See the run

I visualized myself racing as I was falling asleep last night. I was strong, healthy and fit. What does this mean? I haven't mentally watched myself run in a really long time. For so long I've been wanting to want to run and I just didn't feel it. Believe me, you can't force it.

It all started a few weeks ago. I met some of the old crew for a run at Burnaby Lake: Tasha, Mer, Dylan and Mer’s friend Lindsay. It was a random Wednesday morning and it felt so normal, so nice. I so badly wanted to be the fit, efficient, strong runner again. 

So how did I get here? I don't totally know but it seems like when you stop worrying about things, like wanting to want to run, it happens naturally. So nobody is really asking but I think the progression went something like this: step 1, sleep in on saturday morning. Step 2, go out when you want to and don't question it. Step 3, be present to what you're doing if you're busy working, rock the working world. Step 4, do yoga for the body and mind. Step 5 listen to yourself and do what you want to do not what you feel like you should do. Step 5, stop listing steps because this intensity or knowing is what get's you stressed out in the first place.

Anyways, I don’t really know what this means if anything but what I do know is that I have to take it all in stride (haha). My goal is to treat this running return as if I’m coming back from an injury. Less is more and we'll see what happens.

Today I started with 10x 300 in a snowstorm on the grass. Baby steps and maybe little by little I’ll be able to take on repeats on the track without the dread, anxiousness and deep rooted fatigue of yesterday.

Here’s to small steps and visualizing a strong healthy runner in 2012! I feel like my old self again: relaxed, healthy and happy. I love it!

xoxo

Becks

Christmas Run

I woke up to a wonderful morning of opening stockings and Christmas Blend coffee. Followed by an amazing brunch of eggs benedict (minus the bun), potatoes, mimosas and, you guess it, more coffee. It was perfect.

After we cleaned up breakfast, it was an afternoon of abundance. Once I surfaced from the sea of wrapping paper and took some time to slow down and appreciate my gifts I was overwhelmed by this intense urge to run. Ironically, Christmas day is the one day of the year I've always give myself the "get out of running (guilt) free" card. 

As I headed out on my normal route I made it past a few other diehard runners who, I could tell, didn't cash in their cards either. Through the meadow and over the bridge I passed a few families congratulating me on running off the pre-turkey dinner. I thanked them for their acknowledgement and admitted I'm sure trying but this wasn't why I was running. I just need to move.

These days I'm not battling my lack of running guilt as badly as I used to. I do plenty of yoga, spinning and circuit training and running fits everywhere in between. It's a strange transition to work full time while choosing to run when I want to. I'm looking forward to a new year and a new running perspective.

Merry Christmas! 

xo Becks

Routine in disguise

I guess you can say I'm a creature of habit, most runners are. I've been trying to avoid this so call "creature" but to tell you the truth, it's hard. My routines are fantastic. I love non-fat extra hot mochas from jj bean (of course) and then asking them to add a little extra coffee to dilute the sweetness. I pretend like I've never done it before but actually it won't feel right if I don't.  I have specific socks for running and socks for every day. I don't even want to even think about sleeping without my perfect pillow. Get the idea?

These day I've been feeling great while thinking I'm doing a good job keeping my routines in check. I think I'm relaxed. My tendency has always been to literally and figuratively run myself into the ground.  When I come up for air, it's too late and I'm buried. To remedy this, while I figure out how to rock my work life, I've chosen to let my running routine relax. What was hills in mundy park has become spin at 6pm, circuit at SFU has become a 4:30pm monday and wednesday regiment at the SSC. Get the idea? Instead of taking a running routine break my habits have been following me in disguise. They've simply shifted.

I didn't actually realize the irony until today and it took someone else wrapped up in their running routine for me to understand.   For the last three tuesdays I've taken part in crossfit classes with my cousin (thanks for inviting me kels).  Today I rocked 17 squats in 20 seconds x 8 sets followed by a 12 minutes of 200m run, sit ups and burpees. Totally different than your typical run workout but it has been fun! Anyways I digress after crossfit I've been going for my shake out runs along the seawall.  Last week I came up across two runners and chatted briefly with them because they were going at a good pace and the company was nice. Today, same thing! I was in my own little world thinking about my heavy quads thanks to all the squats when I came up to two men running at a pretty good pace. Like I said creatures of habit. As I ran by I gave them a nod and said, "hey I know you"!  Their response, " I know you. track runner. fast coach. nice pace".

What can I say you can take the girl out of the country but you can't take the country out of the girl.
xoxo
Becks

Thumbs UP

After a brief hiatus I'm back running full-swing or I guess full stride? Saturday workouts are typically uneventful and predictably some form of change of pace. I like it, repeats of anything these days leave me feeling like I'm on a time trail facing the honesty of the clock again and again and again. For now, as I regain my fitness I'm happy to only face timed intervals once a week.

I'm absolutely enjoying my running self again. The sights, the familiar smells and even that always a little bit tired feeling - I love that too. Saturdays are once again so normal, just me and my mind pounding the pavement as I re-remember why I run.

I've realized over the last few weeks that I'm thinking competitively once again. It came back slowly, I'm no longer meh it's "good enough" or I'm too exhausted to care. I totally care and I putting in energy to run faster because I care.

Today as I started my workout consciously aware of this new found emotion, it was 9am on a saturday and surprisingly I radiated positivity (never been a morning person)!  Funny enough, this positive energy came back to me in the kindness of strangers. It seriously felt as if every second person out and about gave me some sort of encouraging gesture as I ran by. After multiple thumbs up and "good-for-yous" I was so confused, this never happens. After a huge smile and a "w-o-w so fast," by a this really cute old man, I finally got it! Send positivity out into the world and in some form it will come back to you.

xo
Becks

Hissed at on the seawall

Are you kidding? Did that happen? I was hissed at! Like hissss. Creepy! Ok maybe I deserved it but it was still super weird. As always, I pride myself on outsmarting the traffic. Basically I try to find the fastest routes around town as I secretly race unsuspecting runners, joggers or walkers: basically anyone who is going the same direction. I swear it's purely for entertainment sake.

So I was going for my run and embracing my inner Justine - she reads traffic the best. I swear she has this amazing ability to plan ahead. I think it's a form of mind multitasking which she absolutely excels at. Anyways, I digress. I was reading the traffic and the changing lights on my way home from my run so that I wouldn't have to stop. I absolutely didn't have the right of way but nobody was coming except for a biker off in the distance.

I made a judgment call as I sprinted across the road. That was when the biker stated pedalling harder. I mean, he put his head down and started riding the petals as hard as he could. The jeans, dirty runners and side to side wobble made it clear he wasn't a pro but as I crossed the road biker man started speeding up and hissing as he passed - like a cat! Or maybe like a goose, anyone who has run thought the lagoon on Bowen during baby season knows exactly what I mean.

xo
Becks

I'm back, I swear!

Ok, well I'm not going to lie, this had been a major posting hiatus and I'm sorry. I'm really disappointed in my lack of commitment!  I allowed myself to become so overwhelmingly busy and worried.

Anyways, I'm back and let me sum up the last three months. It's been a great journey of learning and self-discovery. My absolutely exhausted, totally relieved and super excited body is on the road back to balance. I've seen more change, had my patients absolutely tested, worked my ass off, almost accepted defeat and really learned what I wanted. I've been to Newfoundland, Vegas, Mt. Gardner, reduced my track time, up'ed my Grouse Mountain time, practiced tons of yoga, learned a whole new circuit and worked like a dog at my part-time head office role while juggling store shifts. All this in attempt to be hired full-time at the SSC. I wanted it!

When I look back, I wish I could have chilled the whole time. The second I sort of accepted that I didn't have total control over my situation is when things organically started to change. I could have avoided a ton of stress if I decided to focus on what I could control and leave worry on the side of the road (instead of my integrity).

When I changed my thoughts I believe my energy sort of shifted and this is when exciting things started to happen! A conversation in a circuit class, turned into an early morning coffee conversation, this led to an interview, which led to another coffee convo and now I'm so so so EXCITED to report that I've been hired as the Team Sales Account Manager! OMG, I'm going to be working with an amazing team in an amazing company and using our product to support athlete's goals. It's perfect! The last three days have been training and goal coaching and tomorrow is my first day in my new role!

I even have the fob to prove it! I feel so lucky to be on this team and I can't wait to rock it!
xo
Becks

Where Have I Been?

 I've said before that my posting rate seems to be directly related to my running success - I guess that explains it. I've taken on a really exciting contract with the social media team at the lululemon head office. As every working-runner knows it's a challenging place to be, especially when you want to be the best at everything.

The full-time working world has been so different from my running life. I mean your credibility is so much more than your PB and arguably harder to prove. It's been a process trying to balancing work, run and recovery. I don't want to miss out on opportunities because I'm putting in an extra 5 k and at the same time I want to be fast but not exhausted.  Where's the balance? I don't know yet but other than my running tribulations, the real explanation for my lack of blogging is that I've been cheating on you. I've been tumbling! Microblogging is so much faster in this multi-tasking world and here's a sneak peak into, Changing Course, my adventures at the office.

xo 

Becks

Weird people on the Seawall

Beautiful, yet predictable 

My seawall runs have been so uneventful recently: manicured lawns and tiny pure bread dogs. Don't get me wrong I absolutely adore this area, I'm just saying it's kinda predictable. Not today though, I'm excited to admit this seawall run was different. I headed out from work to avoid the "I'll do it later" fatigue that hits me the second I get home. The first 30-mintues was blah but during the second half things got interesting.

As I headed through yaletown I was slowly gaining on a girl. I like chasing people down because, crazy or not, it gives me an energy boost. A little competitive? I know. As I approached, she looked back at me and started to pick it up. I thought to myself; ok, bring it!

I kept running at my consistent pace and slowly started creeping up. I was back to within 15-ish metres when she glanced back and tried to pick it up...again. Totally annoying this time but kinda fun too! We ran like this for about 10 minutes, me maintaining a consistent pace with her looking back and darting. I felt like a shark tracking her prey, maybe we should of just ran together but here's the kicker. When I got to my turn around spot by the "big pool" my prey stopped and bent over in exhaustion. It was such an anti-climatic ending to my game, I still had at least 20 more minutes and was tired from the hunt (stupid ego).

I guess the joke was on me; anyways, I started back and passed a man running with a backpack. Why the backpack you ask? I don't know. I wasn't paying much attention to backpack man but his feet  slapping the pavement informed me he quickened his pace. Ok, here we go again but this time the hunter was now the hunted. This was until backpack took out the kid!

I make a point of always looking a few moves ahead of me because I don't want anything to affect my pace, I'm that neurotic. I saw a kid up a few moves ahead and I know from experience that they have a habit of dodging right in front of you. I anticipated this so I went wide around the kid to avoid any slowing. I guess backpack guy wasn't paying much attention. From what I could decipher by the mom yelling and backpacks's slapping feet coming to a grinding halt; the kid got in the way. When I looked back the kid seemed fine.

I finished my run by heading over the Burrard Street Bridge. I was thinking about how weird this run was when my thoughts were frozen dead in their tracks. This ass walking along the cross road jumped out as if he was going to charge me! He thought he was just hilarious but honestly he scared the crap out of me. I gave him an exhausted death stare and muttered a few words I won't mention.

I finished my run feeling great but I'm wondering, is it a full moon or something?
xo
Becks

Cook once eat twice (at least)

I was explaining earlier that I am recently obsessed with adding natural ingredients to canned soups and sauces to up the nutritional content of convenient dinners. I’ve taken this idea one step further with something I like to call "strategic cooking". Instead of simply adding extra veggies I’m now planning my meals ahead of time so that I can revamp my leftovers and create brand new dinners!

Here, I’m reinventing my leftovers and making tomato tortellini soup with my pasta from the night before. The best part is this "new" dinner is it takes less than 10 minutes.  What you need: one can of tomato soup (believe it or not western family is my favourite), half a can of diced tomatoes, spinach and your tortellini from the night before.

Mix the condensed soup with tomatoes and spinach then add one cup of water.

Heat for about five minutes and add your tortellini. I like to wait before adding the pasta to prevent it from becoming too soft. Heat for 7-10 minutes total and you'll have a nutritionally dense, delicious meal. Enjoy the comfort food!

xo

Becks

Canned food “can” be healthy!

Ok, first and foremost I apologize about being so exited about my pun-intended cheesy title! I really want to share, my most recent food obsession is all about adding natural ingredients to canned soups and sauces. I know it’s easy enough to cook from scratch but realistically that takes time. When I’m bonking after runs or tired from working all day I want dinner now, not an hour from now. I love the idea of cooking but I’m just not going to do it. Instead, I like to prepare food. The secret to my, whatever you want to call it, "cooking" is convenience. My goal is to be eating a healthy meal in 10-15 minutes max! To do this I reach for my trusty can opener, throw in some veggies and bam, dinners done. Here is my most recent creation. Tortellini avec veggie packed spicy tomato sauce. 

Start off by sautéing onions, garlic, broccoli and zucchini. I like to pre-cute all my veggies and leave them in my freezer so all I have to do is grab a handful and throw them in the pan. 

After five-ish minutes add half a can of diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.

In the mean time boil water and add tortellini, cook for about 8 minutes.

Drain pasta and add a handful of spinach to your sauce to up the vitamins and the iron. 

Add your amazing sauce to the pasta, serve and enjoy! 

Voila dinners done, I tend to cook a lot at once so I have dinner for about 3 nights. I promise this recipe tastes really good and it's actually good for you!

xo

Becks

Feel the Run

My Sunday runs have always been my favourite training run of the week. I love meeting the girls and taking on at least 70 minutes of good running around Burnaby Lake. I'm realizing most of the time I'm so caught up in analyzing how I feel that I don't take time to look around and really feel my surrounds (yes, you can analyze about tight hips for 70 minutes straight).

Every run in so unique whether it be the flies we're forced to pry from each other's eyes or chasing down the fast girl with a dog because we don't know who she is. I really want to bottle up these experiences and appreciate that I can run. We're just so lucky and at times way too focused to appreciate it. Today, after so many long runs this was the first time I noticed these baby geese.

They're so cute until they grow up to look like their parents! Take time to watch the birds.
xo
Becks

Yogi Challenge

My most recent yoga goal was to stand up from bridge. For whatever reason I've decided that conquering this pose will help me develop some of this yogi strength that I admire in my instructors. I love watching the grace with which my teachers can effortlessly move their rock hard bodies into every type of pretzel. I totally want this but something, other than my stubborn muscles, was preventing me from reaching my yoga goal.

Everything changed when my mom raised the stakes. She said, "I bet I'll stand up from bridge before you." What? Oh wow, if you know me at all I'm not one to back down from competition. It was so on! I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins as I marched downstairs to my bedroom-turned -yoga studio to practice. Pride was on the line and I was not leaving until I mastered my goal.

About an hour later I found my mom relaxing in the living room. Assuming she hadn't given our challenge a second thought I causally walked in and without muttering a single word performed my yoga goal.

Booya, it wasn't graceful by any means and I obviously need to work on the relaxation part of my yoga practice but I'm really loving finding new ways to be strong. I might also love competition ;)
xo
Becks

'Healthy" Cookies

The "healthy"cookie, is there such a thing? 

In my world of being able to justify anything there sure is! When you have a sweet tooth like mine, it's really hard to say no sometimes! Instead of trying to resist temptation I like to take on this oxymoron by making wholesome modifications to some of my favourite recipes.

Now, don't go thinking you can take down a whole tray of these babies without feeling the fatty repercussions. Like all cookies they're jam-packed with calories but forget about the butter and sugar for a second. Instead, consider the nutritional content of the grains, nuts and seeds. 


Justification accomplished? Here's what you need:

(dry)

2 1/3 C quick oats (organic)
1 1/2 C whole wheat flour (organic)
2 tsp baking soda
1tsp cinnamon 
(wet)
1 C butter softened
3/4 C brown sugar

2 eggs 
1 tsp vanilla

(extras) - use what you want but these are my favs!

1/2 C chocolate chips

1/2 C craisons (organic)

1/4 C pumpkin seeds (organic)

1/4 C walnuts (organic)

1/4 C unsweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350 deg. Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl and mix. Cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add your dry mixture to the wet while continually mixing. Add the extras for fun! Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

xo

Becks

The road to SFU is paved with good intentions

I'm trying to quit. Seriously. My blessed coffee addiction is becoming too much both financially and physically.  Well mostly financially, at $5 a day it really beings to add up! I mean I can handle the caffeine headaches and Marine #7 will inexpensively satisfy my morning and midday fix but it's the post-practice mocha that gets me almost every time. It doesn't help when my biggest will power test comes at my weakest: cold and exhausted post-practice. On top of that SFU has my absolute favourite cafe  (insert violins here) Renaissance with three taste bud tempting locations equally distributed across campus intended to sabotage me.

Today's test was no different. I drove up the SFU hill paved with good intentions and as usual I was met with this: rain, fog and 10 x 400m with 90 seconds rest. Yuck!

Coffee quickly becomes easy to justify when you're soaking wet, freezing cold and totally exhausted. Obviously I need my coffee, I'm cold.

These justifications alone almost didn't stop me today, almost. I literally drove around campus two and a half times shivering while telling myself I don't need it, I don't need it. When suddenly I decided, yes I do! To me coffee is worth being poor. I don't want to cold turkey quit my blessed mochas. 

For now, I sit here after practice warm, cozy and sipping my non-fat, half sweet "recovery" mocha. I'm $4.60 poorer but absolutely appreciating the simple things in life and let me just say they taste great! I'm also too tired to move.
xo
Becks

Play hard work harder

It's a precarious balance between fun and function. How far can you push yourself without going over the edge? Where's the breaking point? I don't want to find out but I do want to have fun. I'm always wondering, as I devote my life to this sport, am I missing out? Am I balanced? How much does one good sleep benefit me versus the health detriment of a friend-filled fun weekend. This weekend I found out.... sort of.

I'm somewhat ironically nursing a cold but I'm totally ok with it. Last Friday, we hosted a bachelorette party for my friend and training partner. Let's just say we all love themes and a Newfy themed party was one for the history books.  This weekend's memories of rockin' out in gum boots and rain hats will be put away where they belong, alongside so many awesome races.  I feel like sometimes it's ok to play hard, or at least try to, as long as you're willing to work hard to justify it. Well, work hard we did less than 5 hours after getting home from a night like this.

 Jules and I were here, in Langley!

Taking on a lactic workout of broken 1000's and 600's. I finished my workout in a consistent 3:12, 1:52, 3:11, 1:51, 3:11. It was windy so the times were not amazing but we put in the work. I think the times speak more to my lack of speed work than my lack of sleep (seriously). I was hitting around 32-33 for my 200's which is not fast but I've been focusing on a lot of base training this year. As usual it's all relative in the honesty of running and giving it with 32's on the clock is not a good feeling base training or not but I know with every run I'm making those neural connections.  For now I'm willing my speed to come and off to have a nap.

xo

Becks

Mainlander

They say home is where the heart is and it's true. Going home is my comfort, my relaxation. I love Bowen and deep down it will always be my home but just because my heart is on the island doesn't mean I have to live there. For now, I'm sharing the love with downtown Vancouver and I adore my newfound space. I'm having a fabulous time creating my home away from home but I must admit it's really easy when you wake up to a view like this.

and this...

Relax.

Enjoy.

Savour.

Dream.

Grow.

Share.

SURPRISE, Ella's nook!

This city is so me. I'm absolutely loving my piece - all 490 square feet of it!

xo Becks

Fruit Leather

It was a big risk (insert dramatic music here). I had a lot of ripe fruit and not enough time to eat it. What's a girl to do? I absolutely love dried fruit but I hate the sugar that is typically added to most store-bought products so I took matters into my own hands. I decided to make my own fruit leather. 

 

Turns out, my fruit leather was a pretty fantastic combination of vitamin a and c goodness. Here's how I made it: cut up 3 cups of your favourite fruit and mix with 1/4 cup of water and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.

Simmer on medium heat and stir periodically.When it starts to bubble give it a final stir and transfer your mixture into the blender.

Blend baby blend!

When your mixture is smooth pour it into a lightly oiled baking pan. 

       Place in a 200-degree oven for 60 minutes or until completely dry. Once it has cooled, remove your fruit leather from the pan and cut into rectangles.

 Make it look pretty (see above), serve and enjoy!
xo
Becks

Virtual Run

Today it poured with rain, all day! From the moment I woke up until I sit here now getting ready for bed- rain. I'm used to the rain, I can handle the rain and knowing this "I could take on the rain if I had to": I chose the treadmill instead. As I watched the rain fall, from my 20 degree humidity controlled room, I didn't regret my decision. I put the incline to a grade of 1 (to try and simulate outside running) and set out at level 9 for 45 minutes of element free running!

Ok, well if we're being totally honest at first I did feel a twinge of "wimping out" guilt. I watched the token-few hardcores runners force through the wind and slog through the puddles and thought, that should be me. To remedy this I quickly pushed those thoughts out of my mind and pushed the pace instead.

As I wiped the sweat from my brow I justified my decision.  I haven't had a convenient treadmill option since I moved to the island. Now that I'm back in the city the treadmill is in my back yard and has become a very viable option. It was weird though, as I stepped onto the machine I felt like I was in another world. It seems as if in my 6 month hiatus treadmill technology has drastically improved. The console was a virtual touch screen. It made me feel as close to being outside without actually being outside. On this thing you can hit the trails or watch yourself run around and around the track- as if I wanted to do more laps!

As I "watched" myself run around the track over and over again I couldn't help but feel like I was in one of my typical running dreams. The ones where I can feel myself racing but at the same time I'm watching myself run.  Needless to say my run went by so fast and I can see myself opting for the treadmill more often thanks to this new gadget. My new backyard is pretty cool!
xo
Becks

Dolphins in the Howe Sound

Now that I'm not a full-time Islander; as expected, I no longer despise the ferry. What was once an inconvenient time robber preventing me from freedom ironically, has become my vessel to escape.

With a move to the city my perspective has quickly shifted. I'm no longer a victim of the ferry - it's my choice. I once again appreciate being on the ocean. I adore the wind in my face and the salty air that fills my lungs. The ferry is my comfort, my personal journey onto island time. I'm re-falling in love with this island all over again. In reality, it's probably just that with spring in the air everything is so much lighter and brighter. Winter on the water always seemed to be various shades of gray. I think it also helps that my part-time commute has recently been with dolphins.

Seriously, a pod of dolphin playing in the wake of the ferry and a mom cooked Sunday dinner makes this island pretty amazing.
xo
Becks

The other warm beverage

Coffee, I'm not cheating on you I promise but I have found another love that is almost as satisfying. Non-fat mocha meet London Fog.

I feel like I need to share how much I have been enjoying london fogs. I admit, I'm devoted to coffee but I still love to finish my day with a cup of tea after dinner. A london fog is not just any tea after dinner, it's like dessert in a cup: warm, thick, filling and so so good.

To begin choose your favourite cup, believe it or not this may actually be the hardest part.

What you need: earl grey tea leaves, milk, vanilla, frother, kettle.

Combine 1/4 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of vanilla in your favourite mug.

Froth the milk and it should triple in size.

Heat for 1-minute, you can do this on the stove but the microwave is way faster.

Boil water and pour over earl gray tea bag.

Let it steep for 3-5 minutes, sip and enjoy!

Goodnight!
xo
Becks