gwennefarrell

Well I am back to endurance training so this morning I went for a long fun. Because my schedule is very overbooked this week I was up at 4am and hit the road at 5am. I decided to run all the way from the east side of White Rock to Ocean Park (a little over 6k) then down to Marine Dr and all the way along the promenade before heading back up the hill to go home. It was an exceptional morning for a run and no surprise to me that 2 1/2 hours later I had done a 16k. It still amazes me that I can run for that long.

This week is National Volunteer Appreciation Week so I want to start by thanking anyone reading this blog who is a volunteer for the work they do. And please, no one sell yourself short. If you volunteer in any capacity in your community which I will note includes things like coaching kids sports teams then you are in fact a volunteer and you deserve to be thanked for what you do.

I get that many of us find ourselves to be short on free time and that sometimes means it is difficult to find spare minutes to give but I cannot stress enough how fulfilling volunteerism can be. For me it is almost like an addiction in that just one little thank you is all it takes to keep me going. Some of the organizations I work with will occasionally offer a small thank you gift such as a gift card to a coffee shop. I get that most of them don’t have a lot of funds and rely on people like me to help them provide all their services so I am ok with just an acknowledgement.

This time of year is when volunteering means the most to me. My year round volunteerism includes weekly calls to isolated seniors and this year I added leading a senior’s walk each week. However, during March and April I participate in a volunteer income tax clinic whereby I prepare income taxes for low income seniors. This is such a humbling experience as I see how little some of these seniors are able to live on. This is just compounded by the fact that we live in one of the most expensive areas in the world. And yet, none of the seniors I help complain, rather they thank me profusely. Sometimes they want to send me gifts as a thank you but I explain I do this because I want to help those that need it. Their appreciation is more than enough to convince me that I need to do this again next year.

So, you want to get a bit of a mental boost? Find a way to volunteer and help in your community. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

Yesterday I did my long run. It was supposed to be 14k but ended up being 14.75k. The frustrating part for me is my pace is just not where I want it to be. So, took a step back and realized, I ran 14 k which included 3 sets of fartlek intervals. Seriously, regardless of the pace I am pretty fit. However, today the Fitbit said again I had over worked myself and recommended ‘restorative yoga’. Well, if you know me that is not going to happen so it was a brisk 45 minute walk later followed by a 1/2 hour walk with the dog.

I wanted to talk today about a safety issue that I realize I may have ignored, running/walking with headphones (or earbuds). I know this may seem like a strange topic but when you think about it really it becomes an important issue. To be clear I run/walk with Airpods in my ears listening usually to an audiobook because it can distract me for the hard work I do running. But I am still cognizant about being safe.

There are a couple reasons being cognizant about volume on your listening device is important. I want to start with the fact that if you have high volume you run the risk of hearing loss. I like to point to my sister who suffered hearing loss because her employer never thought the loud noises from the manufacturing plant that permeated the office would harm anyone. Yes, listening to your favourite song at full volume may get you pumped but doing that continuously damages your hearing ability so take it down a notch.

The second reason is safety. A few years ago a woman was crossing the railway tracks at our beach while doing a run and had her music so loud she didn’t hear a train coming. Let’s just say the train won which is absolutely so preventable. But I look at different concerns, I am a woman out running and often it is when it is dark out. I want to be able to hear if someone is approaching me so that if there is potential danger that I am prepared. I make sure the volume level that I listen to is such that I can hear footsteps behind me. Yes, that means that if there is noisy traffic I sometimes can’t hear the book I am listening to but what the hell, I would rather be safe.

So, I recommend if you run/walk while listening to music or a book you keep that volume to a level that will always keep you safe.

I have to say one thing about this time of year is the sun is rising sooner. Today sunrise happened at 6:09am so when I hit the road in the morning at 6:00am it is almost daylight. Given the fact that there are sections of the promenade where I run that are very poorly lit it being light out really helps.

Yesterday I did an 8k which included 2 sets of fartleks. After the short sessions of interval training last week I was pretty confident in this run. And, I really pushed myself through at least 2/3 of the run focusing on keeping my pace strong. Much to my dismay when I checked the results when I got home my pace was only 6.7 kph. What? That just couldn’t be right so I looked at the detailed analysis. Yes I had a great pace through most of the run but the hills at the end had me down to a crawl. Hmm, I decided that today I would run a 5k using a different route with a hill at the beginning of the run and see if I couldn’t get my pace well above 7 kph. I was pretty sure I could accomplish this and prove to myself I can finish the 1/2 marathon in a decent amount of time.

I got up this morning determined to do my run and as I always do I checked my Fitbit for the impact from yesterday. This includes looking at my resting heart rate, my sleep score (it was a bit low last night) and my readiness score. Much to my surprise my readiness score was quite low, probably the lowest it has ever been and my Fitbit was recommending low intensity exercise today such as stretching exercises (yeah, not going to happen). I looked at the analysis it provides to realize this week I have really been pushing things with pretty high intensity workouts followed by a significant amount of walking later in the day. Shouldn’t this be a good thing?

I briefly considered ignoring today’s recommendation but the analysis clearly stated, your body needs recovery time. Then I thought of the fact that tomorrow I am doing a 14k with 3 sets of fartleks and I again really want to push myself to work on my pace. I weighed the risks in ignoring the Fitbit recommendation and ultimately decided to hit the treadmill for a walk. I did an hour of walking spending most of the time in my cardio zone so a decent workout but much lower key than what I planned. I’ll probably do another hour walk at some point today but will keep the intensity down in the fat burn zone. I figure that will satisfy my need to up my workouts without risking my body’s chance to recover from the past few days.

Despite my driving need to work as hard as possible I know that recovery time is important. By disregarding the need for the body to recover I would be significantly increasing my risk of injury and I have come so far that I am not willing to accept that risk.

My apologies to anyone who was looking for a blog from me on Saturday, I didn’t post one. I was just having such a nice time up at my trailer I decided not to try blogging on my iPad. Instead I spent time relaxing with my sister and even getting some outdoor time when the weather cooperated. I can’t tell you how good it feels to do a trip where it is nice and quiet and all the pressures of the world seem to disappear.

My husband has been home for over a month and my jeans no longer fit properly. No, I have not gotten on the scale because I am concerned what the number will be. Ok, I admit I still fit into a small or size 6 but I know I have put on several pounds and I blame it on him. He has somehow dragged me back into some bad eating habits including more carbs, more junk and more wine. He is claiming innocence but I need someone to blame because it can’t be me, right?

Ok, I admit I know this is not on him but on me. I have managed pretty consistently for 2 years to stick with a healthy, balanced diet regardless of what others in the household were eating. I very easily could have told my husband no but I think the past month or so has been more of a time of celebrating being together permanently. It was not very difficult at all to justify eating those extra carbs or drinking the wine, that is until I noticed the impact.

So now what? Well, I have decided it doesn’t matter what he is eating or drinking I need to choose what is right for me. Back to low, healthy carbs and no wine during the week when I am training. Am I concerned I have gained some weight? No, not really as I know a little more focus and I will be back to where I want to be. Besides that, with the 1/2 marathon only 2 months away we are ramping up my training even more.

In 10 days we are heading to our condo with my brother for 3 weeks. Am I worried how that will go? Not at all. The one good thing about being at the condo is the amazing variety of fresh fruits and veg we consume. Moreover, I am the one in charge of making all the meals. Yes, there will be the occasional meal out but the majority of the time it will be good, healthy eat-in meals. And, there will be lots of training which even in the early morning will be with temperatures at minimum of about 24 degrees plus humidity.

It is ok to slide off the rails once in a while as long as you get yourself back on them as soon as you can. I look at it as after being apart most of the previous 2 years it was ok to be a bit celebratory but now is the time to adjust back to where I need to be.

I am at my trailer with my sister and the weather is much colder than it should be for this time of year. Normally when I am at the trailer I cook all the meals and use my bbq but when the weather is this cold I have no inclination to be outside. Not to worry though, this trailer is equipped with various cooking appliances including a slow cooker and an air fryer. I think the goal is to use each of the appliances we have here at least once during the weekend.

Being at the trailer tends to make me not want to train but with the 1/2 marathon coming soon I can’t fall into that trap. I say that but the trailer is where for the past 2 decades I have gone to just relax. I am well known by the neighbours in the park for sitting by the campfire reading a book. On rainy days I am content to spend the day in the trailer watching movies. Spending a chunk of time and energy training just doesn’t quite fit the relaxation narrative.

So, what to do to get some training in that doesn’t detract from relaxing? I think I found a way to keep my training momentum going while not disrupting this trip. I decided to do short bouts of high intensity training. I started yesterday with a 4k run which I know for me sounds like a pretty short run but I ran it at a speed of 8.8 kph. Note that is the fastest I have ever run. Today was all about fartleks but to kick those up a notch I did them by running up an incline. I was pretty happy with those results too as I averaged 8.2 kph (remember farleks involve intervals of sprinting then easy jogging). I’m not quite sure what I will be doing tomorrow but I can assure you it will be quick and intense.

While I do plan on taking Saturday off I’m pretty happy that I will still be getting in 6 days of quality training this week and yet still be getting enough relaxation in to be completely recharged. Ultimately it has just been about finding the right balance.

Ok, I have no idea what is going on with the weather here in BC but it is crazy. Sunday we were hosting a neighbourhood BBQ to celebrate my husband’s retirement (and give him a chance to get to know the neighbours) and all of a sudden I could see my breath. The next thing you know it is snowing, then hailing then torrential rain. Seriously? They are forecasting the same type of weather today just as I am heading up to my trailer. Oh well, at least the propane tanks are full and I’ll be taking some good movies with me.

Sunday I thought I would do a 5k to get ahead of workouts this week but it turned into more of a fast walk instead because I just couldn’t get my head into running. Yesterday was even worse, I started my run and then the treadmill died. Eventually we figured out the issue was the extension cord but by that time I had completely lost my mojo and decided to hell with this, I just am not in the game.

Now there is a reason for all of this. You see I had this cat (Princess Daisy May MacTavish) that I inherited when my mom died. It was not necessarily the friendliest cat and she decided who she would tolerate (for example she despised my husband) but she liked me and my sister. She also liked my Corgi and allowed the dog to wash her face several times a day. Daisy also loved going for a car ride because that meant she was going to her trailer at the lake, a place where her personality would change and she would become the most loving cat. She had spent the past 11 Easter weekends at the trailer and this year we were looking forward to celebrating her 12th birthday there this Saturday.

A few weeks ago we got the devasting news that Daisy had terminal cancer. The family agreed that we would just spoil her for as long as she was with us including buying her kitty ‘junk’ food for her birthday. My sister and I just wanted that one last trip to the trailer with her but sadly over the weekend Daisy became drastically worse. By Saturday we knew she was failing, by Sunday we were discussing the plan for her journey to end, yesterday we knew that the time had come. And so late yesterday afternoon my sister and I watched as the vet helped Daisy cross the Rainbow Bridge hoping that she would be reunited with our mom.

This morning I got on the treadmill to do a 5k. At first I thought I needed to take a little time off and get my head together. But then 1k turned in to 2k and instead of thinking about whether we had made the right decision or not for Daisy (and I believe we absolutely did), I started writing this blog in my head. By time I was finished that run I felt so much better as the stress of the last few days had gone. Instead it was replaced by me starting to plan the runs I will be doing while at the trailer (this has to be strategic as the mornings are going to be freezing but then I don’t really have to worry about a schedule while I am there). I finished that run felling good both mentally and physically and know that I will get back in the game.

Yes, stress can have a negative impact on your training but just pushing forward can get you back to where you need to be. I know I have said this before but it is all just one step at a time.

Oh, and Saturday my sister and I will still do a little celebration for Daisy.

I first want to say that I successfully managed to take a day off of training yesterday (ok, I still got in 6 days in the past week) and did so with no guilt. Today I was back at it with some hill intervals but I realized something as I was leaving the house at 6am, the sun was already coming up. By time I was finished my workout and doing a light jog back home it was actually daylight. Now all I can think about is being able to do morning runs down at the beach with the sun out. I just so can’t wait.

As I was jogging to the hill where I train I saw a raccoon kind of meandering across the road. As always I gave the animal a wide berth and kept an eye on it until I had safely passed. When I was telling my husband about now seeing more raccoons because of the earlier sunrises, he said I should do a blog about spring safety and animals. I realized this would be a new topic and I can try and pass on my knowledge without focusing too much on my paranoia.

As we head further into spring it means time for those animals we have in our neighbourhoods to start having their babies. That also means they become super protective of their family and will often become more aggressive with humans. Here are the ones we see and what you can do to keep safe;

1. Raccoons – they tend to stay in their den until their kits (a group of kits is called a nursery) are a little older. But remember raccoons are very territorial and protective of their kits so always keep a good distance from them especially if they have their ‘nursery’ with them.
2. Coyotes – coyotes are apparently not native to BC but they have been around here forever. As areas become more urbanized it seems to be the coyotes appear in places you wouldn’t expect them and in some cases they have become more aggressive towards humans (this is not helped by people feeding them). Where we live there is still a fair amount open space so you tend to see them occasionally on the side of the road. Apparently the best thing to do if you see a coyote is to make as much noise as possible. The worst thing to do is to run away from them because you then become prey. And, if you see someone feeding coyotes make sure to report them to your local by-law department.
3. Crows – ok this one may seem strange but every year I hear reports of crows dive bombing people. Like raccoons, crows are very territorial and will attack especially if they believe their babies are at risk. If there is an area where crows are dive bombing the easiest solution is to simply walk another route. You can also try carrying an umbrella and open it if you are under attack (not as practical in my view). And here is an interesting fact, crows have facial recognition ability which means if you threaten them once you will now be their target.
4. Geese – I know I have stated numerous times how geese terrify me (growing up on a hobby farm with them hasn’t helped me) but really when it comes to gosling season they are, as far as I am concerned, outright dangerous. Try to get anywhere near a goose with their babies and they will attack and if they get you on the ground will beat you with their wings. Because they love being down at our beach it is impossible to avoid them so what I do is give them as much room as possible and run like hell to get past them.
5. Bears – while it is not often we see bears in our area, it does happen. We do see them more often at our recreational property but even then it is an occasional thing. Not to worry, these are black or brown bears, not the grizzly kind. If you see a bear, please do not think about pulling out your phone and taking a picture. Also, do not run away which like with a coyote makes you prey. The recommendation is that you try to quietly back away from the area. However, if the bear approaches you should try to make yourself look as big as possible, make loud noises, clap your hands and continue to back away.

We all need to find ways to live with the wildlife in our neighbourhoods and keep ourselves safe. Respect for wildlife and recognizing dangerous situations is an important part of that.

I have to say today is just a beautiful day. The sun is out and it is the warmest day we have had this year. I am happy that I got a little time to enjoy some walking outdoors to just marvel at the beauty of spring.

When I completed my Mom’s estate I had some money left over in a joint account we had together. I suggested to my siblings that we use it for a gambling weekend, we head down cross the border for a few nights. Mom loved going to Reno so we knew that she would absolutely approve of us using the last of her money this way. We figured my husband would be home during the weekend and he could take care of the pets. An awesome plan, or so we thought.

But then the pandemic lingered on. It was not going to be a simple thing to cross the border for a few days and my husband wasn’t coming home. I eventually hatched a new plan, let’s wait until my husband retires and just simply spend a couple days at a local casino. I managed to find a great deal for a hotel suite at a a casino 30 mins from home and we are there now. Yes, I already spend lots of time with my sibling but this is different. We aren’t worrying about things like health issues or amputations, instead we are just remembering some good times with our Mom.

So, what is the break then? Well, I committed to doing at least one day of having a bit of a sleep in meaning I would forego training. That day will be tomorrow where I will not get up at 5am to run at least a 5k. instead we will sleep late and enjoy a leisurely breakfast. But wait, I knew I was doing this so Sunday I snuck in an extra 5k. Hmm, I guess that means I really am not taking a break.

Having said that, next weekend is Easter so it is the annual girls’ weekend at the trailer. Apparently the weather is going to suck and quite frankly after everything that has happened over the past year I do really need a break. My game plan is Sun/Mon/Tues I will run including a long run but if after that if I decide to just sit on my ass in the trailer I am ok with it. I’ve been training hard and as I have learned sometimes a break rejuvenates you and makes you work even harder. No guilt here, I’ll still get to that 1/2 marathon.

One of my cats seems to have developed anxiety. It started when my brother went into hospital and stayed there for 5 months as this cat always slept on my brother’s bed at night. The cat would wonder around in the middle of the night screaming for hours. We had thought that when my brother came home this would stop but quite frankly it has gotten worse. Recently my vet recommended getting some plug in diffusers that emit kitty pheromones but those did not help at all. Last Thursday we started giving the cat anti-anxiety medication and having recently upped the dosage last night was the first night in a very long time that we all got some sleep. Remember, our four legged friends can also have mental health issues.

My husband has been working on sorting out and reorganizing our garage. Yesterday he decided that he would create a very specific space for my training. He moved the treadmill (I had to have him reposition it as at first he had me staring at a brick wall instead of out the window), set up my iPad holder so it is at the perfect height, created a storage area for various supplies and made sure the area was marked off as my gym. I thought it was very kind of him to make this special area for me.

Due to a nasty storm we have been having this morning I opted to use the treadmill. I ran hard today and was pleased to see my speed had improved making me a little more confident about the upcoming 1/2 marathon. But the question is, did my new ‘gym’ have anything to do with this? The answer is no, I still hate running on the treadmill and I don’t think any environment is going to change that. Yes, it is nice to have an area dedicated just for me but it doesn’t change the fact that using the treadmill to me is boring.

I explained this to my husband and he asked if there was anything I wanted changed. I told him no, we will be having better weather soon and the treadmill will hardly be used for months. I know that is when I am really going to be able to up my training and get to the point I need to be at.

This week I have had to shift some workouts around but no big deal. Wednesday I did another 5k run thinking I could catch up with my hill training intervals on Friday. The problem is when I got home yesterday I realized instead of the hill training I had done another 5k. No big deal, I just made sure to remember when I started out this morning that it was hill training today.

I had hoped that tomorrow my husband and I would be able to do another walk along the promenade and pier. Turns out that a big storm is coming in overnight and will bring heavy rains and wind so that idea is out. However, when I suggested it to my husband he said ok, but can it not be a race? I asked what he meant and he replied, you walk really fast.

I had to reflect on this for a bit as I don’t consider my speed all that fast. I mean really, when I was walking so much before many people would easily pass me. So, yesterday when we were out walking the dogs (note, one of us taking both dogs is ok but both of us taking the 2 dogs together is difficult because the dogs want to be with the one not walking them) and I realized he was right, I walk along at a pretty good clip. I don’t exactly know when that started happening but now it is just 2nd nature to me. Yes, when I walk with the seniors’ group I am always cognizant about walking at their speed but when I am with my husband I just walk at my usual pace.

So that brings me to a bit of a dilemma, Do I continue at my pace when we are walking together or slow down to be more at his pace? I’ve decided that I don’t want to slow down, I have built all of this momentum and want to keep it. Having said that, my husband just started his walking journey so it isn’t really fair for me to expect him to be at my level so I need a 3rd option.

Here’s what I have decided, I will just have to circle back to him if I get too far ahead. I know part of the problem is he has been away from our City for so long and he wants to take in the beauty and the changes but I also figure me walking ahead of him gives him a bit of incentive to improve. I think we’ll give it a try during our next few walks and see how it goes.