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!

distance: 15.80M (25.28km)
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.com
______________________________________
the Great Tim Horton’s Roll Up The Rim Tally – hoodie 5 : Tim Horton’s 12 ______________________________________
distance: 7.64M (12.22km)
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:

tomorrow I’m off to the Toronto bike show! update to come.
______________________________________
the Great Tim Horton’s Roll Up The Rim Tally – hoodie 5 : Tim Horton’s 11 ______________________________________
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…
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.
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:

______________________________________
the Great Tim Horton’s Roll Up The Rim Tally – hoodie 5 : Tim Horton’s 10 ______________________________________
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)
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.
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!
______________________________________
the Great Tim Horton’s Roll Up The Rim Tally – hoodie 5 : Tim Horton’s 9 ______________________________________
it’s gorgeous out! sunny and warm! it got me thinking about warm weather running attire and I want to know: how do you feel about running skirts?? email me at hoodieruns@gmail.com with your comments.check out the elites in skirts at the 2008 ING Ottawa Marathon (and the cutest running mantra ever: “I can do it!”)
______________________________________
the Great Tim Horton’s Roll Up The Rim Tally – hoodie 5 : Tim Horton’s 7 (not too shabby! 5 wins in 12 cups!!)
______________________________________
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…
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
______________________________________
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…
______________________________________
the Great Tim Horton’s Roll Up The Rim Tally – hoodie 3 : Tim Horton’s 5
______________________________________
>> 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
time: 50mins
______________________________________
the Great Tim Horton’s Roll Up The Rim Tally – hoodie 2 : Tim Horton’s 1
______________________________________
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 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.)
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!

hoodie – and her shoes




