Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011!

Joy here...It's about 2 hours away from the start of our New Year's Eve party in our new house, and I figured that I'd share some photos from our new home gym in our basement.

I figure that if I'm going to turn over a proverbial leaf and throw my hat over the proverbial fence all in the effort to take my running to the proverbial next level, then I might as well take advantage of the room offered by our very first home and make a dedicated workout space.

Our bikes set up on the trainers in front of the TV for indoor fitness.

In our old apartment, we had to pull out our workout equipment and set it up any time we wanted to use it.  And, well, if you're anything like me, then I don't have to spell out the rest of this here.  But in case you don't see the problem with this arrangement, here it is:  If I have to pull out and put back equipment each time just to work out, then it's very unlikely that I'll work out at all.  But when the space is set up right there in my own house...well, that's one less excuse that I can use to sit around and be lazy.  And trust me, the fewer excuses I have, the better.

Our miscellaneous work out paraphernalia!

So to close out 2010 I did two circuits of our own personal gym - which included lunges, squats, crunches, and pushups - and also went for a run. It wasn't the best work out of all time, and it sure wasn't the best run of all time, but I have to admit that just being in our own home gym made me feel like I'm making a bit of progress.

Here are my run stats:
Ran for a total of 55:20:53 for a distance of 8.9km with an average pace of 6:13min/km.

I'm still running a lot more slowly than I was back in October when I ran the half marathon, but for now I'm just trying to build base and endurance, and I'll think about strength and speed sometime in the new year.  I'm not going to worry about that right now.  What I am going to worry about is getting myself up to being able to run 30kms.  Ugh.  That still seems like such a long, long way away.

The view from beside the TV into our home gym.
(Notice the dorky bookshelf with all our athletics-related books!)

And in addition to wanting to build up some endurance for that 30km race that is looming large on the horizon ahead of me, I also want to make sure that I'm able to have a good half marathon in May with Nomi and Lulu.  The three of us all convinced each other to run a half marathon in 2010, but we all ran separate races.  I ran the Toronto Goodlife Half Marathon (Oct. 17); Nomi ran the Penang Bridge International Half Marathon (Nov. 21); and Lulu ran the Standard Chartered Singapore Half Marathon (Dec. 5).  So I was in Canada, Nomi in Malaysia, and Lulu in Singapore.  But in 2011 we're lucky enough that we've all signed up for the same half marathon, on the same day, in the same country!  Watch out Singapore!  We're all showing up on May 28, 2011 and you better be ready for us!!!

So here's to a new year, to good friends, and to running the good race, no matter what that race might be!  Have a happy new year!

See ya in 2011,

Joy

Turning over a new leaf...if there were any!

The snow falling by the streetlamp.

Joy here...So we're back from our family Christmas holidays spent elsewhere with too much family binging...food, booze, and really not a whole heck of a lot of activity, unless you count sitting on the couch for hours on end, surrounded by family as activity.  We drove back on Dec. 27th, basically spent all of Dec. 28th trying to recover from the 4 days of holiday extravaganza, and finally on Dec. 29th made it out the door for a run as we tried hard to turn over a new leaf and stop filling our bodies with chocolate and booze.  Of course, that metaphor is a little flat at this time of year, because there isn't a leaf to be found on any tree in the frozen city.  But you know what I mean.  It's a figurative leaf anyway, right?

The days are now slowly, but surely, getting longer.  On the shortest day of the year (Dec. 21) the sun set at 4:22pm.  Today the sun will set at 4:28pm.  Woo hoo!  That's like a whole extra 6 minutes of daylight.  As you can tell, at this time of the year, I'm really scraping the bottom of the barrel of proverbial reasons to be optimistic.  Again, I blame it on SAD and wash my hands of any responsibility for my moods! ;)

Ottawa snow falling.

In any case, I did get my butt out the door for a run yesterday, and I confirmed to myself that no matter what, a run always makes me feel better once I'm out there.  Oh, don't get me wrong, I can come up with a million and one excuses NOT to run, but if I can overrule my own psyche and get myself out the door, usually about 20 minutes into the run, I start to realize that I'm feeling better.  Yesterday's run was no different.  Once I was out there, and my feet were doing what they know how to do, even if it's been over a week since I made them do it, I began to feel just fine.  So I reminded myself that last year at this time, I was unable to run for 30 minutes, and I literally burst out of my pants, and now I can count on myself to run for at least an hour, for around 10kms.  And so while that still means that I've got a long way to go to be ready for my upcoming 30km race, it also means I've come a long way from last year.  So while I was out there, I gave myself a little pat on the back and told myself to focus on the positives...what I have achieved...and not on the negatives...how much more I still have to do.

So here are my turning over a new leaf running stats from yesterday:
Ran for a total of 1:05:26 for a distance of 10.64kms with an average pace of 6:09min/km.

Over and out,
Joy

Apologies for my hiatus...

Joy here...My last post was December 6, and our moving day into our new house was December 10...it's now December 29.  As you can well imagine, with the stress, strain, and general insanity that comes with moving into one's first home coupled with the stress, strain, and general insanity of the holiday season somehow both my running and blog posting have fallen somewhat off the wagon.  Like Nomi fearing that she's turning into a round, Yorkshire pudding, I too fear that my midsection is growing in direct proportion to the amount that I've been eating and drinking, that is to say, A LOT!

Our fridge on our first night in our new house!!

But I'm determined to remedy all this Romanesque indulgence.  I've signed up for a 30km running race on March 27; that's just under 3 months away!!!  I've got to double my current endurance somehow between now and then so that I can have an enjoyable run.  And then I can feel good as I get ready to run the Singapore Sundown Half Marathon at the end of May with Nomi, Lulu, and the Man.  It's a tall order, and if I were the type of person to have new year's resolutions, then getting my running back on track would top the list.

In the meantime, I'll settle for just updating this blog with back entries for the few paltry runs that I was capable of doing this past month, and turning over a new leaf.  Today.

So here are my December run stats:

Cold, December run (this picture was taken at 5pm;
do you see how dark it gets so early in the day???)

December 7:  Ran for a total of 1:04:09 for a distance of 10.95km for an average pace of 5:52min/km.

December 8:  Ran for a total of 1:16:53 for a distance of 12km for an average pace of 6:22min/km.

December 16:  Ran for a total of 53:08:53 for a distance of 8.42km with an average pace of 6:19min/km.

December 17:  Ran for a total of 58:45:10 for a distance of 9.3km with an average pace of 6:19min/km.

December 19:  Ran for a total of 1:12:44 for a distance of 11.98km with an average pace of 6:04min/km.

December 24:  Ran for a total of 56 for a distance of ??? with an average pace of ???...we ran on treadmills in the hotel where we stayed for Christmas.

As you can tell from these stats, my times and distances aren't what they need to be for me to be able to handle all the winter running that I have in store over the next 3 months.  So I plan to get out there today, no matter what to do my best to get back into my running groove.

My frozen running shoes...look at the ice and snow on the laces!!

But it's terribly hard to run in all the snow.  It's kind of like running on a sandy beach...you're feet aren't stable, and it's a harder workout than running on a stable surface, but unlike a sandy beach, it's freakin' cold!!!  Snow blows in your eyes; your ears freeze; and by the end of the run, your feet are likely like little frozen ice cubes in wet and icy running shoes.

Fingers crossed that I can get out there and have a great run today...actually, maybe I should cross both my fingers and toes just to be safe!

Over and out,
Joy

On the first day of christmas my true love gave to me...A set of painfree running knees...

Nomi says,

Well, i've been pretty much hibernating. There's no snow here, it hot and humid and raining..but then i don't need an excuse to do nothing:) Since my half marathon in late November, I've been slobbering around  mostly.I've become this extra piece of redundant furniture in my home..mainly a decoration piece on the sofa and motivation has been an issue.I have not run for more than 10kms, at the most twice a week and a minimum time of at least an hour since then!!! I feel like I'm gaining weight as my clothes are becoming more snug and think that i just might morph into a Yorkshire pudding ( round and fat...you get the idea:)

So, with great reluctance on this beautiful morning, i put on my shoes and headed off to the park for a run. And i guess all that non exercise actually did me some good. For the first time in months, my knees were totally pain free :) Yay!!!!!! It made such a difference to the quality of my run. I suppose i was running with pain for so long, i forgot how it was like to run without. I first hurt my left knee ages ago, while running repeatedly on a road with an uneven camber. Then when that got all right, i tried running on the treadmill to minimize injury, but hurt my right knee instead. I had been wearing knee supports as it helped my left knee...but what it actually did was aggravate my right knee...Oh well..that's settled now and my knees are happy..

Painfree knees and a reluctant cat

I ran without a GPS, so had no idea how fast or how many kilometers i ran, but it was a good run. I enjoyed myself. The weather was wonderful, cool and cloudy. I realized that every time i run, i see groups of women together more than groups of men. And it made me think of my running buddies, who are, for the most part in absentia. Since it's a season for thankfulness..i guess i am thankful for my comrade in arms, Joy and Lulu. Although we mostly run alone, we are connected by spirit and determination. Lulu who just started running early this year, was running from zero to 21kilometers in a matter of months. Joy who only ran intermittently  will be running 30kms in 4 months and 42 kms soon after that, and boy is she fast. Without their support, encouragement, spirit and impulsiveness ( Lulu signing both of us for a 14km trail run and Joy signing up for a full marathon) I know that i would not be running this much today.
I suppose running has added a lot of flavor into our three lives. It gave us something to look forward to, and achievement of sorts, belief in our selves...that we could do what we couldn't before, a spirit of  togetherness, opportunities to meet other people with similar interest and most of all, satisfaction in ourselves. And the three of us would not be able to what we want, without the understanding and encouragement from our loved ones as well. So, to all the men behind the scenes ( well excpet for Joy's Man who runs with her)..thank you, you guys have been great.

Christmas morning at the park

Thank you my wonderful girlfriends.....Merry Christmas!!

Blizzard Run

Joy here...It's a new day, and I'm determined not to let SAD, the snow, the weather, or anything else impede my forward progress.  For the month of December the only "training" that I'm supposed to be doing is getting some runs in my legs.  I have to get a nice, easy, slow base of endurance, and then in the new year I can start building on that in preparation for the 30km race in March and the 21km race in May.  So this means that whether I feel like it or not, I really just have to push myself out the door and run.

Even if it's cold.

Even if it's snowy.

In fact, even if it's a blizzard as was the case on Sunday.  We started our run at around 4:00pm, and there was a light dusting of snow, but by about 4:25pm, the sun had set and the snow was falling in earnest.  Icy flakes were flying into my eyes, and it was like running on a cold, sandy beach.  Every step was a slog.  It was dark and cold and wind swirled the snow around us as if we were tiny figures in an upturned snow globe.

But as we ran into the ever-increasing darkness and the ever-increasing size and ferocity of the flakes, I began to feel better and better.  Don't get me wrong, there's nothing enjoyable about huffing and puffing in a snowstorm or running with your eyes squinted against flakes of frozen-ness, but I began to feel better on the inside.  I began to think "heck, if I can hack this, then I can run throughout this whole winter, and maybe, just maybe, I'll survive that 30km run in March."  And as I was having those sorts of encouraging thoughts, I was able to pull my feet through the piling and piling snow.

And in the end, I completed my first "long run" probably since the half marathon back in October!  Our new plan is to run 3 or 4 times a week, with only one of those being a "long run."  We figure we'll start our "long runs" at around 15kms and build up from there.  Yesterday, amid the snow, the cold, and the ice, we finished 14.92kms!  Yay!

Here are my run stats:
Ran for a total of 1:29:57 for a distance of 14.92kms with an average pace of 6:02min/km.

Over and out,
Joy

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Joy here...After Sunday's failed run, I gave myself a gillion excuses to eat crap and not to work out for most of the rest of the week.  I managed to pull off a run on Thursday and another one today (Saturday), but two measly runs at the start of my new "training" as I force myself to gear up for the 30km race I've signed up for (and paid the registration for) and the half marathon that I'll run with Nomi doesn't bode well for the next few months.


And to tell you the truth, while I could come up with excuses or I could come up with reasons (as there are many:  I've been busy; we bought a new house and I'm trying to pack; I have some looming publishing deadlines; I have yet to finish our Christmas shopping etc. etc.) I've decided to blame it on the weather.  Yep, that's right.  It's the weather's fault.


And I'm not even joking.

The Canadian Mental Health Association describes Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) in the following way:

SAD can be difficult to diagnose, since many of the symptoms are similar to those of other types of depression or bipolar disorder. Even physical conditions, such as thyroid problems, can look like depression. Generally, symptoms that recur for at least 2 consecutive winters, without any other explanation for the changes in mood and behaviour, indicate the presence of SAD. They may include:

• change in appetite, in particular a craving for sweet or starchy foods
• weight gain
• decreased energy
• fatigue
• tendency to oversleep
• difficulty concentrating
• irritability
• avoidance of social situations
• feelings of anxiety and despair

The symptoms of SAD generally disappear when spring arrives. For some people, this happens suddenly with a short time of heightened activity. For others, the effects of SAD gradually dissipate.

Let's see, a "craving for sweet or starchy foods" - check; "decreased energy" - check; "fatigue" - check, and probably "weight gain," but I don't have a scale, so I can remain blissfully ignorant of the specifics of that one.

So while I can't say that I have some serious SAD (as I'm still as social as ever and not really feeling any additional anxiety/despair), I do have my fair share of regular sad.  I feel like sleeping and eating, and running would just get in the way of that.  All of this means that my next few months of trying my best to get back into some kind of running shape is going to be damn hard.  

I'm going to do my darndest to use this blog and to keep in touch with all my friends so that I can keep myself motivated throughout these dark, cold winter months.  And I will turn that frown upside down...and kick some butt running too!

In the meantime, here are my "sad" running stats for this week:

Thursday - Ran for a total of 49:32:41 for a distance of 8.81km with an average pace of 5:37min/km.

Saturday - Ran for a total of 1:07:11 for a distance of 11.76km with an average pace of 5:43min/km.

Over and out,

Joy