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

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

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