gwennefarrell

Today was probably as close to the perfect day for a run as possible. The temperature was mild and while it was a bit cloudy there was no rain. The beach was so peaceful today with the tide in and the water beautifully calm. Even the long train that came through did so at the right time so I wasn’t trapped across the railway tracks. I have to say I really enjoyed that 8k run.

A couple days before we returned from Mexico my sister had a fall. Fortunately a young friend was here helping her with a task and he did all the right things including getting her glucometer so she could check her sugar levels (they were dangerously low) and got her some juice so that she could get her levels back to normal. He also stayed waiting for the ambulance to arrive as it was pretty apparent that she had broken her leg. Turns out she had broken both her tibia and fibula just below her right knee. This means surgery but because of the edema the surgeon opted to wait until today (12 days after her fall) to do the operation.

My sister has some significant health issue including diabetes. She also has TMJ syndrome which means her jaw does not have proper range of motion making it next to impossible if she needed to be intubated. All surgeries do come with risks but of course in her case she is classified as extreme risk. I admit, until I hear later today that the surgery went well I will be a bit on edge.

I realized that my 8k run this morning was just what I needed. I had just started listening to a new book and I was really getting in to it by time I hit the beach. I let my mind focus on the beauty I was seeing this morning and I could feel myself decompressing more with each step. I also noticed that I was particularly cheery as I shouted out my hellos to everyone I passed. One fellow jogger’s face lit up with a huge grin when I shouted out at him making me think that maybe my calm, happy spirit today just might be a bit contagious.

As I ran up the hill at the end of my run I was cognizant of how loose I felt. I know when I first stepped out the door this morning I was pretty tense but that comfortable run in what I believe was the perfect setting was just what I needed to clear my head of dark thoughts. I also realize that I have somehow in the past year gone from running to achieve some arbitrary goal that I had set for myself to using running to make me better both physically and mentally. I think I can finally say, I like running. Ok, that may be a bit of a stretch some days but on days like today I am really glad I decided to become a runner. Yes, I also now acknowledge that is what I am, a runner.

Today I opted to do a 10k since I haven’t done one in a month. It is a busy day today so I was up at 4am and on the road by 4:45am. I checked my weather app and it said it would be dry so no need for my bright running jacket. Then I looked outside and thought, hmm, not quite dawn yet and while I wouldn’t call it dark since I would be running in black clothing I figured I needed something. I dug out my little reflective vest and hit the road. I have to say I didn’t even have to do a lot to talk myself through this run. As a matter of fact when I got to about the 7k mark I thought yep, I’m still well on track with my training.

The past 2 years have been really tough. There has been so many events and milestones that my husband and I missed celebrating together because of the pandemic. We missed our birthdays and anniversaries, me retiring, my taking up running, you name it. The only holiday we managed to celebrate together was Christmas and given I have a family that celebrates everything this was really hard for us. Moreover, last year was made even more difficult by my brother losing his leg but I remained confident we would at some point be able to just celebrate everything and that is what helped keep my spirits up.

Today is that day, it is our 28th anniversary and we are spending it together. I have to admit because my husband worked out of town and it always seemed when he was home on our anniversary that I was traveling somewhere, we have not celebrated a lot of anniversaries together so today is special. I have a bit of a surprise planned for my husband which I know he will enjoy but then it is going to be a low key day with some special drinks and a nice dinner at home. We don’t need anything fancy, just being together today is enough for us.

I think it is important though to celebrate just life in general. There is a lot going on in the world right now with things like a war, mass shootings and even monkey pox (seriously, the pandemic wasn’t enough). It is all enough to really get you down but you know what, I have decided that we are good, we are together, we are getting to do a lot of things we have put off for years, other than my sister’s broken leg everyone is pretty healthy (disregarding normal chronic issues) and in general we are all happy. These are all good things so I think today instead of looking at it as celebrating our anniversary I am just celebrating life and I plan on trying to find a way to celebrate life going forward no matter how bad things may seem to be. I have to say just the thought of that puts a smile on my face.

It was a nice mild morning when I headed to the beach today. You could really tell the weather was nice by the number of people out walking or running. The water was calm and the tide was in. The group of geese that I saw didn’t have any goslings so I wasn’t too worried about passing them. I was really enjoying listening to a good book when it happened, friggin’ train. Sigh, that always means I have to interrupt my listening and wait for it to pass. Moreover, it blocks the crossover to the east promenade meaning I have to run back and forth until it passes. I so wish there was a rule that trains can’t come through when I am running especially on peaceful days.

I know I said I did workout while on vacation but obviously not to the level that I would have at home. That means I need to take some time to build myself back up but as I am pretty fit I don’t anticipate it taking very much time which is good because that 1/2 marathon is only a month away. I started this week with a 5k run and yeah, it was a little tougher than I was used to. Heeding coach’s (and my Fitbit’s) advice I reduced Tuesday to walking though I did a fair amount (total for the day was 11.39k). Yesterday I did another 5k run and it was much easier than Monday. Of course since it was Wednesday I had to lead my seniors’ walking group so by the end of the day I had put in nearly 14k. Ok, need to tone it down a bit to allow some recovery.

Today I was feeling pretty good so opted for an 8k run. This was the best feeling run I have done this week. By time I hit the turn around point I was confident I was going to get through it at a pretty good pace. The hill at the end of the run was a little tough (note, I hadn’t done any hills while away because there really were none to be found) but I got through it. Got home and because of the circular running due to the train I had actually done 8.5k and felt pretty good. The best part is my heart rate recovered faster than it had the past 2 runs.

Because my Fitbit told me this morning that my readiness score is only 1 out of 100 I decided maybe no extra walking today. Moreover, tomorrow I am going to just do a 5k walk so that my body gets some serious recovery time. Then, Saturday I’ll do a 10k and see how that feels followed by some gentle walking on Sunday.

Every time I do a successful run now I feel like I am just that little bit closer to completing my half marathon. So, next week I just keep building on what I am doing to get me to that end goal.

Ok, I apologize for not being very good at posting while I was on vacation. There is a couple reasons for this, 1) I was having a really great time with my husband and brother and 2) my internet service at the condo is painfully slow (note we are upgrading to fiber optics on the next trip). But let’s be honest, if you were at a place that is warm and sunny everyday with the pool 10 steps from your patio door would you make blogging a priority? I think not.

So how did things go? Well, as mentioned in my one post running in that kind of heat and humidity is brutal and I just couldn’t do it. However, I didn’t want to lose momentum so I decided this would be a great opportunity for cross training. Most mornings I would start out running and when I hit the point of being soaked through my workout gear it was time to tone it down to a brisk walk. Days where I didn’t run I would go on an hour long bike ride. I admit the first day that I did a ride I was shocked to find that I hadn’t put enough effort in to it and my heart rate didn’t even come close to showing a good workout. Of course the next ride I kicked up a notch to ensure I was getting cardio in. I also swam almost every day which is a first for me at the condo, normally the pool is the temperature of the Pacific Ocean in January but this trip there was such a long streak of hot, sunny weather that the pool was comfortable. Ultimately I think I did fairly well.

Coach wants me to keep my training at 4 days so yesterday I started of with my usual 5k run and it felt pretty good. However, I also did a ton of walking yesterday so it shouldn’t be surprising that this morning my Fitbit said my readiness score was low. I decided to listen to it and go for a 5k walk first thing though made sure to keep my heart rate at least in cardio zone. I then had errands to do uptown so walked there and back. I really want to give my body recovery time but I also acknowledge a few pounds were added during my vacation. So, I’m doing this as strategically as possible.

One of the things I learned on this trip is that the farmers, before they plant their next crop, burn their fields. I learned this because I went to go running one morning and I walked outside and immediately became congested (my paranoid mind went to OMG, I have COVID). I did realize that I could smell smoke and the air was extremely heavy. That particular day the running part of my workout was pretty limited. Anyways, someone explained to my why the air was so full of smoke though it cleared up overnight. By the next day the congestion was gone (ok, apparently it wasn’t COVID) and I was back to my regular routine.

The bottom line of all of this is despite probably the most relaxing vacation I have ever taken I still managed 6 days a week to do a workout. Now, if only I hadn’t let my husband and brother take me down a very bad dietary path I would have come back at the same weight I was when I left.

I have taken to getting up at 5:30am so that I can be training by 6:30am. Really, I don’t know why I do this because the difference in temperature is only about 1 degree. It is still smoking hot and humid at that time of day though it is with a little less sun beating down on me.

Now I have trained every day since Monday but the training is not going the way I had planned. I was determined that I would train every other day doing a run. The game plan was to start with a 1 hour run then increase by 1/2 an hour each run until I was doing 2 1/2 hours then drop back again. That plan is toast. I have found that I just can’t run in this heat. By time I hit the 1 hour mark I am completely done in. Yes this is discouraging to me as I really wanted to run as much as possible while I am here just to show I can do it. I thought sheer determination would be enough to enable me to train hard, I have learned it is not.

What then am I doing? Well, I figure if I can’t run as much as I would like then I can at least take advantage and do some cross training. Today I was out the door bright and early and off on a long bike ride. I rode along every street in our complex at least 3 times and covered about 12k in 45 minutes. I was pretty impressed with myself until I got back to the condo and looked at my Fitbit and thought what? that can’t be right. Turns out I did not push myself anywhere near hard enough and my heart rate stayed mainly below target. Seriously, have I gotten so fit that what a year ago would have been a good workout now is this easy? Apparently I have.

I’ll be back at it with a run tomorrow and I will push hard. The only day I will take off completely will be Sunday and even then I just might do a good swim to see how that feels. I know now what my limitations are when it comes to this environment but that isn’t enough to deter me from my overall end goal which is being in the best shape that I can be.

As I mentioned my posts may be a bit sporadic while I am here at my condo in Mexico but I thought I could get one out today. We traveled to Playa del Carmen on Friday which meant there was no running that day. Then Saturday I just couldn’t get myself out of bed to get moving. No big deal, I thought, I’ll be good to go tomorrow. Wrong! While out shopping on Saturday my sandals weren’t tight enough which resulted in a blister. No problem said my husband as we have a 1st Aid kit at the condo. So I got up yesterday morning fully prepared to go for a run but the said 1st Aid kit was nowhere to be found. Now some might think this is a pitiful excuse not to train but no way would I risk doing more harm to my foot (remember, I am still considered diabetic so I need to protect my feet). Bottom line is another day not running.

Of course when out shopping yesterday we picked up a pack of bandages. Up I got at 6am this morning and I checked the temperature, 25 degrees but feels like 28 degrees. Oh crap, I knew it was going to be hot. But, I came prepared. I brought a sweatband with me and I had frozen the 2 water bottles that go with my running belt. I got all kitted up, including sunglasses and off I went.

I did get a chance to see many people out early this morning but only 2 others running. I can understand why because it was hot! As this was my first run while here I did a full hour. It wasn’t long into the run and I was drenched in sweat. Still I was determined to keep going. I don’t normally drink water while I run but I know I need to keep myself well hydrated in this kind of heat so by time I was done I had drank about 2/3 of my water and I finished the rest as soon as the run was over.

Tomorrow I get a bit of a break as I won’t be running but I am planning on a good bike ride. Wednesday I will be pushing it up a notch by doing 1 1/2 hour run. I am determined to get in 6 days of workouts each week while I am here so that I can still meet my training goals.

I was up very early today to get a run in before attending a conference for the morning. The problem was I simply did not want to run. Normally when that happens I get about 1/2 way through and start feeling better but not today, today my legs felt sluggish and I just wasn’t in to it. However, I know I won’t get a workout done tomorrow so I forced myself to do a 7k. I admit I was pretty happy with myself when I was done simply because I hadn’t quit.

Later this afternoon I am heading to a hotel near the airport with my husband and brother because tomorrow we are flying to Mexico for a 3 week vacation at our condo. I am only 2 months away from the 1/2 marathon so taking a break from training is simply not an option. When I was at the condo the beginning of the year I worked out fairly frequently but it was nothing compared to what I normally do. This time has to be different.

There are a couple of problems with training in Mexico. First is the heat made worse by the humidity. Even if I hit the road by 6am the temperature will already be about 25 degrees. I learned last time I was there that running in the humidity brought on a whole new set of challenges but I really will need to work through it. The second issue is while here I can count blocks to figure out how many kilometers I have run that won’t be possible while at the condo but I know I have to get in some long runs each week.

So what to do? Well I have already prepped some things such as buying a water belt so that I can keep myself well hydrated in the heat. I also know that even early in the morning sunscreen will be a necessity. I have also talked to my coach and we have agreed I will simply do a timed run every other day (non-running days I will do some biking around our complex). I will start with a 1 hour run then increase it by 1/2 an hour each run until I am up to 2 1/2 hours. At that point I will drop back to 1 hour and start the cycle again. Fortunately my Fitbit will be able to tell me how far I have gone each run.

I figure I will sweat so much I will be burning off any extra calories that I am eating while on vacation. Ok, that’s not really going to happen since we tend to eat healthy at the condo as there is an abundance of fresh fruits and veg that you can get in Mexico. Moreover, with my brother being with us we have to be extremely careful with his diet. Yes, there will be a few meals out but most of the time it will be healthy meals dining at the condo. Though the sweating part is going to be a reality for me so much so that I have packed a sweatband to wear while running.

I will ask that those of you that regularly follow me be patient as I may not get 3 posts up a week while I am away. Sometimes the call of the patio and the pool is just too strong to ignore.

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.