FUN-draising...

One of my biggest fears as a girl was asking people for money. I distinctly recall having severe anxiety while my mother drove me from house to house (we lived in the country) to sell Girl Guide Cookies. In high school my parents couldn't afford the full tuition for a volleyball skills camp I desperately wanted to go to, so the school generously provided enough funds so I could attend. The following year I was requested to participate in the athletic department raffle-ticket fundraising, but I was so fearful of asking people, especially family that I knew didn't have extra funds available, that I didn't sell one single ticket. Needless to say my coach was not impressed and I felt about 2 inches tall...

Our annual Canada Day street party, 2008. We like that all the houses look the same. :-)

Skip ahead 10 years (ok, 18 yrs...) to present day. Last night I began my door-to-door campaign on our street. We live on a wonderful street where everyone knows each other by name. So fortunately I did not have any anxiety about knocking on their doors. The one mistake I should have seen coming was bringing my very active 5-year-old with me.  Our neighbours are so gracious that when we were invited in while they prepared a donation, my son made himself quite at home, even to the point of moving items around on the fridge door!  Needless to say, he will not be joining me the next time...  I love him to bits of course, but some tasks are better done alone.

We only got around 1/2 the street, so if you're my neighbour reading this and you didn't see me last night, I'll be around again this evening - without my dear son.

Thanks to all those who donated last night: Keera, Cheri, Elizabeth, Markus, Adam, Kelli, Sean, Carla and Michelle!

You can help me reach my goal in support of the YMCA Strong Kids by making a secure online donation using your credit card. Click on the link: http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=2103855

Thanks for your support!
Corinna

Could I actually be turning into a 'runner'??

When I began this journey 4 weeks ago, it was with the intention to go out, train, run the 5km on race day (May 17th) and be done with running for another year.   That's how it went last year (except for the training part LOL!), so why should this year be any different?

This isn't me - I would never wear a green suit like that! ha ha ha

Today I went running, BY MYSELF, for the first time in my life.  Well, apart from the Bluenose last year, but that was part of a team, it was a solo run, but I knew others were waiting for me to finish as I had waited and cheered for them. I've always been more of a team player - gotta have a common purpose, and I really, truly like to cheer and support others in their efforts.  That's my 'high', encouraging others.  Interesting, I've never looked at it like that before - I just had an "AHA" moment!! 
(I'll have to come back to that - it wasn't my planned topic for today...  Check back later this week for more on my AHA - after I've given it more thought!)

Yesterday (Saturday), Jill and I went for our regular run, but because of other commitments during the day, we left at 8am. Our usual 9am start has always been closer to 9:15 because I'm NOT a morning person!  So imagine me suggesting we start at 8am instead! Jill IS a morning person, so she had no problem with the earlier start.  So off we went, 8:05am, for our first timed interval run. I figured we could do the whole 5k in 5 sets of 10-1, for a total of 55min. That would shave a full 10-20min off our past times.  The first 10min was great, we didn't want to stop as it was still downhill, but we did. The next 10 we really had to push to make it, but we did, and it felt rewarding!  The 3rd 10 was the hardest, and we had a steep incline up from the lakeshore at the 3-5min mark. We decided if we made it to the intersection at the top, we would walk after. That put us at 5min.  We were amazed at how much faster we got around the lake and our total time was 1:02!  We were so pleased and felt fabulous!

It was a beautiful day on top of it all - sun was shining and warm!  We got together for a BBQ later in the day and decided we wanted to go out again today (Sunday) - Jill was leaving for 10 days so we wanted to get one more run in before she left.  The plan was to go at 9am so our hubbies could go out after we got back for their run.

Well, morning arrived and Ryan has been fighting a cold all week - woke up really sick and unable to care for the baby - so neither of them were able to get out for the planned runs. I was already dressed to go and debated for about 10min - did I really want to go by myself?

It was a weird feeling - the first 5min seemed so much harder! But once I got in the rhythm, it wasn't bad. I felt my pace was a bit faster than with Jill and so I told myself to slow down so I didn't burn-out too soon.  I decided to try 12min intervals to see if I could shave even more time off the total. That wasn't a good idea. The first 12 was fine, but I couldn't go 12 again after that! Plus my left hip-flexor was really starting to hurt.  So next time I'll stick with the 10-1.  

I forgot my camera again - this isn't 'the' hill, but that's about how steep it looks!

Another thing I really missed of course was the conversation - when Jill and I run, we're chatting the whole time. It really helps the run pass.  My total time was exactly 1hr and it sure felt like it!

One of the other things I did differently - decided to try speed walking up the big hill by the mall (we usually stroll along).  And boy, what a difference! My heart-rate was in the 160s, which is where I like it - optimal fat-burning - and where it usually sits when I'm running along flat.  That's something we'll have to do from now on Jill - until we're able to actually run up it that is!  :-)

OK, so I went running by myself, does that make me a 'runner'?  What do you think?

You can help me reach my goal in support of the YMCA Strong Kids by making a secure online donation using your credit card. Click on the link: http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=2103855

Thanks for your support!
Corinna

follow-up to last week's post - MY OH MY!

I forgot to write about how I felt last week after doing all those activities... Amazingly, I felt great!  Today (Sunday) however, is a different story! I ran yesterday and today as noted in my post above - PLUS I played a full hour of soccer this evening!  My left knee is really sore going up the stairs tonight - I hope it feels better before I go swimming tomorrow night...  

Running and Soccer and Swimming - My Oh My!!  Will this old body hold out for 3 more weeks?

You can help me reach my goal in support of the YMCA Strong Kids by making a secure online donation using your credit card. Click on the link:http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=2103855

Thanks for your support!
Corinna

Running and Soccer and Swimming... OH MY!

Those of you who know me know that I've kept myself active by being involved in team sports nearly my entire adult life. Well, in the last 36hrs I was involved in all three of my current activities...  

RUNNING

Lake Banook - next time I'm going to bring my camera for my own pic, but this is pretty much how it looked

Yesterday morning was a gorgeous spring day - the sun was shining, there was no wind and the air was crisp and fresh.  Jill and I started out on our run at around 9:30am. With pants, T-shirt and light jacket, I felt the coolness of the air just enough to tell my body "get moving legs so we'll warm up!" And warm up we did! It was our best time yet. I forgot to map out a new route with less hills, but it was probably for the best - we know this route, where the hills are and when we can push ourselves. So I timed us while we were running, but forgot to time the walk part - I'll get it right soon enough! (I don't know the total time with walking because I forgot to stop my watch, but it was somewhere between 1:05:00 and 1:15:00) But, I do know we ran a total of 0:26:36  and the last big push was up the hill from the lake to the intersection by the mall. We both felt the burn and our heart-rates were in the 105% range - so it was good. Next week I'll get it right and plan for a 10min run, 1min walk - I think we're ready, right Jill?

SOCCER

Turf fields at Dalhousie U where we play spring soccer

Ahhhh.... spring soccer has begun. As mentioned above, it was a perfect spring day - so UNLIKE the weather we usually have for spring soccer - I'll take it!!  It was definitely cooler by the 6pm start, but a long-sleeve shirt under my jersey was all I needed by the end.  We won this game, 1-0 which is a fantastic way to start the season. I was exhausted by the end, but loved the feeling of being on the turf, playing with the team again. Boy are my abs hurting today though!  I do a lot of the throw-ins from the side and you probably wouldn't think abs are involved, but TRUST ME - they are the hardest working muscle group. My abs always remind me they're still there after our first outdoor game. Already looking forward to next week's game. Go BANSHEES! :-)

SWIMMING

The pool at the Dartmouth Sportsplex where I go swimming twice a week.

Tonight's workout was extra hard on the aforementioned abs - I'll pay for this tomorrow! But I love it. A good friend of mine writes about her training experiences and how she is realizing that she loves to push herself - I couldn't agree more. I have always loved the feeling of muscle pain after I've pushed myself. (a bit sadistic, I know) Even better is when, like in soccer, I do it without even realizing it.  (Although to be honest, I do try to get the ball further into the field with every throw - my teammates can attest to that!) At swimming tonight we practised our streamline - aka lots of dolphin kicking under the water. Before taking these lessons, dolphin kicking to me was from the knees down... As I've learned, it's much more about the ... you guessed it... ABS!  I wonder if I'll be able to get out of bed tomorrow...

Check back to see how I'm feeling later this week! Until then, be sure to sponsor me if you haven't already!  THANKS!

You can help me reach my goal in support of the YMCA Strong Kids by making a secure online donation using your credit card. Click on the link: http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=2103855

Thanks for your support!
Corinna

Hoppy Easter!

Please leave a comment below so I know you've stopped by.  :-)

Hope you had a wonderful weekend with your families. We enjoyed a delicious turkey dinner with our neighbours (and running-mates) Jill and Ryan.  My husband Will runs with Ryan as they train for the 1/2 marathon in the Bluenose and Jill started training with me for the 5km. Both our micro-families relocated to NS from Ontario and therefore we share the unfortunate circumstance of having all our extended-family far, far away. So we decided to create our own 'family' meal and it was a huge success, even with my 5-yr-old acting out!  :-)

This morning Jill and I went for our second training run/jog/walk. It was a miserable, drizzly, cold morning and once we reached the end of Lake Banook, the strong, cold wind nearly knocked us over!  Wasn't pleasant, but we kept moving and the wind settled down a bit along the side of the lake.  Our total time wasn't any better than last week, but we did go further with our first jog, so I think we're making progress. 

I'm going to research a slightly different route for next week's run that has less steep hills. They're too hard on the knees.  Also, I'm going to come up with an interval that we can try, something like 5min jog/1min walk/5min jog/1min walk, etc. so we're more aware of how long we walk. Right now we've just been jogging/walking to whatever feels right - I think we can take it up a notch now, right Jill?  We've only got 4 more weekends before the big day!!

Spring soccer starts next weekend - I sure hope the weather cooperates! Wish us luck! Swimming was more technical this past week, which is good, I can always improve, but it doesn't get my heart-rate up as much as the pure training did. Looking forward to getting more training introduced back into it. Maybe I'll stay a bit later and do more on my own after the class...

You can help me reach my goal (now at 20%! Thanks to all who have donated so far) in support of the YMCA Strong Kids by making a secure online donation using your credit card. Click on the link: http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=2103855

Thanks for your support!
Corinna

The day after...

Yesterday was the 'big day' - my first run/jog/walk towards the 5km goal. Joined by my neighbour and friend Jill, we started out with a nice brisk walk up the hill. It appears that we are a good match. She's a fairly new mom and I'm still working off my second baby-belly-bulge - and neither of us had gone running/jogging outside yet this year.  Not anymore! :-)

I felt great for the first 10min jog, then we walked/jogged the rest of the way. Each time we jogged got a little harder and a little shorter.  The whole thing took us about an hour - a time I'm sure we can greatly improve on - and we will. The nice thing about running with someone is the conversation makes the time fly by, so it certainly didn't feel like an hour. 

Today - my right hip flexor hurt, my left knee was tender going down stairs and my thighs burned a bit. The joint pain reminds me that I'm getting old and I could do without, the muscle pain tells me I'm building them, so I can live with that.  My feet hurt a bit towards the end of the run, so I'm going to have my chiro check the orthotics and shoes to make sure they're going to hold out. My running shoes are at least 9 years old - I just looked above my head and saw their box - with my wedding photos in it - so they are pre-2000!!  Maybe time for a new pair?  They still look like new though - I've never been much of a runner!  But two pregnancies later - do you think my feet might have changed?

Swimming tonight was great, as usual. It's the beginning of a new session and lots of new faces! It's great to see so many people signed up. The only down-side - it looks like I'm one of the slowest in the group, and I just completed 12 weeks of this program...  Or, I just know how to pace myself better (*you keep telling yourself that Corinna*) But it's a challenge I'm looking forward to. Look out Jill and the rest of the newcomers!

You can help me reach my goal in support of the YMCA Strong Kids by making a secure online donation using your credit card. Click on the link: http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=2103855

For more information on how YOU can participate in the Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon, please visit us at www.bluenosemarathon.com

Thanks for your support!
Corinna

The big day - training officially begins!

So tomorrow morning is the big day!  My first walk/jog of the season. So far Jill has agreed to join me. I meant to call more people but the day got away from me. Hopefully my neighbours (you know who you are!) have read the email I sent earlier this week and are able to come out. 

The route is going to be the same one we used last year - for Jill this will be new. We'll meet on our street then head to Lake Banook via Crichton Ave. Then we'll go around the lake via the trail - there were SO many people on that trail today when I was out and about - and come back home past the mall. According to www.mapmyrun.com this is about 5km.  We'll have a big hill to go up, then down, then back up and back down on the way home, but otherwise it is relatively flat.

Oh, I hope my endurance built up from swimming will translate to running! Wish me luck and an injury-free beginning...

You can help support me by making a secure online donation using your credit card. Click on the link: http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=2103855

For more information on how YOU can participate in the Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon, please visit us at www.bluenosemarathon.com

Thanks for your support!
Corinna

Swimming and soccer - hope they help with training!

Last night I had my last swimming class before the next session starts. I really get an adrenaline rush from the sprints - trying to beat my best times. On Monday I had my best 50m time at 56 seconds. Now if only I can translate that speed to my legs for this run... wait a minute, at that rate, it would take me 93 minutes to finish 5km - oh boy do I have my work cut out for me! Did I mention I hardly kick when I swim, so my legs are in for a rude awakening when I start training on Sunday. 

Spring soccer season is starting in a couple weeks. We've been off since early Feb., waiting for the season to start - and dreading it at the same time - Mother Nature tends to discourage us as we try to kick a ball around in the rain, temperature hovering just above zero and usually a brisk breeze...  Ahhhhh spring soccer, nothing like it! (picture of me with my baby boy Feb'08 at our last indoor game of the winter season - yep, I was playing soccer again just 6 weeks after he was born!)

You can help support me by making a secure online donation using your credit card. Click on the link below: http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=2103855

For more information on how YOU can participate in the Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon, please visit us at www.bluenosemarathon.com

Thanks for your support!
Corinna