"Rub Club"

I just realized, two days later, that there was a rather interesting typo in Thursday's post. I mentioned running 11K with "Rub Club" instead of, of course, Run Club. On that note, has anyone ever been involved with a "Rub Club"? Hmmmm, I wonder what types activities that would involve? :/ (I've already made the correction, so don't go looking for it now.)


In non-rub news, I ran a quick 10K over lunch on Thursday since I knew I would be busy with our end-of-clinic activities that evening. Speaking of which, it was great! It's always fun to see everyone in non-running attire and we had a fantastic time catching up, sharing stories and discussing plans for the next season.

Yesterday after work, I went out for a little 5K before to start the weekend. It was a hot one.



Next up - 30K + pool party tomorrow! I hope everyone is having a great weekend so far.

Don't miss these giveaways:

Power of 10 @ Running Off At The Mouth
Choose You @ Tall Mom on the Run
Nathan Handheld @ Tall Mom on the Run
Ultimate Runner @ Tall Mom on the Run
Scape Sunscreen @ Tall Mom on the Run
Whooha Gear @ Racing With Babes
Skim MD @ Happy Runner
Mix 1 @ Run To The Finish
Scape Sunscreen @ Miss Zippy
Sugar-Free Goodies @ Vegging Out

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end ...

Tonight is our end-of-clinic party for the winter/spring session. It doesn't get much better than a bunch of marathoners sharing memories over some good food. It's been a great few months with some memorable training runs and many PR's and BQ's along the way. There are several regulars, like myself, who join back-to-back(-to-back) clinics, but there are always some new faces as well. Even having just met a few short months ago, it feels like we've known each other much longer after sharing so many miles together.

We get to start the fun all over again next week when we kick off the summer session on Thursday.

We ran a really enjoyable 11K at run club last night, and I wore my CEP Compression calf sleeves for the first time. Full review next week!

Many of us are also getting together this Sunday for a long run followed by pool party. The group is running about 20K so I'll be adding on some extra before hand to squeeze in one final long run before Seattle. It's supposed to be a hot and humid day, so I'm sure I'll be thinking about jumping into that pool for the duration of the run!

Happy Thursday (almost Friday!)

Finding my speed

After Saturday's trail run, I headed out with the group on Sunday for 11K in cold and windy pouring rain. My legs felt fantastic after gliding through the woods the day before, and I was really able to pick it up on the home stretch. It feels good to be getting a bit of speed back.

It's been a while since I've done any kind of official speed work - May 6th to be exact! I have a 5K coming up in about a month and even though I still have a marathon to run before, I know I need to start testing out these legs with some short & fast running. Tuesday intervals are back!

This evening I ran from home to our local park paths for a warm-up and got started on 1000m intervals once I got there. (Hubs joined me for the second half of the workout.)

The results:

4 x 1000m
4:34 this feels pretty good, it's fun to go fast!
4:33 okay, I remember this feeling.
4:20 (!!!) keeping up with hubs, OMG I am going to die.
4:28 *gasp* *choke* *wheeze*

I'd like to be under 4:30/1000 for 5 repeats and I know I'll get there... just have to get back in the groove!

Trail Love

This morning I met up with three friends from my training group and headed to a local conservation area where we picked up part of the Bruce Trail for my first official trail run! I wasn't sure what to expect, but I knew I was in good hands with at least one seasoned trail-runner in the bunch and I was excited to experience something new.

I absolutely loved it!

We set out with a plan of running an out-and-back for about 2-2.5 hours, following the blue markers. The trails weren't too technical, but we definitely had to keep our eyes on the ground. They were primarily single-track with roots, rocks and various other obstacles along the way. We climbed up and down as we weaved our way through the woods, all the while keeping an eye on our footing and watching out for those blue markers. (We only made one wrong turn and thankfully noticed right away.)

It was so quiet and peaceful, with only the sounds of the birds, our breath, footsteps on the soft earth and our legs rustling through the bush. (Except for the one time I heard a loud rustling nearby and thought we were being attacked by a bear forest critter and shrieked in panic.) It was so beautiful in the woods and I was constantly in awe of my surroundings.

We covered about 19K/12 miles in 2:16. You definitely have to slow down a lot out there and it was refreshing not to pay any attention to pace whatsoever.

We snapped a quick self-timer pic and chowed down on my power bars back at the car, as us newbies proclaimed our new-found love for the trails. I definitely plan to spend some more time out there this summer.

Cathy, Martin, Kevin, Marlene

My shoes and socks have seen better days!

Three (NEW!) Things Thursday

For my recent marathon on May 16th, I put three brand new (to me) products to the test... pretty much breaking the rule of 'nothing new on race day.' Oops! Fortunately, they all worked out just fine!

1. SaltStick Salt Capsules

I'm not a big fan of sports drinks and would much prefer to stick with plain old water. I find it more refreshing and it also helps keeps things simple. For electrolyte replacement, I have used E-load Zone Caps in the past, but they only contain 51mg of sodium per capsule. I found that I had to take one approximately every half an hour, which made them inconvenient to carry and I also lost track or forgot often.

Enter: SaltStick!



Each capsule contains: 215 mg sodium, 63 mg potassium, 22 mg calcium, 11 mg magnesium, 100 IU Vitamin D (to aid in calcium absorption).

I planned to take one before the start and one half way, and I also ended up taking a third in the later miles as a precaution when I noticed so many runners going down with cramps. (It was a warm and unusually dry day, which meant we were sweating and losing salt more than we were used to.)

I didn't have any cramping issues (at least not until I stopped moving) and the three capsules were a cinch to carry and swallow.

SaltStick also says:

Buffered salt composition that helps digestion and absorption;

Contains only WHAT YOU NEED. No herbal, trace, questionable components added. Gluten free. No sweeteners of any kind. Vegetable-based.

2. Fuel Belt Waistpack

I've been using iFitness and SPIbelt but I've been finding that they just aren't holding enough stuff for my really long runs. I decided to order the iFitness Ultimate Race Belt with elastic slots to hold my gels, but unfortunately it did not arrive in time (in fact, it just arrived yesterday, a month after ordering - FAIL!).

Fortunately I found something at my local store -the Fuel Belt Waistpack.



It has a nice big pocket (4.5x7" - a larger version is also available) with two compartments which easily held 5+ gels, a packet of Chomps, my iPod Shuffle and salt caps with room to spare. The adjustable waist band fit comfortably and the pouch settled nicely on my lower back without moving around.

My store only had plain black, but it is also available in Tangerine, Hibiscus Pink, Kiwi Green and Surf Blue.



3. Nathan Quickdraw Plus Handheld

I've been using the thermal version for several months now and adjusted to carrying the 22-oz bottle very quickly. I much prefer it to fuel belts, which add uncomfortable bulk and weight to my mid-section - the last place I want or need it! I absolutely love carrying the handheld and don't find it cumbersome at all. I decided to go for the Quickdraw Plus so I could lose the extra fabric and bulk around the bottle (the "thermal" qualities are hardly worth it). This was an excellent choice! It feels a bit lighter and served me well on May 16th (and has been ever since)!

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Products in Motion:




Have you tried anything new lately?

Cheetah Running!

Last night at Olga's was a success! It was the inaugural event and there were about 150 participants between the 5K and 10K, with the winners finishing in 15:40 and 36:08 respectively - not bad for a small-town race!

The "Cheetah Girls" were positioned at the final turn toward the finish to direct the runners and cheer like crazy. Mission accomplished! It was a little chaotic because it was a two-loop race with the 5K'ers being directed through the finish after one lap, while the 10K'ers had to veer to the left to run past the finish. Since the runners were all mixed up in clumps, some went the wrong way and had to make their way through the pylons at the last minute. Hopefully the race organizers will come up with a better way to do this next year.

Pics to follow from my girlfriend's camera...

Tonight hubs and I headed to our local run club for a 10K+. Not many people turned up since it was pouring rain! A handful of us headed out to brave the elements and busted out 10.8K at a pretty good clip.

The rain was coming down in buckets the entire time. I can't remember ever being so soaked! Shoes squishing, clothes heavy and water-logged as we splashed our way through puddles. The mild temperature made it feel pretty nice so no complaints.

I was able to debut my cheetah skirt on a run for the first time. Love it!

Drenched!

Last Run for May

I normally take Mondays off, but I knew I wouldn't have time to run tonight* so I headed out yesterday evening after work. With a case of the Monday blahs, I wasn't really feeling up to it so I decided to visit a new (to me) trail for a nice change of scenery. It was peaceful and refreshing, just what I needed to knock out a nice 10K run. (and I wasn't dragging my feet like I have been lately!)

I tried to snap a post-run pic a la Tonia - it's harder than you would think to get the right angle! This was take 12.

That wraps up May's mileage at 118 (190 KM). Definitely on the low side, but that's to be expected with marathon taper and recovery. And that 118 miles includes one sweet marathon so it was definitely a great month!

Bring on June!

*This evening I'm volunteering with some girlfriends at Olga's Boys Night Out - an all-male race with all-female volunteers! It should be a fun time and the perfect opportunity to debut my cheetah skirt.