Category Archives: Fitness

Fitness Friday: 5K and 10K Race Results

March 28, 2014Fitness, Running, VacationRacingChelle

As you may know, I went on vacation over the last week and a bit and I ran a few races along the way. So how’d I do? Not bad overall!

KELLY St. Patrick’s Day Shamrock 5K in Baltimore, Maryland U.S.A.

20103_ff_shamrock5k3

I love me some green so I was more than happy to don all the green gear I had for this St. Patrick’s Day run. My goal was to beat my only other race time I had (27:59 minutes).

20103_ff_shamrock5k2

It was an absolutely PACKED run. They capped off the runners at 5000 people, which was much larger than the race I’d previously done. The sea of green both in front and behind me on this run was just out and out awesome. You can see a little bit of it behind me in the shot on the left above.

20103_ff_shamrock5k4

The course was pretty flat aside from the start zone which was downhill until we hit along the waterfront. It was also kind of cold (around 3C) but damned if I was going to wear a jacket when I had a green sports tank to wear! Luckily, the friend that I was staying with lived very close to the start point so I didn’t have to remain cold for long.

20103_ff_shamrock5k1

In the end, I finished in 27:25, a good 34 seconds faster than my previous 5K race. Pretty happy with that!

5K Race Summary

Finish Time: 27:25
Pace: 5:29 per kilometer
Overall placement: 861/4232
Age group placement (Female, 30-39): 126/909

After I was in Baltimore, I spent a few days in New York City and decided to sign up for my first 10K race. I had run various 10Ks in “training” previously, but nowhere near as consistently as I’ve run 5. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I decided the flat course on Roosevelt Island was pretty appealing so I registered for that one.

NYCRuns Spring Fling 10K in New York City, New York U.S.A.

20103_ff_nycruns10k1

I had to commute from Brooklyn, but luckily the F took me straight there. It was quite a bit warmer on this run but I wore my winter jacket out to it because I knew I’d be standing around a lot longer. I also knew I’d run into that “cold temperature running hypothermia” I seem to get after cold weather runs (and I was right – I was so happy for that heavy jacket after the run was over).

20103_ff_nycruns10k2

With plenty of sun (but with low temperatures) and almost zero wind, these were pretty perfect conditions for what I knew was going to be roughly an hour long run. I had some sort of idea that I wanted to run the 10K in 60 minutes (preferably less) but I’d never actually accomplished this in training before. The other point worth mentioning is that I think all of the 10Ks I had run in practice had some kind of stoppage in them – normally for traffic lights or pedestrians, etc. So I really had no idea what to expect in terms of my lungs holding up for this run.

20103_ff_nycruns10k4

In the end, the run was a double lap around the island and I didn’t have to stop for any reason. I finished the race with a chip time of 59:37 which squeaked me in under my goal.

20103_ff_nycruns10k3

The 10K also only had about 400 people in it so it was a pretty small crowd. As a side note… the Muscle Milk they were handing out afterwards was absolutely disgusting. Bleugh.

10K Race Summary

Finish Time: 59:37
Pace: 5:57 per kilometer
Overall placement: 202/360
Age group placement (Female, 30-39): 41/83

No races scheduled for April, but I do have another 5K and a 10K scheduled for May so I’ll be looking to improve my run times for those races as well!

Fitness Friday – Lacklustre Update

March 14, 2014FitnessChelle

I wanted to give an update on my half-marathon training, but I didn’t plan for this entry too well as I’m currently sitting in an airport trying to figure out what to write. So here’s what’s been going on.

I’ve been sort of doing pretty well with the running plan… but I seem to be doing it every other week. Which means I’ll clock my 22 km total for one week.. and then only play soccer a few times the next week. This isn’t what I want to be doing and I really need to get back on schedule. The good news side of it is that I got back up to running 8k straight.

Then this past week I finally clocked on that I had a 10k race in New York City in only a week and a half and yet I hadn’t run a full 10k in about three months. So, as a last nod to fitness before I went on vacation (which is where I’m headed right now as I type this Thursday morning), I ran a 10k after having not run in almost two weeks. Uphill up Yonge Street. Not my smartest move. But I did it, and clocked in just over an hour for the full 10k which makes me pretty happy since that’s slightly quicker than the last time I’d done one (December-ish). So I’m feeling a bit better about the 10k race that’s coming upon the 22nd. I looked up previous times for this particular 10k and it seems the very last people completed it in 90 minutes so I’m not feeling too poorly about my speed.

And that’s all I’ve got. Boring entry eh? I’ll leave you with one of my favourite fitblr sayings for inspiration instead.

Fitness Friday – Family Day Weekend

February 28, 2014FitnessCross-country Skiing, Garmin, SnowboardingChelle

201402_fitnessfriday_snowsports4

Over the Family Day weekend, I headed up to Ottawa to get in some much needed snowboarding. Since my ridiculous illness lasted an entire week over Christmas, I wasn’t able to get in any downhill excitement. It had been a few years since I’d been able to get out snowboarding so I was really starting to crave it.

Plus, you know, Ottawa looked like this:

201402_fitnessfriday_snowsports9

Yes, those are about 6 foot tall fences separating backyards where the backyard itself is filled about two to three feet high of snow.

Since I was a little kid, my dad had taught us (my brother and I) to ski. Over the years I slowly became bored of skiing. I was proficient, although I never progressed past just “going fast” down a hill while occasionally venturing amongst the trees for a few jumps. In my twenties, I was introduced to snowboarding by an ex of mine. With a single 30 minute lesson at Camp Fortune in Ottawa, I went snowboarding in the Swiss/French Alps with my friends. It was insane to take such a leap but it was exhilarating and I love that I did that with such little experience under my belt.

I’m not an amazing snowboarder. I don’t tend to go faster than 40 km/h (as I found out with my Garmin!), my idea of going off a jump is to barely take a little hop over a tiny snow mound and I barely know what the heck to do when my speed picks up too quickly other than just turn into a side slip.

But I love it. I really love it.

After years and years of skiing, snowboarding is a breath of fresh air. It just feels exciting! It’s nice to be doing something different and new. Since I’m still not completely comfortable with snowboarding, it gives me an added sense of exhilaration.

I also know next to nothing about snowboarding gear, but I love mine. As with my clothing, I tend to steer towards white and the board, boots and bindings are no exception. The bottom of the board is actually not completely painted over, so you can see the wood right through the bottom which I think looks really cool.

Sometimes I just disappear into the actual side of the hill wearing so much white…

So anyway, back to the snowboarding. My dad and I got out twice, once to Vorlage and once to Edelweiss (both just over in Quebec). It’s funny how memories are. When I was younger, these hills felt so big. But going up them now? I can’t believe how small they feel!

Edelweiss, while slightly bigger than Vorlage, has never been my favourite hill, but it’s relatively nearby so we made one trip out there. In high school, this was the mountain the ski club used, so it’s one I was seriously over-exposed to. It has longer slope lengths than Vorlage though, so the runs tend to be a bit longer which is quite nice.

However, I really liked Vorlage and that’s the one I remember liking from when I was in my teens. No to mention, the place was totally and completely dead! We had that hill practically to ourselves and it was wonderful.

Zoomed in shot so you can see the bottom of the board (and my ridiculous face)

I wore my Garmin 220 for the second time we hit the slopes, just to see what kind of speed I get up to and how many calories snowboarding actually burns. And while the calorie burn isn’t particularly high, it was definitely fun to see how fast I get up to in the breakdown (topped out around 39.2 km/h).

Garmin map readout for snowboarding at Edelweiss

201402_fitnessfriday_snowsports12

Aside from the snowboarding, I also got out for a bout of cross-country skiing. Now, I haven’t been cross country skiing since I was probably about 15 years old so I had to pick up a full set of new gear. I was also slightly worried about how good I’d even be since I barely remember the motion of pulling your heels up on a pair of skis. One note about the gear… since WHEN have they made cross-country skiing boots feels like you’ve put your feet in a pile of pillows? These boots were so comfortable that they were an absolute pleasure to wear!

I was only intending to get out there for about an hour, but somehow an hour turned into roughly three hours. We ended up on the trail for the Loppet which was happening that weekend, but thankfully didn’t ski the whole darn thing (50k). We did, however, cover about 15k which is pretty crazy to me.

201402_fitnessfriday_snowsports11

So what are my thoughts on cross country skiing now? Well, I’m faster than I thought I was going to be (bonus) but I ski slower than I run! According to my Garmin data (can you tell I love this thing?) we covered 15.3k in two hours and forty minutes, which is an average page of 5.8 km/h, but I run about 10 km/h. I honestly expected that skiing, given that you have slipey-slidey things attached to your feet, would mean you moved at a much faster pace.

201402_fitnessfriday_snowsports10

It’s definitely a pretty solitary sport – there’s no one really to talk to as you do it since the tracks are decidedly single file. I don’t like it as much as running, but that may be because I feel like I’m getting nowhere fast on a pair of these skis! It’s certainly one hell of a workout though since the Garmin clocked me in around almost 1000 calories burned for the time we spent out there.

201402_fitnessfriday_snowsports14

So while I liked the experience of cross-country skiing again, it’s definitely not as exhilarating as snowboarding. It’s a shame that Toronto doesn’t have more access to proper ski slopes like Ottawa does so I really only get my fix in when I visit my parents during the winter (or go on a snowy vacation!). I was really happy to get out there again and looking forward to when I get another chance, although it likely won’t be until next year!

Fitness Friday – Come on a Wintry Run With Me!

February 14, 2014Fitness, RunningChelle

fitnessfriday_winterrun1

So last Sunday it looked like this outside (above). It had been snowing for a couple hours and I needed to get another ~5k run in. I had just gone on an awesome 8k outdoor run the day prior and wanted to go outside again. Despite the snowfall, I decided to give it a shot and take my camera along with me.

fitnessfriday_winterrun3

Even though it’s about -13C, I really don’t need a ton of clothing to go out for a run. If I wear too much I end up sweating buckets which in turn cools me down too much and I end up absolutely freezing. So the key to this is to actually wear as little clothing as possible in order to sustain a minimum amount of body heat. For me, at -13C, I only need a running tank under a t-shirt, a very light cotton jacket (this one is from Lululemon), a pair of leggings (Old Navy) and some dollar store gloves. No hat, no fancy running gear, just a few layers and I’m good to go.

fitnessfriday_winterrun2

And these cat socks. Have to have these cat socks.

fitnessfriday_winterrun4

About to head out! The hood on my jacket usually stays up for a few minutes into the run, just long enough for my body to heat up. At that point the hood comes off and I’m good to go for the rest of the run.

fitnessfriday_winterrun5

The sidewalks were decidedly NOT clear and it was actually really rough on the calves. Every now and then I’d hit a patch of sidewalk that had been salted (bless your hearts whoever did that) and it was like suddenly getting a speed boost a la Mario Kart!

fitnessfriday_winterrun6

I love this bridge – it’s the Bloor Viaduct that essentially turns Bloor Street East into the Danforth, while crossing over the Don Valley Parkway (DVP). Oddly, this sidewalk is usually pretty clear, so it’s not too bad to run on. I saw a couple of other runners out along here as well.

fitnessfriday_winterrun7

My amorphous blob of a fingertip is pointing out where we’re headed once we get off the bridge. That’s the Bridepoint Medical Centre at Broadview and Gerrard off in the distance. Although it’s only three kilometers away, it looks frigging FAR!

fitnessfriday_winterrun8

Off the bridge and down Broadview, we eventually hit Riverdale Park East. I’ve played soccer down in that valley often during the summer, but throughout the winter it makes a pretty awesome hill for sledding down (top right photo shows a few people out there sledding).

fitnessfriday_winterrun9

Since I live right downtown, I love getting out to Broadview and running the length of it because there’s a lot of open space with nature around which isn’t something you see if you stick strictly to the downtown core. Unfortunately, the sidewalks are still pretty bad in this area – a lot of muck and built up ice and snow. And just to make this scene even more Toronto-esque, there’s a streetcar.

fitnessfriday_winterrun10

Now we’ve made it down to Bridgepoint Medical (aka DYAD) and you can faintly see the Bloor Viaduct way off in the distance which is where we came from. To the left is the DVP, which we’re about to cross over.

fitnessfriday_winterrun12

And we’re finally reaching the end of the run! Back up into Allan Gardens for the remaining kilometer. This park is especially pretty throughout the winter. Honestly, I think its the lamp posts and benches that make it look particularly pretty all dusted in snow.

fitnessfriday_winterrun13

I was tired at this point and very clearly covered in snow! It’s surprising how much extra work it is to push yourself through the snow on the ground. When you’re sliding all over the place you have to be hyper aware of where you’re placing your feet so you I couldn’t just turn my mind off (or try to) as I normally do throughout a run.

fitnessfriday_winterrun14

And that’s me done my run for the day! I did about 5.6 kilometers and was pretty happy I got out there. While the snow is beautiful and made for some pretty shots, I think the next time I see that much snow on the ground I’ll choose to go to the gym and run around the track instead!

I do really love winter running though and when the sidewalks are clear, I definitely prefer it over summer running. I love how the cold weather fakes me feel invigorated and alive. Summer running just makes me feel sweaty and sloppy!

fitnessfriday_winterrun15

I don’t know if anyone else ever feels this, but after a winter run, once I get back inside, I end up with insane chills. Chills that feel like I’m coming down with the flu! I usually end up putting on more clothing than I was even wearing outside. The chills subside within an hour or so, but it’s a really bizarre sensation because I definitely wasn’t cold while I was out in the snow.

fitnessfriday_winterrun16

To heat up just that little bit quicker I’ll either make some tea or hop in the bath tub. Today I opted for the tea route and lately I’ve been dying over the Red Velvet Cake loose leaf tea fromDavid’s Tea. I mean hell, just look at it: There are sprinkles and chocolate chips mixed amongst the leaves!

Hope you enjoyed a look into one of my runs! Anyone else love running in the snow?

Fitness Friday – Race Signup Addiction

January 31, 2014Fitness, RunningRacingChelle

At the start of January I said that one of my goals for 2014 was to to run multiple races. And with that little resolution, I’ve created a bit of a monster. I’ve decided that if I’m going to be in a different city for any reason, I’ll see if I can hunt down a race to run.

Here are theraces on my radar for the upcoming year:

Races I’ve already thrown my money at and will be participating in:

Name: KELLY St. Patrick’s Day Shamrock 5k
Date: March 16, 2014
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
What I’m Looking Forward To:

My first race outside of Canada (and my second race ever!).
I get to run it with a really good friend of mine who lives in Baltimore (and who I’ll be staying with!)
St. Patrick’s Day is one of my favourite “holidays” (along with Halloween) so I’m excited to go overboard with a green running outfit. (It’s the little things. 😉 )
There’s free beer for runners after the race and live music – you really can’t beat that!

Name: NYCRuns Spring Fling (10k)
Date: March 22, 2014
Location: New York City, New York
What I’m Looking Forward To:

I’ve never been on Roosevelt Island – I’ll be interested to find out what’s actually there.
My first 10k race.

Name: Sporting Life 10k
Date: May 11, 2014
Location: Toronto, Ontario
What I’m Looking Forward To:

The course is entirely downhill down Yonge Street – I’m looking forward to getting an awesome time I’ll never be able to beat on a flat surface!
Seeing if I can beat my previous 10k race time.

Name: Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend (5k)
Date: May 24, 2014
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
What I’m Looking Forward To:

I’ll be running this one with my dad who recently picked up running again. I have this slight fear that he’ll actually beat me. :s
If this one goes well, I’ll probably do a longer race the next time I do this event.

Name: Pride and Remembrance Run (5k)
Date: June 28, 2014
Location: Toronto, Ontario
What I’m Looking Forward To:

A good friend does an amazing post-race brunch for friends of his who ran in the Pride Run.
Rainbows EVERYWHERE!
Great run for a great cause. This was my first race last year and the atmosphere is awesome – everyone is really friendly and we did this as a large group (although we ran at our own paces).

Races I’m contemplating signing up for:

Name: Winterman 2014 (5k)
Date: February 16, 2014
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Things to consider:

Last year they ran this event in -29C (with windchill). This has the potential to be a very, VERY cold run and because of that I definitely don’t want to do any of the longer distances.
This video of last year’s event kind of made me wonder if I could even run with that much snow on the ground since I don’t have any shoes with proper snow/ice traction.

Name: 2014 Island Girl Half Marathon
Date: September 21, 2014
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Things to consider:

Since this would be my first half marathon, I like that it’s at the end of September when we have a higher chance of it being quite cool outside. The last thing I want to do is run a long race in the dead heat (I realize I’ve jinxed myself now).
It’s out on Toronto Island which would be a great place to run since it’s very flat, plus the views are beautiful.
Price tag is a bit hefty: $70 until July 1st, then it goes up to a maximum of $90.
I’m a bit concerned about committing to this one right now because September is a LONG ways away and I have no idea if I’ll run into any injuries as I go through my training.

So that’s my current roundup of races!