Saturday, May 1, 2010

East to West. Montreal to Vancouver.


Two weeks ago, Jonathan and I had a great weekend away for me to run in the Cdn 1/2 Marathon Championships in Montreal. Now, we are in Vancouver for me to run in the BMO 1/2 Marathon. Last night we had a lovely dinner in Yaletown with Team Saucony. This afternoon we'll be at the expo for the elite reception, packet pick-up, Saucony booth, and elite Q&A's. We'll likely eat an early dinner and relax for the evening. I am really looking forward to tomorrow - running at 7am then spending the day w/ my close friend, Stacey (and her hubby and daughter). She moved out here 5 years ago and I haven't seen her since. She works with the Canadian Cancer Society, which is near and dear to my heart, having lost both of my parents to cancer (my dad to colon cancer in 1995 and my mom to leukemia in 1997). My family of 8 took a trip to Vancouver, many years ago, and this is my first time back since then. One of my brothers, Kevin (who has an amazing memory) could remember many details about this special trip. As I sit and relax in the hotel, blogging this entry and reading my brother's memories while looking out the window at the city with the mountains behind, I feel blessed and so much peace.

Signing off until tomorrow....Krista, "Marathom Mom".

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Runner-Up Canadian Half Marathon Champion!

Conditions were a bit cool and rainy but I still pulled off a PR! 1:15:55 at the Cdn Half Marathon Championships. I was 3rd overall and 2nd Canadian! It was a great race. I really enjoyed running with a pack of speedy ladies.
Team Saucony (R to L): 3rd, 4th, and 5th overall (myself, Marilyn Arsenault, Kristina Rody).

1st, 2nd, and 3rd overall women. Good job, Mary and Emily!


The start!
and here's the race report...
the weekened and race went really well. kids stayed w/ jonathan's folks so we had lots of time to ourselves to rest and relax and enjoy good food. as for the race, the weather was nice until 10 am (race start time, go figure but the weather network was accurate!). got cold, windy and rainy but that was fine with me. i was in singlet and shorts and there was no going back. so, i went w/ the lead pack of girls (the new zealand native, mary went out on her own and won w/ 1:14:44'ish), which was strong. we were doing 3:30/km's for a good while (i had planned for 3:39/km but felt good so kept w/ them)! then around 10 km, two of us (Emily Tallen who got 2nd overall) were leading, and gained a bit more and more. at 15 km i thought, ok...i've either got it or i went out way too hard and will pay. so we slowed a few seconds/km for a few km's and continued to space out a little bit more. then, with about 3 km left i kicked in again to finish strong. i was pretty sure i had a safe lead ahead of marilyn arsenault (behind) and had emily in my sight (ahead). but emily was also consistent in the last 3 km so i ended up finishing about 14 sec behind her. i was quite excited when i saw the clock at 1:15:40'ish!! so i gave a little kick to make sure i was under 1:16!i just missed the drug testing. they selected 1st and 3rd canadian. so glad about this (you all know my scotiabank experience). it was nice to be able to do a cool down right away and drink/eat whatever i wanted. got a nice timex watch. we had a nice drive back, stopping once. have already been for a 14.5 km recovery run and 1.5 km swim this a.m. next race is vancouver half in 2 weeks. should be fun!




Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Gearing Up for The Next 7.5 Weeks!

Well, it is "go time". Between now and May 30, I have 3 big races: the Montreal 1/2 Marathon Cdn Championship (Apr 18), the Vancouver BMO 1/2 Marathon (May 2) and the Ottawa Marathon Cdn Championship (May 30). Travel plans are made and I am looking forward to it!
So, the next 7.5 weeks are key. Key to: stick with the training plan, listen to my body even more, stretch more, get to bed earlier, and program myself to the goal race paces. For Montreal, I'd like to run around 1:17. I've been doing a lot (as in 1/2 of my mileage) of treadmill running (thanks to Maureen and Jeanetta at the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre), which allows me to keep pace evenly. Today I did a good workout of eight 1 km repeats (each at 10.8 mph) with my warm-up, rest between repeats, and cool-down at an easy 9.0 mph. Total was 20 km and I felt great. Tomorrow is a cross-training day on the bike. I will take it easy between now and Apr 18th.
I'll post when I return. Until then, "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Phil 4:13.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Around the Bay 30 km Race

Today was a great day to race. I did the 30 km in 1:53:10, which placed me 3rd woman overall. I am really thrilled with how I did. I felt strong and steady. A special thanks to Dale for the hill encouragement! Here's an email I sent to coach Nicole Stevenson about the race.

"As for the play by play, I can actually remember details of this race! So, here it is. I ran with those 3-4 guys for the first 15-18 km then when the hills started around 19 km (?), I was doing my own thing, leaving most of them behind. My garmin seemed to be slower than the others' so when I thought I was slower, I was on pace. Odd. Anyway, the flat section around 25 km was nice as a break before the hard hill around 26 km. This hill was particularly neat because a guy from our group ran with me up the hill, then repeated it 4 or 5 times with others from our group. So my mind was not thinking of the hill at all (when I had been prepared the entire race for that nasty hill). Then, the last few km's were sweet. I felt I could have gone harder but then just thought, hey why not enjoy the last few km's. Then I gave a sweet kick at the end. So fun! I did a cool down after. It was kinda long 'cause I was looking for a friend but all good. Then I came home, had something to eat, a power nap, a shower, and hosted Seth's 2nd birthday party!! I feel totally great. Not tired. No aches. Hardly anything!"





Thursday, March 18, 2010

Keys to recovery = emend + saucony AMP PROs + rest!

New Recovery Products.

After a 40 km run (including a few mile-hill repeats at the end) in crazy winds and rain, I immediately put on the new Saucony AMP PRO2 tights and drank some of the new Chocolate Emend. No better time to try them out than after my highest mileage week of 111 km.

Saucony

Check out what Textile Insight has to say about the AMP PRO2 tights...

Saucony’s major apparel story for Fall 2010 centers around the launch of a high-end compression line called Saucony AMP PRO2. Saucony will feature the polyester fiber Celliant in the collection. Celliant is infused with natural minerals, and has been proven to help relax tissues in the body and aid oxygenated blood flow. A crucial story in compression apparel revolves around compression’s ability to increase oxygenated blood flow, which enhances both performance and muscle recovery for athletes. Saucony believes its use of Celliant in the garments will bring an added edge to those benefits. “We believe we have a new point of entry into compression that is completely revolutionary and different from how every other brand in the marketplace has approached compression,” says Todd Dalhausser, GM Saucony Apparel. “It all relates back to oxygen, and what we are claiming, through test results that we have done with competitors product, is that by wearing our AMP PRO2 product, oxygen levels in the body will increase between 15 and 30 percent faster than by using any other compression product.”


Emend
(Toss some Emend, a banana, chocolate milk, yogurt, peanut butter, and an ice cube together into the blender for a super recovery smoothie)


And here's a full description about Emend (by Eload)...

Our body is an amazingly complex machine. All of its various cells and tissues communicate with each other, and their activities are precisely coordinated. Even as you sit reading this, your heart pumps blood throughout your body, your intestines digest and absorb nutrients, your kidneys clear waste products and your lungs bring in oxygen. Although you may feel at rest, your body is physiologically quite active. Imagine, then, how much more active all of your body systems become when you engage in active movement. As your physical activity increases, so does your muscle's physiological activity. Active muscles require more nutrients to serve the wide variety of metabolic functions and events. It is a common misconception that physical activity is an "anabolic event", during which our body builds tissues, when it is, in fact, a "catabolic event", during which tissues and fuel sources are being broken down. It is the post-exercise recovery that is responsible for the rebuilding process. And as in any construction site, the right building blocks are required to rebuild that which has broken down and become depleted.
The six important recovery 'building blocks' are:
1. Carbohydrates / Glycogen:
Glycogen is the storage form of carbohydrate in the body.
We have a limited capacity to store it.
It is the limiting fuel for endurance exercise.
It is needed to burn fat.
It is replenished by consuming carbohydrates.
It recovers slowly, therefore using the "window of opportunity" is essential.
Its most potent "window of opportunity" is up to 30 min. after exercise, with the following 24 hours also being very important.
Optimum recovery needs about 50 to 100 g carbohydrates by the first 30 minutes, though practically speaking, this may be difficult depending on the condition of your gastrointestinal tract, especially after exercise in the heat. EMENDTM supplies 60 g of carbohydrate per litre, an optimal starting point.
The best carbohydrates for quick recovery are high glycemic index carbohydrates.
EMENDTM uses Dextrose as its' principle carbohydrate, and sucrose as its' secondary carbohydrate, totaling 60 grams of carbohydrate per litre of fluid, for rapid glycogen repletion.
2. Protein:
It is an essential building block in the body, from muscles to the immune system.
It is comprised of essential and non-essential amino acids.
It is vital to consume complete proteins.
When used as fuel, its' anabolic capacity is wasted, therefore a "protein sparing" diet is highly recommended.
Protein induced muscle recovery is at its peak during the "window of opportunity".
Its most potent "window of opportunity" is up to 30 min. after exercise.
It is best absorbed in combination with carbohydrates.
Optimum recovery needs at least 5-9 grams of protein by the first 30 minutes.
EMENDTM supplies 15 grams of ultrafiltered whey protein isolate per litre.
3. Water:
It is our most important nutrient.
Dehydration during prolonged exercise, and chronically, is detrimental to performance.
During recovery, replace fluids at the rate of 1½ x the deficit.
Prevent or reduce dehydration during exercise - using e load™ is a great way to achieve this.
See our Post Exercise Fluid Calculator to determine the best way to recover your fluid losses.
Replace fluids as soon as possible to prevent chronic dehydration.
EMENDTM contains an optimal sodium concentration to facilitate rehydration.
EMENDTM tastes great with natural orange flavor, encouraging you to drink.
4. Electrolytes:
Electrolytes are imperative to preserving water balance and the function of the nervous and the muscular systems.
Electrolytes are lost in sweat and urine both during and after exercise.
Your recovery drink should include the appropriate amounts of sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, magnesium and zinc.
Sodium should be in the range of 900-1000mg/litre for optimal rehydration.
EMENDTM supplies 940 mg/litre of sodium, which is a practical upper limit of sodium due to impaired taste with higher concentrations. All other electrolytes are present in physiological ranges.
5. Antioxidants:
Antioxidants are important in the recovery period as they neutralize free radicals generated by aerobic exercise.
They can help reduce protein oxidation by free radicals and prevent secondary muscle fatigue.
Water soluble antioxidants are safest as surpluses can be urinated out of the body.
Vitamin C is a safe, effective, water soluble antioxidant.
EMENDTM uses Calcium Ester C, a buffered (low acid) form of Vitamin C that is very stomach friendly. You can actually see the Calcium Ester C because it's a different colour than the rest of the EMENDTM powder.
6. pH:
pH is a measure of acidity.
Prolonged exercise, especially in the heat, is especially stressful, and as such will increase the amount of acid in your stomach (stress increases stomach acid, as many of you with stomach ulcers will know). This can lead to stomach pain/cramps. Therefore, you want to minimize the amount of acid in your drink. A pH of 7.0 is neutral, like water; a pH above 7.0 is basic, and a pH below 7.0 is acidic. Since protein is basic (the opposite of acidic), drinks that contain a relatively high amount of this compound are more likely to have a higher pH, often above 7.0. These very high protein drinks are more difficult to digest, especially after intense exercise in the heat. Drinks with a pH below 7.0 are likely to have a more stomach friendly amount of protein, and the closer to 7.0 their pH, the more stomach friendly the drink. EMENDTM has a pH of almost 5.0. This is the closest to 7.0 of any recovery drink with a pH less than 7.0, indicating a level of protein and overall acidity that is stomach friendly.
Two days later and I am feeling great, strong, and recovered. Thanks, Emend and AMP PRO2!

Sunday, February 28, 2010

A Red and White and Golden Day

Red and White and Gold.
This a.m. I wore my red and white Saucony jacket to the Grimsby 1/2 Marathon where I won gold (well, first female) with a new personal best time of 1:18:14.
This afternoon, I wore my red and white Canada jacket to our friends' daughter's hockey game where her team won gold at the Walter Gretzky tournament.
Then, our men's team, in red and white, sealed the deal for gold.

Eload = more red and white (and purple) from today.

In red and white watching the hockey game.


The new Saucony Fastwitch racing flats did the job today in my race! The green looks like the same colour of the flowers the Olympic medalists get, don't you think?




Two happy boys wearing mommy's medals.