Day 15 – June 15/10 – Ready for double cardio Tuesday!

We’re getting there…welcome to day 15 of the 30-Day Sweat Challenge and double cardio Tuesday.

Now when I said yesterday that I was going to be doing some lifestyle activity I did not lie. Yesterday consisted of a field trip to the Vancouver Aquarium and a beach walk (see picture in yesterday’s post) with my daughter’s class. My heart rate was elevated as I drove through the downtown core and saw all of the fabulous shopping that would have to be done another day and lots of ab work in the form of laughter as we puzzled over a questionable call.

With my legs rested up and ready to go again I am looking forward to a run with one of my favourite people and a rowdy spin class tonight.

Have a great day.

Day 14 – June 14/10 – Playing hooky

It’s day 14 of the 30-Day Sweat Challenge, and the final day of your second week. Take some time today to look over your last week as well as the last 14 days…anything missing or perhaps too much of something?

Great news for those that enjoy a cardio challenge, the Grouse Grind officially opened this weekend! Anyone up for a road trip next week?

I’m playing hooky today, but promise to include some lifestyle activity.

Update….

Good times at SFU

Getting up at 3:40am is tough. Even with all of the anticipation and excitement of a race morning it still feels like really, do I have to…just 10 more minutes.

I have a method to my madness, I set my coffee pot to brew 10 minutes before I have to get up, so by the time my one allocated snooze is up, the familiar aroma of Kick-Ass coffee lulls me into a false sense of security that this is not an ungodly hour after all. By the time I hit the shower, the nauseous feeling has hit, and I know that I have been had yet again.

My pre-event routine is not much different whether I am running in the event or running the event (well except when I run the event I bring the race with me). I lay out all my race day clothes the night before, pack my post race outfit (because every race deserves a post race outfit), I have coffee and breakfast and have high expectations that my body will have moved before I leave the house. Completing all of these tasks is a pretty tall order before 4:30am. Drop dead departing time yesterday was 4:25am, with one item outstanding on my list we pulled out of the driveway at an impressive 4:28am.

At our last race in April it POURED, a relentless downpour that NEVER let up. Races like that are few and far between (knocking on wood right now) even on the west coast. When you come off a race like that, it doesn’t even have to be sunny (although it is nice) or warm for that matter, just the absence of precipitation or should I say the absence of it while you are setting up, is enough to make you do cart wheels and count your blessings! So wearing my shorts, my very official race director jacket and armed with my shades I was a bit of a giggly school girl (speaking of school girls…nope, I’m not going to go there) by the time I got to the top of SFU.

The venue set-up went extremely smoothly, even using a different format from last year. A new feature to the race on Saturday was the Race Director briefing. Now I am far from a shy girl, but an audience of 404 plus vollys and spectators (I know that most weren’t listening, but still) is a bit intimidating not to mention my largest audience to date. I managed to cover my notes without saying anything inappropriate, but inevitably my nerves got the better of me, Kat and I had fully intended singing O Canada (just the first line) purely for shock value, I forgot or wussed, maybe a combination of both.

The first wave of racers went out at 9:01am and six waves later the race compound went from adrenaline overload to Santa’s workshop, thank goodness for the wonderful volunteers.

Somewhere between the start of the race and when the first few racers came in, the sun came out. The racers must have been feeling the toasty temps (that coupled with Cardiac Hill) because there was a steady stream of shirtless racers (male only, this was for the ladies…sorry fellas, you had school girls) passing through the finish line! A course record broken, many pbs, plenty mud, a bit of blood and lots of nakedness…good times. Does it make you want to run at Mount Seymour next month?

All in all a great day. Congratulations to all of the racers and a big thank-you to all of the volunteers.

Day 13 – June 13/10 – My debrief

It’s lucky day 13 of the 30-Day Sweat Challenge. Congratulations to all of the 5 Peak’ers from yesterday’s race, what a great day. D, you had better be wearing shorts today to show off your wounds, wear them with pride sista! Jim didn’t have the worst injury, but he took the prize for most blood, and best calves!

Although I didn’t run yesterday, my body is feeling a little beat up this morning from the past couple of days. Being the good Canadian kid that I am, I’m gonna suck it up get out for a 10km road run this morning with Chad and Tommy, Justin may join us as well, it will be my SFU debrief.

Have a great day.

Day 12 – June 12/10 – 5 Peaks SFU

An early upload today…good morning and welcome to day 12 of the 30-Day Sweat Challenge. Wishing all of the 5 Peaks runners a safe and fast race this morning at SFU. If you aren’t racing with us this morning, get outside and enjoy this fabulous weather while it is here!

A bit of everything for me today, 90 minutes of muscle and core conditioning (setting up race compound), running around like a chicken with my head cut off for 3 hours (heart rate teetering on the verge of cardiac arrest, 90% of max heart rate), finishing off with an additional 60 minutes of muscle and core conditioning (race tear down)…fingers crossed for a nap sometime in the afternoon.

Ready to get off the road at SFU tomorrow

With the rest of the fabulous 5 Peaks team, I will be hosting 600 for a run and a light breakfast in the morning at SFU.  Although the weather forecast looks great for tomorrow, it has not been so great this week, making fantastic trail conditions…no dust this year my friends!

I did my Costco cookie shop without incident earlier this week, I think that it may have been the first time in 3 years that I haven’t had someone who thinks that they are funnier than they are, give me some rendition of how they are coming to my house instead or that I must really like cookies – yah can’t you tell?  I took the Train with me to bagel shop yesterday and she almost laughed out loud when the lady behind the bakery counter asked if we were having a party…a bagel party?  And then the cashier asked us if we were starting our own Tim Horton’s…no we just really like bagels and milk.

I met Kat and Marky at SFU this morning for trail marking, it was just like old times, completely inappropriate female conversation in the presence of a male, good times!  As usual, Marky had my pack filled to the point of tilt, punishment I guess for the three hours of harassment he received while out on the trails with us.

So what can you expect tomorrow?

• A fast downhill 1km start on the road to the trailhead, single track, slick and muddy trails (not Golden Ears slick and muddy, but there shouldn’t be a clean pair of shoes in the house) down to North Road, a decent climb up to the Trans Canada Trail, Enduro racers will do a loop of Mel’s here, and then  everyone with head up the Trans Canada Trail to the infamous Cardiac hill (the burn that your calves will feel going up this hill is legendary), back out on the road and right to the finish line.
• Yes, you can still register tomorrow (7:00-8:45am, $50).
• The race souvenir is a pair of Wigwam socks.
• Medals (they are important) for first, second, and third male and female in each age category, in both distances.
• Port-o-potties

Day 11 – June 11/10 – Husbands, you are welcome!

It’s day 11 of the 30-Day Sweat Challenge, and TGIF!  Big race at SFU coming up tomorrow, so today I will doing 6.3km of squats and lunges while marking the course, and if Marky has his way it will be done with an 80lb pack on my back (according to him I shouldn’t even feel it if it is worn properly…whatever).  For those of you racing tomorrow, consider “lifestyle activity” today.  According to the trainer of the German men’s sprinting team Uwe Hakus

With women, its not true that sex before competitions has negative effects. On the contrary, we have scientific evidence that women who have sex shortly before competing run better. It boosts performance, Uwe Hakus told Germanys Fit for Fun magazine. With women the testosterone levels rise when they have sex. But, unfortunately, male testosterone levels fall after orgasm. And their muscles are less able to contract, Hakus said.

Hmmmm

Register now for July/August Studio sessions

Day 10 – June/10 – Total Body Circuit

We are into double digits!  Welcome to day 10 of the 30-Day Sweat Challenge.  The fabulous weather is just around the corner, which means, shorts, tanks, t’s and dare I say…bathing suits?!  Here is a simple total body 5-exercise circuit for you:

1. Squats
2. Lunges
3. Push-ups
4. Plank
5. Bicycle crunches

I love this circuit because it costs absolutely nothing; it can be done anywhere and uses the resistance of your body.

Start with a 10-minute walk or run to warm up, 30 seconds per exercise, 15- second break between each exercise, repeat the circuit 3-5 times, cool down and stretch.  Think about good form, and quality of the exercise over quantity of repetitions.

It’s muscle and core conditioning for me today.

PS – Registration starts tonight for July/August Studio sessions.

Day 9 – June 9/10 – Hump Day

It’s Hump Day and day 9 of the 30-Day Sweat Challenge. So how’s it going? Any big surprises so far (other than Marcia’s bear that she saw yesterday)? Speed training for me this morning and then diving into the world of 5 Peaks for the rest of the day. For those of you racing or planning to race at SFU on Saturday, online registration closes at midnight and today is the last day for race changes.

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