Muddy & Tough!

Last weekend hubby and I took part in our first* Tough Mudder in Whistler, BC. It was something I'd been looking forward to! The week leading up to the race though, not so much. I had some serious apprehension about some of the obstacles; the Arctic enema; the electric shock stuff, Everest and running through fire....I mean, seriously - what was I thinking??!

Spoiler Alert: I lived to tell the tale!!!

Chris and I only knew 1 other member of our team, and I think that was part of my apprehension. Of course the moment we all met up everything was going to be fine! There was 6 of us, and I think talking to other friends that took part in both larger and smaller teams than ours - 6 was a fantastic number - small enough to keep together and not spend ages getting us through the obstacles, but big enough to get us up and over some of the obstacles - I'm thinking specifically the Berlin Walls....

It had rained overnight, the ground was wet, and it was overcast but it never actually rained - with the temps in the late teens it was pretty perfect conditions! After getting on one of the 75 school buses drafted in to transport participants from Whistler Village to the Olympic Park 25 minutes south of town we arrived at the event site with time to check out the early starters coming through some of the onstacles, grab some welcome Clif bars and get our bag checked. Our team got going around 10am - and the first 'obstacle' was a 6 ft wall just to get into the start area for our  pre-event pep talk and national anthem! We were right at the back of the pack - just scraping into the area for our time slot.

Despite starting from the back of our wave I was pleasantly surprised at the minimal line-ups at each obstacle - no more than a minute or two, which was often a welcome break after running between areas and re-grouping the team (And to check out what exactly the next obstacle was!) That was another of my pre-event 'dreads' and again it was quashed as soon as we got going. There were 20 obstacles spread over a 18km route. There was more running sections than I expected - sometimes we'd be jogging along for 15 minutes at a time and then there'd be a quick succession of 2-3 obstacles in a short space.

Rocking my Team Tough Chick tattoo! Had to wipe the mud off specially for that photo!!

At the end I was happy to have done it. In many ways the obstacles weren't as bad as I was expecting....I have a good level of fitness and stamina with my half marathon training which I do think helped tremendously. And once you embraced the mud and the filth of it all many of the obstacles were just about getting down and dirty. Afterwards people were chatting and asking 'which ones did you find hard?' I think for me it wasn't so much about being 'hard' as putting myself outside of my comfort zone. Jumping over fire isn't hard  but perhaps just something I'd prefer not to do every day!! The Arctic Enema wasn't hard it was just f**king cold, uncomfortable and something I'd probably die from if I wanted to do every day. For me, a better way of putting it perhaps.....the 2 least pleasurable obstacles of the event - that arctic enema (am I going on about it d'ya think??!!) and the electroshock therapy - which was bloody painful and I'm thankful I was one of the 'lucky' ones that didn't get shocked so bad I got knocked to the ground! The Monkey Bars were 'hard' but after testing out my grip, and realising the absolute lack of it, I just hurled myself merrily into the cold pool below to give myself the best head start possible on my swim across!! I surprised myself at 'enjoying' the trench stuff - whilst I'm not really claustrophobic I wasn't overly looking forward to them - especially when some were flooded with water - great - small tunnels AND frigid water! But everything becomes relative - and the water in those trenches was 'warm' compared to others!

Would I do it again?! In some ways I think I'm not overly bothered. Definitely not because I didn't enjoy it, but because I've done it. And seriously I have no desire whatsoever to jump in icy water again and get electrocuted. A second time I'd have to deal with the 'known' rather than the 'unknown' and I know I don't like them. BUT. The teamwork, friends and camaraderie is what'll bring me back next year. And we've already got people inspired into signing up next year. So yes, this was my *first Tough Mudder!!

It's Friday, and I'm linking up to Jill's Fitness Friday

Race Recap: Whistler Half Marathon 2013

I did it! I ran 2 Half Marathons in 7 days, one of my fitness goals for this year is done and I'm now Half Fanatic #4393. Very pleased - I set a goal, and achieved it. In fact 2 BIG goals/achievements checked off in 7 days - the first being my Sub 2 hour Half last weekend and getting my Half Fanatics status this weekend!

Since it was a Saturday race we set off from home early on Friday morning for our 6 hour drive to Whistler and The Whistler Half Marathon. I love Whistler! - as we got closer I was so excited for the weekend - not just the race but the whole weekend away / mini vacation in a lovely resort. The snow has long gone but the resort is already buzzing as a summer resort for downhill biking. We quickly met up with friends already there and headed out for a late lunch and a few drinks....which then lasted all evening!! It was a bit of a appy/liquid bar crawl really! Great fun, but I was constantly aware that I was running for 2 hours the next morning!! (Whoops!). I have to say at this point that I had never planned this to be an overly 'serious' race for me - it was about getting Half Fanatics status, having fun and a jolly weekend away with friends (and seriously I was perfectly happy to walk if necessary - I had no idea in advance how I'd be feeling so soon after the previous Half Marathon) Then after my success last weekend I was even more disinclined to worry about performance. So I was not actually that concerned about the less than ideal pre-race nutrition and hydration techniques!!

The race was head sponsored by The North Face so our race goodie bag contained an awesome technical t-shirt (girlie fit for me!), a water bottle and sun visor. Cliff Bars were also big sponsors so we got plenty of samples of their protein bars, gels and bloks. The expo was pretty small - mostly advertising other local races but it was a nice vibe. (I mean this is vacation central - the vibe in Whistler is just awesome!) OH, and talk about awesome - my bib number was 374 (my birthday is March '74!! - how cool!)

After a glorious day on Friday we woke around 5:45 on Saturday morning to a grey dampness. Luckily it never actually rained during the race, but the course was wet after some rain overnight. Everything in Whistler is super close so it was just a 5 minute walk from our hotel to the start line. Chris and our friend Les were both running the 10km which unusually was starting before the Half Marathon at 7:30. We arrived there with just 10-15 minutes to spare. I saw them off then headed for the obligatory toilet stop before lining up ready to go. 20 minutes later we headed off.

I have an uncanny knack of selecting flat courses usually so this was the hilliest I'd encountered! We had one particularly brutal hill lasting about a mile just a mile into the course. I'd given myself absolute permission to take things easy in this run, and to walk when I felt like it and enjoy, take photos - whatever. When Chris was asking what I was planning on time-wise I'd estimated around 2hrs, 10-15mins - I really had no expectations other than to enjoy the scenery. Overall though, despite being held in a Ski Resort it was less hilly than you might think. There was that one early brutal hill (which I did manage about 2/3 of, before I started walking!) and another biggish one around mile 4, but mostly it was undulating, gradual hills around gorgeous resort home neighbourhoods, golf courses and parks. Whistler also has an awesome network of walking and cycling pathways and we made use of them on several occasions. It was an open course but the volunteers did a great job of keeping the traffic at bay, and us safely behind cones along the edge of the roads when we were on them. I just remember lots and lots of lovely green pathways, and very little traffic! We ran along the edge of Alta Lake with Whistler and Blackcomb mountains towering above us, reflecting in the water....there was an aid station in the middle of a lakeshore park - it was tough not to stop, sit and reflect for a while - talk about great views!!

Some random shots of our weekend:
(Left - the bear we saw on our drive to Whistler)
(Middle - me and my toasted cheese sandwich - and bib 374!)
(Right - can you see The North Face logo imprinted into the sandwich - fun huh!)

I felt great all through the race. I really did. I walked a few times on the 2 big hills, maybe once more, just to take a 'time out', chatted to a couple of people along the way, thanked volunteers as I went, and had a great time 'people watching' my fellow runners! I settled into a groove with the same handful of people around me for much of the race and just ENJOYED the moment. 

I was surprised and delighted to cross the finish line in 1:57:37! Seriously!!! If it hadn't been for my whopping PR last weekend I would have been giddy excited with that sub 2-hour! And, don't get me wrong - I still am! But actually I felt like I'd cruised it a bit and still managed that time! That was with hills and some elevation (actually Whistler village is only at 2200ft so only about a 1000ft above my 'normal')

Myself, Chris, Deanie & Les at the Olympic Rings 

Post-race was fun - some great live music, toasted cheese sandwiches (with the North Face logo branded into them from the toaster!), more protein bars, fruit, bagels and (the best bit!) - Ritter Chocolates (I may have taken more than my fair share!!). We stuck around for a little while but since Chris and Les had finished their race some time earlier, been back to the hotel and showered I was smelling the place out a bit and the vote was breakfast! In the end it was more like a brunch and a celebratory Bloody Mary for me!

I have figured out the most perfect post-race afternoon. It's called Scandinave Spa and it's in Whistler, BC. Seriously this place was the perfect way to spend 3 hours on Saturday afternoon. It is a beautifully landscaped outdoor area with cold and hot pools, saunas and solariums  a fire pit and hammock area and sun terraces. Basically you go through repeated sequence of 15-20 minutes in a 'hot' zone - be it a sauna or hot pools, then a quick dunk in one of the 'cold' pools, followed by 20-30 minutes of relaxation on the terrace, in a hammock, by the firepit or (our favourite!) the solarium (where we'd snagged some of the comfy 'lie down' beds and nodded off!) Then you repeat. And repeat. And you may never want to leave.

But after a second awesome night in Whistler, eating at the excellent 21 Steps restaurant (And I did count them - there were 21 - it was an upstairs restaurant!!), it was time to say goodbye (for now - we're back in Whistler in 3 weeks time for Tough Mudder!)

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

This chik is Tough - PR tough!

So I'm still revelling in my new Half Marathon PR! Still blown away about HOW much quicker I was. But when I come down off my little floaty fluffy clouds I realise what a high bar I've set myself now!!! It's going to be a tough one to top!!

I have a few theories about how and why I was so much quicker. I literally ran at a pace I've never achieved before!

I wrote last week about the detox I did on the week leading up to the race. It was bad planning and bad timing really with the races coming up, but I detoxed for 7 days and finished 2 days beforehand. It wasn't a diet but it cut a lot of foods I am used to eating. Its not like I eat crap normally but the detox was fuelling me from food sources in quantities I'm not used to. Most of the detox diet could be sustainable long term and could go some way to fuelling an athlete healthily but I was concerned about it affecting my performance (ha - little did I know?!) I was concerned about lack of energy and for the first few days of detox I was definitely feeling it. Once I added meat back in it went much better. One of the results of the detox was a 4lb weight loss and it's this that I consider as a factor to my speediness. I mean I ran with 4lbs less weight than I trained with....

Another KEY factor was my new lucky running shirt!!! I was proud to be wearing my new Team Tough Chik gear! It's first race outing no less! And honestly, you saw the photos....it wasn't really the weather for it!! But come hell or high water (and there was plenty of the latter!) I was wearing my team shirt! And sporting a team tattoo to boot - which made me feel extra tough! And really, the proof is in the pudding on the clock! Can't argue with that! Tough Chiks clearly haul ass!

Lastly, maybe that rain is my lucky charm. I always shy away from it during training. I've been fortunate to avoid it - either it's not actually raining when I head out first thing or I re-schedule training runs to avoid it. But that's 3 Half's when it's rained and each gave me a PR (and the one that didn't, it wasn't raining)....And this was it was raining the hardest and it gave me the biggest improvement. This is fool-proof logic people!! Or maybe I just wanted to get the heck out of it!!

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

Rain Dance at the Run for Water 1/2 Marathon!

So my quest for this year was to become a Half Fanatic (HF). At the end of last year I picked a couple of local races that were just 6 days apart (well, when I say local they're the same province, but still 4 and 7 hours drive away!!) thus meeting the criteria for the Neptune level of HF. Game on.

Somewhere around mid-March I was seriously questioning my sanity for signing up for Spring races. I mean, this is me, seasonal runner, who 'retires' for the winter. I didn't start my training this spring until March, logging a lousy 21 miles in March and 51 in April. I finally got back into the groove come May - but by then the first race was 4 weeks away. Thankfully running a marathon last fall changed something in me. My mental attitude was that a Half is way more 'do-able'. I'm not saying I could knock one out without training but, it certainly didn't seem quite so daunting and far! So with the slow start to training I had settled on just getting through these spring races (for Half Fanatics sake) with minimal training and aim bigger later in the year at my usual October goal race.

So I went into this weekend with NO expectations whatsoever. I'd commented on Facebook just last week about how nonchalant I was about the race. Whilst I was looking forward to a weekend away I wasn't psyched up for the race one little bit. Whilst I'd run a 12 miler a couple of weeks back, my training had been slow and meh' so I just planned on 'getting 'er done'!

Abbotsford, BC gave us an absolute downpour washout of a race in true lower-mainland style! Ah joys! Funnily given that I pretty much never train in the rain 3 out of my 4 Half Marathons have all started in the rain. However this was the first that continued to rain every.single.step.of.the.way.

You may have guessed by the name that the Run for Water has a big charity component to it - raising money for clean water in Africa. It gave the event a fabulous local, community feel to it. The 'expo' was better than many larger races I've been to with some good exhibits and free samples (sorry, but it IS all about the freebies!). The tech T-shirt came in women's sizes, and we had personalized bibs (because I like seeing my name in print!) - all for a $50 entry fee!

Come the morning of the race we had an 8am start time following a mostly out and back route, with much of the course run on small farm roads alongside the international border. I had noticed on the course elevation map we had around a gradual elevation loss of 180ft or so over the first 4km of the race, plus the matching 4km uphill on the way to the finish (ergh!), but other than that it was a flat course.

I set off front of the middle of the pack of around 600 runners, and after a few hundred metres realised my Nike+ hadn't started. In fact the whole iPhone had frozen up. Since it was strapped to my arm, under my jacket I wrangled one arm out of the jacket and continued to run trying to sort out my technology. After a shutdown and restart things were back on track. But from that moment on I couldn't trust the stats coming out of my Nike+. It was counting away, telling my I ran my first mile in 7:30! Somehow overall distance and time were both about right, but my average paces were a little off so I really didn't know how fast I was going.

I actually loved the downhill start. I often take a good couple of miles to find my rhythm without feeling like my lungs are about to explode so the gravity assisted start was kinda nice! By the time we flattened out I was well into my groove and smoking along! The first 7 miles whizzed along and I was even able to pick off a few people. I gave it all I had, well aware that I may run out of steam later, but a tactic which is proving to serve me well now and in the past is to 'enjoy it whilst it lasts'. I had the motivation to push it early on. I'd worry about slowing later but by then I had some good time 'banked'.

Even though I work in miles the course only had km markers (obviously, this is Canada eh!) - so that passed the time whilst I figured out what was what and just how it was comparing to the Nike+. I figured out along the way that it wasn't that off. And that I seemed to be doing rather well, like a PR and sub 2-hour was in my sights (previous PR was 2:00:17). Even though my average pace was slowing on each mile it was going to have to go really pear-shaped to not make it.

I kept pushing, even on the final 4km uphill. All I wanted at this point was that sub 2-hour. It was obviously a goal of mine for this year, but I just hadn't thought about it as a possibility for this race. That was gonna happen, but I really hadn't thought what else might be possible. And really, It didn't matter. As I headed towards the finish line and the clock came into focus I truly didn't care what figures I saw. I hadn't planned for this so really had not given this race any goals at all. The numbers had a 1 in front!!

Final Chip Time - 1:53:26! Just shy of SEVEN minutes off my previous PR. OMG!

To say I was ecstatic is an understatement. Even if I'd given the race some thought and A and B goals they would never have been this lofty!

The post-race event was awesome, just like the expo. It was outdoors, but they made the best of the miserable rain. Runners all got Mylar blankets with their medals and there was a super organized and efficient process to get us all fed - a brown paper bag with all our post-race food collected together to get us through and reunited with our families and the entertainment area. We had cookies, bagels, bananas, orange slices, boiled eggs and chocolate milk. The exhibitors in the post race expo were handing out coconut water and protein bars and Starbucks were serving up ice-teas & coffees. The place was buzzing post-race - as well as the Half Marathon there was also a Full, a 10km and a 5km so it was wonderful family event with around 5000 runners spread across all 4 events, there was face painting for kids, entertainment on stage, and lots of happy faces! Including mine. I haven't been able to wipe the smile ever since.

One-fifty-flipping-three!!! Yee-ha!

My Detox week

I've spent this week on a 7 day Spring into Summer Detox plan. For those of you who didn't already know my husband is a Health & Nutrition Coach and is selling this plan, so I got to play guinea pig! Lucky me eh?! I am the biggest cynic with this kind of stuff. So many of this type of plans have lofty promises and bold statements about losing weight, eliminating cravings, shiny hair, better skin, blah, blah, blah (including this one!!).....I'm totally of the opinion that it's all a big bunch of baloney. Poppy-cock. BS.

So this week I've been eating a little humble pie.....

The Spring into Summer Detox plan is actually 15 days with 4 days prep and 4 days transition wedged either side of the actual 7 day detox week. The timing for this was LOUSY for me, since I have a Half marathon this weekend and another in 6 days time. But I'm a loyal sort of guinea pig so I jiggled things a bit and made it work - be it a little modified. Basically I skipped the pre-detox and with one days' notice plunged straight into my seven days full-on detox. I won't be doing a good honest transition phase either since I want to be eating/fuelling on my 'normal' diet for the race and the week between races.

The detox has seen me eliminate alcohol (OK that was an obvious one!), dairy, legumes, nuts, sugar, anything processed, grains, eggs......I think that's most of the key stuff. And at the start I really did wonder a bit what the heck I had left!!!

The first day was easy. The first half of the second day easy. Then it went downhill - and I was irritable and hungry*  It was the long weekend so I wanted to do long weekend-ish kind of things - like eat, drink and be merry! The only way I got through this was becoming a recluse for the weekend. When I headed back to work I had 3 days under my belt which at least gave me the confidence to get through a day at work where I  usually snack my way through the day (not necessarily on bad stuff, just plenty of stuff - fruits, nuts, a larabar, oats - and that's all the snacks - I have lunch on top of that lot!).

*I must say here that I am rarely EVER hungry  Not true hunger in my belly, rumbling tummy hunger. I eat out of habit and I think it's totally a mind-hunger. Especially at work. There I eat because it's 'time' - I look at the clock and when it hits 'whatever o'clock' I eat!

My energy levels were right down on Days 1-3. I did a 10 mile training run on Day 3, and I was miserable and slow. I found that I needed to introduce meat back in. The detox suggested going without, but if you felt you needed protein then to go for it. My evening meal on Day 3 it was back in! Just some au natural Alberta Moose - so fairly organic and grass-fed! - I just cooked up some ground meat with home made taco seasoning and sprinkled it over our (many) salads. So. Much. Better. After a lull on Days 2 and 3 my energy levels picked back up again on Day 4 and beyond. And from then on I really did feel back to normal on the energy levels even with a 5 mile training run and a couple of hour long cross training sessions during the rest of the week.

Anyway. My first BIG revelation was on Day 4 and mid-morning when I normally get 'hungry' for my mid morning snack which is normally oats or a Larabar. I just DIDN'T feel the urge or desire. My mind was more clear and focussed on my work and I never felt the need to eat anything. I think it gave me time to fully appreciate the breakfast I'd had, how enjoyable and satisfying it had been rather than me just scarffing it down out of habit and routine. In the end I neither ate, nor desired anything till lunchtime. Day 5 and 6 were the same. It truly was a fantastic feeling to not have this 'habit' of eating. And to feel full, grateful and appreciate what I did eat.

I was reminded that this wasn't a diet. I could in theory eat as much as I wanted but within the 'allowed' foods. But I did find that I wasn't that bothered in the end.

At the end of the week I can honestly say that I feel great! I'm definitely appreciating what I eat more. How it tastes and savouring it more. I'm blown away at how awesome it is that I wasn't feeling the urge to snack at work. I missed bits of all the 'avoid' foods - dairy (cheese and yoghurt , nuts (for snacking), legumes and grains. But I managed and because these were all on the avoid list these are mostly the things I would usually be snacking on - and that's always my biggest downfall!

My hair actually IS more shiny (maybe slightly more oily) and I DID loose some weight (4lbs, which for me is quite a bit - around 3% body weight, and more than 1% body fat) and I feel less bloated and full of energy (and did I mention I'm BUZZED that I haven't had a snack attack at work?!)

Darn that health coach husband of mine - I might just have to admit he WAS right!

(And so I might be bigging up my hubby here, but, I AM a believer in this. Me. The biggest cynic. Put it this way if I'd thought it was a waste of time I admit I wouldn't have written that - I just wouldn't have written anything right? No, this was worth my time writing this blog post because it was worth it. And just in case you'd like to try this there's another detox program starting on June 10th (ok, so that bit was a shameless plug!!)

Kona Kase for athletes!

I was excited to receive my first Kona Kase box this month and I wanted to share!

Kona Kase is a subscription service geared towards athletes delivering premium endurance nutrition samples right to your doorstep. Each month, this cute little red box arrives filled with nutritional products, inspirational quotes, training tips and stories behind the brands. You don't know ahead of time exactly what you're gonna get - but isn't that half the fun?!


This was the first time I've received a Kona Kase but looking at the past Kases they are always chock full of great brands - some well known ones, and others that you might never have heard of but might just become your new favourites!

Awesome packaging and super quick shipping - even here in Canada!!

This month we got the complete range of GU Pure Performance products - brew, gels, chomps and electrolyte tabs plus a Luna Bar, Pop Corners and an Oh Yeah! bar.

The Oh Yeah! bar and Pop Corners barely saw daylight as the box opened....empty wrappers graced the trash-can within seconds!! And I'm saving the GU stuff for the next 2 weekends when I'm running back-to-back Half Marathons in my quest to become a Half Fanatic - talk about perfect timing eh?!

I signed up just for a month-by-month subscription to start - it cost me $15 which includes free shipping, but once I'd seen the box I went straight back and signed up for a full year which then works out at around $12 a box. I think that is decent value for the products I got - and I'm happy to pay for the 'FUN' factor of receiving a goodie box each month!

I have absolutely no affiliation to Kona Kase (and bought this box myself) but I'm truly excited about this great service - fabulous branding, packaging, attention to detail (I LOVED the postcard 'inspirational quote' - just a nice touch!), and customer service. From what I can gather they're still a fairly new company - looks like there's only been 7 or 8 monthly kases so far. So I want to BIG THEM UP!!

Since I'm now a BIG fan and customer I have a code you can use so you can try them too, PLUS if you use this code you'll get your first box for $7.50!

Get your first Kona Kase for just $10.00!! (enter the code ReferKona095 if prompted)

Go check them out!

I'm linking this post to Jill's Fitness Friday!

Creamy BAT Pasta (Bacon, Avocado, Tomato)

Ingredients

• 1 ripe Avocado, pitted & skinned
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped, and lightly browned in frying pan (I did this after frying my bacon so I used the leftover bacon fat to fry)
• 3 rashers of smoked streaky bacon
• ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 2 Servings of pasta, cooked & drained (I used wholewheat fusilli)

Directions

1. Fry the bacon until crispy, set aside on a sheet of kitchen towel to drain off excess oil
2. Take the avocado, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt & pepper and blend in a food processor until creamy
3. Once the pasta is cooked and drained add the avocado mix and tomatoes and mix well to coat. Sprinkle with the crispy bacon to serve – maybe add some fresh grated parmesan too!

This was surprisingly easy to whip up, apart from the headache of cleaning my food processor - but hey - first world problems!! It is super-tasty though - kind of creamy like an Alfredo but without all the rich, fatty, indulgent cream. And perfect for those slightly over-ripe avocados (because I for one get a bit picky on them if they're a little on the soft side!)

I'm linking up to Jill & Laura's Menu Planning Challenge today, after a bit of a break! Things go a little haywire when Chris goes away and I normally revert to freezer left-over meals or invitations from friends when I'm on my own - so planning goes out the window!

However it's good to be back on it. As much as anything for the cost savings involved in planning out the week - we're still trying to reduce our monthly expenditure on groceries without much success.The rest of my menu plan for this week looks like this; 

You'll see LOTS of salad back on our menu - that's because we're in harvest in our little garden. I planted a tonne of arugula, kale, mesclun mix, bistro mix and good old plain lettuce heads and they're growing like crazy! I'm very happy about this - I much prefer my greens raw and cold (Whereas Chris does generally prefer cooked greens) We normally enjoy them with a light oil & balsamic dressing with toasted seeds and nuts on top, and oftentimes accompanied by something on the BBQ (this week sausages and homemade moose burgers)

The BAT pasta recipe above got traded out for the lemon zucchini pasta I had planned on my list, only because I had the avocado going over-ripe and I forgot the zucchini!