Category Archives: Fitness

Fitness Friday: Personal Update

August 28, 2015Fitness, RunningWeight LossChelle

Me after a run in Florida in April (also helpfully depicting how I feel about my current level of physical fitness)

I don’t have anything overly exciting to share with you guys this week for Fitness Friday – no fun photos or achievements. This is more of a personal update on how I’ve been doing.

2015 has kind of sucked for me from a personal fitness achievement perspective. I set out some goals at the start of the year and the ones I most wanted to achieve were:

Run a 5K in under 25 minutes
Get down to 145 pounds.

Well, it’s felt like a constant battle since I made those goals for myself back in January. I saw my weight slowly increase from 150 to 160 pounds and became really, REALLY upset with myself over it. Unfortunately, I kept half assing the weight loss aspect of tracking my calories so I’ve been pretty much been carrying that weight since January (thanks Christmas!). Even though it’s “only” ten pounds, for me, it’s around this threshold that I become completely pissed of with how I look. I don’t like how I appear in pictures and I don’t like what I see in the mirror. It’s frustrating, to say the least.

I also only really half trained to increase my speed in a 5K and I managed to get the exact same time as my personal best last year (26:10) during a race back in March. But man, I do not know how to balance training for half marathon distances while also trying to increase pace on 5Ks. What a mess.

I got so irritated with myself over the last two weeks that I basically just said “enough” and got back into exercising 5-6 days a week. I’m running three times a week, lifting twice, while still playing soccer and I’ve also chucked in a few Jillian Michaels DVDs every now and then too. I also started restricting my calories pretty drastically – keeping it between 1250 and 1500. It’s a slow damn battle, but I’ve actually managed to drop 4 pounds in 2 weeks which is almost unheard of for me.

Of course, part of the motivation is that Halloween is just around the corner and, like last year, we have another epic group costume planned – Batman villains! The last thing I want to do is be upset with how I look in my Harley Quinn outfit, so I’m all in at this point. My initial goal is to hit 150 pounds by the time I go on vacation mid-September (that’s REALLY, REALLY ambitious as it requires I drop 7 more pounds in 3 weeks) and the stretch goal is to hit 145 by Halloween. It’s hard going, but I’ve been eating clean (no alcohol, low carbs, high protein and more fruits and vegetables than I can count) for a week and a half now and it’s absolutely working – never in my life have I experience such consistent and rapid weight loss without horrific fluctuations.

Not to be a total downer though, I do have some things I’m looking forward to in my fitness endeavours! I managed to rope Zoe of Writing Whimsy into doing a 5K race here in Toronto in September. I’m super excited for that because I love running races with friends and I believe this is her first one! I am also running the Scotiabank Waterfront Half Marathon again this year in October and I’m trying to raise $500 for United Way Toronto. Having a half marathon to train for is definitely keeping me in check with my goal to run 550 kilometers this year! (Which I am absolutely on track with thankfully!) We’re also going to be in Wisconsin over Christmas (my husband’s family is there) and I’m planning to do a New Year’s race near Madison. I love races in new locations!

I’ve also managed to stay on track with weight lifting – I’m not lifting any new and exciting poundage, but I’ve managed to stay stable all year in that respect and I am really, REALLY happy that I never had a break so long that it required me to start from scratch!

So if you’re struggling, even if it takes you months to get back on track like me, you can still do it if YOU want to do it. Try to remember that. 🙂

And if you made it through this whole post, thank you for listening – it helps me to get it out there and it keeps me motivated.

Fitness Friday: What NOT To Do During a Race

August 14, 2015Fitness, RunningRacingChelle

Running a half marathon in the Czech Republic

This post is mostly derived out of frustrating, although I’m trying to come at it from an educational angle! I’m not a road racing pro, that’s for sure, but I’ve run over 15 races in the last two years ranging from 5Ks up to half marathons, so I at least feel like I’m justified in adding some of my own commentary on to what NOT to do during a race.

So here’s my list of what you shouldn’t be doing during a race (as told by ME!):

Do not run more than two people abreast.

I realize some people run in packs or groups for motivation and support, but you have got to realize just how annoying it is to be the person behind a group of 5 people who are all running at the same pace, side by side. It’s a huge hurdle to get around and it’s ANNOYING. If you want to talk to your friend, fine, but keep it to two people side by side. There’s nothing fun about having to get around a wall of people.

Do not come to a complete dead stop in the middle of the pack unless you are actually planning on keeling over.

You’ve signed up for this race, you’ve (hopefully) trained for it… there is no reason you need to come to an abrupt dead stop in the middle of the crowd. You run the risk of causing a pile up and you’re definitely going to annoy the person behind you who suddenly has to go around you. If you need to bring your pace down to a walk, slowly, but purposefully, move to the outer left or right sides of the racing crowd (even up onto the sidewalk if need be) and then decrease to a walking speed. If you stop in the middle of the group (and you’re not actually dying) then be aware that everyone around you is going to be thinking evil, evil thoughts towards you (some may even say it outloud).

Do not wildly overestimate your running time and get situated in a totally inappropriate corral.

At some point, you need to face the reality of what your body can and cannot do. I’m not talking about the people that over or underestimate their race pace by about 5 minutes, but rather the ones that overestimate by huge chunks of time like 20 minutes. Even if you didn’t train appropriately, you can always fall back into a slower corral at the start with no fault or penalty. Consider that you’re actually slowing up other people in faster corrals if you cannot keep their pace since those people now have to go around (or through) you! There’s nothing more annoying than watching someone who is clearly unfit come to a grinding halt in a fast corral, almost cause a pile up and then watch as THEY get annoyed at everyone else. Like what the hell buddy?!

This also goes hand in hand with:

Do not sign up for the faster corral just because you want to be in the starting line pictures.

I’ve never actually experienced this one, but a friend told me about it. People who sign up for the elite pace times just so they can appear in the starting line pictures. Do not want. Go back to where you belong!

Do not come to an abrupt dead stop at the finish line.

I know, you’ve been running and you’re exhausted, but take an extra few seconds to clear an additional five to ten meters after the finish line. This helps to keep the finish line clear for other racers to finish.

Do not try out new gear the day of a race.

I’m even referring to the technical shirts they give you for free just for signing up. The last thing you want to find out is that your new sports bra is going to chafe you in area you don’t want to get chaffed, or that your spiffy new shoes are going to give you blisters. ONLY wear gear that you have run in multiple times before!

For new runners, I hope this helps you! Even seasoned runners can do with a friendly (lol) reminder every now and again (I personally need to make sure I don’t come to a grinding halt at the finish line!). Let me know if you think I left anything out, or if you have specific questions re: racing, I’d love to help you out!

Fitness Friday: 2015 Pride and Remembrance Run

July 3, 2015Fitness, RunningRacing, RunningChelle

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The Pride and Remembrance Run marks my racing anniversary. It it was exactly two years ago that two very good friends of mine invited me to do the Pride Run with them. Ever since then I’ve been become an avid race-goer and couldn’t be happier!

These shots were taken fairly close to the finish line.

This was my third Pride Run and it’s one that I don’t necessarily always look forward to. The course is seemingly (impossibly) ALWAYS uphill. There’s a sharp decline where the water station is, but somehow the rest of the damn race always feels like you’re on an incline. 😐

It starts in the heart of the Gay Village in Toronto, heads out to Queen’s Park, laps it twice and then heads back in to where the Start Zone. While I may not love the course itself, the finishing section is always hugely uplifting and everyone always seems to be in great spirits. The finish line is one of the best I’ve ever encountered – the crowd is always loud, always excited and always full of energy. I love, love, LOVE finishing the Pride Run to so much excitement. It’s an enormous mental boost.

I felt great right out of the gate, and my first few kilometers were fairly speedy. I hit a nasty wall around the 3k mark and slowed down a good thirty seconds per kilometer. Not pretty. I also, once again, walked through the water stations. Ugh. I really, really need to stop doing that, it’s murdering my speed. But all I can think during the race is how much I want to drink that water!

Thankfully, as soon as I hit the 4k marker, I put on the burners and kept telling myself “It’s only 800 more meters. It’s only 700 more meters. It’s only 600 more meters.” I misjudged my timing a bit… when I hit 25 minutes in, I could SEE the finish line and I convinced myself I was only 60 seconds away. I kept up my pace, but I ended up being 90 seconds from the finish line… which clocked me in a 26 minutes and 29 seconds. A whole SECOND faster than my Rat Race a week and a half ago. DAMN! I had been really hoping to hit just over the 26 minute mark. Alas no. I’m okay with my time. I’m not elated, but I’m okay with it. I’m still twenty seconds slower than my best, but I was also twenty seconds faster than last year on this same course, so at least I’m improving!

And that’s it for my races until the fall because it gets too damn hot in Toronto during the summer! I’m planning on doing a 10k in New York City in September, and I’ve already registered for the Scotiabank Waterfront Half Marathon (October), but I’m still off my goal of being sub 25 minutes for a 5k so I’ll need to find something else towards the end of the year to race!

Race Summary

Finish Time: 26:29
Pace: 5:17 per kilometer
Overall placement: 638/1322
Age group placement (Female, 25-34): 73/247
Gender placement (F): unknown

Fitness Friday: 2015 Scotiabank Rat Race

June 19, 2015Fitness, RunningRaceChelle

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This was my second consecutive year running the Scotiabank Rat Race for United Way.Last year I busted out a personal best time with a 26:10 for a 5k. So I was excited, and nervous, to see what I would do this year. I was really, REALLY hoping to get into the 25 minute mark this time around!

The Rat Race takes place on a Thursday in June and it’s after work hours. So even though I finished my job at 4:30, we had to hang around until 7:30 for the race. Like last year, I created a team of people on my floor, only this time I chose the team name “The Grumpy Cats”, which I found hilarious. Not sure everyone else was loving it though! 😉 We did manage to raise over $1500 for Toronto’s United Way, so that was fairly awesome!

I felt decent the day of the race, which is always a good sign. But I was getting progressively more and more nervous as the day went on. I just wanted to be better than before, you know?

Eventually the time came and we all congregated at the Start/Finish line on University just west of Toronto City Hall. The course was modified a bit this year, and it was a full loop around this time. I wasn’t looking forward to that because it meant a bit of an uphill ending. Gross.

We took off and it was more crowded than I remembered it being last year (looking back, it actually seems that were about 500 more people in the race compared to last year). And my legs felt like LEAD. I couldn’t believe it, what the hell was going on? It was such a struggle to get up Unviersity to Bloor (which is a slightly uphill), but at least it leveled off there and there was a water station right before we turned down Bay. I was also exceptionally parched when I hit the water station, so I had to grab two glasses of water, stop to walk to drink them, then push on. I’ve never stopped like that during a 5k so I knew that wasn’t a good thing.

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Thankfully, as soon as we turned onto Bay it was downhill all the way to Queen Street. I think I made up for a lot of time there because it’s fairly smooth sailing at that point. Plus, there’s the added bonus that there was far less people in this area so I was able to weave a bit better.

I didn’t feel great in general. I kept trying to push pace but I keep getting that lightheaded/have to barf feeling that I usually get when I’m pushing hard during a race and it makes for a really uncomfortable race. The absolute worst part was hitting Queen Street and having to finish up that straight line and then turn back up onto University. I felt exhausted and I found myself slowing down as I got stuck behind a woman that was going almost the same pace, but a little slower. Worst thing ever in a race is getting stuck behind someone doing a comfortable pace because it brings down your speed. Ugh.

As I turned back up onto University some guy started to pull ahead of me which drives me absolutely crazy. I hate when there’s a super close runner to you and you can SEE the finish line, so they start pushing to beat you. Yeah, well, that spurred ME on so I started a mild sprint to the finish line. I was so determined to not let this dude beat me and I felt so awful that I wasn’t even able to look at the crowd where I knew my husband was cheering me on. He confirmed afterwards that “yeah, you’ve looked better”, and I knew it too – I felt like a sack of wobbly bones crossing that finish line.

In the end, I came in at 26:30 which I’m okay with. Considering how shite I felt throughout the whole run, I’m surprised I wasn’t into the 27 minute mark. It’s 20 seconds slower than my best, but it’s not miles off, so I’m okay with that. My teammates trickled in after me and I was really happy to see them all finish. It gives me such a happy boost to see my friends and coworkers finishing a race that it inspires me to do more.

Next up? Pride Run 5K in a week!

Race Summary

Finish Time: 26:30
Pace: 5:18 per kilometer
Overall placement: 382/1997
Gender placement (F): unknown/838

Fitness Friday: Ottawa Half Marathon

May 29, 2015Fitness, RunningRaceChelle

201505_ottawaraceweekend_halfmarathon3

Last weekend I headed back to my hometown of Ottawa for Ottawa Race Weekend. My dad was eager to run a half marathon after having accomplished his first 5 and 10k races last year. Eager to add another racing event to my repertoire, I was more than happy to join him.

Watching one of the waves take off during the 5k

Last year I had run the 5k during Ottawa Race Weekend and had nailed a personal worst timing which I’d like attribute to the intense heat and the horrifically laid out start zone that actually meant we had to walk about three minutes before we could start running. Needless to say, I was a little apprehensive for this race since I wasn’t sure how well the half marathon would be set up.

It was during last year’s race weekend that two of my friends had run the half and I had become inspired to run longer and longer races. So I kind of felt like a champ that I had managed to upgrade myself from a 5k to a full on half marathon within the year! This was my third half, so I’m starting to feel pretty comfortable with them. Well, comfortable with feeling uncomfortable, I guess.

Despite my worries, both the starting zone AND the weather were excellent. The morning of the race was fairly sunny, but the temperature was still a blissful 15 degrees. The humidity wasn’t insane and even though there were premonitions for hot temperatures, they wouldn’t be showing up till the afternoon. Assuming we didn’t totally bomb out of the race, we would easily be done before noon.

So how was it? Well, it was interesting. I had an awesome first 10k. I was pushing a pace of 5:55/6:00 per kilometer and feeling seriously good. I was starting to think I could keep up that pace for the entire race. I wasn’t dehydrated, my legs and body felt good and it wasn’t boiling hot. Huzzah!

Finishing the race, midway, and one shot on the blasted bridge

However… the second half of the race had a ridiculous amount of hills. Once we hit the parkway, there was a NASTY hill that just seemed to loom in the distance and then last forever once you hit it. The downhill afterwards really didn’t give me a chance to recover much before we hit the Quebec side of the race. And the Quebec side just fucking flat out SUCKED. It was uphill, suddenly hot (???!) and there was NO WATER until we were exiting Quebec. And of course… the water station was right before another uphill to get on the bridge to cross back into Ontario.

And then? Oh yes. MORE HLLS. I swear to god I’ve never noticed how many hills there are on the parkway, in Hull and once back in Ottawa on Sussex. Holy GOD. I prided myself on running the uphills even though I saw people bailing out left, right and center to walk it. Amazingly, this was one of the first races I’ve done where I didn’t wonder why the hell I was doing this. I really wanted to finish and be done with it, but I never thought about bailing out and walking (which is usually a very consistent thought I have during EVERY race!).

Right after I’d finished! That’s one decent looking medal!

I finished the whole 21.1 kilometers in at two hours, thirteen minutes and forth-three seconds. I was about five minutes off where I figured I would be, and slightly disappointed, but not enough for me to totally irritated like I was with the 2015 Sporting Life 10K. I’ll be doing the Scotiabank Waterfront Half again this year in October, so I’ve got plenty of time to re-focus myself and work towards a better time.

Amazingly though? My 66 year old father ran the whole half marathon and came in only TEN MINUTES after me. That’s INCREDIBLE! I mean, I really thought he’d be closer to the 2:45 mark, but he really nailed it with a 2:24!

Ottawa Half Marathon – my Garmin course map

Race Summary

Finish Time: 2:13:42.6
Pace: 6:20 per kilometer
Overall placement: 7242/14356
Age group placement (Female, 30-34): 463/991
Gender placement (F): 3188/7941