H started the year off optimistically:
H: Eventually there will be world peace because once the climate apocalypse comes we will have no choice but to work together.
So optimistic and pessimistic all at the same time
I'm excited about running lots of races in 2020. I have 7 major races I'm signed up for anywhere from 1/2 marathons to a 50K Ultra Marathon race (31 miles). I got back into running in the late spring June and ran 1370km from beginning of June until end of year; this is my first year running in the winter. December was 280km. I've been on a daily 5km minimum running streak since Sept 19th. Normally I curl in the winter and run in the summer, but have been trying to keep running all winter. Having an indoor track available at the community center has helped for the truly Canadian Winter days. My walking partner and I have been doing better about sticking it out outdoors this winter as well, we walk M/W/F mornings a hilly 6.6km loop.
My big Christmas present was a Garmin. The FitBit got me moving, but I needed something with more accuracy in the distance tracking and my iphone likes to shut down when it's cold. Great feature in Canada in the winter (not). I got a Garmin 3 Vivoactive with music, so I can listen to music with Bluetooth headphones and track everything and not have to bring my phone. If I'm going on a longer run or unfamiliar route, I can bring my phone and send a link to my run to husband and he can watch where I am in real time and if I don't move for a bit it will alert him. One of the best purchases I've ever made. We picked it up at the local running store. I'd been looking online and really Garmin tells everyone how much they can be sold for. Because it's an older model I was having trouble locating it locally and husband found one, so we headed over. She said, "It's a really good model. Is it a Christmas gift?" "Yes, I said." "Is it for you?" "Yes." "oh, ok, I'll put it in an opaque bag then so you can't tell what it is."
It's definitely motivating, in January I got my first 100km week!
One of the races I've signed up for is a 1/2 marathon in February. My amazing running partner that I met in the trail running clinic (we are the same age and run roughly the same speed, though she's a bit faster) said, "I bet you can run a 1/2 marathon under 2 hours." I thought about it. The first 1/2 marathon I ran in 2002 I ran in 2:22 and I was 24 years old. I ran a marathon in 2015 in 4:30 and the first 1/2 was in 2:10. I was 37. So, I finally figured, well, I might be pretty close, so I'll set the goal. I was going to wait for the actual 1/2 marathon in February, but we got an amazing day of rare good weather in January and I'd mapped out a sail boat route. I ran an amazing run and got 1:55, 3 weeks ahead of my goal! I actually cried I was so happy! I wanted to die and throw up a little, but I did it!
Regarding all the PRs (Personal Records) keep in mind I just started using the Garmin January 1, so there could be faster runs from last year, but this was pretty accurate. 5:24 is quite fast for me, I've grown comfortable at 5:45. Everything just worked beautifully this day.
I did run the 1/2 marathon 3 weeks later and did even better. It was the run of a lifetime. I felt so good esp the first 5-10 km (a 1/2 is 13.1 miles, 21.1 km) I literally felt like a dog with my head out the car window. Everything felt good and I ran and was happy.
I even got 3rd in my age group! 1: 49 or 6 minutes faster than 3 weeks ago. Won a lovely toiletry bag. For my US friends, that's 13.1 miles and the pace is equal to about 8:16/mile or 5:07/km Considering last spring I was more of a 6min/km; 10min/mile girl I'm thrilled.
I've also taken to drawing pictures on my runs. It makes it more like a scavenger hunt for the correct street signs. A swimmer:
I'm thrilled with my progress and ended January 412km (the most I've ever done in a month) and February with 284.8km. I'm trying to complete the Hindsight 2020 challenge to run 2020 km in 2020. With the rate I'm going, I may actually run 2020 miles in 2020. In January my longest run was 24km and February I did two 30km runs. The next challenge is a 30km race at the end of March (Around the Bay in Toronto) and a full marathon in mid May with a 50km race 2 weeks later at the end of May, so I need to work on distance. My running partner and I have been whispering and speculating about the possibility of doing the marathon in under 4 hours. The 50km we are doing together and the goal is "finish smiling". It's two 20km loops with a 10km loop after that out in the trails. No time expectations, just finishing.
I'm still trail running as well, though it's still crazy cold and sometimes very icy.
Lest you think I'm the best runner who ever lived, let me share that I'm in 3 local running groups. Running partner has roped me into a group that started as a training group for Boston. Yeah, the Boston Marathon that you have to qualify to get into? There are 92 members on the Facebook group and 18 of them are qualified for Boston this year. They are so fast and run so far and so much. Many of them run 100km a week and can run a Marathon in 2 1/2-3 1/2 hours. They are amazing. Well Running Partner decided that some Saturday we should actually run with them, not just be on their FaceBook group. So we met up with them and ran a 16km loop while they ran 22-24km and all ended at the same time. We sometimes get someone who stays back at our pace but they are usually injured and "taking it easy" so we realized this is our place in the group and I made us matching running hoodies.
That's right, we are the Rehab Crew. We've lamented that we are so slow compared to the rest of the group but some of the leader members have assured us that they think we'll be good for expanding the group-that people who thought "they are too fast for me" would be willing to come out if there were a few who were happy to take along slower runners who want to improve. So, we've got our niche carved out.
The kids are staying inside a lot, but we've skated:
And H is showing interest in a local hill we run at sometimes, he went with me to check it out.
V and I baked some snowman cookies.
The kids also worked on their Valentines assembly style:
The kids' school district has been having some strike days from the teachers. Sometimes they are on the same days (the littles are in elementary while teenager is in high school) but often they aren't and sometimes they are 1 day a week, sometimes 2.
The day we took husband back to the airport to continue working in Seattle, was a strike day for eldest son so we all went to breakfast
He's been getting into playing Warhammer with a friend. A local gaming store has an incredible room to play in one evening a week and C's found a friend to play with him.
H had his annual skating gala, he did amazing! He moved up a level this year to a 6 person class and he's really, really improved. He's in the striped hoodie with the silver cape... he's the only boy in his class.
I and my teammates also played in the I.AM. Canadian bonspeil again this year. Because of a change in how points were scored, we ended up coming 3rd. We'd won it the last 3 years in a row, but still had a great time.
In other curling news, our club got their new rocks! They are amazing to play with. Consistent and lots of curl. I've been skipping and throwing lead rocks and we are winning lots of games. My other team and I won the Banana Belt Bonspeil again! 2nd year in a row (the year before we were 2nd place).
No comments:
Post a Comment