It's that season...

It's that season again.
The one where my running takes the back burner, and I find winter sports a welcome replacement.
(Not that I should...with the Half and Full Marathon in the near future....)

But a change is as good as a rest they say,
and one can ever say no to an Outdoor Adventure.


~Not one's with Skies like this:

~Or when there are Trails to be made in new snow:

~Not skipping corners:

~and Never forgetting to drop everything to capture it all with cell phone camera:

Yeah~ It's THAT season!

{Listed as: Winter Workouts that I Love most}
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh the Places We'll Go

I've been humming over my 2012 Race Schedule for months now.

The truth is- races scare me!

I get pre-race jitters worse than the average person. Really.

But I know I need to do things like that, for a few reasons:

*We only live once.

*I would rather say I tried than not do anything at all.

*It's good to break out of my comfort zone every so often.

*A race set on my calendar pushes me to keep moving/training.

*Once I feel I want to do something -even in the tiniest way- I can't get it out of my head until I try it.

So....

March ~ Hypothermic-Half marathon.

May means my very first Marathon!

June ~ my annual Sprint Triathlon with my boys.

July ~ a one day 185km Bike Tour in northern Alberta.

August- my very first HALF IRONMAN~ Boulder, Colorado.

August also means a 42km Trail Race up and down and around a mountain.

September/October ~ thinking to end off with a couple of 10k or half-marathons.

One never knows what lies ahead, but if all goes well this is what the new year looks like for me.

Here's to many hours on this thing over the winter months:

And for some of my running, I'll be using these new things:

And if Santa is listening....I'll also be needing new race wheels for the bike, cycling shoes,  a new swim suit and goggles, a few boxes of GU gels;), and a few massage appointments:D

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas!

Run on!

"Second Place is not Defeat"

I signed myself and my 4 kiddos up for a 5km Fun Race a couple of months ago.

We ran it last week.

I have to say races are so much more enjoyable and fun when there are people in it 

that you know and love and enjoy being with.

We good~naturedly all  tried to outrun the other...through the dark of the evening, over ice, through snow drifts, waiting at stop lights,

inspiring each other in a competitive way to run just  a bit faster.

Of course, I didn't come in first- 

(but I like to think it was close;)

~Post-Race Photo of 4 of my favorite running partners~

~~~~~

So I guess the quote for me after this particular 

race would have to be:

“Second place is not a defeat. It is a stimulation to get better. It makes you even more determined.”

Carlos Lopes quotes  (Portuguese Marathon Runner Olympic-gold-1984,

the Beauty of a Challenge

Seems like the greatest challenges of our lives

~once we have aspired to them~

bring the most beauty.

~~~~~~~~

This was taken at the top of a mountain trail race last August.

I had never run 29km before in my life...hardly trained for the race, 

and yet- 

there I was- 

on the top of the world (albeit hardly breathing)....

and capturing a photo of one of the most beautiful scenes imaginable.

This winter is seeming like a challenge to me already. Not quite as difficult as that particular trail run, but a mental as well as physical challenge.
The snow, ice, wind...have already made their appearance,
and I am not a particular fan of any of them.

My run the other night was a treacherous one....slipping over the icy roads and walkways.
The next morning it wasn't any better on the icy gravel.

Winter is my challenge at present.

But as with any challenge....bring it on.
I'll battle my way through the elements- and when spring hits...I will look back and forget the miserable parts...
(and be extremely happy it's over!).

Arizona Running

Alberta....where I normally live:
currently covered in snow and -4 degrees Celcius.


Arizona....where I traveled to on the weekend, to hang out and absorb heat for a week:
+18  to +25 degree Celcius, sunny. 
With palm trees.


In the mornings I head out on a 4-5 mile trail.
I wear a tank top and shorts.
It's perfect running weather.


Strange thing is...people here look at me like I've lost my mind. 
While I run in summer-wear, they are walking, biking, running- in layers of clothing and toques and gloves.


Funny thing how climate affects us all:)

I do believe I could stay here all winter to run.


I don't miss my toque or mittens.


In the least.

The Beauty(?) of the sport

 My internal alarm clock got me up at 3:45 am today.
And once I'm up there is usually no point in trying to get back to sleep...for my mind starts to work the minute I open my eyes. Then I'm in trouble.

This morning's mind conversation went something like this:

"Should I go run?
Or maybe I should just go bike for a bit on the trainer before the swim?
Or maybe I should drive to town and do my long run and forget the swim today....
Should  I just swim?
Oh I WISH I could just sleep 2 more hours...."

The Bike Trainer in the basement won first place, swim came in second.

I started biking at 4am- and as it was so early - the only things on TV were some re-runs of a craft show and advertisements for Beauty Cream.
Wouldn't you know it...a super model was trying to sell a rejuvenating skin product which was supposed to make you look and then stay- YOUNGER.

Now really. When one gets out of bed at 3:45am and throws on shorts and an old T-shirt, no makeup, hair up in a mess.....do you want to sit and watch a super model flaunt her youthful Beauty?
No.

For anyone who has worked on a trainer...it can be nothing but a Sweat-Fest.

And then there's the swim sessions.
Those swim caps can make you look like a bald eagle, not to mention owl-like when the goggles are in place.
And how about the eye rings until lunch time? My eyes look as though they were both hit by something until at least noon.

Then there's the feet.
Oh...the feet.
 I have pictures of after-training-race feet....but as so not to churn weak stomachs- I will refrain from posting.

In the summer one can sport beautiful tan lines from Tri-shorts and tops, and shoulders and noses are usually burned from the hours spent on the bike outside.

Most of the time, my Triathlon/Running involvement makes me feel like this:

(this picture was taken of me after an outdoor running session)

After cycling through yet another round of Beauty Cream advertisements and how one can maintain their youth by only spending $59.95 plus shipping and handling....

and watching the super model swing her un-pony tailed  tresses and smile with no goggle rings around her eyes...I turned the t.v. to off.

I was content to listen to the beauty of the wheel on the trainer, spin as I tried to make it go faster.

Listening to the sound of my music on the ipod- pump through my head as I tried to keep in time with my pedalling feet.

And when I got to the pool...I proudly donned my bright green swim cap and super-google-eyed glasses to swim for an hour....

pretending to glide through the seemingly blue (chlorinated) water as though I was a fish in the sea being chased by a predator, 

(which was actually the man next to me using  fins and paddles).

By 7am I had completed almost 40km of beautiful training time.

And at the end of it all...I felt like I had slept for  12 hours instead of 5.

I felt energized and ready to tackle my day.

My mind was finally on track and thoughts didn't feel so scattered.

All this, and I saved $59.95 and shipping.

There are some things Beauty Cream just can't do for you.

First 70.3~

My finger is lingering over the submit key yet again.
I did this for my Oly Distance last fall- and I find myself sitting here a year later in the same position.

There are so many What Ifs, Buts, and I Don't Know's.

I have lived by the saying...."I don't want to look back and have regrets in NOT DOING something".
But I also live by the motto...."Life is too short to do things that worry me."
I am my own worst contradiction.

I WANT to put a 70.3 under my triathlon belt.
I just don't like the nerves, worry, and wondering which will plague me for the 30 weeks until Race Day.

Any one else out there want to sign up with me?
That would be one concern off my WORRY LIST.
I always seem to sign up for these adventures alone.

For now my finger remains hovering above SUBMIT here:

DESERT HALF IRONMAN

What I wouldn't give for a brain that DIDN'T analyze everything I want to do. *sigh*

My Sprint~Tri Thursday

Training can be boring and monotonous. I decided that over the fall/winter months I would try to make it more interesting~~~
As the shorter days shorten even further, and the cold begins to turn to ice and snow, one needs to stay motivated some how.

This leads to days like: Sprint~Tri Thursdays

As the pool is closed for lane swimming during the afternoon I thought an erg workout on my deck would take place of the swim. (I needed some sort of arm workout:)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My own "Fun Sprint Tri" results today are as follows:

Deck Erg 1500m ~~~~ 6:19.9 minutes
(I doubled the distance from the normal 750m as it felt like cheating on an erg;)

Home Loop Bike 20km~~~~~41.56 minutes

Home Loop Run 5km~~~~~~29:05 minutes


....for a grand total of 26.5km in  1:17:20.9.


My last Sprint Tri was about 5 months ago, and I have learned to like this distance as a workout.
It's nice when one can look back and think the distances that once seemed daunting, have now become workout distances in an afternoon! (And the front deck makes for a perfect transition area.)


Do you have any interesting workouts to keep things motivating over the dreary months of darker days? I may need to try them out!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The last Sprint Tri I did~ June2012. 

My youngest son participated in the Kids of Steel, 

and I raced my oldest the next day in the Adult Sprint Tri. 

This weekend is becoming a tradition for the 3 of us. 

I want to Tri

First Olympic Distance this summer~ July 2011

From the moment I registered my nerves worked overtime on this event. It was a long and drawn out 8 months of training and worrying. Ask me what I was worried about and I could have given you a list.
Ask me why I was truly worried...I had no idea.

I had done the distances, knew the course, had run the day through my head in every possible way I could. I was prepared.

The worry probably lay in the unknown.

I don't like not knowing.
Do any of us?
I'm not one for surprises, and a race like this could hold a few.

Here in this blog I want to TRI to conquer my fear of the unknown.
I want to battle the worry that plagues me when I TRI to venture out.

This life only comes around once.
I don't ever want to look back and wish I would have.
In the looking back- I don't want regrets.

I only want to TRI.