Inspired

Training this week again went well. I am so pleased that I am physically feeling great. I believe my right foot is actually healing, and I am definitely feeling like I will be ready to run regular doubles soon! I have a ways to go but am thrilled my body is handling the mileage well.
I ran a total of 90 km this week. Because I was away Saturday, I did it over 6 days, and did not do my usual Saturday long run. I think this will work out well because next weekend's Run for the Toad will likely be close to 30 km with warm-up and cool-down, and the STWM 1/2 is only 2 weeks after that. On Friday, I was quite pleased to run a total of 10 miles in one hour on the treadmill (16 km at 3:44/km. My last marathon of 2:39:08 was 3:47/km). Half of this was done at 3:37 min/km so I am getting there. It's funny because I often get smiles, the "thumbs-up", and friendly waves from the folks (most are retired) at the gym. At the end of this particular work-out, the lady next to me praised me for my run and exclaimed that she could hardly look at me while I was running! Many have told me that I am inspiring but I often commend them for being at the gym and inspiring me. Some have arthritis, some are in their late 80's, and others are recovering from various health conditions. I look at them and think, they are working just as hard as me. This particular lady was recovering from a heart attack. No, she certainly wasn't going my pace but the next time I am beside her, I will feel that much more inspired.

Active for Cancer.

As you likely already know, I lost my dad to cancer (colon) in 1995 and my mom to cancer (leukemia) in 1997. So, participating in events to raise funds and/or awareness about cancer is very meaningful to me. Last Sunday our church organized a Walk of Hope for Ovarian Cancer. Ovarian cancer is difficult to detect early so unfortunately once it's diagnosed, the survival rate is not great. In this picture you will see our Pastor Andy
who lost his wife, Theresa, to ovarian cancer in October 2010. (I ran the Canadian Championships last year in Ottawa with a yellow ribbon for her.) He is cutting the ribbon with two ovarian cancer survivors beside him. The event was very successful; Andy spoke a short message to the crowd, telling us that even though we don't yet have a cure for cancer, we have a cure for death...Christ! Also great was that we raised nearly $50,000. Jonathan was helping w/ food so I walked the 5 km with the kids. Leah was in the Chariot while Seth (age 3) walked nearly the entire route with his brother, cousins, and 3 friends. What an amazing day.

Yesterday at Micah's school, CBA , I participated in a presentation about Terry Fox and running marathons. Boy, it was difficult to speak right after watching an amazing YouTube video about Terry. When he announced, from his stretcher, that the cancer had spread to his lungs and he had to stop running, no words can describe. I had to choke back the tears before I stepped onto the stage. I can hardly imagine what he endured. So, here's a picture of Seth and I joining the students. They ran/walked for 30 minutes straight that afternoon. Another great event for cancer.

So, this morning I finished another great week of training. Total was 24 km for this a.m., and 94 km for the week. Of course I biked twice and swam three times and did some light weights. I am getting in weekly tempo, speed, and interval workouts so am feeling faster and fitter every day. The other night I checked my heart-rate, as I often do before falling asleep. Normally it's about 39. It was 37. So, I must be doing something right. I am slowly getting back to my pre-preg weight but not worrying too much about it. Nursing Leah is a top priority so I won't mess with that.

Another Great Week.

Despite the bruised toe, still-kinda-sore rib, and bum-right-foot, I was able to log 96 km this week (and swim 4.5 km and bike 65 min). Yipppeee!
After feeding Leah, I was out the door at 6:20 a.m. for my 28 km run (yeah, no skunks but I did see a fox!). I must say it is very convenient to start my run as soon as I get out the door but I do miss running w/ the guys in Paris. I will likely get into running w/ them again when I'm up to 30+ km runs, later in the fall, and Leah is a bit older. It's handy to not have to pump but I will if needed. I leave it up to Jonathan to decide. Micah starts hockey so that's another ball to juggle.
I haven't been doing as much swimming and biking as before but I am listening to my body - the increased mileage requires a bit more recovery, and that is ok. I hope to be consistently running 100 km/wk, biking at least 2x/wk, and swimming 3x/wk this fall.
I'm still planning to run the Toad Oct 2 and STWM 1/2 Oct 16.

Toes.

Warning: some people don't like feet. If that is you, stop reading now.
Ouch. Bumping your toe sure can hurt if you do it hard enough. The funny thing is that, like many, I've bumped my toe(s) many times in my life. This time, it hurt, but not as bad initially. Then, as the day went on it hurt more and became a lovely shade of violet. So, I rode the bike (which wasn't that bad because I needed a day off from running anyway, and it was raining). Tomorrow I hope to be back at it. Hey, I've been running w/ a cracked rib for a few weeks. A toe can't be much worse, can it?
Oh, and I know I am NO foot model and could use a serious pedicure! Not many runners I know really care about the beauty of their feet though! When I ran Ottawa in May last year, I lost 2 toenails and said I'd paint my toenails once they grew back. I didn't get them painted at all last summer!
Oh, one more thing about toes. I've had an in-grown toenail on my big R toe for years. It is a bother. The best thing is to keep the nail trimmed straight across, and put a tiny bit of cotton, dipped in tea-tree oil, under the nail when it is sore. Thanks, Jim, for this tip you gave me long ago!

Running in the Dark ... Skunks and Roadkill

Using your kids as an alarm clock is really the best way to wake up and start the day. I've enjoyed a few early runs lately, after feeding Leah. It's great because I usually know when she needs to feed so put her to bed according to when I want to get up. I've been out the door around 5:30 am a few times in the past week. It's been great.
Although, the problem with this is that it is still dark. The first day, I went to go out the front door and heard a sound in our front garden. Out came a skunk. It ran toward our vans and likely far from our house but I got the keys out to honk the horn a few times to make sure (sorry, neighbours!). Then, the other problem I faced the other day while running in the dark (when I wanted to get my 25 km easy run done in good time) was avoiding roadkill. Stepping on some random raccoon or possum would really freak me out, not to mention likely cause injury.
I plan to run about 17 km tomorrow. Thankfully we don't have too much planned so I can start close to the first crack of day light!
I logged another decent (decent for me right now) week. 85 km, which included a 25 km long, tempo, and speed runs. And of sourse some swimming and cycling.
Enjoy the week, folks!