T - 8 Days

So, for those of you who one day may read this, wondering what to expect the week before race day, allow me to share my latest:

1) Hydrate. At this point you should be drinking enough water to hydrate your full 42km...yes, a week before. Our trainer put it this way "If you aren't waking up at 3am to relieve yourself, you are not drinking enough water yet".

Our trainer has also told us that we should be getting in some good sleeps to store up our body's energy. Unfortunately, I keep waking up in the middle of

the night to pee.

2) Carbo-load. This is an important one for me to include here, as I know that my family reads this blog regularly. What is carbo-loading exactly? Well, it is the ingestion of foods, high in carbohydrates (which convert into energy in your body) pre-race so that you have stores of carbohydrate-based energy on race day.

It is NOT eating anything with carbohydrates, as things like potato chips have high carbohydrates but do not count. This is because, if the carbohydrates are made up of too much sugar or has a high amount of fat, it will have a negative effect on your system. Sugar drains, fat slows.

So, carbo-loading: pasta

NOT carbo-loading: ice cream

carbo-loading: high fiber breads

NOT carbo-loading: creme caramel

carbo-loading: rice

NOT carbo-loading: chocolate brownies

carbo-loading: fresh fruits

NOT carbo-loading: chocolate cake that happens to have a few healthy raspberries in it

For those of you not part of my family - yesterday was my birthday. My family attempted to plump me up with several sweet treats, which in turn, slowed this morning's run significantly.

3) If you are running with a charity, you will start to get all sorts of goodies. Today I received my technical shirt, as well as specialty luggage tags. We've also recently received our itinerary, and all of the rules of the marathon.

This is very intimidating and in me, at least, has created a permanent state of anxiety which may not fully leave me until the 13th.

4) Last minute realizations - this is the time when you start getting hit with the 'oh crap, I need to finish breaking in my new shoes', or 'shoot, I need to pick up some energy', or my favourite realization of Jeff's 'you mean we have to be up at 2am on race day?'

Overall, right now is a very intense time. We're trying to get ready for the holidays and make sure that everything is in order before we leave and planned to a T for when we get back. We're trying to remember to pack everything, and pack it in the right place (always pack your running gear in your carry-on as you don't want the airline to lose your running shoes!). This is challenging since I work right up to the day we leave - which is a 5am wake-up call kind of day.

We're trying to get out for runs, while trying to remember something as simple as getting some American money for souvenirs!

Add to all of that yesterday's birthday party....

I kept the day mellow partly out of necessity - alcohol 8 days before the race will probably not sit well.

The time spent with my family was well needed and very refreshing, and my mom's cake gave me a good laugh. If you can't tell in the picture, that is me, across the finish line, Jeff, still running, and my whole family cheering us on.

Everyone was thinking of the race it seemed, and that was well reflected in the gifts - my Aunt got me some warm gloves to finish my training runs, my cousins got me a gift card for the Running Room for last minute supplies and iTunes for an audiobook to listen to on the course, my parents had already bought my replacement shoes and some other race related items but also pitched in some American $ to buy a memento of the experience, and the greatest gift was two little pewter feathers from my younger sister. Each one was tied to a ribbon, so, as my mom explained, I could tie them to my shoes on race day to help me fly, lift me up when I wanted to crawl, and remind me that my sister was there beside me.

What an amazing time this is right now - the anxiety, and the energy surrounding us is phenomenal. It's hard to believe that it's all coming to its peak, that everything we have done so far is leading us to this one final moment that will soon be past us.

So now, beyond all of these preparations that I have to keep in the back of my head, the last thing I must do is work on remembering - every - little - detail.

Gearing up

Goodness I have missed writing my blog!

Life gets pretty busy this time of year, as we all know. Let me tell you - although I had become quite practiced in making time to run, fundraise, and blog when I was busy with work, adding in the holidays has made it an extra special challenge.

My mom came to visit for a whole week not too long ago and although I did get out for a run while she was here, I didn't get out again that week. It was too hard to leave her alone for me to run, and well, the bike tires were flat, so she couldn't really keep up.

My challenge now is trying to get all of my holiday gifts made while finishing my training. Not to mention, it's getting cold outside! Throw all that into a pot with extended mall hours for the holiday season, and my time becomes very limited.

The reality is though, the marathon is less than two weeks away. Unbelievable - I can't believe it's come so fast.

I never got in my last major distance run of 35.5 km - I couldn't justifiably take 6 hours out of my few hours off to do it. By the time I could get out to run, even a portion of it, I was in to tapering.

Tapering - reducing your mileage pre-marathon to rest your body.

Mom got me my new shoes as an early birthday present and I've been doing my best to break them in before we leave for Hawaii.

In the meantime, Jeff's knee is still incredibly painful for him to run on - but I have finally succeeded in getting him to go see a physiotherapist. Hopefully it's not all bad news because the usually chipper Jeff has been pretty cranky over the injury. I completely understand though since he's starting to question

whether he will be able to run on race day.

Fundraising wise we've almost broken $9,000 which is phenomenal! Hopefully we can find the time over the holidays to sell some poinsettias or something and even reach $10,000.

In the meantime, we're starting to get information directly from the marathon, like our race numbers (6016 for me and 6031 for Jeff), information on a race DVD (which my folks have insisted on

purchasing so they can watch me sweat, heave, pant, maybe even vomit, at interesting points along the course), and even a little note about the services available during the race.

Apparently, there is live tracking on race day.

I will have to investigate this further.

The only thing I haven't done that I want to in lead up to race day is to put together my playlist. This is being put off because I am asking for a big gift from all of our followers - words of motivation.

Jeff and I have asked for these in the past without great success but this is the culmination of all of our work in about 12 days. So, if you have a built-in microphone in your computer, google how to record a sound clip on your computer. Record me a greeting and email it to me. Without listening to the clips ahead of time, I will place them all between songs along my playlist so that I get a few each mile along the course. The plan is, if I'm ready to give up at the 39th kilometre, the song will end and next thing I will hear is my brother, or my co-worker, or YOU saying "Annie, what are you doing, you are unbelievable, keep it going!"

So here is my rules for these clips:

1) Make sure to tell me who it is. Although I may love each of you profusely, I'm not the greatest with recognizing voices.

2) Aim for 30 seconds to 1 minute if you can

3) You can just read a quote, you can tell me you are proud, you can tell me something to make me laugh or smile, you can tell me you think I am crazy, you can tell me to not stop running - just tell me anything you think I would like to hear at Mile 1 or Mile 26 in 30 degree weather. :)

Moments

Well, as many of you know, being a diabetic meant I was categorized in the high-priority group for the H1N1 Vaccine. After pressure from family and friends, last Friday, I finally lined up for my shot. They warned of side effects such as fatigue but I felt fine.

So, the next day, I headed out to attempt my farthest distance run yet - 29km!

Let's just put it this way - despite the gorgeous weather, my positive attitude, and an absolute desire to do it, I only made it 4km before I felt like I couldn't lift my foot one more time. I am 100% blaming this one on the H1N1 Vaccine. I gave myself a few days off (minus some squats and lunges, as apparently I need to work on my butt muscles to avoid my one debilitating pain mid-run), but kept the 29km close by.

Yesterday, I woke up, wrote out my route, and mentally prepared myself with 3 degrees of goals, as I always do.

I'm not sure why I do this, but even during my mid-week runs I will say things to myself like 'I will be happy if I make it to that lamppost, happier if I make it to the stop sign, happiest if I make it to the next street'. As a non-runner, I have found that it's important to make goals about just getting somewhere, or just doing something, rather than about how fast I manage to do it.

So, this was the first mental mantra I repeated to myself yesterday morning "It's about finishing, not finishing fast". I paced myself, not pushing too hard to run any particular duration or speed, and allowed myself to walk without feeling bad about it, whenever I needed to.

My 3 degrees of goals were simple -

Good: Make it farther than ever before, meaning at least 19km

Better: Pass the Half-Marathon (21km) distance, as this was a previous goal that I didn't succeed at

Best: Actually finish the 29km scheduled.

Let's just put it out there now - I did all three.

I felt great as I passed the spot on Paisley where I had given up on Saturday and knew that I would do well, but I don't know that I believed I would manage the whole distance.

Luckily, Jeff was at work, so when I started to bottom out around 22-23km, I wasn't able to just climb in the car. I did, however, take a break at his mom's work, waiting for a 2nd wind before my last big hill and 8km. She offered me the keys to her van to drive home. I refused.

A kilometre later I was mad at myself for refusing lol.

Within my first kilometre, I almost got hit by a car leaving the Beer Store (that explains a lot, I know), and within my last 2 kilometres it happened again. Do people not look both ways before pulling out anymore? Do you not see me in my bright teal jacket running towards you? Don't try and beat me, you'll just look like an ass.

Somewhere between 10-15km, I lost my gloves. This wasn't a problem at first as my hands get really hot while running, and make the rest of me really hot. But around the time I discovered them gone, the wind had picked up, and my hands were frozen.

I paused on about 4 benches/curbs throughout the run - at my halfway point between Highway 24 and Conservation Road, at the Grange Plaza on Victoria, on a guardrail at College and Victoria, and a bus stop by the Village on the Arboretum on Stone. It felt good though and gave my brain a brief rest before continuing on.

But, the point of today is moments - high moments and low moments. That's the greatest experience within a distance run. The moment when you look behind you and realize, yep, that was a really big hill. The low moment when you realize that you had about 10 huge uphills and only 2 baby downhills the whole run.

The high moments - when you realize you've beaten one of those goals you set out, or when you pass a friend's house that just months ago you swore you couldn't run to. Or when you think you can't run another second in the last 5km, and yet you run for a further burst, and faster. The moments where you get yourself up off the curb and keep on going - when you realize that the blister you'd felt forming 20km ago has miraculously vanished, and you will finish this run.

And my ultimate favourite high moment - crossing that last street to finish your run. I try really hard in those moments to not jump up in the air, or fall to my knees in tears, as I'm sure the cars waiting at the stoplight will be extremely nervous.

Of course, there are low moments as well - like when you go into a busy Tim Hortons to fill up your water bottle and can't fit it in the sink so have to wait in line 20 minutes so they will fill it up. Although not really lol. Low moments are really just a high moment waiting to be born. For me, they are that minute sitting on the curb at the Grange Plaza before I go to bug Jeff's mom and hope she will talk me out of finishing the run (became a high when I kept going). Or the moment sitting on the guardrail at Victoria and College and highly considered cutting the run short and just running down College instead of up to Stone and down that. I turned that into a high by realizing it's just 2km difference, what's the point of not doing it?

Lows are the moments where your back aches, your toes feel like they are falling off, and you are all out of energy chomps and you realize - if Jeff were here right now, I would have given up.

Highs are the moments when you realize that, all alone, without anyone telling you to keep going but yourself, you keep going.

It's a good point for life - low moments are just high moments waiting to be born.

I'd like to take one more paragraph to acknowledge 2 more high moments that happened this week in terms of fundraising!

Thank you to Mr. Angevaare, from Bert Angevaare Ltd in Peterborough for sponsoring Jeff and I with a $100 donation! That's huge and incredibly appreciated

And a big thank you to Miss Ward and the Crestwood Secondary School Equity Committee who hosted a dance on October 30 and donated $2 from every entry to our cause! They have donated a total of $600 to our marathon!

So, in one week, we have almost knocked another $1,000 off of our final sprint! Thank you to everyone who has donated and thank you to those who are soon to donate to help us make our last $3,500!

Pre-Run Jitters

In realizing that I usually do an entry after a run when I'm feeling really great about my accomplishments, I also realized, that means nobody experiences the minor freak outs I have, especially before distance runs.

Today I am scheduled to run 29 km - 10 km farther than ever before, as I was unable to complete any previous distance runs.

I just finished mapping out my route - a little delayed, I usually do that during the week so I can mentally prepare. This week, I decided to put as much of my mileage away from the apartment. I found in the past, I got mentally exhausted zig-zagging back towards the apartment and still having half my run to do.

How am I feeling right now? My heart is beating a little fast knowing I'm going to go do this, that's making me feel a little wobbly in my arms. The weather is beautiful, so that keeps me happy, and I have White Oleander on my iPod to keep me distracted.

Jeff is still not entirely confident in his knee, so isn't planning on running. I don't think he wants to sit in the car for 3-4 hours again either, although it does give him time to study for his firefighter course. So, I may be on this one alone.

That freaks me out. There are a few bits out on country roads - what if I get tired. What if I get hit by a car? What if I run out of water and get disoriented and go the wrong way? I will run out of water, at least twice during the run - hopefully I'm not on a country road when that happens.

So, 29 km - that's 18 miles. I ran my last distance run at a 14.5min/mile, so this should take me about 4 hours and 20 minutes. Let's just round it up to 5, because I'm going to get tired and slow down in those last 10km that I've never run before.

Oh, and then there's the injury. I definitely haven't strengthened my butt muscles yet so I'll be expecting that cramp again, somewhere between the 10th and 18th km and I will have to push myself for another 18 or 10km depending on when it hits me.

Not fun.

So, yes, there is a lot of doubt pre-run. A lot. And accordingly, that adds up to more doubt leading up to marathon day. You'd think all this training would just equal more confidence, but I promise, it does not.

How do I get out there with all of this doubt running through my head? The truth is, I really don't know. Some days I just don't go, for real, and then I feel mad at myself. So, perhaps it's that mental trick - knowing how mad I will be if I don't even try. And plus, I made all the effort to get up early so that I can be back a few hours before work so I can have a nap. And I've put on my really comfy running socks, and my super cute running outfit, and well, people just deserve to see it.

Yeah, that's how I do it.

Anxiety

It's hard to believe but it's true, the marathon is just 5 weeks away (plus a day or two, but hey, good enough).

I was working on finding a good audiobook on iTunes to have on my iPod for my upcoming 29km distance when I realized that the only major run distances I have left before the marathon are this 29km tomorrow and a 35.5km in 2 weeks.

Cue the anxiety attack.

I haven't completed one of my major distance runs yet. My 24km ended up being a 19km because of serious pains in the front of my thigh. A discussion group I've been working that one through with thinks I need to strengthen my abs and butt muscles, so trying to do that. Although I'm also worried that I don't have sufficient time to do the exercises with great effect.

This pain is bad, and stops me from even wanting to walk - but I am hoping the sheer excitement on race day, and the beautiful scenery, will help me push through that pain.

Back to my 19km run though - it was very empowering. Mother Nature threw everything but snow at me that day and I ran the whole thing at a 14.5 min/mile, which is shocking for that distance. I was sure it would have been 16 or 17, but nope! Lots of monster hills that I felt amazing for getting up, heavy winds, rain, sunshine and heat at some points, and of course, my watch dying in the first hour. That made it hard to know how fast I was going!

Jeff had seriously injured his knee on a run before this though and so was unable to go with me. He turned back in the first 500m and came out in the car to wait for me every couple kilometres. That was really motivating for me as I kept pushing myself to get to the car (and get there before he expected me). It was also handy as he carried extra snacks in the car, and when I started to get low on water, I would give him my bottle and he would refill it while I kept running and meet me with it at my next walking break.

In total that day, I was out for just under 3 hours so am aiming for 4 hours tomorrow bare minimum. I'd like to run the full 29km tomorrow, as that would stop my anxiety about finishing the marathon, but if I can at least do 4 hours, I know I can do 5 hours in 2 weeks, and then be able to stay out for at least 6 on marathon day. The last half hour can be adrenaline. I hope.

Trying to get over the anxiety attacks I'm also trying to pick a race to run beforehand - maybe some of you can join me!

The choices are:

November 22nd, Whitby Waterfront. There is a 5k race, 10k race, and 10 mile race that day and as I am scheduled for a 6.5km training run, I would do the 10k race...

November 28th, Hamilton Grey Cup Downhill. This one is apparently a pub sponsored running series that involves free beer after the race and has a 4k or 8k - I'd need the 8k

December 5th, Guelph Santa Shuffle. Of course, these are usually fun races but there is a 5km and I'm scheduled for 8km that day, so it works out well.

Doing one of these races will not only give me some confidence about crossing finish lines, but they will help me to celebrate my accomplishments so far and prepare me for the energy and craziness of race day.

In other news, we received our trip information and will be leaving for Honolulu on December 10th.

I can't believe it's almost here.

A New Approach

You may have noticed that I'm no longer tracking my progress at the top of each posting. Yeah, that lasted a long time.

And, if you follow us on Facebook, you may have been asking yourself whether I really elbowed someone.

And, if you know me at all, you may have occasionally wondered whether I actually am running at all or just making up a really great story.

Well, my friends, today, I plan on clearing all of this up for you.

Let's start with the last point. Yes. I do really run. I have witnesses, and quite frankly, these stories can't be made up. However, for those still in disbelief, Jeff joined me on my 8km run on Sunday and attempted to photo document the run. Now, Jeff is not nearly as talented with photography as I am (as you will notice when you see the shot I took of Jeff, versus his shots of me), but what matters is that we finally have real evidence of my efforts and I plan on speckling them throughout this entry for your entertainment.

Now onto more fun topics - the elbowing. I wasn't sure whether I wanted to admit to this in the blog - I mean, it's really not great for this inspiring image I am going for. But, it is reality, I'm sure many runners have wanted to do the same, and gosh darnit, it's pretty funny.

So, let me set the stage.

Saturdays, as you know, are my distance runs. This past Saturday I had the amazing feat of running 14.5km, the longest I have run to date. Saturday was a beautiful Fall day, nice weather, bright sun, gorgeous colours. I was ready for this run and having a blast doing it.

Now, the farthest I have run so far is somewhere around 12km, which is what I did on my 120 minute run in September. So, once I passed this mark (and perhaps a little before it), I could feel the exhaustion setting in. Adrenaline and the sheer shock that you will actually do it keeps you going (I had turned a direction at 10km that forced me to finish after that point). But, you just want to be done.

The angel and the devil on your shoulders really do come out as you're nearing the end. The devil tells you to cut corners, not to run further than you really need to. The angel tells you you're doing awesome and keep up the great pace.

This is the conversation going on when 3 college-aged girls appear on the sidewalk ahead of me. And yes, three means they take up the whole sidewalk. Since they don't appear to be moving, I swing to the left, hoping that girl will make a move behind her friend so I can get by.

No movement.

So, I swing to the right. Still no movement.

The devil on my shoulder says 'Crap, you probably just ran an extra 50m because of all that swinging', so I swing to the left once more, and steady the course. 

Well, left girl starts non-verbally throwing attitude, and of course, is not moving.

Listen honey. I just ran 12km. I will not be the one going around you.

The attitude throwing continued so, as I passed her, teetering on the edge of grass and sidewalk, my right arm may have come up (I was running, my arms swing the whole time) and knocked her arm at a good running speed. 

For the first 5 seconds post-contact, I was thinking 'I hope every time she looks at that bruise she remembers that runners should have the right of way'.....every second after that I was thinking 'I am such an evil person.'

I would like to point out that it wasn't an entirely malicious elbow, and that I did only hit her arm. Not her head. A car driving by wouldn't have even noticed. But boy, the last 3 kilometres just sped by.

Ahhhhh, so, moving on from that, my progress tracking - yes, it ain't up there anymore.

Here's why:

I'm starting to realize that tracking my ratios the entire run isn't motivating for me and I encourage anyone really getting into running, to let this technique go.

It's great for starting out and I do recommend perhaps running for a week or two using a watch with a secondhand or a stop watch, and running for a set period of time before walking. 

However, after this, just run.

You eventually get into a rhythm, or, if you often run the same route like me, you start to learn your markers and know where your walking break starts anyway. The fact is, when you know you should be running for 10 minutes, and you can't seem to go longer than 3 minutes, it can be discouraging.

This feeling, especially for me, tends to overshadow the fact that I completed another run of whatever distance - instead, it's how well I performed on the run.

I'm currently being challenged by the fact that my walking breaks may last longer than one minute without my watch reminding me, but I feel better about my runs. I note my time at certain points during my run, and when I finish, so I can see if my pace has improved, but overall, it's about finishing the run.

My goal has been to finish the marathon and the number of walking breaks, or the pace I run at, will not make a difference to this.

I've also started writing myself congratulatory notes around the apartment after each run. "Today I ran 10.5km farther than yesterday", "Today I ran 8km farther than last week", "Today I ran 5km, heck yes!". And yes, each was my scheduled run for the day.

I'm averaging a 15-minute mile, and I am okay with that, because

 on Saturday, that 15-minute mile meant I ran 14.5km. And this coming Saturday, it will help me finish 24km. Yes, for those schooled up on the subject, that is 3km farther than a half marathon.

Anyone want to wait at the apartment to cheer me as I cross the finish line?

Monster Mash

We hope to see everyone out next Friday! Remember to order your tickets!

Is this inspiring you yet?

Has anyone noticed lately that it's cold outside?

I've been noticing and not running my trail much lately...my poor, poor trail; it must be so lonely. A lot of trees on my trail are already missing their leaves, although some trees are still green. I suppose this is the one difference between Southwestern and Eastern Ontario. My hometown's trees are always a blazing red by now, and no tree is untouched. Here in Southwestern Ontario however, some trees are just stubborn - like me.

It's true, I am still waiting for the weather guy to say "Okay, cold spat is over, now summer is finally starting". Maybe that's why it took me until the end of September to finally invest in a long sleeve running shirt. Or why it was just yesterday that I finally purchased a microfibre running jacket. And yes, both were still budget friendly (which may have played a role in the delay of the purchase) - the shirt I bought from a 50% off rack at Sportchek, and the jacket was featured in this week's flyer, also at 50% off ($29.99! Heck yes!).

Needless to say, I bought these great 'cold weather' pieces, dug out my gloves, stocked up on GU Chews, and was very excited to burst out the door and finally hit my trail again for the first time since the weather has gotten ugly.

It was still cold.

I didn't waver in the face of frigidity however, I pushed on. My new top and jacket worked pretty well - initially you don't feel very warm because of those darned wicking materials feeling so light against the wind. Once you start sweating though, they take the sweat away from your body so you stay warmer - and I did - on my top half.

You may have noticed the lack of mention of running pants. This is because I have yet to find a pair for less than $60. I have 2 pairs of long 'active' pants from years past, but they drag on the ground and aren't technically built for real physical activity - you know the ones I'm talking about. So, my options are limited to shorts or my running capris that I wore all summer.

See now, Jeff runs in shorts in this weather, so I figure this will work for me as well and didn't think much of my capris. Plus, our trainer keeps reminding us to train in what you will race in (so you don't have any chaffing surprises on race day).

Let me put it this way - the plus side of wearing my running capris instead of long pants is that I won't struggle with shin splints anymore since I am icing my shins throughout the entirety of my run! We won't even get in to the point where my buttocks actually froze in place and I had to cup them on my walking breaks to try to heat them up.

This brings me to the point of today's entry - look at all that I go through in my training.

Now, think back to the goals that Jeff and I had set for ourselves when we started out on this thing:

1) Challenge ourselves - well, I do that practically every week. Not only is getting out on the run a challenge, but usually each week I am running farther than last week, which means, each day is a new challenge

2) Raise $12,000 for the Canadian Diabetes Association - that's a given

3) Complete the marathon - again, a given

4) Inspire others - I think I may have mentioned 'to live a healthier lifestyle' or something as well, but any inspiration will suffice for me. The fact is, this is the one thing I don't know that we have accomplished yet, and yet it is the most important one of them all to me.

What is the point of all that I am doing if I'm not inspiring anyone with my story? I mean, seriously people

Now, not only have I braved frozen buttocks and frigid running temperatures, but you know I have fought the sweaty sports bra war, low blood sugars on the trail, attack chiuhuahuas, grumpy garage salers, high velocity winds, bastard hills and mini bastard hills, shin splints, blisters, and every injury in between.

This can't be in vain - why am I putting myself through this?

In truth, Jeff and I keep inspiring each other and ourselves, which is great, but slightly lame when our goal is to inspire you.

So, here is my plea -

Help me keep running. Challenge yourself. Get off the couch or go do something you are afraid of doing. Bottom line, if we have inspired you in any way since the end of June until now, please tell us.

We need to hear it!

---

"Today I ran 2.5km farther than I did yesterday".

Get up, get outta that funk!

You think this was bad? You should see my childhood diaries that go 6 months - 2 years without an entry.

The funny thing is, it's not like I didn't have things to share, things to write about. It's not like I didn't want to write - I just didn't. It started because I was overwhelmingly busy and couldn't do so many things in my day, so the blog was the first thing to go. I figured I would go a day or two and then just do a big catch-up again.

Then several weeks later, it was just a lack of motivation. Again, there were things to write about and things I wanted to share with my friends, family, and followers - but it just became a low priority.

A little while after that it was complete disinterest. I've been in this adventure now for over 3 months - and I just wanted a break. "Wouldn't it be nice to do nothing but watch a movie and knit all day?" I would think....and of course, this isn't what I would do but blogging was also something I wouldn't do.

So, then we're nearing October and I keep saying to myself 'You have got to write your blog today' - but it just got to a point of what's one more day.

The thing is, once you get started on not writing (or not fundraising, or not running), it becomes so easy to go back to the life you had before this adventure. It becomes so easy to just wait until tomorrow - and then you start to feel really bad about it.

Jeff and I have experienced a number of setbacks in the past month - bad weather is one big one, as is our regular poor luck with fundraisers. We've also experienced some great milestones - for me, the day I ran for 115 minutes before attending the wedding of two of my oldest friends; or the day that I brought my pace down to a 13-minute mile; or for both of us, breaking $7,000, with only $5,000 to go.

It has been a challenging, but equally rewarding and amazing month.

So, yes - on the 'state of my running' front: I have improved my pace by an entire minute-per-mile, which is unbelievable to me. I have been more comfortable running for longer periods of time before taking my walking breaks, although I'm not entirely sure I will be able to complete the entire marathon with a 10 minute:1 minute run/walk ratio. But man oh man, you should have seen how shocked I was when I actually finished my 115 minute run.

That was just the week after the 90-minute run that I couldn't complete thanks to shin splints. What a rush it was to surpass the 90-minute mark without much complaint! Of course I couldn't help but think that I was out running for the length of a decent movie (and wouldn't it have been nicer to just watch a movie?), but an audio book and some good tunes made the time fly by - especially when I had to retrace my route 4 or 5 times because I was moving faster than I had anticipated.

Then of course I switched from duration runs the following week to distance runs. That was a real shock to my system that I am still trying to work through. My brain got so used to preparing to run for a period of time that when I say to myself 'today we are running 8km', my brain doesn't understand and ends up afraid. Fear means I consider not running, and some days, I don't.

But I am still progressing and moving forwards and know that I will cross that finish line as I had originally intended.

Also as I mentioned, we have surpassed $7,000 in our fundraising. In fact, we are hovering right around $7,500, which is incredibly exciting. We're both getting exhausted from asking people for money for the same thing so many times for so many months, but are confident we will make our final goal. We currently have a big halloween party planned for October 30th, which will help us move another step closer to our goal. Once all the details are in place for that party, we are going to work on some smaller events that will make up the rest.

I'm not making any promises, but I am going to do my best to not fall so behind on my blog entries again. We have 34 days until our final deadline, and 64 until race day. At the very least, I will make an effort to share a story weekly on here.

And in the meantime, I know Jeff and I both want to thank all of you for following along with our story, and inspiring us to keep going, keep trying, and keep running. Your words, donations, and hours of support are worth more than we can explain!

And remember if you are completing your own adventure alongside us - no matter how tempting your old life may be to go back to, keep challenging yourself to stay in the adventure you are in. It is an amazing reward that you will not want to look back at and think 'I gave up for a while'.

----

"Even if I come in last place, I'm still in front of the guy who didn't get off the couch"

Finding your confidence

Last Run: Wednesday, 8:30am

Duration: 60 minutes

Distance: Just over 7km

Pace: About a 14-minute mile

Ratios: All 3-and-1's (even on the Bastard Hill and Mini Bastard Hill...boo ya)

Song: Viva La Vida by Coldplay - the beat was perfect for the pace I was trying to maintain

Okay, first thing to address - yes I've been a little M.I.A. lately.

The demands of my current lifestyle overwhelmed me a little last week and I just couldn't keep up with everything - the blog being one of those things that I let slide. You see, last week there was runs, and there was fundraising, and event planning, and the minimal social life that I have, and of course - two jobs. Thursday and Friday, in fact, were both 12-hour days. There was just enough time for running, working, eating and sleeping - nothing in between.

But boy oh boy did I have stories to tell last week and it drove me crazy not being able to write them down for you all to see.

I started going earlier on my runs last week - it was the only way to fit them in. They were also only 40 minute and 45 minute runs - the shortest I will ever see again in my training schedule. So I'm sure you can understand why I simply could not miss out on these runs despite my full work week!

My goodness that trail is beautiful and awe-inspiring early in the morning with the fog rolling off of the river. The herons that are normally sitting as still as they can in the river were flying together with elegant beats of their wings one morning as I came down the hill onto the trail. That distracted me for at least the next 10 minutes. 

Another morning I laughed for at least a full kilometre because of the ducks. Yes, ducks. I've seen ducks dump their heads in water and stick their little tooshes up in the air before - but these ducks were sitting there like that, not just briefly. And the current was carrying them down the river, tooshes up in the air and everything. It was super cute.

Or there was the morning I was on my return and saw an Irish Setter just barreling down behind his owner, so upset that he'd been distracted by something in the bushes. I thought his legs were going to fall out from under him.

I may still not 100% enjoy my runs, but one thing is certain - I find things to enjoy when I'm out on them.

Now for the sob story -

So, I did make time for all of my runs last week despite my ridiculously overloaded schedule. I did this the same way I had in the past - by rearranging my training week. It worked before, so why not.

On Friday, I actually had to end my 40 minute run at the 35 minute mark because a blister had developed on the inside of my left foot during my run and I could feel it getting worse with every step. That was slightly frustrating.

Either way, Saturday rolls around. Any of you who know me personally know that Saturday was a big day for me - the biggest yet - 90 minutes. I was scared out of my socks.

Speaking of socks, thanks to the blister on Friday, I chose to ride my bike down to the Running Room on Saturday and finally picked up some double-layer synthetic socks. I really didn't want to, as they are about $11-$12 a pair. But, I can tell you now that I have worn them, they are the most heavenly socks I have ever owned. It's too bad that they are used for such unhappy things as running.

I also picked up my first pack of 'energy'. I remembered that you are meant to ingest 'energy' every 40 minutes on a run - so I would definitely need it on my 90-minute run. I bought a pack of GU Chews, as they are apparently easier to swallow than the GU Gel. On an interesting note, I also was recommended to pick up the caffeine-free type. The very knowledgeable gal at the Running Room explained that when running, your digestion basically shuts down - so anything you are even remotely intolerant to will come back to haunt you. I can't drink coffee without feeling sick, so caffeine was clearly out.

Anyway, I get home from the Running Room and soon after, Jeff gets home from work. We finally get in the mindset to go out and do this 90-minute, Jeff speed-walking beside me.

The first few steps ached a little, and then subsided. I made it through my first rep.

The next rep was better, but not great. The rep after that felt like my legs were on fire.

I was getting mad because obviously starting in pain is not the way to get through a 90-minute run. Jeff was doing a great job trying to keep me focused and motivated with his 'keep pushing, you can get past it' nonsense - and so I pushed.

The next rep I could feel every step reverberating through my shins, and each step burned and throbbed more than the last. Prepare yourself for the most difficult thing for me to admit publicly - we rounded the corner onto the trail and I collapsed on the ground in a pile of tears. All I could think was, how the hell am I going to get through another 14 weeks of training at this rate. I was mad, I was disappointed, I was frustrated, and I was in a lot of pain.

I couldn't even point my toes while sitting on the ground without pain shooting up my entire body. Eventually, sadly, we turned and walked home. And yes, even that ached.

For anyone not familiar with marathon training, I had committed the biggest faux-pas. I had overtrained. By rearranging my training schedule, I was not allowing myself my usual rest day the day before my distance run - and my body was revolting. Of course it had been okay in the past, because the mileage was much smaller. But now, nearly 1/3 of the way into the training, things were heating up and it needed to be taken more seriously than I had been taking it.

Either way, this whole experience shot my confidence down to the ground. I didn't run Sunday, or Monday, or even Tuesday. I was done - I didn't want to go out and not complete another run. I didn't want to fail. I didn't want to have gone through 6 weeks of training already, just to not be able to complete a run.

Obviously, when I have invested the money and time into this training, and all of our supporters have invested their time and money into believing in us - I can't just stop. And in the back of my head, I knew that. So, I emailed my trainer (yeah, we have a trainer now - through our online Running Room clinic, woot). He said the greatest thing to me "One bad run can spoil everything, but after that, one good run can turn it all around". He suggested a few ways to get through the shin splints in the future, and also recommended a way to get out on my run - wake up, put on your gear and walk around the house in it for a while. Then walk outside. Before you know it, it will happen naturally.

I woke up this morning and I put on my gear - and just doing that, I knew I was ready. There was a running god out there, smacking me down on Saturday, and today, I was out to spite the heck out of him.

And spite him I did. A full hour, and 3-and-1's the WHOLE way, even on the hills. I had a good comfortable pace that I was happy with, and I felt as good as my first hour run that was ran with all 2-and-1's.

The fact is, this morning's run was exactly what my trainer was talking about, and exactly what I needed. I am pumped and energized. I can't wait to see my trail turning to fall in a few more weeks, I can't miss that. I'm not giving up - I'm stubborn! I may have to go even earlier now that the students are back and 'pretty' girls were doubling me - but I won't give up.

I'm back and ready to run - and just in time. This Saturday is 115 minutes, and I'm going to blow it out of the water.

From Running to Raising

Last Run: Friday, 10:20 a.m.

Duration: 55 minutes (2nd longest!)

Distance: Approximately 7km

Pace: 13-minute mile

Ratios: Six 3-and-1's, Remainder 2-and-1's with two 1-and-1's when the wind and pain hit...

Favourite Song: Check Yes Juliet by We the Kings -- "Lace up your shoes, Ay oh ay ohh, here's how we do, Run baby run, Don't ever look back". This song is definitely stuck in my head for  the rest of today as well.

Well, firstly, I was right, yesterday's numbers WERE off. I think my re-calculation puts me at about 6.8km yesterday, which makes a lot more sense in my head considering the speed I felt I was going and the distance I covered.

However, that increased speed meant that when I chose to run within 12 hours of that, I was in pain, and moving much slower. I actually had a runner pass me today - normally they're coming in the opposite direction so I've never experienced this feeling and felt very disappointed when she doubled me in seconds.

Either way, it appears that, even though I felt like I was moving slowly, I'd still stepped it up a notch - and a big notch considering the last 15 minutes of my run involved running head first into 30 or 40 km winds. Oh, and for those who don't follow closely, last 15 minutes means that I was running head on into the wind while trying to run up the bastard hill.

Yep.

Now the couple 1-and-1's make a little more sense. I was really mad at myself until I clued in to the wind!

Other than that, there's not much interesting that happened on the run - and so, I turn to fundraising - a topic which hasn't been covered in a while.

We're at $4,300! Woot! But that is thanks to some really great people:

Barb Gibson, a family friend, donated $200 this week which was a huge motivation. Of course, we had the rocking car wash, and the rocking garage sale, and lots of people donating from old friends to distant relatives.

Jeff and I are both really appreciative for all of your support.

I also received another $200 cheque today from my pharmacist, Tino Montopoli (also a diabetic), who owns Stutt's Pharmacy in Orono and Diabetes Depot, which ships supplies to diabetics. Thanks to his generosity, Tino's link will also be appearing in the top right of our blog for your easy use.

We're also getting revved up for our Sunday nights at Squirrel Tooth Alice's here in Guelph - thanks to a really helpful and supportive owner, every Sunday in September, Squirrel's will be hosting a Music Trivia Night on our behalf - $5 donation to play, and more fun to be included. Check our Facebook page regularly for details to be posted!

And finally, tonight we're going to check out Opus Lounge downtown for our Singles Auction in September. I'm really excited for this event because I know it's going to be a load of fun. Once we get Opus confirmed I will share more details but for now, if you are single, or know someone who is, send us an email! We need some bachelors and bachelorettes to be auctioned off!

Can you smell $5,000 on the horizon?

Annie Laboratories

Last Run: Thursday, 6:55 p.m.

Distance: 5.9 km

Duration: 50 minutes

Pace: 14-minute mile

Ratios: Eight 3-and-1’s, Remainder 2-and-1’s

Favourite Song: Dancing Queen – ABBA…I have added a lot of ABBA to my playlist as the energy in the music gets me moving. And Dancing Queen makes you want to dance, which is good when your legs are about to fall off. 

For those who haven’t heard, I have been on ‘Blister Rest’ for the past 48 hours – strict orders from Dr. Jeff (who, by the way, is not a license medical practitioner…incase you were confused). 

After my last run, my left heel was covered with blisters. I didn’t have much of a problem with them until my walk home from work the following night, when they broke. At that point, walking was difficult, let alone running, and Jeff accordingly convinced me not to run and give my feet some rest.

So, much to the disdain of my training schedule, I rested. Although I think mentally I needed this rest as well.

Today I came home from work and was tired of resting. My blisters were still bad, but I had a marathon to train for! I couldn’t let a little dead skin get in my way!

This led me to more experimenting. Recall my joyful conclusion to my Vaseline experiment. I am currently having a secret affair with my Vaseline, and so, when a website suggested Vaseline as a way of dealing with blisters while running, I was all for it!

Slather up your feet, Bessie, we’re going running.

Oh I rubbed that sweet, sweet Vaseline all over my feet and slid on my socks and shoes. I was amazed to discover that my toes did not squish like after stepping in a puddle as I had expected.

Turns out, I was so distracted by the excitement of Vaseline-feet and socks that I forgot to do my arm – which caused a lot of irritation later in my run.

Either way, out I went, Vaseline feet and all. It was a rough go, trouble breathing properly, but obviously I rocked the 3 minute running, which is a huge accomplishment, so eff the breathing. J

Another unintentional experiment that occurred tonight – running in make up. This is somewhat relevant as I may have considered putting on a little for all the photos that are taken on the course on race day. However, I’m not much of a make up person. What I was even doing wearing it for work today, I will never understand. But I was. And I didn’t take it off before my run. And my mascara made my eyelashes stick together. Conlusion: Don't run with make up on.

This happened around the same time as I discovered the ‘Mirage Secondhand’ appearing on my watch. “Wow, 20 seconds left? Seriously?” (Look at watch again) “Oh wait, 50 seconds”. The Mirage Secondhand. I swear I saw it everytime.

Although it could have been the mascara.

This also could have led to my first ever dog chase while running, which occurred tonight.

Really.

I’m trying to decide whether it was the mascara or the smell of my Vaseline feet, but this dog did not want to let me get away.

It sure helped me pick up the pace! Which, by the way, I was sure was much faster, but the numbers aren’t adding up. I’m still going to say I ran faster tonight though, to satisfy myself.

Anyway, dog chase.

I had my headphones on, so I’m not sure if the owners were trying to get him to stop.

I’m sure they were.

I hope they were.

The best part was, just as I got away from the Chihuahua (ok, yeah, a Chihuahua…but they are right at ankle-biting level, ok?). Anyway, I was

 saying, as I got away, I reached my turnaround point. So I got to come back and taunt the little devil when his owners picked him up to prevent him continuing the chase.

Oh what fun, summertime and running.

I’d just like to point out that I am becoming my own superhero. Again, I am sure I was going faster today. My distance going out was farther (so maybe my return pace was slower), and I didn’t wimp out on the bastard hill. I pushed right through for my two minutes.

I only have one run left before this week’s distance run, but I am hoping to be up to a 3-and-1 ratio for the whole distance. That would be exciting.

In the meantime, I will just have to come up with new experiements to entertain me. Ideas: energy bars, how to eat them without gagging; GU - food? Beverage? Hair gel?

And yes, the Vaseline worked – no new blisters after today’s run. That’s a first! 

Part 2: A little experiment

Last Run: Monday, 9:25 a.m.

Distance: 5.9 km

Duration: 50 minutes

Pace: 14-minute mile

Ratios: Four 3-and-1's, Two 1-and-1's, Remainder 2-and-1's

Favourite Song: Knock You Down - Keri Hilson ft. Kanye West. The beat was amazing and hit me deep inside - I noticed my stride getting longer and my pace improving with this song. Of course, the song is about love, but some of the lyrics were well placed for my run too. "Just get back up when it knocks you down, knocks you down"

Can you believe it? Last Saturday I ran for 50 minutes on my distance run - in complete shock that I actually did it. Last night I ran 60 minutes, my longest yet, and then woke up this morning and ran the equivalent duration of last Saturday's shocker. Unbelievable.

I'm a little disappointed with today's run, I was hoping to be able to cut the 1-and-1's out by now, but I suppose when I was planning that, I was still only running for 40 minutes. Not to mention, it got really hot at the end of my run! It's not encouraging when you hear the heat bugs starting to buzz in the trees just as you reach the bastard hill.

Today I decided to experiment a little though. I'm starting to get up in my runs, like, to the level where you should consider having a running belt and not a fanny pack that is falling apart.

This is also the level where GU becomes a consideration (we'll cover that in the future, when I start indulging in the runner's delicacy), and BodyGlide becomes a desperate necessity to avoid chaffing - from your sports bra, your fraying fanny pack, your running shorts, your headphone cord. Yes, it's the level where anything that touches you during your run could cause chaffing.

Okay, firstly, I am trying to do this marathon thing as cheaply as possible - so replace BodyGlide with Vaseline. Apparently it works the same for 1/10th of the price.

So, I've been experiencing discomfort from my left arm during my runs lately. Not yet chaffing, but I'm sure it's not far away. Obviously a combo of sweat and friction. Before I left today, I decided I would try Vaseline-ing her up and seeing how I made out. I thought I would try to swing my right arm a bit without the Vaseline and compare the feelings in both arms.

Now, if you're wondering why only one arm is bugging me, it's because since I run with a fanny pack and not a running belt, I carry my water bottle in my hand. Generally speaking, it's always in my right hand because my watch is on my left wrist and it gets awkward trying to look at my watch with the weight of the water in the same hand. Either way, I find my right arm doesn't swing the same way because the water bottle generally holds it in place.

And the results of the experiment:

At first I thought it wasn't even worth it. I didn't notice anything except my inner arm feeling particularly gooey and un-nice. I even tried switching the water carrying hand to see if my right arm would stick to my body or feel any pain, and there was nothing.

I shrugged it off and figured that was the conclusion of my experiment. Slight discomfort under both arms, goo-iness under my left arm, the end.

Then, I turned out of the tree covering of the trail and started to head up the mini-bastard hill. The sun hit my face, and despite already being sweaty, I think in that moment I sweated out 10 times as much as I had the entire run. I got to the top of the MBH and was in a walking break so was able to notice the sweat sliding down the inside of my left arm.

Hmmmm.

I started to run up the bastard hill, swinging my left arm probably a little more than usual. Okay, so yeah, I severely exaggerated the motion. Then I switched water bottle hands and did the same with my right - like twice before telling myself that was a bad idea. I switched the water bottle back again and swung my left arm a few more times. Then smiled smugly to myself.

The Vaseline did it's job, as my left arm glided across the side of my body like a goose's wings over a lake. My right arm nearly created skid marks.

Of course I needed a lot of sweat to notice it doing it's job - but at least I know for the future.

Part 1: Step on the Gas!

Last Run: Sunday, 5:20 p.m.

Distance: 6.4 km

Duration: 60 minutes

Pace: 15-minute mile

Ratios: All 2-and-1 run/walks

Favourite song of the run: The Power by Snap! (Oh yeah). You know when you're absolutely exhausted and not even halfway through your run, there are few songs that can re-energize you. Snap's got it going on man '"I've got the power" and all that techno electric keyboard special effects. The only problem was the song is 8 minutes long and after a while I wanted to throw my iPod into oncoming traffic.

At last, I'm back on track - I think. I'm trying not to get overly excited since it's only one run. I could skip tomorrow and not be on track, who knows.

I must admit, I was a little disappointed tonight - the run wasn't as easy as last week's 50 minute run. That run gave me such a high because it was so easy. Tonight was a huge challenge. Of course there were a few things different from last week's run including the time of day (more heat), the lack of Jeff (less motivation), and the sheer exhaustion of the week. But all I could think about was the fact that last week's run happened after a 7 hour car wash!

Either way, I ought to give myself a little credit as, once again, it was the longest run I have ever been on. Nearly 6 1/2 km, wow! And 60 minutes, that's 4 times the duration I was out for a month ago. 

Occasionally on the run I found myself thinking 'Bare minimum, I will have to do this 4 times more to complete the marathon at an average time'. That scared the crap out of me. Especially when I reminded myself that in reality, I, personally, would probably have to do it 7 times more, not 4.

But then, I'm sure that 2 months ago, or even 1 month ago, if you had told me that I would be running for an hour, I would laugh in your face. 

And when I look at the training schedule and realize (as I've mentioned) we only go forward from here - well, eventually I will laugh that I thought an hour was so hard and unbearable.

Okay, so, a few things came up on tonight's run, but I think the biggest one that I need to talk about (because anyone out there considering running needs to know about it!) is gas. I know it's not the most professional thing to discuss, but since when have I been professional on this blog. We're talking about running - there's nothing professional there.

So, firstly - this one has come up several times before but I've never mentioned it on the blog. We've talked about my "drowning on dry land" when I try to drink from my water bottle on my run. Well, you can imagine if you are gasping for air while swallowing the water, there is going to be a build up of air in your gut after a while.

Let me tell you - this is painful. In my mind, worse than a breathing cramp. I find I can't always move my legs the way I want to when I burp is floating around waiting to get out. But then, think about how you often get a burp out. A big gulp of air and push, right? Well, I am trying desperately not to pant or hyperventilate so I am not about to gulp air and push unless I want to pass out. I generally just keep running and furrowing my brow in pain.

Eventually the burp comes out in this weird little wobbly voice. It's still painful for about 20-30 seconds after, and then I finally get a burst of energy. Woohoo!

Tonight was the first time the next one happened. I'm heading in to the last 15 minutes of my run - this means I am 5 minutes away from the duration I ran last weekend. Then the cramps strike me - I need to toot. Badly. I don't think I realized at first that this was what was happening though, I just noticed an unbelievable stomach pain and slight nausea and was brought back to thoughts of my Monday run last week. 

I didn't eat over 250 calories within an hour before my run....I'm not lactose intolerant....I'm not dehydrated or overhydrated.....what is going on? I started to get mad because I felt so sick I thought I was going to have to cut my run short and not even make it as far as last weekend. What a bummer that would be.

Then, the aches moved slightly and I realized what was actually going on. But again, like burps, toots just don't want to come out while you are moving at high speed. That one took some time to settle down.

The final gas relation requires me to go back to the fact that I ran right after work - no supper in my belly yet. And this would be the problem with running around dinner hour - last 10 minutes (which feels like an hour after being out for 50 minutes), turn the corner and BAM, hit with the smell of steaks on a barbecue.

Someone hates me today.

Final point: Gas is a natural thing that happens to everyone, anytime, anywhere. It sucks when it happens while you're running, but eventually the pain passes and you get a second wind, just like every pain in running. I'm never running at dinner hour again (just like I'm never running in the mornings because I get tired, and not running at night because of creepy guys). 

Oh, and did I mention - I ran for an hour!

Someone stop my death spin!

Last run: Thursday. Let's just leave it there.

I know I normally only enter post-run, so it's weird to see an entry when I haven't even run yet.

I just need to face the reality of it and accept my defeat properly.

I am not trying to make excuses, because the one thing I have said since the beginning is that everyone has an excuse to not be active. That it's your job to move past those excuses. 

However, it WAS a really long week for me and my body just did not want to co-operate with the added challenge.

Tuesday and Wednesday were both 12 hour days, and although Thursday was only an 8 hour day, I went straight from work to my concert. I didn't get back from that until 1:30am, and was woken up quite early on Friday by my loving sister. Friday was a day off, but I was so utterly exhausted from the days before that I could barely move the entire day - especially with the thought of Saturday in my head.

Saturday I was up at 5:30 for our 2nd installment of the Garage Sale (which by the way, brought in $245 and pushed us over $4,000!). I also worked last night, after said garage sale.

Originally I had thought, okay, no big deal about Friday, it's only a 45 minute run. It's an extra 5 minutes to prep me for my hour, but I can still do an hour without that.

So I figured I could miss that run and still stay on track as long as I did my hour on Saturday.

Well, a few things happened on Saturday:

Thing 1 - My diabetes

Thing 2 - Overexhaustion from the previous week

Thing 3 - My running partner backing out of the night run

Allow me to expand.

I was hyperglycemic all day yesterday. In diabetic terms, I was high. I woke up at 18, did a correction bolus and bolused for my usual breakfast (Bolus: a dosage of insulin used to correct an improper sugar or to counteract the carbohydrates taken in at mealtime). At lunch, I was 19. I once again, corrected and bolused for my small bowl of pasta. Post-garage sale I was still 19. I corrected, drank a ton of water and laid down.

Before I go further, let me point out for those unfamiliar with the disease - average blood sugar for a diabetic should be between 4-7. High for me usually starts at about 10 these days, so 18 and 19 are ridiculously high.

Not only that, but symptoms of high blood sugar (some are medical symptoms, some are just symptoms I've learned that I show over the years when high) include fatigue, extreme thirst/dehydration, complete and utter grumpiness, lack of appetite, stomach aches, feeling like the worst hangover of your life, and muscle tightness including the 'legs like tree trunks' sensation.

So, I'm sure you can understand why I wasn't particularly excited to run yet.

After the excess of water my sugar finally stabilized and Jeff and I went home. The problem is, after a day of such bad sugars, I usually experience what I call 'halo symptoms'. A lingering feeling from all of that miserableness. So I got home, grabbed more water and napped. After the nap was supper, then work!

Of course work then finished at around 9:15pm and I just wanted to sleep. 

The whole ride home I kept saying that I wanted to run, and needed to run, but deep down - sleep was my priority.

When Jeff announced there was no way he was going out with me in the dark, dangerous night for my hour run - I had no more reason to go.

Now, I know I've mentioned before that the distance runs on Saturdays are the most important. We're still early in the training, so it's not a HUGE deal that I missed it, aside from my ego and belief in myself. However, I still decided that I needed to get this hour run in, so I wanted to run it this morning, cancel a rest day next week, and push my week back one day.

I woke up this morning ready to go, except that my body still aches, my sugar is, once again, high, and my stomach started doing back flips.

You've got to be kidding me.

I've now cancelled on my weekly girls' night (again), with the intention of running after work, but don't know if I can get myself back on track.

The scariest part is, this coming week, my regular runs are 50 minutes - the length of my super awesome distance run last weekend. It's great to be moving forward, but it's scary.

Every day, I'm running for a longer chunk of time, which means that I have less time in my schedule for things like: sleep, friends, work, relaxing, sleep. I am having a hard time finding where to fit a one-hour run because of needing to catch up on sleep, get to work, eat, and visit with friends.

What am I going to do when I start having regular two-hour runs?

And with my 'running partner' still not starting his training or doing much to encourage me to go, I have nobody pushing me!

Someone please kick my butt into gear.

Random Ramblings

Last Run: Thursday, 6:45 a.m.

Distance: Between 3-4km

Duration: 40 minutes

Ratios: Six 3-and-1's, Two 2-and-1's, One 1-and-1 (A seventh 3-and-1 was cancelled out by the single 1-and-1)

Alright, before you get all excited, thinking that I've fallen off the wagon - I haven't. It's just that darn busy week again.

I had a great run yesterday morning and fully intended to write a blog entry but had to get to work and then.....a Kenny Chesney concert at the Molson Amphitheatre (hell yes!).

And for future reference, yes, yesterday was the day that tornadoes touched down in Southern Ontario. And yes, my country obsessed friend Alyssa and I braved the hurricane type conditions along Lakeshore and washed out roads because KC, in his 16 years on tour, has never EVER come to Toronto. Not to mention, KC is in control of summer so if you want a good one, you have to see him perform without a doubt.

Such a cutie, and once we got to the concert, we didn't even get rained on once (because he controls summer and therefore the sun).

It's nice to have a little bit of a normal life once in a while!

Anywho - so knowing I would be out late last night I got out on my run first thing Thursday morning. I took my Friday rest day (which I may regret) on Wednesday as I was exhausted, but knew it would give me the energy for yesterday's run, shift, and concert.

So, last blog I was dealing with my body being on strike now that I have made it clear that we are really doing this. Well, I got my monthly newsletter from Team Diabetes Canada with a feature article about running and nausea (what good timing).

The article said something about causes being anything from eating a meal over 250 calories within an hour of the run to dehydration or lactose intolerance. So, yesterday I tried running without having breakfast first.

Of course I checked my blood sugar before doing this and was at a comfortable number to not require eating. I liked the ability to go straight from bed to my running shoes, no time for excuses. However, breakfast or not, my body is still on strike. My run started with nausea and a severe lack of energy. Not much better than when I was eating breakfast before a run.

Maybe I need to just give up on the morning run.

But then, there are pluses to the morning run that can't be found in the evening run.

The evening run is definitely cooler than even 6:45am, but there are no bugs on a morning run. Plus the creepy guys aren't even awake yet, so no need to worry about that! I also like that traffic at the road crossings is usually much lighter and so it doesn't slow down my run waiting for the traffic light.

I still am completely exhausted throughout the day after a morning run though, so that is problematic.

It's really a 50/50 in terms of what is better.

You may have noticed my new format for laying out my progress at the start of the blog. We'll try and do this for a while so I don't have to explain all the details. Either way, I am proud of yesterday's run as I'm almost entirely up to a 3-and-1 pace which is a huge improvement already over last week.

Especially the fact that I only gave in for a single 1-and-1 run/walk - and yes, that was on the bastard hill. That's always my weak spot. It's really not fair to have such a steep hill in the last 6 minutes of your run. Your legs already hate you, you've just managed to make it up the mini-bastard hill and are trying to control your breathing and slow your heart rate back down, and then you're faced with the bastard hill that is just as steep and 5 times as long as the MBH.

One last thing I feel a need to touch on -

Kenny (oh my dear sweet Kenny) sang one of my fave songs last night called 'I Go Back'. It talks about the power of songs over memories, emotions, everything.

'We all have a song that somehow stamped our lives

Takes us to another place and time'

And then I was reading best friend's lastest blog entry on Personal Image, which touched on music in the first paragraph or so:

"It's funny how music has a certain power over us that extends beyond the conscious; one might say that music extends into our very soul and touches parts of us that we didn't know existed."

He uses a lot of bigger words than me. You can read the rest of his blog at http://theporthosimage.blogspot.com/ or by following the link in the top right of this page.

Either way, all of this brought a thought I'd been having about music up to the surface. When you are running, with only your music to distract you from your insanity, what sort of songs inspire you to keep going? Is it the lyrics? Is it the beat? I flip flop between the two but know that practically every song on my running list is there because it keeps me going.

So I've decided to start a new piece and in each entry from now on, I will post my favourite song choice for that run and discuss it briefly - maybe inspiring you to add it to your running playlist and get moving!

Today's entry, although it is not a Kenny Chesney song and really should be, it is a country song:

If You're Going Through Hell - Rodney Atkins

"If you're going through hell, keep on going,

Don't slow down, if you're scared don't show it

You might get out before the Devil even knows you're there"

A very inspiring chorus to keep pushing through. I refer to the last 10 minutes of my run as hell quite often. It's when I don't want to be out there anymore, but laid down on that bench I just ran past instead. I just want it to be over and then dear old Rodney tells me not to slow down, I'll be out of Hell soon, keep going.

Ah goodness I love country.

Revenge of the Body

Wow, what a long, crazy, busy week.

So, Saturday's high has yet to wear off. I'm sure it will when I do my hour run this coming Saturday, but so far - it's the greatest feeling yet.

Unfortunately, my body has said 'what the eff do you think you're trying to do', and has refused to participate in training since Saturday.

This is not to say I haven't been training, I just mean - it's been the most difficult week yet.

On Saturday I mentioned my 'running world'. That's the world where I can't stick around and have a beer on a Saturday because I need to do a run. The world where socializing with friends (rare enough as is) becomes practically non-existent.

Well, I was reminded of this world again on Sunday. Sunday is the start of the next running week, so I am meant to run 40 minutes. I had the day off (hallelujah) so spent it cleaning the apartment while Jeff worked his non-magic at his fishing tournament (not so hallelujah). Why I chose to spend a Sunday off cleaning is beyond me, but that's what I did.

In the evening, I went to Jeff's parents for supper (a bit of a routine we've set up), completely drained from a day of cleaning. And as always, I was offered my routine glass of wine. "Oh yes please!" said my aching tired body that was on strike from anything healthy/running related. My brain said 'Just one glass so I can still run after supper'. After supper, the question of refills was put out...and my body won.

Whatever, no biggie - Monday is a rest day, so we'll just re-organize.

Monday I spent working on fundraising related business. Very emotionally exhausting. When Jeff got home, we sat down to look at the plan from now until the last deadline together. By the time we were done, it was 9pm.

'No way in hell I am running for 40 minutes at 9pm' said my body.

'Fine, but you're going to do some pilates' said my brain.

And so, I moved my cross-training day to Monday.

Yesterday, I worked a 12.5 hour day between my two jobs. I knew I wasn't going to run when I got home from work, so I woke up with Jeff and went in the morning. It felt good to be out so early....sort of anyway.

'What the heck are we doing vertical already' said my body.

'Just move, it's a little cold, I want to get warm' said my brain.

'Why are we running for 3 minutes, we've never run for 3 minutes' said my body.

'If you run for 3 minutes, I'll let you run for 1 minute on the way back' said my brain.

'Wait, this isn't the way back?' said my body.

I then got hotter than I've ever felt. I made it through my 40 minute run and felt challenged - which I should since during the week is about improving speed so I push myself on these runs. Either way, my body did not agree once again and I was hit with an overwhelming wave of nausea.

In addition, when I woke up this morning for today's 40 minute run, I could barely stay upright. I chose to go back to sleep for 40 minutes, as I have an 11-hour day ahead and need to be with it. I'm hoping my body will give in a little by tonight.

At the very least, it's week 3 of training. My body has finally figured out that this whole running thing is not just some mean joke I'm trying to play on it, but rather, reality. I figure it will be on strike for the rest of the week, but will accept it's destiny by this time next week.

Here's hoping!