So once again I have horribly neglected this blog (sorry!) but really you didn't miss much. Because of exams, starting a new job (President of the Trent in Oshawa Student Association-what what!) and not sleeping well the last couple weeks sucked. In an effort to try and get my body back into fighting form before the marathon I haven't been running that often.
However, everything cumulated in the Sporting Life 10k last Sunday (May 13). I had really been hoping to beat last year's time of 56 mins (which if you remember from last year's blog post..basically sucked) and I really wanted to feel strong. However I had been feeling pretty crappy all week and I was running on fumes, so I was a little nervous going in. Everything started out well, the race was all downhill (at least the first 7k) so I was really flying. I hit the 5k mark at 28 mins, which put me right on par with last year's pace pretty much. But unfortunately at 6k all the crap I had been feeling not only that week but that month caught up to me and I was hurting real bad. Luckily, my dad (also running the race) caught up with me and we finished the last 3k together- and we still came in at 59 mins. So not as fast as last year, but still under an hour which was my baseline goal. So I'm happy.
It also helped give me a wake up call. I want to perform my best in 2 weeks in Ottawa I need to rest. So i'm going to do a lot of sleeping, eating, yoga, and a little cross training over the next two weeks.
I'm currently sitting in a hotel room downtown right now, on a quick break from my first OUSA conference (woohoo!) and I have to get ready to meet everyone downstairs for dinner soon.
I did a swim in the hotel pool this morning and it was great to do something different and work out different muscles groups. I plan on doing a lot of swimming, some light weights, and definitely lots of hot yoga over the next week or so- I need to stretch everything out.
anyways. I have to go get ready- but at the very least you'll be hearing from me in 2 weeks with my post-marathon report!
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Monday, April 9, 2012
Week 12
Week 12
Once again I had trouble with fatigue and a lack of energy this week. I know I'm getting enough sleep, but I've decided I need to go back and look at my diet. I stopped eating as much fruit as before and I had been trying to eat more calories to fuel myself, but I don't think I was eating enough. At least not enough of the right stuff. After talking to nick and hitting up the grocery store I've been getting back on track the last few days. I'm hoping that my runs this upcoming week will be better now that I've added more fruit into my diet again. Back when I was eating all those dates, way back in week 3 or 4, I was flying through my runs. Hopefully that feeling will return. I've been having crappy-ish tempo runs lately, mainly just feeling tired with heavy legs. It started a few weeks ago- I was slower than what I had been running all season, then got a little bit slower, then a little bit slower each week. I would really like to be back to where I was before.
Other than that- the 32 (first of 2) this week was awesome. My dad and I toured Oshawa/Whitby this time instead of ajax- so a nice change. I am really looking forward to the drop down week next weekend- only 23k!! then 29, 32, 23, and then we taper for the marathon. only like 5 weeks of training left- so exciting!
But its at that point in the training where I start freaking out a bit. for so long the race was 5/4 months away, and now its in like a month and a half. crazy.
anyways- wish me luck on my tempo run! my dad and I are doing our last week of hills tomorrow- can't wait for that.
Once again I had trouble with fatigue and a lack of energy this week. I know I'm getting enough sleep, but I've decided I need to go back and look at my diet. I stopped eating as much fruit as before and I had been trying to eat more calories to fuel myself, but I don't think I was eating enough. At least not enough of the right stuff. After talking to nick and hitting up the grocery store I've been getting back on track the last few days. I'm hoping that my runs this upcoming week will be better now that I've added more fruit into my diet again. Back when I was eating all those dates, way back in week 3 or 4, I was flying through my runs. Hopefully that feeling will return. I've been having crappy-ish tempo runs lately, mainly just feeling tired with heavy legs. It started a few weeks ago- I was slower than what I had been running all season, then got a little bit slower, then a little bit slower each week. I would really like to be back to where I was before.
Other than that- the 32 (first of 2) this week was awesome. My dad and I toured Oshawa/Whitby this time instead of ajax- so a nice change. I am really looking forward to the drop down week next weekend- only 23k!! then 29, 32, 23, and then we taper for the marathon. only like 5 weeks of training left- so exciting!
But its at that point in the training where I start freaking out a bit. for so long the race was 5/4 months away, and now its in like a month and a half. crazy.
anyways- wish me luck on my tempo run! my dad and I are doing our last week of hills tomorrow- can't wait for that.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Week 11
Week 11
It felt really good to get back into my routine this last week considering I had been slacking on my schedule the last couple weeks due to basically feeling crappy.
My tempo wasn't the best this week, but I still finished under 36 mins for my 6k, which I was happy with.
And I 've figured out that my marathon pace will hopefully be a 6:30 pace. which will bring me in between 4:30-4:40 (which I'm well aware is a lofty goal- that would be more than half an hour off my first time, which is HUGE!- realistically, I'll be happy if I break 5 hours). I've run that pace and faster (and slower lol) dozens of times but I wanted to try it out on my 10k steady and see how it felt. After giving myself a couple kms to get into the groove and warm by body up (it was first thing in the morning) I got into the pace and actually ended up just naturally running a lot faster- like 6 and a little below. So I'm hoping because doing 6:30 felt like slowing myself down so much that it will feel comfortable to hold out over the long distance. But there isn't really anyway to predict how I will perform on race day. I'm hoping that as I've been training and eating better this time around, my body will react better and I won't be so tired as early on. Last time I felt weak and tired and bloated right from the beginning. I'm hoping to feel more lean and energetic this time around- I think my vegan diet will be very beneficial in this goal.
On a sad note, Micah True (also known as Caballo Blanco) was found dead last week, he went out for a run and never came home. He's an amazing trail-/ultra-marathon runner who dropped off the grid and was the only white man ever accepted into the Mexican tribe of the Tarahumara Indians. He has a large role in Christopher McDougal's memoir Born to Run which I talk about in one of my posts from back in January. Not only his is death sad news it also reminds us that everyone, not just runners are mortal and we never know if one day when we walk out of our houses we will never return. His death is being greatly mourned in the running community right now.
"That was the real secret of the Tarahumara: they'd never forgotten what it felt like to love running. They remembered that running was mankind's first fine art, our original act of inspired creation.” -Born to Run.
“Know why people run marathons? …Because running is rooted in our collective imagination, and our imagination is rooted in running. Language, art, science; space shuttles, Starry Night, intravascular surgery; they all had their roots in our ability to run. Running was the superpower that made us human — which means its a superpower all humans posses.” -Born to Run
Rest in Peace Micah True. May your spirit be free to forever run.
It felt really good to get back into my routine this last week considering I had been slacking on my schedule the last couple weeks due to basically feeling crappy.
My tempo wasn't the best this week, but I still finished under 36 mins for my 6k, which I was happy with.
And I 've figured out that my marathon pace will hopefully be a 6:30 pace. which will bring me in between 4:30-4:40 (which I'm well aware is a lofty goal- that would be more than half an hour off my first time, which is HUGE!- realistically, I'll be happy if I break 5 hours). I've run that pace and faster (and slower lol) dozens of times but I wanted to try it out on my 10k steady and see how it felt. After giving myself a couple kms to get into the groove and warm by body up (it was first thing in the morning) I got into the pace and actually ended up just naturally running a lot faster- like 6 and a little below. So I'm hoping because doing 6:30 felt like slowing myself down so much that it will feel comfortable to hold out over the long distance. But there isn't really anyway to predict how I will perform on race day. I'm hoping that as I've been training and eating better this time around, my body will react better and I won't be so tired as early on. Last time I felt weak and tired and bloated right from the beginning. I'm hoping to feel more lean and energetic this time around- I think my vegan diet will be very beneficial in this goal.
On a sad note, Micah True (also known as Caballo Blanco) was found dead last week, he went out for a run and never came home. He's an amazing trail-/ultra-marathon runner who dropped off the grid and was the only white man ever accepted into the Mexican tribe of the Tarahumara Indians. He has a large role in Christopher McDougal's memoir Born to Run which I talk about in one of my posts from back in January. Not only his is death sad news it also reminds us that everyone, not just runners are mortal and we never know if one day when we walk out of our houses we will never return. His death is being greatly mourned in the running community right now.
"That was the real secret of the Tarahumara: they'd never forgotten what it felt like to love running. They remembered that running was mankind's first fine art, our original act of inspired creation.” -Born to Run.
“Know why people run marathons? …Because running is rooted in our collective imagination, and our imagination is rooted in running. Language, art, science; space shuttles, Starry Night, intravascular surgery; they all had their roots in our ability to run. Running was the superpower that made us human — which means its a superpower all humans posses.” -Born to Run
Rest in Peace Micah True. May your spirit be free to forever run.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Around the Bay (weeks 9 & 10)
The last couple weeks have been nothing special. I was fighting a bug (thankfully feeling better now) and so I cut down a lot of my runs in order to get my energy back, and to save my legs and my health for Around the Bay on Sunday, so this post will be about Around the Bay
Around the Bay
The expo was awesome first of all, lots of elite athletes walking around. Seriously, the amount of Boston jackets there was inspiring, and intimidating. The race shirt was awesome ("Older than Boston!") and I bought a jacket, as well as a New Balance shirt that said "Excellence is measured one bay at a time" (which I totally wore on Monday- not nearly enough people commented on it for my liking, lol), and a technical t-shirt that says "I know I run like a girl- try to keep up" (love it right? I've come across the saying before- it inspired this blog). Afterwards my dad and I walked through Hessville in Hamilton and found this sketchy little Mexican dive bar that had the world's best burritos (including a tofu-vegetarian one!) and some fries- carbed up for the race!
The weather on Sunday was beautiful- cool and overcast, but warmed up as the day went on. No rain, a little bit of sun, but luckily the heat and the sun didn't hit until after we were done running. Dad and I had an awesome run- we finished in 3:50, which we were extremely happy with because as a training run we were going pretty slow and we expected to finish at 4:00 at the earliest. The first 10k consisted of us getting into our groove, and the second 10k flew by completely. Before we knew it we were at 20k and about to hit the hills. They were rolling hills through the suburbs of Burlington/Hamilton, and the big hill at 26k didn't even phase us too too much, because we thought that we weren't going to hit the big hill until 27/28k. The entire time we were running up the hill we thought we were going to hit a bigger one next- so mentally this one didn't seem so detrimental (but it was one hell of a hill- long and steep!)
The finish line was inside Copps Coliseum which is neat- first finish line I had experienced like that. Video footage of the finished line was being shown across the jumbotron over centre ice and my dad and I held hands and crossed the finish line together.
It was definitely the best training run by far (after all we did get a medal!) but we both felt good and strong and it was a nice change of pace from our usual tours of ajax. Though we lucked out extremely when it came to the weather, this run is definitely going on our list of races to run again.
As my dad and I were discussing- either we run in crappy weather at home, or we run in crappy weather in Hamilton and get a medal!!
Until next week!
2 months until the Marathon!
Around the Bay
The expo was awesome first of all, lots of elite athletes walking around. Seriously, the amount of Boston jackets there was inspiring, and intimidating. The race shirt was awesome ("Older than Boston!") and I bought a jacket, as well as a New Balance shirt that said "Excellence is measured one bay at a time" (which I totally wore on Monday- not nearly enough people commented on it for my liking, lol), and a technical t-shirt that says "I know I run like a girl- try to keep up" (love it right? I've come across the saying before- it inspired this blog). Afterwards my dad and I walked through Hessville in Hamilton and found this sketchy little Mexican dive bar that had the world's best burritos (including a tofu-vegetarian one!) and some fries- carbed up for the race!
The weather on Sunday was beautiful- cool and overcast, but warmed up as the day went on. No rain, a little bit of sun, but luckily the heat and the sun didn't hit until after we were done running. Dad and I had an awesome run- we finished in 3:50, which we were extremely happy with because as a training run we were going pretty slow and we expected to finish at 4:00 at the earliest. The first 10k consisted of us getting into our groove, and the second 10k flew by completely. Before we knew it we were at 20k and about to hit the hills. They were rolling hills through the suburbs of Burlington/Hamilton, and the big hill at 26k didn't even phase us too too much, because we thought that we weren't going to hit the big hill until 27/28k. The entire time we were running up the hill we thought we were going to hit a bigger one next- so mentally this one didn't seem so detrimental (but it was one hell of a hill- long and steep!)
The finish line was inside Copps Coliseum which is neat- first finish line I had experienced like that. Video footage of the finished line was being shown across the jumbotron over centre ice and my dad and I held hands and crossed the finish line together.
It was definitely the best training run by far (after all we did get a medal!) but we both felt good and strong and it was a nice change of pace from our usual tours of ajax. Though we lucked out extremely when it came to the weather, this run is definitely going on our list of races to run again.
As my dad and I were discussing- either we run in crappy weather at home, or we run in crappy weather in Hamilton and get a medal!!
Until next week!
2 months until the Marathon!
Monday, March 12, 2012
Week 8
Week 8
So I think there is what, only 10 more weeks left? Wow!
Let me just say that the 26km run my dad and I did yesterday was awesome! The absolutely gorgeous weather had us both in delightful moods as we dressed lightly and did our weekly running tour of ajax (touring central-south ajax this time, down by the lake, loop out to pickering, then a final loop around Rossland), and yes, both got a little sunburnt. I now have an awkward red line around my neck where the collar of my shirt was, and awkward burns on the backs of my calves where my capri running pants stopped.
We had a new tactic this week- drive to starbucks, park there and start our run. Meaning, when we finished three and a half hours later, we were only steps away from food, coffees, and bathrooms- definitely liking this plan. We sat for about 30 mins, discussed the run, and as always the case with runners- we talked about upcoming races, fueling strategies, calorie intake, etc.
When we both stood up 30 mins later lets just say we were both grunting and walking with some stiff legs. Causing the middle-aged stout chubby man and his equally out of shape looking wife sitting at the table next to us to say: "feeling stiff from your run? i feel your pain! I did a little bike ride yesterday and am going to run later today"... which prompted my dad to remark as soon as we were outside and out of hearing range "sure buddy- you look like you're 'feeling my pain'". Now I know runners come in all shapes and sizes. believe me, some of the people who ran past me during the marathon were people I never would have pegged as runners, much less running a marathon. But this man did not look like he was running more than 5k-if that. Which caused some grumbling from us as we waddled our way back to the car.
the runs were good this past week. Was tired during the 6k tempo- but still finished in 34.50 so still a time I'm very happy with. Had a beautiful day on wednesday- which made doing 5 hills that much easier (although mother nature was a bit of a bitch and decided to bring in a bit of a wind, after I had already gotten to the hill, so I was running into the wind every time I started to sprint uphill- which in turn meant I was cursing like a sailor as I ran up the hill. The people in the Volkswagon dealership on bailey probably think I'm bat-shit crazy. they all stare at me while they're outside having their smoke breaks).
My dad and I did a 10k steady run on friday, which started out nice but we quickly got caught in a snowstorm and came home laughing, dripping wet, with piles of snow on our heads and shoulder. Interesting how the weather switched from that on friday to where is was on sunday when we were wishing we were in shorts and a t-shirt towards the end because it was 15 degrees outside.
I'm excited for thursday- it's supposed to be 15 again or something like that! Time to bust out the shorts!
I always like being able to run in the spring after months of wearing thick layers, mitts, hats, scarves. I always feel lighter and faster. I can feel the warmth of the sun and everything is just so much happier. It also makes me want to buy some new runnning gear. Winter running gear isn't exciting, but warm weather gear is! Its always bright colours, light fabrics. Don't be surprised if I make a lulu lemon pit stop on my way home from school sometime in the next couple weeks!
Well I'm going to bed because I'm exhausted and I'm doing 6k tempo tomorrow- so I want to be well rested.
Night!!
So I think there is what, only 10 more weeks left? Wow!
Let me just say that the 26km run my dad and I did yesterday was awesome! The absolutely gorgeous weather had us both in delightful moods as we dressed lightly and did our weekly running tour of ajax (touring central-south ajax this time, down by the lake, loop out to pickering, then a final loop around Rossland), and yes, both got a little sunburnt. I now have an awkward red line around my neck where the collar of my shirt was, and awkward burns on the backs of my calves where my capri running pants stopped.
We had a new tactic this week- drive to starbucks, park there and start our run. Meaning, when we finished three and a half hours later, we were only steps away from food, coffees, and bathrooms- definitely liking this plan. We sat for about 30 mins, discussed the run, and as always the case with runners- we talked about upcoming races, fueling strategies, calorie intake, etc.
When we both stood up 30 mins later lets just say we were both grunting and walking with some stiff legs. Causing the middle-aged stout chubby man and his equally out of shape looking wife sitting at the table next to us to say: "feeling stiff from your run? i feel your pain! I did a little bike ride yesterday and am going to run later today"... which prompted my dad to remark as soon as we were outside and out of hearing range "sure buddy- you look like you're 'feeling my pain'". Now I know runners come in all shapes and sizes. believe me, some of the people who ran past me during the marathon were people I never would have pegged as runners, much less running a marathon. But this man did not look like he was running more than 5k-if that. Which caused some grumbling from us as we waddled our way back to the car.
the runs were good this past week. Was tired during the 6k tempo- but still finished in 34.50 so still a time I'm very happy with. Had a beautiful day on wednesday- which made doing 5 hills that much easier (although mother nature was a bit of a bitch and decided to bring in a bit of a wind, after I had already gotten to the hill, so I was running into the wind every time I started to sprint uphill- which in turn meant I was cursing like a sailor as I ran up the hill. The people in the Volkswagon dealership on bailey probably think I'm bat-shit crazy. they all stare at me while they're outside having their smoke breaks).
My dad and I did a 10k steady run on friday, which started out nice but we quickly got caught in a snowstorm and came home laughing, dripping wet, with piles of snow on our heads and shoulder. Interesting how the weather switched from that on friday to where is was on sunday when we were wishing we were in shorts and a t-shirt towards the end because it was 15 degrees outside.
I'm excited for thursday- it's supposed to be 15 again or something like that! Time to bust out the shorts!
I always like being able to run in the spring after months of wearing thick layers, mitts, hats, scarves. I always feel lighter and faster. I can feel the warmth of the sun and everything is just so much happier. It also makes me want to buy some new runnning gear. Winter running gear isn't exciting, but warm weather gear is! Its always bright colours, light fabrics. Don't be surprised if I make a lulu lemon pit stop on my way home from school sometime in the next couple weeks!
Well I'm going to bed because I'm exhausted and I'm doing 6k tempo tomorrow- so I want to be well rested.
Night!!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Week 7
Week 7
It's getting to that part in the training where I'm starting to feel tired- I definitely need to start getting more sleep. And eating more lol.
There were a lot of treadmill runs this past week, thanks to that stupid blizzard/wind storm that rolled in mid-week last week. Everything cleared up though, luckily, for the weekend, and Sunday was a gorgeous day for the long run (23k!!) Next week my dad and I are doing 26k then we're doing Around the Bay 30k race in Hamilton for a training run on March 24. Very exciting.
Unfortunately hills have started :( I did 4 hills on the treadmill last week, and I'm going to do 5 tomorrow- but its supposed to be 11 degrees outside- so I'm hoping for a beautiful day!
The weather this week is supposed to be decent so I'm looking forward to running outside again.
Hopefully some more sleep and an increase in my calorie intake will give me some more energy :)
Also, after I get through this month at school, I will be much less busy- so that will be another load off of my plate.
It's getting to that part in the training where I'm starting to feel tired- I definitely need to start getting more sleep. And eating more lol.
There were a lot of treadmill runs this past week, thanks to that stupid blizzard/wind storm that rolled in mid-week last week. Everything cleared up though, luckily, for the weekend, and Sunday was a gorgeous day for the long run (23k!!) Next week my dad and I are doing 26k then we're doing Around the Bay 30k race in Hamilton for a training run on March 24. Very exciting.
Unfortunately hills have started :( I did 4 hills on the treadmill last week, and I'm going to do 5 tomorrow- but its supposed to be 11 degrees outside- so I'm hoping for a beautiful day!
The weather this week is supposed to be decent so I'm looking forward to running outside again.
Hopefully some more sleep and an increase in my calorie intake will give me some more energy :)
Also, after I get through this month at school, I will be much less busy- so that will be another load off of my plate.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Week 6
Week 6
Another week come and gone. My dad and I did our 16k on Monday because it was Family Day so it worked better for my dad's schedule. However, because of this the rest of my running schedule got shifted around a bit. I only actually ran my 6k tempo and the 8k steady with my dad (which was only 5k because of time constraints). An unexpected blizzard cancelled my 10k tempo so I swam instead. The off week allowed me to rest up a bit and since this coincided with my reading week I caught up on a bunch of sleep :)
This morning dad and I did 19k, and it was a gorgeous day for a run, as was last week- but I think we both felt better this week. While it was great run, I didn't sleep well last night and the distance has jumped up enough that I could feel the effects on my body after the run- sore legs, tiredness, hunger, some bruises and blisters appearing on my feet- stuff that hasn't appeared so far this season. But I expect I will get very familiar with being sore now. The distances are jumping up quickly. We do 23k next week, then 26, drop down for a week (and do 19k), then we're in the meat of it- 29k, 32k, 29k, and then everything starts to drop down again for the taper.
Good news though- we (and by we I mean my father) found 2 bibs on craig's list for Around the Bay at the end of March, which we had originally planned on doing as a training run as it lands on the weekend we are supposed to do a 29k run, but we didn't register in time, so we gave up hope.
If this works out, it will be exciting to run Around the Bay, even if we just use it as a training run, so we'll probably be the last ones in, but that's okay :)
Another week come and gone. My dad and I did our 16k on Monday because it was Family Day so it worked better for my dad's schedule. However, because of this the rest of my running schedule got shifted around a bit. I only actually ran my 6k tempo and the 8k steady with my dad (which was only 5k because of time constraints). An unexpected blizzard cancelled my 10k tempo so I swam instead. The off week allowed me to rest up a bit and since this coincided with my reading week I caught up on a bunch of sleep :)
This morning dad and I did 19k, and it was a gorgeous day for a run, as was last week- but I think we both felt better this week. While it was great run, I didn't sleep well last night and the distance has jumped up enough that I could feel the effects on my body after the run- sore legs, tiredness, hunger, some bruises and blisters appearing on my feet- stuff that hasn't appeared so far this season. But I expect I will get very familiar with being sore now. The distances are jumping up quickly. We do 23k next week, then 26, drop down for a week (and do 19k), then we're in the meat of it- 29k, 32k, 29k, and then everything starts to drop down again for the taper.
Good news though- we (and by we I mean my father) found 2 bibs on craig's list for Around the Bay at the end of March, which we had originally planned on doing as a training run as it lands on the weekend we are supposed to do a 29k run, but we didn't register in time, so we gave up hope.
If this works out, it will be exciting to run Around the Bay, even if we just use it as a training run, so we'll probably be the last ones in, but that's okay :)
Monday, February 20, 2012
Week 5
Week 5
Another week come and gone. My dad and I did 16k today and given it was such a beautiful day it was a spectacular run.
This week started off fantastically, I had another awesome 6k tempo (on the treadmill this time) and a great 10k tempo (57.10!!- so exciting!!!!) but that wiped me out for the rest of the week- between not sleeping well and business/stress with school I've been feeling pretty crappy.
I need to go to the running room this week to stock up on gels so that I can fuel my runs better as the distances increase. I think I need to start putting something in my system before my tempo runs instead of running on an empty stomach- hopefully then they won't take so much out of me and drain me for the rest of the week. I'm thinking either have some dates- they're the only fruit that doesn't seem to bother my stomach, or have a gel before hand, especially on the 10k tempo and hills (which start next week- yay).
The distances are going to start jumping up pretty quickly now which is exciting, but also tiring to think about. I found that once hills started the training really begins to fly by. Its become a routine again too- its seems natural to get up and run most mornings instead of forcing myself out the door. Once the marathon is over, I'm sure I'll feel completely useless only being able to sit around- I know I did last time.
I'm hoping that my tempo runs this week will go as well as the last couple have. I'm hoping that with better fueling I won't be quite as wiped out- this week felt incredibly long.
Well this is a short reflection- until next time.
Another week come and gone. My dad and I did 16k today and given it was such a beautiful day it was a spectacular run.
This week started off fantastically, I had another awesome 6k tempo (on the treadmill this time) and a great 10k tempo (57.10!!- so exciting!!!!) but that wiped me out for the rest of the week- between not sleeping well and business/stress with school I've been feeling pretty crappy.
I need to go to the running room this week to stock up on gels so that I can fuel my runs better as the distances increase. I think I need to start putting something in my system before my tempo runs instead of running on an empty stomach- hopefully then they won't take so much out of me and drain me for the rest of the week. I'm thinking either have some dates- they're the only fruit that doesn't seem to bother my stomach, or have a gel before hand, especially on the 10k tempo and hills (which start next week- yay).
The distances are going to start jumping up pretty quickly now which is exciting, but also tiring to think about. I found that once hills started the training really begins to fly by. Its become a routine again too- its seems natural to get up and run most mornings instead of forcing myself out the door. Once the marathon is over, I'm sure I'll feel completely useless only being able to sit around- I know I did last time.
I'm hoping that my tempo runs this week will go as well as the last couple have. I'm hoping that with better fueling I won't be quite as wiped out- this week felt incredibly long.
Well this is a short reflection- until next time.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Week 4
Week 4
Hey everyone, so this is a little late- I have been super busy and stressed. PLUS nick came home this week so I was a little preoccupied with getting things ready for his homecoming :)
ANYWAYS, I started the week off with an awesome start. My 6k tempo came in at 34:58. I felt amazing This promptly earned a spot on my PB list.
But after that it went downhill. I was so tired and worn out the rest of the week that the remainders of my runs sucked. Especially my 10k tempo, which I did on Friday because some things got juggled around. I finished in 1:04, which is okay, but it sucked. I felt completely crappy and tired and Mother Nature was a bitch. The wind changed direction with every corner I turned so it felt like I was always running into the wind.
But its a fresh week, I had an awesome tempo run today (on the treadmill- but the 6.0 speed on the treadmill normally feels fast for me, and today it felt slow) so that gives me confidence that I am getting stronger and faster. I'm hoping to have a solid tempo run tomorrow- but you'll hear about that next week :)
This one is short and sweet. I'll talk to you all next weekend :)
Hey everyone, so this is a little late- I have been super busy and stressed. PLUS nick came home this week so I was a little preoccupied with getting things ready for his homecoming :)
ANYWAYS, I started the week off with an awesome start. My 6k tempo came in at 34:58. I felt amazing This promptly earned a spot on my PB list.
But after that it went downhill. I was so tired and worn out the rest of the week that the remainders of my runs sucked. Especially my 10k tempo, which I did on Friday because some things got juggled around. I finished in 1:04, which is okay, but it sucked. I felt completely crappy and tired and Mother Nature was a bitch. The wind changed direction with every corner I turned so it felt like I was always running into the wind.
But its a fresh week, I had an awesome tempo run today (on the treadmill- but the 6.0 speed on the treadmill normally feels fast for me, and today it felt slow) so that gives me confidence that I am getting stronger and faster. I'm hoping to have a solid tempo run tomorrow- but you'll hear about that next week :)
This one is short and sweet. I'll talk to you all next weekend :)
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Week 3
Week 3
This week was pretty awesome for my tempo runs.
6k: 36.35
10k: 1:03.45
neither of which I know are super fast times, I know many people who can easily run faster, but to me they were fast. And I'm still getting back into the swing of things, especially in terms of speed work, so my times will only improve. Especially after I do hills (which start in a few weeks- ugh. not looking forward to that).
One of the issues I was having this week was diet. I was so hungry that I ate a lot of food, and not all of it was extremely healthy (case in point: last night I had oreos... which, surprisingly, are vegan, but definitely not healthy). When I was training in the summer I started eating, not horribly, I was still a vegetarian, so that limited the greasy-ness of the food I ate, but I also ate a lot of cheese, white breads and grains, chips, etc. My goal this time around, is to experiment with the wide variety of vegan foods/recipes and eat fruits, whole grains, nuts, vegetables, etc. and load up on awesome stuff like that. I actually think it will be very exciting to see what kinds of new foods I discover.
Now the reason for this goal is not because I'm paranoid about my calories or worried about getting "fat" (trust me- when you are training for a marathon, counting calories- not that I do that during the off-seasons- is the last thing on your mind. You need carbs and you need them now!) The amount of calories you burn is insane, plus with constant exercise like that, your body continues to burn calories after the work out at a heightened rate (my estimate is that I eat between 2500-3000 calories a day). For instance, today, I ran 13.6k and taking the speed at which I was running, I burned 990 calories during a run that lasted an hour and a half (this is according to my Garmin!) and I'm only 3 weeks into training. When it gets to the point where I'm doing 32km on the weekends, I'm burning like 2500 calories in one run.
Anyways back to the point of this rant- I want to consume a larger quantity of healthier foods, instead of just anything I can get my hands on, because (one of the things I've learned since being vegan) is that the food you eat directly enhances your recovery time and your performance. That's why many pro athletes (take Brendan Braizier for example) turn to veganism- not because of the ethical issues, but because eating fruits, nuts, and vegetables improves your recovery time like nothing else. When you recover faster and better, you can train harder and more efficiently.
I'm already noticing my faster recovery time and better performance and more energy. For instance, this morning I was feeling a little sluggish. I had my usual pre-long run oatmeal, then remembered that eating dates acts like consuming gatorade- its a natural energy booster. So I ate about 4-5 dates along with my oatmeal. And I don't know what happened, but I was flying during my long run, and this continued throughout the whole run, it wasn't a small burst of energy that ended after 20 mins. Once my body warmed up (about 25 mins in), I was slowing myself down big time, forcing myself to run at 7min kms to keep myself within the appropriate pace for a LSR- and that felt agonizingly slow. Then I just gave up. I let myself go for the last half of the run and I flew- running 6min kms (and below!!) for the last 8kms- up a couple of giant hills too- which didn't even phase me. Now that's the pace I normally run for my tempos and those wear me out so much that I'm exhausted for the rest of the day.
So i'm not really sure if it was the dates that gave me that energy- but that was the one thing that's changed in my routine, so there must be something there. I'm going to experiment this week and try having some dates before my runs and see what happens.
Now traditionally, I don't eat fruit before a run because I found it gave me stomach problems. But I've also learned that fruit moves through your body much faster than grains and especially animals products. So I'm wondering, if I leave a bigger gap between eating the fruit and leaving for my run, it will have already passed through my system before I go out the door. That way I still have the energy but none of the stomach issues.
I'll let you know next week how my runs went with eating the dates before hand... I'm very curious to find out!
Only 8 more days until Nick comes home! so excited!
This week was pretty awesome for my tempo runs.
6k: 36.35
10k: 1:03.45
neither of which I know are super fast times, I know many people who can easily run faster, but to me they were fast. And I'm still getting back into the swing of things, especially in terms of speed work, so my times will only improve. Especially after I do hills (which start in a few weeks- ugh. not looking forward to that).
One of the issues I was having this week was diet. I was so hungry that I ate a lot of food, and not all of it was extremely healthy (case in point: last night I had oreos... which, surprisingly, are vegan, but definitely not healthy). When I was training in the summer I started eating, not horribly, I was still a vegetarian, so that limited the greasy-ness of the food I ate, but I also ate a lot of cheese, white breads and grains, chips, etc. My goal this time around, is to experiment with the wide variety of vegan foods/recipes and eat fruits, whole grains, nuts, vegetables, etc. and load up on awesome stuff like that. I actually think it will be very exciting to see what kinds of new foods I discover.
Now the reason for this goal is not because I'm paranoid about my calories or worried about getting "fat" (trust me- when you are training for a marathon, counting calories- not that I do that during the off-seasons- is the last thing on your mind. You need carbs and you need them now!) The amount of calories you burn is insane, plus with constant exercise like that, your body continues to burn calories after the work out at a heightened rate (my estimate is that I eat between 2500-3000 calories a day). For instance, today, I ran 13.6k and taking the speed at which I was running, I burned 990 calories during a run that lasted an hour and a half (this is according to my Garmin!) and I'm only 3 weeks into training. When it gets to the point where I'm doing 32km on the weekends, I'm burning like 2500 calories in one run.
Anyways back to the point of this rant- I want to consume a larger quantity of healthier foods, instead of just anything I can get my hands on, because (one of the things I've learned since being vegan) is that the food you eat directly enhances your recovery time and your performance. That's why many pro athletes (take Brendan Braizier for example) turn to veganism- not because of the ethical issues, but because eating fruits, nuts, and vegetables improves your recovery time like nothing else. When you recover faster and better, you can train harder and more efficiently.
I'm already noticing my faster recovery time and better performance and more energy. For instance, this morning I was feeling a little sluggish. I had my usual pre-long run oatmeal, then remembered that eating dates acts like consuming gatorade- its a natural energy booster. So I ate about 4-5 dates along with my oatmeal. And I don't know what happened, but I was flying during my long run, and this continued throughout the whole run, it wasn't a small burst of energy that ended after 20 mins. Once my body warmed up (about 25 mins in), I was slowing myself down big time, forcing myself to run at 7min kms to keep myself within the appropriate pace for a LSR- and that felt agonizingly slow. Then I just gave up. I let myself go for the last half of the run and I flew- running 6min kms (and below!!) for the last 8kms- up a couple of giant hills too- which didn't even phase me. Now that's the pace I normally run for my tempos and those wear me out so much that I'm exhausted for the rest of the day.
So i'm not really sure if it was the dates that gave me that energy- but that was the one thing that's changed in my routine, so there must be something there. I'm going to experiment this week and try having some dates before my runs and see what happens.
Now traditionally, I don't eat fruit before a run because I found it gave me stomach problems. But I've also learned that fruit moves through your body much faster than grains and especially animals products. So I'm wondering, if I leave a bigger gap between eating the fruit and leaving for my run, it will have already passed through my system before I go out the door. That way I still have the energy but none of the stomach issues.
I'll let you know next week how my runs went with eating the dates before hand... I'm very curious to find out!
Only 8 more days until Nick comes home! so excited!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Strong is the New Skinny
Here is the link to it on FB:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150631811447463&set=a.135700847462.131849.108605392462&type=1&theater
I think this woman looks beautiful and strong, and inspiring.
But some of the comments posted in reply to this picture (from both men and women) said that she doesn't look like a woman anymore. She isn't feminine. That she shouldn't be that muscular. That women weren't "supposed to look like this"
What a load of crap!!
Now I'm not saying that everyone needs to be super athletic. I'm not even that muscular (which I wish I was). To be honest its a personal decision how you want your body to be, but to NOT be in shape because to be that way isn't "feminine" is bullshit.
I feel like women are expected to be weak and to not hold their own. To only go to gyms to do the occasional one hour work out because they just don't want to be fat- not because they have fitness goals.
One of the reasons I love races is because there are so many people- men and women alike- who are competing for the same thing. The larger the distance gets the more this becomes true.
Its just mindsets like this (its not feminine to be athletic and strong) outrage me. Its so anti-feminist.
People never expect me to be a marathon runner (Side note: I actually don't feel like I can call myself that yet- lots of people do ONE marathon- but not that many continue to do them. Come May 27th I can call myself that!). When I say I went for a run- people assume I jogged around the block. (Another Side note: I do not jog. I am not a jogger. Please don't ever refer to me as one- I am a runner). Because no one expects the women to be dedicated athletes.
Bottom Line: Do what you want with your body- but if you aren't athletic or are out of shape DO NOT say it is because you are a woman and women "aren't supposed to be that way". Yes women have curves- but those curves are supposed to be your breasts and your hips. not rolls of fat.
Who defined what it meant to "look feminine".
One commenter said that she doesn't look like a "lady". What does that even mean? What does a "lady" look like? Small, Dainty, Weak?
Bullshit.
I hate the term "ladylike". I despise anyone who tells me I'm not acting like a lady. What do ladies act like? Are they quiet, submissive? Clean and proper?
I am not submissive, I am strong, I am athletic and I am intelligent. Do these things make me any less of a woman?
Monday, January 30, 2012
Week 2
Week 2
Week 2 done everyone!! I had some great tempo runs this week so I'm really excited about that aspect of my training. I ended off the week with a LSR of 13k. I felt a little tired starting out and I was worried it would be a difficult run, but I got into the swing of it and felt great for the rest of the distance. I purposely slowed myself down to a 7min kilometer during the run, although at times I found myself wanting to go faster. But the whole purpose of a LSR is to go slowly, and for my training, I need to be doing them between a 7 and 8 min kilometer. The last 3-4km I sped things up a little bit - I want to get my legs used to running at a faster speed while fatigued, so that during the marathon I will have an easier time keeping my pace up.
I'm looking forward to the distances bumping up the next couple weeks, I always loved the tranquility of the LSR and I'm excited to find that peace again.
On Thursday, I didn't do my steady 6k run (moved to Friday instead) because I was feeling really tired from my tempo 10k on wednesday, but man the runner's hunger kicked in majorly. I was constantly snacking!
I don't remember the hunger starting this early in the training last time, but I think the heat might have affected my stomach. So it will be interesting in the cold to see how my body reacts to the runs. I can already tell my speed work will be better. My body does not react well to the heat.
As long as the winter weather keeps up like this- I'm going to enjoy winter training. As long as no blizzards come across the forecast on a day I need to run I'll be happy :)
until next week...
Week 2 done everyone!! I had some great tempo runs this week so I'm really excited about that aspect of my training. I ended off the week with a LSR of 13k. I felt a little tired starting out and I was worried it would be a difficult run, but I got into the swing of it and felt great for the rest of the distance. I purposely slowed myself down to a 7min kilometer during the run, although at times I found myself wanting to go faster. But the whole purpose of a LSR is to go slowly, and for my training, I need to be doing them between a 7 and 8 min kilometer. The last 3-4km I sped things up a little bit - I want to get my legs used to running at a faster speed while fatigued, so that during the marathon I will have an easier time keeping my pace up.
I'm looking forward to the distances bumping up the next couple weeks, I always loved the tranquility of the LSR and I'm excited to find that peace again.
On Thursday, I didn't do my steady 6k run (moved to Friday instead) because I was feeling really tired from my tempo 10k on wednesday, but man the runner's hunger kicked in majorly. I was constantly snacking!
I don't remember the hunger starting this early in the training last time, but I think the heat might have affected my stomach. So it will be interesting in the cold to see how my body reacts to the runs. I can already tell my speed work will be better. My body does not react well to the heat.
As long as the winter weather keeps up like this- I'm going to enjoy winter training. As long as no blizzards come across the forecast on a day I need to run I'll be happy :)
until next week...
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Week 1
Hey everyone. So i've decided this round of marathon training, I'm going to post weekly updates and reflections of my training. It will keep me more dedicated to my blog PLUS for purely selfish reasons, this way Nick can read it when he comes home from Ecuador in a month, because normally he would be very involved in my training.
I'm also thinking this will be an interesting way to reflect on my experience, how it differs from last time, when I trained in the summer.
So here it is: Week One
started with a 10k LSD on Sunday (the 15th), I filled up my rest day on Monday with a Power Vinyasa Yoga, which was totally awesome. Kicked my butt. I'm thinking about continuing to go to Yoga classes on mondays to loosen up my body and provide some cross-training, obviously depending on how I'm feeling after the distances start to bump up.
Tuesday and Wednesday were tempo runs (6k and 10k, respectively), and I'm very happy with how they were. I pushed a fast pace, and though they weren't quite at the time markers I was aiming for, I also haven't done quality speed workouts in a year (I couldn't do them during the summer because it was just too damn hot. I felt like I was going to pass out). So I'm confident that my abilities to be speedy will increase as the training occurs.
Tonight was a nice steady 6k with my dad, which went very well considering the snow storm we got today.
We are supposed to do 6k on Saturday, which might be skipped for the next few weeks ( I work 9-5 on Saturdays). But seeing how I'm feeling I might do that on Fridays, or if I have exceptionally high energy levels, on saturday night.
I'm keeping track of the times for my speed work on my training schedule, so I won't bore you with those (unless I get a time I'm really excited about!).
So that probably sums up week one. This week has been great. I'm enjoying have a schedule to follow in order to get me out running more. I have been seriously slacking since the marathon in October, with the recovery time, and lack of energy.
See you next week :)
I'm also thinking this will be an interesting way to reflect on my experience, how it differs from last time, when I trained in the summer.
So here it is: Week One
started with a 10k LSD on Sunday (the 15th), I filled up my rest day on Monday with a Power Vinyasa Yoga, which was totally awesome. Kicked my butt. I'm thinking about continuing to go to Yoga classes on mondays to loosen up my body and provide some cross-training, obviously depending on how I'm feeling after the distances start to bump up.
Tuesday and Wednesday were tempo runs (6k and 10k, respectively), and I'm very happy with how they were. I pushed a fast pace, and though they weren't quite at the time markers I was aiming for, I also haven't done quality speed workouts in a year (I couldn't do them during the summer because it was just too damn hot. I felt like I was going to pass out). So I'm confident that my abilities to be speedy will increase as the training occurs.
Tonight was a nice steady 6k with my dad, which went very well considering the snow storm we got today.
We are supposed to do 6k on Saturday, which might be skipped for the next few weeks ( I work 9-5 on Saturdays). But seeing how I'm feeling I might do that on Fridays, or if I have exceptionally high energy levels, on saturday night.
I'm keeping track of the times for my speed work on my training schedule, so I won't bore you with those (unless I get a time I'm really excited about!).
So that probably sums up week one. This week has been great. I'm enjoying have a schedule to follow in order to get me out running more. I have been seriously slacking since the marathon in October, with the recovery time, and lack of energy.
See you next week :)
Monday, January 16, 2012
Shit Meat Eaters Say...
Haha this isn't much of a post, but i've been skimming through similar videos and some of them are hilarious and a bit outrageous. But this one is incredibly TRUE!
I get this stuff everyday and most people either think they are being incredibly funny, intelligent, witty, or are making genuinely good arguments. News flash: they're not.
So here is the video i found on youtube. enjoy.
also I enjoyed the coincidence that this girl's name is Meghan (spelled the same), she is also a vegan, and we kind of look similar: pale skin, dark hair, blue eyes.
I get this stuff everyday and most people either think they are being incredibly funny, intelligent, witty, or are making genuinely good arguments. News flash: they're not.
So here is the video i found on youtube. enjoy.
also I enjoyed the coincidence that this girl's name is Meghan (spelled the same), she is also a vegan, and we kind of look similar: pale skin, dark hair, blue eyes.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
When We Were Young
For various reasons I've been reflecting on the past lately and some things have come to my attention that kind of make me chuckle, but it also makes me reflect how the paths I've chosen have to led to where I am now.
One thing that occurred to me was that I'm surprised it took me 19 years to become a vegetarian. As a child I loved animals. In my mind I was Pocahontas, and I fancied myself some of sort animal whisperer. I was always playing out in the forests, climbing trees, and I'm pretty sure I was convinced a family of rabbits living under the hedge in our front yards were my personal animal friends. I could never eat ribs, because the bones in them freaked me out. I used to go to the St. Lawrence every weekend with my dad and I have distinct memories of closing my eyes when we passed the butchers because I could not stand to look at the various meats in the displays. And the giant refrigerator with the glass wall, so you could see the carcasses hanging inside? Well that made me nauseous.
I was reminded of all of this when I went to the St. Lawrence market with my dad the weekend before Christmas. This was the first time I had been probably around a year. Once again, when we stopped at the butcher's (my dad needed his steak) I actually gagged looking at the meats in the display. First time that had ever happened.
I also never ate tons of meat. Yes, I loved hamburgers and bacon and the ususal meats that all kids tend to love, but I was never (even during my adolescence) a fan of steak, pot roast, ribs (never ate them in my life) or any of those other decadent meats that adults seem to view as some kind of holy experience.
Bottom line: it just makes me laugh. Given my childhood, I'm not surprised I ended up a vegan. I am surprised it took me that long to transition into vegetarianism.
The second reflection is that I'm also not surprised that I'm an English Major :)
I was a total bookworm (and still am!). I also learned to read very quickly and had a very high reading level at a young age. I think I was reading at a grade 3 level when I was in senior kindergarden, and in grade one I read all of those old Nancy Drew books from the 50s and 60s with ease (although they did scare me so much I had to put them away in a box until I was 8). I asked for books every year for Christmas and I have ever since. My closet has always been overflowing with books, I never seem to have enough room. I have always been able to read fairly quickly, and English has been my favourite subject in school for years.
Its just makes me chuckle that anyone who knew me as a child is probably not surprised that I'm on the path I'm on.
Now, the only surprising thing (at least to me) is the running. I ran a bit in elementary school, but that was like 2km cross country runs, and 200m dashes in track and field. I was never good at running and I never really enjoyed it. I always looked at my mom and thought she was bat shit crazy (no offense mom :) ). Even when I started running 5ks, running anything more than 5k was crazy, and anything over 10k? That was unimaginable! Its just so crazy looking back, as I'm about to start training for my second marathon, that running my first half only a year ago, was this amazing accomplishment for me. I never would have guessed in my wildest dreams, that one day I would finish a marathon, and finish strong. I may have run it slow, but I ran strong. I feel like I can't call myself a Marathon Runner yet, because lots of people do a marathon- the key is for most people, their first marathon is also their last marathon. After this running season though, I think I can officially declare myself a badass runner :)
I may not be fastest, but I'm definitely determined. Speed is something I would like to improve on this year, even if my race times are only slightly faster than the last time I ran the distance, that will be counted as a success. :)
My reflection is over for today. I've got some more vegan things I want to share, so hopefully I'll get to that within the next week. And I'll keep you posted as my training starts for my next marathon.
Wish Me Luck!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Born to Run (#2)
"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, it knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it ill be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're the lion or a gazelle-when the sun comes up, you'd better be running.”
-Christopher McDougall, Born to Run
Okay, NOW the Born to Run title of the posts make sense. And this will tie in with my previous vegan post, which is why they have the same title. They were originally supposed to be in the same entry.
So this book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall is amazing. I just finished reading it. Chris ventures into the heart of the Mexican Copper Canyons and searches out this ancient tribe, the Tarahumara, (the "Running People") who run ultramarathon daily, as a way to travel, compete, have fun etc. They run 30, 50, 100 miles. That's miles not kilometres. That's like 80, 100, 200 km runs. He also interacts with the man they call Caballo Blanco, the White Horse. The only white man ever trusted enough by the Tarahumara to be allowed into their tribe. Long story short, a race is organized by the best ultrarunners in the world against the Tarahumara for the ultimate race. The story is like reading a wild west adventure story. McDougall also includes a lot of research about barefoot running, plant-based diets (nudge nudge..) and running in general.
Bottom line: as humans, we are all born to run.
Remember the Neanderthals and Homo Erectus from my previous post? Okay, so we're going to jump back in time again. Why did we survive while the Neanderthals died out? They were stronger and better hunters than we were, so how did we survive. The answer, running. We were made to run!
In terms of evolution we are closest to chimps (this is all research from the book.. I'm totally going to butcher as I try to explain it here, but I'll do my best. I'm no scientist/anthropologist). Chimps are built to walk. They have no achilles tendon. We do. We are made to run. That elasticity of the achilles tendon is necessary for the springing motion made when we run. There are a bunch of other evolutionary clues that are mentioned in the book, but I'll leave you guys to find them when you read the book!
The coolest evolution thing is what was called persistence hunting.
As this weak skinny early human, how on earth did we catch food? We outran them!! Now every animal pretty much has a beat for speed. But for endurance? We are the rulers of all! Why else do you think we are the only mammal to have marathons and ultra-marathons for fun? See other mammals, even cheetahs, are built for short bursts of speed. They are super fast, but they cool their body down through breathing. Once they've gotten to the point where their bodies have heated up enough that a single breath cannot cool them down? they need to stop. Whereas we cool down by sweating. As long as we keep sweating, we can keep running. In the book, one of the runners accidently takes part in a persistent hunt. They chased an antelope for about two hours, and it dropped dead from heat exhaustion. And then the hunters ran another ten miles to the closest town to get water for the white runner who stopped sweating while on the hunt (this saved his life). Our ancestors (and the Tarahumara) can run any distance (at a pretty fast pace too) at a moment's notice. But as our technology grew, we looked for more and more ways to make everything more efficient and convenient, we lost this aspect of our identity.
We forgot that running used to be fun and enjoyable. Now its become hard, annoying and painful.
These ultrarunners never forgot that. They do it because they enjoy it. There is no glory in ultrarunning, no money, no sponsers. Especially not in the middle of a Mexican desert.
Also, I would like to point out, these Tarahumara runners run barefoot and eat only a plant-based diet!
Now barefoot running isn't my forte, but I definitely respect it. Any runner who has developed into a barefoot runner is virtually injury free. And the research is there to prove it. By putting our feet in fancy running shoes we are distorting the natural way out feet are meant to move, and therefore we "heel strike" and injure our bodies. Common runner's injuries were non-existent until the 70s when Nike invented the first running shoes. Those guys who set those amazing, unbeatable records in the 70s? They wore simple, cheap shoes, and were injury-free for their entire careers. How many modern runners can say that now?
Another thing to point out (then I'm done I swear!!), that not only are the Tarahumara essentially vegan, some of the best athletes in the world are vegan. Ultrarunners, triathletes, body-builders, etc. Vegan diets are not only healthier, so your body performs better, but your recovery time is faster and more efficient, so you can train harder, and you benefit more from your training. Check out Brendan Braizer and his Vega food line. He is a professional triathlete, and his athletic career is amazing.
Also, they discuss the improvement curve for running is awesome. So basically at 19, your performance level (in terms of speed) starts to increase gradually until you peak at 27. Then it slowly starts to decline until you are back at the level you were before, which... is at the age of 64!! So running, is the ONLY SPORT IN THE WORLD where 64 year olds and 19 year olds can compete as equals on the same turf. How awesome is that? As like 80 year olds, the Tarahumara are still out there kicking ass.
As Caballo Blano believes, "we don't stop running because we get old. We get old because we stop running"
So I guess bottom line is that we are all born to run people. Our laziness as a species has distorted what our bodies were made to do. So maybe people like me (and I'm not even the half of it) aren't as crazy as we seem?
Anyways. The book is amazing, I totally recommend that you read it. Especially if you are a runner. It completely motivating, especially in terms of how you mentally approach running. I wanted to read this before I start training for my next marathon (training starts jan 15) and I'm glad it did. I think it will impact how I approach not only my training, but my final race. I will keep you posted. And I encourage all of you to go out for a run and ENJOY IT!!
I hope you enjoyed my various rants. I'm now going to bed as I've been writing for 2.5 hours :)
Night all!
-Christopher McDougall, Born to Run
Okay, NOW the Born to Run title of the posts make sense. And this will tie in with my previous vegan post, which is why they have the same title. They were originally supposed to be in the same entry.
So this book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall is amazing. I just finished reading it. Chris ventures into the heart of the Mexican Copper Canyons and searches out this ancient tribe, the Tarahumara, (the "Running People") who run ultramarathon daily, as a way to travel, compete, have fun etc. They run 30, 50, 100 miles. That's miles not kilometres. That's like 80, 100, 200 km runs. He also interacts with the man they call Caballo Blanco, the White Horse. The only white man ever trusted enough by the Tarahumara to be allowed into their tribe. Long story short, a race is organized by the best ultrarunners in the world against the Tarahumara for the ultimate race. The story is like reading a wild west adventure story. McDougall also includes a lot of research about barefoot running, plant-based diets (nudge nudge..) and running in general.
Bottom line: as humans, we are all born to run.
Remember the Neanderthals and Homo Erectus from my previous post? Okay, so we're going to jump back in time again. Why did we survive while the Neanderthals died out? They were stronger and better hunters than we were, so how did we survive. The answer, running. We were made to run!
In terms of evolution we are closest to chimps (this is all research from the book.. I'm totally going to butcher as I try to explain it here, but I'll do my best. I'm no scientist/anthropologist). Chimps are built to walk. They have no achilles tendon. We do. We are made to run. That elasticity of the achilles tendon is necessary for the springing motion made when we run. There are a bunch of other evolutionary clues that are mentioned in the book, but I'll leave you guys to find them when you read the book!
The coolest evolution thing is what was called persistence hunting.
As this weak skinny early human, how on earth did we catch food? We outran them!! Now every animal pretty much has a beat for speed. But for endurance? We are the rulers of all! Why else do you think we are the only mammal to have marathons and ultra-marathons for fun? See other mammals, even cheetahs, are built for short bursts of speed. They are super fast, but they cool their body down through breathing. Once they've gotten to the point where their bodies have heated up enough that a single breath cannot cool them down? they need to stop. Whereas we cool down by sweating. As long as we keep sweating, we can keep running. In the book, one of the runners accidently takes part in a persistent hunt. They chased an antelope for about two hours, and it dropped dead from heat exhaustion. And then the hunters ran another ten miles to the closest town to get water for the white runner who stopped sweating while on the hunt (this saved his life). Our ancestors (and the Tarahumara) can run any distance (at a pretty fast pace too) at a moment's notice. But as our technology grew, we looked for more and more ways to make everything more efficient and convenient, we lost this aspect of our identity.
We forgot that running used to be fun and enjoyable. Now its become hard, annoying and painful.
These ultrarunners never forgot that. They do it because they enjoy it. There is no glory in ultrarunning, no money, no sponsers. Especially not in the middle of a Mexican desert.
Also, I would like to point out, these Tarahumara runners run barefoot and eat only a plant-based diet!
Now barefoot running isn't my forte, but I definitely respect it. Any runner who has developed into a barefoot runner is virtually injury free. And the research is there to prove it. By putting our feet in fancy running shoes we are distorting the natural way out feet are meant to move, and therefore we "heel strike" and injure our bodies. Common runner's injuries were non-existent until the 70s when Nike invented the first running shoes. Those guys who set those amazing, unbeatable records in the 70s? They wore simple, cheap shoes, and were injury-free for their entire careers. How many modern runners can say that now?
Another thing to point out (then I'm done I swear!!), that not only are the Tarahumara essentially vegan, some of the best athletes in the world are vegan. Ultrarunners, triathletes, body-builders, etc. Vegan diets are not only healthier, so your body performs better, but your recovery time is faster and more efficient, so you can train harder, and you benefit more from your training. Check out Brendan Braizer and his Vega food line. He is a professional triathlete, and his athletic career is amazing.
Also, they discuss the improvement curve for running is awesome. So basically at 19, your performance level (in terms of speed) starts to increase gradually until you peak at 27. Then it slowly starts to decline until you are back at the level you were before, which... is at the age of 64!! So running, is the ONLY SPORT IN THE WORLD where 64 year olds and 19 year olds can compete as equals on the same turf. How awesome is that? As like 80 year olds, the Tarahumara are still out there kicking ass.
As Caballo Blano believes, "we don't stop running because we get old. We get old because we stop running"
So I guess bottom line is that we are all born to run people. Our laziness as a species has distorted what our bodies were made to do. So maybe people like me (and I'm not even the half of it) aren't as crazy as we seem?
Anyways. The book is amazing, I totally recommend that you read it. Especially if you are a runner. It completely motivating, especially in terms of how you mentally approach running. I wanted to read this before I start training for my next marathon (training starts jan 15) and I'm glad it did. I think it will impact how I approach not only my training, but my final race. I will keep you posted. And I encourage all of you to go out for a run and ENJOY IT!!
I hope you enjoyed my various rants. I'm now going to bed as I've been writing for 2.5 hours :)
Night all!
Born to Run
Okay folks, I'm going to lay some serious knowledge on you. Prepare to have your mind blown. Since becoming vegan about 3 months ago, I've been doing some serious reading/documentary-watching about veganism/plant-based diets. Now I am definitely no expert, but I've got some definite wisdom floating around in my brain and I'm dying to share it. When it comes to being vegan I definitely have decent support, and it helps that Nick is completely vegan also. But I feel like people still think I am little nuts, and people either act interested (rarely) or look at me with this skeptical expression that drives me crazy. No, I am not lying to you when I say I love being vegan. And NO, my vegan boyfriend DID NOT "brainwash" me into becoming vegan. I'm also annoyed with questions like "where do you get your calcium?" "how do you get protein?". And statements like "my cousin went vegan/vegetarian and wasted away" or "well we were made to eat meat".
Now the purpose of this post is not to harass or berate you guys. I'm just not down for confronting and arguing with people (unless they say something really really stupid). So this is my harmless way of stating my case. Honestly, the vegan stuff can be hard to grasp, it goes against everything (nutrition-wise) that we've been taught our entire lives. If you're not ready for that, then skip this post. Or just skip down to the running section.
Vegan
So, let's go back. The two early species of humans were Neanderthals and Homo Erectus. Neanderthals were stout, muscular and strong, and they ate a shit-load of meat. Everything they could lay their hands on. Now Homo Erectus (our ancestors) yes, they did eat some meat, but they ate a mostly plant-based diet!!! Those canine, pointy teeth in our mouths? Those are there so we can eat hard fruits and vegetables like carrots, apples, potatoes, etc. There is an activist named Gary Yourofsky and he travels around the US giving lectures about the benefits of vegan diets. He poses some interesting scenarios (his lecture on youtube is actually why I became vegan. I totally recommend it, he's a great speaker). He has bet every class he has spoken to, that if anyone can make these scenarios come true, he will eat a bacon cheesburger. So far, no one has been able to. These tests "prove" we are not meant to eat meat. Number One: all carnivorous mammals can hunt, kill, and eat their prey with their own "two hands"(and eat it RAW, I might add). So, therefore, as mammals, if we were meant to eat meat, we should be able to do the same. Okay, so go out, chase down a squirrel, kill it, and eat it raw. First, can you even catch it? Second, how does your body react to that raw meat? Scenario Number Two: put an apple and a pet rabbit in a crib with a baby. Guaranteed everytime, the baby with play with the rabbit and eat the apple. Hunting instincts are primal, not taught. If we were true carnivores, that baby would instinctively play with the apple and eat the rabbit.
Okay, here comes the ethical part. All vegans become vegans for their own reasons, but ethics and health were my main two. The amount of cruelty all animals involved in factory farming/slaughter houses is unimaginable. This next section might get a little graphic, so I'm giving you a head's up. And I won't go into too much detail, just gloss over some facts, and I'll hit up slaughter houses last. These are descriptions of what happens to animals in "non-lethal" food production: dairy and eggs. First of all, cows. Just like humans, cows only produce milk after giving birth because it is intended for their calves only. Just like our human breast milk is only intended for human babies. We are screwing around in a major way by drinking milk from another mammal. So in order for a cow to constantly be producing milk, it must constantly be pregnant. Cows are RAPED and injected with bull semen so that they will always be pregnant. Male calves are taken from their mothers and killed for veal. Female calves are taken and immediately pumped with antibiotics and hormones in preparation for the time when they will be raped and forced to give milk. None of the milk actually goes to the calves. Cows are intelligent animals, they feel pain, fear, and grief. They are aware that their babies have just been ripped away from them. Not to mention that they are constantly beaten and prodded into submission, and their udders are extremely sore and infected from constantly being attached to mechanical pumps (ladies: think about that happening to your breasts, and having your baby stolen from you right after childbirth). Chickens are kept in cages so small they can't spread their wings. And since they constantly peck at each other and their captors, their beaks are seared off so that they do not try and fight for freedom. Plus an egg, is essentially a hen's period. Its an unfertilized egg. Think about it. Slaughterhouses are even worse. The animals know what is happening. They are beaten and pulled with hooks when they try to resist. Baby pigs are beaten and thrown against cement walls when they won't stop crying for their mothers. Babies are treated like this. The animals are hung upside down and sliced open. They are dropped in burning water, their insides pulled out and their limbs chopped off while they are still alive.
Would you want your dog, your cat, your horse, to go through this? No? So why is it okay for cows and pigs to be tortured, raped, and killed?
And now for the health portion. Eating fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains provides you with EVERY NUTRIENT AND MINERAL YOUR BODY NEEDS! All these foods have an abundance of calcium and protein. The people who "waste away" on plant-based diets do so because they are still not eating properly. They eat white breads and processed foods. Same with iron. I have textbook perfect iron levels and while I've only been vegan for 3 months, I've been vegetarian for over 2 years. Actually, animal protein/by-products is harmful to us because it's so acidic. So to compensate, our body leeches phosphate from our bones, therefore over time making our bones increasingly weak. All that crap about drinking x number of glasses of milk a day to prevent osteoporosis? Actually making the problem worse!! Actually tons of research worldwide has demonstrated that the rural areas in countries like China, parts of Africa, etc. that consume little to none animal by-products are virtually disease free! And not only osteoporosis, but cancer, heart disease, obesity, hyptertension and diabetes (amoung others). Read The China Study, or watch the documentaries Food Matters or Forks Over Knives if you don't believe me. One doctor, actually took patients who were diagnosed with fatal heart disease and multiple bypass surgeries, and gave them all a plant based diet and after 5 years, their diseases not only stopped progressing, but regressed as well! This began in the 1980s, and today 8 out of the original 24 participants are still alive and healthy today. Including one woman, who was given less than a year to live because of her heart disease (this prognosis was given in 1985)... AND SHE IS STILL ALIVE WITH NO HEALTH PROBLEMS. This method has also been proven successful in curing cancer patients. One woman, a marathoner, was 47 when diagnosed with breast cancer. Instead of poisoning herself with radiation and chemo, she (on the advice of a different doctor) adopted a completely vegan lifestyle, and simultaneously began training for her first Ironman triathlon where she won a gold medal in her age category. She is also still alive today and is running marathons and triathlons IN HER SEVENTIES! (All this athletic stuff will tie back in for part 2: running :) ) Its incredible. Did you know that its impossible to have high cholesterol on a vegan diet? ALL BAD CHOLESTEROL COMES FROM ANIMAL BY-PRODUCTS!
Besides these physical health benefits, your hormones are balanced. Cows and pigs are pumped full of antibiotics and hormones so keep them "healthy" and to make them grow faster and larger. So all of those are then transferred to our bodies when we consume those products. Not only that, but just like us, these animals have a rush of hormones when they are scared and in pain, so we also receive doses of those hormones when we eat.
Personal Experience: All my life I have been plagued by headaches and consistent (though not terrible) acne, and some mood swings. Since being vegan my moods have stablilized, my headaches have subsided in their intensity, and slowly but surely, my skin is clearing up. I have not had completely clear skin since I was 12 years old. I have also lost weight and now feel constantly happy and healthy. My body feels clean. I know we all think we feel healthy, but how many of us feel cleansed and clean? We've all had that feeling where your like ugghhh shouldn't have eaten that. On a vegan diet? Doesn't happen. Because there is nothing that we shouldn't have eaten. And trust me (or ask my friends and family) vegan food is amazing. You cannot taste a difference, and because of the amount of substitutes for milk, cheese, and meat that are out there, you can recreate any of your favourite meals/foods.
There you go. Are your minds blown?
Message me if you want places to look for more info. I just want a chance to educate anyone who is curious. I also plan on writing a section on Running, which will require a separate post, as this one turned out to be much longer than I anticipated. :)
Also to any of you who are still reading at this point, thank you for sticking it through. I'm not asking you guys to change your lifestyle, but maybe just be a little more open-minded. And if you run into me, I would love to talk more about it.
Now the purpose of this post is not to harass or berate you guys. I'm just not down for confronting and arguing with people (unless they say something really really stupid). So this is my harmless way of stating my case. Honestly, the vegan stuff can be hard to grasp, it goes against everything (nutrition-wise) that we've been taught our entire lives. If you're not ready for that, then skip this post. Or just skip down to the running section.
Vegan
So, let's go back. The two early species of humans were Neanderthals and Homo Erectus. Neanderthals were stout, muscular and strong, and they ate a shit-load of meat. Everything they could lay their hands on. Now Homo Erectus (our ancestors) yes, they did eat some meat, but they ate a mostly plant-based diet!!! Those canine, pointy teeth in our mouths? Those are there so we can eat hard fruits and vegetables like carrots, apples, potatoes, etc. There is an activist named Gary Yourofsky and he travels around the US giving lectures about the benefits of vegan diets. He poses some interesting scenarios (his lecture on youtube is actually why I became vegan. I totally recommend it, he's a great speaker). He has bet every class he has spoken to, that if anyone can make these scenarios come true, he will eat a bacon cheesburger. So far, no one has been able to. These tests "prove" we are not meant to eat meat. Number One: all carnivorous mammals can hunt, kill, and eat their prey with their own "two hands"(and eat it RAW, I might add). So, therefore, as mammals, if we were meant to eat meat, we should be able to do the same. Okay, so go out, chase down a squirrel, kill it, and eat it raw. First, can you even catch it? Second, how does your body react to that raw meat? Scenario Number Two: put an apple and a pet rabbit in a crib with a baby. Guaranteed everytime, the baby with play with the rabbit and eat the apple. Hunting instincts are primal, not taught. If we were true carnivores, that baby would instinctively play with the apple and eat the rabbit.
Okay, here comes the ethical part. All vegans become vegans for their own reasons, but ethics and health were my main two. The amount of cruelty all animals involved in factory farming/slaughter houses is unimaginable. This next section might get a little graphic, so I'm giving you a head's up. And I won't go into too much detail, just gloss over some facts, and I'll hit up slaughter houses last. These are descriptions of what happens to animals in "non-lethal" food production: dairy and eggs. First of all, cows. Just like humans, cows only produce milk after giving birth because it is intended for their calves only. Just like our human breast milk is only intended for human babies. We are screwing around in a major way by drinking milk from another mammal. So in order for a cow to constantly be producing milk, it must constantly be pregnant. Cows are RAPED and injected with bull semen so that they will always be pregnant. Male calves are taken from their mothers and killed for veal. Female calves are taken and immediately pumped with antibiotics and hormones in preparation for the time when they will be raped and forced to give milk. None of the milk actually goes to the calves. Cows are intelligent animals, they feel pain, fear, and grief. They are aware that their babies have just been ripped away from them. Not to mention that they are constantly beaten and prodded into submission, and their udders are extremely sore and infected from constantly being attached to mechanical pumps (ladies: think about that happening to your breasts, and having your baby stolen from you right after childbirth). Chickens are kept in cages so small they can't spread their wings. And since they constantly peck at each other and their captors, their beaks are seared off so that they do not try and fight for freedom. Plus an egg, is essentially a hen's period. Its an unfertilized egg. Think about it. Slaughterhouses are even worse. The animals know what is happening. They are beaten and pulled with hooks when they try to resist. Baby pigs are beaten and thrown against cement walls when they won't stop crying for their mothers. Babies are treated like this. The animals are hung upside down and sliced open. They are dropped in burning water, their insides pulled out and their limbs chopped off while they are still alive.
Would you want your dog, your cat, your horse, to go through this? No? So why is it okay for cows and pigs to be tortured, raped, and killed?
And now for the health portion. Eating fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains provides you with EVERY NUTRIENT AND MINERAL YOUR BODY NEEDS! All these foods have an abundance of calcium and protein. The people who "waste away" on plant-based diets do so because they are still not eating properly. They eat white breads and processed foods. Same with iron. I have textbook perfect iron levels and while I've only been vegan for 3 months, I've been vegetarian for over 2 years. Actually, animal protein/by-products is harmful to us because it's so acidic. So to compensate, our body leeches phosphate from our bones, therefore over time making our bones increasingly weak. All that crap about drinking x number of glasses of milk a day to prevent osteoporosis? Actually making the problem worse!! Actually tons of research worldwide has demonstrated that the rural areas in countries like China, parts of Africa, etc. that consume little to none animal by-products are virtually disease free! And not only osteoporosis, but cancer, heart disease, obesity, hyptertension and diabetes (amoung others). Read The China Study, or watch the documentaries Food Matters or Forks Over Knives if you don't believe me. One doctor, actually took patients who were diagnosed with fatal heart disease and multiple bypass surgeries, and gave them all a plant based diet and after 5 years, their diseases not only stopped progressing, but regressed as well! This began in the 1980s, and today 8 out of the original 24 participants are still alive and healthy today. Including one woman, who was given less than a year to live because of her heart disease (this prognosis was given in 1985)... AND SHE IS STILL ALIVE WITH NO HEALTH PROBLEMS. This method has also been proven successful in curing cancer patients. One woman, a marathoner, was 47 when diagnosed with breast cancer. Instead of poisoning herself with radiation and chemo, she (on the advice of a different doctor) adopted a completely vegan lifestyle, and simultaneously began training for her first Ironman triathlon where she won a gold medal in her age category. She is also still alive today and is running marathons and triathlons IN HER SEVENTIES! (All this athletic stuff will tie back in for part 2: running :) ) Its incredible. Did you know that its impossible to have high cholesterol on a vegan diet? ALL BAD CHOLESTEROL COMES FROM ANIMAL BY-PRODUCTS!
Besides these physical health benefits, your hormones are balanced. Cows and pigs are pumped full of antibiotics and hormones so keep them "healthy" and to make them grow faster and larger. So all of those are then transferred to our bodies when we consume those products. Not only that, but just like us, these animals have a rush of hormones when they are scared and in pain, so we also receive doses of those hormones when we eat.
Personal Experience: All my life I have been plagued by headaches and consistent (though not terrible) acne, and some mood swings. Since being vegan my moods have stablilized, my headaches have subsided in their intensity, and slowly but surely, my skin is clearing up. I have not had completely clear skin since I was 12 years old. I have also lost weight and now feel constantly happy and healthy. My body feels clean. I know we all think we feel healthy, but how many of us feel cleansed and clean? We've all had that feeling where your like ugghhh shouldn't have eaten that. On a vegan diet? Doesn't happen. Because there is nothing that we shouldn't have eaten. And trust me (or ask my friends and family) vegan food is amazing. You cannot taste a difference, and because of the amount of substitutes for milk, cheese, and meat that are out there, you can recreate any of your favourite meals/foods.
There you go. Are your minds blown?
Message me if you want places to look for more info. I just want a chance to educate anyone who is curious. I also plan on writing a section on Running, which will require a separate post, as this one turned out to be much longer than I anticipated. :)
Also to any of you who are still reading at this point, thank you for sticking it through. I'm not asking you guys to change your lifestyle, but maybe just be a little more open-minded. And if you run into me, I would love to talk more about it.
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