Monday, March 16th, 2009
saturday @ the bike showthe bike show was great – it’s a good feeling, being able to support Canadian vendors. I bought my first road bike last summer and needed a couple accessories. I also want to get out cycling more this summer and was hoping to maybe sign up for an event. there were so many races/causes to choose from so I’m taking my time and going to pick a few duathalons to do this summer with LM. I was a good girl and only purchased 2 tubes, a water bottle rack, and a little seat mounted bag to store an emergency kit in. KB and KB gifted me with my very own tire changer tool – merci beaucoup!
here are a couple blurry pics for your enjoyment (I had a wee bit of a hangover and shakes problem):
the one on the bottom is of the bike (the blue one) I want ’someday’ assuming I actually like the duathalon experiences I’m planning. but, as KB pointed out, I could just get aero bars for my bike…
sunday long run
distance: 15.80M (25.28km)
time: 2:51:59
pace: 10:53/M
calories: 1826
notes: this was a good run. ME and I did a similar route to last week’s long run. it was gorgeous out and it was nice to not need my run jacket. saw lots of other runners out too and many waves and hello’s were exchanged. I felt I could have pushed it to maybe 17 or 18 miles (27-32km) but it was nice not to be in a delirious, exhausted, crampy haze by the time I reached the doorstep. I managed to get a wee bit of a sunburn (thank you freckly, fair skin). we tried
sport beans and I really liked them. they were much more tolerable than gels and they come in caffeinated versions too. I think for my marathon, I’m going to do a combination of gel and sport beans. neither seems to upset my tummy too much. ran in my Nikes. I think the pressure point thingy in them at the ball of my foot might be causing some of my feet issues. for the last few runs I’ve been on, both long and short, my feet have been very sore, almost bruised feeling, afterwards. I thought it might have been plantar fasciitis and I’ve been rolling my foot with a golf ball at work. that helped the tendons but now there’s this weird bruised feeling right below the pad below my little toe. it doesn’t hurt when I walk or run, just afterwards feels bruised. ideas anyone?
hoodieruns@gmail.comCBD – thank you for your comment about the squares! I did bake them in a 9×13 but stored them in a 9×9 plastic container. my bars were lovely and chewy but so fulling that I cut them a bit smaller than bar size. do you havve the nutritional info for your version? mind sending the info to me at
hoodieruns@gmail.com? do you have any other receipes runners might enjoy that I can feature and properly credit you for?? :o)
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the Great Tim Horton’s Roll Up The Rim Tally – hoodie 5 : Tim Horton’s 12 ______________________________________
Friday, March 13th, 2009
distance: 7.64M (12.22km)
time: 1:17:23
pace: 10:08/M
calories: 871
notes: ran the Grand River Trail by Grey Silo Golf Course (very pretty btw). it was lovely! on the way out the sun was shining and on the way back in the sky was exploding in beautiful pinks, oranges and purples as the sun set. as much as the sunset was gorgeous, the highlight of my run was getting dirty! that’s right! I found mud! (even in this freezing cold!)And here’s the evidence to prove it:
exhibit A
exhibit C
I’m starting to feel more confident about
Around the Bay since I’m getting more quality distance runs in again. I need to get a special t-shirt made for Around the Bay b/c I’m going to run ATB for a very special little guy who is remembered with much love.
tomorrow I’m off to the
Toronto bike show! update to come.
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the Great Tim Horton’s Roll Up The Rim Tally – hoodie 5 : Tim Horton’s 11 ______________________________________
Thursday, March 12th, 2009
I figured out my caloric needs using the formula
iRun printed in the most recent issue. according to that calculator, I need about 1500 calories/day when I’m not running and more like 1700-1800 when I am running. I’ve been tracking my calories using
eatracker.ca and wow do they ever add up quickly! the formula also gave my math skills (ha!) a workout. so lesson learned about calories: keep a better record of what you eat and get out running consistently!
speaking of consistent…
wednesday evening run – in daylight! woo hoo!
distance: 3.74M (almost 6km)
time: 34:56
calories: 300-ish (I forgot to look…)
pace: uh… again those math skills… erm… 9:10/M??? almost 6:00/km??? man I should have checked garmy before this post.
notes: I. felt. awesome. it was just my regular loop around the outside of the neighbourhood but it felt new and fresh and I felt great. no plantar fasc. pain, no knee pain, no IT pain, I was warm and toasty (except a couple of blocks spent running into the 40/kmh gusts) and I was running solo. ME had hockey and I was late getting out of the office so he had a plate of steaming pasta ready for me. it was bliss – thanks ME! I’m grateful you look after me! last night was a Good Run.
so to the running skirt debate.suprisingly, it was the ladies that were most vocal about running skirts. the majority of you felt that running skirts were absolutely acceptable and kudos to the ladies wear them and look (and feel!) great. a few of you did say that you wouldn’t be caught running in one for several different reasons :o)the boys were generally in favour of the skirts, one commented that he has worn a skirt in a race before (a kilt) and it was a “great experience” and one pointed me to
The Skirt Chaser 5K Race Series where the girls are beating the guys. Does anyone know of a similar event in Ontario? so, in the end, the running skirt debate really wasn’t a debate at all!
I’ve got another new favourite running web site – WARNING: the following has running clothes related info so if you’ve a “problem” i.e. you buy way too many running related accoutrements… STOP HERE!
I love love love
Dirty Runner togs! the prints are awesome and I always feel a bit tougher running in their dirty girls run gear! their prices are good and they are Canadian. and the trail race advertised on their splash… I’m seriously considering entering. will keep you posted.
dirty runner sneak peak:
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the Great Tim Horton’s Roll Up The Rim Tally – hoodie 5 : Tim Horton’s 10 ______________________________________
Tuesday, March 10th, 2009
weekend long run completed! that’s right! you heard it here first – I actually got a long run done this weekend!
distance: 13.1M (20.96km)
time: 2:17:30-something
avg pace: 10:30-something/M
calories: 1500(all stats courtesy of my Garmin, however I forgot to write everything down for my blog and now I don’t have Garmy right here to double check everything)
notes: I felt fantastic for the first 9M and then the edges started to fray. given the week I’ve had, the pain was a good thing. just needed to know that I was still alive, could still feel pain and that
running still makes me happy. all the stablizing muscles for my L ankle are sore and were still sore monday night when I ran again. so some cramping in that leg and minor overall discomfort. it hurt more at the time but now looking back on it all it’s started to fade and I’m jonesing for another run!the weather started out grey but deteriorated to rain over the course of the run. by the time I got home I was soaked through and frozen solid! much colder than I’d ever been on our -15 runs!
note the boots in this picture – I was so cold I couldn’t keep my shoes on any longer and grabbed these… I swear
this type of boot is the ugliest type of boot ever, but man those suckers are warm! (side note: my lips were as blue as my coat… picture just does not capture the full extent of my frigidness)before the run, I ate one of my protein bars (see: my post about my protein bars here >
http://www.irun.ca/blog/index.php/bad-running-week-and-weekend/) and a whole grain bagel with pb and honey. no stomach/bathroom issues on the run and with all those complex carbs, I had lots of energy. on the run I ate a
Carb Boom gel (cherry chocolate flavour) and water.ran a really great course which incorporated part of my
marathon course – egads! that’s only 6 weeks away! got to see lots of the Grand River and run up and down lots of small-ish hills.
regular run
distance: 3M +/- a bit because I kept pressing the stop button on the hamster wheel.
time: 38 mins
pace: unknown – I was walking and running depending on how my legs felt
calories: estimated 200
notes: legs were sore so I took it easy, taking my time to warm up and then trotting to jogging to running and back.
ended up sleeping through my soccer game last night. I think I needed the recovery time, so let’s call it sleep well earned but – I would like to express my sincere apologies to my soccer team for not being a team player.
there’s a hot debate going on about running skirts! > email me your comments!
hoodieruns@gmail.com and get in on the fight!
and don’t forget to send the 5K suggestions!
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the Great Tim Horton’s Roll Up The Rim Tally – hoodie 5 : Tim Horton’s 9 ______________________________________
by wednesday afternoon, this week, I was fighting the first cold I’ve had since November. this is a feat for me. the last couple years I’ve had multiple colds a year and this year, with regular running I’ve avoided colds for the most part. over the last few weeks my running slumped a bit and my health has slumped too. it’s good motivation to get me back out there and the legs seem to have finally recovered from monday’s abusive workout. P90x – you’re a tough master. I’ve learned by lesson and I’m going to refocus on running, core strength and upper body strenght training but mostly running between now and the marathon.
I need a nice 5K to make me feel fleet of foot again > send me your race suggestions
hoodieruns@gmail.com!
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the Great Tim Horton’s Roll Up The Rim Tally – hoodie 5 : Tim Horton’s 7 (not too shabby! 5 wins in 12 cups!!)
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Wednesday, March 4th, 2009
is it just me or do hydration belts defy gravity in the most impossible and annoying ways? no matter how tight I cinch my hydration belt or where I put it on my waist or hips, it invariably ends up banging around somewhere between my hips and my rib cage (luckily there are a couple fatty masses that keep it from hiking up to my armpits). during a recent long run I had an epiphany: wear a hydration pack. I rummaged around until I found my backpack with it’s handy dandy bladder and filled up that sucker. worked like a charm. it also enables me to bring snacks, keys, phone, $ and a camera comfortably. so pooh pooh to you anti-gravity hydration belts. now there is a new danger to watch out for: really heavy hydration packs… I’m not a light packer…
running>> erm, so I’m bad. I didn’t get my 5M in on monday or tuesday. but, I did get 40mins of high output soccer on monday night. I was marking a guy for most of my playing time so I pushed myself to the point of almost getting sick twice. so I’m counting that as my speedwork for
this week.
>> monday’s run, 5M, is on deck for tonight. (I even brought some supper to work so I can eat at work and be out running shortly after getting home.)
x-training
monday: gym – P90x legs and backtuesday: volleyball (my legs hurt so much that ME had to swing them into bed for me and tuck me in)wednesday: gym – P90x arms and a tinsy bit of abs (did I mention my legs hurt?)
scale wednesday: doesn’t reflect all the activity I’ve been doing. grrr.
today’s mini goal: drink 2L of water to help fight this cold and curb vending machine runs (they aren’t the healthy kind of runs)
and hey! did you know that you probably push yourself harder on the hamster wheel than the evil ski machine but they both get you fit? read about it here:
Jockology at The Globe and Mail______________________________________
the Great Tim Horton’s Roll Up The Rim Tally – hoodie 4 : Tim Horton’s 6
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Monday, March 2nd, 2009
ran Wednesday last week. one day. that’s it. played 50 mins of soccer and 50 mins of hockey. made it to the gym twice (?) to do abs and some cardio. definitely not a good running week or weekend. bailed on the long run b/c of stomach issues but didn’t even get the bike ride done (indoors) that I’d planned as a replacement. feeling a bit disappointed with myself. there’s a 5M on the schedule tonight as well as an 11pm soccer game. getting those done will boost me back up I think.
made it to the gym this morning. LM and I did the P90X legs and back workout this morning. it was good but a whole lot of lunges! had to trot back across the parking lots afterwards and the legs were already heavy. the classic sign of a good leg work out. the run tonight might be interesting.
this weekend I finally got the grocery shopping done and finally had the ingredients on hand to make protein bars. I’m pretty proud of them. they turned out quite well and are yummier than the store bought ones. overall I’d give these 4 out of 5 stars b/c I control the ingredients and they don’t taste remotely of cardboard. ingredient highlights (
email me if you want the full recipe to try): eggs, protein powder, almond butter, peanut butter, chocolate chips, flax seed, wheat germ, rolled oats, yogurt, apple juice and cream cheese. pretty eclectic! here’s the end product:
one last item of note. my cat loves it when ME comes home from his run and has sweaty feet. she rolls in his sweaty foot prints on the hardwood. it’s pretty funny watching her follow him around but also really gross…
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the Great Tim Horton’s Roll Up The Rim Tally – hoodie 3 : Tim Horton’s 5
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Thursday, February 26th, 2009
>> crammed in a quick run over lunch yesterday. wasn’t as long as I’d hoped it to be but I’ll take what I can get.
time: 20:11
distance: 2.15M (3.44km)
pace: 9:23/M (5:53/km)
calories: 243
run notes: the evil left knee pain has returned. it’s my own fault, I’ve been neglecting my foam roller the last month and now my IT band is calling me on it. tonight, after beer and wings, I’ll spend some serious quality time with my foam roller and we can be friends again. IT band hates the foam roller parties but I run much better for them.
>> cross-training – played indoor soccer last night. it was a loss but on the plus side, there were no subs for the girls so I played the full game.
time: 50mins
goals scored: 0
effort level (scale of 1-10, w/ 10 being highest effort): 7
cross-training notes: knee didn’t protest much, if at all. I didn’t warm up, I didn’t stretch, basically I did everything wrong and yet, my knee wasn’t complaining. I don’t understand it. I had a good game, although I didn’t play as well has I have for the last couple weeks. made a few amateur mistakes on defense but made some good runs to help out on offense.
>> since readers can’t leave comments right now, I’ve created an email address you can contact me at to leave comments and ask questions:
hoodieruns@gmail.com. please drop me a line and I’ll address questions and topics as they come up.
>> it’s beautifully warm out there (well, at least here in Southwestern Ontario) so get out and run today and tell about it! happy running.
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the Great Tim Horton’s Roll Up The Rim Tally – hoodie 2 : Tim Horton’s 1
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Wednesday, February 25th, 2009
there’s a knot in my tummy > holy smokes! little hoodieruns is on a much larger stage now! just a tiny bit nervous… but hey! hi everybody!
there’s a knot in my right shoulder > it manifested itself about 10 seconds after the chiro said my shoulders were great. I’m pretty sure it’s caused by the insanity of the 401… or maybe the fact that I’m slouching in my chair… or probably it’s caused by weight of having such a beautiful head on top of these shoulders (ha!)… or it’s a sympathy knot for the above knot…
there’s the knots in my shoes > I’ve re-learned how to tie my shoes. the bow ends are supposed to lie straight across the top, parallel to the ground. if your bow ends point anywhere than away from your shoes, yer doin’ it wrong. try wrapping the other direction from what you normally do when you’re doing the last bow. (the fox should chase the bunny the other way around the tree.)
running news
upcoming races –
Around the Bay, 29 March;
Waterloo Marathon, 26 April.
erm… yeah, I missed my 6 miler from Monday. tonight. it’ll be completed. and you’ll get to read all about it!
I want to say a huge thank you to Claire of Claire K Photography (
http://www.clairekphotography.ca/) for taking my headshots and some additional fun pictures. Claire – you are the best! your pics are snazzy!
hoodie – crunched in a ball
hoodie – wearing a hoodie
and finally my favourite:
Monday, February 23rd, 2009
As a technical writer, Laura renewed her interest in running to “conquer the bulge and regain the energy and focus I used to have when being very active.” A seasoned blogger at hoodieruns.blogspot.com, she writes about everything from running to knitting, nutrition and the “hamster wheel (aka the treadmill!).” Laura’s goals include running a marathon before her 25th birthday and attaining new 5k PR, and she blogs to stay motivated. “My reasoning was that if anyone and everyone, including loved ones, could read about how many runs I missed it would become pretty embarrassing and I’d be motivated to get out and run,” she says. From the looks of her workout reports, it seems to be working!
hoodieruns 
