Go time test take 1

Things I don't want to do right now run a test run. But I got a camel back on got some Gu's got some tunes and I'm heading out to run 20 Kms!

19 days!!

It's 19 days until race day! I'm getting nervous :( I had to take a 2.5 week hiatus because of the knee/concussion issue :(. Some how in that time I managed yo gain 15 lbs and feel like a newbie runner again. My doctor once told me some people have an easy time with weight loss and others have to work really hard. Taking 2.5 weeks off just goes to show I am the later. To help me along through the month of June I have promised myself to get AB focused ... 100 sit ups a day, yoga 3times a week before work, and some sort of ab video, I got from the library... Whatever happened to 6 minute abs????

WOOT!!

HEY CHECK OUT MY THERMOMETER!!!  LOOKS LIKE IT'S GETTING HOT IN HERE!

Dr said no!!! I say yes!!

So its Ottawa race weekend and the crowds are CRAZY!! I'm at the back so I have a great view of the crowd!

Dr said no running or vigorous exercise. I agree BUT I had a bib and I didn't want it to go to waste so I moved myself to the back of the pack and decided to walk it!! I am so proud of myself!! It took me 1:32 but I walked it and had such a great feel of accomplishment!!

Ottawa race weekend!

Pushing myself though a 10 km race tonight! I'm nervous! Soooooo nervous! Will probably take the full 2 hours, I just want to take it easy on account of my head! Tomorrow working the TNT victory booth in the morning and taking pictures of all my fellow athletes! Can't wait!! Pics to follow of finishers medals!!

Awesomeness!

The concert was AMAZING!! I couldn't have asked for it to go any better!! I was soooooo nervous but it worked out in the end! I have yet to calculate totals but I have defiantly pushed myself across my fundraising goal line! I think all said and done it will be around the $900 dollar mark! Fantastic!!!! Also I am extremely grateful for amazing friends and their wonderful help! Namely Osana, Keith, Pat, Dani, Adam & Jessica for all your hard work!! The great bartenders! And of course the talented Craig Cardiff who made the experience AMAZING!!!

THANK YOU!!!!

The reason I have not been blogging AGAIN!

Been out for 2 weeks with a massive concussion :( no tv no computer no reading ... And no exercise!!! Feeling well enough for Ottawa race weekend but it's going to be a slow one. Hoping to walk the 10km I signed up for and looking at a 2 hour finish! Just got to get out there, and walking is better then sitting on the couch!

Holy knee pain

Ice rest and elevation it is!!! Man this hurts!!!

YOU KNOW ITS OFFICIAL WHEN YOU HAVE A POSTER!!

WHAT A DAY!

SO it is official!! I will be holding a fundraising concert with Craig Cardiff on May 19th!!! This is a TOTAL SCORE!!! I have been listening to Craig's music for many years now, and have seen him many times in both Ottawa and the Waterloo area!  I am soooo stoked he agreed to preform and know that anyone who comes is going to have a real treat for their ears!!  Check out the FB event at http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/164410533685119/ !!! 

You know its official when you have a poster: 

WHOA HOLD ON ... When was the last time I posted?

Whoa ... It looks like I have been forgetting to write my blog again!!

Holy Moly old friend it been a while!

Here is what is going on ...

- Patrick and I have been continuing to run together!  It has been great and a lot of fun!  We start at Euphoria a local smoothie shop and run to the Russell Curling club and back ... to get a smoothie!  I guess it is kind of like putting a carrot in front of a horse, but it is working!
- Fundraising is coming along and I am working on some pretty EXCITING stuff including a pretty big deal concert and silent auction!!!  IT IS GOING TO BE GRANDE!!!
- Since Pat is running now we have decided that the next event ... yes there will be a next event! Will be a family trip to run the Disney Wine and Food half Marathon! WHOOT!!  I am starting to see a theme here ... running for food!!! LOL either way it is sooooooo exciting and I can't wait to take the kids!

BUT the most exciting thing that has happened is something that can be summed up in a really big word: RECOMMITMENT!!! 

I have recommited to Team in Training, so that is right I have commited myself to raise $4000 dollars for blood cancer reasearch, and I have commited myself to run 21.1 km on June 23rd.

GAH WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO????????

Logisux

So now that Pat is having a good time running with me things have become well a bit complicated.  BOTH of us want to run and we are thinking running can be a great date night!  Anyways the logistics of running together have become a challenge.  I refuse to buy a new stroller and we can't leave the kids home alone on their own for an hour and a half so we are kind of at a loss :(.  CRUDDY.  Must find a way.

TAKE THAT 8 MI!!!!

I DID IT!!! I just keep going further and further!  Okay so I am a bit slow, but slow and steady wins the race... or atleast builds confidence!!  SO I did the 8 miles today and I survived!  I am so proud of myself just for doing it!  The miles keep building and building and I am getting stronger and stronger and having more successes then I felt were possible, I am shocked at the distances I am travelling and just so proud I am doing them!  Time is for people who have something to prove, and I will get there one day when I start establishing some personal bests but for now its all about the miles and getting them in and getting them done, and most importantly feeling accomplished and successful just for doing them!

Also I said if I survived the 8 mi I would do a cold soak ... and I did that too!!! I turned the cold water on and cranked it,  filled it to where I thought it would cover my legs, put on a  bathingsuit and a sweater and slide in ... very ... very cautiously.  You know what I was surprised it really wasn't that bad.  My legs still feel like hell but while I was in the bath they felt FANTASTIC!  Will probably continue to do this after my long runs!  Tomorrow its a 5 km maintaince run and I have a feeling its going to be a tough one.

Either way I feel GREAT today!

Also I would like to SEND A BIG THANKS OUT TO Osana R. for watching the kids and letting me and Pat out of the house together!  That was amazing! THANK YOU!

WTF?? Your suggesting what?

So I got an e-mail from my run coach today, no words can describe it and it just needs to be posted in full text here:

    2. Brace Yourselves -- The Cold Soak...

    With mileage climbing fast, we need to bring this up -- something to consider after your next long training session -- the cold soak.

    After you get home, fill the bathtub with water as cold as the faucet will allow -- then slide in & soak for about 10-15 minutes.

    It sounds brutal, but the results are pretty convincing. The cold water is going to help reduce any inflammation & soreness -- and speed muscle recovery.

    Some people make an occasion of out of it -- bringing a cup of tea and a book to their cold soaks.

I'm sorry say what?  You want me to try what?  YEAH UMMMMM that sounds more painful then the run itself!!!!  So I guess words can describe how I feel about this and really its just 3 simple letters: WTF!!!!

I have been mentally preparing myself for my longest run to date and the thought of this weekends 8 mi was insane enough but the recommendation to have a cold bath following the run is really well INSANE x infinity!!  So what am I going to do with this information ...

Well I am going to try it ... I'll let you all know how it goes ... if I survive 8 miles!

Easter

It is going to take me weeks to burn off all this Easter! Perhaps running around after my hyped up kids will help out? Who knows!

Two Days of Great Running!

I have had 2 days of great running!!!  Yesterday Patrick and I went for a nice 5 km run!  We paced ourselves, took it easy and focused on getting the distance done.  Patrick did great and kept up with me ;) and did the whole run ... I think he may have caught a little bit of the bug!  BECAUSE ... this morning we woke up and ran AGAIN together.  We went all the way from my parents house to costco!  It was suppose to be 11 km but worked out to be more like 8 :( I was a bit short on my kms for my long run but just had such a great time being out with the hubby doing something that was a) FREE b) FUN c) PHYSICAL!!  It was a great feeling.  In other news ... I love my new shoes but my toes are starting to numb if I run anything above a 5km run so I think I am going to keep breaking them in but also try some new ones I bought that have a bit more flex in the toe, which should allow for more movement ... I am becoming a bit shoe obsessed!  CRAZINESS!!  Its an off day tomorrow but Patrick is so jazzed we might do the 5 km monday run a day early :) LOVE IT!
\

I RUN 4 PANCAKES!!

What a great day for a run!  It is a beautiful 7 degrees, and sunny and a great day for a run!  SO WHY NOT RUN FOR PANCAKES!  YUMMMO!!!!  Chrystal and I decided we were going to run Vanier Maple Run.  We were debating the 5 or the 10 km run.  We finally settled on the 5 km THANK GOODNESS!!  I nearly died on the 5km and came in last!  HA HA HA you don't get anywhere by not practicing.  Anyways finished in 41 mins ... SOOO not a personal best, in fact I think it might be a personal worst!!!  But atleast I did it and got through it and lived to tell about it.  Also I didn't realize how beautiful Vanier was, and that there was a great urban sugar shack!  Just AMAZING! 

When I got home Patrick had a great trophy full of chocolate waiting for me at home!  SOOO GREAT! 

TAKE 3!!!

NEW SHOES ... take 3!! 

Ok so here is the thing, I am generally not a picky person, when it comes to sports equipment.  Ask my friend James, he used to literally squeeze my ski boots on my feet because I refused to by new ones.  They were a size 6 and my feet are a size 10.  He used to sit on them while I or one of my friends would close the hinges.  It was generally a 3 person job. 

Soooo to be on my third pair of shoes to me seems ridiculous!  I tried the pair of asics you saw below and they just didn't fit right so I went back to running room for an exchange.  For some reason the person working offered me a shoe with more support when in fact what I needed was a shoe with less support.  Apparently there are people who run called supinators and pronators and others that are neutral.  I was told I was a pronator but in fact my foot falls in more of a neutral/supinator position.  To add to this problem I was then given a pair of insoles that exagerrated the support for a pronator further.  This miss assesment has been causing me a great deal of pain!  OUCH.  My foot is literally making a grinding sound when I move it, poor abused foot muscles. 

Now like I said I like to try to push through all that pain and noise and "JUST GET 'ER DONE" so I was running in these shoes and probably causing a lot more damage to the muscles then I should have been.  HENCE new shoes number 3! New shoes number 3 are cute and green and blue and white ... ok really they are not my style and kinda ugly but its not all about style, they have to be functional and comfortable.  I didn't want to spend another huge chunk of change on shoes so I got some that were a steal running room for $49.99 if you can believe it!!!! 

The RESULT of new shoes number #3: first treadmill run = success!!!  5 km on a treadmill in 42 minutes with a 5 min walk start and a 5 min walk cool down!  A month ago that was taking me 1:15:00. 

Also I would like to congratulate myself on officially dropping 15 lbs since I started this thing!

YEAH ME!

If you are interested in contributing to my journey to Alaska please feel free to check out my TNT donor page at http://tinyurl.com/alaskabound4cancer.com

Just got my total back from the SAIL fundraiser!!  I DID GREAT!!!  Was able to raise 582.96$$$ SCORE!

I am only $76.04 away from my 2000$ target this month!!! I hope I get it soon, anyone out there willing to donate $76.04?

Also have been contacting some people looking for some larger donations ... I really hope one of them comes through for me would love to have a corporate sponsor on my side.

Tonight 4 mile Tempo run ... I hate the tempo runs!  Ohh well gotta push through it, doing some AMAZING things!

River!!!!

So the paths are clear of snow it's 25 degrees and the running is good!!! Well ok I'm still slow but defiantly getting stronger!! I am love love loving being outside in the sun and was totally over dressed in a long sleeve shirt today! It was great!!! Also was working at SAIL all week packaging bags and working as a "celebrity" packer! Amazing thing is I think I was actually pretty good at it!!!! SAIL even offered me a job although Im not sure how serious that offer was :). I very rarely had anyone say no and was often getting 5 dollar bills and even a few 20s tossed in my bucket!! It really reinforced my decision to do something good! I was amazed to see how supportive the community was when I told them about TNT my choice to go to Alaska and my story in general! Others were supportive of Lls and it was hard to hear how many people had loved ones who were suffering or in remission. It reminded me alot of what we went through when grandma got sick and it forced me to relive a lot of that pain, I wish she could have survived the way some of their relatives did!! I guess that's the hard part about doing this for charity you hear so many sad stories, but there are also wonderful stories of survival that are truely inspiring!

Check out my picture of the GREEN there is GREEN ... This was such a short winter but I am still glad it's over and happy to see spring which even on march 19 feels like summer!

BACK AT 'ER!

So as some of you may know I have been really really really sick.  First I had strep, then a sinus infection ear infection and pink eye, ALL AT ONCE!!  Sooo was feeling good got rid of that and then BAM ... the flu from hell that knocked me so far on my A@@ I didn't get out of bed for almost a week!!!!  I still have a horrible lingering cough, but that is much easier to work through then the horrible malaise I was feeling for the last 2.5 weeks.  I am feeling recovered now and ready to rock and ... run!!!

So here is how my progress is going ... Last night I RAN, yes that is right RAN the complete 5 km no walking at all!!  AMAZING!!  Well ok to be fair for some reason around 3 km in EVERY run I have to stop to go to the bathroom (ICK!!) so there was that short break.  But other then that ran the whole way!!!  it took me less then 40 mins (which might not sound good ... but is GREAT for me) and that was with the bathroom break!  Also on the weekend I went out for 2 hours not really sure how far I went just allowed myself to get lost.  I tried to map out a general route, and it looks like it was just over 10 km.  

I can't believe how well I am doing I am so proud of myself this week! 

GO ME!

SUNDAY, SUNDAY ... SUNDAY!!!

Sunday seemed to be the day that just wouldn't end.  Got up at 6:00 am and was MOTIVATED!!  Decided to go downtown and join the TNT run group.  It was ok but definately a bit embarrasing.  I completed about 7 kms but it was a huge disappointment!  Very little of it was running, most of it was walking, and it was COLD COLD COLD... my car read -15 degrees and I heard it was less then -25 with the wind chill BURRRRRRRRR!!!  So anyways it was a hugely disappointing "run".  I am very grateful to my mentor who was with me the whole way freezing her toosh off.  So now I need to come up with a plan to quit worrying about the pain I am experiencing in my legs and try to turn running into a positive thing and not something that I have to force myself to do.  I'm thinking stay out of the freezing cold, start really slow and build up, and come up with a positive mantra that will help push through.   

Sunday evening a fellow team member held a comedy night!  I was lucky enough to be able to invite friends and co-workers to the night and it was a HUGE SUCCESS!!!  I was able to persuade 35 people to join in the fun and raised $400 SCORE!!!  I am not sure I will hold another of these because the people at absolute kind of stressed me out with their insane reservation policy.  It was borderline harassment!  Not to mention I was reprimanded 4 times while there for trying to communicate with my guests SHEESH!  Just wanted to make sure everyone was having a good time! 

Monday, I took the night off from running and went to bed at 6:30 I was exhausted!!  Back to in on wednesday!

RALLY CALL!!!

So things seem to be coming along nicely.  I am training and working hard to get some materials ready to really get into the thick of the fundraising.  Most importantly I am EXCITED!!!  We had our first RALLY CALL on Saturday and I am super pumped to get going on this!  Now I have to take all that energy and focus it into getting things done.

I also went shopping!!!  I thought running would be a nice inexpensive activity... BOY WAS I WRONG!! I mean really all you need is a pair of shoes right?  Well apparently you need a whole wardrobe, WHO KNEW?  I went into the Running Room to get a new pair of shoes and came out with a new pair of shoes a new pair of pants, a base layer, a wind breaker, 2 pairs of socks, and a sweater.  Aside from the shoes, which were not something I wanted to cheap out on, I got some pretty great deals!!  After buying all of that you would think I would have splurged and bought a little belt with a water bottle in it but for some reason I decided to forgo this essential item.  It is actually a bit of a regret.  I really enjoyed splurging on a new pair of runners and thought it would be important given the amount of time I would spend in them.  The running room was super professional and accessed my walking technique and matched me with a great pair of sneakers that are waaaaaaaay more comfortable then the shoes I bought 7 years ago back in Uni.

MY NEW KICKS!!! 

I was so EXCITED to use my new gear that I decided a really great idea would be to take the dog for a run on the trail near our house.  The trail runs 5 kms so I thought I would do half turn around and get a 5 km run in.  So the reason this is up here is because it obviously turned into a tale of catastrophe!  THE DOG TRIED TO KILL ME!!!  Repeatedly.  He would run and run and run then STOP in front of my under my foot, under my step, tie the leash around my legs, then in a twist of fate he got off the leash and ran into someones back yard.  The trail was icy and slippery and just horrible, I was frustrated and angry and growing impatient.  The story doesn't end here, later at the local Independent Grocer, a woman came up to me and asked if I had a german shepard.  I said no, concerned that she might be angry that I left my dog in the car or worse saw me chasing my dog like a crazy woman on the trail.  It wasn't necessarily a lie, he's not a German shepard; he's an Australian shepard/Bernese mix.  It was of course the latter, she saw me a the crazy person, I couldn't help but think OHH NO what part of my crazy woman antics did she see?  In my mind I kept thinking I couldn't have been that crazy could I?  I didn't hit him or drag him I just kind of yelled angrily at something rustling in the bushes ... right, RIGHT, RIGHT???  The next part of the conversation went like this "He's SOOOOOO cute!!!"  Phew ... thank goodness, relief!  "We have a border collie, an I know how difficult they can be."  PHEW PHEW!  "Hey we should have a playdate."  WOOHOO she doesn't see me as the crazy lady infact she wants to hang out! HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF!

So the point of the story is I am NEVER going to take Remy on another run with me!  Unless I want some more great bruises, and more scratches on my new shoes and more holes in my new clothes :(.   But depite all that at least my neighbours don't see me as the crazy lady ... well not that one!

     

BACK INTO BLOGGING!

Okay okay so I kind of suck updating this Blog thing!  Here's why.  I'm a bit embarrased by the title of this blog.  I set this up when I was still on a doing this for myself and on a weightloss kick, as I have been running this program, and meeting other people and hearing their stories I am realizing this is more about other people then myself.  Even though I am actually down 10 lbs ;). 

So ....  I want to change the name and am looking for some suggestions... and then I won't be so embarrased to write and update.

Setting some foundations.

WELCOME BLOG FOLLOWERS!!!  Just want to send a shout out to all the great peeps that decided to follow my blog.  There is a special place in my heart reserved just for you ... awwww!!!

Here are my thoughts for today:

So to get started on this program one must set some foundations.  Ideally, one would assume the necessity of having an interest in running, and fundraising ... ideally.  Nevertheless, today I am feeling an interest in neither.  Despite this tinge of lack of motivation I am trudging through to attempt to accomplish some benchmarks this week.  First to start a bit of a fundraising campaign ( I apologize to my friends in advance, because you can all expect to be harassed shortly) and to continue to work on some endurace issues.  I was told by my  allergist today that my lungs well kind of suck! 

Also I am trying to find great new and exciting ways to exercise that are not running.  So far I am thinking that the canal better look out because I am about to skate it to shreds ... although any other suggestions for alternative winter exercises would be greatly appreciated?

Okay shhh I have a confession to make.  My big confession is that I skipped out on my run tonight EPPP!  BUT only because I know there might be some good fundraising opportunities tomorrow when Patrick is at his EAC meeting, and I will have the house to myself provided the youth go to bed to get my run on.  So here is what I did instead... and I'm pretty damn proud so no making fun of my lack of artistic capabilities. 

Presenting my fundraising handouts:

Okay I can handle it  ... so what do you think????

Its double sided:

`

So these are cards I am hoping to hand out to help spread the word to different people that I might not be able to reach just by e-mail but may come in contact with during daily interactions.  Fundraising is so shameless ... but you never really know who is going to be the person that gives you a hand, and sometimes gifts come from unlikely sources. 

Anyways all that cut and paste and colouring has made me tired and I think it is time to get to bed.  Work comes so early.

Please don't forget to tell a friend or make a donation.

http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=1342411&langPref=en-CA

ELizabeth Creary

NEWBIE POST

HURRAY!!
Welcome to my inaugural blog post! Amazing isn't it?  Okay so it's pretty amazing to me!  I want to use this blog to chronicle my journey from couch potato to running a 20 k marathon in Alaska on June 23rd right before my 31st birthday.

Funny thing is, that while I was struggling to find anything that could help motivate this overweight mom to accomplish some personal and fitness goals, I came across a radio advert for Team in Training (TNT) which raises money for The Lukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada (can't go wrong exercising and fighting cancer at the same time right!). Here's their website: http://www.teamintraining.ca/.

Team In Training (TNT) offers hands-on training unlike any other program. According the the website, I should look forward to receiving more help than with other charities, gyms, online training programs or sports clubs combined ...  or so they claim ... and hopefully holds true! TNT has an established network of coaches, mentors and teammates which supports  you the entire way to the finish line. TNT sets your training regimen, they advise you on nutrition and injury prevention; they hold weekly team workouts to encourage everyone involved to stay on track. TNT trains for events all over Canada and the world and for me there was no doubt that Alaska was the race I wanted to conquer. Why run a half marathon and fight cancer in a generic city when you can run a half marathon, fight cancer and dodge bears, moose and Sarah Palin all in the same day! And maybe even see Russia ;).
So here's the deal, this blog is meant to be a candid portrait into the highs and lows of taking on such an enormous feat.  I intend to have it "run", PUN INTENDED! from today February 7th 2012 until just after race day, possibly continuing after that if a marathon just wasn't enough and I have to go for the FULL!

So why the heck am I doing this... besides kicking cancer's ass?

I'm married and recently had two children in less than two years (14 months apart!). While I love my family very much, like many people in my situation I have become overweight, unhealthy, and depressed and not doing much to take control and make the situation better.   My priorities have become "dealing" with 2 kids, a husband, a house, and a career but somewhere along the line I forgot to MAKE time for myself and keep my mind and body healthy and happy.  I'm hoping the Team in Trainig programme, in addition to raising funds for lukemia and lymphoma will also help motiviate me to get my mind and body a little closer to where I want them.

I am not expecting weight loss miracles from running this program but I do intdend to improve my general health, and improve my mood and disposition.  I am running this half marathon to have a project for myself, something I can say I did and accomplished through hard work and determination. Keeping this blog is extra motivation for me to be accountable for my training,  and not to dissapoint all of the generous, caring, warm, and very sexy  people (hint hint...) who choose to donate to my cause (lukemia, lymphoma and me not dying of a heart attack before i'm 32!).

Now for an ice cream break... wait no shut up stomach, time for another 40 minutes of hot sweaty lovin with my treadmill.... hear that Alaska... I'm comin'.... 

Don't forget you can do your part by donating to cure blood cancers and of course me and my pursuit.  Thanks for reading and I hope you'll join me on this journey from fat to 20k!!!

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