I think it was a sign

Here is the weekend tale.

Didn't manage to get to the pool. Between our jobs, child, training schedules (hubby is a marathoner and running the full in Kelowna) and my lack of ability to recover these days, I just run out of time and energy to train.

Sunday morning-group run. I decided that 20km was not going to happen this weekend so I would run 10km and then join a couple of friends for a 30km bike ride afterwards. Ran with Lawrence (hubby) today because he did his long run yesterday. I whined through the first 4km that my calf/achilles were tight but they loosened up and I managed a decent run (1hr 22 mins/ave pace 8:10/km). Afterwards my right foot was really hurting along the bottom. I had the same issue on Wednesday with the other foot. hmmmm might be plantar fasciitis - damn, I'll need to research this one a bit.

I got ready for the bike and went to pump up my tires. When I took the pump off I managed to bust the pin and all of the air came out. It's ok - I have a spare with me and my friend was nice enough to change it for me. We go to blow up the back tire and manage to do the same thing! Most cyclists carry spares so I got a spare from one guy and we put that one on. A half hour later we are finally ready to go. While we were waiting I was riding around and went to stop - sure enough I couldn't unclip my foot and managed to fall over (in the middle of a parking lot). That was biggest fear when I switched to clipless pedals. I didn't get any scrapes but almost managed the splits (and I'm not very flexible). My ego was more damaged then my body but it was a relief to finally just get the fall over with since I know it happens to everyone. Off we go....as soon as I start I notice my back brakes aren't working and asked a friend to check my back tire. As soon as I said it - BANG the tube burst. My friend offered his spare but he had already spent over a half hour changing my tires and I knew that if I took his spare no one would have one, which could be a real problem if something happened when we were out on the road. I know a sign when I see one and told them to go on - it just wasn't my day for a ride. I was pretty disappointed because I know this may be one of the last opportunities to ride this year but you can only push fate so far.

It's later in the evening now and I feel sore. The bottom of my right foot hurts a bit and the inside of my knee on the same side hurts. I'm pretty sure they're tied together. I can't decide if I should just go for a massage or visit my orthapedist and get my orthotics checked again. Any advice would be great.

Weekly Wednesday run

My comment for this week; these long runs are killing me.

Monday and Tuesday I didn't do anything. My legs felt tired but better then last week.

The Wednesday plan: run between 6-8 km at a faster pace

The reality: dragged myself through 6km at a pace slow for even me. My legs felt like they were made of lead. At the 4km point I was feeling a bit better and thought I would really challenge myself to run the extra 2km and do the full 8 but a couple of minutes later I returned to my senses and decided to listen to my legs as they cried to stop.

The result: I was proud of myself because it's tough to run when your body really doesn't want to and I think it was a great opportunity to work on the mental side of longer races. Learning to motivate yourself and keep going when your body just doesn't want to move, is important.

On Thursday I had quite a bit of pain in my shins (an ongoing issue that I wear custom orthotics to prevent) so I did a 1/2 hour of Yoga and iced for a while. They are feeling better today but I'm really unsure about whether I should attempt the 20km LSD that is on the program for this Sunday. I feel like I'm very close to an injury and if I continue to push I may ruin my race. My body just doesn't seem ready to handle 3 straight weeks of long runs. I know these programs are designed by experts in the field but I think the "to complete" half marathon program doesn't provide enough recovery time. If I did it again, I would have scaled back last weeks run and done the 20km this week....live and learn.

The plan for training this weekend - get in a few laps at the pool (I haven't been in the water since my last triathlon August 28th), MAYBE try for about a 10km run and seize the opportunity to go on a group bike ride on Sunday. I'll write on the reality.

Sunday's LSD (long slow distance)

18km training run this morning. This was the second week I completed this distance. The weather was perfect - sun was shining, temperature was about 6 C at the start. My finishing time was about 2hrs 37mins. Had a lot of time to think since I did this one on my own and my MP3 battery died after 25mins (isn't that always the way).

Every time I do a long run I can't help but think how far I've come. Six months ago I was doing 5kms for my long runs. Today I felt pretty strong and didn't have as many pains on the way back so I know every long run I'm improving.

Only 3 weeks until the half marathon.

My Story

The best way to start out my blog is to write about how I got to where I am now.

December 2003 - we went to visit family in England. After coming home we were looking at the pictures and I was horrified to realize how big I'd gotten - I was now over 200lbs.
Here is a picture from the summer before:


















In 2002 my husband had run for most of the year and really enjoyed it but quit because of time and money. After seeing those pictures, I decided it was time to stop making excuses (one of which was that I was a swimmer and lifeguard in my teens and once I stopped I started to gain weight, so it wasn't my fault) and do something about it. I had tried aerobics and fitness classes in the past but never stuck with it. I knew that dieting is not the answer - you need to change your lifestyle, so I decided to try running.

In the dead of winter in Edmonton, I bought my first pair of running shoes and started out running 1 minute, walking 1 minute for 20 minutes. I thought that 1 minute was never going to end and my lungs were going to burst. The Running Room learn to run program says that you should increase your running time by 1 minute each week and try to run 3 times a week. Each week I couldn't imagine how I was going to add that minute next week but each week I did it. It's amazing to feel your body transforming and adapting so you no longer feel like you're going to die when you run (and it happens faster then you think). Once I could run 5 mins/walk 1 min my husband and I started going to the Running Room run club. I met some great people and now had company for some of my runs.

Mother's Day 2004 I completed my first 5km race 42:55
Canada Day 2004 - 5km race I ran even though I had been having problems with my shins and finished in last place at 48:20

In July I sprained my ankle and couldn't run for 8 weeks. After 6 weeks I was allowed to bike (which was ironic since I hurt myself falling off my bike in the first place) so I started to do that because sitting around for 6 weeks was driving me crazy, which was a total change from 9 months prior when I was happy to sit around and watch tv. While biking I started to think about triathlon. I used to be a lifeguard and swimming instructor so I already knew how to swim. Once I was able, I started running again and doing a little swimming to get back in shape.

8 weeks off from running meant I lost a lot of the endurance I had built up so I started again at 5 minutes and worked my way back up. October 04, my five year old and I ran the CIBC Run for the Cure 5km together. He did amazing - managed to run almost the entire distance!

I'd been having months of problems with my shins and had been in physio for 4 months with no real improvement so I decided to get custom orthotics. What a difference!! I could finally run without being in pain.

I ran another 5km race on January 1, 2005 and managed to finish in under 40 mins - a personal best!

In April I bought a road bike and started riding with some friends from run club (a few of them training for Ironman). It was tough but I loved biking. Within a few weeks of starting, my running started to improve and my cardio felt much stronger. Later that month I ran another 5km race and achieved my best time of 38:30.

June 26/05 I completed my first triathlon in Red Deer. It was a try-a-tri (250m swim, 10km bike, 2.5km run) and I was hooked! My finishing time was 59:07.

Canada Day 05 - I had to go back and run the 5km race again (not sure why but I needed to replace the memory of coming in last and having a terrible run with something better). This year I felt strong and had a great run. Finished 38:57 - not a personal best but a good time for me.

The Triathlon Season Continues

August 7/05 St. Albert Sprint triathlon (750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run) finished in 1hr 59.

August 28/05 Summerside Triathlon - my first open water swim, was supposed to be a 750m swim but people said it was more like 850m, 29km bike, 5km run. 2hours 27mins.

Where am I now?

Today I have more energy and am happier than I have ever been! I had quit so many things before but this time was different. Now, I'm still slow but I can run (run 10 mins/walk 1 min) for almost 3 hours! I have gone down 4 clothing sizes and lost about 40lbs but I don't weigh myself very often. When people ask me what my goal weight is I tell them that I'll be happy with whatever size I am when I cross the line and here the words, "You are an Ironman!"

What's next for me?

My first half marathon October 9th, 2005 Okanagan International

Great White North Half Ironman Distance triathlon July 2, 2006 (2km swim, 80km bike, 21.1 km run)

Thanks for taking the time to read my story and feel free to follow me while I train and hopefully manage to complete the Great White North.