goal?  Keep a journal to track the behavior that you want to change
• Look for behavior patterns.
• Set specific and realistic goals that you can work towards. Goals should be easy to track and measure.
• Make a plan of action by: obtaining supplies and info (sign up for a class, buy athletic shoes if you need them), change your environment so that you will have control over your behavior (you may choose to not have certain foods within reach), monitor and chart your progress (use a calendar, journal), reward yourself for meeting specific targets and milestones and be ready for situations that challenge you.
• Put it in writing with a personal contract, state your goal(s), specify a completion date, include rewards for meeting targets, include how you are going to achieve your goal, how you will measure your progress, sign it and enlist a volunteer who will help you reach your goal and have them sign the contract as a witness.

Tuesday run

Man oh man, I can sure tell I went back to work last week!  My poor glutes and hamstrings were screaming by the end of the run.  Oh well, long run for the week i checked off!

Lots to look at this morning, when we crossed the Ruskin Dam one of the gates were open, I am a sucker for a waterfall, this one was crazy….

This is my B.C.

Had the best run of the Summer (and it felt like Summer this morning) with Donna and Conny this morning.  Ran 90 minutes from the Reservoir Trail at Hayward Lake. Got caught up on the last few month’s goings on, not a moment of silence this morning!

So you know that commercial that shows all of the beautiful spots in British Columbia with the smiling person that says “This is my B.C”?  I have a spot at Hayward Lake that I run by and always  think “this is my B.C”…

How to run a marathon: race day tips from marathoners

Article post: Examiner.com

The 26.2 mile, New York City Marathon is on November 1. With a prize money in excess of $600,000 it is no wonder that it draws more than 100,000 applicants. However, the substantial prize money may not be the primary impetus for everyone participating in the annual New York City Marathon.

Crossing the New York City Marathon finish line is undeniably one of the greatest achievements for a runner and in order to achieve this goal, you must train. read more

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