Here is a video I made for work. The videography isn't fantastic because we randomly decided to turn on the camera and start recording but I am happy with the editing. Workout so you can relax, story of my running life. Enjoy xo Becks

Snow shovelling's good for the core

I love snow, absolutely love it! We don't get enough of it here on the west coast so when the white stuff finally decides to present itself, I'm ecstatic! It's funny how something so simple can make such an impact. I try to make time slow as I watch the island totally transform into a quiet and an even more serene place.  Now I've said before, actually I said it above - I totally love the snow! I also totally love running but just because you love two things doesn't mean you have to love them together, right? Let's just say this is the story of my life. To be honest my hip flexors really hate the challenge of running in snow so I was grateful to use the weather as an excuse to cross train.  

As the day went on I obviously felt guilty for not running (what is wrong with me?) so I decided the only logical remedy was to shovel and use it as a core workout. When I started I felt like a princess. I've never really shovelled snow before. When I live at home 8 years ago I usually pretended to shovel while everyone else did the work (mainly my mom and dad).  

Anyways, I managed to find the snow shovels and started while making sure to engage my core and work equally from each side. I started with our side decks and then the big one (we have a really big deck). After that I moved on to the driveway and because we share it with the neighbours I had to do their part as well. Otherwise I'd look like the cheapo neighbour. I finished off with the driveway that led up to our house. 

When I though I was done I relaized all my hard work was creeping up on me. The snow I had once completely shovelled away was back! Not totally back but just enough to make it look like I haden't done much work. At this point, I know I had worked, my aching back and shoulders proved it so I decided to leave my artistic mark and go inside for some tea. Feel free to appreciate the masterpiece.

xo

Becks

The water taxi always runs

Last week I called the water taxi asking if they would cancel their afternoon run because of the torrential downpour. The response, "it's raining.... we always run." Enough said, after feeling a bit like a dumb blond for questioning the integrity of the oh holy water taxi I thought nothing of the snow and wind accumulating in Horseshoe Bay on Friday night. The water taxi always runs.

At 12:30am I assumed the boat was late because of rough winds, same excuse at 12:40 and by 12:50 we decided to call the water taxi at 12:55. At 12:55am we learned the boat was still on the island because they thought nobody would be waiting. What? I was surrounded by at least 15 of my closest friends and all of us wanted to be home yesterday. So we waited.... we were told they would try to drive the boat but the 60 knot winds were (k)not in our favour.

At half past one the boat crashed into the dock, we were told if you get seasick DON'T get in. As I clambered onto the boat the size of a melon (see left) I felt like I could handle the rough water but my trepidation was for the unknown. I worried the boat would capsize and I would be forced into the frigid water. When we set sail I no longer worried the boat would fall over now my only focus not to puke. I was not going to be "that girl". I wasn't going to be the dramatic one who couldn't handle the rough waves.

Anyways, what was normally a 10 minute ride became a 25 minute roller coaster of torture. When I made it onto solid land I realized I never really had sea legs as I felt like I was still on the boat. I braved the wind and snow during my walk home. There was no sign of life except for a few porch lights and random garbage cans strewn over the road. Since it had already been the longest night ever I decided to clear the road and move the garbage bins to the side - just being a good samaritan! I don't know if I'll ever get used to living on this island but it sure makes for good stories.
xo
Becks

Glad to be back

I woke at 8am for the 8:30 ferry. This is a Thursday “sleep in” but I was still exhausted. I grumbled my way onto the ferry because, when I'm tired, I worry the over training fatigue from last summer is on it’s way back. I like to think of my grumbling as a form of energy conservation.

I was on my way to track practice at SFU. I haven't been to the track since my injury forced me to stop back in July. When I arrived, I don't know why I thought it would be different. It was totally the usual: warm up around campus, past cornerstone, down the big hill, up the steep hill, over Johanna's heart attack hill, by the bus loop and then back to the track.  My notorious stretching table was in the same place I left it and I did my usual hip stretch. Yup, everything was the same. That was until I learned my workout fate. 3x mile. What? Are you kidding me? Serious? I’ve never completed 3 miles on the track. By the time track season rolls around I'm usually onto the shorter distances. I was nervous. Mile intervals are not really that far but I haven't met the honesty of the track in awhile and in rubber boots no less.

I dwelled for awhile and then quickly told myself to snap out of it and focus. I began the first set conservative finishing each lap in a little over 80 second. After a 5:29 mile I felt strong and relaxed. I told myself that if I keep a consistent pace it only hurts after about two laps and I can handle that. I tried to break up the distance in my mind. I didn't focus on the distance for the first part I just tried to run at a consistent pace for as long as I could. When I got to 1000 I told myself one more lap until 600 and then at 600 it was time to focus and push it. When I got to 300 I told myself this distance is nothing, I do this all the time. With 150 metres to go I only had a stride distance left so I might as well go hard. I finished the last two mile intervals in 5:25.

This is the first time I've felt satisfied with my workout in a long time. This feels so good. Both my mind and my body were so good. I mean I have a long way to go on the workout front but today I felt strong. I had power! I told myself to dig deep and go faster and I did! This is fantastic and I only can hope it continues. I leave feeling cautiously optimistic!
xo
Becks

Feelin' great being a "bugger"

It exists, running can feel great! Today, I felt fantastic... that's it. When it feels this good it's so easy to run. I mean it's still hard 'cause you're running but you get the picture. Today I completed 55 minutes of pure bliss. I'm not sure if it was the pelting down freezing rain of yesterday in contrast to the beautiful crisp sun. Or maybe it was that I waited until mid-afternoon to run but both my mind and body felt light as a feather. I wasn't limited by my notorious hips or my fatigue and my feet were even pain free (for real this time)!

My Wednesday runs have been very eventful since I move to island time but today wasn't as exciting in the animal department. I'm ok with that. The only point of interest was my double run in with a middle aged man and I must admit I was mildly impressed by his pace. I passed him once as I entered the trail to the lake and he went off in a different direction. I assumed that was it until I arrived at the half-way bridge and there he was again! Weird, I didn't know how he got there. I had already given him the "on your left" once and I didn't want to say it again so I made my presence known by trying to run loud. That's when he picked it up (a pain, I know). So here I am thinking ok, here we go, I'll just follow you at my consistent pace until you tire. When I finally caught up and passed him I had to ask, "how did you get ahead of me?" Between gasps he told me he took this trail I've never heard of that cuts off like half the lake loop. He also managed to throw in a chirp calling me a "bugger" for passing him again which made me laugh. Ha, who was he kidding, of course I was going to beat him! Anyways, I finished my run feeling energetic and motivated! The goal now is to keep this recovered state going. Enjoying the run!
xo
Becks

Making work Fun!

Here's another video I made for work. It was captured on an iphone so I'm not proud of the videography but I am happy with the transitions. Enjoy it's all in good fun!

Wednesday's Adventure Run

I seriously love Wednesdays they are the best. I rise before 7 on Tuesdays and Thursdays so I let myself sleep on Wednesdays. It's the usual: wake up to coffee and cereal, check the news and get ready for my run. I take the normal route: around the meadow, throw in one or two laps of the lake (depending how I feel) and then another meadow loop. Strange encounters are redundant, I don't look twice as I pass frogs, squirrels, deers and dogs. Even yielding to horses has become commonplace. What isn't normal, was my run in with a heron that left me screaming like a little girl.

It was like the giant troll under the bridge.  I crossed this toothpick bridge that separates me from marshy wetlands of reeds, lily pads and muck. My heart stopped as its wings began beating against the wood under my feet. I didn't know what that noise was. It was like a generator warming up, when suddenly a four foot wingspan emerged from the reeds and took off. It was probably more scared of me than I should have been of it but my heart jumped out of my chest because of this guy.

This isn't the exact bird but you get the idea. Once I got over the adrenalin rush I laughed as I added heron to the list of don't look twice animals. But seriously herons are huge....see
xo
becks

Another day at the office

I convinced myself that I began practicing yoga so that I could work out and relax at the same time. I guess this is pretty much true but there has always been a teeny, tiny part of me that was totally pissed off by my lack of yoga ability. I had to improve!  How could I call myself a high performance athlete if I was humbled by crow and could hardly siphon the energy to balance through dancer's pose. I so wanted to move like that seemingly effortless yogi. I realized it's called yoga practice for a reason. So I did the only thing I knew how and practiced... a lot.

I realized that as I made this video I've come a long way in the strength department.  I've developed enough "functional" strength through yoga that I can compete in fun random work competitions but my loss to Tanner shows me I have a long way to go. I'm really looking forward to see how yoga strength impacts my training.
xo
Becks

Like I never left

I'm back, ok well not totally back but major step in the right direction back. Today, I attended my first mundy park practice since my foot injury forced me to stop back in July.

It felt so normal as I did the (modified) usual: 5k warm-up, 2 x 2K loop and cool down. There was some minor discomfort which was to be expected considering the huge lump of scar tissue that makes up my heel. I'm comforted by the fact that after I finished icing I could walk around without throbbing pain. The after-the-fact pain is the culprit that serves as the ever present reminder you're charting injury waters and this was most definitely the case last winter/spring/summer.

I didn't know what to expect today. I just wanted to run and feel good. I finished my loops better than expected: 6:38 and 6:48. Before I started I told myself I'd be happy with 7 minutes. It's good to be back I had a much needed mind/body break. I could feel the health radiating out of my out-of-shape body. I feel fresh, it feels so natural to run again and I'm so grateful to have the motivation to do so.

I guess when I think about it in some ways I'm totally back.
xo Becks

Yakima or bust!

How did I get here? I’ve spent the last two days helping my sister at a work convention in Yakima, Washington. I know, yak-i–what? It was a totally random spur-of- the-moment decision. For now, I'm into being spontaneous, I’m still in the foot healing process so I can run/cross train anywhere and my sister needed company.

So poof! Before I knew it my bags were packed, I hopped in the Lincoln navigator and headed to what I thought was a quick jaunt inland from Seattle. Turns out 6 hours later we arrived in small-town hickville in what looked like a cold desert.  I quickly realized my dreams of manicures and designer bags were just that, dreams but coffee, free food and a good attitude made our trip hilarious.

We had good tunes, shopped for Halloween costumes at the local Target (pronounced tarj-eah) and dined on endless salad and breadsticks at the local Olive Garden. I didn't realized how much I missed pasta - it's so good. From the outside, the idea of the trip sounded like a disaster but we had so much random, relaxing fun. I helped my sister set up her booth (a black unmarked tub that just made it through the security checkpoint at the border), provided her with endless coffee and pretended I knew what I was talking about at the conference.

I also obviously got my runs in. What I love about running is that you can see a lot of a town and explore areas you probably would never go if you were driving. From what I saw Yakima is full of pawn shops, used car/used lawn mower/used tractor lots and repair garages (which actually makes a lot of sense).

As long as I can run and have coffee I’m easy to please. Throw in some lasagne and I'm in heaven. It also helps that we took off early from the conference to squeak in some Nordstroms shopping at Bellevue Square.  Tory Burch flats and good company I'm in!

xo Becks

Party like it’s 1990-99!

Well, I’m another year older and hopefully another year wiser?  I’m not so sure if that’s the case but I have learned a lot about myself in the last few months. What I do know is that I celebrated my closer-to- 30-than-20th birthday having more fun then I could wish for.

Mer and I had a perfectly planned evening, the only problem with a perfectly planned evening is there’s a high potential for disaster - everything has to go according to plan!

It was well worth the risk, as our dinner table for ten grew I contemplated my popularity as friends added chairs. 

Celebrating in 90's style doesn’t really get any better then chunky heel loafers, baby tees, dark red lipstick and side slit dresses avec chockers. Throw in some mmm-bop and quit playin' games with my heart and I flash back to high school dances working up the nerve to ask for a slow dance. 

As I wake up in 2010 laughing to myself at a hilarious birthday evening I realize how lucky I am to have friends who voluntarily take pubic transit in clothes like these to celebrate with me. What a send off into 26!

xo Becks

Walk Running part 1

Foot pain forced me to stopped running back in July. I had literally come to the breaking point where I needed to fully heal my torn plantar fascia before I was going to run well. Two weeks post-running I received an ultrasound which revealed that my injured tissues were over double the normal thickness, very rough and totally uneven. This is the result of my plantar fascia being torn and then healing significantly thicker to withstand the forces as I continued to run on a sore foot.  Stupid on my part!

For the last month I've been receiving deep tissue massage to try and reverse the damage I caused over the last 6 months by breaking up the stubbon scar tissue. My foot is still not 100%, it's taking a really long time to heal but I'm ready to introduce walk-runs. Now the only problem is I followed the term "introduce" a little too loosely. I started with a 2 minute run and 3 walk and quickly bumped it to 3 minute run. When I woke up with a sore-ish foot I relaized this was not working. I took off another week and then reintroduced a 1 min run and 4 min walk like I should have at the beginning. It's terrible, I just want to run, but I'm ready to do it right this time. I'm trowing my impatience to the wind and finally ready to listen to my body.

So here I am: 1 min run and 4 min walk with a rest day in between each run day. I've since set out for 1.5 min run and 3.5 min walk and after a tender foot I'm going to attempt this again before progressing to 2 mins of running. I have talked with my massage therapist about the tenderness and discussed that there could be some tenderness as the foot tissues adjust to an increased workload but they should subside as I progress. Deep down, when I push my stubbornness to the side, I know that I'm following the right recovery path for my body. I'm choosing to do this walk-run right but I really do miss the actual run....
xo
Becks

Competition doesn't go away

I've been off running for almost two months now....wow! I was exhausted at first, I thought I had lost my running desires forever! That place where I dug down deep within me to find that final ounce of energy was gone, it was way beyond empty. It was weird, feeling as if I didn't care, I have never been passive. I'm still experiencing a bit of this love-hate relationship when my thoughts come to racing but through this time I've realized my quest for competition can be tamed but it'll never be far away.

That's why I started yoga. I wasn't good and I wanted to be. I hadn't felt this dedication to succeed athletically for a few months now and I could relax at the same time. It was perfect!

I finally had a non-running athletic goal that I was excited about: I was going to hold crow. I chose this pose because I so admire the core strength people posses as they effortlessly lift their rock-hard bodies and mold them into solid positions. I wanted to do this but every time I tried my wrist would buckle, my shoulders ached and ultimately I ended up face first in the mat.... see.

So for the last few weeks I've been completing a beautiful yoga practice under the stars in attempt to relax and I always made sure to try crow. Time and time again I would fall, I got to the point of holding it for like half a second before falling and that wasn't good enough. I wanted to be able to commit and hold it for longer! 


Well, here I am finally holding crow (for like 10 seconds)!!! It was small feat but it's something I chose to work towards an conquer. My next goal, handstand from crow. I know I'll do it but I think this one is going to take awhile.

xo Becks

Tourist in my own Town!

Bowen during summer should feel like a vacation, an escape or at least that's how everyone who visits bowen describes it. I want to feel this every day I want to bottle up this feeling, this pride and take it with me wherever I go. The question is how? I think my best chance at concocting this elixir is to become a tourist in my own town. This way I hope to appreciate this island retreat instead of becoming blinded by the inconveniences. To help me experience this place through a tourist's eyes I've been inviting my firends to visit and I'm totally appreciating this unique look.

Our bowen day began with 4 friends lunching on Nat's deck. On the menu, sandwiches with chips inside.  Apparently adding chips into the sandwich only happens on this island and has become a bowen must!

After lunch we took a walk and a talk around Killary Lake, I've never "walked" around this lake in my entire life; although, I know it like the back of my hand. The lake has always been a time trial of my fitness, where I run from point a to point b and back again in attempt to become as fast as I can be. Here we took a peaceful jaunt around the 4-km loop.

Next came the golf course, I've never made it around all 9 holes but I figured the driving range at sunset would be a hilarious experience of beauty and uncoordinated defeat. Turns out, after we collected our balls and took a couple of practice swings we wern't as terrible as this picture suggest.

A day of bowen exploring finished in the most blissful ways possible. Dinner under the stars, a bottle of wine, wood oven pizza and 2 amazing salads shared between four friends. It was a fabulous island version of Sex and the City. I'm feeling so happy to be relaxed and appreciating the opportunity to live in such a beautiful place.

xo

Becks

Public Transport Tested

A light trot to the lake and through the meadow at sunset followed by a yoga practice under the stars. So amazing, so surreal I wish I could be this relaxed all the time. I'm reminded why I live on this island. After the last day an a half I needed a blissful night to re-remember why I chose to live on island time.

When I'm on this island it's glorious and at times even glamorous but sometimes getting off the island is anything but.

I am not going to let island life affect my integrity, I do not want to use the "ferry made me late" excuse but so far it has been sending my cortisol levels through the roof. Yesterday the power was off, yes they can turn off the power to an entire island. When the power goes the docks have to be lowered and raised manually. This dock cranking as I imagine it makes the ferry late. The power was off at 8am so I assumed the next ferry, the 9:35 wouldn't be too late. Assuming, as we all know makes and ass out of u and me, that was my first mistake. My second mistake was ignoring my dream's orders. I had a nightmare that the ferry was terribly late but I ignored my subconscious warning. As I got ready for work my sister called to inform me the ferry was docked. I grabbed my stuff and sprinted but it was a futile attempt. I watched the ferry sail away. After one sailing the ferry was 40 minutes behind and I was going to be late for work. 

In a desperate attempt to be on time I took the coast link, a water taxi that goes to Granville Island. 20-dollars and 40 minutes later I was on my way. It was 10 am and I had to be at robson lulu by 11. I was determined to make it! As we approached False Creek the boat literally crawled, that is if you could crawl in the water.  Lets just say front crawl would have been faster.  By some gift of god I was let out on the downtown side of the bay. I had 12 minuets to get from the David Lam Park to Robson. I could make it! I hopped out of the boat and just started running. I had no plan which was obvious by my cutting corners, ignoring street signs and praying I didn't get hit by cars as I took advantage of the bike lane. It was me against the clock, story of my life but this time it wasn't for a pb. I arrived at the store at 10:56 trying not to cry and totally sweating but I made it! Is this worth it? 

It was another public transport challenge as I caught the bus home. The late bus arrived to the ferry terminal late which meant I watched the ferry leave. If I hadn't been so tired my heart would have broke as I watched the ferry fill with cars and mockingly sail away. I missed the cut off.  My solution to pass the time was to drowned my sorrows in a thin crust Bay Moorings pizza, and when that kitchen had closed early I went to the only store open bought 2 bananas, 2 licorice and a box of grapes.

When I'm taking public transit I realize there are so many factors out of my control and I might as well let it be. I know that resistance to what is happening is my mind trying to take control but I'm in love with control. I know eventually my stress levels will thank me when I can just let what is be so as I went to bed, told myself to relax and that life will be beautiful as it always is in the morning.

Today, I arrived to my car which was not where I left it. I wanted to laugh but I had to be at my massage appointment. I didn't want to be late and thank goodness my dad could drive me to the impound lot. I feel like I'm being tested. I know it was my decision to park overnight and take the tow risk but bowen'ers do it all the time. $160 later and I'm not going to take that risk again.

I am so grateful for my peaceful night, after my practice I looked up at the stars, thought about how I pretty much held crow for the first time and realized my problems are trivial compared to so many. I am so blessed, transportation is trivial. namaste.

Racing the clock with Betsy

Is it possible to live on island time when your life constantly revolves around ferry schedules? 

I don't know for sure, "chilling out" is a whole new concept that, at least I think, I'm starting to get used to if this picture is any indication. Don't be fooled, I wish I could always be the type of person who could naturally sit back and let things be but lets face it- I’m not. I’m competitive as hell in every aspect of my life. When there’s a window of opportunity I’m most definitely going to make a grab for.This couldn’t have been more obvious than my experience getting to the 9:45 ferry last night. 

When the crowds died down around lulu at 7pm I took advantage of possibly getting out early and slowly worked towards closing my section. I ask to be let go a little early in attempt to catch the last ferry and avoid my 11:30 water taxi fate. Shout out to key leader Tanner who let me go, I grabbed my turtle shell of a back pack, kicked up my heels and booked it to my yaletown apartment where I park Betsy. I literally ran into Justine and her boyfriend Ryan along the way. What a terrible first impression: sweating and toting a turtle shell. I walked for about 30 seconds of a conversation referring to my existence and a few "it's nice to finally meet you" before once again running off like a crazy person. 

I chose to rush, it was Betsy and I against the clock. I knew I would make it, I'm only a few weeks out of racing practice.  

It was as if the street light gods were cheering me on as the sea of red slowly changed to green when I approached.  Bam, bam, bam it was a near perfect drive down Georgia and over the bridge. It was no contest we ironically arrived to the ferry terminal early. 

Today I learned to relax when there's no point rushing but make things happen when you think it's worth it. Is rushing with a good attitude ok? I don't think it's possible to change who you are completely. Personal growth is most definitely important but sometimes, at least I think, your personality traits get you to where you want to be. I wanted to make the ferry. I realize a rush to the ferry is a small scale example of an anxiety driven lifestyle but here I am signing off as I take a few seconds out of the Now to laugh at myself remembering my evening. Back to relaxing and doing quite well with it!

Becks

Embracing Bowen Culture

I have been on island time for about a week now. Yes, commuting is going to be a challenge but I'm enjoying the wind in my face and feeling the salty air deep in my lungs. I'd be lying if I didn't admit to being slightly insecure about moving back but I really do appreciate the tranquility of home sweet home. I'm also 100% aware that I'm blessed to have the option to be a freeloader. The book I'm reading talks about time as a made up entity of the mind and what exists is not the past or the future but Now. Well, for right now, at this very moment, I am happy to be an islander. I have had so much change over the last couple of months that the familiarity of home is very comforting.

While on this running break and surrounded by water I'm going to fully embrace this island opportunity by rediscovering my environment. So far I've found $6 evening yoga in a beautiful studio, enjoyed some beer league fast pitch and partied at the infamous Bowen Island Doc Dance.

I think it's the freedom from commitment and worry that finds me smiling to myself over nothing in particular, at times it's probably thoughts of last night's antics. For Now this island isolation is so liberating, if you want to reach me I'll be on my coconut wireless ;)
xo
Becks 

Eat, Pray, Love

I've developed a new reading routine and I'm loving it! One of my non-running related goals is to spend more time reading. I also want to go to bed earlier, it's not a goal so much as it is just something I need to do. I find with so much glorious summer daylight it's hard to make myself go to bed early, 12 am has become the norm, so I've come up with a reading routine where I try to go to bed around 10:45-11 and read until I feel tired. It's brilliant, I'm tricking myself into going to bed early and I'm getting some reading done at the same time! Bam.

Eat Pray Love is my first reading accomplishment of this new routine. It was a good choice, I felt like I was looking at my reflection.  There were so many mirrors between her life and mine. It was comforting to feel like I'm not the only person following her heart and dealing with a lot of self-torment along the way. My most favourite part of the book its during the main character's journey to India where she struggles to relax her mind and mediate. I find I'm having a similar struggle, I have recently found yoga but working out in a non-competitive way is a huge challenge for me. Yoga is so humbling, I want to be the best but if you took one look at my bent knees during forward fold or watched me fall awkwardly on my face as I tried to hold crow you would quickly realize I'm far from it. This "go at your own pace" is so different as I try to hold plank longer than the people beside me, I want to win.

I'm trying to use yoga as a way to relax, I love the idea of relaxing but I'm not quite there yet. It's kind of funny, I feel like I'm being tested especially after my last class. I'm getting used to sweating before I even start in a cramped humid room but bad breath will always be disgusting. I went to a power class the other day and, my stomach turns as I write this, we began by sticking out our tongues, breathing out all our air and roaring like a lion. As loud and as deep as we could we were supposed to let go and really get into it..... ROAR. I couldn't do it! I could feel a thick combination of germs and bad breath swirling around me so heavy I could almost see it. I didn't know what to do, I had to breathe but I didn't want the stench to invade my body. I almost left, almost. After the roaring stopped I could relax into the routine and actually had a good stretch but the first part of the class was so ironically stressful that my cortisol levels were probably off the charts.

I love the idea of yoga and I love the novel concept that relaxing could actually make you better. I so admire the strength needed to hold some of the poses and I look forward to developing it in me. This is going to be a very different journey indeed and hopefully it'll help my core/hip strength along the way.
xo
Becks

Diverging off track

It's been exactly a month since my last post, I haven't forgotten to write it's just that I didn't know what to say. To be honest, I've been exhausted and the energy it takes to compose a blog always lost out to the opportunity to sleep. It's amazing how fast you can find yourself diverging off track (no pun intended) and unable to find your way back. A month ago I was relatively in control of my typical running- yaletown life and now I find myself sidelined on island time.

I left off at the pacific series where I produced 3 sub-optimal performances. It began with a 2:08 in Abbotsford, followed by a 2:06 at the Jerome and a 2:07 in Victoria. It felt demolishing, the failure and the frustration I experienced after this week was and is devastating. If you ask me what's up all I can say is I can't find it in me to dig deep, I can't make myself hurt. Usually this is a no brainer, you don't have to think about running until you puke it's a competitive drive that defines me.

With much debate and significant relief I have decided to call it a season. I'm in the process of getting a significant amount of blood work done and I've receiving imaging of my heel tomorrow. Throughout this whole year I felt like I was being tested, I tried to smash down roadblocks and run right through them. On reflection, I should have listened a little closer to my body. I think running with a sore foot day after day slowly beat me down. This along with my recurrent throat infections tampered with my immune system, stripping my of my energy and not leaving enough on the side for my running.

I know this situation is a good thing, I feel like I've picked up the scent and I'm slowly finding my way back. I'm looking at this as an opportunity to relax and have fun. I'm always of the work hard, play hard principle and although it doesn't look like it on paper god knows I was working hard. I'm choosing to have fun, to appreciate this much needed free time and when I return to running it's going to be on my terms.
xoxo
R

My Ideal Sunday

Today began with a 10:30am Sunday run at Burnaby Lake. I met Tasha and Jules for a lap of the lake. Today's run was much shorter than a typical Sunday run because we're beginning to taper for the upcoming Pacific Series.  I must say this was a really enjoyable run, I hardly noticed my foot and the temperature was mild with a light misty rain. This off day run is one of the reasons I love to run! Three strong, fit and most importantly fast women nonchalantly making their way through the soft trails. It was carefree, we chatted the entire way and finished with some good stretching. It felt so good!

After the run I met up with Kaila and Natalie for brunch at Omelettery. We realized it's been about 3 years too long since all three of us have met up. We had to wait for about 40 minutes for a table but wow my denver omelette was worth the wait! It wasn't as good as my usual milestones brunch special but boy it sure came through in a very close second. After brunch I made my way to Bowen but before I hopped on the ferry I grabbed a Starbucks (as if I really needed more coffee but I couldn't resist). My latte was made with 2% instead of skim by accident and they gave me a free coffee card for next time (I love getting free stuff)! I finished the evening off with some core work and some much needed Bowen relaxing.  All and all I can't complain, it was a very lazy sunday.

Sore Foot all over again

I'm sitting here massaging my sore heel (I feel like I've wrote this before). It's not really terrible I mean I made it through the workout today with good times but I must admit to myself that my foot is really sore again. Today I laced up my racing flats, casting my beloved spikes to the side, and finished 3x5x200 in 29-30's.

My foot has been on the verge of being really sore..... again but I have been keeping it in-check until last Sunday. It happened when I tried to run 400's in my flimsy but fast racing spikes. The plan was to run 6 400's with decreasing times aiming for 65-66, 63's and 61's. I was to do them in sets of 2 with 90 seconds between reps and 4 minutes between sets. My workout didn't go according to plan. I finished my first 400 in 63 (oooops) and then 67 (ooops again). The next set was 63,65 followed by 65 and I was cut to a 300 in 49.

I find it so hard to do race pace stuff by myself and being solo on Sunday was no different. I was really disappointed after this workout, it should have been better but I feel like the effort was there but it's hard to get up on my toes and run fluid with constant foot pain. I feel as if my left hip, the hip taking most of my weight, is clunking and putting me at a mechanical disadvantage.

I'm still grateful to be able to run. Today was a confidence booster (especially compared to Sunday) I felt fast and my foot was manageable. I was forced to the elliptical sidelines earlier in the week so for the next while I need to be smart. I need to stay away from my racing spikes during practices and stick to my flats aka rubber boots. I'm looking forward to giving it all I got in the pacific series.

When did running on Bowen become so complicated?

When did running on Bowen become so complicated? I mean it’s been awhile since I’ve run consistently on the island but my years of experience on these trails should leave me feeling like I can do it with my eyes closed. 

The complication began with my evening run on Bowen. I didn’t run until dusk (8pm) because I was tired from an early morning run and spending the day on the EA set. I’m glad I waited because I felt great as I began with a lovely jaunt through the meadow and around the lake. When I came out of the lake I could hear this awful screeching sound. At first I thought nothing of it but as it got louder I looked up and saw two owls staring at me, waiting. I know it seems harmless but both my mom and dad have been clawed in the head by these nocturnal evil creatures. At one point they actually made my dad bleed and I’ve had my ponytail clipped.

I told them they weren’t going to get me this time. To protect my head I stopped and picked up a long, skinny stick in defence. I began waving it over my head while yelling  “aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh.”  When all this commotion this did nothing (thank god nobody was around) the owls gave me a mocking glance of acknowledgement while leaving me no choice but to run past them. I went for it, I made whip like movements with the stick while yelling hiiii-ya, hiiiiii-ya. I did this for about five minutes, I was literally a crazy running lady with a stick, and when I was finally in the clear I cast the stick aside and sprinted for home.

The next day I began my long run relaxed. My legs felt a bit tight but my body felt good. I was really enjoying my run through the soft trails.Then out of nowhere about 20 minutes in I tripped over a root, fell flat on my face and rolled down a dirt hill. I was on the ground so fast but it felt like I was moving in slow motion. I had no control, I was falling and it was as if I could see myself. I was literally watching myself on TV fall but I was also in my own body.  It felt like one of those dreams where you're in control of your movements but at the same time you're also watching yourself move.  

I wasn’t hurt from my fall but I totally bruised my ego. I’m grateful nobody was around to see it. After about 3 minutes of feeling sorry for myself I told the universe to bring it on and finished my run as a dirty sweaty mess. See…..

UBC quasi-race

It took me two days to write about this UBC quasi-race. Although I'd like to pretend it didn't happen, it did and I learned so I feel compelled to share.  I was getting over travel to New York and I was happy to wake up feeling awake but my voice sounded terrible. It felt as if my glands were invading my vocal cords. As expected I've been feeling a bit tired since I got back from the NY. I think the terrible travel arrangements made me miss out on some much needed sleep and now I'm paying the price.

This tired from racing may be the case but I don't want to blame my bad race on being tried. I'm always tired. I heard an awesome quote from some coach in NY. He said flat out, "tired is not an excuse!" He went on to say, "what do you expect, you train hard every day. The only time you shouldn't be tired is during your two-week break after track season." 

I tend to agree with him, I let my fatigue and tight hips define my race. Sub-conciously I made the decision to give up before I started. When I was running I didn't feel great and I decided, I chose, to submit to my fatigue. I ran a strong 600 and slowed down with 200 to go. When I finished I felt as if I ran a hard interval during practice instead of a race. I finished up with 6x 200 in 28-29. I should have done better than this, I should have fought, terrible times feel terrible.

From now on I need to realize that running strong is a decision. It's a decision! You may not always have the best hand but it's important to take what you're dealt and run with it (pun totally intended...sorry ;) I'm choosing to run strong!

Travel home, early morning or a late night?

I was up at 3:30 am for my 7:30 am flight, I wanted give myself plenty of time pending terrible traffic . I also had no choice because this was the time the free shuttle was leaving. As it turns out my free shuttle was a limo – not to shabby for Rebecca.

It’s too bad I couldn’t really enjoy the limo because it was dark and I couldn’t shake the intense desire to sleep. In all, I got about three solid hours of sleep at the hotel which is not much but so much better than nothing.

It was funny, I felt like such an outsider as I went to meet my shuttle. There’s a reason why they call New York the city that never sleeps (I would not do well here). I think I was the only person who actually tried to get some sleep last night. The city was probably busier than it was during the day and the line-up at every road-side gyro stand was around the block.

When I travel alone I like to be early so if anything goes wrong I have time to figure it out. Lets just say I was early, I’ve been at gate 80 since 5 am. It's not all bad though despite being exhausted I just finished a venti non-fat Americano misto (the caffeine will not prevent me from sleeping) and I’m enjoying the free internet I managed to snag by sitting right beside the presidents club lounge.  I’m most defenately on the outside looking in but I have no shame and I’ll take whatever perks I can get.

Today is not a pretty morning by any means... see (refer to pict above) but I’m looking forward to getting back to beautiful Vancouver by 10am.

xo Becks

Adidas Grand Prix

This is the closest I’ve come yet to racing in a diamond league meet. I raced in an 800 at a diamond league meet but my race wasn’t at that standard. Thinking back on my race I’m optimistic and I’m strong but I gotta get my real fight back. I’m spending way too much time being passive, waiting too long to strike and getting myself boxed in. I should have won that race.

I felt good during warm-up and this was mostly due to the fantastic adjustment I had by the chiropractor the night before. I have been having a lot of stiffness in the front of my hips and it was really affecting my stride. I've had a lot of therapy for my hips but the focus has been on the front where the tightness is. It wasn’t until I had this deep adjustment to my left SI joint that I felt an almost immediate relaxation to my front left hip. It just goes to show you how everything is connected.

Back to the race, I felt strong at the start. We went out in 28 and unfortunately I went too far to the inside. It was windy so I though I would sit behind two girls and wait for an opening. The leaders slowed and we hit 61 for our 400 split, too slow and everyone caught up so we were in one big pack. Around 450 I should have started to speed up but I let the girl on my outside come up beside me and take my opening. I let her! I should have fought. By 200 it was 1:31/32 and I had to go wide. The leaders went and I tried to fight but not hard enough and finished in 2:04.02.

I had too much left at the end – this is relative to my normal down on the ground puking state. I need to get back there. To do this I needed to go earlier, around 350 I needed more time to fight. I feel great again I am back and I am strong so this makes me disappointed with my performance. I'm so grateful to be back here. During April and early May I would have killed to be in this place. 

 The only problem is now it's June and I need to run fast. To do this I need to be confident and take risks. Before my foot became really sore and I ran all the terrible 208’s, I told myself to go out in workouts harder than I thought I should and just see what happens. So that's the new plan it usually only feels slightly harder at the end. Anyways, 201 is my goal and I see it everywhere. I look at the clock, it’s 201, on cash at lulu total 201. It’s time to fight for it and get back there. Every race is a chance, every race is an opportunity!


xoxo
Becks

Start Spreading the News....NY NY

I’m on the road again it’s a little bumpy and kinda scary. Being 30 000 feet up and feeling like the plane might drop out of the sky makes it hard to relax but as I write this I’m sending mental messages to the plane and to god to not let that happen. It’s way too beautiful we just passed through the clouds and I’m appreciating a lovely sunset of pinks and blues. I’m Heading to New York for the Adidas Grande Prix.  I am so excited to be in this race, I got in thanks to my Occidental meet performance and I’m going to appreciate every moment!

It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster ride over these last few weeks. I’ve had some great workouts and some practices where I was forced to go easier than I wanted to. I’m looking at my last week as a forced extended taper that will make me feel fantastic in the race. I was really trying to listen to my body this week by sleeping and going easy so that whatever was making me feel stiff and exhausted would clear itself up.  It’s hard to go easier than I would like because I feel like I’ve been losing fitness but I believe this's necessary if I wanted to feel good this weekend.

I’m feeling better now, I realized that in these last two days my neck has become a lot thinner and a lot less painful.  It's weird that waking up with swollen glands was normal. I’m taking this neck reduction as a good sign and I’m using the workouts I did well in the two weeks prior to my taper to prove that I’m ready to race. 

xo Rebecca

Fighting Foggy Fatigue

I realize it's past 3pm on a Sunday and I'm still waiting to workout. Something in me disguised as this cloudy fatigue feeling is telling me to hold off.  I feel as if my body is putting in a huge fight protecting me against myself. My mind knows an important race is coming up and it's hyper-sensative to the fact that I've flipped a switch, I'm am able to run strong, but I'm not feeling 100%.

Workouts for the most part have been going well but they've felt harder than they should. This is probably because I was not resting and fighting thrush (in my throat). Either way when I'm not at my best I know it because my glands cyclically go up and down and my legs feel extra stiff at the hip joint. I've had good times through most of my runs but I've been pushing through stiff legs over the past two weeks.

It was last thursday at the hill when my invincibility caught up with me. I'll admit it, I'm over-worked and I know it. I've done everything I can to help my legs feel better: stretch, chiro, massage, ice. Everything that is, except listening to my body and resting. This brings me back to why I'm still sitting on the couch at 3pm.   I love my job but three evening shifts a week + travelling +racing + TRAINING = too much for me.  It's time for a realization and intervention before I find myself in the deep-rooted fatigue that became my last year.

The fact that I can admit I'm doing too much is a step in the right self discovery direction but I still seem to get myself in this place time and time again. Will I ever learn?  My goal this year should be so simple: to take it easy and not become overworked (which leads to overtired). Why is it so hard?

I partially believe my A-type personality is to blame. I realize this isn't an adequate excuse, I like to think of myself as a smart-ish type person who can see past the end of their own nose, but intrinsically I can't let myself do anything half-assed. Working part-time feels like a cop-out. I can't stand to feel like I'm not as involved as I possibly could be. Maybe A-type isn't the only thing to blame this time, maybe the real reason I find myself here again is the fear of running failure. It's kinda pathetic but maybe subconsciously I fill my life up with obligations so that if I don't run fast enough at least I'll have an excuse.

Whatever the reason I've had enough of this self-sabotage! When I feel good I know I can run fast. I know! I am strong and I can fight. The secret is I have to feel good to fight so this is my new plan of attack: address job situation by going down to 1 or 2 shifts a week, develop a social media plan so I can still be involved with the store but off my feet. For now this will be the plan, I know that if I address my work worries other things will fall into place. I know I can have a good race, this will be an easy/tapper week followed by a couple weeks of hard training. It's all coming together I'm feeling motivated, slightly less worried and I'm going to run as hard as I can!

xo Becks

Sore throat the usual culprit

It's been a lot of good running since I last posted but unfortunately I'm overly exhausted from it. I know why which is a relief but I shouldn't be as weak/tired as I feel. It started with this terrible sore throat - my usual culprit. I always have sore throats when the training gets tough so at first I though nothing of it. For about 4 days before the cali race I took it easier than normal to try and get over it. After I got back my throat got worse and it took me four or five days to realize this was a new one. The pain was different because it didn't change. My typical throat injury sees my glands go up at the end of the day as I become tired and after a good night's sleep I wake up back to normal. This cyclic motion wasn't the case, in this situation the pain was constant and my neck was stiff. I was forced to move my head slowly in every direction or face a painful slap. I decided to go to the doctor.

The doctor literally took a one second look into my throat and asked if I had asthma. My immediate response was CRAP! Ha, I said crap to the doctor! I knew I had thrush (in my throat). To avoid this infection a requirement of my breathing medication is to rinse out your mouth after ever use. I do this everyday but somehow it wasn't good enough (story of my running life ;)

I left the doctor feeling somewhat relieved, pissed but relieved because there was an answer to my fatigue. I've been taking the medicine for a few days now and it's working. I can shoulder check with less pain but I'm still feeling weak after hard workouts. I'm still grateful despite being tired because my track work is going well and my foot is holding up. For now it's lots of good sleeps and fast dreams.

xo
Becks

Back at Burnaby Lake

I began my run at 10am on a cloudy but mild sunday morning. I was back at my normal sunday run routine, meeting the girls at Burnaby Lake. Racing requirements and injury obligations have forced me to run in different locations so it's be awhile, a couple months in fact, since I've been at the lake. I didn't realize how much I missed it. It looked like a completely different place this time around. All of the vegitation was so much greener and thicker. It was like the trail was closing in on inself from all this growth. Despite the mild claustrophobia I love the feeling of running on the soft trails compared to the hard pavement. The seawall, although beautiful kinda beats you up after awhile. We followed our typical route around the lake including an out- and-back along the Burnette River. 65-minutes later we were back where we started and finshed with some good stretching.

I finished off my workout with a fantastic recovery brunch with my mom. We had the Milestones usual: 2 cups of coffee, eggs benny for mom and california omelette no bacon extra ketchup for myself. After an amazing meal and 3 coffee refills I finished my afternoon with an Aritzia purchase (bad I know) and a good nap. Not a bad Sunday!

A giant weight has been lifted

As you can see, I’m sitting by the pool relaxing on a very comfy lounge chair in Pasadena. I’m soaking up my last few hours of sun before I head back to rainy Vancouver. I just finished my Sunday run and I’m enjoying an Orange Overload juice it up smoothie. My Sunday run was exhausting. It has only been about 15 hours since my race so I’m ok with being a little tired. I did an out-and-back run so I wouldn't get lost in a new place.  When you don’t know where you’re going it’s easier mentally to run in one direction instead of trying to kill time doing laps of the neighbourhood. To my unfortunate realization, on this run, when I turned around at 30 minutes I learned I had been running with the wind. I spent the entire second half of my run battling the huge gusts of wind that kept trying to prevent me from getting back to my hotel.

Despite slogging through my run mentally I felt light as a feather, a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. This is the first time I’ve been happy with my racing performance this year! For once I didn’t run an absolutely terrible 2:08! YES….

I didn’t realize how much of my energy has been devoted to my remaining positive while running terrible. It’s almost as exhausting as running itself. Looking back, I’m happy with how I’ve handled myself. I didn’t have any freak outs, well major freak outs, and I feel like I’m finally returning back to my normal running self. I have been keeping things in perspective. I know I can't let my running highs become too high or my running lows become too low. I've also been trying to focus on other amazing aspects of this fun life while waiting for a switch to flip.

Sitting here I keep thinking about racing. I’m looking forward to the next one instead of worrying who’s going to beat me. I am going to look at every race as an opportunity to show what I can do. I believe again, for real this time and I know I can run fast. I can finally race, I can fight, I have a chance.  I’m ready to take risks, kick ass and most importantly I’m going to love every minute. I’m so grateful to be able to run!

xoxo

Becks

A switch has been flipped!

I’m back baby, not only back but better than any race last year back (ha by .01). My time wasn’t all that fantastic but the fantastic part about it was I felt great! I’ve never been so happy to run 2:03.63. Today I could race, I was competitive and I had gears. The switch I’ve been praying for has FINALLY switched!

I was so excited to be part of this meet. It was very low-key but there was so much talent flowing out of every pore of the small stadium that it more than made up for it.

I didn’t know what to expect today. I’ve been taking it really easy because I’ve been fighting off a bit of sickness but I knew that my glands weren’t going to get in my way today. Warming up I was tight and I immediately began doubting myself. It's easy to justify my record doesn’t have much to speak of: tight hips and 208’s.  But about ¾ of my way through warm-up I passed a few amazing runners and realized the main difference between these runners and me is that they believe in themselves. Why am I doubting myself before I even start? It’s racing suicide.  As I passed those runners I immediately started to feel better,  I told myself to snap out of it. I told myself I’ve felt bad in warm-ups before and had great runs. I changed my attitude and made sure I was well warm up so I wouldn’t feel bad in the race due to oxygen debt.  

All I had to do today was sacrifice two minutes of my life to the run – my one max effort. Not a bad day at the office.

When the gun went off I tried to get into a good position. I went through 400 in 59-60 and was so pleased to be thinking omg I don’t feel terrible, I don’t feel like I won’t make it my legs are ok. I was in a bad spot at this point, on the outside pretty much in lane 2. I had another gear and I didn’t know when to use it because I didn’t want to waste too much energy on the curves. I hit 1:31 at 600-metres and kicked it with 150 to go. I was 4^th in my heat in 2:03.63. I think if I had gone a little earlier with about 250 to go I would have been faster.  I lost contact with the first three girls who ran the times I’m still praying to run. I think if I kept with them I could have put in a good fight. 

I keep thinking about how I should of done this or that and the outcome of the race would have been different. I’m telling my mind to stop now. I told myself if I ever got to even 205, with the way I have been feeling, I would be grateful. I am so grateful, I’m going to take this racing experience, learn from it and do even better next time. My fight is back, my determination is back and I’m so happy for it. The switch has flipped and I’m so looking forward to the rest of the season!

xo Rebecca

On set

First and foremost, I love my unconventional work life: It’s all so random and it’s all so fantastic.

Since my last post it has been one hectic week. I've been busy and as a result slow on the writing uptake. I realize "Busy" isn't a real excuse, I think busy happens when you start to lose control. I'll admit I'm kind of in that place but it's ok because it has all been by choice and it has been a fun ride.

This crazy chapter started two weeks ago when I went to an audition for “fit runner girl 25-30.” I knew this role was for me, I could feel it! I rocked the audition to the best of my running/acting abilities and waited.  After the second audition I did more of the same. I “worked it” the best I could and prayed for good news. To my disbelief these positive vibes worked! I was on hold the next day and booked the job that evening!

The following day I was at a fitting and two days later (Saturday) I found myself at a 6am call-time at Vancouver’s beautiful Jericho Park. As I’ve said before, I’m not a morning person. I would never wake up voluntarily at 4:50am but a cool crisp morning with the sun slowly rising over the ocean while someone is doing my hair and make-up - not a bad place to be. After a 12-hour shoot I was late for work (I had obviously discussed this issue with lulu earlier but I’m still forever grateful for their understanding). From location, I drove directly to Lulu to finish off the evening and help them close the store. I was home by 11 pm and shooting at the Richmond oval by 7am the next day (Sunday).  I was just so excited to be there! I easily filled a 14 hour day with fun shots, great food, sun, wireless internet, reading and lots of waiting with cool people.

When I got home I couldn’t sit still. I felt the need to hammer my Sunday workout on the treadmill (due to darkness).  I took Saturday off and completed my Sunday run on Friday.

I’m exhausted just writing this and now it’s all about recovery. I’m fighting a bug that has been creeping up on me for the last few weeks and sitting on a plane waiting to race. See…

A 400 and 15 200 Tuesday

It's been awhile since my last post, I've been running hard and sometimes the ability to siphon the energy required to compose a coherent sentence, let along a whole post, feels like it was left on the track.

It's been a few days but my Tuesday workout deserves an honourable mention. The practice was a 400 at 800-metre pace followed by 3x5 sets of 200's with 1 minute between reps and 3 minutes between sets. I felt a bit of the early morning weakness through the 400 but I put on my spikes and managed to finish in 59. I'll admit this time felt hard due to my recent foot-injury-lack-of-fitness but I haven't been able to comfortably run under 60 seconds in practice for awhile so I'll take it as leap in the right direction.

I changed into my racing flats and after a 4.5 minutes break began the 200's. I told myself the first few reps were going to feel harder than they should thanks to the previous 400. I was right but I managed to hit 30 seconds for all of my 200's. I was totally happy with this but I had to admit I was tired. I told myself not think about the 10 200's left on my plate but instead just to focus on the next set the appetizer. After a well needed 3 minutes we began the second set. I felt like I was starting to find my rhythm and hit mostly 30s with one or two 31's. After 10 I was exhausted and didn't know if I could keep the pace so I decided to change into my spikes. As I always say spikes are a godsend, the ease at which you can run compared to rubber boots is amazing. I realized how much harder I was working in my flats after putting on spikes and it made me feel pretty good about the first two sets. I finished off the 200's in a consistent 29-30.

I feel like a runner again, I can feel my old self returning. As I run I can once again give myself instructions that I know I can follow: contract the core, keeps your arms close, relax the hands. I can tell myself to push it and to try and run harder and drum roll..... I actually can make myself run faster. I'm starting to remember how great it feels to run when you're strong and I'm so so grateful for it!

My run before the Sun Run!

It was another beautiful morning, despite not being a morning person, I was up at 7:30 am and out the door a little before 8 (on a sunday!!). It was the Sun Run and I was excited to cheer on the runners with my fellow Lulu's. I wanted to go for my Sunday run first because it's hard to relax when there's unfinished business.

I headed out towards the sea wall but I didn't follow my usual route. I wanted to finish on the downtown side of the Burrard Bridge with the rest of the Lulu cheer squad. I headed in the opposite direction out towards Science World and along the water towards the opposite end of burrard bridge. There is something so powerful about bridges I feel a lot of strength when I'm under them, luckily I ran under a lot of them today.

Since it was early I expected to feel tired so I though it would be an easier run mentally to complete a bridge to bridge out-and-back type run. The only think was it took me less than an hour so I had to run in circles for about 5 minutes.

To my surprise I felt fantastic durning my run and it felt great to meet up with the rest of the group already finishing my day's work. I felt energized from the beautiful morning and the sea of runners. I was surprised by the never ending stream of people, they literally rocked my cheering world and the burrard street bridge. We formed alleys and runners high-fived us as they ran. We cheered from a seemingly stable structure but the whole bridge was shaking under the impact the 50 000+ runners. I heard on the news that pieces of bridge have been landing on the sea wall and I bet after today there were a few more to clean up.

Today was fun, I knew so many runners and the response from our cheering group was great! I did feel a great need to wash my hands about 5 million times and rinse with sanitizer after all the high-fiving.The day was finished off with a trip to Bowen for mom's day and some of Arron's bday cake.

Found a new gear!

Today was a sports bra and shorts kind of morning. It was what summer track is all about. The sun warmed my my muscles but it wasn't heat-exhaustion humbling. I woke up feeling good about the workout partially due to the weather but also because I knew my practice wasn't going to be that hard. I mean 5 broken 600's isn't a walk in the park but it's nothing compared to throwing 1000's into the mix. My confidence needed a doable workout day. I have been working hard through the past week, trying to focus on process, and I was still tired from it. My glands were also a bit bigger than they should be probably due to weeks of travelling.

I told myself I shouldn't expect to feel perfect I train hard and I'm always tired. Despite my sore throat practice went well. Today I found a new gear!

I started off my first 600's in racing flats, in my mind I was focusing on making the 200's strong and floating though the easy 200's. My first 600 was 1:52 it was too slow! I could use my racing flats as an excuse but it was still too slow. I followed up with 1:50 and 1:47. Then I changed into spikes and finished in 1:50 and 1:49.

At first I was frustrated with these times, I mean even when I'm doing 1000's I tend to go through 600 in these times or faster. I decided half way through to suck it up and quit complaining (in my head). I still felt good so I chose to take what I was been given and run with it. Today I could finally actually race!!!! For the first time in so so so long I tried to run faster and I started going faster! What a novel concept. Today my legs did not hinder me. I was in control I didn't feel as if  I was running and hoping for the best. When I decided to pushed it I went faster! What a concept! I am so happy for this newfound gear, it has been in hiding for awhile.

I know it's not all bells and whistles I still have a long way to go. It's hard not to think back to the last time I did broken 1000's and 6's and remember that I was faster through 600 even as I went on for the full 1000. As I try to push these thoughts out of my mind I can say that today is the first day that I felt like my old running self again. I was competitive I could fight and it feels great!

Running hills on the hill

It was a crisp, beautiful morning at SFU. There was no hail to contend with and I think this helped a long hill workout become significantly more bearable. I was happy to be doing some aerobic work, being injured has forced me to miss some of these important runs. For me some early workouts are like russian roulette, I never know what to expect, I try so hard but I'm just not a morning person.

Today was a welcomed surprise! I began the 20-minute hill session just hoping to feel strong. At first, I thought I had gone out too fast and was going to pay for it about 13 minutes in. As I attacked every hill it most definitely became harder but I was able to keep it together. With every rep I focused on keeping my core tight, relaxing my hands and trying to swing my arms. When I think of my form I'm trying to develop muscle memory that will help disperse fatigue throughout my whole body instead of having it focus in on my legs.

 I began my warm-up feeling incredibly stiff thanks to circuit training from the day before as well as a pm bike session and 6 hours of work. I realize I it's incredibly negative to doubt my strength before I even begin my workout but the last few weeks of terrible racing has made this very hard. For now, as I get my fitness back, I'm being realistic and today my legs felt great! For once, my hips were not limiting me at I reached the steepest parts of the hill.

I'm still waiting for a switch to flip, you know the one that will make me feel fast and fluid again during my races.  I would describe today as a dimmer switch I feel like someone has turned it up a bit. I know I'm on the right track (no pun intended) at least in my workouts and I think the races will eventually follow. I need to remember that even when I feel bad during warm-up the workout doesn't always follow the same fate. I'm grateful that my foot is feeling great and that I can finally focus on some solid weeks of running without worrying about it tearing! Be positive it's all in the process.

Sunny Cali to a Hail Storm

I'm back in Vancouver, the beautiful weather that I embraced while in Sunny California was not the case today. I completed 8x400-metres in almost sub-zero temperatures. I couldn't believe it. As I drove up the mountain, the clouds became darker shades of grey and the rain flooding my windshield quickly turned into pelting hail. I was tired for practice probably due to the last three weeks of travel, hotel beds and of course my training from the last few days: 60-minute early Sunday morning run through the streets of San Francisco and a Monday of 40-minute elliptical session and am weights followed by a 35-minute pm run. 

I am trying to snap out of it, this bad race thing is getting a little old. I am again disappointed with my race and I feel like it's out of my control. I felt great going into the race this weekend, legs were not that tight and I was positive but when that gun goes off I'm not able to fight the way I usually can. I feel like I'm just running and hoping for the best. When I finish I'm not exhausted to the extreme I try but I can't push myself to this point because it feels so hard from the start.  There is something in my legs and back making me feel abnormal: stiff and heavy. What is this preventing me from feeling fluid and relaxed? 


This is not my normal running self. I feel like the lack-of-efficiency out-of-shape excuse isn't adequate. Running terrible 2:08's is something else and I'm waiting to snap out of it. My asthma medication has been a little wonky for the last few weeks but it's now under control. So while I'm waiting for a switch to flip me back into blessed running ways I'm going to focus on the next few weeks of hard work, good sleeps and solid training.


ps: the passport has been found!

So close to smooth travels

Travel began so easy today, I felt so uncomfortably relaxed. There was no adrenalin-pumping-will-I-make-it experience this week. Instead I began my day with a trip to the chiropractors during late morning followed by a non-fat mocha and a JJ bean muffin. It was fantastic! 

When I was all packed and ready to go I moseyed to the sky train and 20 minutes later I was at the airport. I felt unusually calm, I had so much time. I really feel that checking in online is possibly one of the best inventions ever, not only do you bypass the line but you also reserve your seat! I strolled through customs and continued down my stream of line cutting thanks to my nexus card (best 50 bucks I've ever spent) and made it to the gate in less than an hour door to door. This has gotta be a record!

An enjoyable one hour and 37 minutes later, thanks to a Glee episode and a good cat nap, we were in San Fran. Everything was going so smoothly and that's when Mer mentioned it. We were all thinking it but she couldn't help but mention the breeze that was our evening travel. I agreed but for some reason I couldn't shake this uneasy feeling as if I was forgetting something.

Turns out this feeling was probably a form of sympathy pains as Mer realized she left her passport on the plane. Weirdly this travel now feels normal. I've said it before, actually it was just last week, it wouldn't be a typical track trip if everything went according to plan.

Mer knew where the passport should have been: Seat 17C, stashed in a McLeans Magazine, first one on the right but it didn't work out this time.

We're still waiting for a secret pocket to open and reveal the passport inside but it hasn't happened yet.  For now we're brainstorming solutions to this problem:
- get an irish passport so at least you'll have a spare
-vacation in san fran
-try for home and play stupid
-ticket change and postpone flight
-go to the oregon race early
-do what you gotta do, OTC

Again it wouldn't be a typical track if everything went smooth anyways. This feels normal! Race day tomorrow and I can't wait!

Bad Quads Good Foot!

I'm sitting here after finishing work totally tired from a lulu shift but not ready to go to bed yet. I can't believe I'm still so sore, sore from my 9.5 straight of motion capture two days ago. I literally did plyos all day long, dressed in a full body suit, covered with motion sensor markers. It was so much fun and it's pretty cool that I'm going to be in a video game but OMG it was so humbling. I feel so weak when it comes to jumping or maybe it's just that you're not meant to do these drills all day long. Whatever the case, I've never been this stiff/sore. I now completely understand why people describe lactic acid as being hit by a truck, I've been hit by a semi and I can hardly move.

Anyways, the mere fact that I was able to complete my Tuesday workout was a fantastic feat! After a 15 minute warm-up we had 5 sets of 100 (100 jog), 300 (100 jog), 100 continuous equalling 700-meters. I was in flats but I'm happy to report my foot is feeling better than it has in a couple of months! I averaged around 50 for my 300's. I don't think these slow times were so much a function of my fitness but instead speak to the fatigue in my quads and the racing flats.

All and all my overall times for the whole interval were fairly consistent and each one got a bit faster. I am so happy that my foot felt strong. This is the first time, since I can remember, that I felt hopeful instead of concerned in that that semi-concious back part of my brain that worries and serves as a constant reminder that running on a sore foot isn't sustainable.

For now, the foot is on the mend, I'm feeling stronger and I will become faster! Stanford 800 this weekend!

Drake Relays - 1500

I’m sitting on a plane heading home from the Drake Relays. It was a pretty important meet in that area, it has been going on for 101 years straight (that’s a long time).

Again, I’m pretty disappointed with my race, it was better than last week, but still not great. I felt ok going into the race. We arrived very late on Thursday night (actually it would have been Friday morning) and went to the track on Friday to do a pre-race 20-minute run and drills. Saturday was 1500-metre race day, my first 1500 in 2 years!  Since my races last week were suboptimal to say the least it’s hard to feel confident. For this race I was focusing on just racing, just trying and whatever happens, happens.

My tentative plan was to break up this long race in my mind. For the first 800 meters my goal was to stay in the pack and follow the pace. I didn’t allow myself to think about the whole distance, I was going to get to 800-metres and once I was at 600-metres I was going to give it all I could.

During the race my legs didn’t feel great but better compared to last week. This is a good sign, I think it was mostly due to a much needed quad massage and a good crack from the chiropractor. For warm-up I did some table stretching before my 15-minute run and then the usual drills/stretching. I think some light stretching before running helped me feel better while warming-up. My hips felt looser and this most definitely helped me feel more confident entering the race. This "feel better during warm-up" is relative to last week. I'll admit I did feel better and more efficient but a 4:25 1500 doesn't exactly prove my case.

Mentally this racing is very hard for me right now. I feel like I just don’t have that extra ooomph to race well yet. It’s my legs again; my hip flexors feel like over-stretched elastics. I believe that these days it just takes me awhile to get used to running at a faster pace but the hip flexor area is just so tight. My only saving grace is that I did feel like this at the beginning of indoors. One day something changed, I just snapped out of it and started to feel great again. That’s what I’m praying, a switch to flip and to just frekin’ snap out of it!

For now, I’m on the final leg travelling from Arizona to beautiful, lovely, fantastic Vancouver! At least there’s another race to redeem myself next week. Hopefully I will feel even better!