It's genetic.

After the exhilaration that was the first race of the year last Sunday, I dove into the swag bag and pulled out the iRun magazine. Love it.  For some reason, I was the only one out of the five of us who had the magazine in the bag.  Strange, I thought, but now I know it was KARMA. 

I've been cursing The Running Room because they never put my favourite $179 running shoes on sale and I can't find them anywhere else locally.  This, I might add, is just one of a long list of reasons I curse The Running Room close to me.  My plan was to cross-border shop next month when we're heading to sunny Florida for a few days, (St. Pete's or Boca?  Boca or St. Petes?  Or Lauderdale?) because they sell there for $129 (even though the Canadian dollar is currently worth more than the Mairkan dollar).

Then lo and behold, and I may be getting to the point now, iRun advertised my very shoe, to be delivered to my door, for $129.  I'm talking about these guys:

http://www.razorsports.ca/ in case I linked it wrong.



Yes, we have the cutest
doorbell ever.
http://www.doorbellfactory.com/

 



I ordered them up and they promised to come to me in 2-3 weeks. Those Americans may be used to such fabulous service options, but I'm not. Two DAYS later,  "Bing Bong".  It was my favourite Purolator man, with a package for me.

Right

on,

buddy!

These are Brooks Glycerins.  They're not just any shoe.  They've got DNA technology, baby.  That's science!  That's zero blisters, zero chafing, zero sore spots in almost 400 miles on my first pair.  I'm even overlooking the pink details in favour of no black toenails.

Going to try out my new kicks at the Game of Life 10k tomorrow. Surely the joy of wearing new genetically engineered shoes will get me a PR.  Wait a minute...is that a Running Room event?   D'oh!

Faith n' Begorrah n' Chili n' Beer

I did not want to run today's Achilles St. Patrick's Day 5k.  I've been a total wuss in my running life lately -- too much working, too much rain, too little mojo.  I've missed most weekday runs and my weekenders were less than stellar.  I thought an easy 5-miler yesterday would be a good way to boost my confidence, but I had a very tough time with no handy excuses -- the weather was perfect and the sidewalks were clear.  I was worried this run would be just as bad and I would be put off running for good by demonstrating publicly how much speed I've lost.

But we went anyway.  We were doing the race with our friends, which is always fun and motivating -- Tim, who's been in many of my race recaps; Mel who ran the Hamilton Half with us and, appearing for the first time as a runner, Mel's husband Steve.  You may remember back to this post, where Steve looked out for the dead bodies being pulled out of Lake Ontario while the rest of us were too busy trying to breathe to notice.

My hand isn't really that big.

The race was run downtown, starting and finishing at the Steam Whistle Brewery.  Lots of expensive parking close by, indoor waiting area, vibrant green tech tees (they are excused for this due to the mandatory vibrancy of the Irish this time of year) and matching gloves, which I was very thankful for since it was a little cold and windy.

The race started right on time, but the starting area was chaos.  They reported having 1800 people signed up and made no request for the walkers to start at the back of the swarm.  So there they were, walking 10 abreast, arm in arm, wearing jeans and backpacks, laughing and chatting away as runners tried to get around.  It took me about a half mile to be free to them.



Can a mascot be a stalker?
This guy's at every race!
Still don't know what he is.


But that was my only complaint.  After that, I felt like I was flying.  It's nice to have so many people to pass!  My splits:

Mile 1:  10:59 -- see above + undone shoelace
Mile 2:  9:43 -- nice!
Mile 3:  10:13 -- no more downhills, apparently.
Mile 0.13:  7:34 pace -- booked it!  Didn't start the sprint until I saw the finish line this time.  Can't believe people can do whole races at this pace. Or even whole miles.

Chip time:  31m51s, 72/179 age group, 369/929 women (I've NEVER been in the top half before, so maybe all those walkers are a good thing.)

So I'm back to where I was before!  Woohoo!  Not a PR, but pretty close.  Not smashing my 2011 under 30 minute goal, but closer than I thought. 

Phil and Tim were way ahead of me; don't think either had a PR but still awe-inspiringly fast to me.  Steve and Mel came in shortly after and both had PRs.  Way to go!

Then into the cozy warm Brewery for Irish chili (beef or vegetarian) with bun and Steam Whistle Beer, all before noon on a Sunday.  Very nice.

Next up:  Harry's Spring Run-Off 8k  in High Park on April 2.  Hill training starts tomorrow.

Update:  Someone turned the internet back on and I've signed us up for a 10K in the Beaches next weekend.  The fever is back!

Take my credit card. Please.

Things are getting nutty around here.  I've just signed up for 9 races and have 5 registrations pending. Somehow, in discussing the schedule with Phil, it seemed like a good idea to shoot for the Midsummer Nights Run 30K in August.  Post registration, I'm not so sure. Someone turn the internet off before I do more damage!

Work sure gets in the way of living.

Wow. I've been totally consumed the past month with opening up the new midwifery practice.  I just have to share our practice's logo cuz I think it's too cute:

Otherwise, I've been spending far too much time doing work on the computer (which makes blog entries just another chore) and no time seeing pregnant women and their babies. It all changes this week though as the paperwork, accounting and computer system set up should be pretty much in place.  We officially opened up last Monday, just by posting our phone number, and have already filled most of the spots we had.  Nice problem to have.

I've been slacking in the running department, and have only been able to get in a few longish runs.  I've been keeping up with bootcamp though, and trying to give it all I've got when I'm there, so hopefully I haven't lost too much fitness.  Training for the Toronto Women's Half Marathon (May 29) starts this week.  I'm using a plan from an old Women's Running magazine, so hopefully can rack up a PR.

Off to catch up on about a billion blogs.  Have a great weekend -- hope it's a long one for you too.

Stylish? You bet. That's me.

I'm officially the last person on the internet to be awarded the Stylish Blogger honour (thanks, Running Lawyer), but seem to be having some trouble downloading the icon.  I'm sure you've seen it everywhere else though.  Here's seven things about me you NEED to know:



Not really ours -- neighbourhood peer
pressure demands the gray garbage bin
be smaller than the blue recycler.

 1.  I have an unnatural fondness for our city garbage/recycling system and for my personal household set up.  Everything is on wheels and has a special spot in the garage for easy access.  I read the special calendar from cover to cover.  Our garbageman sanitation engineer waves at us every week and gets a very nice Christmas bonus.



The grossest one for sure,
but even the organic waste is manageable.



2.  Perhaps related to (1.), I am the opposite of a hoarder.  I am not sentimental about stuff.  I put my wedding gown in the Goodwill donation box.  My sisters bring their childhood stuff to my house because they know I can dispose of it without guilt.  Needless to say, this does not apply to race medals.

3.  And yet, I never miss an episode of "Hoarders" or "Hoarding: Life Under the Pile of Crap" or whatever it's called.  I've also never had a weight problem (5lb here or there) but LOVE the new reality show "Heavy".

4.  My brother is a physics nerd and teaches at our local high school.  My son, Sam, is in his Grade 9 homeroom and science class.  Apparently, the Toronto District School Board does not consider this a conflict of interest.  Parent-teacher interviews are interesting.  Should anything under an A+ be acceptable?  I got my brother an extra present at Christmas this year.  I'm trying to think of something nice for St. Patrick's Day too.

5.  I hate bananas but love banana flavour.

6.  I go to NYC every year with my sisters and niece.  My new tradition is to get a picture with Batman in Times Square. 



2009



2010. He did lift me up again,but I like
this picture better 'cuz I look like a little
girl meeting Cinderella at Disney World. 


 



7.  I love my midwife job, and I love babies, and I loved my boy babies in particular, but if I had to go back to taking care of a newborn 24/7, I don't think I'd make it through a week.





Like I said earlier, I am the last to receive this award, so can't find anyone else on the internet to tag.  Spoil sport, I know.  Go ahead and tell us 7 things if you want!

Back at it.



Looking forward to spending my day doing this sort of thing. 
Best part is always the feet sticking out of the sling scale.

 Vacation is certainly over.  Lots of meetings and sourcing and e-mails about the new practice I'm starting (expecting the babies to start rolling in by May/June).  No more sleeping all night every night and no more "I'll be there for sure" lunch dates once that starts happening.  Good thing I like my job so much! 

I have been hitting my runs planned, though I've moved some of them inside.  I can take cold, but not wind and slush, unless I'm getting a medal at the end.   Bootcamp starts again tonight too and I'm seriously looking forward to all those burpees and Turkish get-ups.  I promise, they're harder than they look.

Boxing Day 10 miler report and 2011 goals

Yah, I'm a little behind here.  We left for skiing after the race and the wifi was less than optimal at the resort.  I absolutely did not have patience for the slow connection during this vacation because there was so much other stuff to do once the lifts closed -- sitting on the couch watching lurid American ads, for example.  Really?  Penile enhancement TV commercials?  I didn't know what I was missing north of the border.

The second half of the Boxing Day 10 miler in Hamilton was brutal ... don't let Marlene or Cynthia fool you.  I did manage a 13 minute PR (I knew it would be so much better than Acura) but absolutely sucked wind going up the mountain. I had hoped to finish under 1:50 and really really really wanted 1:45 but managed 1:52:20.  I bow to those hills and to those who can run them.  Phil rocked a one second PR for 1:26:xx. 

The snowman mittens are quite cool and the medal may be my new favourite.

We drove partway to Vermont that evening, staying in Belleville using Phil's Marriott points, like we usually do.  Then 5 more hours drive to Smugglers' Notch Resort the next day.  If you're looking for a northeast family ski place, this has got to be it.  Very friendly, easy lifts, lots of stuff for kids to do but you can also avoid them if you want.  We have the exact best 2-bedroom condo figured out -- Willows 24 -- write that down.  Oh and neither of us took running shoes and I'm okay with that.



The weather was amazing and the skiing was great.  I even ventured down my first blue run.  The other three mastered some black diamonds -- no thank you for me.  And this year we only lost one camera and a pair of glasses.  Not bad!

Charlie rocked the Ninja Skier vibe.

As for 2011, I have some goals that I believe are do-able.  Can't commit yet to the full year of races as I'm so unsure of my schedule.

1.  Sub 30 minute 5k -- I think I can do this now, but haven't tried in a while.
2.  Sub 60 minute 10k -- best time so far is 1:07.
3.  Sub 2:15 at Toronto Women's Half in May.
4.  Redemption at the Acura 10 miler in July.
5.  Sub 2 hour at Scotiabank Waterfront Half in October -- stretch goal, but if I can do it anywhere, it's there.

I've devised a plan which may be absolutely unreasonable once I'm back on call, but I dare to dream.  Speed or hillwork every week on Wednesdays, easy mid-distance Fridays, long runs on Sundays, and I'm still doing bootcamp Tuesdays and Thursdays most weeks.

Happy new year!  I'm really enjoying reading everyone's goals.