Several Newsworthy Items!!

A clip of Jill in the New York City Marathon! She's famous!!!!
Catch her almost at the end, wearing the poppy! You look great Jill!



In other exciting news, Steve created the first ever 10km TOY RUN to celebrate the end of the 10 k clinic he was teaching. The runners brought gifts for the VOCM Happy Tree instead of a registration fee. I was very sad to have to miss this event due to work travel commitments, however, I am really looking forward to being involved in dropping off the gifts at the Happy Tree!

Here's the link to a short news story about Steve's race on VOCM news.

Here's the photo of the racers and volunteers. Congratulations to everyone!

So Proud

I'm so proud of my wonderful husband and his team (3 guys and a girl runnin' the huffin' puffin) who came SECOND in the first ever Provincial Marathon Relay yesterday!!! Congratulations to Clark, Steve, Gord (G2) and April!!

Also, big congratulations to some of our other running friends, Mary, Jody, Gord and Colleen who's team (running with the big dogs) came in THIRD in the marathon relay!

Here's a picture of the whole group!

What a great bunch of people I am privileged to run with!! See the full Marathon, Half-Marathon and Relay results here!

As my return flight landed at noon, I rushed home to shower and go with the group to attend the FABULOUS race reception at the Bowering Park Bungalow. BBQ hamburgers have never been so tastefully presented.

I would like to try to run in the marathon relay next year.....who's in??

Will Run for Cupcakes

Had to write a post!

Anyone who knows me well, knows of my somewhat unhealthy obsession with the Web site Etsy. For anyone who is not familiar with Etsy, it's very similar to eBay but consists of all things handcrafted/artisan (love).

Not a day of mine goes by without spending a little bit of time seeing what kinds of goodies I can come across on Etsy (in fact, some of you are getting Christmas presents that have come from Etsy - get excited, because they're awesome!)

Anyways, THIS is what I just discovered. WILL RUN FOR CUPCAKES! I have often said that I want to get a t-shirt custom made that says just that. Seriously great.

On another note, tonight was the first night of Steve's 10 km clinic at the Running Room. What a turnout! It was a fabulous first night and I am looking forward to helping out with the group and meeting new people!

My Tely 10 in Pictures

See the Tely 10 Web site for all things Tely 10 - including times. I had a personal best this year. 90 minutes!

My orange shoelaces make me feel like a superstar runner.

Waiting at the start line

Photo Source: NL Running

Coming to the corner of Bannerman Road for the finish.

Thank you to Andrea for this picture!

and a link to a photo of me from the Tely 10 photographer.

Show My Photos / King's Photography / Tely 10 - last 3 miles / Photo Details

Mews 8 km

It's only 2 weeks until the Tely 10 and I am getting into race mode. After the 10 km race a couple of weeks ago, I decided to try the 8 km race this past weekend as well.

It was HOT.

It being my first time racing the 8 distance, I again had no goal time, but I am totally happy with 42 minutes! I can feel the hill and speed repeats paying off.

Here are some pictures of me during the race!

Source: NL Running

It was a great run, and I'm looking forward to the Tely. Yoga tomorrow to stretch out my weary muscles!

Thoughts of the day brought to you by.....

Lululemon has this GREAT campaign going on.

It seemed very timely to share this image, as I just finished my first Moksha ("hot") yoga class. and let me tell you, I did not sweat as much on my 19 k run earlier in the day as I did in this class. I am looking forward to more!

Read lululemon's full blog post "why you should sweat once a day" and get out there and move!

Impromptu Race!

Since Steve and I had a wedding to attend on Saturday night this week, I decided to get my long run in on Saturday morning. As it so happened, the Molson Timex 10k race took place on Saturday, and a day or 2 before, I decided to register for it.

I have literally never run an official race for a distance less than 16 km before, so I wasn't really sure how I would do, or what my time would be. I DREAD racing. I get really nervous and anxious thinking about it, so we decided this would also be good practice. It was a really nice day for a run, and I'm glad I didn't spend much time analyzing the race course, because there were a few more HILLS than I thought there would be!

All in all, I'm quite pleased with how I did for this first time.

I'm now prepared to run an 8 KM race in a couple of weeks.

The "official" results are here on the NLAA Web site, however, we were told that there was an accidental extra 200 m on the course, so my time should really be a little less than this!

57:05 - not bad for hills and wind. I think my goals for the Tely 10 are within reach!

My wonderful friend Selina took some great pictures at the race, including this one:

Thanks Selina! Let's see what the Mews 8 k brings....it's a faster course!

I got my run back

Today I finally had a good run. Patience is not my best virtue, but it paid off. Let's hope I can continue to have good runs for the rest of this upcoming week!

Yesterday the SUN was shining. I was WONDERFUL. I planted a small indoor herb garden - hopefully later in the summer we will be able to have fresh herbs with some of our meals. We are also trying to move into a healthier eating plan (more to come on that in a later post).

I have been reading an entertaining book called "The Guinea Pig Diaries" by A.J Jacobs. Basically, Jacobs is an experiential journalist - conducting life experiments and then writing about them. It's an easy, amusing read, and I highly recommend it. Various chapters highlight his experiments, such as outsourcing his entire life, passing as a celebrity for a day, and practising "radical honesty" (where he tells everyone exactly what he thinks ALL the time).

but the chapter that really got me is the one called "The Unitasker". Jacobs trys to eliminate multi-tasking from his life, and just do one thing at a time. It's really all about trying to be present in the moment. It made me think about running.........when you run, it's just you, your feet, the pavement, and wherever you want to go.

Once you get into a rhythm it's very peaceful. Everyone needs a break from their crazy lives, and even though we come out of University bragging about our amazing ability to multi-task.....really? It sucks. Everyone should take a little more time to try to be present IN THE MOMENT.

I'll leave you with a few Spring-like pictures from my garden.

Spring Tulips

My outdoor herb garden - chives, lemon thyme and lavender

flowers on the deck

Friday

I haven't been sure what to write for the past few days. I try to keep my blog really positive, but the truth is, I have been struggling with my running, and have been feeling somewhat frustrated lately.

I realize that this is compeletely my own doing. I trained for, and ran the half marathon in February, and since then, my runs have been irregular at best. Where did that time go? No wonder I'm not feeling good about my runs when 4 months have gone by.

I have lot's of great "excuses" - school was really busy (yes it was), work was really busy (it always is), we went on our honeymoon etc.

So now I am trying to get back into regular training, despite my life. I am registered for the Tely 10, and want to have a good run.

I ran:

last Sunday (a very difficult run for me with lot's of hills)

Wednesday morning (tempo run - mornings are always hard, but I feel great for the rest of the day)

Thursday night - 4 hills - "ugh"

Let's hope it's going to feel easier again soon.

I have to end my post and start off my weekend with something positive, so here's a "Wordle" that I created with running inspiration!

Image created on http://www.wordle.net

Running Medal Hangers

If you are anything like us, you have running medals ALL over the place.

I scrap-booked my first ever medal from my first 5 k race - wow I was so proud! but the rest, including my personal best's for the Tely 10 and half-marathon are lying around somewhere.....waiting........

So I googled "Running Medal Hangers" and found a very cool site called Allied Steel Fab that makes really neat medal hangers, and even customized options!!!

A couple of days ago their facebook group posted a New York Running medal hanger. ooohhhh!

I also like the basic runner hanger. There are so many options to choose from!

Check out lot's more photos (including lot's of creative custom ideas!) on Allied Running Medals Facebook page or visit their online catalogue

This Summer's Training Goal

Sunday, July 25 I will run the Tely 10 race in St. John's. This will be my 3rd consecutive year running this race (!) I can hardly believe it.

My goal for this year is to get faster. and will be working more on speed in my training (something that I never really do much of). We'll see if it makes a difference!

The time to beat from last year: 1:31:21

Would definitely like to be under 1:30 this year.

Now I just have to schedule running around my life schedule which changes from week to week!

Attitude is Everything..

I loved this article from the May 2010 edition of Runner's World.

If you view your run as an opportunity, your attitude will get an adjustment

Image Source: Runner's World

I'm currently struggling with motivation for my runs. I haven't been out this week, but this article put things in a new perspective for me. Well worth the read!

My marathon theme song - Alicia Keys solo version

We're not meant to be.....

.....at least not this year. Yesterday was the lottery drawing for the New York City Marathon 2010. My application status: "Not Accepted".

but that's ok.....I knew this year was a long-shot.

FYI, just to recap, I have several options for entering the NYC marathon.

1. qualify - ummm, nope! not fast enough!!!

2. run for charity - while this is a fantastic idea, the charities are pre-selected, and if I was going to run for charity, I would want to choose my own.

3. guaranteed entry via travel partner - this is an option for me, but an expensive one for Steve and I to travel together, so.....I would rather wait for.......

4. marathon LOTTERY. I am guaranteed entry in 4 years. Patience, patience, patience.

In the meantime, I have just been browsing the Spring Running Room magazine online, and I came across something great.

Run4Change

Register at your local Running Room, bring your change, and help children living in poverty. I great initiative! I just signed up, what are you waiting for????

Thought today was the day.....

to find out about my entry into the NYC lottery....but apparently it's April 7.

Someone might have to remind me to check on April 7th!

I have read that on average, it takes 3 years to get a NYC marathon lottery acceptance, so honestly, I don't think this is the year, but we shall see.......stay tuned!

World's Most Interesting Races (in my opinion!)

1. Not Since Moses - Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia

How cool is this? A run across the ocean floor during low, low tide in Fundy. I want to do this!

2. Great Wall of China Marathon

Clearly no one would actually RUN this at a race pace, unless they were crazy. I'm thinking more of a run/walk combo, since there are so many stairs. This is a marathon that you do for cultural experiences (at least, that's why I would do it).

3. Empire State Building - Run-Up

Yet another interesting thing to do in New York City!!! I don't know if I would actually want to do this race, but the concept is great, and I love the photo on their Web site!! I also love these photos on the New York Road Runners Web site.

4. Marathon du Medoc - a wine tasting marathon.

Not that I think I could actually run a marathon and also drink wine, but just imagine the experience. This run goes through FIFTY TWO vineyards. yup.

What do you think is the world's most interesting race?????????

NYC Marathon

Less than a month until I find out about my standing in the NYC lottery!

I found this cool video that "runs" through the full marathon course (at a faster speed of course!)

Race Day!

HORRAY!

Running in the winter in NL is always an adventure in discomfort. It also involves quite a bit of cold-weather running gear.

Yesterday was the hypothermic half-marathon. I was feeling a little anxious about this race, due to some unplanned problems in the same race last year.

(to make a long story short, these "problems involved some pesky heart palpitations, me crouching on the side of the road around 18 km for approximately 15 minutes, and finishing the race in quite a bit of discomfort and tears streaming down my face).

Therefore, did NOT want to have the same situation this year. I have made some adjustments.

1. Cut out power gels that contain caffeine (I have been doing this for a year now)

2. Training right up to race day despite my hectic life schedule (I believe this to be one of my downfalls from last year)

3. Carefully pacing myself. I have come to the realization that running a RACE involves careful planning. It is very easy to get caught up in the HYPE of the race. I liken it to the story of the Tortoise and the Hare. I'm like the Tortoise....I run slowly, at a steady pace and have a strong finish.

My goal for this year was BIG smiles at the finish. and I did it!!! I also had a (smaller) goal that I wanted like to finish in approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes. Given the weather conditions we have been having in NL (snowstorm for 2 days prior to the race) I knew the conditions underfoot would probably not be great. However, I did it. 2:13 was my time and I am EXTREMELY happy with that!!!

Here I am, with a few of my buds at km 18 feeling strong.

(this is right before we - the "tortoises" began passing many people who started out too fast and were beginning to struggle (a very hard lesson to learn, to be sure).

It was great to see so many friends out cheering us on, especially on a cold Sunday morning. We appreciate you!!!!!!! Thank you!

GOAL: Accomplished. I will be taking a little break and running more casually. March 31 is the announcement date for the New York City marathon lottery. Will I get in????

Stay Tuned!!

Running a Marathon: The Easy Way

Any other fans of "How I Met Your Mother" out there?

We love it.

You might remember the episode where Barney decided to run the New York City Marathon. His advice was simple.




Happy Monday!

Marathon Inspiration

Happy New Year!!!!!

I don't think there is a more inspiring marathon story out there. period.

How can you not be awed and amazed by this? I tear up every time I watch this story.

Watch, and be inspired to champion your own cause, whatever it may be.