Month: August 2011

Oh, Brooks, I will love you forever, and not just because you send me fun stuff sometimes. Your shoes are the best and I’ll never stray. Amen.

I took my new Ghost 4s on their first run tonight, and they felt pretty great! I’m in a deep, committed relationship with my Ghost 3s right now, but I know by the time my half-marathon/triathlon/marathon (sheesh) training is over, they’ll be finished. I jumped on a Road Runner sale so I could start gradually breaking in the Ghost 4s and make a seamless transition when the sad, tragic day comes to say goodbye to the 3s.

The first run was a success!

Another completely exhausting run, followed up by a trip to the gym for strength training. I am love-love-loving Tuesdays and Thursdays because I get to lift! Who knew I’d like it so much? Now that I’m not intimidated by the scary, muscular guys by the free weights, going to the gym is fun and I leave feeling strong.

I’m inspired by Emily at Daily Garnish and Tina at Carrots ‘N’ Cake when it comes to strength training. They’re both huge advocates for women to hit the weights, as it helps not only overall fitness, but also running ability — a strong upper body and core = good times.

I should take a before-ish picture to compare with an after-ish picture to see if there are any noticeable muscular changes over the next several weeks! I’ll put that on my to-do for this weekend…

This is definitely a PR for four miles!

I’m trying to push myself on these shorter runs because it’s easy for me to get lazy and just run them at a comfortable pace. I meant to hit a 9:15 first mile, but obviously that didn’t happen… I guess my natural pace has adjusted itself closer to 9:00. No complaints here!

I really pushed for all those negative splits, and was completely spent when I was done. I had a frustrating day and it felt really good to leave everything on the trail.

I wanted to stop and walk when I had about .40 left to go, but I just kept thinking, “Think of how good it will feel to finish in a few minutes knowing that you didn’t stop.”

And you know what? It did.

Last night…

One mile run to the gym: 8:21

3 x 12 of:

– Dumbbell chest press
– Dumbbell chest flys
– Single-arm row (both sides)
– Tricep kickbacks
– Bicep curl to military press
– Plank to pushup (without the pushup part)

(source)

One-mile run home: 7:43!!!

It was dark out and I hauled butt home. I had to slow down to check for cars and stuff, so I think I can run a mile even faster if I did it on a track. Still, this is my first recorded mile under 8 minutes!!!

What is that good feeling? Ah, yes — the ability to redefine what is possible for myself.

The bad news: We haven’t yet spotted Ryan Reynolds in Vancouver.

The good news: We did spot Brooke and Ben, and we got to enjoy delicious food and lots of 7UP (Ben) and lots of beer (everyone else).

A man drew a portrait of Aaron and me for $3 CAD. That’s a loonie and a toonie, FYI.

Another loonie… hehe.

Super fun night! Today is our last day in Vancouver, so Aaron and I are off to go explore. Seeya back in the States!

OK, Vancouver — you win. This was almost the most beautiful run I’ve ever done! (I thought it was the most beautiful, but then Aaron reminded me that we went for a run in Hawaii).

I ran all around Stanley Park along the seawall and the views were breathtaking the entire way. It’s a perfect, sunny day in Vancouver, and the salty breeze off the water was fabulous. Great run. (You’ll notice I got a little confused at the end and doubled back for a little bit. Ha.)

As soon as I was done, I checked my phone and realized Aaron was only a half-hour away from finishing the RSVP (Ride from Seattle to Vancouver and Party). I bought a Powerade and a cup of fruit and ran probably another 0.5 or 0.75 mile to the finish line.

Luckily I beat him there and watched him finish! I have pictures on my phone, but can’t put them on Tumblr without racking up evil international data costs. The ride was supposed to be 188 miles over two days, but Aaron ended up riding more than 200 due to unintentional “detours.”

So now we’re both tired, sweaty and about to attack all the food available in Vancouver.

Hide ya kids… hide ya wife… HIDE YA GELATO.