Dawn on the Run

As promised here’s the video of today’s snowy one mile venture. Have a good laugh…I did…lol.

As part of getting back to it, I’ve been working on a few streaks. I started way back in Feb and ran, walked, swam or biked every day for the whole month. This month I’m on a “at least one mile a day” streak as part of the March “Run Every Day” Challenge on Facebook.

On Friday, I ran a bit more then 5k in beautiful weather. I wore capris and short sleeves. I even saw a few others running in shorts. It was an awesome day out there. Heck even Saturday, while a tad chillier was a beautiful day. I ran a bit over 2 miles. However, I did have to wear pants, long sleeve shirt and a jacket.

Well today I woke up and was busy doing a few things. My granddaughter smiled and innocently said “Granny, I don’t think we are going swimming today” and then she pointed to the snow storm just outside the window. OMG!!! No way I’m driving in that crap. Wait a minute, I have to run in that crap.

I stalled for a bit in hopes it would clear up or at least slow down. Finally I just got dressed and decided I would do the mile, make the most of it and have a good laugh while I was at it. The camera had stayed home for my last few runs but today it was definitely coming with me. Gotta record this for sure.

I put on long pants, of course. I added warm knee socks over top and then added my neon gaters. These are the ones I wore back in the 80s when I was skiing…lol. They have come in handy when running but I haven’t needed them for a long time. I also added a hoodie, a fleece jacket and a nylon jacket to break the wind. Oh yeah, don’t forget the scarf, tube, hat and gloves. Ready to rock the snow, I headed out the door. As I exited I heard my hubby declare “you are crazy!!!” He was likely right but I left anyhow.

Just to prove I did this and how crazy it really was out I took a number of videos and am working on them over on YouTube. I’ll share that later. For now you can enjoy some photos over on Flickr.

As for the run, well it became a walk and a slow slog. I quickly found out that in calf deep snow it was hard to tell where you were. Was I on the sidewalk, the neighbors lawn or oops as I sometimes found out on the edge of the road. It was hard on the ankles. With near white out visibilty it was hard to just looking ahead or down. At least wearing bright pink I wasn’t going to get lost in the snow storm. Thankfully it wasn’t really cold except in the open areas where the wind really whipped up. A couple of people were out shovelling. I saw maybe one or two others out braving the sidewalks. Amazingly those driving were actually being cautious as they drove past.

The snow was drift in many areas and with the blowing winds my footsteps often disappeared behind me as they filled in with more snow. I did an out and back thinking I could follow my footsteps back. What footsteps, they were practically gone in many areas only minutes after I had made them. I miss judged when I stepped off one curb, lost my balance and landed on my butt. Thankfully with all the snow it was a soft landing. No harm done, no injuries. I picked myself up and carried on trying to be even more careful.

Back at the house, Nikayla was out shovelling. What a kid. I finished my mile and then helped her by doing the sidewalks. All in all it was a fun outing and heh, the streak continues!

So as I’ve said in other posts, this year’s theme is “Getting Back To it”. Part of getting back to it includes getting back to a healthy weight. So with that in mind back at the beginning of January I started tracking everything I eat in SparkPeople.com. I’ve used the site previously with some success but well it was time to get back to it. I’ve recorded everything I eat faithfully since Jan 1.

What this does is allow me to budget what I eat. You can eat what you like just try to stick to the limits you set. Below is a sample of my limits and how I did the past week.

So what does this mean in the terms of food? Well here’s my menu sampler:
Breakfast: one of three typical choices

• egg, veggies (onion, mushroom & peppers) bacon bits, cheese served on a bed of spinach with a side of salsa.
• Fibre1 original, yogurt & berries
• Fibre1 clusters, skim milk & berries (&/or banana)

Lunch: a variety of salads or homemad soups

• Chicken soup – low sodium broth, lentils, veggies and 4oz chicken
• Salad – spinach, onion, pepper, mushroom & 4oz chicken
• Subway – 6″ honey oat (scoop out part of bun) lots of veggies, chicken breast and tiny squirt of lite mayo, pepper

Dinner: So what’s left on the budget?

• 4-6oz of beef or chicken (depending on balance) salad similar to lunch
• 4-6oz of beef or chicken (depending on balance) with a variety of veggies done in a stir fry using chicken broth as a base
• 4-6oz of beef or chicken(depending on balance) with brussel srpouts

Snacks: I allow myself a snack in the morning, afternoon and evening. What I have depends on activities planned for the day. Typically it’s about 20 almonds, fruit, healthy cracker & peanut butter, celery & peanut butter, apple & peanut butter are just a few I enjoy.

Those are typical days and only a sample of my menu. Now just like everyone there are things I enjoy that may not quite be on the list but I occasionally budget for them. So yes we have had pizza but instead of eating half the pie I have 2 or 3 pieces depending on the pizza size. I also have chocolate but all this in moderation. Remember “a moment on the lips can mean forever on the hips”.

Of course the “budget” can be increased on any day I do a major workout. As I have been streaking (working out everyday) since Feb 1, staying active has helped. So how am I doing….well I’m down 19 pounds and that means the clothes are falling off so I’m cleaning out my closet.

CRR Nose Creek XC – 2013
Short route is just shy of 4k
Long route is just shy of 7.5k
Click thumbnail to see larger map.
Pink ovals indicate a possible course marshal location

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Route Description

• Start/Finish determined by weather – May be at top by parking lot or at base of hill by fence.
• Blue flags on your right with extra yellow where there is a turn. If I run out of blue then the flags will be orange/red. Occasionally might have to be on your left. Just make sure you are following our flags and not some that are there for other reasons (ie – down by one of the bridges ignore a group of flagging that is way off the pathway.)
• Measurements indicated are based on starting from the fence at base of hill below parking lot.
• Run Clockwise, from fence, heading east and slowly south is flat for a bit then becomes a gradual downhill.
• About .5k take a left and head towards tall pole. (Possible volunteer)
• After pole you angle right and follow a meandering road. It is nice and wide.
  It’s a long down hill until you reach the first bridge. Approx 1.19 (Possible volunteer)
• Turn right at bridge and take first right towards the second bridge (DO NOT go uphill towards old path).
• At 2nd bridge you may see some flagging in the field on your right, please ignore and follow the blue flags on the main path.
• At about 1.54 you will angle left off main path onto a snowy trail. Follow the flags.
• A short distance ahead you will have a right turn. (Possible volunteer)
• If you reach a 3rd bridge you missed your turn!
• At the right turn you head uphill til you meet the main path, then take a left.
• Are you still following the flags?
• On the main path you will pass a bench, do not sit, keep running J – still going uphill.
• At approx 1.88k you will make a right turn onto a snowy path through field. (Possible volunteer)
• You are now heading east along a fairly straight and flat snowy path. Follow those flags.
• At the end of the field you will reach a steep downhill. (Possible volunteer)
• Feel free to scream with pleasure as you sprint downhill but watch for ice.
• At the base of the hill you will angle left and gradually uphill.
• Just past the opening in the fence you will take a sharp left. (Possible volunteer)
• This is a short and easy down then uphill heading west.
• Follow the flags west until you see yellow. (Possible volunteer)
• At the yellow (and/or volunteer) turn right. You are almost done!
• A nice flat sprint through the snowy field should get you to the finish.
• Oh wait, if you are doing the 8k, you must do it all again……
• If you are done, then cross the finish.
• Don’t forget to smile and grab your Popsicle stick.
• If you are already done, please cheer on your fellow runners.

Okay so my theme for this year is “Getting Back to it”. So just what does that mean to me. Well to try and make a long story short it means I have to “Get up and TRY”. PINK is not just my fav color, the singer is also my fav. Her song “Try” while it may be about something else it still resignates with what I need to do this year. I need to try.

Oh yeah, I know it’s January and we all start out with good intentions but heh just like Pink says we all “gotta get up and try!”

So what are you gonna “Try” for 2013?

Hubby was up early and snapping photos of the sunrise. I took the opportunity to sleep in one last time. Yup it’s back to work on Monday. I’ve enjoyed my last 2 weeks off. However it’s time to get back to reality and onto a great year, well at least better then 2012. I’ve drafted a summary of last year but it still needs work and will hopefully be posted shortly but for now rather then worry about what needs to be done, I’m just gonna do what I can.

So for today….

Some might say noon is late for breakfast, but I say breakfast is awesome anytime of day. 1 egg scrambled with cheese, mushrooms & bacon plated over a bed of spinach/mixed greens with a side of mild salsa and 1 jap orange. Looks like a healthy way to start the day. Will be followed by a fun trail run later. So what are you doing that’s healthy today?

Oh yeah, one more thing. I started this month at again an all time high of 240 but as of this morning I am 233. 7 down and more to go.

For those who like to track their workouts here are a couple of versions of spreadsheets for tracking your workouts.

2013 Calendar Log – This version is a calendar layout. The first tab is for what you actually do. It has a row for 3 sports – swim, bike and run. It tallies the kms weekly, monthly and year to date. The second sheet in this workbook is for planning what you want to do.

2013 Log Layout – This one is a long list by date/day. It has columns for planning and for what you actually do as well there is a tab for tracking various stats and one for tracking results of events you participate in. There is sample data entered on Jan 1, please remove and update with your own data. There are 3 lines for each day allowing for you to train in 3 activities. If you do more then 3 activities in a day, simply copy the row for the day and paste it in below that date.

If you run into problems or need help. let me know.

The Challenge: 2012 Strides Run Streak It’s simple – run at least one mile a day, each day in December to ward off grinches, coal, and holiday baking belly. Prizes, group runs, and trivia!

Post your daily run on Facebook or Twitter (#stridesrunstreak @stridesrunning) to be entered into a daily draw prize.

And now for my Steaking Report….
Okay, so I had to be talked into this by Jeremy. Thanks a lot! And I really mean that! If while at the CRR AGM, Jeremy had not talked me into doing at least a mile a day in December I likely would not of done anything except maybe gain 10 pounds. Due to a number of health issues, this year has not been one of my best when it comes to workouts. Sure I did a few 5KM races and even managed a short triathlon but it was far from a normal year for me. My running had eroded to mostly walking. The one plus side this year was an event that got me started wearing a pedometer. The cool thing about wearing a pedometer all the time is one gets to see how much (or sometimes how little) one actually does. Anyhow, Jeremy convinced me I could manage at least a mile even if it was walking, so I signed up.

I started my streak in Vegas. I went there to cheer on a friend who was running the half marathon. It was strange to be there as an observer as I have run that event 4 times before. At the Race Expo my friend convinced me to have my knee taped (KT Tape). That really helped with all the walking I did. I still can’t believe that I somehow managed to walk over 25KM on the Saturday and over 50KM before leaving Vegas. It was a great way to start the streak.

My distances were much shorter after returning home. But heh, it was back to work and sqeezing in time wasn’t always easy. I taped my knee later in the month when it again began to bother me. At the CRR Silver Springs XC event while my 11 yr old granddaughter ran the 8k I took photos, including the one that won a prize in the streakers photo album. Okay, so hubby actually took that photo.

I squeezed in enough walking mileage over the next few days to keep the streak going. Christmas parties tried to get in the way but there was no stopping me, I kept on walking. I even got up early one morning and did my walk on the way to work at 6am. It wasn’t planned that way, I just woke up early and couldn’t get back to sleep. Then there was the morning where the bus didn’t show up so rather then complain I again did my walking early in the morning.

Somewhere in there I managed to lose 5 pounds. Good thing cause I gained it back through the Christmas holidays…lol. Christmas came and went again with a couple more friendly gathering but my streak was still going. I started adding running into my walks. The legs were feeling so much stronger. I didn’t even mind that it was over -20C out there. It was fun posting photos of frosty faces and seeing the frosty faces of others on the streak page.

I can’t say any of the running or walking was my worst. I enjoyed every workout, even those where it was a struggle to get out there. Once I was out and moving it was awesome. My best was probably near the end where I had moved from walking to a nice steady run and the loop in the neighborhood became larger and larger.

I finished the month having done 168.3KM. Yipee, not only did I keep going, I had an awesome month and finish feeling stronger and so much more ready for my “Get back to it” theme for 2013. I have a lot of plans for this year. I’m determined not to let the excuses of 2012, no matter how valid, get in my way of training for the events I so love to do.

Thanks again to Jeremy and Strides Running Store. You guys rock as do all the other Strides Streakers!!!

All the best to everyone in 2013.

LINKS;
Strides Running Store (Facebook)
Strides Running Store (Website)

‎2012 is almost over. If you could find a song to describe your year, what would it be? I found this one for me…

So, I’m waiting….what was yours for 2012.

Back from an awesome weekend in Kent, WA (just south of Seattle). We spent 95% of our time baking in the sun while we watched lots of fast cars race down the tracks at Pacific Raceways. We were there for our annual trek to watch the NHRA 25th Annual O’Reilly Northwest Nationals.

Darren and I started going to this race back in 1996. In 1998 we even got married at the track right before the race started on Friday. A big thanks to NHRA, Graham Light,Bob Fry and the track for helping us to arrange all that back in 1998.

So this was our 14th anniversry weekend and we had soooooo much fun. Of course we will be back next year.

We took a ton of photos that tell the story much better then I ever can in a blog post. Since we both took photos, I broke sets down by day and each photo is named by either – Dawn or – Darren. Hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed being there in person. Who knows maybe we will see you at the track along with all our other friends.

Our photos on Flicker
Race Results