I hope you are all enjoying your weekend!

Todays run was definitely a character builder, either that or a character killer.  
I’m going with character builder though! It was a great run but a tough one at times. It poured rain the entire 22km. My glutes and calfs were verrrry sore (which is a good thing) from my hill workout the other day so it took the first 40 minutes for them to loosen up today. The wind and rain was against us for the first 11km; there were times where it felt like I was running on the spot, it was soo windy!! Thankfully when we turned around we had a nice tail wind for awhile, man was that ever nice!

When I finished, my watch read 2 hr right on, although I know it was a little longer because I forgot to restart my watch after I stopped to stretch.. oops.

wet but proud!

I felt good after my run… just really tired!! We’ll be ready for anything come race day. I just hope to God it won’t be anything like the wind and rain we got today. No thanks. My clothes were so wet that I had to ring them out before packing them up again. True story.

a big red mess

Today I was reminded why it’s important to use Body Glide when running long distances… even though I’ve never really had to worry about using it. Yes, there have been times where I should have used it under my arms but it didn’t really bother me or I didn’t really notice it until I get in the shower. Well let me tell you, I learned my lesson today. I have the worst rash under my arms and on my stomach (to much information?)…ouch!! I think if I had of ran any longer, my arms would have started bleeding. The stomach is a weird place to experience chafing, no? I’m pretty sure it was from my water belt and because my shirt was wet, it was rubbing. Wowzas, it’s sensitive and sore!! List of essentials to get before next long run:
1. Body Glide
2. Chi3
3. Body Glide
4. GU Chomps

Don’t worry, I will not forget that Glide. I came home and had an ice bath (more on that later) and plan to ice my knee shortly. Taking care of your body during recovery is key and helps in so many ways.

I have some sad news. I’m not Suzie-homemaker anymore… I’m now, Nurse Sabrina. Ok, maybe both… but I do enjoy it!

Remember how I mentioned we got a light snowfall the other day? I think I jinxed GMan because I specifically remembering saying, as he was going out the door, be careful you don’t fall, it will be slippery out. Guess what happened? He slipped and fell on his way to work and twisted his ankle. Yesterday it was getting worse along with the swelling, so I took him to the clinic. No, he did not have a choice.

THANKFULLY it’s not broken, although he did tear the ligaments and tendons. Ouchie. He’s a trooper and is doing okay :) I’m spoiling him and taking good care of him though.

This morning when I looked out the window it was hard not to notice the blanket of white stuff… but let me tell you it turned out to be a great day.

How can one go wrong starting the day out with a killer hill workout?

Yesterday I did some yoga meltdown. You better believe I am sticking to my challenge. It went much better than the first time and I actually really enjoyed it. It’s definitely a good workout and I am looking forward to doing it again and then at some point graduating myself on to level two. Here’s hoping.

So back to the hill workout…

2.9km warm-up
9 x aprx. 320-400m
2.9km cool down

failed attempt at trying to get a picture of the hill.. just doesn't do it justice.

It was HARD and it HURT but I LOVED it!! To be honest, my calfs and glutes were burning during the warm-up but I didn’t let that stop me. Plus, it was my own fault for working muscles that I don’t always work, the day before a hill workout.

When I was pumping my arms I was thinking about all those rolling hills in the last 10km on the Around the Bay course. It’s workouts like these that really help on race day. I love hill workouts. I love pushing myself to the point where my legs are burning so bad I want to scream. It feels so good. Does that make me crazy?

I don’t think so… the endorphin rush is so worth it and what an awesome feeling of accomplishment afterwards.

Doing it with a supportive group of runners makes it that much more enjoyable. There was grunting and moaning and lots of encouragement to go around.

One thing that made a big difference during this workout is that I didn’t use my watch at all. It was so nice to not be worrying about time. I was just running, pushing myself and enjoying the moment. I even said to one of my running buddies how nice it was to not use a watch. For some, sometimes it can really do more damage than good; stressing about time and worrying about bettering that time for the second, third (and so on) interval, and can really interfere with a good workout. What do you think? I believe it’s necessary and beneficial to use a watch at times, although other times it’s nice to just leave it at home. You may surprise yourself!

Last night I made a nice dinner for GMan. Yes, that’s a big deal… I know.

Chicken Parmesan anyone? Really, what can go wrong with pasta, mushrooms, chicken and of course loads of cheese? In my books, nothing! It was my first time making it and I’m glad it was a success. I got two thumbs up from GMan, so I was happy.

I like to play Suzie-homemaker sometimes… please note the ‘sometimes’. Sorry GMan.

Have you ever experienced “runners high”?
~ I think every time I cross the finish line at a race, I have felt it. Even on good training days like today.

What’s your favorite main dish?
~ I love love love plain ol’ spaghetti with tomato sauce and mushrooms.

I can smell Spring in the air today! Even though it was -4 when I left the house this morning, the sun was shining and it’s a beautiful day! My run didn’t go as beautifully though..  

I ran 13km. I feel good that I got my run in but my run wasn’t so hot. My feet were burning the entire time for some reason, and my knees were bothering me. I just took it easy though and ran at about a 5:30/km pace.

I felt relaxed afterwards, stretched a bit and enjoyed chatting with my running buddies. I decided there is no sense in getting upset just because I didn’t have a good run today. Positive energy in, negative energy out… right?

Coach B introduced me to the TP Quadballer from Trigger Point Therapy when I first started having trouble with my knee.

I use the quadballer on my front, inner and outer quad before and after my runs. I really like it and have noticed that it actually really does help.

 It can really kill It feels good if you push hard enough because it digs deep into the muscle… and I mean deep. I whined like a baby the first time I did it, it hurt so bad…but it really has helped with my knee issues!

With the TP Quadballer you “use your bodyweight to massage the quads, IT Band and many other areas of the body. Creating elasticity through Myofascial Compression Techniques within the quads will result in the ability to maintain structural integrity through multiple plains of movement. The Quadballer is used to create elasticity and fluidity in the quadriceps region improving overall biomechanics and force production.”

Clearly the site can explain the product better than myself, so you can read more here. 

Remember when I was trying to decide what waterbelt to get?

Well as you can see from the pics, I ended up getting the Nathan Speed 2 and I love it! It fits nice and snug and doesn’t bounce at all. The little bottles are really secure, so there is no chance for them to go flying like my other one did.

How was your workout today? What did you do!?