Day 21 - 30 Day Run Challenge: If you couldn’t run for the rest of your life, what other exercise would you start doing in its place?

 If you couldn’t run for the rest of your life, what other exercise would you start doing in its place?

I don’t even want to think about this. It makes me sad.

There have been times when I couldn't run for a week or two and I did elliptical and I wasn't very happy at all. I dreaded it actually. It seems so boring and monotonous I mean to some people running isn't the most thrilling thing either but at least I can run outside and do different types of running I can't elliptical outside lol.

If I couldn’t run I am not entirely sure what I would do. I want to say pick up swimming but this isn't a 100% viable option for me due to the fact that I have an injury in both of my shoulders.

I guess I would find something I love being active and when I was a swimmer I never thought I would be a runner, so maybe I would take up cycling if this happened. Let’s hope it never does happen because I am pretty sure I would slip into some kind of running withdrawal. 

Day 20 - 30 Day Challenge

Define your relationship with running.

My relationship with running these days is AMAZING!! I love it and live for running; however it has taken me years to get to this point.

Running is my best friend, my therapist and my ass kicker. When I have had bad day or need to vent I love lacing up my shoes and hitting the pavement. Running gives me clarity that I can’t find anywhere else.

If I have a tough decision to make I hit the pavement and think it through. I used to make pro/con list and they always helped me make decision but I can get very anxious in my decision making so being able to hit the pavement and run helps with my anxiety. I call it sweating out the anxiety. 

Running has helped me develop confidence in myself that I thought I lost with my eating disorder. Each time I come back from a run I gain the part of me back that I thought was lost forever. There are times when I feel like I am losing control of my life again and like the world is spinning out of control all I have to do is reach for my running shoes and I gain control again.

Running is my drug, my lifesaver. 

Day 19 - 30 Day Challenge

What advice would you give to someone looking into running?

When I first wanted to get into running I talked to a few friends and they each had the same advice for me “Stick with It”.

I was 250 pounds when I started running and believe me being 250 pounds I wanted to be doing anything but running. I looked horrid in running clothes and some people would make fun of me when I said I started running but you know what I quickly realized these people were not my friends and my friends were the supportive ones. Having a good support system when adventuring out on a new endeavor is crucial, it will be those people who you can call up when you are having a bad day or when you need a push or when you need a buddy to run with.

There are going to be days you are going to want to quit. Even now, I have days when I want to give up on running but really I don’t it is just the weakness creeping in. You will find the love for running and you will have days you hate running. In the words of the amazing Gabby Douglas “Hard days are the best because that is when champions are made. If you can push through the hard days you can push through anything.” Even now as I train for my second marathon I have hard days when I really just want to stay in bed but it is getting out of bed and forcing myself to train that put a smile on my face. You never really know good training days if you have never experienced bad training days.

Stick with it and you will begin to love it, I promise.

Listen to your body is the second word of advice I could give to someone looking into running. Listening to your body is so important. It is how you stay injury free and running long term. I didn’t always listen to my body sometimes I thought I knew best, but guess what your body isn’t going to lead you astray. You learn through the weeks/months/years when your body is telling you that it is pain and when it is telling you that it is just tired. If you listen to your body and treat it right, your body will be happy and you will run for years to come.

Remember you take your car into the shop for constant tune up’s and maintenance you should do the same with your body. You only have one.

I love acupuncture and massage to keep my legs in top shape and get me through run after run. Also change out you shoes often, my rule of thumb is never run on the same pair of shoes two days in a row. The cushioning needs 24/hrs to be effective, I like to  purchase two pairs of shoes and rotate through them. You will get more mileage on your shoes that way and your legs will be happier.

What advice do you have for new/old runners?

Day 18 - 30 Day Challenge

Have you ever followed any sort of training plan? Which ones and how did you like them?

I personally think if you are preparing for a marathon or a half marathon you should follow a training plan especially if it is your first one.

My first marathon I used a plan designed by Marie Purvis. It was amazing!! It incorporated NTC, running and yoga and yes also rest days. I believe that all three aspects plus rest days are very crucial in training for a marathon.

Nike Training Club helps me stay strong. My biggest fear is going from being fat to being skinny fat. Incorporating weight training into your plan really helps your body not get skinny fat and helps you build muscle. I love Nike Training Club and used it long before I started training for a marathon. It incorporates a full body workout using all of your muscles. I really enjoy using it because it has various workouts in various time increments of 15 minutes, 30 minutes and 45 minutes. It allows me to turn on my music and not have to think about what I am going to do next because it calls it out to me. It also has directional video if you are not sure about how to do an exercise. You really should try NTC if you haven’t already.

Yoga is so important for a runner and I didn't realize the importance until I started doing it on a regular basis. I love Bikram yoga mainly because it is 90 minute of pure stretching in different poses. I am not going to lie Bikram is tough especially if you don’t like heat or repetition but the workout is amazing. You are in a 32 degree C room and you do the same 26 poses each class. For me I enjoy repetition because I can see improvement or know where I need to work on. Any type of yoga is great for a runner because it allows you to get deep into stretch and hold your pose. I recommend yoga for any runner or for people in their daily life. If you can't get to a class or if you can't afford one youtube has lots of yoga video's and if you downloaded the NTC app you can also get Leah Kim's yoga workouts. I have incorporated some of Leah's workouts into my own training and they are amazing!! Another reason to get the NTC app so you can workout with Leah.

Running – when training for a marathon running is important. Different type of running is also important not just running. For me my focus is Boston so I need to focus on speed – tempo runs and track workouts. I also need to focus on distance because 26.2 miles is 26.2 miles you can’t shorten the distance.

I am currently using a plan that is speed and distance focused. That incorporates NTC, yoga and Kinect into it. I added the Kinect workouts. I have also given myself rest days and swim days. 

I am a swimmer by nature and want to desperately get back into the pool. I have added a few swim days into my schedule to mix it up and help with my on land breathing while running.

Rest days, they don't seem important but believe me they are. Your body needs the break it needs the time to just rest and not be pushed. I believe in active rest days but when my mileage gets high I sometimes like renting a good movie or finding a good TV series on Netflix the day after a long run and doing NOTHING!! Your body will reward you for the rest

What do you add into your training to help you push the limit?

Day 16 & 17 - 30 Day Challenge

How many miles a week are you usually running and what’s your normal pace? How would you like to improve this?

Right now I am currently averaging around 34.25 miles a week and running at a pace of around 6’45”/mile. It is funny most people would think that is great, but I was talking to Mike this weekend and he was saying I have a great pace and I was like no I have an ok pace but not a great pace. He said what are you talking about Tiara that is awesome the average person would love to run at your pace and I said to him, Meho I don't compare myself to the average person I compare myself to the Kara Gouchers and Shalane Flanagan  he was like Tiara they are elite. I was always taught to shoot for the moon because at least if I failed I would still land among the stars. 

I would like to get my weekly average up around 50 miles and I would like to run an average of 6’00”/mile.

That is really fast and I don’t know if it is going to happen, but a girl can dream.

I am also starting marathon training next week so my distance will drop for a short amount of time than it will jump back up. I am hoping that my pace stays around the same. If it starts dropping I am going to be really sad. I just don’t know if I am going to be able to maintain that pace for the entire marathon.

 What are your PRs? Time, distance?

·         5K- 0:28:38

·         5 miles- 0:33:13

·         10k- 0:41:16

·         13.1 (half marathon)- I actually haven’t ran a half marathon race to know.

·         Marathon- 4:35 – I am breaking 3:30 this year to get into Boston.

Out of theses distances I have actually only ever raced a 10km and a marathon race but this year I will add a half marathon to that.

What Type of Fuel User Are You?

I started using the NikeFuel band on June 1, 2012. I have been a daily user since.

From the moment I put the NikeFuel band on I was hooked. Seriously, I loved the fact that I could look at my wrist at any moment and I knew if I needed to push harder to gain fuel.

This last week Sam, Julie and I challenged each other to gain 5,000 NikeFuel for the entire week. Today is Friday and I have done just did, gained 5,000 fuel each day this week. I still have the weekend to go, but I think I will be able to do it, even if it means running high knees in my kitchen.

I am not going to lie some days were harder than others to reach my fuel goal. I had days where I ran twice in a day and hit my goal by 1pm and other days just before bed I was running knee highs in my kitchen to make my goal.

I realized something this week; there are two types of fuel users.

There is the complacent user. The user that sets their goal low enough that they know they will reach it every day. This goal is different for each person. I always had my goal set at 3,000 NikeFuel and I knew I could always reach this goal all it took was a lunch time run and some doing stairs in the office and I would hit it by the latest 2pm.

Then there is the user that I am striving to be more like. The go-getter user as I like to call it. This is the user that sets their goal to a number that pushes them to push their limits. This week I set my goal to 5,000 NikeFuel. 5,000 was not an easy goal for me. Like I said early I spent one evening doing knee highs in my kitchen until 5,000 was hit but it did make me push myself to reach my goal that day. Was I proud I reached my goal of course and I was even more proud because I had to push myself to hit it.

I was always the fuel user that liked to see that I iced my goal, or that I torched my goal. Torching and icing are nice but I have realized that torching and icing are supposed to be a reward for pushing beyond your limits and for me personally pushing beyond my limits involves me setting my fuel goal higher than 3,000. I looked at my NikeFuel stats and I have soaked my goal 71 times, Iced my goal 33 times Torched my goal 11 times.

I looked at my daily average on my fuel app. I average around 4,900 fuel daily. I have decided that from here on out my fuel goal will be 4,500 so that I am pushing myself to reach my goal each and every day because 2013 is the year we make it count. If I can hit my daily fuel goal of 4,500 and make it count I will obtain 1,530,000 fuel by years end.

Day 15 - 30 Day Challenge

16.Do you carry water or powerfood with you while running? If so, how and what kind? 

Yes I always carry water on my runs unless it is a 4mile run outside than for that half hour I can go without water. Anything over a half hour outside I always carry water and anything over an hour outside and I will carry shot blocks.

I carry water in my camelback. I prefer camelbacks to waist bottles due to the fact that I don’t have much hips and they tend to bounce around and I lose the bottles when I try putting them back. With a camelback the straw for my water is right there so I don’t need to slow down to drink water. The only downfall to my camelback is the fact that it chafes me really bad. On the Nike Women’s Marathon course it cut into me so bad I had to stop at an aid station and get them to fix it up and it still scared pretty bad, but I call it my battle wound.

When I finish a run of any length I like to rehydrate with Nuun hydration. It is really important to restore your electrolytes and Nuun comes in many different flavors so there is something for everyone.

When I am running for over an hour outside I bring shot blocks along with me. The reason I prefer shot blocks to other things is because they are small and easy to eat and they fit nicely into my pockets. I tried sharkies before and they didn’t give me enough energy to make it through a long run. I tried goo once and it was really gross. I’ve also tried making my own protein chews but they just melt and get really sticky, for now I will stick to shot blocks. They are easy to take and don’t cause me digestion problems.

What do you take on long runs? This is training time so I can like to experiment with a few different types of energy chews in my first month of training.

My Marathon Bucket List

Napa Valley Marathon in Calistoga, Calif.

The Napa Valley Marathon has fewer runners than most races—organizers accept only 2,300 racers annually—I better get my registration in right away for this one. The route runs along the Silverado Trail on the east side of the valley, and winds south from Calistoga down to Napa. It is a stunning view, with views of the valley, fruit trees and dormant vineyards flanked with gold-colored mustard flowers. Except for the last stretch into Napa, this is a rural race—just you, the road and wine country. For a girl who loves her wine it would be a perfect buck list race for me.

Paris Marathon in Paris, France

Paris is one of my favorite cities in the world. Some say there’s no better way to see the City of Light than by entering the Paris Marathon—much of the course runs beside the banks of the Seine and past some of the city’s greatest sites the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame Cathedral, Place de la Bastille - can you imagine running by this famous landmarks!! Between 35,000 and 40,000 racers start on Champs-Élysées and run a winding loop through the city finishing near the Arc de Triomphe. Proving this marathon is quintessentially French, organizers hand out red wine and cheese to runners at the Eiffel Tower, yummy! Not that I would partake it might hinder me. Or maybe I would for the experience of the race.

Boston Marathon in Boston, Mass.

As the oldest and most prestigious race in North America, running in the Boston Marathon is a dream of mine. Racers must qualify with a time from another marathon run in the past year and a half in order to participate, I will be running the Calgary Marathon to qualify. The Patriot’s Day event starts outside of the city in rural Hopkinton and winds through several New England towns until it ends on Boylston Street in the center of the Boston. When I qualify this year I must remember to prepare properly for Heartbreak Hill between miles 20 and 21 because hills tend to kill me and with this being on the last few miles I don't want to not be able to finish because of a hill.

Virgin London Marathon in London, England

The race route passes the most iconic landmarks of England—Big Ben, the Tower of London, the London Eye—and runs along the Thames River and across the Tower Bridge at mile 12. Around 30,000 people run in the London Marathon each year, making it one of the largest in the world. Competitors start at Greenwich Park and zigzag through the city until they cross the finish line at Buckingham Palace, I will wave at the Queen when I am done.

The Great Wall Marathon in Tianjin, China

Visiting the Great Wall of China is on my bucket list  I hear that one should expect the race to take about 50 percent longer to complete than an average marathon due to extreme ascents and descents. The route starts near the village of Huangyaguan, a couple hours northeast of Beijing, and heads straight to the Wall. While going up and down the steps of the centuries-old structure, you can expect stunning 360-degree views of China’s countryside. The course then heads through scenic villages and rice fields before looping back to the Wall again for the final portion of the race.

The Big Five Marathon in Limpopo Province, South Africa

This race is like a marathon and a safari in one and that is what attracts me to it. It’s also one of the toughest, as the entire course ambles through the hills and valleys of Entabeni Game Reserve in the Waterberg district of South Africa, lots of hill training to prepare for this one. The reserve is a privately owned wonderland of wildlife and varied landscape. You’ll be rewarded with up-close views of antelope, giraffes and zebras—one leg of the race even takes runners through lion territory and it will probably be my fastest leg haha.

Athens Classic Marathon in Athens, Greece

I want to run the race where it all started. The marathon begins on an ancient battlefield in the town of Marathon. This course beings Aegean Sea and climbs up towards Athens, about 360 feet above sea level. But running a legendary route that’s more than 2,500 years old would be incredible, especially when you reach the finish line at Panathinaiko Stadium where the first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896, how cool would that be to enter the stadium that people long ago held the first modern Olympics!!

Honolulu Marathon

I j’adore Hawaii it is a beautiful place, the scenery can distract any runner. The course—an ultra-scenic route through Waikiki Beach, Diamond Head and Hawaii Kai—ends at Kapiolani Park, where runners can hobble across the street and jump right in the ocean, and I will be doing just that when I finish. Though the course is gorgeous, the course is also challenging in spots: Diamond Head Road between miles seven and eight rises roughly 120 feet above sea level, rising again a mile from the finish, and crosswinds are known to be a factor. There is no cap on the number of runners and the finish line is kept open until 8:30 P.M., more than 15 hours after the starting gun fires so I can totally make it in 15 hours with the odd dip in the ocean.

NG New York City Marathon

What began in 1970 with 55 out of 127 pioneering runners completing 26.2 miles worth of loops in Central Park has exploded into one of the most revered marathons in the world. Entry is based on a lottery. The course starts on Staten Island and winds its way through all five boroughs, crosses five bridges and ends in Manhattan’s legendary Central Park. Roughly two million spectators line the way cheering madly, and the energy is infectious. It’s a fascinating tour of New York and, like most things done in this town, makes a distinctive statement. What I would give to run in one of the most fashionable cities in the world. I would have to look good running it too, wouldn't want Marc Jacobs or Joe Zee seeing me in nothing but the best running clothes.

Walt Disney Marathon

I love Disney! I always have since I was a little girl. I would love to run the Walt Disney Marathon. I mean seriously it is the happiest place on earth, how could it not be the happiest marathon around. With lots to distract you as you look at Disney as you run by. The Disney Marathon is on the top of my list of marathons to run. Your get to run by the Disney castle and Epcot center.  I would probably dress as a princess and run it.

Day 14 - 30 Day Challenge

What was your favorite race you've run?

My favorite race to run is most defiantly the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco, I don’t think any race will be able to compare to this race especially the memories I made on this race. It was also my first marathon and our first anything always sticks with us the most.

The Nike Women’s Marathon was my very first marathon and I ran it as a Nike Women’s Ambassador along with Karen, Elizabeth, Nerissa and Renisha. My Sisters In Nike!!

Nike Women hosted us in San Fran and we stayed at an amazing hotel in the heart of downtown, Sir Francis Drake.

If you ever plan on running the Nike Women’s Marathon make sure you stay downtown close to the expo and NikeTown. The expo is amazing. Saturday morning Karen and I woke up and got to the expo for the opening, it fills up rather fast. We sampled Nuun hydration tabs and I found my favorite one, the iced tea. I have a love of coffee and having this one really helps me push my runs, maybe it is the tiny but of caffeine in it. We also stood in line to get makeovers from Neutrogena and get our hair done by Paul Mitchell but we were running out of time so this didn't happen, even though it would have been pretty cool. The expo for Nike Women’s Marathon is amazing!!

The Nike Women’s Marathon course is a rather hilly to run, if you plan on running it make sure you have hill training done, they are totally do-able but it is far off from being a flat course. 

One of my favorite parts was running through this community after coming up the big hill. I didn't have any friends on course cheering me on and there is so many people outside their houses cheering you on, it was really cool to have encouragement. I also had this habit of queen waving at random people, it made me feel like I had people on course cheering for me haha. 

I remember this one kid was dressed up as Spider-man and he was handing out candy to the runners going by, I thought it was super cute. It was also nice to get something sweet in you along the course he was located around mile 14ish and it was a great pick me up.

There were also awesome signs on course, one of my favorites was "You are NOT almost there" at mile 1. I laughed however if he had that at mile 22 I would have been sad. I also saw one that said "I bought you a car, you can stop running now" I love the encouragement you get on a marathon route, it is nothing like a 10k run. 

The course ends along the ocean. As you run the ocean is on your right side. I wanted nothing more than to run off course and jump in the ocean but that probably wasn't the best idea at the time so I  talked myself out of it.

As you finish the course and come into the finishers shoot and cross that line you are met by the San Fran firemen handing you the coveted Tiffany’s necklace. Honestly, I didn't care about the firemen all I wanted was food and that necklace. 

I think the Tiffany’s necklace is a huge item that sets Nike Women’s Marathon apart from other races out there. It is something I wear often and reminds me of the goal I set for myself and the goal I accomplished. I look at it and it reminds me of the friendships forged that weekend and the memories made. 

I am excited to run Nike Women’s Marathon again in October. Hope to see you there and run it with you!!

Day 13 - 30 Day Challenge

Have you ever been injured because of running? How?

Yes!! I have and they suck because they can bring setbacks to your training.

In May 2012 at the Mother's Day 10km I got planters fasciitis. Literally it came a week after Nike Women contact me about being a Nike Women’s ambassador. Lucky for me I found an amazing chiro and he really helped heal me. He taught me that injuries come from an imbalance in the body.

You might think you just have an injury in your foot but it is actually stemming from somewhere else in your body, like your calves, knees and hips.

He was the one who got me into rolling out almost nightly. Sometimes I am not the best at it, but I try to stay on top of rolling my muscles out. I know it is important to give my muscles love since I put them through so much on a daily basis.

My chiro took me off running for almost two weeks and did therapy on me, lucky for me I have only had one flare up since I had planters fasciitis. I was able to fix it by stretching and rolling out. It is always a worry in the back of my head that it is going to come back with a vengeance. I try to switch my shoes. I never run on the same pair of shoes two days in a row. 

My second injury came in December it was my knee. This one worried me a lot since my knee cap was coming off of my knee, it was being pushed up by the muscles. It was really gross looking. I was over working muscles and they were pulling on my knee in a weird direction. I learned the importance of cross training with this injury. Though running is fun you have to lift weights to balance out your muscles. I also learned that getting to fast too soon can cause injury. Overdoing it on the intervals can have a negative effect.

Each of my injuries have been pretty minor but they have taught me important lessons of stretching and rolling out and of cross training and weight lifting. 

My biggest fear is that I will get an injury that will take me out of running but as long as I stay on top of my body and listen that shouldn't happen.  

What is your worst injury? What do you do to counteract it from coming back? 

Day 12 - 30 Day Challenge

How has running changed you or your life?

How hasn't running changed my life!! After I got my injury swimming and hearing the words, you will never swim at a competitive level again, I was heartbroken. I actually remember coming home and crying for days!!

I set out on what my parents called a destructive path. I found new friends who weren't part of the swim team and I was introduced into a world I had no idea existed. All of a sudden I was going to parties and staying out until all hours on the weekend, I no longer had to be up at 4am for swim practice, I didn't have a dietitian monitoring what I ate and I didn't have anyone telling me what to do anymore. I mean I was 19 years old and I was legal in Canada.

My first year of university back in Canada was a little bit of a blur. I maintained a great GPA but I spent more time socializing that working out. I spent more time drinking wine with my friends and eating pizza than I did at the gym. I mean eating pizza and having fun with your friends isn't a problem but it needs to be done in moderation and I was never taught moderation.

In 2009 when I found running it changed my life. I slowly began learning moderation. I realized that I could still have fun and have the occasional glass of wine or pizza without sabotaging my body.

I have also found new friends that also enjoy my love of running. Like minded people always find like minded people. I love having friends who love running as much as I do. It makes it easier to get out there and run if you have a buddy or if you know your friends are out there running also. I have an amazing boyfriend who is a phenomenal runner but he will never admit it. I love surrounding myself who love running just as much as I do.

Running helps me fall in love with myself. There is nothing better than coming home after a long run and knowing that it was my body that got me through that run.