March Stridebox

My StrideBox is here!  And it's fabulous :)

I've been watching the tracking email that they sent with a mix of amusement and anticipation.  Firstly amused because it went from the Northwest (Seattle?, I forget) to LA and then to Canada.  Then I watched it go through customs and facilities and finally made it to my post office Friday morning.

Things always show up in Calgary on Friday morning, and they very rarely make it to my house until Monday afternoon.  But not this time.  When I checked the mail after work there it was!

Of course, we had to be out the door right away so I didn't have time to open it until Saturday morning...kind of like Christmas.

Here's what I got:

Lovely card that lists what everything is, where you can get it and the retail value.  I find retail prices interesting, since we very rarely pay the same thing here, if we can get the product at all.  This is the reason why I'm like a kid in a candy store when we go to the States - so many things to try.

First up, Given Brand - Original FLIP Pocket Wrist Wallet.  Very cool and something that I need for when it gets nice out and I don't have pockets to hold my key.   Also a coupon for Skora running shoes.

Next layer: Sample of WIN sports detergent, interesting...something I've never thought about before.  Two Peanut Butter GU's, I've heard lots of people talk about these and now I can try before I buy!  Click Espresso Protien Drink - Mocha  Not sure about this one, only because I'm not a coffee drinker anymore.  It might have to go to Adam.  And then, a Picky Bar - I'm intrigued, the main ingredient is dates, which usually means I won't like it, but I want to like it because of the other ingredients.

Last layer:  Sample of Run Guard - Anti-Chafe Stick, I haven't gotten to runs long enough to have Chafing...but I'm sure I will eventually.  A Kind Bar - Dark Chocolate, Nuts and Sea Salt, Looks yummy and I actually saw these at the store yesterday when buying groceries.  So I know I can get more later.  Then, two PowerICE bars; orange and lime.  Will try these when it gets a bit hotter out.

And, some coupons for some of the products in the box as well.

So all of that for $20 ($15 + $5 shipping to Canada).  I think it's a good deal.   And I get a present every month.  Which I like even more than a good deal.

Can't wait for next month!

Stuff in my mailbox!

I love it when things-that-are-not-bills show up in our mailbox.  There's one Friday in the month that is usually a good one; that's when my Food and Wine and Good Food magazines show up and I sit down with a glass of wine and flip through them for a couple hours.  It's a pretty good way to end the week.

But yesterday, on a Monday, I got a couple packages that yes, I paid for, but it's still a nice little surprise to see that little red key that means something was too big to fit into the normal mailbox.

First package:

 

Perfect Fit protein powder from the Tone it Up girls.  Gotta admit; I'm a sucker for anything that ships to Canada and I'm always looking for something natural to put into a smoothie so I figured I'd give this a try.

 

Race kit from Jessica at Virtually Running for Gold,  Proceeds going towards the St. Baldrick Foundation.  I honestly thought it was just the medal (and donating to a good cause), but to get stuff as well?!  I was happy happy indeed. 

 

And then, I got an email saying my StrideBox is on it's way.  AND my next wine shipment is in April.

 

Get to look forward to more stuff in the mail

5 by the 5th Challenge - March

After last weeks outdoor long run I was totally set to do my 5k for March outside and see how I do without that silly treadmill holding me back :)  It was dry and sunny on Saturday and supposed to be more of the same for Sunday.

And then this happened Saturday night:

So back to the treadmill I go for another week - next weekend is supposed to be sunny and nice again, I hope it is so I can do a trial run for my 5 miler on the 23rd.

Anyhoo...

On my treadmill, again.  5k - 36:45  then, because I was supposed to do 4.5 miles,  I cut the pace back and finished off the last 2.2 k for a total time of 55:00.  Felt good, no pain or aches but I really wanted to be outside.

Oh well, there's always next month :)

"Long" Run Sunday

I've redone my training schedule to better reflect the races I've signed up for and things actually worked out pretty well.   March 3rd - May 26th will be working on the 70 minute target for the Calgary Marathon 10k.  I think this is very do-able, not like the 59 minute target which is a little too close to crazy for me right now.

May 26th to August 10th will be training for Seawheeze.  I have a "to finish" goal for that one.

Today I did my first outside run since October.  It was interesting not being on the treadmill; time went by super fast, felt great, wasn't bored and had to dodge a million dog walkers who took up the WHOLE FLIPPIN' path. 

What I didn't expect was how fast my pace was, each run interval I had to slow myself way down to get to my normal Long Run treadmill pace.  Not sure if this happens all the time or if my treadmill is out to lunch.   Either way, it was fun and now that the weather isn't so horrible I'm going to try and do more outside runs.

February 24th 2013

4.1 Miles in 48 minutes (average of 11 min 27 seconds per mile)

Wherein I find myself alone on a Friday night

This doesn't happen very often, but both Adam and Jet are off doing their own thing and I have the house all to myself.  It would normally be the perfect evening for a long workout followed by risotto (my favourite meal that the males of the house don't eat) and a glass of wine.  Possibly I'd even throw in Roman Holiday or Pride and Prejudice to watch on TV (I might still do that actually).

But...

I was sick almost all week.  Migraine on Wednesday (after a really good workout too),  residual headache and stomach bug on Thursday and feeling about 85% today, I'm not sure I should be working out at all, let alone cooking a plate full of rich starchy food.

Grilled cheese and couch time it is.

To make it up to myself I registered for 3 more races!  Two actuals and one virtual:


Run For L'Arche 5 mile

Jugo Juice 10k (Calgary Marathon)

St. Baldricks Virtual Run 5k  I found the Virtual Run through a really cool Facebook group called Run Disney so I can Eat Disney.  I like the idea of a virtual fundraising race that I can fit into my own schedule.  I will do this one as my March entry of 5 by the 5th.

Almost long weekend home time, so looking forward to it!

Pancake Tuesday

According to Wikipedia today is commonly known as Pancake Tuesday or Pancake Day in the UK, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland and Canada.  I've never heard it called that here and didn't know it was a thing until I started reading UK cooking magazines.

It will always be Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday (if I'm talking to my mother).  But we will have pancakes, or possibly crepes for dinner.

(I also just found out that Fat Tuesday is literally Mardi gras in French.  Guess that one semester of high school French didn't stick, but now that I know it's So. Obvious.)

As is my custom I'm going to be giving up stuff for Lent.  Last year I gave up coffee and haven't looked back.  This year will be:

- Alcohol on weekdays (bye bye dinner glass of wine)
- Sugar in my tea
- Scones or other bakery products for breakfast

The sugar and scones are getting to be too much of a habit so I'd like to kick that one for good.  The booze....well, let's just say that I'm going to give it a try.

On Long Runs, Online Shopping and SeaWheeze

First things first; Yesterday was a Long Run day, 7 miles (11.1 km) and I was actually looking forward to it.  I remember the last Long Run to be quite enjoyable and rather easy, albeit...shorter.

Well, yesterdays sucked.  I struggled quite a bit and early on.  I think it was because I woke up, had a glass of water and then got at it.  I should have eaten something or taken something with me to snack on.  The cardio wasn't a problem, so I'll take that away as a good thing along with the fact that I did the whole 7 miles and didn't give up half way through (like I really really wanted to).

Stats:  7 miles, 1:33 (13:15 /mile)

I don't usually like to shop; I'm pretty indecisive and get buyers remorse pretty easily.  And, the stuff in the shops here is either for a seventeen year old or a sixty year old, and I am neither.  I'm actually pretty much right in the middle of both of those. 

But...when the mood strikes, I find myself with a whole bunch of new stuff :)  This weekend was one of those times.  I signed up for StrideBox because it seems neat and I like to have things delivered to me.  My mom gets GlossyBox but that's just not my kind of thing.  Then, I ordered a trial pack of Perfect Fit Protein from the Tone it Up store...because I could and the credit card was out.  I also picked up a couple pairs of pants and a new sweater from the Gap factory store...so now I have two pairs of not-jeans to wear to work.

But the best one is....

I registered for the SeaWheeze Half Marathon!

Should be fun, but at the expense of going to Florida in November :(  Oh well, there's always next year.

Owies

When I decided that I wanted to run a half marathon I spent most of my free time (possibly some of my working time) reading all of the runDisney blogs and recaps I could find.  And as I read through them I noticed a pattern; runners get hurt.  A lot.

And in my hubris I said to myself that it wouldn't happen to me.  I work out regularly, I'm going to be building on a strong base.

Ha!  Fates know when to smack you down when ego gets in the way.

I'm the proud owner of two owies;

 - Sort of where my big toe attaches to my foot.  Kind of.  It's an ache that comes and goes, mostly goes.  Possibly co-incidental with the purchase of new shoes.  Which would make me sad.  Good news is it's not getting worse and it doesn't bother me when running.

 - A HUGE knot in my calf.  I'm not sure if I'm doing more harm than good trying to massage it out.  I want to catch this one quickly so it doesn't get worse, it's only annoying right now but I think it could be one of those things that lingers.  A trip to a massage therapist might be in the cards for me.

On the good side (and I know that I'm throwing it out there just to jinx myself), my knees are holding up surprisingly well.  I will probably always have to ice them after long runs but I'm not feeling any extra soreness or stiffness day-to-day.

5 by the 5th Challenge - February

5 by the 5th is a virtual race series put on by Laura at Mommy Run Fast.  Basically what it says on the tin; run 5k (or 5 miles) by the fifth of each month - January to June, record your time and share it with everyone!  (And possibly win prizes :) )

I'm still hoping to find some actual races around Calgary that fits the dates, because it would be cool but also because all of my training so far has been on the treadmill and while I don't mind it - as it's flippin' COLD here - I think that getting some actual race-type experience would be beneficial.  And I'm not convinced that either of my treadmill or my Nike+ footpod are telling the truth when it comes to speed.

January's results were less than spectacular, still getting into the swing of things. 

February was much much better; 35:38 for 5km, or around 11:30 per mile (my math skills are fuzzy this morning), and I did it running 10 minutes (~5.5 mph) walking 1 minute which I'm super pleased with.  I've been doing the Galloway run:walk:run method and haven't pushed myself at all with pace or duration of the running segments so it's nice to see that I can run continuously for longer than 2 minutes.

Looking forward to what results next month brings!

Time for an Update

I've been neglecting my blog again, it happens, but I haven't been neglecting my fitness which is good.  I've decided that I want to run a half marathon...this half marathon to be specific:

Yep, my plan is to run in this years runDisney Wine and Dine Half Marathon.  My plan is also to make my sister and my mom do it with me, Jess said okay (she's up for anything travel related and when I showed her the bling she was totally in) but mom is waffling.  But registration isn't for another month so I've got time to work on her.

Apparently one can't just go from ideas to 13.1 miles, so I've got books and a training schedule (I'm already on week 6...go me!) and shoes and gear...I'm ready to go.  I downloaded a random one of the Jeff Galloway schedules from the runDisney site and it has me finished training the week before the Calgary Marathon -  must be fate.

And that's what's up with me...more or less (we won't even start to talk about the Super Bowl...hubby is a huge 49ers fan, ouch)