The Reasons I Run

I have been having trouble finding motivation lately when it comes to running.  I don't have a goal race, I don't have a schedule and I feel a little lost.  I've also been feeling quiet tired and run down lately which explains the infrequent posts.  I think we all experience stress in our lives. Everyone runs out of motivation and the last thing anyone wants to do is go and read someone else's whining about feeling tired, stress or unmotivated.  Its right up there with those people who say I'm so fat.  I'm a firm believer in if you haven't got anything nice to say then shut the front door.

That being said - tonight I was smacked up side the head came to the realization as to why I have stuck with running for as long as I have.  Its because of the awesome people have run with.  (Tear - you had me at hello).  Not only did I get my aggression and frustrations I have been feeling out on the track in 30 degree temperatures without the humidex.  I also got free medical advice from Tracey, therapy from Katherine (boundaries - got it), cheerleading and enthusiasm from Gina and jokes and eye rolling from Rick and Simon.

As I biked home I felt sooooo much better.  I don't know why I when I feel blah I think taking a break will help.  Pound it out on a road, the track or wherever and preferably with a group of friends who will cheer you on and make you laugh.

Warrior Dash 2011

This weekend my running group and I completed the Warrior Dash in Horseshoe Valley.  It was just over 5k of obstacles and insane hills.  The obstacles weren't that difficult, but the hills were another story.  All in all this race was fun and that was our intention before starting.

We picked a theme... Snow White and the 7 dwarfs.  We only had six.... sorry I was counting.  

 Everyone who was a dwarf got to pick out their own dwarf name and character.  We had Smiley, G.I., Pimpy, Hobo, Sleezy and Papa Ratzi dwarf.  In the picture above, I am offering our very innocent Snow White an apple. 

After, victorious and quite muddy.  I still have my apple.  Snow White never did eat it.  Maybe its because I stuck it in my bra when I needed two hands.  Some people are so picky.

 All cleaned up and showing off our battle scars.

 The medal wasn't enough for Simon.

We rocked it and congrats to my husband who ran his first race!!!  

Check out our link on youtube.

Race Number 5.... oops Dundas Cactus Run

It appears I forgot a race.  Before I ran the Guelph Downtown Dash and Thanksgiving Day Race, I ran the Dundas Cactus Race.  I ran this race in an attempt to get over my disappointing time in the Highland Games race.  The race was the following Sunday.  My husband and I went to this race and then packed the kids up for a week at the beach.

I met up with Mike and Bob from Grand River Running at this race.  They both posted great times - first in the age groups. 

Me not so much.  Time-wise for this race... I should have left early for the beach.  This race boasts my worst time ever including my very first 5k - 29 min and change.  In my defense, it was hot and humid, but not that hot and humid. After this race, I realized part of the issue with my running races.  Vanity.  I know it seems really stupid.  But I had a horrible finish line picture after my first race. And to show his support, my husband was there at every finish line taking pictures and I didn't want to look that awful on film ever again.

Check out how great I look in the picture.  Nike should be contacting me shortly as a model now that I've released this image.  On the other hand... no fierceness.  Where is my inner warrior??

I've made a deal with the hubs after this race.  No pictures at the finish line and I would race with everything I had.  For the most part he has kept up his end of the deal.

In spite of the crappy time, this race was fun and I would do it again.  I think they have a kids fun run and the race starts and ends in a park which is a great place for families to play.  They other great thing about this race, free alcohol.  I know this isn't uncommon in the States.  But in Canada alcohol isn't offered very often.  You can't drink it in the park or on the way home.  But you do get to take it with you.  Super fun!

Off to Killarney

We kicked off the start of summer with a camping weekend in Killarney Provincial park with Dan's entire family minus his niece Alix who had to work.  The total number of campers was down to 16.  In all honesty leading up to this camping weekend I was feeling quite overwhelmed at the thought of packing up and driving for 5 hours to camp.  Work had been exceptionally crazy leading up to the weekend and I really wanted a quiet weekend at home.  But the kids were so excited to go and hang out with all of their cousins so we packed up and headed off.

I will say this now... I am so glad I went.  Our drive started like this

Perfect blue sky and not much traffic.  I forgot how I instantly feel better as soon as I see the Canadian Shield.

After we set up camp.  A bit of this happened

In addition to swimming and canoeing, I was able to squeeze in a 6k run which was also one of the better runs I've had in a while.

We went into the Town of Killarney for fireworks on Canada Day which was a pretty impressive show for a small town and was put on by their fire department.

On Saturday my husband, brother-in-law and father-in-law hiked a trail in Killarney called the Crack.  I have hiked this trail twice before this weekend both times with my kids so this was my first time doing this trail at grown up speed.  We were able to do this trail about two hours faster than with my kids.  The hike is pretty tough, but the view at the top is spectacular.

I really do love this park and with views like these its easy to see why.

Its 8:36 and I've unpacked and almost finished all of the laundry.  I'm ready to start my week.  I have a new yoga class on Thursday mornings I've signed up for and a class I'm teaching on Thursday night so I'm glad I had a chance to recharge my batteries.

White Bean Spread

I love making these spreads during the summer.  They are the perfect take along food for potlucks or lunches on the go while camping.  And really this recipe is just a variation on hummus.

A basic hummus recipe 5 basic ingredients:

• beans or legumes
• nut butter or some type of binding agent
• something sourish like lemon juice or vinegar
• salt 
• extra flavours

You can play around with different beans, nut butters and flavours to create a hummus or spread you enjoy.  They are great added as a layer on sandwiches too.

Here is the recipe.  I added veggies around it to make it look a little more colourful.

White Bean Spread          

 1 can of white kidney beans drained and rinsed
1/4 cup almond butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tsp salt
juice of 1/2 a lemon
water as needed

Put all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth adding water as needed.

Keeping it Fun

Its been almost a month since my big marathon and I feel like I am mentally much better than I was after my first.  Physically - not so much.  I feel tired.  I have been enjoying my runs and had some decent times.  But on most of the runs I've been doing lately the effort I've been putting in doesn't equal the time and the distance I'm covering.  

Last Saturday morning was no exception.  I left with my group for 15k.  I kept pace with Simon and Rick for the first 5k and felt pretty crappy doing it.  By 6k I was dizzy and needed to turn around.  I think I walked a total of 4k of my run.  It was a little warm, but not too bad.  I had eaten and had plenty of fluids before and during so I don't know what my problem was.  Needless to say, my body had had enough and was refusing to go.


I know sometimes I push myself and expect too much too soon.  But I have had so many runs where I start off feeling terrible.  If I ignore those feelings of wanting to quit I can often get past that terrible feeling and end up having a fabulous run.  I'm really torn at the moment at how or where to take my training.  Do I give in for a bit more time, take it easy or try to push past it and work toward my goals I've set?

Through blogging about my past races and thinking about my training maybe I should do the opposite of what I normally do.  I used to tell myself the definition of Stupidity (Doing the same thing and expecting a different result) when I couldn't figure out my kids sleeping patterns when they were babies.  Perhaps that is just what I will do.  I used to do different activities that I loved  prior to starting to run.  And not that I would ever give up running at this point in my life.  The one thing I learned after my marathon was how addicted to my running endorphins I am.  But maybe my focus should be to enjoy other activities and moving my body in different ways besides the repetitive motions of running.

I would also still like to focus on getting some speed back.  I can't completely let go of the goals I set for myself earlier.  I still feel like I have a 22 minute 5k in me.  When I think back to my mind set last year when I set my pb in a 5k I knew I could do it.  But now I get the sense I'm over analyzing it and need to chill out and enjoy running.

That being said here is my next race....

http://www.warriordash.com/register2011_ontario.php 

Some of the people I run with have put a group together and we are all running this race starting and finishing as a group.  And because we are all a little crazy and the race on its own isn't enough... we're dressing up.  Snow White and the dwarfs (there may be more than 7).  I am the Evil Queen.... how suiting. 

Race Number 7: Guelph Thanksgiving Day Race

The Guelph Thanksgiving Day race is a whole race event.  There is a 10k, 5k and a kids run.  Now anyone who has spent anytime in Guelph over the past few years knows that you can't drive anywhere without running into construction.  The Guelph Victor's host this race and had decided to move it to Exhibition park in Guelph.


The change in venue is good and bad.  Its great if you are doing a family run.  You have a central meeting point.  The park is a great place for kids to play before and after the race.  The post race wrap up is great because it is centrally located.  Its not so good to run a race around and around the same small loop.  Thank God I didn't enter the 10k and only ended up running around the park just under 3 times - otherwise I may have lost my mind.


This was a good race to try to run in my goal time.  The only person I knew running the race was Mike and I didn't have to worry about anyone but myself.  As usual in a race the gun went off and so did everyone else.  I started running around and around and around the park.  At 2k I wanted to quit, but I knew that was normal.  One of my co-workers - Deb came to watch and cheered all 3 times I ran by.  At just over 4k I passed the 74 year old who beat me in the Highland Games 10k.  Coming in on the last stretch I raced a woman and beat her by 1 second.  My official time 25:35 still not under 25 min, but at least getting closer.