Sunday, October 20, 2013
Sail on, silver girl
Last weekend I was in the country just outside of Ottawa. I played some soccer with Angela and her brother, and we did a bit of walking/jogging. It was a wonderful and relaxing weekend. I slept in until 9 each morning (this is unprecedented for me, as I always wake up automatically by 7am), and we enjoyed a number of movies, TV shows, the Sims, and a 1000 piece puzzle.
When I got back to my Shred class on Wednesday, I lagged behind. It's amazing what even just a 5 day break can do. I also ate enormous amounts on the weekend (it was Thanksgiving!), so I'm sure that has also been slowing me down. Time to shave that off!
I did a Pump class today, and I was happy that my legs were doing all right and I was able to do the same weight as usual for them. At a party on Friday night with coworkers, I had a few good talks about fitness, and I have a number of friends who would like to workout with me. Bring it on. It's always nice to have a buddy to keep inspired.
I was actually feeling quite morose all morning, right up until I started writing this entry. Pump was fun, but I had this terrible shadow looming over me. I felt down and didn't even want to go to my class this morning, but I'll be damned if a silly feeling stemming from a dumb incident earlier int he week is going to take away my health. I won't let it change what I do in my free time. I have so much more going for me that it's ridiculous. Somehow, writing this all down has taken a weight off of my shoulders, and mulling over a talk I had with my mother has made me see the positive, or at least the different options I have.
Marie is back from the Dominican, so it's full speed ahead for our workouts this week. We're planning it out, and it looks like it's going to be a killer week (in a good way). Esther and Rachel ran the Scotiabank half marathon this morning, and I'm so proud of them! It really makes me want to train over the winter and next summer so I can join them next October. We'll see...!
Things happen, but life goes on. In fact, those things are life, so get used to it. It just makes the rest of life so much more enjoyable and that much happier.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Save the Breasts, Save the People, and Why I Run.
Apologies. I didn't update last week for a number of reasons, but mainly because I didn't feel I had anything vitally important to say.
Today, however, I do have something exciting to report: I did my first 5K run. It was the CIBC Run for the Cure, a run whose proceeds go towards the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. A number of my friends signed up for it, so some of us met in the morning before the race. We were excited to be there. The gloomy sky and the spitting rain didn't deter us.
The race was not timed, so I brought my phone in lieu of a proper stopwatch. The run started at Queen's Park, went down Queen's Park/University, looped back up to Bloor, then back down St. George till College, where we ran eastward until the entrance to King's Circle, where the finish line lay.
I made sure to start at a brisk pace, because unlike the 10k, I didn't have to conserve my energy for later. I could feel I was pushing it faster than usual, but I felt good. Just past the 3K (I think) mark, there was a water station, so I grabbed a cup. I took a little sip and then aimed my cup at a garbage bag a man was holding for empty cups. I threw it in, but I think I got some on him, so I turned around to yell that I was sorry. While not looking forward, I ran right into another man who was handing out water. I swerved out of his way.... right into a garbage can. It almost fell, so I steadied it quickly, as I yelled out more apologies and continued on my way. The episode was absolutely ridiculous, and it unsettled me, my heart speeding from guilt, embarrassment, and residual fear.
Despite this hiccup, I finished the run at 27:46. That's a 5:33 min/km, faster (as planned) than my previous 10K pace (5:51 min/km.)! In a previous entry, I wrote that 25 minutes was my goal, but that I would be happy not reaching it this time around. Indeed, I'm absolutely happy with my time! I'm very proud that I ran strong, and I'm confident that I will improve next time.
Something that also really struck me today was that I was running for something very near and dear to many people's hearts, and something that, honestly, is a threat to me and all of my friends and family. Breast Cancer is a looming shadow over the shoulders of many women, a number of them younger than I am. Today I heard a statistic that 1 in 9 Canadian women is expected to, at some point in their lives, be stricken with breast cancer. 1 in 9?! That's terrible. So today I ran for the people that cannot run themselves. I ran for my future, my friends' futures, my family members' futures. I ran to promote healthy living, something that has so many healing properties, both physical and mental. I ran to show that there are people supporting you when you feel hope is lost in the face of an indiscriminate genetic sentence.
Today, however, I do have something exciting to report: I did my first 5K run. It was the CIBC Run for the Cure, a run whose proceeds go towards the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. A number of my friends signed up for it, so some of us met in the morning before the race. We were excited to be there. The gloomy sky and the spitting rain didn't deter us.
The race was not timed, so I brought my phone in lieu of a proper stopwatch. The run started at Queen's Park, went down Queen's Park/University, looped back up to Bloor, then back down St. George till College, where we ran eastward until the entrance to King's Circle, where the finish line lay.
I made sure to start at a brisk pace, because unlike the 10k, I didn't have to conserve my energy for later. I could feel I was pushing it faster than usual, but I felt good. Just past the 3K (I think) mark, there was a water station, so I grabbed a cup. I took a little sip and then aimed my cup at a garbage bag a man was holding for empty cups. I threw it in, but I think I got some on him, so I turned around to yell that I was sorry. While not looking forward, I ran right into another man who was handing out water. I swerved out of his way.... right into a garbage can. It almost fell, so I steadied it quickly, as I yelled out more apologies and continued on my way. The episode was absolutely ridiculous, and it unsettled me, my heart speeding from guilt, embarrassment, and residual fear.
Despite this hiccup, I finished the run at 27:46. That's a 5:33 min/km, faster (as planned) than my previous 10K pace (5:51 min/km.)! In a previous entry, I wrote that 25 minutes was my goal, but that I would be happy not reaching it this time around. Indeed, I'm absolutely happy with my time! I'm very proud that I ran strong, and I'm confident that I will improve next time.
Something that also really struck me today was that I was running for something very near and dear to many people's hearts, and something that, honestly, is a threat to me and all of my friends and family. Breast Cancer is a looming shadow over the shoulders of many women, a number of them younger than I am. Today I heard a statistic that 1 in 9 Canadian women is expected to, at some point in their lives, be stricken with breast cancer. 1 in 9?! That's terrible. So today I ran for the people that cannot run themselves. I ran for my future, my friends' futures, my family members' futures. I ran to promote healthy living, something that has so many healing properties, both physical and mental. I ran to show that there are people supporting you when you feel hope is lost in the face of an indiscriminate genetic sentence.
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