less than a week!

Well it's less than a week until I run 10km in the Bluenose Marathon here in Halifax. Looking forward to it!! It's definitely one of the best runs I participated in last year. Just so much energy and so many people! This evening I ran this route with my running team; my sister Nikki and my brother in law Ray. If you are familiar with Halifax then you know this run incorporated A LOT of hills. Although my legs were feeling pretty heavy near the end it made me feel confident about next weekend! And it gave me the chance to try out my new running sneakers!

The model is Saucony Kinvara 4s and I love them!! I purchased them in Maine while there for my graduation ceremony. They are very light weight but it still feels like you're wearing a sneaker. I'm not a fan of the shoes that are so light weight that you can't even tell your sneakers are there... I think if I purchased those I'd end up leaving the house without any shoes on at all and not even realize! Speaking of which, Nikki and Ray saw a man running COMPLETELY barefoot earlier today. In my eyes that is INSANE but hey, whatever you want to do!

I'm super excited to wear my new shoes next weekend at the Bluenose along with my new Reebok running socks:

Needless to say it will be a colorful event! I also managed to get some cute new exercise capris! Love the ruching on the sides!

I picked up a few other treats at the grocery store:

Let me tell you, this peanut butter is DEADLY!! It basically tastes like a peanut butter cup. It is going to take all of my will power not to eat the entire jar this week. No promises that I won't! So good. I'm not really sure what to eat it with... so far I have opted for directly out of the jar and into my mouth. Any other suggestions? I purchased some coconut water as it's been pretty popular lately and I haven't tried it yet. I'm interested to see how it tastes and if I like it. I'll keep you posted on what I think!

times flies when you have no time

I have been so busy with school!  I can't believe I haven't updated in a week. I trust you I have not been slacking on running though.

This past Saturday I ran the farthest yet.. 9km. It was BRUTAL!! SO hot, absolutely no clouds. I took a lot of walking breaks but I got it done, and feel more confident to do it again.

I started week 8 of my training program:

Monday - off (went canoeing  and swimming)
Tuesday - 4km
Wednesday - walk 30 mins
Thursday - 4km
Friday - walk 30 mins
Saturday - 6km
Sunday - walk 30 mins

I might change it up a bit because I don't have a lot of free time tomorrow (Thursday) and I am supposed to move on Saturday. I'm thinking I will walk again on Thursday, run 4km Friday, move Saturday and do 6km on Sunday.

As my schedule says I ran 4km yesterday and it was my fastest time ever!! I ran it in around 20 minutes. I am SO happy with my time and hope I can improve the speed of my longer runs as a result. 

One thing I noticed that is different while running in Maine is that fellow runners don't seem to acknowledge each other (or maybe it's just me?). I want to change this!! On my last few runs I have waved at every other runner I see, and it feels awesome! A huge motivation and confidence boost. It's like saying 'Look I'm doing it!! And so are you!!'. Do you wave or acknowledge other runners? What is the running etiquette like in your town?

I haven't had much to brag about lately in the food department, but I thought I would share a meal from this past weekend. This was an 'I need to get groceries' lunch, which consisted of eggs, almost bad spinach, frozen vegetables and turkey in a wrap. It was delicious but a little salty:

My new obsession lately has been flavored seltzer water. Specifically Polar Seltzer Water. I love the bubbles but it doesn't make me feel disgusting like pop does!

And a picture of me canoeing with my friend Sarah:

Last thing is that I'd like to give a shout out to my readers in Russia! I don't know who you are but thanks for reading!

feeling good

Last Wednesday I tripped while running in the woods. This morning I fell down the stairs. WHAT WILL NEXT WEDNESDAY BRING?!?! I'm scared.

That being said I had a great run tonight! Well, I say that now that it's over. Every run I do is difficult and tonight was no different. HOWEVER I am really happy with my pace!

Yesterday I ran 3km and my pace was 10:38/mile which is a little slow. Prior to trying to up my mileage I was running closer to 10:10/mile pace.

Tonight I ran 6km and my pace was 10:17/mile!! I am really happy! Now I'm off to take a COLD shower and have some supper!

Note: I include my walking breaks when determining my pace.

get up and try again

One great thing about Portland was that I finally got to check out Whole Foods. It was pretty amazing! Their fresh food looked delicious and they had so many options. I wasn't able to get a full grocery load so I picked up a few treats for myself:

I bought a re-useable sandwich bag from Built and two Justin's single serving Almond butter. One original and one maple! 

Yesterday I ran 3km. It was incredibly difficult. My legs felt like lead. I just could NOT move them any faster. I ended up finishing, but it was a struggle.

I am usually a morning runner. I think I perform better in the evening, but usually by the time I get home I am feeling too wiped out from my day that I can't force myself to run. This morning I woke up and felt like I really needed an extra hour of sleep, so I gave that to myself. When I came home this evening this is how I felt about running 6km:

Do I have to?

Today was the first time since I started my running program that I have really felt like calling it quits. 100%, not doing it. So, I told myself not to think about it and just get dressed and go. So that's what I did!

After my last trail debacle I decided to try out another trail nearby. This trail is one straight path that goes along the river. I'm glad I gave trail running a second try! Beautiful wide paths, and I actually saw real live people!!

The trail goes directly beside the river which is gorgeous and if I decide to run on a hot day, I can just jump right in!

During my run, I am feeling great and I am SO happy that I forced myself to come out. And then...

BOOM! I took a huge nose dive (probably over a root)! I scraped up my knee and jammed my finger a little. More than anything I was SO embarrassed, and thank that there was no one around to see. I kept running (a bit more cautiously) and made it home in one peice.

And on that note, I am going to bed.

lost & found

I've had a few very interesting runs recently. On Friday, I decided to finally try out the UMaine campus trails. I have gone on the trails once or twice before, for very short walks. I set out with a little map, my iPod and my sense of adventure to complete a 4km run. Ten minutes into the jog and I'm feeling fantastic. Why have I not used the trails until now?! It was sunny out but the tree cover provided wonderful shade. The trails were wide and even, with a fairly flat route. I'm loving every minute!

My first turn approaches and the trail isn't marked as clearly as I had hoped. No worries! I find it on the map and keep going. Fast forward to about 15 minutes later. I have NO idea if I'm on the right trail or not! Have not seen a sign in awhile. Almost trip twice. Have to resort to walking. Go through a very swampy area leading to TWO soaked and muddy feet. Roots everywhere and the trail has somehow become about a foot wide. I end up crossing paths with a man on a bike (first person I have seen by the way) who tells me where I am going. I end up back on the right path, feeling very discouraged! [I would like to note that I wasn't really lost... I always knew the direction of the road and the woods really aren't that thick. It would have just been very annoying to have to go to the road and walk around, would have made my run 3x as long!]

I am happy that I got out and tried something new. However I think it made me realize that I am definitely a city runner! One good thing was that I finally tried out my new hand held water bottle:

 

It was amazing! It was a little sloshy but I definitely appreciated the water and the small pouch to hold my keys. Will be using this again for sure. I purchased it at the Running Room for $15.99 Canadian.

This past weekend I went to Portland, ME with my friend Sarah. Sarah ran the Old Port Half Marathon and did amazing! So proud of her. Especially since there was a mix up with the cab and she almost missed the start!

While Sarah was off being amazing I decided to stick to my running plan and run 7km. I decided to run around Back Cove. There is a beautiful trail that is very flat and right next to the water. There are water fountains along the trail which I have never experienced before. I was SO grateful for them as I did not bring my trusty water bottle. 

 

I was unaware that my planned run was along the race route! Fortunately they still had the trail open, but I did have to be aware of those doing the race. I was going in the opposite direction of the runners but it was wonderful motivation to keep going and I hope my cheers helped some of them stay motivated too!

Portland is a beautiful city with lots of trails and parks! I would love to visit again.

Sarah and I in Portland!

Ashlee and I in Portland!

This week I will be starting week 7 of my 12 week training program. Over half way! I want to celebrate this milestone with some new running music. Any suggestions?! I prefer to run to upbeat dance music.

This week:

Monday - off (did some leisurely swimming)

Tuesday - 3km

Wednesday - 6km

Thursday - off

Friday - 9km

Saturday - 5km

busy bee

What a busy week! Back in Maine, getting settled back into the school routine. Managing to keep on top of my running which I'm happy about.

Just completed week 5 of my training which included:
M - off
T - 3k
W - 4k
T - off
F - 3k and I did kickboxing at the UMaine Rec Center! (Beautiful new gym, check out their facilities!)
S - 6k
S - walk 30 mins

I actually ended up doing the 6k today (time 39:39, pace 10:35, 3 - 1 minute walking breaks). I ended up waking up too late on the weekend and so by the time I got up it was WAY too hot! Today was beautiful though. It was a tough run which I attribute to me not sticking to my schedule. So I want to make a point of trying to stay on track.

Some photos from my run today:

Two photos while I'm crossing a bridge.

View of the bridge from another part of my run.

The route I've been doing lately has allowed me to check out my current neighbourhood a little bit which is nice. I go over that bridge twice (there and back), which allows for gorgeous views and a nice breeze. Today I ran through the University of Maine campus which has great tree cover. My only complaint is that in a lot of areas the sidewalks are TERRIBLE but there is usually a wide shoulder, so I run there instead.

My running schedule (week 6) for this week is:

M - off (but I ran the 6k)
T - 3k
W - 5k
T - off
F - 4k
S - 7k
S - walk 30 mins

I am trying to increase my strength, and so I am trying to incorporate more strength workouts in my routine. I find this difficult to do on my own, as usually by the time I get home from a run (even just 3k!) I am WIPED out. I think the heat has a lot to do with it. This is why I attended kickboxing last week. 
I want to do kettlebell on Wednesday, but I'm not sure if I'm up for a 5k AND kettlebell. Looking for some opinions here... should I keep my current schedule and try to do a 5k and kettlebell? I could also switch my T/W run and do 5k tomorrow and 3K & kettlebell Wednesday, but then I would be doing a 6k and a 5k back to back. Let me know if you have any insight! Thanks

source: http://umaine.edu/wp-content/rotator/222/Rec%20Ctr%20At%20Night.jpg

The beautiful UMaine Rec Center lit up at night!

maine living

I'm back in Maine now to complete a 6 week practicum for school. I'm sad and a little nervous to leave my running buddies behind. That being said, I have some new inspiration as I recently signed up for not one, but TWO runs! The two runs are a part of a running weekend called Maritime Race Weekend. I will be running a 5k on Friday evening, and the next morning I will be running at 10k. To top it off this will be my first ever 10k! I'm really excited to do this and also scared, so I'm hoping these two feelings will meld together to boost my motivation.

The race takes place around Eastern Passage and Cow Bay in Nova Scotia. It's going to be along the coast which will be beautiful. The two races have a pirate theme which I LOVE! They are calling the two races together the Tartan Twosome.

source: http://www.maritimeraceweekend.com/coastalrace/?page_id=550

You can check them out on facebook here.

I recently bought some new products I tried out today. One was Body Glide which is an anti-chafing and anti-irritation balm. I used it this morning on a 3k run. I thought it was fantastic! It was not greasy, as opposed to the Vaseline I was using previously. It held up despite the fact that it was really warm out. I am looking forward to trying it out on a longer run soon. 

 And finally...

Nikki [left] and I prior to a VERY hot 6k that we did last Sunday morning.