Traveling and Training

Greetings from Savannah, Georgia! I travel a lot--for work and to connect with family back in the Southeastern US, so I'm used to rental cars, airports, hotels, and all the fitness perils that come with spending a good bulk of your time away from home. In some ways, many things haven't changed--most airports are still a wasteland for healthy eating--but hotels--at all price ranges--have upped their game to accommodate runners and those looking for an active lifestyle on the road. Today is a bit of a mild day in Savannah--a flat city defined by park-like squares that make for a beautiful run--and with the hotel fitness centre all filled up, it was a perfect excuse to get out and explore. Today, I can go the front desk and ask for a good running route and instead of getting puzzled looks, hotel staffers reply--how far do you want to go? Uphill or flat?--and then they provide a buffet of routes on neatly printed cards and I'm on my way.

Running around Savannah included a tour of Forsyth Park

If running while travelling seems like a nuisance, hotels have smartened up and many now offer free or nearly free rentals of workout gear--sneakers, shirts, shorts, even socks. And sure, the loaner shoes are not my preferred shoe of choice--but not having to cart around workout clothes is a huge plus.

I try to stay close to a downtown area when I'm away--sure the airport hotel has free parking, but running routes can be pretty sparse. Instead, staying within steps of the sights provides a great orientating run, and, in the rare case I've jogged too far from home, transit or car-sharing options to get back to my starting point. And you won't be alone--just as in Vancouver, cities wake up with a jog. On a trip to Ottawa last year, I tried to squeeze in a run around Parliament Hill--as it turned out, so did the people I was in town to meet. Here in Savannah, the roads and squares are dotted with a mix of people that give me the visitor a true sense of the full diversity of the city. I notice different things when I run--a shop to check out later, a historical marker to read up on, a university campus--that are sometimes easy to miss when I walk. I realize this sounds counter-intuitive, but I'm usually walking to something, going somewhere. When I run, the journey is the goal, and instead of looking to make sure I'm not late, or worse, checking my smartphone, I'm allowing myself to be present and aware in the city. It's a gift I cherish every time I run.

The Serious Training Begins!

Before I update you on how my training is going I just wanted to say another big "thank you" to the organizers of the  "Joe Runner" contest, those involved from Asics, and everyone who voted for me. 

I'm really loving how good I feel mentally, and physically, since I started running regularly (a few aches and pains aside....see below).  Being outside running in our gorgeous city is pretty invigorating.  However, the photographer in me hasn't yet been able to go for a run without stopping to take a picture. :) 

One of the biggest challenges I have encountered over the past couple of weeks is trying to increase the frequency and distance of my runs while doing shift work.  My shifts are twelve hours long and usually I don't have the time or energy to run on a work day or post night shifts.  There are two or three days out of my week when I'm sleep deprived and not at my healthiest for running.  I don't want to push it and become run down but I am determined to keep trying to fit the training in to my schedule! I'm sure there must be other shift workers out there who have run a half marathon.

Recently I started doing a couple of shorter runs each week (4 to 6 km) and one longer run (7 to 9 km). Although I have been increasing my distances gradually, I have developed a shin splint and occasional pain in my left hip.  I've been trying to read up on how to avoid shin splints and have been icing and resting when necessary.  I'm not sure what my hip pain is all about but doing yoga regularly seems to help alleviate some of the discomfort. I have an appointment with a sports physiotherapist this week so I'm hoping he will be able to help me get back out running without pain.

My third challenge has been trying to run long distances by myself. I've always liked running alone but I'm now realizing that once I get to 7 or 8 km it becomes quite the mental challenge to keep going. If you have any motivating music play lists for me, please feel free to send them my way. :) I think that having a buddy along would probably help greatly as well.  Fortunately, I have some friends who have offered to run with me and I'm definitely going to take them up on it.

This past weekend I did the St. Patrick's Day 5 km run at Stanley Park.  It was a beautiful run with a good number of hills thrown in to make it challenging.  I was excited by my personal best time of 28:52!!  I'm starting to get addicted to how great it feels to finish.  Now I'm looking forward to doing the 8 km Modo Spring Run Off this coming Sunday. Fingers crossed the shin splint subsides!

On one final note, I wanted to let you know that I have joined the Fragile X Team for the Scotia Bank Half Marathon and their team fundraising page, as well as my own, are now up and running.

You can support me and the Fragile X Research Foundation by making a secure online donation on the Scotia Bank Half Marathon charity page. Any amount would be greatly appreciated and could one day help my nephew Oliver and others with Fragile X Syndrome.

Thanks everyone!  I will keep you posted on my journey.

Meet our 2014 Joe Runners

We're excited to announce our 2014 Joe Runners! Congratulations to Alexandra Turner, Lora Wendorf, and Joshua Labove. Here they are being fit with some great new gear from Asics!

You can follow their training progress for the 2014 Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon right here, or sign up to join them on their journey!

Perfect Race!

All I can say is WOW!  The route was perfect.  The weather was perfect.  The volunteers and cheering squads were all perfect.  My experience of the Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon 2013 was so positive from beginning to end.  Well done to the organizers of this event. I am so thankful for the opportunity to participate in it.  What made it all even sweeter is that I beat my personal best record!  Last year, I ran my first half marathon and finished at 2:23.  This race, I was not expecting too much because my training was not as focused and to be honest, just to finish it with both legs intact was my goal.  I finished at 2:14.  Bonus ;)

After the race, my running buddies and I met at Children's Wish Foundation booth.  We raised $1405 for Children's Wish!  Thank you to all who donated to a great cause.  Thank you to my running team for being a great source of support.  Thank you to Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon & Asics for allowing me to be a Joe Runner this year.  It was an experience of a lifetime.

Scotia Half route attempted

This morning my running buddies & I took the bus to UBC to start our long run, following the Scotia Half Marathon route. I was feeling a bit nervous with running 21 km today because I haven't run for two weeks due to child care issues. I started off strong, feeling I could do this! The weather turned from cloudy to full sun, and by 10 km I was feeling a little overheated. I tried to run in the shade as much as I could. By 15 km, my right big toe was in a lot of pain every time I put my weight on it that I decided to stop running and told my buddies to keep going without me. I took this photo at 15 km, convincing myself I can still run. Unfortunately, I walked the remaining distance. I am disappointed I couldn't get myself to finish the last 6 km! Then again, I didn't want to push myself to the point of injury that I can't do the half marathon altogether. It's in two weeks!!!! I am very excited & nervous at the same time.

The end is approaching....

Two and a half more weeks to go until race day!!! Can you believe it? The past couple of months have absolutely flown by and I can't quite believe that race day is fast approaching.

Training has been going great the last couple of weeks and I feel good and strong. I'm starting to wonder about the best foods to be eating in the next couple of weeks to really increase my energy...a lot of people say carbs are great but I tend to avoid more pasta/breads as I am gluten intolerant. Any one have any alternative ideas or perhaps suggestions of other foods to incorporate into my diet?

I have also been busy with working on raising funds for the Alzheimer Society of B.C. Can you believe that one in three Canadians currently know someone who is affecting by this disease or dementia? My Mama (grandmother) has been disagnosed with this terrible disease and it is heartbreaking to see and experience first-hand. If you are moved to donate towards this cause, you can do so at the following link: http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=1741479&langPref=en-CA

Better yet, if you are doing the Scotiabank half marathon and you haven't selected a charity challenge yet, come join us- registration is still open!! You can sign up at the following link: http://www.alzheimerbc.org/Get-Involved/Scotiabank-Half-Marathon.aspx

Thank you everyone for the support. The comments and encouragement have truly made this experience better than I could have imagined. You all rock!

Back on track - AND new skinny jeans to boot!

Well about a month ago, I was in the midst of this nasty cold and boy did it linger. It has really only been just over a week since I have started getting back into the swing of things again.

It is a little disappointing since I was really starting to run faster, improving my speed and feeling good about running when I got waylaid by that nasty cold. BUT...with that being behind me now, I am determined to finish well - I am not as fast nor do I have the same endurance I did over a month ago but it's slowly starting to build up again.

My girlfriend and I went to Kits on Sunday for our long run - managed to just avoid the rain which was great and while it seemed a bit harder while we were running, afterwards I felt great.

I try to explain to people why I am doing this and how running makes me feel and it is hard to describe; yes, it can be hard and some days I need a little encouragement to go but ...when I  do - I feel like I can take on the world! Nothing can beat that. Plus...I got to do some shopping in Seattle a couple of weeks ago and I treated myself to a beautiful pair of new pants-in one size down!!! Wahoo.

For the next weeks my goal is consistency - I know I can do this distance but I want to do it the best that I can! Who knows what else will happen?? ;)

Back to training

I haven't run for the past 2 weeks because I went on vacation with my family to Disneyland (Anaheim) & a cruise. We ate out for breakfast, lunch & dinner and no running, so I feel like I gained about 10 pounds, but to my surprise when I got home to weigh myself there was no change. Whew, I thought. However, all that lack of running I feel like I lost some muscle mass. Today, we ran almost 17 km and it felt great! The weather was cloudy and cool; perfect weather for running (in my opinion). My legs feel like mush right now, which tells me my muscles are building up again. 

2 years ago I never would have seen myself as a runner. I always thought if I started doing any form of exercise, that I would need to keep it up so why start? Today I realize how important my running is to my overall health. Although, I haven't quite reached the level of commitment to healthy living that I would run during my vacation. Taking small steps. That's my goal. 

Support from running friends

One of our running buddies ran the BMO Half on Sunday, so we thought it would be nice to run towards downtown Vancouver at the finish line to cheer for our friend, Kashmir. I love seeing the volunteers so dedicated to making the event successful, the runners giving it their all, the bystanders cheering on strangers and the children who think the event was geared for their enjoyment. Energy was palpable and it made me excited to think of our upcoming Scotiabank Vancouver Half. Only one and a half months to go.

These girls in the picture are my running partners and I am so thankful to have them in my life. Without their dedication to running, I would not be so motivated to run. It is these girls that push me to go further. They're also very supportive of my fundraising that when I asked if they would be part of my Children's Wish Running team, they did not hesitate to join and even donate to my cause.

One advice I have to anyone wishing to start running is to find reliable & motivated running partners. You're guaranteed a successful training!

Unexpected break in training

Blech - I hate being sick. I had managed to make it all winter/spring so far without getting the dreadful, lingering cold that it seems everyone else had. I thought I was in the clear; I was watching my diet, exercising and I felt good - really good - until last Wednesday morning.

I was very pumped after finishing my longer run last weekend (10Km) because I ran it in just over an hour (1h 2m) which was faster by about 3 minutes than my previous 10 Km time. While for some that might be a little slow, this was a big improvement to me and it is exciting to see the training starting to pay off. So I was extra disappointed with getting sick because I have been worried it will slow my training down. Sigh. Not much to do except let the body rest.

I had a small mini run for about 25 minutes on Monday and it was quite difficult - I can't figure out if I should rest 100 % until I feel better or do some more mini runs and just try things a little slower until I can work up to the same level I was before? Anyone have any thoughts or ideas on that? I don't want to completely lose all the gain in my training while I recuperate. I might try another shorter run tonight and  just take it day-by-day!

Hope everyone else has managed to avoid this nasty cold going around.