An update on my progress

The past two days have been great work outs. Yesterday I did hill training during my run and then lower body strengthening. At the end of my run I had run 3.33 miles in about 37 minutes. I am keeping a steady pace when I run the inclines which is very important for me. Right now I do four 2.5 minute hill intervals. This means that I spend about 1.0 miles running up hill. The moonlight run features a 1.1km hill right at the end of the run so if I can sustain a mile of hills during training I should be able to pull it together for the race.

Today was a 45 minute tempo run. I was really happy with this training session. My speed was 6.0 - 6.4 for the duration (less 3 one minute walk breaks). I am encouraged that I felt fantastic through the whole run. It gives me hope that I can sustain those tempos during the race. Feeling strong is the best reward when I've worked hard.

I am now ready to start thinking about speed training. My plan is to begin interval training next week. My initial speed interval will be only one minute long and hopefully by mid March (two weeks before the run) I will be up to a two - three minute speed interval. Then I can taper off with the comfort of knowing that I will be able to push it.

I am discovering how much my mental state affects my training and especially my results. If I am in the right frame of mind it is amazing what I can accomplish. If I listen to my inner critic too much I crash and burn. I am definitely planning to work more on the mental aspects of my training in the coming weeks because come race day I think it can be the difference between an average time and a personal best.

Finally I have to once again rave about how yoga is helping me. It is definitely helping to develop my visualization and contemplation and I am growing positive energy. I have more mental energy and more spirit this means more passion in my sport. Physically yoga has prevented lots of aches and pains. I feel looser and more relaxed. I am really enjoying connecting my heart and body.

Now that I seem to be on the right track with my training I am definitely looking forward to stepping up the intensity of my workouts.

When the weather outside is frightful.......

It has been snowing here for almost a full week now. When I look out onto my deck, the patio chairs have nearly 6 inches of snow piled up on them. This is in fact the snowiest winter I've experienced in the last ten years. Here in Lethbridge we are reliant on warm Chinook winds blowing through to dig us out of the snow. Actually, our municipal government has little money set aside for things such as plowing the roads and sanding slippery intersections. So suffice it to say that this little spell of abundant percipitation has made getting out to train a challenge. But being a brave girl I venture out onto the snowy streets. Charging my minivan toward the gym and praying my traction control won't fail. My husband thinks I'm deranged of course. I think I'm dedicated. I just hope that it won't be this snowy for the upcoming Moonlight run or I'll need some snow shoes to navigate my way through Indian Battle park.

Itchy Feet

I'm doing what I can to listen to my body. Since I'm feeling better a huge part of me wants to dash off to the gym. Instead I'm trying to honor my sore throat and sniffles and give them adequate time to heal. Then I will get back to business. But in the mean time, my feet are definitely restless.......

On The Mend........

Well it finally caught up to me. All of my running around to appointments and not sleeping more than three hours a night resulted in a yucky stomach flu. I spent most of yesterday laying in bed. Today I am feeling a little better but still plagued with a funky tummy. I am taking things slow and trying to rest as much as I can. As soon as I feel better I will go back to the my workout schedule.

I did manage to do a short run on Saturday, a quick 2 miles. The best part about this run was that I was joined by my daughter Chloe. She is preparing for her first Moonlight run. I was definitely a proud mom watching her run, I love sharing my passion with her and can't wait until all three of my girls can join me.

HAVE A BHUDDAFUL DAY!

SMILE

From Desmond Chiong
- Sit down, relax. Breathe and smile.- Be happy, be peaceful, let's practice the smiling yoga.
- Smile. Smile even more. Smile as if you were Enlightened.- Happy, blissful, delighted. A happy camper on the shore of nirvana's shining sea.
- Smile, grin. Be silly.- Breathing in, relax your mind.- Breathing out, smile, smile, and smile; Buddhas have more fun.
- Ttry to look as enlightened as you can.- Why pretend to be unhappy, harried, and miserable?
- Since we all pretend anyway..- Why not pretend to be happy for a change? See how that feels.
- Try to look and act as if you are totally enlightened. What would that look like?
- Free, joyful, light, and buoyant.- Glorious, radiant, peaceful.- Perfectly content and fulfilled.- Fully evolved.
- Awakened Buddha.- Be Buddha.- You too can do it.
- Be Buddha. You-dha.
- Become Buddhaful.- Smile wildly, turn your head upward, elevate your spirit.- Let the mind unfurl and the heart soar.
- Press your shining face up against the heavens.- Open to blessings, loving acceptance and forgiveness.
- Look as enlightened as you possibly can.- Smile happily. Why not be happy?
- Allow joy to happen. Don't close yourself up.- Be 'there' now. Be happy. Be peaceful. Be whole, complete, luminous.
- Be at home and at ease before your own hearth,- An organic homegrown, Home-Buddha in His or her own Natural Buddha-field.
- Smile, Home-Buddha! Enjoy yourself.- Be yourself, your true self. Enjoy it. You deserve it.- Be happy. Be Buddhaful- Be happy. Be beautiful ....you are