i did it!

I ran my races last weekend!! Really happy with my results and that I felt good during both of my races. My stuffy nose seemed to magically go away while I was running, which was amazing. The races took place in Fisherman's Cove, Nova Scotia. The routes were along the water and provided BEAUTIFUL scenery. So many times I wanted to stop and take photos!

I finished the 5km run with a time of 31:21, which is a mile pace of 10:05. We ran the 5km at 7pm, and had gorgeous weather and a beautiful sunset:

Source: http://www.facebook.com/sylvie.theriault.77

The 10km took place the next morning, at 7:30am. I finished with a time of 1:09, which is a mile pace of 11:06. My goal was to finish in less than 1:20, so I am very happy with my time! I'll be interested to see what my finish time is for my next 10km when I haven't ran a 5km the night before!

Some more photos from the event:

Prior to the 5km race with one of my supporters, my bro-in-law, Ray.

Happy while running the 5km!

Runners in the 5km race, you can see me in purple!

ARRRR!!! Me and some pirates

The Tartan Twosome medals. Anyone who ran in 2 events (5km + another) received one!

I will post more pictures soon of the 10km race, and when the official photos are released. I also have some new exciting race and exercise plans that I will share with you soon!

Are you taking part in any fall races? Tell me about it! 

it's been awhile

I'm still here! Still alive, still running. Last week was a really busy week as I was taking a shorten course from 8-3 every day. And to balance things out this week I have tons of free time! Feels great.

I just finished a re-do of week 10. I ran 11km on Sunday morning and it KILLED my knees. While I was running I felt some discomfort, but I pushed on. I got home, stretched, and went about my day. In the evening it was very painful to bend my knees. I iced my knees which seemed to help. Thankfully the pain was mostly gone yesterday and I went for an easy hike with no problems.

This week is week 11 of my running program:
M - 3km 
T - 6km
W - off
T - 5km
F - 3km
S - 13km

I am going to tweak the program a bit. Overtime I have realized that this isn't the best program for me. I don't like running two days in a row. And as the Maritime Race Weekend is only 10 days away I want to be cautious of my knees so I don't get injured!

So instead I already took Monday off. I'm going to run 6km today, 5km Thursday and 13km on Saturday. On Friday I will do some walking to keep my muscles loose.

Lately I have tried two different oatmeal recipes. Oatmeal is fantastically cheap and reminds me of fall and winter. The last week has been really chilly and oatmeal is a healthy way to warm your belly! That being said, one recipe I tried was www.peanutbutterrunner.com's Overnight Oats, which is actually for cold oatmeal:

It consists of cooking oats overnight in the fridge with Greek yogurt, milk, and fruit. I added some peanut butter on top. I wasn't a big fan! I thought it was a little chalky tasting. It could be my discount oats that did it. Either way I suggest you try it as it's a great alternative option to eat oats! Maybe you will be a fan.

After my 11km yesterday I sat around in my running clothes for awhile (bad idea I know) and was feeling super cold. I thought a great way to warm up and to get some recovery food would be oatmeal (again!):

This time I made hot oats with cinnamon, nutmeg, flaxseed and half a banana. I topped it off with some peanut butter. It was delicious and warmed up me instantly.

I'm also going to make this oatmeal based recipe soon as a replacement for granola bars: Banana Oatmeal Cups

What are your favorite ways to enjoy oatmeal?

vacation again!

The great thing about being in school is that I get a lot of mini vacations. I love it! I can't believe that I will be finished in December. By the time I will finish I will have attended university for 7 1/2 years. THAT IS A LONG TIME! I really can't imagine not living the student life. Working 9-5 EVERY day?!? No summers off?! No month long Christmas break?!? These things scare me.

However, for all the good that comes from being a student, having these multiple vacations can really throw off my running schedule. I am a creature of habit and order. I like having a plan, and being thrown into vacation mode can snowball for me, where I end up laying around and doing absolutely nothing!

So as you may have guessed I'm on vacation again. Back in Halifax for a week as I finished my summer practicum.

Last week I was on week 9 of my training program:
M - 3k
T - 4k
W - off
T - 5k
F - 4k
S - 10k
S - off

I stuck to fairly well. Even ran 4k after I had driven for 7.5 hours on Friday! BUT I did not do the 10k on Saturday. It is my first 10k and I am a little nervous, but also excited.

This will be week 10:
M  - 3k
T - 5k
W - off
T - 5k
F - 3k
S - 11k
S - off

Since I didn't make the 10k on Saturday I'm going to tweak week 10 to:
M - off (I visited my nanny for the day... probably the only valid excuse I will ever have)
T - 10k
W - off
T - 5k
F - 3k, or off depending on how the 5k goes
S - 11k
S - off

I have 3 weeks left of my training program! I am really proud of how much I have done and it will feel SO good to complete it. Getting super pumped for the Maritime Race Weekend!

What race(s) are you training for? Are you looking forward to running in cooler weather, or do you love the heat? Let me know!

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.