Running On...My Quest for C2FM

After yesterday's unplanned rest day, I was determined to get my run in this morning. After yesterday's journal entry spouting off on hitting my run goals for the week and not being too concerned with the cross-training and strength training, I KNEW I had to get out and run today. Did I want to run today? Nope - so much easier to sit in the house and have another cup of coffee. Maybe I should have named this journal entry Running on - Accountability. Knowing I had to do a blog post just added fuel to the determination fire. I laced up and hit the road. Since I did have that extra rest day (and I am OK with that), I wanted to switch the Sat. 'long' run to today - fresh legs and all. Now my long run is not long in the grand scheme of other runners, but we're building a base and THE PLAN is there for a reason. Today would be the first day I would do my Sat. 1M/1m long run intervals. Last Saturday's Park Run showed me that I am ready to do these 1M/1m interval...

After yesterday's big, speedy workout with an after run workout of deep squats, chin-ups, push-ups and pull-ups that have left my butt, my upper back and my arms tender, I opted for an extra rest day today. The goal of this quest is to run...I have to be OK with hitting my run workouts and leaving the cross-training and strength training at the side of the road if my body (and/or my mind) demands an extra rest day. As mentioned before, I am working long hours on the Non-Day Job. I am tired. So, the important workouts are those running ones (one can't run a marathon or a hilly-ass trail run if one hasn't put in the miles). There are 4 run workouts planned for this week. I am on schedule to complete them all. I call that a win. J

I have been less than dedicated to The Plan ! Don't get me wrong, I've been doing all my running workouts...just not according to The Plan. Why? Most likely my ego thinking I don't need to go back to those kind of intervals...or that I should be 'running' non-stop...or fear (that fear is for another day). Whatever the reason, I have not been following The Plan to the letter. Or should I say, the numbers. Today, I decided I really should do at least two run days according to The Plan. Today was a .25/.25 (talking miles, not time) interval run/walk for 2 miles. I created the workout (with a 5 minute warm-up and motivational notes ), downloaded it to the watch and off I went. The idea was to run strong, maybe a little fast, and in control. There were also the added goals of making sure my heart rate didn't soar too high during the run segments and that it dropped during the walks, and that my cadence was relatively quick. I checked all the boxes. AND when I g...

Or perhaps - Lessons Reviewed! Today was supposed to be a swim day. With all things busy - yep, still burning the candle at both ends AND a septic system that seems to have decided to have a temper tantrum, necessitating the need for a multitude of phone calls and sitting around waiting for phone calls to be returned - the swim date looked doomed. And I was bitching that my schedule was going down the toilet! I went back to read this post: Running on - Real Life... Real life will get in the way. A good reminder to relax, let it go - and do what I can. I will do my resistance band routine and I will walk Zoe later (active recovery and a great stress reliever after sitting in my office all day). And, hopefully, the septic system will be fixed!! J

I so needed this today - really, really unmotivated to get the workout even started due to a very bad sleep and late night editing. But, this helped me get it done! Look at a stone cutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred-and-first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not the last blow that did it, but all that had gone before. - Jacob A. Riis  J

Obviously, we're still at the newlywed stage of this grand challenge if I'm talking excitement and running in the same conversation! One of the races I'm looking at as a culmination of this challenge is not a marathon (I know, the blog title says C2FM). But it is a huge undertaking where most finishers take 3:30 to 5 hours to complete 24K. For the record, my best time for 21K (I'm slow, do not judge me) is 2:34. It is a gruelling trail event with some serious elevations: That's almost sea level to 760 feet - and it's an out and back course, so once you've done the first three 'hills', you have to think about doing them again in reverse. So, why the excitement, Janet. Again, early stages, but I've started to think about incorporating some trail running into my plan (this event is all trail running - I have no idea of the condition of the trail, but am thinking it might be a little more challenging that the groomed trails I've run on ...

No post yesterday - simply ran out of time. BUT I did get my weight workout done, so all was good. I've decided to break my C2FM into 4 weeks segments. At the end of every 4 weeks, I plan on doing a 5K to see how I am progressing. Today, at the end of the first 4 weeks of my challenge, I did my very first non-stop 5K. I won't lie, it was hard. I haven't done a non-stop 5K in many, many months. But I was determined. And now I have my benchmark.  39:32! (every mile got faster - negative splits are a very good thing)  Today really was all about going the distance without taking any walk breaks, so even though the time is slow, I am very happy with my accomplishment. Here's to another 4 weeks! J

I've been told on more than one occasion that I am incredibly disciplined. From walking the dog every night no matter the temperatures (tonight will be a chilly one - note: we don't do rain), to keeping my morning pages. From diligently prepping healthy snacks on Sunday so we don't reach for the junk, to making shopping lists and sticking with them. When people point this strength out to me, I am surprised. I don't see it. But, I guess it's true. I do keep some very good habits only because if I didn't consciously work on them, I'd be at loose ends. My dog would be an orangutan without her daily exercise (my couch would be in jeopardy), my weight would be 30 pounds more than it is, my life would feel chaotic. And I've worked hard over the past year (previous challenge #365) to cultivate other good habits I've always wanted to have (green tea consumption, moisturizing more than once a month...year..., drinking 6-8 glasses of water per day). So, th...

This is Week 4 - but it's Week 5 in my #10weeks Challenge that I started before I decided to do C2FM. And Week 5 meant a change to my push-up/pull-up/chin-up routine - make it more challenging. On Monday, I dropped my step bench down to three risers to do my chin-ups. A side note - I have an incredibly weak upper body! Skinny arms that struggle to do a single girl push-up (from the knees). In order to use my chin-up bar, I needed to figure out a way to be successful - not only so I would keep at it, but so that I would be able to see progress. Besides, hanging from a chin-up bar with no way of ever being able to pull myself up wasn't going to work. So, I stand on my step bench (four risers) and pull myself up the minuscule distance. For 4 weeks, I've been adding to the reps at that height - and working on dropping lower by bending my knees. On Monday, it was time to up the challenge. I removed a riser. And did 5 chin-ups from that lower position. Don't get me wrong,...

Yep, it can and will get in the way of any perfect training plan, any scheduled workout, any pre-determined day. Today, real life struck. I am knee deep in both my Day Job and my 'other' job (editing), so I am burning the candle at both ends. But I am determined to keep up with my workouts. Today, I had a swim scheduled (with resistance band workout to follow). In my head, the day was planned - almost down to the minute.  Half an hour before I was to leave for my swim, I checked the live schedule at the swim center... Pool closed between 1 and 2:15. Smack dab in the time slot I usually go to the pool. OK, no problem. A little re-arranging, all is good. I left for the pool somehow knowing that I most likely wouldn't be swimming. I don't do crowds. I certainly don't do pool crowds. If the pool was full, which I thought it might be, I wouldn't go. I had to be OK with that. As guessed, the pool was packed (I always sneak a peak through the floor to ceiling...

Anyone who knows me well knows I love quotes. So, I've decided to dedicate Mondays here on the blog to inspirational quotes. Mondays are usually a good day for me - a fresh start is always motivating - but there's nothing wrong with a little extra incentive. Consider the postage stamp: its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one t hing till it gets there. - Josh Billings J

I am my own worst enemy! The other day I was out for my run and happened to look to the side...and there I was. Or at least, my shadow. And what did the pesky little voice in my head say? Gah, you look terrible. You call that running? I tried to ignore it but as I ran, I felt those words right down to my running shoe-clad feet (that were obviously shuffling along and not looking like runners's feet). I attempted to put more bounce in my step. I held my arms at more of an angle. Basically, contorted what was natural to me into what I think a runner looks like. Two days later I was at the pool. Guess who else showed up? Silly little voice in my head as I happened to look at the person swimming laps next to me. Look how smooth he is, how strong his stroke is. You look like you're half-asleep! This is not unusual for me to a) hear voices in my head and b) compare my form to an ideal I 'think' is perfect. I need to a) ignore that nasty voice and b) run and swim t...

Yeah - even though I did post about taking good advice and getting out there in inclement weather, I am never going to be an icy road runner! Hell, I have a hard time walking on icy roads. Nope, and don't ask me if I've ever curled (well, I have, but it wasn't pretty - nor productive for the team). Yesterday was our first snow event of the winter. More snow than I think they forecast - and we didn't get up to the warm temperatures promised, so that snow stuck around. Add in a cool night, no snow plow action in the 'hood, and it's a recipe for ice, slush, crusty snow and possible danger. Ron did go out with Zoe and reported back that there were sections where it was good - but I would have to zigzag to stay in those dry areas, and there were places where I most likely wouldn't be able to run. He knows how much I hate ice. So, I hit the treadmill once again. Remember, I love the treadmill, so it wasn't a hardship. AND I got to finally listen to my new ...

We all need our rest days - other than Sunday, I opted to take an extra one today. 18 days in, with every workout hit...with the exception of today, which should have been a simple weight day. I.am.OK.with.that. I have not been completely lax with my C2FM Project. I've been contemplating. http://www.5peaks.com/roundthecape/ Now, that's a challenge. 24k, but with a 6 hour cut off time. A woman I follow on Twitter did this two years ago and loved it. I've been to Advocate Harbour - beautiful (pics posted below) - and ran the Age of Sail half marathon with Brenda back in 2012 in the area (Port Greville), holy hills and humidity! So it's on my list of potential events to culminate this crazy C2FM project I've begun. Something to think about while I enjoy my rest day...and gear up for my workout tomorrow. J

Or, let's be honest - BRIBERY! Only 3 weeks in and I have resorted to bribery. And not just any bribery - FOOD BRIBERY! I knew it was going to be hard to get out the door today with winds still gusty and temperature below 0. I also knew I had to - can't be falling off the plan so soon (plenty of time for that later). So, I pulled out my stash of sausage rolls (I love sausage rolls) and got them cooked and cooling before I left the house. Did it work? Yep - knowing those lovelies were waiting for me after my run got me dressed, out the door AND finishing the prescribed workout. At one point during my run, when I wanted to stop because the wind was in my face and I was breathing hard, I imagined the taste of those sausage rolls and put my head down to keep going. Will I do something like that again? Yep - I know you're not supposed to bribe yourself with food ('they' say pick something that won't sabotage your goals, like a new workout top or a book or a mag...

A week ago, my nephew posted on his Twitter account his latest workout - a 3.5 mile sprint interval workout. Let me just say, I was impressed. But some 'guy' had to go 'there' and tell David that he should be running outside, to never run on a treadmill. Now I have no idea where this guy is from, but in Saskatchewan (where my nephew lives), winter is horrendous. Bitter cold, biting wind, icy roads and, usually, unshovelled sidewalks. To run outside is a hazard. Luckily, David has a treadmill. My niece doesn't and is looking at a long winter of alternate activity before hitting the roads again in the spring to gear up for a half in May. Is she could have a treadmill, she would. I don't think either of them particularly enjoy treadmill running, but it serves a purpose. I happen to love treadmill running. And am lucky enough to own one. Today, with the wind howling at 40+ k/h and gusts up to 80k/h, I was happy to plug the machine in. Do I think treadmill runnin...

I was in the pool today. I've already talked about technique  last week, but wanted to talk about it again today. I always have an agenda when I go to the pool. A list of things I want to work on in order to get better, more efficient. Efficiency is very important in swimming - without it, exhaustion would set in rapidly for a flailing swimmer like me. Today's main focus was to work on breathing. Don't ask me to go three strokes without breathing. I can't do that (yet). I breathe every time my right hand comes out of the water. Today, I tried to keep that movement smaller. Avoid rolling too far out of the water to take that much needed breath of air. A slight roll of the body, try to keep one of my goggled eyes in the water, and breathe in close to my armpit. Less roll, more streamlined, less energy expended, longer stroke. Tied into that agenda item is my attempt to lengthen my stroke, decrease the number of strokes it takes me to go 25 meters. 'They' say y...

The program I am following has me doing intervals. I love intervals - a little running, a little walking seems like a great combination. Today, I really didn't want to go out and run, but it was intervals. I always think: How hard can that be? It was an awesome interval run with one 90 second run section clocking in at an 8:51m/M pace. Yep, breathing hard - but I know there's an end in site and a walk break coming up. Then to look down and see those kind of paces is rather sweet. J

Sundays are rest days - but since I want to document this journey, I am going to try and post every day for the C2FM adventure. Weekdays will be related to thoughts on training, Sundays will be my day of emotion, digging deep into the why and wrestling with the demons. It will be raw! I am only two weeks into this new project, so not really a lot of inner turmoil to report. But my friend Brenda just finished her very first marathon in Athens, Greece today and fear has crept up upon me as I realize a year from now I may be toeing the line for my very first marathon.* As I am only covering a little over three miles right now, the fear of 26.2 could literally stop me in my tracks. As only 40 minutes elapses with each workout, the fear of possibly 6 hours on my feet makes me want to hide my running shoes. Looking at the miles needed to train between now and then is mind-boggling. And that little voice (I know it's fear) reminds me that I have yet to finish any training program - on...

I am working very hard at upping my cadence and I find that after I bike, my turnover is much improved. The reason I'm adding a brick workout to my program this time. No, I am not outside on my bike - luckily, I have a husband who thought a spin bike would be a good addition to the exercise equipment. I was skeptical - but I love the spin bike. It sits right next to the treadmill, so the idea is to bike and then hop onto the treadmill for the run segment. My legs are warmed up, quick turnover has been worked on and the run today felt almost effortless. I dropped the speed from last week so that my focus was on cadence, not falling off the back of the damn thing (aka - keeping up with the belt speed). Sadly, my watch will not show my cadence on the treadmill (does for outside runs), but I'm able to count and run at the same time ;) J

I am still on Zoe duty as Ron is working again today. Did not feel like doing a walk with her and then turning around to do my planned run, so I combined the two. Zoe is an awesome runner - and a fabulous pacer. She has yet to bump into me or pull me along too quickly. She's a great running buddy. I should run with her more often, but mornings are for her and Ron. They walk every morning, usually about 2 and a half miles, usually at 8ish. I am not a morning person - there's no way I'd be up to take her at that time, and she'd be rather upset if Ron went out the door with her. This morning, knowing that she hasn't run with me for a while, I didn't want to tax her too much. Half the subdivision circle is a good distance (for her and for me), so I went with that. We ran half the loop and then walked the other half - three times. Only once did I have to stop and get her back on track as a smell in the ditch drew her focus away from the run. A great morning run...

I am a little OCD (if my family is reading this, don't laugh). When I create a new program/plan/project, I break out the spreadsheets. Yeah, I know. But it helps me to sort out what it is I want to accomplish - what I want my days to look like. Seeing the workouts in columns just makes sense to me - and keeps me from scheduling too many runs back to back or weight training without rest days in between. And as I've said before, I try to keep flexibility in the mix. Usually, my spreadsheet stays digital. I open it up in the morning and then highlight the sections I've accomplished. This time, I printed it out. 26 weeks on one side, 26 weeks on the other. I have it posted on my bulletin board, visible from my desk. And, yes, I am highlighting as I go so that I can see all that I've accomplished when the going gets tough (it will get tough, I have no doubt). Having it so obvious helps when I look at the upcoming week in my agenda book. I can pencil in my workouts, knowi...

This was my post on Twitter after my run today: #week3 #10weeks Uneventful run with 1 exception. You know how people get lyrics wrong? Rod Stewart Maggie May: 'Or steal my daddy's cue and make a living out of playing pool' Always thought he was going to follow in his father's footsteps #homonyms duh #bringiton It really was too funny as I ran along listening to the words and it suddenly dawned on me that he was speaking of 'stealing' his father's pool cue. I almost stopped in my tracks. With this new plan/program/incentive, I decided to use my neighbourhood for my running course. Now, to be honest - I hate running in circles. But, it's getting to the point where I hate running on the highway even more. Especially now with the rain and leaves making the shoulders rather soft and slippery. Besides, I thought, running in circles in the 'hood gives me the opportunity to listen to my music. I love to listen to music when I run on my treadmill, ...

Since I was swimming today - hard to find a title for that with 'Running on' as its lead in! I taught myself how to swim the front crawl a couple of years ago, inspired by my friend Brenda yet again (hell, she's a plethora of inspiration). She had been to a swim camp where they were teaching immersion swimming and she showed me what she had learned. I was intrigued. It looked so peaceful, quiet, meditative - doubly so as I compared it to my form of front crawl (think thrashing, heavy breathing, sinking). So, a membership was purchased and YouTube videos were watched. Slowly, I managed to stop thrashing, breathe evenly, and (eventually) swim a full 25 meters. I built on that. After a year, I was swimming almost a kilometer non-stop in half-decent form. Then, my membership was done and (can you guess), I stopped going to the pool. In a renewed effort, I am back in the pool and working on getting my form back. Today was a happy 5 non-stop laps - then a bunch more laps al...

Well, kinda secret. I love my new watch not only for the stat aspect (I love stats), the ability to create my own workout and the built-in heart rate monitor, but for the added bonus of writing myself little notes. I won't say it was easy to figure out. My first run had me questioning the 'notes' screen that popped up. Notes? What notes? Then, when I went on to my Garmin Connect, I could see that there was a slot for notes. Ooh, interesting. So, I wrote a note. Next run - I may have been a little excited to see that note page, but faced disappointment when there was nothing (other than the 'notes' on the black screen). Hmmm, must have done something wrong. So back on the learning curve... Aha - notes get added to each segment of the workout I develop. Armed with that knowledge, I created my first secret note workout! And then off I went. I glanced down during my warm up and saw the same black screen with 'notes' staring at me. Oops, had I done someth...

When e-mailing Brenda last week about my plan, she asked if had given any thought to the race I want to run at the end of this adventure. I had, so I shared that with her. She thoughtfully reminded me that it would be October and the potential for bad weather would be high. Thanks, Brenda (why didn't I think of that when I was devising this plan...I could have started in May?). Today's weather is usually what I call "Indoor Weather". It was raining when I got up, windy and not looking to get any better. Treadmill day... Except, that little voice reminded me of what Brenda had said. If there's a good chance the culminating event will take place in rain, wind (or, please no, worse), then I need to be prepared. Just like I have to be prepared to run that distance by training, I need to run in less than ideal conditions. So, I checked the radar (spotty showers, not too bad) and off I went. Thankfully, it was a balmy 18 degrees. Yes, it was windy, but not one spo...

You thought we were talking about stretching, didn't you? Nope - flexible scheduling. You see, making a new-to-me cabbage salad meant dusting off the mandolin to shred the cabbage... Know where this is going? Yep, cocky enough to think I didn't need the guard meant a slight 'nick' of a finger that resulted in band-aid usage for the past two days. And no going to the pool today as planned! No one, and I mean no one, wants to see someone in the pool with a band-aid...even worse, seeing a used band-aid at the bottom of the pool as you swim laps. Luckily for me, I am totally blind in the pool and wouldn't know if there was a band-aid at the bottom of the pool - but I wouldn't want to subject any sighted person to that ugliness! So, my schedule allows for the occasional nick, extra rest day, perhaps a spontaneous trip to the city. To me (and my Quest for C2FM), the most important component to the training is the planned runs. If I have to juggle those runs, I wil...

As mentioned in an earlier post, I plan on having a variety of activities in my quest for C2FM. Today was a Brick workout. I dusted off the indoor bike and did 2 miles before switching over to the treadmill for a mile of intervals. Don't get me wrong - this was not an eagerly awaited event today. I delayed for as long as I could and then promised myself I could JUST do the bike portion. Once I got going, though, I had a great workout, and there was no question I would jump onto the treadmill after my 12 minutes on the bike were over. Variety is important for my mental health. If I had had another run scheduled, I'm pretty sure I would have bailed. And therein lies my usual problem - I bail, then I bail again and, well, you get the picture. So there will be bike rides (perhaps only bike rides - I do love my spin bike) and swim sessions. May even bust loose the step bench and do some aerobics. The important thing is to keep going, build on my fitness (will be very important i...