Song of the day.....

http://youtu.be/1-F1h9iIdlk

Oldie but a goodie! club anthem from about 13 years ago and its still a fav! Love the lyrics.

It takes a village....

I`m 5 weeks into my BMO marathon training with the Running Room and today is the first day I really feel like I can do a sub-five hour marathon. by sub-five I mean 4.59.59! I`ll take it! We ran 20 kms (19.69 according to my watch, 21kms according to my friend Selina`s watch) and with a pace of 7.09. WOW! Seriously..that fast..amazing! If I can do that exact pace for the full marathon I can do it in 4 hours 55 minutes! Today included a few ass-burning hills (up and down!) from the Running Room on Cambie, to Prospect Point and back. Great run! We even saw (and I might have accidentally scared it away) a gorgeous owl just sitting in a tree watching all the runs pass by.

I`m even getting used to the gels. Today was the first day I didn`t bonk at the 18km marker. I felt good afterwards (hungry, but good) and still feel good. I`m a little tired but don`t feel like I did a 20km medium to hard run and yesterday did a 20km medium difficulty bike ride on the North Shore (lots of hills as well with that one!). Both of these I took off time, the ride I took of 12 minutes from the last time in November and the running I`m about 20 to 25 minutes faster than last year. It just makes the last two weeks of misery (bad two training weeks) feel ok and I`m feeling much stronger about doing the marathon in May as well as the IronMan in August.

I`ve decided that my new mantra is It Takes a Village.... because I`m lucky that I have so many active, fun, inclusive people in my life that it was pretty easy for me to come to the conclusion that I can`t do the training on my own for either event. Why not pick the brains of other people or train with other people that are better than me. It`s only going to improve my times, endurance, and will to succeed! Its going to take a village to raise me to be an Ironman contender and I no longer feel shame in that. I`m indeed lucky i have so many fantastic friends in my life that are very supportive of any of the stupid things I do, including some that come along for the ride (apparently its hard to say no to me, or at least that`s what some friends tell me!)

Next race, UBC Tri-Du! No where near ready for it, but, its a month away, I`m sure I`ll be fine!

Epiphany

You never know what'll happen to you while running. Today, I had an interesting epiphany. I realized that my weight-loss and fitness journey isn't necessarily due to trying to add years to my life, it's being happy in the years that I have left.  My dad was 63 (almost 64) when he died of a heart attack, the same could happen to me no matter how healthy I am so, I'd rather have a great and memorable 20 years then continuation of the same!

So, maybe the mid-life crisis isn't really a crisis but a wake up call, a reminder that I still have a lot of things I want to do and try before I leave this life. It's never too late to change or to try!

2013 off to a good start!

Although, I did just type 2014 at first! Interesting, that's twice today I thought it was either a different month or year!

Polar Bear Swim minutes before jumping in!

Freezing now!

Once again, 2013 went out with a great party with friends and started with the 93 Annual Polar Bear Swim at English Bay (after a number of lattes with a friend at 49th Parrallel Coffee on Main Street).

Sick means no training

But, I guess mandatory resting. Sick (and very bored) this weekend with a sore throat, trying to get better by taking it easy, which is really hard for me. Did manage to do some more biking on the bike/trainer Saturday. My ass isn't getting used to the seat yet and I really need to get my bike fitted to me, think it'll help with the old lady hip!

Was checking out the BMO Full marathon route for 2013, same as 2012 and there looks to be a good size hill up and down between 5 and 10km, literally looks to be 2.5kms down and 2.5kms up! Guess I have to continue training on hills! Almost the entire route will have spectacular views, but especially from 20km marker! Next question is do I take the camera with me or not! Probably not if I want to finish it in 6 hours.

Once again the start is at Queen Elizabeth Park and the finish is, lucky for me, right in front of my work place! I'll have some champagne waiting for me in the work fridge!

I'm also very lucky, two, possibly three, friends are doing the full with me. I've got three friends doing the half as well! Very exciting! It looks like I really am taking everyone with me on my crazy train of running and fitness.

I changed my first flat!

I'm embarrassed to say how long it took me but I finally managed to change the tube in my road bike! Although, while changing it I didn't have a presta valve adapter so my bike was sitting in my living room like this for a day. It was sad and mocked me everytime I looked at it!

I did manage to find the presta valve adapter and then had issues getting the damn tire back on!! Oh, the tire just snaps back on I'm told, its easy I'm told. Easy my ass! Eventually I figured it out, eventually figured out how to put my CycleOps winter training kit together (instructions sucked) and now my living room looks like this!

Mexico, Santa and starting my Ironman (woman!) Training

Wow, November was fun! I went to Mexico for a fabulous wedding, started my Ironman training (tired already) and got a chance to spend the day with Santa while he was giving out presents at the top of Grouse Mountain.

Mexico was fantastic! This was pretty much my view everyday, except the one day we hung out at the pool bar. I will go back! The service where we were was great! The bar opened everyday at 10am, I had the servers tell me a number of times that the alcohol was free (because I would ask for bottled water instead of beer!). The rooms were nice, the food was great, service always fantastic and I became a HUGE fan of champagne! Probably wasn't a good idea to do it as shots that one night.

Today I got to spend the morning and afternoon with Santa at the Top of Grouse Mountain. We had a work function and over 100 kids at two sittings, and the kids were adorable! My friend Chifa and I helped Santa hand out presents (I was photographer). I got asked if I was a snow princess by an adorable 5 or 6 year old, then she asked if I was going to come outside and skate with my dress on, too cute! Santa had a couple of kids that maybe weren't entirely impressed (crying) but he did get homemade cookies, letters and a homemade Christmas tree!

The Ironman (woman!) training is in full swing. Swim, bike, run; swim, bike, run is my life for the next 9 months. I think the healthy eating and no alcohol is going to be harder then the swim, bike, run training. I just got a new winter trainer (for the bike at home) so I can sit on the bike for hours at a time at home. I'm lucky to have so many people in my life that have done Ironman before. They say it takes a village to raise a child, I think it's going to be the same with me and my training!

Off for a swim!