Race Recap & Halloween pics

Another amazing weekend!

First, there was Fran's Virtual Pink Dress Run. For me it wasn't a long or fast one, but it was a fun one!  I had planned to participate both Saturday and Sunday, but as you will see below, I wasn't able to work in the pink on Sunday.

We went out for another nighttime trail run. This time on a safer trail. It was only 2.5 miles long, but it sure is alot of fun running in the dark. So quiet, a bit mysterious, challenging not being able to see exactly where you are.  We put a flashing LED on the dog and let her rip around. She looked like a little UFO.  Here's me in my cheesy pinkness:

Sunday morning we had a race.  It was the 40th Annual James Cunningham Seawall Race.  If you are ever in Vancouver, take the opportunity to run around the seawall.  It's just gorgeous!  And if you are local, try out this race.  The distance was a bit odd at 9.5K (5.9 miles) but it is the distance of the entire seawall - which the race represents.

As I said the other day, this race was about participation, location & FUN!  It was definitely all of that and more.

When we started out I had no intention to actually "race".  I was going to run at a comfortably fast pace and just enjoy the route.  At the start line I contemplated running with our friends, but quickly decided that I wanted to run a little faster than that.  However, I didn't bother weaving through traffic like I would normally if I were racing it.  If traffic opened up I moved through, but I took in the scenery and enjoyed checking out all the costumes.

I had made a conscious decision to NOT look at my Garmin until at least the 5K mark - just because.  I wanted to run by feel and just see what happened.  I expected to finish between 55 minutes up to an hour, or about a 9:30 pace, give or take.  Around 3K though I was feeling a bit tired and wondered if I even had it in me.  I've been running alot of 10:00 paces lately due to a variety of reasons and had no idea if I was capable of more right now.

At the 5K mark my husband asked me if we were at a 9:30 pace.  I checked and was shocked to see that we were at an 8:35!  Especially since we were running in costumes (which you will see shortly).  This inspired me to put in the effort to hold, or improve, on this pace.

By about 8K I wanted to be done.  This is tyipically where I fade on this distance.  I just wanted it to be over.  I was HOT and parts of my costume were beginning to bother me.  My husband also started to get bothered by chafing from his get-up.  But I wanted to finish strong and do the best I could do on that day.

We crossed the finish line together at 50:02.  My Garmin said 49:59, so I was happy to be under 50 minutes, but I must have missed the first timing mat.  Oh well, close enough.  Our average pace was 8:27, which is faster than the last race I did (without costume and with a faster start). 

I was 10th out of 59 in my age category.  I'm pleased with that!

Every race sure teaches me more and more about my strong & weak points and I'm learning where to make little adjustments.

Now ... for the costumes.  We had decided as a group to go as cats, however my husband couldn't wrap his head around that for himself (and neither could I really).  He likes to go big or stay home.  When we were in high school he dressed as a caveman for Halloween once and spent the whole day grunting instead of talking and he ran around hunched up and sniffing everyone, climbing on lockers.  He considered dragging out this costume again ... which immediately made me think of the Geico commercials "So Easy A Caveman Can Do It".  I told him if he was going to wear the costume, he had to carry a sign with that saying on it.

Here we are pre-race:

As soon as we arrived people starting asking for pictures.  The race photgrapher grabbed us immediately.  I can't find any race photos posted yet, but I'm sure we will be in some.  The entire race people were laughing at his sign and couldn't believe he was running in that outfit.

The sign provided quite a bit of wind resistance and by the last half of the race he said his shoulders were feeling it.  My boa wasn't nearly as annoying as I thought it would be, but certainly added some unnecessary warmth.  I worried that feathers would get stuck all over me, but it wasn't an issue.  The great thing about my feathers was that they fell off constantly, so our friends behind us had a good laugh knowing they were trailing us the whole time.  They kept watching to see if my feathers trailed off to a washroom - which I'm pleased was not an issue this race (yippee!).

After the race we scored WELL!  There were a ton of door prizes to be given out and we stayed for it all.  They started out calling bib numbers, but most of the people weren't there, so they resorted to calling random things - which is my favourite!  I'm very keen when it comes to that game and almost always leave with something.

They called out for the first person who has bunny ears ... first person who is bald ... etc.  Finally they got to the first leopard and I dove to the stage and won myself a $10 Subway card.  Moments later they called out for someone with ears (as part of a costume).  I didn't want to go as I had just won something, so I shoved my friend who was in the same type of costume.  She was a moment late, but she sprinted and then literally flung herself on stage doing a roll into the announcer saying "Me, I have ears!".  It was hilarous.  She won a $50 gift certificate to a swanky restaurant.  I don't remember what the call was for, but my husband then won a visor and key chain.

The announcer was running out of ideas and so she called for the first three people to do 5 push-ups.  My friend and I didn't even consult one another.  We both lunged to the stage and dropped for 5.  Though I literally dropped!  I went down and crashed belly first to the ground with barely the strength to get up.  But I squeaked them out and I won a $25 running room gift certificate and she won a $10 Subway card.  SCORE!  It amazes me how many people don't even bother trying for these things.

Then it was time to announce the costume award for the day.  They chose 3 people to come up to the stage and then the crowd got to cheer individually for each one to choose the winner.  My husband was among the 3 ... and he easily won!  WOOOHOOO.  I have quite the hollering cheer so that helped, but he had tons of crowd support.  Funny thing was he didn't even know there was going to be a contest.  Numerous people came up to him earlier saying they hoped he would win the prize.  He won a Polar Heart Rate Monitor.  I'd say overall we more than got our low entry fees back.

Aside from the prizes, it was a fantastic race and I will definitely enter it again.  The location is gorgeous.  The entry fee is low.   Seeing so many people in costumes is fun.  Just awesome!

This is post race, at home again.  Make-up a little smudged, but still happy.  After this I showered and crashed.

Keep Active!

Heidi

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The Dr says .... RUN!

It's been a busy weekend and other than posting a few comments, I haven't had much time online. 

Friday I went to see the Dr about my foot/hip issues.  He definitely thinks they are related, but time will tell.  He thinks the issues I'm having are due to VERY tight calf muscles.  And, because my left foot slightly overpronates, the more miles I put on, the more stress I put on it. 

There is a muscle that runs along the inside of your calf, then around the back and underneath of your ankle bone and then attaches at the bottom of your foot.  This is the muscle that he says is extremely tight. 

He said if it weren't for the unbalance issue with my left foot, that I easily could have had this problem with either, or both feet.  As the muscles tighten, they pull on the bottom of my foot - and as it gets tighter, the pain continues up the inside of my leg.  If ignored, the pain will keep going higher and higher, and eventually could lead to major problems.

He did a pretty thorough massage of my foot & calf and when he pressed in the area that he said was the biggest problem it really hurt.  That night it was quite achy, felt like a bruise.

And while massaging my hip he noted that my IT Band was also VERY tight.  He was surprised that I hadn't had issues with it and said I need to pay alot more attention to that area.

He told me to definitely run this weekend and I have another appt with him today to see the affects.  And I'm to do lots of stretching after my runs and for the next while ice for a good 20 minutes afterwards if possible. 

So ... run I did!!!  And it felt great.  After a stressful, busy week and no running I couldn't wait to get out (and play with my Garmin).

Saturday I took the dog and we ran downtown.  First off ... I don't enjoy running in the city.  Sidewalks, street posts that the stupid dog runs around and gets caught, stop lights - very disruptive!  But it still felt good to get out.  I ran a very casual 4 miles/6.3 Km.  Afterwards my foot felt a bit sore but not as bas as it's been, but my hip was fairly achy.

Sunday I had grand plans of going into town early and meeting up with the running room group .. but I'd had a busy night and a so-so sleep and when the alarm went off I thought no way.  However, late in the afternoon I went out and had a great run - 3.1 miles/5K at an average pace of 8:34/mi - 5:20/km - 7 mph.  It felt awesome!  My foot is still feeling really good, but I think the hip is worse.  Guess we'll see what the Dr. says today.

I've got some pictures to post of what we were up to this weekend, and a recap of January, but I'll leave that for tomorrow - as well as an update from the Dr.

But before I leave ya ..... there is an awesome giveaway in blogland right now:

Running Skirt Giveaway at Endurance Isn't Only Physical

Unfortunately one of the conditions of this giveaway is to mention it on my blog - heeheeee.  I wish I didn't have to because I SOOOO want to win one of these skirts.  I drool over this skirt site once in a while when I'm bored at work.  So I'm really hoping to win!

Hope everyone is having a great day!!!!!

Heidi

♥♥♥♥♥

Plans Work and "New" Jeans

I was a good girl yesterday and stuck to my plan. Well for the most part. I didn't feel like making prawns just for myself and instead had a 1/2 slice of pizza which the rest of the family ate. But I 100% stuck to my workout plan and I believe that was ONLY because I had posted it here. A few times I wanted to cut it short, but then I didn't want to have to come here and say I didn't quite do what I had planned. I was drenched in sweat and it felt SO good!!!

Yesterday on my lunch hour I decided to hit up Value Village again to see if I could find some in-between clothes. I'm not in touch with my new size and was thrilled to see that most of the 9/10s I picked out were too big (YAY!). I didn't find a whole lot that I loved and didn't want to buy something that was just sort of OK.

But I did find these Garage jeans for $5.99. I know Garage is more of a teen line, but their clothes seem to fit me fairly well. While in Oregon I bought the black top on the right at Target for $20 and hadn't found anything to wear it with yet.

I also found this Jacob dress at VV, which isn't really something I "needed", but I feel good wearing it and it was only $17. I can wear it to work, even though my job is very casual, but also we have a dinner out planned next month for my co-worker who just retired, so I can wear it there.

Also, I mentioned this a while back, when we were in Oregon I bought a couple of running skirts from Target. I think they were $20 each. The one on the left had a matching top ($14) and I couldn't resist. The top on the right is Adidas and I actually found it at Cabelas Hunting store (who knew they carried running wear???).

The skirts are quite comfy and I've worn the black one quite a bit just for casual wear - like to the beach or hanging out around the house/campsites. I do like them for running, but I did find that on longer runs (especially when it's super hot), that my thighs rub a bit. I'm going to have to get some Glide and see if that helps.

I'm back...........

Actualy I got back Saturday night but with unpacking the trailer and a bit of a lazy day yesterday I didn't get around to posting. I was also hoping to get my pictures loaded to add into this post but we're having a heat wave this week and by the time I got home from work I just wasn't up to doing anything else.

Our holiday was wonderful! From a weight perspective I can't tell you how good it felt to have reached the goal I had set for myself and to not feel any hang-ups about my weight (even though I'm still not quite at my ideal weight).

We took our 35' 5th wheel RV and travelled with our 2 kids, who each brought a friend. Also my in-laws and one of my nieces travelled with us. Then a few days later friends of ours met up with us with their 15 yr old son (who is also my son's friend). We all had such a great time.


But let me tell you ..... 4 teenagers in one RV and all the crap that they can eat sure can be tempting from time to time.


We ended up leaving over 24 hours later than anticipated. Then with a few long stops to shop for groceries and such we ended up spending the first night in the parking lot of a Cabela's store (hunting/fishing, etc). They make these amazing sugary coated nuts and my husband bought 3 packs of them, plus I think the kids bought some as well. I had a couple of each type then I told them all that they were not to allow me to take anymore.


A long time ago I mentioned on here that once I got past 150 lbs I was going to buy myself a running skirt. So I had it all planned out to find a Running Room in Washington or Oregon and go buy one. Except ... I didn't realize that the Running Room is basically just a Canadian company with only a few US locations. Bummer! But then I saw on someone's blog that they got a running skirt from Target. So I made my husband pull into one on our way down. They didn't have a huge selection, but it was big enough that I had a hard time picking one out. I ended up with two, and a matching tank for the purple one. These things are SO comfy. I wore them quite a bit on the trip. Had a little bit of chafing one day on a particularly hot run, but I think a little Glide would fix that. I would totally wear these for casual wear, or biking.


Our first stay was in McMinnville, Oregon. We stayed at a very nice RV resort type place right next to the Evergreen Aviation Musuem that houses the original Spruce Goose. We've been in the museum before so didn't visit it, but it sure was a nice place to go for a jog. The resort had a pool but I didn't end up going in it.

My husband & I took a run into the nearby town the morning after we arrived. We ran about 8 Km then there was a little craft type festival being set up so we browsed around for a bit. When we went to run again the back of his knee was hurting pretty bad so we had to walk back. In total it was about 15Km, maybe more???

From there we headed out to Newport on the coast. This is a lovely little town. There is a bike shop in town and the owners are super friendly. I did alot of biking & running around the campsite and around town.

While in Newport my husband and I took a LONG run on the beach. It ended up being longer than we anticipated. 14 MILES of running (23 Km). I couldn't believe it - we did just over a half marathon!!!! I won't say it was easy. We ran from our campground to as far as we could go. Heading out was not bad, but coming back we were running into the wind and I hit a wall. I was DONE! We hadn't taken water (stupid!!!) and I was SOOO thirsty. It made me feel so fatigued, even though the distance we'd run at that point was still well within what I typically run. I think just knowing how far I had to go made it difficult. But after a few minutes walk we started up again and the determination in me kept me going to the end. My husband even tried to give me an out as we got closer and could have crossed over into the campground. But I refused and was determined to run the full distance. He said we was proud of me!

I was amazed that the next day I was only very mildly sore and after a day of rest and stretching I felt fine. We then went to Florence where there are some pretty big sand dunes. We took a hike out onto them and let me tell you ... you could make a kick ass boot camp out on those dunes. That steep, soft sand is so hard to climb. It was great.

Next we went to an area near the south end of the Oregon coast, maybe 25-30 miles from the California border. There I had big plans of long bike rides and our annual big hike that usually takes us about 3 hours. Unfortunately I caught a nasty, nasty cold and spent most of the next few days propped up praying for my nose to drain or the world to end. We did get in some walks and a mini version of our hike, but I'm sad to have missed out on the planned activity. We had one pretty hot day there that got me out in my bikini (I'm beyond caring that I don't have a perfect body, it's good enough for now).

Then we headed inland to warm up a bit. I just didn't realize how MUCH we were about to warm up. On the coast the typical temperature was about 55-60°F (13-16°C). When we stopped for groceries inland it was 99°F (37°C), maybe even a bit more.

When we arrived at our next campground at 7:30 at night it was 94°F (34°C). Thank goodness for A/C!


At this spot I got alot of running in, though shorter runs. I was still hacking up a lung from that cold, but I needed to move. It's hard to believe how I crave the exercise now. For the next few days I ran about 5-7Km every morning before it got too hot.

We also went up to visit Crater Lake. It's SO beautiful there and this time we were blessed with perfect weather. Barely a cloud in the bright, blue sky and 77°F (25°C). The first time we went there it was blowing wind like a madman and cold, cold, cold! The 2nd time it was even colder (slightly above freezing). So we were shocked it was so warm. The first time we visited Crater Lake my husband and son climbed up this trail to a place called The Watchman. The trail isn't long - 1 1/2 miles return - but it does climb up 413 feet. I (feeling horribly out of shape and just miserable in general) refused to go up with them and I sat in the truck. This time I was NOT going to miss out on the opportunity. I couldn't believe how easy the climb was for me. I could have run it - seriously!

I did find that as the days went by I was having a harder and harder time resisting all the treats/junk that was in the trailer and I did succumb to more of it than I intended. But I tried to keep myself aware of when I had too much and then I'd reduce something else. I never tracked once, I just tried to listen to my body and make as many smarter choices as I could.


I haven't really been drinking alcohol for quite some time. The last few times it's affected me way too much and it hasn't been worth it. One night I decided I was going to give it a try again and I had one Mike's Hard Lemonade. I tasted SO good going down, but I couldn't believe how quickly I was drunk. Like having a hard time concentrating on the card game drunk. I did stop at one though. All night my stomach churned, I had a blistering headache, heartburn. YUCK! So not worth it. I did try drinking a light beer the next week and had no reaction at all, but I don't really care for beer so I guess I'll just go without. Apparently my body does NOT like something in those types of drinks anymore.


Now ... for the AMAZING news!!!! The last few days of our trip my eating was starting to get a bit out of control. Not truly out of control, but not really in control either. I was beginning to feel a bit of that awful belly bloat. Though I had brought along a pair of shorts that were too tight for wearing, but I could do them up before we left, and at this point I could still do them up so I knew I was OK. But I knew at this point I had to be careful and that I should expect a little gain.


Imagine my suprise when I woke up the next morning to find I LOST weight on this trip. I ACTUALLY LOST WEIGHT ON A HOLIDAY!!!! I nearly fell over. That has never, EVER happened to me. Even when I'm super careful I typically gain 2-3 lbs. I actually lost 1.6 lbs while away on holidays. I still can't quite believe it.

I do realize that I very likely lost some muscle as I didn't do any weight bearing type stuff. So I'm actually looking at this more as a muscle loss/weight maintain thing. But still, I didn't gain and I couldn't be happier.

This week I'm back to tracking as I don't want to let things slide. And I'm back to lifting weights and burning those muscles. Even if it means a little weight gain, I don't want to lose that muscle. Muscle looks good and I love it!

New Shoes (finally!) and a shoe and skirt review

Got myself into town today to finally get some new shoes. I was determined that one way or another I would come home with something.

A few weeks ago I tried out some shoes and was pretty sure I wanted the Asics Gel Nimbus 10. But ... they're $180 plus taxes and I wasn't quite sure I could swallow that. The Running Room does have a great return policy, but still. I tried looking for them online and across the border, but couldn't find them much cheaper.

So, I went into Sportsmart and decided to try one model down from that shoe.... the Asics Gel Cumulus 10. It was almost as comfortable in the toe as the Nimbus, and quite a bit cheaper at $139. I was pretty sure this was the shoe I was going home with. But as I walked around the store in them, my toes felt good, the cushion was nice .... but the back of them seemed awfully high and the more I walked the more it irritated me. So that choice went out the window.

I decided to suck it up and head back to the Running Room and try something else. I was going to find something in there regardless of cost. If the only shoe that happened to feel good was the most expensive, then so it would be.

I had the saleslady assess my feet again. Nice to know that she came to the same conclusion as the previous saleslady. Maybe they do know their stuff :). I told her right up front which shoe I liked, but that I really couldn't afford it and was looking for another option. We tried on a few and I settled on ....

The Mizuno Wave Nexus 3. They are the ugliest bright yellow. I'm not a fan of yellow in pretty much any shade, and certainly not bright. Thankfully when they are on they are not so bad. But they're comfy, and so far feel supportive. They come up ever so slightly higher on the sides just below the ankle ... but not in the back. I'm wearing them around the house right now to get the feel of them. I'd wanted to take them for a test run on the treadmill but I did some yard work today and it's just been a long day and I'm out of energy. They said I could try them 3 or 4 times on the treadmill (as long as I only wear them indoors) and if they aren't working I can bring them back.

While I was there I also decided to try on some running skirts. They intrigue me, what can I say. I had looked at the one's at runningskirt.com but having never worn one, I wasn't ready to order. Theirs is more like an actually skirt with a panty lining. Neat idea, but honestly I've got some pretty good sized thighs and I'm very concerned about rubbing & chafing.

At the running room I tried on two skirts that I liked. I put them on and off 4 times EACH. I could not decide which I liked.

This one is the Running Room's Pink Ribbon Skirt. It is SO pretty. I could totally see myself wearing it for many places other than running. It was quite long too - just above the knee. As a "skirt" this is a great length, but I wasn't sure how I'd feel about running in it. I almost bought it just to wear as a casual skirt - I liked it that much. And SUPER comfy. There are thin shorts built in underneath and they are almost as long as the skirt. This skirt is $54.99

The other one I liked was Mondetta Performance Gear's Hurdle

Jersey Skirt. It was quite a bit shorter - mid thigh, maybe even shorter. This is more the length that I imagined a running skirt to be. Definitely more just a skirt for running ... but I suppose that IS what I'm looking for. I actually loved the way my legs looked in this skirt. But, the one thing I didn't love was that because the skirt was shorter, so too were the shorts underneath. I think the shorts could have been just an inch or so longer and they still would have been shorter than the skirt, but they would have been long enough to cover the thigh bulge. This skirt is also $54.99

In the end I could not decide between the two so I didn't buy either. If I had more money at my disposal I would have bought both and given them a trial run. I'm still determined to get a running skirt, but may have to check out the other running store in town. I'm also going to look for some reviews online. Maybe the shorter skirt would be OK if I had some Glide to prevent chafing. If anyone reading this has any experience with running skirts I'd love to hear your thoughts.