Once upon a time ago I wanted to look like Barbie, these days I want to look like Wonder Women

I recently just read a blog post about how little girls spend the first 10 years of their lives playing with Barbie than the rest of their life trying to look like Barbie. This broke my heart because I know the truth behind this statement.

For years of my life I admired Barbie. I wanted pale skin and long blond hair. I am anything but pale; when the first rays of summer hit me I look like I could be Molato. I have dark almost black hair, it used to be long but years of chlorine damage and dying it blonde has caused me to cut it super short. I have dark eyes, if you look at them in the right light they are black, but from a young age I started wearing color contacts to disguise my brown eyes.

For years I starved myself so I wouldn’t have a “manish” physic. I was ashamed of who I was. Today I have embraced my ethnic side. I am proud to be a Native American, I am proud of my heritage and where I have come from. I still wear my colored contacts, but I no longer dye my hair blond.

Once upon a time ago I wanted to look like Barbie, these days I want to look like Wonder Women. I think she is more of a role model for women. She’s beautiful and strong, she speaks her mind and she defends what is good.

Wonder Women could tackle 26.2 miles and the hills of San Fran, Barbie can’t.

Happy Training.

Crush Your Walls, Be Great

Lately my runs over 13 miles have been brutal.

It’s a weird experience. I’ll be running along feeling amazing and I look down and see the 13.1 mile mark and BAM all of a sudden I hit a wall at what feels like 100 mph. It knocks me right off my feet and all of a sudden my body feels like lead, I feel hungry and exhausted. What is worst once I hit this wall I slow right down to the speed of a snail.

One of my goals for this week is fueling properly. I have been eating more whole grains than I normally do but keeping up my regular eating. I figure at this point as long as I am eating clean putting a little more fuel than normal shouldn’t hurt.  

I have also made my own protein bars that have quinoa, flax and oats in it. I am taking this on my run along with my Shot Blocks in hopes that this will benefit me.

I am determined to CRUSH my 13.1 mile wall this week on my 22 mile run. I figure it is a wall I have built myself and I should be able to crush it rather than running into it.

I am determined not to be just good but to be great. On my 20 mile run this past Saturday I was cruising along at a pace of 8'21"/mile than slowed right down to around 9'23"/mile. I don't want this to happen to me again.

What helps you crush your walls? 

Week 9 of 15

August 20 to August 26 marked the 9^th week of my training for the Nike Women’s Marathon, it was a brutal week.  

I had Monday off work and was planning on doing a 7 mile tempo run, but I slept through my first alarm woke up at 10 had something to eat and went back to bed. I pretty much spent my day of sleeping. What a waste of a perfectly good training day.

Tuesday was a Nike Training Club day Get Toned Competitor it worked me. It was full of squats and lunges. Normally I am super excited about that but I think pushing myself extra hard on Sunday had an impact on my body so I was still pretty sore on Tuesday but I made it through it and I defiantly feel like I am getting stronger. After work I went to the park to do my tempo runs. They started out great with my first mile being 8’14”/mile with each mile getting faster after that until mile 4 when I hit 7’04”/mile and then mile 5 I fell off and ended up running 11’11”/mile. A 7 mile tempo run turned into a 4 mile tempo run due to my last mile falling off and time.

Wednesday, I had a plan of doing a 8 mile run after work, but I ended up leaving work late and traffic was horrible. I actually didn’t end up home with something to eat until 6:30. I had a great plan to get up early on Thursday run 8 in the morning and 5 at lunch but I didn’t have a running partner and the days are starting to get shorter. I don’t really feel 100% safe running around the river by myself so I opted to stay in and do it after work. At lunch when I went out to do 5 miles I ended up having a horrible run. I felt dizzy and my body was heavy. My dietician believes it is because I am not taking enough whole grains in.

Friday was a yoga rest day that I really needed and Saturday morning brought another long run. I was up before my alarm actually went off on Saturday and I wish I got up and pushed myself out the door. Instead I stayed in bed for an extra half hour. The weatherman was only calling for a high of 19 so I wasn’t in a huge rush to get out the door. I ended up at the running trail around 9:30 and asked Meho if he would run with me. This was the first time I had done 20 miles and I was really worried about it. What if I got sick again like Thursday, what if I passed out what if I couldn’t do the mileage! He was more than happy to run with me and keep me motivated and going, I am so thankful for him. He has been so supportive through this, listening to my worries, to my accomplishments, helping me through my failures. Honestly I wouldn't be able to do it without him by my side. I mean how many other peoples boyfriends would be willing to run 20 miles with them on a Saturday morning. I always have really awesome runs up until mile 13. I always hit proverbial wall at mile 13 it seems that my legs don’t want to go any further that my body just crashes. I believe that fueling better will help me with this. What helps you fuel for a long run? How do you manage to not hit the wall.

I was also a little frustrated. I ran with both my watch and my iphone. My iPhone always dies around mile 13ish and I am stuck without anything to help me through the rest of my run. I looked at my watch distance and my iPhone distance side by side I noticed that they had different mile markers. I went onto google and mapped out a route and realized that my watch is a little bit off, so in all reality I ended up running more than 20 miles on Saturday. I likely ran close to 21, not that running more is bad it will be more helpful in the end but I could tell my body wasn’t starting to run low and I had to run further lol.

I feel I am more ready for this coming week. I feel like I know now what my body needs to perform and I am getting that and I will be better prepared for this upcoming week. I have altered my diet a little bit to add more whole grains to it but I haven’t taken anything out. I think at this point I need to keep getting the proper amount of food in me and keep my calories up.

Despite last week being a bad week for training I am ready to take on this week.

Happy Training. 

Slowing Down is Still Progress

I had a little bit of a struggle week. I only did 5 miles in tempo runs and then my 8 mile and 5 mile were pretty much non-existent.

I went out yesterday, the weather man said it was 20 degrees out but it felt more like 30. I set out to do a 5 mile run and 2.5 miles in I felt like death. My head was dizzy, my body was heavy and I felt like I was going to pass out. I managed to make it back to my office but felt 100% defeated.

I know it is my fault. I am not eating enough grains. I have a HUGE fear of carbs. I think I may always fear carbs. I need to start eating more whole grains on a daily basis instead of avoiding them.

Sometimes I find it hard when I have to slow down. I have never been one to slow down. Sometimes we need to listen to our body, listen to what it is saying and just slow down for a moment. It doesn’t mean you are quitting, it just means you are doing what is right for your body at that moment. Sometimes taking that moment to listen to your body will help you push even harder the next day.

Happy Training. 

Traveling to a Race - My 7 steps

The Nike Women's Marathon will not be my first out of State/Province/Country meet. When I swam in high school we had plenty of them.

There is 54 days until I cross the finish like at the marathon.

Here are 7 traveling tips I learned that I would like to share with you.

1. Don't Try Anything New

• The week of the race don't go to a new yoga class, a new pair of running shoes or even new running shorts. Use your old trusted stuff. You know how clothes feel on your body, you know the running shoes you have wore for the past few weeks fit your feet well and you can run in them. Also DO NOT eat any new food. You don't want to have an allergic reaction or find out it doesn't sit well with your body. As for new yoga classes stick with the tried and tested.This is no the time to try the new Bikram class you have been wanting to try and figure out it dehydrates you more than expected.

2. Sight see After Your Race

• You don't want to spend the day before the race walking around the new city. You are going to need your legs and feet to be well rested for you to cross that finish line. If you really want to see a new city do it afterwards. It is your best bet. At least than you can try that new fish you were dying to try before the race.

3. Bring Your Own Gels, Snacks and Breakfast

• One year I decided that I would get breakfast at the hotel before the meet. I actually missed making the finals because I had such an upset stomach from eating breakfast at the hotel. Not that the hotel had bad food or prepared it improperly but my body just wasn't used to it and with nerves already in overdrive it didn't sit well. I always bring my own breakfast because I know my body likes it and that is what it ate during training. Don't rely on the expo having your energy chews or gels. They might not. If you have spent 15 weeks training with something specific it's better to stick with that brand and save  the trail time for training. I always bring my own gels or chews. 

4. Pack

• Sounds obvious but one time I forgot to bring a bathing suit to a swim meet. I had to run out and get a new one. That wasn't fun. I always lay all my stuff out two days before I fly just to make sure I have what I need. Also check the weather report. Bring that rain coat even if it calls for sunny days. You can never truly predict the weather, the weatherman has trouble doing that. Always be prepared. 

5. Pack Your Carry On

• Airports love losing my luggage. I think they look at it and automaticly know it is mine. I was coming home from Halifax once and my luggage was in LA, how I don't know. I always pack my running shoes, shorts, capris, coat, long sleeve top, bra, socks, iPod, armband, headphones - in my carry on because if they lose my luggage I don't need to go out and buy all brand new stuff. Be on the safe side and have that stuff with you. 

6. Sleep Lots the Week Before

• I struggle sleeping in hotels. I am too hold, I am too cold; the pillow is to lumpy, the sheets are itchy. I sound like a princess but there is something about sleeping out of my own bed that makes me not get a goodnight sleep. I never count on being able to get a good nights rest before hand. I always get plenty of sleep the two weeks leading up to the meet. 

7. Beware of Germs

• I become a crazy germaphob. I carry around hand sanitizer with me and use it at all times. After someone coughs or after I touch a surface I know millions of other people have touched. This is not the time to come down with the flu or a cough. 

Happy Training. 

Insecurities...Toss them out

Society teaches us that insecurities make us human, that we all need to have insecurities.

Have you ever watched Mean Girls? Remember the part where they are standing in Regina’s bedroom. Gretchen, Karen and Regina are all comment on their body parts; their calves are too big, their hairline is weird, the nail beds suck and Caty is sitting there looking all confused as to what they are doing. The girls look at her like what is your problem you have insecurities too and the only thing she can think of is that she has bad breath in the morning. I believe that is a direct reflection on today’s society.

We as women are required to have insecurities. The other day some girl at work told me I have “toothpick legs” seriously, toothpick legs. I run all the time my legs have muscles they are not toothpicks. I think women want to bring other women down. It makes them feel better. I say rise above this.

What if we tossed our insecurities out the door and made them strengthens instead. I am insecure about my abdomen region but I am working on this. Not for other people but for myself. So I can feel even better about whom I am.

Each of us deserves to be proud of who we are. Take pride in your appearance, in your training, in yourself. Yes others want to ruin this pride but don’t let them because as humans we are always going to have haters but ignore them because they are not worth your time.

Also remember that the line between being proud and being cocky is a thin one. Be proud and humble not cocky.

Pay it forward, give someone a compliment today. I have a tendency to let my insecurities shine through but instead of feeling insecure I am trying to give someone else a compliment, a real genuine compliment.

Remember we all work hard, we all train hard be proud of  that.

I think if I toss my insecurities out the door on race day I am going to feel that much better about myself, I am going to take pride in my training and rock my marathon. Not because I am the best out there but because I am giving my best.

Happy Training. 

Find Your Inspiration

 “Hard days are the best because that’s when champions are made. If you push through the hard days, then you can get through anything” - Gabby Douglas US Olympic Gymnastic Gold medalist.

Sadly the 2012 Summer Olympics have come to an end, but not without lessons. Lessons of determination, lessons of perseverance and lessons of finding greatness.

I loved the Olympics this year, mainly because of the incredible Gabby Douglas. She stole the hearts of millions by doing what she does best being a superstar. 

One thing I learned from Gabby was that hard work pays off. There have been times when I am out on a run and my legs are burning, my stomach is burning and I want nothing more but to give up. Guess what, I still need to get home and what better way to do it than to run home. It is pushing through those days that we want to give up and give in that teach us what better days feel like.

Monday I took as a Nike Training Club day due to running 16.49 miles the day before for Nike Find Greatness Day. I did the Get Lean Advanced Pioneer workout. I purchased my own TRX straps and I have been using these to do Nike Training Club with also. I use them for planks and mountain climbers in hopes I can work my core a little more.

Tuesday I ran 7 miles in the morning but I was super frustrated because my iPhone was acting up and it only said I ran 4.25 miles and not 7 miles like I actually ran. When I realized that my Nike GPS wasn’t catching my run I wanted to give up and give in, but I decided to keep going and keep pushing through. What mattered was that I go the mileage in, not that it was clocked. I came to realize that I rely too much on technology and not enough on how my body feels. It wasn’t a different feeling going from clocking my run to measuring the distance out in my head. Lucky for me it was path I had taken plenty of times before so I knew when I would hit 7 miles.

Wednesday evening was a track workout day, but my track workout got off to a rocky start when I realized that the track I use was closed due to season repairs. This kind of through me off guard and I was a little bit on the irritated side. However, I talked to E and she gave me a great idea to mark the 800 meters in the trail and just run back and forth. Meho ran these with me to give me a little bit more of a push. I was super impressed with my 800 meter sprints. They were as followed:

• Lap 1: 3:13
• Lap 2: 3:10
• Lap3: 3:22
• Lap 4: 3:35

I did my 4X400 meters sprints in:

• Lap 1: 1:19
• Lap 2: 1:20
• Lap 3: 1:20
• Lap 4: 1:22

I was pleased with my sprints because I had improvement on my last sprint set and I had to dodge bikers, runners, walkers and children this time. I can’t wait for my track to open back up again though.

Thursday I went to an Ashtanga yoga class. It just felt so nice to stretch out my sore muscles that I have been abusing and not giving enough love. My body and spirit felt so much better after coming out of that class. Anyone who runs I recommend going to a yoga class because your body really needs that stretch it is so important for it.

Friday morning Jamie and I were on the running path at 6am and we did our 5 mile run. It ended up being 5.75 miles and we did it in 45:36 with a pace of 7’56”/mile. I felt so good the whole time. It was funny because I felt like I was running slow but I could tell that Jamie was having a bit of a hard time. I asked her at one point if she wanted to stop and she said no but that her legs were very sore. I really wanted to run faster but I didn’t want to leave her behind on the trail that early in the morning. When I got back and looked at my mile splits I wasn’t running as slow as I thought I was. After work on Friday I went to get a fascia massage. For those of you who don't know the fascia is the bag that holds your muscles. Oh my gosh was I ever in pain during this massage. My therapist told me that my muscles are dense and he had to use his elbows to get in there and really work out the muscle tissue. There were times that I was screaming out in pain and crying. I knew that I had did this to my body. That night I was coming down the stairs of my building and my calves were so tight I almost fell down the stairs. Meho ran out grabbed me a bag of ice and I had to take an ice bath. I have not done one of these since high school. Sitting in the icy cold water was so hard. I was shaking from the cold but could really feel the ice working my muscles. 

Saturday morning I had a struggle to get out of bed at by the time I hit the running trail it was already 8am and the weather was nearing the 30 degree mark. Meho didn’t want me to run on my own as it was already so hot so he ran beside me. We got about 2.4 miles in and I was feeling sick already I looked at him and said “I can’t do this right now, my body does not like this heat”. We were standing in the middle of the trail with the sun blaring down on both of us so we decided that it would be better to wait until later on that evening. Later on that evening came and it was 31 degrees out and I still didn’t feel safe about running outside. Meho and I decided to try in the morning. 4:30 came around and I was in the bathroom getting sick. I told him I just needed to sleep a little more. I had a lot of sun on Saturday and I don’t think that was the greatest idea. Sunday afternoon we headed to the gym and I was to run my 17 miles on the treadmill. Not feeling the greatest I was planning on spending about 3 hours treadmill running. I was not happy about this. Much to my surprise it ended up being 2:16:42 spent on the treadmill with a pace of 8’02”/mile. I ran a hilly course so it wasn't so boring and to help me practice on hills. I was so happy about my pace and time and wanted to jump for joy especially since I was off the treadmill. The words of Gabby Douglas came back to my head “If you push through the hard days, then you can get through anything” it’s so true. Thank you for your inspiration Gabby, my Sisters in Nike, Nike Women and Marie you have all helped me get to my 17 mile goal this weekend. 

Finally Learning to Love My Body

I haven't always loved my body. I have suffered from body dysmorphia.

There would be days when I looked into the mirror and I would see huge calves, massive thighs and jumbo arms. I would often make the comment to my family that I had "Tree Trunk Legs". This was only a few months ago.

When I first decided to run the Nike Women's Marathon I was a little worried. My boyfriend asked me the question "Do you feel that you can put your body through this" I have a very supportive boyfriend and he only wants what is best for me. I can be very competitive and this aspect of my life can control me, it can literally throw me back into a rabbit hole of eating disorder and body dysmorphia.

I decided that training for this marathon was something I needed to do. It has been a goal of mine this year to run a marathon and this is my opportunity.

Training for the Nike Women's Marathon has helped me to love my body. That is something I have been waiting 14 years to say. I love what my body can do. When I look back and think about my "sample size body" I realize that it could not run 10km let alone 16.49 miles, like I completed last weekend. It could not do 2 push-ups now I can do TRX push-ups, push-up with feet on a medicine ball and push-ups with a medicine ball.

Training for this marathon has been the best thing I could have ever done for me. It has been therapeutic in a way I didn't know running could be.

I once read "Sometimes I run because I am hurt and other times I hurt because I run". Running has been a body out for me. Times when I feel like not eating I remember that if I don't properly fuel my body I won't get through my mileage and what is more important to me, not eating that yummy quinoa with chicken breast or getting through my mileage. Mileage always comes out on top.

I feel like for the first time in my entire life I am finally beating this. I feel I am gaining control of my own life and it feels amazing. My eating disorder no longer controls me.

Training for and running a marathon isn't for everyone. I know that. I am not telling you all to go out there and train for one. If you do suffer from body dysmorphia or an eating disorder find help and than find an out. Your out might be sewing, knitting, painting, drawing. Whatever it is I am sure it will bring you happiness and joy just like running has brought to me.

I am excited to see how strong my body will become in the next two months, I am excited to start loving my body more and more. 

Thank you Marie Purvis and Nike Women for helping me realize my true potential and helping me realize that this is something I can control rather than have the eating disorder control me.

Happy Training.

With Hard work You will Find Your Greatness

I have never been the super talented one. You know the girl who is beyond pretty, has the amazing grades and is really athletic. If you watch Pretty Little Liars I think the character of Spencer Hastings best defines this type of girl. This was not and is still not me.

When I was in school I studied my butt off to do well, most nights I had to say no to hanging out with friends so I could get homework done, math was my down fall and often had to spend extra time studying that or I would have failed at it.

When I swam I put in more hours at the pool than my other team members. I had to spend extra time in the weight room so I could keep up with my teammates.

I remember one day after practice I was getting really discouraged. Everyone was leaving to go to a movie, or out for a bite to eat yet I had to stay behind yet again to practice flip turns. That night my coach said something that has stuck with me ever since “Hard work beats talent when talent refuses to work hard”.

Some days I feel like I have to work really hard to get through a workout, like my body is yelling for me to stop. That is when my heart kicks in and takes over. It is on these days I remember what Adam told me and I remind myself that if I put in the training and if I work hard my training will pay off on October 14, 2012.

What words of wisdom do you live by? What keeps you going when you feel like you want to give up?

The week of August 6 to 12, 2012 started off on an amazing note.

Monday was a holiday and I woke up at 7:00am and it was HOT, so I opted for a treadmill run to play it safe. I was so happy with myself because I ran it in 53:25 with a pace of 7’38”/mile. It felt awesome! I said to Meho, I wish I was running a 7 miler. What really made me happy about this 7 miles was I ran it faster than I ran my 10km back in May. It was a happy moment for me.

Tuesday, as usual brought me a weight workout in the form of Nike Training Club. I am seeing improvement with my muscles. I had my body fat and weight measured again. I have actually gone up in weight but I have decreased in body fat and increased in muscle mass. I have actually had to try to change the way my mind thinks because I see the number on the scale go up and it raises panic in me because my body all of a sudden thinks it is getting fat when in all reality I would rather be 148 pounds and 22% body fat than 130 pounds and 30% body fat. I think Western Culture needs to stop relaying on the scale so much to define beauty. In all reality a number on a scale should not define my self worth. I am really trying to transition from a scale to measuring tape. My body measurement may change even if  the scale doesn't.

The whole week I was really nervous for Wednesday to come. It was the hill runs. I was worried that I was not going to be strong enough or that my legs were going to say no. The hill we chose to run is a pretty steep hill. It has a set of stairs on it also because most people don’t opt to run the hill. We jogged out to the hill found a starting point and began our hill runs. Much to my surprise I did awesome with them. The first one was really hard because I was a little scared to sprint up the hill but after that it was great. The Nike GPS watch really helped me track each lap because it has a manual lap mode incorporated into it. My laps looked like this:

·               Lap 1: 3:11

·         Lap 2: 3:05

·         Lap 3: 3:16

·         Lap 4: 3:40

·         Lap 5: 3:33

·         Lap 6: 2.96

Much to my surprise my last lap was my fastest, but maybe because I was excited to get them done. I am really excited to do hill repeats again and can’t wait to improve on my time.

I did my 5 mile easy on Friday and yoga on Thursday because Nike had Find Greatness day on Sunday and I didn’t want to miss out on that but didn’t want to big of a gap between runs. My 5 mile on Friday was the best 5 mile I have ever run. Not in regards to time but in regards to how my body felt. I felt strong and fast. I ran 5.33 miles in 44:03 with 8’16”/mile. I was happy with this time and pleased that I dragged myself out of bed at 5am to do it. I am getting fast enough that I can grab an extra 15 minutes of sleep on 5 mile run days. Yay more sleep.

Saturday was a rest day and I took full advantage of it I slept in until 8:30 am. Meho and I went to see the new Bourne movie, not my favorite I felt it lacked a story line and after we went and bought our own TRX straps, I am really excited to be able to do TRX on my own and incorporate them into my Nike Training Club workouts. Planking on the TRX is hard. I am hoping this will help me get the abs I want.

Sunday morning I woke up at 6:30 am and it was painful getting up, it literally took me a full hour to find motivation to get out of bed. I didn’t actually get to the trail until 9:00am luckily it wasn’t calling for a hot day. Only a high of 21. My first 8.5 miles were amazing. I was feeling so strong, my legs were a little tired but nothing I have ever run through before. Around the 9 mile mark I realized that I was starting to run low on water but I had mapped out a path that had a water fountain and bathroom where I could stop. I was running with both my Nike GPS watch and my iPhone Nike GPS and went into the bathroom and forgot to pause the watch. It took me about 10 minutes to find a bathroom and fill up my camelback. I was doing really well until I hit the 13 mile mark. At the 13 mile mark I was at a time of 1:57:55 and a pace of 8’21”/mile but my iPhone was only at 4% battery. I began to panic because how was I going to record my run and then it dawned of me. I was also running with my watch. Nike Women thank you for sending me the GPS watch, without it I would not have been able to record my 16 mile run. At the 13 mile mark everything ended up going downhill for me because I had two up hills to run and both of them were pretty nasty. The first hill is a crazy half mile hill that is really steep, I started to run up it but felt super weak and sick feeling so decided that I would just walk it. At the top I began to run again until I hit the next hill, this is a gradual 2 mile hill and normally I can tackle it like a champ but yesterday it took everything I had left and I had to end up walking this one too. I was so disappointed in myself. I was doing so well at my 13 mile mark and ended up finishing the 16.49 miles in 2:47:22 10’09”/mile pace. I was so upset because it was the last 3 miles that really killed me. Meho and I have decided to change up our route. We are going to start by the hills and run them first instead of running them last. I think this will help me. Out a bit instead of having to face them right at the very end of my run. I was proud of myself for completing my mileage it was hard but everything I have been training for has lead me up to here.

Despite not having the greatest last 3 miles of my 16 mile run I was able to collect a lot of fuel for Find Greatness Day. I ended the day with 12,070 Nike Fuel, my biggest fuel count to date and a lot of that fuel was thanks to my 16 mile run. Thank you Nike and Sisters In Nike for giving me motivation to get out there and achieve my goals. 

I hope you have a great week.

Happy Training.  

Determine to Succeed

We are now 65 days away from the Nike Women's Marathon and my training has been going fantastic.

It's been a roller coaster ride. I have had ups and downs. I have had runs I have hated and runs I have loved. I think most people go through that in anything they do. When I look back on the week I am always happy I did what I did and I am impressed with myself for pushing through.

One area I have been faltering is in my diet. Coming from years of having an eating disorder I struggle to eat enough food. Some days I feel super weak and tired after my day is through and some days I feel awesome.

To correct this I have started eating protein shakes with fruit, Greek yogurt and protein powder. I love them. I have them with breakfast and they make me feel great, without feeling totally weight down. These have really helped me get more calories into my body.

I have been bad lately. Like really bad. Two weeks ago I sat down and ate a small Hawaiian pizza all by myself and I was still hungry afterwards. This week I ate KFC twice, like the chicken, the chicken wings and popcorn chicken. 

I have made a pledge to get control of my eating. 

I have spent much of these past 13 days watching the Olympics and I remember when I had an Olympic dream. I made a lot of sacrifices. I would go months at a time without eating sugar, refined carbs, red meat. I ask myself why can't I do it now. I have pledged to train like an Olympian again. Really in all reality your body doesn't need those things. Your body can live without sugar, refined carbs and red meat. We have just become so accustomed to having it that our bodies think we need it.

I am going to eat clean, get proper sleep, hydrate like it's nobody's business (even if that means going to the bathroom every 30 minutes or so). This is my time to shine and why shouldn't I prepare for this Marathon like I would prepare for a swim meet. It might not bring me Olympic glory but it sure will bring me Tiara glory. I am determined to succeed. I am determined to do well. I am determined to make this my best race ever.

Happy Training   

Find Greatness by Breaking Down the Walls You Built Yourself

“You are confined only by the walls you build yourself”

How many times in school did I think to myself “she looks like a cool girl, we should be friends” but I would never talk to her because I build a wall of self doubt.

How many times have I thought to myself “I would love to try knitting” but I never do it because I am afraid of failure, so I build of the fear of failure wall.

Last October I turned 26 and I looked at Meho and said “I want to run a marathon this year”. The great thing about my boyfriend is he is super supportive and encouraging. Every so often he would re-visit the topic and ask me about training for a marathon again. I would never really execute the plan. I was building up the wall of not planning.

In May Nike Women contact me about running the Nike Women’s Marathon. Imagine my surprise when I found out that the run date was exactly 1 week before my 27^th birthday. Nike Women helped me tear down the wall of not planning.

I believe that if we can break down the walls that we ourselves build we would be much happier and more successful.

I recently read Leah Kim’s book “From Office Hell to Yoga Heaven” Leah broke down the walls of her hell by becoming a Yoga instructor. This is so inspirational to me because I have a wall of “fear of leaving my great job”. I would love to become a personal trainer and help other people incorporate fitness into their daily lives but I have a wall built up and reading Leah’s book it has given me the inspiration to start making those steps so I can follow my dreams and break down that wall.

Try it, try breaking down a wall you have built. Maybe it is self doubt, failure, not planning. Whatever it is break it down and see how much your self confidence sores.

Happy Training. 

Best Nike Fuel Day Yet

Last week on Saturday I hit my best day for Nike Fuel EVER. I had a 9,070 day! Yep that is right I killed it. I was aiming for 10,000 but missed my target by less than 1,000 fuel. I was a little disappointed but I was still impressed with how much fuel I managed to gain.

This was the first time I saw a rainbow come up on my fuel band and I was so excited!!! Beyond excited really. I had pushed really hard on Saturday to reach my goal and was proud of my accomplishment.

This Sunday brings a new distance, a 15 mile distance. I have never run 15 miles before outside, to be honest with you I am terrified. I am scared to run out of water, scared my legs won’t make it. I keep reminding myself that I have an amazing trainer, who developed a wonderful training plan for me and it eases my worries. I need to have faith in my training plan because Marie knows what she is doing.

Nike is doing a Find Greatness day on Sunday. They are aiming to reach the highest fuel day ever yet. I have switched my long run from Saturday to Sunday so I can partake in Find Greatness. I am aiming to get over the 10,000 fuel goal, but have my sites set of 15,000 fuel for the day. I hope you are also going to participate and Find Greatness.

July is Behind Us

Monday was a 7 mile easy run, sadly it ended up being run on the treadmill due to the heat. I dread running on the treadmill, but when the weather is hitting 30 degrees the treadmill is the only option. To help me make my run more challenging and less boring I always set the treadmill for hills. I was aiming for a 7 mile run in 57 minutes. I ended up doing a 7 mile run in 54:42 with a pace of 7’42”/mile. I was so pleased with this run. However, treadmill runs for me always seem to go a little faster than outdoor runs.

Tuesday was TRX and this marked my last TRX class until after my marathon. I really do enjoy TRX but I also love sleep. I had to make a choice. I sat down and look at my schedule really closely. If I stuck with TRX through marathon training I would only get one sleep in day a week. That would be Sunday. If I cut out TRX and focused on Nike Training Club I could sleep until 6:30 on Tuesday and Thursday. I call sleeping until 6:30 sleeping in now that is crazy. I choose to focus on Nike Training Club instead of doing both TRX and Nike Training Club. I am confident with my decision and I believe this will help me train better because I am not stretching myself so thin.

Wednesday marked the first day of August also 74 days from race day. I got a little bit panicky on Wednesday. I had my first track workout and still had no idea what track I was going to use and I was freaking out because I am not a sprinter. I am a distance runner. Even when I swam to do sprints it killed me but I sucked it up. I talked to a few co-workers and found a really great track to run on. Much to my surprise I LOVED the sprints. They were exactly what I needed. They were not as fast as I wanted them to be but I was still very pleased with them. When I was getting ready for bed that night I noticed that I had a hard time setting my toe down on the bed. I didn’t think much of it and went to sleep.

Nike recently released the Find Greatness campaign. One way I find greatness is by conquering my fears. I used to hate doing this. I preferred to stick to what I was good at like many people. I feel like I broke through a mental wall on Wednesday by doing a track workout. I was impressed with myself and what I have accomplished through this training. 

Nike Women and Marie Purvis (Nike Get Fit) have really helped me come along way.

Thursday was Nike Training Club it was Get Lean Advanced Adrenaline Hit I am always down for a good Nike Training Club. My body felt so much better that I wasn’t forcing a working in the morning and one at lunch. I was starting to find I was fatigued all the time. I was starting to feel sick and lacking energy. It was affecting not only my training but my personal life. Believe me it is not fun when you come home and all you want to do is sleep. All you think about is sleep. I think cutting out that extra workout was beneficial to me.  I was still struggling with my big toe during my workout, it hurt so much with every movement and wasn’t really sure what was going on. I got home from work and removed the nail polish on it, to find that I had a blood blister under my toe!! I contact my boyfriend’s mom, she is a nurse and I knew she would know what to do. She told me if I wanted to continue to run on it I needed to get rid of the pressure. I had Mike heat up a needle and he put a hole in my toe. Amazingly, it didn’t hurt! I felt so much better afterwards. I am likely going to lose my toe nail but I guess we have to lose something along the way in our training.

Friday was a 5 mile run. This run was in the rain. I woke up and looked outside and it was pouring rain. I debated just running on the treadmill. I told myself NO. You have no idea what the conditions in San Fran are going to be like. What are you going to do pull out because it is raining? No you are going to run! You are going to put on your running shoes, put on your Nike Vapor coat and run. 

I think Calgary is the only city in the world that can go from 30 the day before to 9 degrees the next day. It was so cold and wet I wanted to call it quits, however, I was 3 miles out and had to get home, what better way but to run back. The run felt great and I did it in 44:01 with a pace of 8’08”/mile. I was shocked that I made myself take the run outside in the cold rain. I was happy that I did it after.

Saturday morning I found myself in the unfamiliar place of Edmonton, Alberta. The night before my boyfriend and I were on an evening stroll and I said I would like to get away. We drove to Edmonton Friday night and arrived at our hotel around 12:30 in the morning. Saturday morning I woke up and was unprepared for my run. I didn’t bring enough food so I ate an orange in my bag and had some dry cereal Mike had packed. I had no protein and knew this was not going to be a good run. It was 7:30 am and the temp was already getting close to 19 degrees. I have never lived in Edmonton and I have only visited a few short times. I decided to head to the river and stick as close to it as possible. 4 miles in my run was going amazing, but then I got lost. I somehow ended up on this gravel road trail with no idea how to get back to the road and I was quickly running out of water. Every time I stopped to get my baring I would get attacked my mosquitoes so I decided it would just be better if I kept running. I finally found these police officers on bikes and they rode ahead of me until I was back at the trail I was looking for. By this time my mouth was so dry and I was no longer sweating. I was getting dizzy and I knew I had no other choice but to find water. I stopped a lady who was rollerblading along the trail I was running on and asked her if she knew where a fountain was; however, my words were not coming out right as my mouth was so dry. She took my camelback and brought me back water. About a mile from where I was there was a water fountain and I was so happy to have water again. I waited another few minutes to let the water settle and continued back. The run back was a lot harder due to dehydration so I took it a little slower than normal. I had never felt so happy to be done a race. When I was finally finished I realized how important hydration is to having successful runs. I did manage to do the half marathon distance in 1:58:52, slower than I would have liked but I will do better on Sunday when I do 15 miles. 

Happy Training.