Find your greatness

Nike Women is helping me find my greatness, they continue to push/motivate me throughout my training for the NWM2012.  I am also lucky to have a great group of ladies on twitter #sistersinnike, family, friends, co-workers and my fiance who continually cheer me on. 

Nike has launched their new campaign "Find your greatness" and it couldn't have come at a better time at the start of the Olympics. Greatness is for all of us, it's not just reserved for the championship athlete.  It is found in everyday athletes who have personal goals, train hard, work hard and achieve that goal.  Whether it's crossing that finish line, or even getting off that couch and going for a jog - that is greatness.  No regrets, and each time you get out there do the best you can do, go for that extra inch and strive for better.  Challenge yourself. Find your greatness!

Tempo Run

Yesterday as part of my training schedule I saw I had a 3mi tempo run to do today.  A tempo run you say??...hmm should I be trying to run at a similar tempo to the tunes blasting out from my playlist?
Again I'm still a bit of newbie to all these running terms.

Thank goodness for Google and twitter for saving me from the embarrassment of attempting a running dance along the boardwalk. :P

Tempo runs are similar to high-intensity intervals, but with this strategy you don't sprint as fast as you can. Instead, you hold at a fast (but not too fast) pace for a longer time period, like 10 minutes, before slowing down. This helps you get past your running threshold. I've been running several times a week, and noticed I've been slowing down and my endurance waning, esp on my long runs Saturdays. Why is this happening?

Your body eventually acclimates to a particular pace and/or distance. So overtime, you won’t get what you used to out of that regular 5-miler every other day. Stagnation sets in. Active.com

Tempo runs help push out your lactate threshold (that burn you feel in your legs when you run fast). Tempo workouts teach your body to more quickly clear out the lactate buildup delaying or preventing that fatigue-causing burn. The goal of this type of practice run is to improve your race pace and help improve your overall efficiency.


So how did I do?

MILE	TIME	CHANGE	AVG PACE
1	11:06	--	11'06"/mi warm-up
2 *Fastest	20:08	- 2:04 (18%)	9'02"/mi tempo run
3	30:53	+ 1:42 (-19%)	10'45"/mi cool down

DRINK RECIPE :STRAWBERRY MOJITO

Strawberry Mojito is the perfect drink for a hot summer afternoon. The strawberries in this mojito not only add flavor but antioxidants too. 

INGREDIENTS
5 strawberries, sliced
3 mint springs
4 lime wedges
2 ounces rum
crushed ice
soda water

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine strawberries, two lime wedges, and mint in a large glass and crush with a muddler until strawberries are juicy; add your rum and stir gently.
2. Pour mixture evenly between two glasses, add ice and top with soda water.
3. Garnish with extra lime or strawberry halved 

Keep it simpElle: The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the tru...

Informative and great read by Danielle Linton.

Keep it simpElle: The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the tru...: This episode of Panorama entitled 'The Truth About Sports Products' which aired on the 19th July informed us that 1 in 5 of us in the UK at...

13 weeks to 13.1mi - 13 tips I've learned along the way

There are 13 weeks left until the NWM2012 - time is flying by so fast o_O


I've picked up a lot of tips/advice and learned from my own mistakes during my training, so I thought I'd share 13.1 of my favs.  These are can also be applied to other forms of sport/workouts.


BEAT THE HEAT

• hydrate! hydrate! hydrate!
On training days, make sure you’re taking in extra fluids before, during and after to keep from getting thirsty and dehydrated
• listen to your body
  When training/running gets sweaty and tough, take a walk break (try some run/walk intervals) or hit a Savasana. Know when to push through a mentally tough part of your run and know when to pack it in.
• sunscreen!!!Wear sunscreen – ‘nuff said

SMOOTHIES FOR 13 MILES

• Crunchy Coffee Fix - soooo yummy

• Mango-Coconut Water Smoothie  

  2 cups ripe mango chunks (from 1 to 2 mangoes) 

  2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice 

  2 cups unsweetened coconut water 
  Pinch of cayenne powder (key) ;)
  
  Combine all ingredients in a blender; blend until smooth. 

RUN MANTRAS

• run with your heart not with your legs 
• you’ve done harder things than this before…
• You’ve made it this far, only (insert distance left) left!
• Dig for that extra inch. Take the best you can do, and do better.

GEAR & GADGETS

• Nike Cheyenne Vapor Backpack
  This is a great bag, just what I need for my long runs, hiking and navigating the city. Big enough bag to carry all your necesities.

• Nike LunarFly+ 3  comfortable and nice fit 

• Nike+GPS app Nike has put together a very polished app that allows you to get accurate readouts for speed, distance, GPS mapping and listen to music. Voice alerts during your run give you the vital stats such as time, distance and pace, and post-run entreaties for you to go faster, longer, and further really do work. There's also a social aspect, where you and your friends can have friendly competitions, trash-talk each other into a fitter,and better lifestyle.  Post run you can sync you run onto Nike+ and see beautiful graphs of your run splits and see how you compare with fellow runners in the NIke community.  

• Nike Filament Capris  stays in place, does not bunch, and are very breathable. Back pocket is perfect for a house key!

Lastly, JUST DO IT! as Nike encourages us to do...get up and get moving!  Whether it's for a charitable cause, competition or just for yourself, your body will thank you.  You will reap the rewards by becoming healthier, stronger and confident because you achieved a goal.  

Reaching a new goal and a mini review on the Nike+FuelBand

I still can’t believe I will be running the Nike Women's marathon in October.  I’m nervous, but so excited! I've never ran more than 5K, so running 13.1 miles is going to be quite an accomplishment for me!
Like most beginner runners, I started out running only a mile or two at a time and it was tough! I got side stitches, took walking breaks, and experienced plenty of frustration. Running long distances is not easy! But I've been keeping with the schedule Nike Women have customized for me and pushing myself to run farther each time I go out for a run.  Today I ran my farthest at 8 miles!  It was tough towards the end with the heat already hitting 31 at 8am, but I kept repeating my favorite running mantra in my head to motivate me. “Success isn’t how far you got, but the distance you traveled from where you started.” It always helps get me through the hard parts.

Most of the time, running is more mental than physical for me. 

Another motivating factor, this Thursday NikeWomen sent me a second care package full of training gear and the cherry on the top if you will a Nike+FuelBand - The idea behind the fuelband is simple, to measure, track and compare your athletic and normal activity over days, weeks and months. Keeps track of four metrics: time, calories, steps and NikeFuel, which Nike describes as “the ultimate measure of your athletic activity.” Not only that, but it doubles as a futuristic-looking watch, all at the click of just one button.  It's definitely a neat gadget to help get you off the couch and become more active.  Unfortunately it's not available in Canada until fall, so most of you reading will have to wait to grab on of these.

Today I set my goal at 5000 and as you can see, I'm almost at my target well before midnight when it resets.

Here's what I ran in this morning (1 of 3 outfits that were sent)

With or Without Music?

For me BOTH.

With:

Running with music not only keeps me company on runs, but helps me to escape my head, keep pace & motivation steady and fall in love with old tracks all over again.  I love to have music act as “white noise” while I melt into my run. 

Without:

Then of course there are days when I have a lot on my mind or life gets too noisy, so when I run, I choose to do so sans music.  I enjoy hearing the subtle sounds of my feet hitting the pavement, my heart beating in my chest,  my breath steadily inhaling and exhaling.  You really appreciate the sound of your body working hard to keep you going... breathing never sounded so good and also to be alone with your thoughts. 

What do you prefer?  

Gotta build that stamina...

Breakfast of Champions

Mon-Fri I rarely have time to make breakfast, so I'll usually have a banana & almonds for my morning snack.  Weekends I fill up on breakfast that's high in protein to satisfy my hunger & keep my body fuel going strong until lunch.  

Here is a recipe that I use.

Cheese & Veggie Omelet

• 2 large eggs
• 1oz. monterey jack cheese
• 3 medium mushrooms
• 3 cherry/grape tomatoes halves

total protein 21.7 grams

total calories 270

Where I'm At...

Most of you by now have seen my FB/twitter updates/posts of my runs every week. The NIKE+GPS app allows me to hear real-time cheers for each "like" or comment and it really does help me to keep running :D Thanks guys! 

I am still slowly building my running time and it gets easier each time I go out. My last run was 6mi just shy of 1 hr!  I am taking it slow and gradually building up my time and then will work on my speed.  As I've stated in previous posts, upon learning I was invited to run the NWM2012 in San Francisco, I tried to do too much, go too fast and became discouraged. I have talked with a few people and this seems to be a common mistake. 

I am also running more up the hills around the neighbourhood (On Bellamy Rd between Lawrence & Eglinton - I run up and down 4x each way) This will be key, especially running in hilly San Francisco.  

A huge s/o to my fiance Justin for getting me up there! He makes sure I have my water nice and chilled for Saturday morning long runs and my CLIF bar for energy. He'll also be waiting at the top of the hill ready to spray me with water haha!

The heat wave we've been having hasn't helped much either, as early I try to get out there it's already hitting 25-27 degrees with humidity feeling like 30 degrees by 8am!  HYDRATE! HYDRATE! 

Anyways, that's where I'm at in my journey to the NWM2012 . 

Currently running in Lunarfly+3 - great support & bounce back feel.

Train Hard, Rest Harder

Yes, the title of this post is a bit conflicting w/the name of my blog, but I've come to realize the importance of REST.

Some bodies may be able to run 7 times a week. Some, like mine, cannot. Listening and understanding your body is probably the most important part of any athletic training regimen, one that I often forget with my "go big or go home" mantra.

Three weeks in May before receiving my official NWM2012 schedule I was anxious and wanted to get a head start.  I was running hard 3mi almost everyday & weight training 3 times a week.  My knee started making clicking sounds, my achilles was throbbing, and my neck was just plain uncomfortable. I should have known better than to dive right into it. When I set a goal, I get excited, and that voice in my head gets … a little irrational.

Stretching at a TTC bus stop and grimacing in pain, a friendly woman asked me what was wrong. "My whole right side!" I replied with a stiff smile. We started chatting about running and not before long she was revealing her own athletic goals and recovery secrets. She was tall, strong and training for a triathlon this summer.

Her best piece of advice for me? "Why aren't you listening to your knee?  Listen to your body."

Most runners schedule a day of rest and almost all athletes believe in down time. Studies have shown that it's when you are not running that the muscle rebuilds itself and gets stronger. If the muscle doesn't receive enough recovery time, continuous training will break it down more than build it up. As much as I am dedicated to my running goal, I am just as committed to my newfound running attitude of "Train Hard, Rest Harder".

When I received my official  NWM2012 training schedule  from Marie Purvis. The first thing I noticed was the Sunday rest day and I'm glad it's there as a reminder.

So what am I doing on my day off? Listening to my body and actually taking a day off!