Race Recap: BMO Okanagan Half Marathon

Last Sunday was my final race of the year. In years past it's been my annual 'goal race', and it was the first Half Marathon I did 4 years ago. I think it will hold a special place in my racing calendar...it's my hometown race, it's got beautiful scenery, the finish line is right next to the lake shore, it's a fast and flat course, and on Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada the temperatures are usually perfect for running. I skipped the event last year, choosing instead to fly to Illinois to run the Chicago Marathon, so this year I was looking forward to getting back to Kelowna!

Since running the Kelowna Wine Country Half last month I haven't really been all that tuned-in to running. The mornings are darker now, and with a big office move, numerous projects and my family visiting from England I just didn't seem to carve out time in the day (which is why I always run in the early morning, before the excuses set in!) I managed 2 short runs this week - a 4 miler and a 3 miler and I felt slow, uncomfortable and heavy, really heavy..Ergh! I was not expecting great things for this race, so I just hoped I'd get a sub 2-hour once again, and finish the season in style!

This was the first time I've run the race in the dry. That could've been a bad sign for me, since I joke that all my PR's have been set in the rain, and until Sunday I hadn't run the Okanagan Half in the dry! It was however colder than usual, with temps around 4 or 5 degrees at 7am. Lines for the porta pottys were chronic and for the second time at this race I was still lining up when they played the national anthem in preparation for the start of the Half. With seconds to spare, my warm-up consisted of a quick sprint across the sports pitch to the start corrals and I luckily managed to duck in just ahead of the 2 hour pace bunny which was perfect.

The moment I ran through the start line and out of the park, onto the course I felt GREAT! The air was fresh, but invigorating and I felt so alive! And I just felt comfortable, from the moment I set off! (rare indeed - it usually takes me a couple of miles to settle down). And so was my race. What can I say, I loved every moment of it. I felt strong and fast and awesome! (and so very different to those little training runs earlier in the week!).

My Nike + app doesn't give me the pace I'm actually running, rather that at each mile I get the overall average pace. Of course that's easy on the first mile and I ran an 8:13. At the second mile the average increased to 8:15 (which afterwards I can see I ran an 8:18), then the third mile it dropped down to an average of 8:11 (which meant that I'd run quite a bit faster to have brought the average down over 3 miles and indeed after the fact I can see I ran a 7:58 which was my fastest mile of the race). After that 3rd mile I settled into an average of around 8:11-8:15 and felt comfortable and confident that this was going to be a good race for me!

Around the 10 mile mark I started feeling it. I slowed a little, but still maintained a strong form and mental attitude. I knew my previous PR was an average pace of 8:33 so I had a glimmer of hope that even as my pace started slowing I had quite a ways to go to slow that much - a PR was in sight! I briefly wondered if a sub 1:50 was possible, but didn't think too hard...

At the 11 mile marker I reasoned with myself that I could do anything for 18 minutes, so just kept on going. I could do this! As I turned into the finishers chute I could see the clock was 1:51:??, I found a shred of energy and sprinted the last 50 yards knowing the clock was most definitely under 1:52 and I'd just scored my second PR this year!

Chip time 1:51:10! Another 2 minutes off my PR from May this year! And I knew I'd pushed hard and deserved it!

It took a little longer than usual to find Chris. Only because he wasn't expecting me to finish quite so early! But he'd also just scored a fabulous result in the 10km - his best time in 15 years with a 44:27 and second place in his age group! Woot-woot - Go Chris!

So once again I'm left wondering what did I do to deserve this result - this new PR of mine? And honestly I'm not entirely sure. I admit I don't follow a training plan, I don't do speed work, I don't do many hill repeats. I do know that I've been having a conversation with myself about discomfort and burn - I think a lot of times in the past I haven't physically over-exerted myself. But this year I've got more comfortable with being uncomfortable. I ask myself 'what hurts'? and usually the honest answer is nothing. So I continue to push.

I also have to give serious consideration to my diet in the weeks leading up to a race. Both times this year I've joined in a Detox program the 7-10 days before the race and both times I've scored new PR's. The program doesn't have pills or potions or anything weird, just lots of whole, natural foods, mostly plant based, and for me I add a little organic meat for extra protein. My primary goal for doing a detox week is an opportunity to mentally reset and get 'back to basics' with good clean eating habits, but with 2 detoxes equalling 2 PR's I'd say that was a 100% success rate in also being athletically and mentally stronger. Coincidence?! (This is the detox I did, and there is a final program starting next week on 21 October. If the date doesn't work for you consider the 'lite' version - you'll still get the full handbook and a fantastic recipe guide with more than 80 recipes in it) - I truly am sold that this has worked for me, I'm not getting paid to promote this, but your Health Coach extraordinaire is my husband - he comes highly recommended ;-) Read about my Spring Detox experience here

I'm linking up today to Jill's Fitness Friday

The day I embarrassed Dolvett Quince!

On Wednesday I had the pleasure of 1/2 hour 'hanging' with Dolvett Quince - trainer extraordinaire and resident eye-candy from The Biggest Loser. Myself and 5 other lucky ladies won our spots in the G+ Hangout by finding 'golden cowbells' at the Fitbloggin' conference back in June. Our gracious hosts from DietsinReview hooked us all up with a call with the lovely Dolvett! But what do you ask a guy like that when all you want to do is sit and stare as he's smiling back at you!!

We talked about his new book The 3-1-2-1 Diet- specifically he talked about his concept of 'Cheat Days' - they aren't just about the mental attitude but there's actually a little science behind it. Dolvett doesn't believe in deprivation (yay for wine!) but does believe if we spike our metabolism eating a cheat meal we can 'confuse' our body, giving it 'food to fight' and we'll wind up 'burning from both sides' but with an overall message that we should 'Lean towards Clean'. It sounds sensible enough - after all these days in exercise it's all about muscle confusion - this sounds like the same kind of idea! (and we have the official green light from Dolvett to eat apple pie and drink wine - and this girl doesn't need to be told twice!)

Being busy women we were all keen to find out how to get the biggest bang for our buck when it comes to working out - Dolvett came up with some awesome ideas for short yet challenging workouts that will incorporate both cardio and strength! He repeatedly mentioned about switching up your workouts - to confuse your body and cross training all the way!

We all get the exercise blues - those days when you just can't be bothered - even Dolvett admits that he has those days....and his advice?! Change it up, call a friend and my personal favourite - get some new music!

And finally.....Dolvett gets embarrassed easily - I may even have made him blush!! He has quite some stories to share....I guess just not with us!!

Thanks so much to Brandi from Diets in Review for hosting us and especially to Dolvett for taking the time out of his day to chat with us! Check out the full chat right here;

And that smile.......#swoon!

Race Recap: Kelowna Wine Country Half Marathon

A couple of weeks back was my 3rd Half Marathon this year. After training for 2 spring races this year I struggled a little keeping up momentum and motivation to continue training throughout this summer (in the past I've always just had one goal race, which has been in October). Added to which my big GOAL for the year was to get a sub-2 hour Half Marathon which I acheived and blew out the water on my first race of the year at the Run for Water Half. For now I'm not in a place to set a new goal and train for it, so I was left a little purpose-less!

Still, full marathon training last year has really put things in perspective for both my mind and body. My body is very graciously managing with my long training runs even if they have been a little sporadic over the summer months with no aches and pains and the ability to just carry on my day as normal, and given that a 'short run before work' last year was 13.1 miles, then mentally I'm reminded to shut the heck up and RUN! Seriously running a marathon puts everything in perspective, and makes me realise just how much stronger, and braver I am both mentally and physically.

But back to the race recap!

It was the inaugural Kelowna Wine Country Half Marathon - the latest in the Destination Races series. These folks sure know how to pick a good race course! (I guess the clue is in their name!). it really is all about 'destination' with others races in their series in Oregon, Virginia and Napa/Sonoma.

The race started at 7am from the gorgeous Vibrant Vines winery in Eastern Kelowna, with the start line wedged between the rows of vines. There were around 1000 runners on a damp and grey morning, but the high spirits and cheerful race announcer kept the mood upbeat. We set off and meandered our way through the countryside, through vineyards, lavender fields, and past some seriously high-end houses which are always worth a good ogle at!, all the while enjoying the stunning views of Kelowna and Lake Okanagan in the distance. The course had an aggregate downgill grade, but in the early stages there were a few sneaky steep uphills too! Around the 9km point was a relay transition area (a 2 person relay was another draw to this race for many). Being a 'wine country marathon' this was of course located at a winery - and so despite it being before 8am I felt duty-bound to sample some of the Tantulus Vineyards Riesling on offer!

Since this was a point-to-point course, it was also around the transition area that we finished the last of the uphills and it was downhill coasting from here on out! Once we left the hills of East Kelowna we got onto the flat and for me it seemed more challenging than usual since I'd got comfortable with the last 2-3km of gravity assistance! We ran along a couple of km's of the Mission Greenway - which is a lovely gravel path following the creek and then as we met the lakeshore it was the final 'push' to the finish line (it was still 8km away, I'm just saying it was pretty much a straight line from here following the lakeshore!)

The race finished in the park next to the Delta Grand Hotel - also the host hotel for the event. We were presented the most ginormous medals and handed a commenorative wine glass which was soon to be used at the after-race party - wine tasting on the lawn! About 8 wineries were there with tasting booths and we just wandered the area samping the grape juice! And I've gotta say - our start line hosts Vibrant Vines poured me my favourite of the morning - the 2012 Oops White Blend! - we'll be heading over there again soon for another visit!

Overall I LOVED the race course, but I'm incredibly biased of my gorgeous hometown! The Wineries, Lavender field, Orchards, Creeks, Lakeshore - it was 13.1 miles of delightful scenery with some wine tasting thrown in for good measure!

I had a good strong start, and seem to be one of those fortunate to not struggle with downhill running so I did take advantage of the gravity! But later in the race I was just spent and I listened to my pace slow by the mile. In the end I finished in 1:56:44! I had a sneaking hope I might do well on this course, but the uphills caught me out, I hadn't trained to PR so really I can't be disappointed - and seriously it was only 5 months ago I would have been elated with that time - it's still a sub 2-hour so I am happy (and I did stop for wine!!)

As for my overall opinion on the race I do have a couple of bug-bears. As we crossed the finish line we were handed a bag of food - no picking or choosing what you want here. Firstly giving us a bag is an excellent idea - it's so awkward trying to hold onto food when your limbs haven't started functioning again properly, your starving, thirsty and there's a dozen things to pick up. However, this is my point. There wasn't a dozen things to pick up. The bag had an apple and a sample sized protein bar in it. That's IT! Are you kidding me?! First bug-bear - seriously lousy post-race nutrition. And given that we were all about to start wine tasting at 9am, probably on empty stomachs after 2-some hours of running I think it's bad form - no bagels, no bananas, no pretzels, no candy, no chocolate milk....

The expo was very small, and since it was a Saturday race was only open on the Friday. Obviously Destination Races are a commercial enterprise but the quantity and space dedicated to their merchandise was overwhelming - and $10 for a small event poster! The race t-shirt I also found a little disappointing. They did provide men's and women's sizes - so plus points there, but the sizes seemed pretty off. I've always been a women's small and yet this thing swamped me! Sadly it's one for the back of the cupboard - I don't think I'd wear it again. (and it's V-neck - and I've decided after getting my second v-neck race t-shirt they look like football jersies on me - not a look I'm fond of!).

But this is not to say I wouldn't do this race again. Did I mention how spectacular the course scenery is?! Check out this cool course video in case you're in any doubt! (hey I live there!!)

I'm linking up to Jill's Fitness Friday this week!

Green Monster Smoothie & ENERGYbits Spirulina

I've been a big fan of spirulina for a while. So when I was invited to try out ENERGYbits spirulina I was keen to give them a go!

ENERGYbits are 100% organically grown spirulina. That's it! ENERGYbits have got ahold of this awesome superfood, put it into little bite sized 'bits', done some great modern styling, added a little groovy metal tin to carry them around in, and made this 'hippy weirdo superfood' just a little bit more 'cool and mainstream'. I like it!

I love that Spirulina is a FOOD, and not a supplement. I've stayed away from supplements on the whole, always striving to find what I need from natural food sources. Spirulina algae is 64% protein - the highest concentration of protein in the world! It also has the highest concentration of antioxidants, the highest concentration of beta carotene and the second highest concentration of Omega 3 in the world and contains 40 vitamins and minerals. 

They recommend you take ENERGYbits in the morning or prior to a workout and some of the biggest health benefits are;

• to get a steady stream of energy
• improve mental alertness
• remove fatigue
• healthy (natural) high protein snack
• helps curb your hunger

Even though I've been using Spirulina for a while now I still find the smell and taste pretty dodgy - it's very 'green' so I preferred to swallow the bits whole. But it's worth it knowing the 'goodness' you're ingesting - we take disgusting tasting medicines when we're sick so I don't mind taking something a little unpleasant tasting for health - it's my 'healthy medicine' and I'm good with that!

I personally love using Spirulina in my morning smoothies. Talk about GREEN Goodness as a kickstart to your day! This is my go-to recipe.

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If you'd like to to try ENERGYbits for yourself then enter the code BLOG into the coupon box when checking out on their website and you'll get 10% off your order!

I received this product free of charge in exchange for writing a review on my blog. However all opinions are my own.

I'm linking up to Jill's Fitness Friday post.

Retro Music at Sun Peaks

Last weekend we drove to Sun Peaks Mountain resort outside of Kamloops to spend the day sitting in the sun and enjoying some 'retro' music. They'd brought in a bunch of cover bands to some old classics - we enjoyed music from 'Bob Marley', 'Tragically Hip' and 'ZZ Top'. There was quite a buzz around the village, and we took a stroll and grabbed some goodies from the bakery, and a couple of drinks on the patio of the nearest bar!

The highlight of the day though, might have to be the blissful 2-hour drive home. The skies cleared, the air was warm, the moon was bright and the colours of the dusk were magical. And it's moments like this that we LOVE having a soft top sports car! A jazz CD playing on the stereo just topped the whole experience off to perfection!

Barnhartvale Road, between Kamloops and Highway 97. Normally we ride along this stretch on the motorbike, so it was lovely to actually go at a more 'sedate pace' and enjoy the views!

Meli stayed the night at Auntie Liz's, and we picked up an extremely happy (And pooped out) pup the following morning (and this is a big deal because I now have a photo of her actually looking happy for once - she always seems so serious and grumpy in photos!)

Kona Kase Happy Mail

This is the third month I've received the Kona Kase and I'm loving it! Apart from the obvious fact that it's fun to get happy mail I'm loving the variety of products and the opportunity to try out new brands I'd never tried before and oftentimes never even heard of!

I think I tend to judge an item on how quickly it disappears...and this month the Health Warrior Chia Bar was the first to go. De-lic-ious! I'm a big fan of Chia with all it's antioxidant and protein packed goodness. It was naturally sweet and chewy and I admit it was kind of fun to find little seeds stuck in your teeth half an hour later swelled up and gelly like!! (That might also sound gross, but just try it!)

I also loved the Garuka Bars. Named after one of the few remaining mountain gorillas in Rwanda, it was packed full of simple ingredients - in this case lots of peanuts. It was sweet and salty all at the same time, with a strong taste of peanut butter. Another thumbs up here!

Kona Kases are geared to providing fuel for athletes and whilst there's usually a good dose of yummy 'treat' snacks all months so far have also featured some more specific sports fuel - this month was Body Glove Surge Gel and some Chews from Pro Bar. I may pass on the Gel only because it was coffee flavoured (and I don't like coffee) but I'm looking forward to trying the Chews - lemon lime flavour seems very appealing.

Also in this months box were Granola, Caveman cookies, Enjoy Life Seed & Nut mix and some Perky Jerky!

I still think the modest $15 monthly fee is super reasonable for the Kona Kase - and actually works out much cheaper than that if you sign up for a 3, 6 or 12 month subscription which is what I did.

If you'd like to try Kona Kase (and I'd heartily recommend it!) then you can get $5 off your first box by clicking here, and using the code ReferKona095 when prompted. Enjoy!

Okanagan High Rim Trail Hike & MIMM

Well this is the first time I'm linking up for Marvelous in my Monday - such a great idea from Katie at Healthy Diva Life (and in case my Mum is reading this - yes Mum, I know my schooling taught me marvellous is spelt with 2 L's - it's just that Katie doesn't!! - and from here on in, I'll be going back to my British roots and spelling it 'right' ;-) So I'm all over my Marvellous Monday - it's BC Day here (er, in British Columbia Canada - eh!) and it's a Statutory Holiday - nothing more marvellous than a day off work. And usually I often only work part time on Monday's, but for the next month I've been contracted for a bunch of additional hours so I'm working my bee-hind off! So a Stat day is extra-lovely.

We had a marvellous relaxing weekend. On Saturday we finally drove out to a local trail we've been meaning to check out since we lived here (it's only been 4 years!). The Okanagan High Rim trail is actually a 55km trail running from Vernon to Kelowna. We live in Lake Country which is about 1/2 way between the 2 and there are a couple of access points to the trail near where we live. The views from our house are the hills which the High Rim trail runs along. We took about a 20 minute drive up Beaver Lake Road in Lake Country to the nearest access point (which if you're local and looking to find the same access point I believe it was near the KM10 forestry marker on the main Beaver Lake Road - look for the brown & white hikers sign on the left hand side, where there's a decent sized pull out with parking room for several cars). Since we did pretty much all the steep climbing up the hills in the car the hike on foot was a lovely, mostly flat trail. Since it's a pretty wilderness type trail, and from what I can gather, fairly sparsely used I wasn't expecting much of a trail. We've been up in that same area on the motorbikes and have frequently lost our way on trails that turn to dead ends....

But the trail access on either side of the road were well marked. We set off south from Beaver Lake Road and followed the trail for 3-4 kms before turning round. Most of the trail section we were on was marked by pink and black striped ribbons, and the occasional wooden marked stapled to a tree, but really the path was pretty obvious. On a hot summer day it's so refreshing to be up in the hills - the air is cooler, and everything around you is lush and green. Much of the hike was through fairly thick woods so no views to speak of, but man, did it smell good! We encountered a few downed trees and some serious wet patches that had us tippy-toeing around but it was pretty easy going. Meli, rather obviously LOVED it! So many smells, so many sticks to chew and so much freedom. She was a little taken aback by the cows we stumbled into (As was I, all I saw out of the corner of my eye as I turned a corner was something big and black and moving - it was a split second before I realised it wasn't a bear and calmed back down. Because we've seen bears up in them there hills when we've been on the bikes! AND Chris had had this crazy nightmare only the night before about us getting attacked by a bear!) 

We crossed over a couple of cute little trail workers bridges, and there were even a couple of hand painted interpretative signs about the trees we were passing so there's been some love and attention given to this trail at some point - it's amazing it's so little used or even heard of!  I'm so glad we finally made it up to the High Rim Trail - and whilst I'm not likely to hike it as a multi-day trek anytime soon, I'm looking forward to getting back up there and hiking another section too - I anticipate we could get much of it done by hiking north and south from each access point in turn, so over time we'd be able to cover almost all of it!