Posts from — October 2009

I have now officially run the ‘People’s marathon’ (a.k.a. the 34th Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C.). This was my third marathon and by the far the best race I have run to date. There were tough parts, but as a lot of signs said “pain is temporary, pride is forever”. It was not a personal best race for me and I did not beat Oprah’s marathon time (although I kicked Al Gore’s ass) yet none of this seems to matter right now.

Running a marathon has always been an emotional experience for me, but this race was particularly so. There were a lot of individuals running in memory of US military who have died in combat and no matter what your thoughts are on the US’ presence in the Middle East it is still sad to see.

The overall highlight of race was as usual the renewed belief in me and what I can achieve (yes this is the cheesy part of the entry). Running a marathon means you have a lot of time to think things over and by the time you reach the 35 km mark the main thing you are probably thinking is “why did I sign up for this?”. But a strange thing happens when you cross that finish line – you realize that you have accomplished something pretty remarkable which in turn makes you realize that you have the potential to achieve what you put your mind toward. At least this is what I feel.

Other Race highlights:

Running with friends - I have to admit I am a bit of a coward when it comes to running alone. 42.2 km is a long way to go completely alone, so I really enjoyed running the majority of the race with four of my running buddies.

Atmosphere - I have never witnessed that level of support and cheering before. The majority of the course was filled with people yelling and clapping. It was truly an amazing thing to be a part of. Definitely helped numb the pain of being on your feet 4 hours +. Is sad to admit, but I have never seen that level of enthusiasm at any Canadian running event.

Scenery - The Marine Corps Marathon is a beautiful course (apart from that ‘bridge’ at mile 20). You get to run through Georgetown, by the water, the Pentagon, the National Mall.

The Marines - hot marines in uniform handing out water. Enough said.

Working out some personal frustrations between 35km-41km. Was a bit of painful point in the race, but this is when I dig into my pot of things that make my angry and frustrated…Kind of like my own personal punching bag time.

Main Lesson learned:

Name on shirt = a lot of people yelling your name, so next time I’m putting my name on my shirt!

A special shout goes to Booty Camp Fitness for helping me be a lot stronger in this race. I actually think all those lunges and exercises I have done prior to this race has helped me be a better runner!

Every now and then I get my bee in a bonnet about something. This week it is Toronto’s response to having two marathons so close to one another. This morning’s Globe and Mail article about how the City wants the organizers of the two races to separate the events or merge them was one of many recent articles that was published about the situation. While I understand the reasoning and sympathize with Toronto drivers trying to get from point A to point B I do feel irritated by this news on a number of different levels, so I wrote the following letter to the editor:

Reading the number of news stories about the Toronto marathons causing road chaos has made me appreciate the fact that I have chosen to run my fall marathon in the United States where marathoners are celebrated and cheered on throughout the 26.2 miles they run by runners and non-runners alike. Guaranteed if those Torontonians inconvenienced by road closures put in the time and effort to run a marathon they would want Yonge Street closed down as well.

In a time when individuals are constantly encouraged to lead healthier lifestyles and to also be environmentally responsible (a.k.a. take public transportation Toronto drivers) it is shocking that Torontonian runners are being critiqued for causing people inconvenience.

Tiffany charm for me

This week was not a great week for me. I just haven’t felt like myself and having a cold/flu has definitely not helped – just feeling really blah. I also realized today as I was cheering friends on at the Toronto marathon that this time next week I will be running in one myself. Agh! I remember when I first signed up for Marine Corps marathon it seemed like so far away and now here it is. 

I still am flipping-flopping about my race time. On one hand it is a huge race (30,000 people), so my “play it safe self” is telling me to take it easy and just focus on finishing and enjoying the experience. Yet my type-A competitive self is telling me to really go for it and try to beat Oprah’s time and for that matter my own previous marathon times. I think I am scared to try as crazy as that sounds. Finishing a marathon is a great accomplishment no matter what the time, but I want something more now.

I need to stop being scared to try, but I do now that no matter what when I finish I’m getting another charm for my Tiffany bracelet. I buy a charm for each marathon. Have my eye on the key charm for this race. 

PS: My rant of the week: Dear Toronto drivers, Each year Toronto has two marathons and yes roads are closed. Why don’t you get out of your car next year and spend some time cheering people on instead of yelling at police about the road being closed? Who knows you might actually be inspired to do some exercise yourselves and cheering on runners guarantees you some good karma.

I have never been a huge breakfast fan during the week, but on the weekends that is a different story. I love nothing more than a good brunch especially after a long Sunday run. A brunch after running 20 km + is definitely well deserved I would say!

Omelettes are at the top of my must-east after a run. They are yummy and a great way to nourish your body after a taxing workout. One of my favourite recipes comes from Real Simple magazine and here it is! Eggs, goat cheese…delicious.

Here’s what you need (1/2 the recipe if making for two)

• 8 large eggs
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced

To get directions on how to make it just check out the magazine’s website!

This is also a very versatile recipe, so feel free to add in some extras – love to add some tomatoes, hot peppers and spinach to it!

My awesome elite drill instructor

I have now officially reached my halfway point of my 8 week Booty Camp adventure. Week four was full of new moves and of course the dreaded measurement taking.

After a few days of digesting the mid-point results I have to say I am proud of my progress. The progress not being the inches I have lost, but rather the progress I have made in my own fitness levels.

I am now actually able to do things I never thought I could do. Prior to this experience I never even attempted a full push-up I always just dropped to my knees to do the “girl push-up”. Now I can do a few full push-ups before doing the modified versions. Another recent highlight is now being able to do something that resembles a burpee rather than my “hopefully they won’t notice that I’m not really doing a burpee” move.

The best bit about this whole experience for me is Oksana, the instructor. Her encouragement and dedication is truly impressive. Love her emails as well – is so nice and refreshing to receive an email that makes you feel awesome about yourself. Thank you Oksana!

Oh and for those of you who are wondering what my four week results are I am happy to share:

-2 inches of the booty
-3/4 inches of the waist
-3/4 inches of the hips
-Chest stayed the same
-1/4 inch off the upper arms
-1/4 inch gain in the thigh which according to Oksana is muscle…

As I said in a previous entry, the next four weeks will be focused on healthier eating and cutting out the alcohol…Thanksgiving may be a tad difficult.