#22PushUpChallenge : My number came up!

When the whole ice bucket  challenge for ALS went around about a year ago I managed to keep my head down, not comment on anyone's post and avoid the spotlight of nomination. Thankfully since me and ice water really do not get along.

Fast forward to this year's fundraising phenomena the #22PushUpChallenge.  22 Days of 22 Pushups to raise awareness for the veterans and first responders in North America that suffer from PTSD and other mental health issues derived from their jobs and are not receiving adequate support to help them cope. The number 22 was a study average of the number of Veterans committing suicide in the United States daily. Wounded Warriors Canada has partnered with the 22/22 Challenge to bring awareness to the same issues facing Canadian Veterans and First Responders.

I was nominated on Monday of this week, October 3rd to be exact.  Taking the time to complete the 22 pushups each day is really no challenge.  Recording that and letting others watch as I complete my 22 adapted pushups, that's embarrassing as hell. But no where as difficult as what the individuals I am supporting have gone and are currently going through.
So if you are nominated, like I was, show your support as best you can.  Make a video, make a donation, do your pushups or just say "Thank-you" the next time you are face to face with one of these great people that work to keep us safe.

Here are my first 6 days from the #22Pushupchallenge:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Reaching For Rundle's - Week Sampu (10)

June 6 - 12  Goal: 58km

Monday - Rest Day

Tuesday - 10km Slow

Fireball 5km @ 100mG
Some runners are motivated by competition, others by the peace and quiet of the trails; our group however seems to be highly persuaded by alcoholic beverages.  Blending drinking and running together has become a bit of a mixology study among our charismatic leaders.
In the spirit of birthday celebration we ran 1km loops headed-up by a shot of Fireball Whiskey each time X5
Always a good idea to stir a little fun into your training!

Reaching For Rundle's - Week Naoi (9)

May 30 - June 5  Goal: 60

Monday -  Rest Day

Tuesday - 8km Steady
8.6km @ 209mG
Tuesday night crew run, with a huge group tonight!  Unveiling of the much anticipated crew t-shirts on a warm evening.  We sure looked good in our matching attire.

Red/Grey for the fast pack of guys! #DontRunAloneWithTheHioms

Lilac for the ladies, they look so PRO! Photo: Jon

Wednesday - 10km Steady
5.1km @ 138mG
Global Running Day!  Got out on the trails in Kenna to celebrate our love of running with friends! I know I shorted myself on distance a bit but the elevation was good on this little run.

Global Running Day!

This pretty much sums up why I run, I like to eat!

Thursday - Rest Day


Friday - 7km Slow
9.8km @219mG
A family run on a Friday night.  Brian and my father joined me for this nearly 10km of Juniper/Rose Hill trails.  I'm lucky to have these two guys supporting me, even if Dad calls me "crazy" for wanting to do this 50km in 3weeks.


Saturday - Rest Day

Sunday - 40km?
21km @ 731mG
TNF Dirty Feet 21km Trail Race in Kelowna
My original plan was to run the race and then with whatever energy I had left, help to sweep the course afterwards. The day did not go as planned.  For starters it was 25C at race start 9:30 in the morning and continued to climb to 33C by the time I reached the finish line.  Kelowna celebrated a temperature record breaking day and I was just happy to survive 3 hours of scorching hillside.  I went through all of my water in this race, and that included a refill at the 8km aid station and again at 18km filling a bottle to make it to the finish.  If the conditions in Canmore are anything like last year, hot & humid, I am definitely going to have a battle against dehydration going on.  Today however I had the option to waive the extra kilometres, so I did.

Photo: Dirty Feet

Week 9 Summary:

45km/60km @ 1297mG
Short by 15km this week, the encroaching reality of time running out is all too real.  While out on the race course this weekend I had lots of time to think about all the possible weather conditions that could really screw with my comfort zone during Rundle's and have adopted the "just keep running" mantra.  Because really, how comfortable do I think I'm going to be!?  In the heat I have to keep my bottles full (of water and nuun), there's no doubt about that after Sunday's run. #makeyourwatercount
Just 3 more weeks to go!

Reaching For Rundle's - Week Wyth (8)

May 23 - 29   Goal: 60km

Monday - Rest Day

Birthday Breakfast for my Hubby

Tuesday - 8km Steady
7km @ 165m elevation gain

The Birthday Boy Brian

Another super awesome run on the Kenna trails with the DFTC.  Tonight we honoured Brian's birthday with shots of Bourbon/Maraschino liquor, tequila, and Fireball.
















Wednesday - 6x Hills
6.9km @ 320m elevation gain
Hitting the hills with Jon and Phil is equal to dropping your ass from a 10 storey building repetitively.  So I guess I owe them thanks for pushing me to do "one more" repeat until my legs and lungs were deflated!

At the entrance to the park, seemed appropriate!

Thursday - 5km Slow
5.1km @ 41m elevation gain, 4 cans of beer
KH3 Beer Mile
The Kamloops Hash House Harriers were at it again, this time introducing a Beer Mile to the crew.  I guess that fits into the training plan, too bad it had to pour rain down on us the whole time.

The rain didn't seem to dampen anyone's spirits.

Friday - Rest Day




Saturday - 35km LSD
36km @ 1068m elevation gain
Oh Saturday, glorious Saturday.  Up at 5am for some breakfast and to prep my gear for today's 35km run.  Am I anxious?  Oh hell yes.  I have never run this far in a single effort and I don't feel great about it from the start.  I'm going into this on 5 hours sleep and a double mouse hunt overnight.
Jon and Misty met me in the parking lot exuding motivation for what was to come, well Jon was peppy, poor Misty has been suffering a chest cold for the past week and sounded like a feminine Mr. Burns.  Jon might end up carrying 2 bodies out of the park.

The distance marched by under our feet pretty easily for the first 12.5km as we randomly chose trails to follow with no pre-set route in mind.  The next 10km were a bit more of a push as each of us  started to need calories, hydration or walk breaks.  By 25km we were back at the parking lot for an "Aid Station", refilling water bottles and I snacked on some pretzels that were stashed in the car.  The weather had also begun to change by this point and I seized the opportunity to swap jackets, light wind resistance for light-weight rain resistance.  This proved to be a good decision about a half-hour later as the rain clouds drifted over and the temperature of the winds seemed to get crisper before we reached our goal for the day, I found I was quite comfortable in TNF Fuseform Cesium Anorak jacket.
I accomplished the goal set out for me with Mango Orange Nuun/ Nuun Plus in my bottles and Picky Bars to nom-nom on during the hill climbs.  Happily my stomach survived the entire run and come the end I didn't seem to have same dehydration symptoms of the previous week's long run.

Sunday - Rest Day (well maybe not)
15km @ 228m elevation gain
Blackwell Dairy 15km Race, Barnhartvale, BC  IRA Road Race #6
Okay, so I didn't exactly race it this year. How could I with the lead legs I was ambling around on? No this year I would call it a recovery run.  A 15km scenic recovery run with a great big happy running community also out there racing today.
I walked a couple of the hills.
I stopped to take pictures of my Dad at the turn-around point.
And a picture of a barn reflecting on the water.
I definitely was not racing. But I did finish well and ahead of my expectations, adding only 5 minutes to my time from last year.

Week 8 Summary:
72km/60km completed, 2036m elevation gain

Once again I am over on mileage but I feel I did a better job of moderating the intensity of those extra  kilometres.  I knew full well that I could never race the Blackwell Run the day after my long run but I gave me a great sense for how far my tired legs would continue to carry me if I didn't ask for any stupid miracles from them.
With only a handful of weeks to go before Rundle's I have purchased my bear spray, worn my race vest almost every run to get used to having it on and loaded, and beat down some of my previous misconceptions of my own physical limits.

Reaching For Rundle's - Week Zeven (7)

May 16 - 22  Goal: 49km

Monday - Rest Day  

Tuesday - 7km Steady
Registered this morning for TNF Dirty Feet 21km trail race in Kelowna coming up at the beginning of June.  That ought to make a good training run, especially since it took me 2:51:00 last year to run it. As I recall the route is a whole lotta UP and down in the blink of an eye!

7.4km @ 174m elevation gain
Out with the DFTC in Pineview tonight, running hills and slapping mosquitos.  This awesome crew even brought shots and cupcakes to celebrate my birthday with me. I absolutely love my running friends.

DFTC in Pineview Photo:Jon

Wednesday - 4x 600m Hills
8.9km @ 370m elevation gain

3x 600m Hills
Those were ugly.  Thankfully, my trusted training partner Jon was there to endure the vertical flogging on Tower/Saskatoon trails.
Crazy part was, with each repeat my time decreased to get to the top.
4:59
4:44
4:42

Thursday - Rest Day
And rest I did!

Friday - 5km Slow
5.6km @ 136m elevation gain
A short run on the roads around home.  No sense in going fast or long today with a 20km run early tomorrow morning.

Saturday - 20km
22km @ 597m elevation gain
In typical long weekend fashion it rained.  And rained, and then rained some more.  If it wasn't for the fact that I was meeting Jon and others in the park for this week's LSD I might have stayed in bed.
I guess folks on the coast deal with soggy weather all the time, but it was definitely a novelty for me.

The Soggy Saturday Morning Crew  Photo:Tom

Glad I Brought Dry Shoes to Wear Home

Sunday - 8km Slow
More and more buckets of rain this morning.  I survived yesterday's run, but the princess in me could not bring herself to don the neon trail slippers and go out there again today.


Week's Summary:
44km/49km completed,  1274m elevation gain
This week was again incomplete for total mileage, however I did enjoy a few good days of rest, some great company in less than favourable conditions and I feel ready for the big week ahead.

Reaching For Rundle's - Week Seks (6)

May 9 - 15  Goal: 55kms

Monday - Rest Day

Reaching for Rundle's - Week Cinco

Week 5 - May 2 - 8  Goal: 59km

Reaching For Rundle's - Week IV

Week 4:  April 25 - May 1,  Goal: 55km

Monday - Rest Day
Spaghetti squash with meat sauce, broccoli and guacamole and a cocktail.  A little foam rolling of sore muscles from the weekend and off to bed early today.

Tuesday - 7 Steady
8km@214m elevation gain
8km fun run with the DFTC and the warm weather brought with it our biggest group yet.  My legs felt great out there today.

Wednesday - 4x 500mHills
10.3km@225km elevation gain
10km run from home to the Rose Hill trails.  A nice flat 3km to get there and then the fun started.  Found myself a 500m climbing section of trail that started gradually and increased in grade towards the end.  Four times up that curling single track, 2x into the setting suns rays until I reached the stick laid out on the path marking my finish line.  After sucking wind at the top for the last time I made my way home along the flat 3kms of gas line trail, feeling surprisingly good.

Can't see the sweat pouring off me!

Thursday - 5 Slow
5.4km@87m elevation gain
5.4km of awesome friends on trail in the sunshine with a double rainbow arching the valley below.

Friday - Rest Day

Saturday - 8km Steady
8.1km@97m elevation gain
Normally my long run for the week occurs here, but having just arrived in Spokane last night after a long drive and having a 12km road race tomorrow, I thought it prudent to bump my LSD to follow on Sunday afternoon.  Instead this delightful 8km run through growing suburban neighbourhoods skirting the open hillsides and boarding all manner of retail got me out the door in the morning while the house awoke slowly. And I got a strong cup of coffee.
Bonus on the run was re-asserting my claim as QOM (Queen of the Mountain) for a Strava segment around the corner from Grandpas.
Race Day Tomorrow!!


Sunday - Goal: 27km (total)
Blooms day 12km@97m elevation gain,  Road Race, Spokane, WA
What a gorgeous sunny day for a race!   That aspect of the race was great.  Finisher shirts were beautiful too, that's always a well guarded secret at Bloomsday.  This year the shirts paid tribute to the race's 40 Year Anniversary and was printed on a lovely lilac coloured lightweight cotton blend shirt.

1:01:17 is my official race time for my third attempt on the course.  Remarkably  a smidgen faster than two years ago but not the race I was hoping for.  I found the first 2kms a tremendous struggle  to get up to speed in the tight packed crowd of the yellow corral.  Valuable time was lost as was downhill wasted while still fighting for a line of sight to break free of the crowd.  The disappointment from the startling carried on my shoulder throughout the race and I allowed that to weight me down. Definitely something I need to work on if I'm going to tackle 4x that distance and probably more rocks and roots than people.
Following the race, Brian and I dove into a couple beers and burgers, effectively sabotaging my previous intentions of completing the other 15km on the docket for the day.  Oops.

So at the end of Week 4 I'm 11km short of my distance goal.  Thinking that I was going to be able to pull off the race and my LSD run on the same weekend was a little unrealistic I suppose but there were some good workouts included in the kilometres actually logged.

Reaching for Rundle's - Week 3

Week 3 - April 18-24  Goal: 43km

Monday - Rest Day

Completely accomplished this one, had a nap after work and even slept in a bit Tuesday morning.
Physical Status: L-ankle is tender on the anterior aspect, but nothing that changes weight-bearing status or gait.  Aside from that the weekend's runs were absorbed well.

A Fool Such As I

I've been a little tongue tied lately, never really knowing where to pick up from and how to bridge the gap between end of 2015 and Spring 2016.  By mid-January I has able to get my running routine back on track and have been slowly building my mileage up moving forward into the Spring.  When asked what my racing plans were for the year I found myself stuttering, stumbling for an answer.  I didn't know what I wanted to do.  There are always a few races that are favourites or close to home which I'm more inclined to do again, but what was on the bucket list?

Welcome to the Nuuniverse

Terrifying how quickly good intentions can become buried in snow and cardboard, how many things can change and you wake up on a Tuesday morning already 5 days into a new year.  On December 1st we made the decision to give notice and move from our tiny downtown apartment to a roomier living arrangement only a few kilometres away but at a slightly higher elevation in less densely populated subdivision (for now).

Unbreakable - at least so far!

So the #BeastStreak and the December Challenge (#DFDC) are but a week old and even though I logged just over 57kms in that time I nearly broke on the second day. The aim of the two challenges is simple, motivation to cull that complacent tendency most of us have which takes over during inclement weather or stressful, busy days. A kick in the pants to give yourself 30 minutes of much needed fresh air and exercise. A chance to clear your head and appreciate a surge of rejuvenating energy whether you are at the beginning or end of your day.

On the second day I sequenced from work to dinner meet-up, to babysit for a friend. The daylight hours long gone my only hope was to now zip my coat up and take the long walk home, over shooting my residence by many blocks and eventually working back in the right direction. I wasn't going down on day two, no way.

So one week is, as they say, in the books. My craft beer advent calendar is lighter too! So cheers & good luck to all the other December streakers out there. 

Grinning Streak

It's that time again!  The annual December Challenge spearheaded by my friends over at Dirty Feet Trail Series and echoed in kind by the fierce Solana of Beast Mode with her #BeastStreak.

The Fun Run of the Year!

I had my first 8 donuts of the year on Saturday morning. Yup, EIGHT! All while running a 10km out-and-back between two aid stations of doughy sweet goodness.

Run4Donuts  Photo: Dina M

Hair Straight Back

It's another mail day around here.  The September Club Headsweats package has arrived. Yeah I said September, one of the downfalls to being in Canada is the long shipping times for items coming across the border.  But never mind that, look what I got:

Headsweats GoHat and Chevron Energy Band Headband

This super lightweight black on white hat promises to keep a lid on my curly mop of hair and dry rapidly when conditions dictate.  The brim is also a good length for use with a headlamp during night runs.
What is your favourite running hat?

Here Comes the Off-Season

You ever get to a point in the year where you just feel tired?  I'm there right now.

Tested, Tried, and True?

Recently received in the September Stridebox was a sample for Calsura - FIZZ action drink tablets.  Similar to other water soluble electrolyte supplements out there, the tablets can be added to you daily recovery routine to help boost your hydration and replace lost minerals.  The unique aspect to Calsura is the 500mg of calcium contained in each serving, making this product a 2-in-1 for many women out there that require a calcium supplement.

Taste-wise, the Pineapple Coconut tabs are really good.  As directed I put the 2 tabs in a 16-oz bottle and found it easily drinkable and not too sweet.  For personal preference I would likely split that into 2 -16 oz bottles the next time.

I'm looking forward the trying the other two flavours in the near future.  Too bad that once I use them, I'll be unable to get more since they're not yet distributed within Canada. Sigh, something to add to my USA shopping lists.

Tested, Tried, and True?

After many runs, and many samples of nutritional supplements it occurred to me on route today that for my own memory recall and possible prevention of another runners' gag reflex being triggered, I should really make a note or two of my experiences with these gels, chews and powders.

Vega Sport Endurance Gel

The Endurance Gel is a "sustain" level product meant for during your activity, usually 45 minutes in and then repeated every 45 minutes there after.  Coconut oil is the primary source for caloric energy contained in this product making it easy on the stomach if you can get it that far.  Unfortunately for me I tried the Orange Zest flavour, I should mention here that orange has never been favourite for me, not even in sodas or popsicles .  One squeeze into my mouth and my cheeks puckered inwards, next squeeze and an attempt to swallow resulted in that reflex...oh gawd..water.  Please stay down, please. More water.  A very sharp zest punch accompanied by the date puree consistency of the product makes this one a difficult intake for me. Packet empty and stowed in my pocket, the next wish was for my stomach to accept the recent submission.  Thankfully I completed the rest of the run without incident. 

The Vega Sport Gel won't be on my shopping list any time soon, at least not in Orange Zest flavour.

*The above is purely my own opinion.

Saying Goodbye to Summer...Slowly

Our days in the Northern Hemisphere are shrinking away ushering in the fall and cooler running days.
See what I did there? I actually made a positive reference to the season change while internally I am freaking out! I don't want the heat to go away.  I like running late into the evening without the need for a headlamp or streetlights. SIGH

Sunset runs @ 7:30pm

Are you going to miss the summer heat? What is your favourite running season?

Newfoundland Vacation 2015 - Part 2

I will get all my thoughts organized eventually, but it definitely seems slow goings trying to get my vacation recap done.

Ferryland Lighthouse